{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_2881/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_2881","id":"gutenberg_2881","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2881","summary":null,"tags":["Aggada -- Translations into English","Bible. Old Testament -- Legends","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Jewish legends","Judaism","Midrash -- Translations into English"],"text":"The Legends of the Jews\n\nby Louis Ginzberg\n\n\nTRANSLATED PROM THE GERMAN MANUSCRIPT BY\nPAUL RADIN\n\n\nVOLUME III\nBIBLE TIMES AND CHARACTERS\nFROM THE EXODUS TO THE DEATH OF MOSES\n\n\n\n\nTo\nMY MOTHER\nON THE OCCASION OF\nHER SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY\n\n\n\n\nPREFACE\n\n\n\"When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a People of\nstrange language, Jacob was His sanctuary and Israel His dominion.\nJewish legend attempts to describe how God's sanctuary, the religion of\nIsrael and His dominion, the beginnings of Israel as a nation, arose in\nthe time between the Exodus from Egypt and the entrance into the Holy\nLand.\n\nMoses is regarded not only as the greatest religious guide of Israel,\nbut also as its first national leader; he is \"the wisest (If the wise,\nthe father of the prophets,\" as well as \" king in Jeshiurun, when the\nheads of the people and the tribes of Israel gathered together.\" hence\nhis unique position in Jewish legend, neither Abraham, the friend of\nGod, nor Solomon, the wisest of all men, nor Elijah, the helper in time\nof need. can lay claim to such a position.\n\nGreat religious and national institutions like the Sabbath, the\nsanctuary, and many other \" commandments of God revealed to Moses \"\nstand in a special relation to his life and work. The sanctification of\nthe Sabbath became quite a living thing to him through the miracle of\nthe Manna, and the first sanctuary was actually erected by Moses. The\nlife of Moses ceased, therefore, to be a thing of the past and became\nclosely interwoven with the every-day life of the nation.\n\nThe most natural way for the popular mind to connect existing\nconditions with the past is the symbolic method. The present volume\ncontains, therefore, a number of symbolic explanations of certain laws,\nas, for instance, the symbolical significance of the Tabernacle, which,\nproperly speaking, do not belong to the domain of legend. The life of\nMoses, as conceived by Jewish legend, would, however, have been in\ncomplete if the lines between Legend and Symbolism had been kept too\nstrictly. With this exception the arrangement and presentation of the\nmaterial in the third volume is the same as that in the two preceding\nones.\n\nLOUIS G1NZBERG.\nNEW YORK, March 2, 1911\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n PREFACE\n\n MOSES IN THE WILDERNESS\n THE LONG ROUTE\n PHARAOH PURSUES THE HEBREWS\n THE SEA DIVIDED\n THE PASSAGE THROUGH THE RED SEA\n THE DESTRUCTION OF THE EGYPTIANS\n THE SONG AT THE SEA\n THE AWFUL DESERT\n THE HEAVENLY FOOD\n THE GATHERING OF THE MANNA\n MIRIAM'S WELL\n AMALEK' WAR AGAINST ISRAEL\n AMALEK DEFEATED\n JETHRO\n INSTALLATION OF ELDERS\n JETHRO REWARDED\n THE TIME IS AT HAND\n THE GENTILES REFUSE THE TORAH\n THE CONTEST OF THE MOUNTAINS\n THE TORAH OFFERED TO ISRAEL\n ISRAEL PREPARES FOR THE REVELATION\n THE REVELATION ON MOUNT SINAI\n THE FIRST COMMANDMENT\n THE OTHER COMMANDMENTS REVEALED ON SINAI\n THE UNITY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS\n MOSES CHOSEN AS INTERMEDIATOR\n MOSES AND THE ANGELS STRIVE FOR THE TORAH\n MOSES RECEIVES THE TORAH\n THE GOLDEN CALF\n MOSES BLAMED FOR ISRAEL'S SIN\n THE PUNISHMENT OF THE SINNERS\n MOSES INTERCEDES FOR THE PEOPLE\n THE INSCRUTABLE WAYS OF THE LORD\n THE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF GOD\n THE SECOND TABLES\n THE CENSUS OF THE PEOPLE\n THE ERECTION OF THE TABERNACLE COMMANDED\n THE MATERIALS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE\n BEZALEL\n THE ARK WITH THE CHERUBIM\n THE TABLE AND THE CANDLESTICK\n THE ALTAR\n THE SYMBOLICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TABERNACLE\n THE PRIESTLY ROBES\n THE STONES IN THE BREASTPLATE\n THE COMPLETION OF THE TABERNACLE\n THE SETTING UP OF THE TABERNACLE\n THE CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTS\n THE DAY OF THE TEN CROWNS\n THE INTERRUPTED JOY\n THE GIFTS OF THE PRINCES\n THE REVELATIONS IN THE TABERNACLE\n THE CLEANSING OF THE CAMP\n THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLESTICK\n THE TWELVE PRINCES OF THE TRIBES\n THE CENSUS OF THE LEVITES\n THE FOUR DIVISIONS OF THE LEVITES\n THE FOUR STANDARDS\n THE CAMP\n THE BLASPHEMER AND THE SABBATH-BREAKER\n THE UNGRATEFUL MULTITUDE\n THE FLESH-POTS OF EGYPT\n THE APPOINTMENT OF THE SEVENTY ELDERS\n ELDAD AND MEDAD\n THE QUAILS\n AARON AND MIRIAM SLANDER MOSES\n MIRIAM'S PUNISHMENT\n THE SENDING OF THE SPIES\n SIGNIFICANT NAMES\n THE SPIES IN PALESTINE\n THE SLANDEROUS REPORT\n THE NIGHT OF TEARS\n INGRATITUDE PUNISHED\n THE YEARS OF DISFAVOR\n THE REBELLION OF KORAH\n KORAH ABUSES MOSES AND THE TORAH\n MOSES PLEADS IN VAIN WITH KORAH\n KORAH AND HIS HORDE PUNISHED\n ON AND THE THE THREE SONS OF KORAH SAVED\n ISRAEL CONVINCED OF AARON'S PRIESTHOOD\n THE WATERS OF MERIBAH\n MOSES' ANGER CAUSES HIS DOOM\n EDOM'S UNBROTHERLY ATTITUDE. TOWARD ISRAEL\n THE THREE SHEPHERDS\n PREPARING AARON FOR IMPENDING DEATH\n AARON'S DEATH\n THE GENERAL MOURNING FOR AARON\n THE FALSE FRIENDS\n THE BRAZEN SERPENT\n AT ARNON\n SIHON, THE KING OF THE AMORITES\n THE GIANT OG\n MOSES' SPEECH OF ADMONITION\n BALAK, KING OF MOAB\n BALAAM, THE HEATHEN PROPHET\n BALAK'S MESSENGERS TO BALAAM\n BALAAM ACCEPTS BALAK'S INVITATION\n BALAAM'S ASS\n BALAAM RUNS INTO HIS OWN DESTRUCTION\n BALAAM WITH BALAK\n BALAAM'S SACRIFICES REFUSED\n BALAAM EXTOLS ISRAEL\n BALAAM'S HOPES DISAPPOINTED\n CURSES TURNED TO BLESSINGS\n BALAAM'S WICKED COUNSEL\n PHINEHAS, ZEALOUS FOR GOD\n TWELVE MIRACLES\n PHINEHAS REWARDED\n THE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD\n THE APPOINTMENT OF JOSHUA\n MOSES' LEGACY TO JOSHUA\n MOSES' LAST CAMPAIGN\n THE COMPLETE ANNIHILATION OF MIDIAN\n THE GRUESOME END OF BALAAM\n THE VICTORIOUS RETURN FROM THE WAR\n WEALTH THAT BRINGETH DESTRUCTION\n MOSES' DEATH IRREVOCABLY DOOMED\n MOSES' PRAYER FOR SUSPENSION OF JUDGMENT\n GOD TRIES TO COMFORT MOSES CONCERNING HIS DEATH\n THE INTERCESSIONS FOR MOSES\n MOSES SERVES JOSHUA\n THE LAST DAY OF MOSES' LIFE\n MOSES BEHOLDS THE FUTURE\n MOSES MEETS THE MESSIAH IN HEAVEN\n THE LAST HOURS OF MOSES\n THE BLESSING OF MOSES\n MOSES PRAYS FOR DEATH\n SAMAEL CHASTISED BY MOSES\n GOD KISSES MOSES' SOUL\n THE MOURNING FOR MOSES\n SAMAEL'S VAIN SEARCH\n MOSES EXCELS ALL PIOUS MEN\n\n\n\n\nMOSES IN THE WILDERNESS\n\n\n\n\nTHE LONG ROUTE\n\n\nThe exodus would have been impossible if Joseph's bones had remained\nbehind. Therefore Moses made it his concern to seek their\nresting-place, while the people had but the one thought of gathering in\nthe treasures of the Egyptians. [1] But it was not an easy matter to\nfind Joseph's body. Moses knew that he had been interred in the\nmausoleum of the Egyptian kings, but there were so many other bodies\nthere that it was impossible to identify it. Moses' mother Jochebed\ncame to his aid. She led him to the very spot where Joseph's bones lay.\nAs soon as he came near them, he knew them to be what he was seeking,\nby the fragrance they exhaled and spread around. [2] But his\ndifficulties were not at an end. The question arose, how he was to\nsecure possession of the remains. Joseph's coffin had been sunk far\ndown into the ground, and he knew not how to raise it from the depths.\nStanding at the edge of the grave, he spoke these words. \"Joseph, the\ntime hath come whereof thou didst say, 'God will surely visit you, and\nye shall carry up my bones from hence.'\" No sooner had this reminder\ndropped from his lips than the coffin stirred and rose to the surface.\n\nAnd even yet the difficulties in Moses' way were not removed wholly.\nThe Egyptian magicians had stationed two golden dogs at Joseph's\ncoffin, to keep watch,. and they barked vehemently if anyone ventured\nclose to it. The noise they made was so loud it could be heard\nthroughout the land, from end to end, a distance equal to a forty day's\njourney. When Moses came near the coffin, the dogs emitted their\nwarning sound, but he silenced them at once with words, \"Come, ye\npeople, and behold the miracle! The real, live dogs did not bark, and\nthese counterfeit dogs produced by magic attempt it!\" [3] What he said\nabout real, live dogs and their refraining from barking had reference\nto the fact that the dogs of the Egyptians did not move their tongues\nagainst any of the children of Israel, through they had barked all the\ntime the people were engaged in burying the bodies of their smitten\nfirst-born. As a reward God gave the Israelites the law, to cast to the\ndogs the flesh they themselves are forbidden to eat, for the Lord\nwithholds due recompense from none of His creatures. [4] Indeed, the\ndogs received a double reward, for their excrements are used in tanning\nthe hides from which the Torah scrolls are made, as well as the Mezuzot\nand the phylacteries. [5]\n\nJoseph's coffin in the possession of Moses, the march of the Israelites\ncould begin. The Egyptians put no manner of obstacle in their way.\nPharaoh himself accompanied them, to make sure that they were actually\nleaving the land, [6] and now he was so angry at his counselors for\nhaving advised against letting the Israelites depart that he slew them.\n[7]\n\nFor several reasons God did not permit the Israelites to travel along\nthe straight route to the promised land. He desired them to go to Sinai\nfirst and take the law upon themselves there, and, besides, the time\ndivinely appointed for the occupation of the land by the Gentiles had\nnot yet elapsed. Over and above all this, the long sojourn in the\nwilderness was fraught with profit for the Israelites, spiritually and\nmaterially. If they had reached Palestine directly after leaving Egypt,\nthey would have devoted themselves entirely each to the cultivation of\nhis allotted parcel of ground, and no time would have been left for the\nstudy of the Torah. In the wilderness they were relieved of the\nnecessity of providing for their daily wants, and they would give all\ntheir efforts to acquiring the law. On the whole, it would not have\nbeen advantageous to process at once to the Holy Land and take\npossession thereof, for when the Canaanites heard that the Israelites\nwere making for Palestine, they burnt the crops, felled the trees,\ndestroyed the buildings, and choked the water springs, all in order to\nrender the land uninhabitable. Hereupon God spake, and said: \"I did not\npromise their fathers to give a devastated land unto their see, but a\nland full of all good things. I will lead them about in the wilderness\nfor forty years, and meanwhile the Canaanites will have time to repair\nthe damage they have done.\" [8] Moreover, the many miracles preformed\nfor the Israelites during the journey through the wilderness had made\ntheir terror to fall upon the other nations, and their hearts melted,\nand there remained no more spirit in any man. They did not venture to\nattack the Israelites, and the conquest of the land was all the easier.\n[9]\n\nNor does this exhaust the list of reasons for preferring the longer\nroute through the desert. Abraham had sworn a solemn oath to live at\npeace with the Philistines during a certain period, and the end of the\nterm had not yet arrived. Besides, there was the fear that the sight of\nthe land of the Philistines would awaken sad recollections in the\nIsraelites, and drive them back into Egypt speedily, for once upon a\ntime it had been the scene of a bitter disappointment to them. they had\nspent one hundred and eighty years in Egypt, in peace and prosperity,\nnot in the least molested by the people. Suddenly Ganon came, a\ndescendant of Joseph, of the tribe of Ephraim, and he spake, \"The Lord\nhat appeared unto me, and He bade me lead you forth out of Egypt.\" The\nEphraimites were the only ones to heed his words. Proud of their royal\nlineage as direct descendants of Joseph, and confident to their valor\nin war, for they were great heroes, they left the land and betook\nthemselves to Palestine. [10] They Carried only weapons and gold and\nsilver. They had taken no provisions, because they expected to buy food\nand drink on the way or capture them by force if the owners would not\npart with them for money.\n\nAfter a day's march they found themselves in the neighborhood of Gath,\nat the place where the shepherds employed by the residents of the city\ngathered with the flocks. the Ephraimites asked them to sell them some\nsheep, which they expected to slaughter in order to satisfy their\nhunger with them, but the shepherds refused to have business dealings\nwith them, saying, \"Are the sheep ours, or does the cattle belong to\nus, that we could part with them for money?\" Seeing that they could not\ngain their point by kindness, the Ephraimites used force. The outcries\nof the shepherds brought the people of Gath to their aid. A violent\nencounter, lasting a whole day, took place between the Israelites and\nthe Philistines. The people of Gath realized that alone they would not\nbe able to offer successful resistance to the Ephraimites, and they\nsummoned the people of the other Philistine cities to join them. The\nfollowing day an army of forty thousand stood ready to oppose the\nEphraimites. Reduced in strength, as they were, by their three days'\nfast, they were exterminated root and branch. Only ten of them escaped\nwith their bare life, and returned to Egypt, to bring Ephraim word of\nthe disaster that had overtaken his posterity, and he mourned many\ndays.\n\nThis abortive attempt of the Ephraimites to leave Egypt was the first\noccasion for oppressing Israel. Thereafter the Egyptians exercised\nforce and vigilance to keep them in their land. As for the disaster of\nthe Ephraimites, it was well-merited punishment, because they had paid\nno heed to the wish of the father Joseph, who had adjured his\ndescendants solemnly on his deathbed not to think of quitting the land\nuntil the redeemer should appear. Their death was followed by disgrace,\nfor their bodies lay unburied for many years on the battlefield near\nGath, and the purpose of God in directing the Israelites to choose the\nlonger route from Egypt to Canaan, was to spare them the sight of those\ndishonored corpses. Their courage might have deserted them, and out of\napprehension of sharing the fate of their brethren they might have\nhastened back to the land of slavery. [11]\n\n\n\n\nPHARAOH PURSUES THE HEBREWS\n\n\nWhen Pharaoh permitted Israel to depart, he was under the impression\nthat they were going only a three days' journey into the wilderness for\nthe purpose of offering sacrifices. He sent officers with them, whose\nduty was to bring them back at the appointed time. The exodus took\nplace on a Thursday. On the following Sunday the king's watchers\nnoticed that the Israelites, so far from preparing for a return, were\nmaking arrangements looking to a long sojourn in the desert. They\nremonstrated and urged them to go back. The Israelites maintained that\nPharaoh had dismissed them for good, but the officers would not be put\noff with their mere assertions. They said, \"Willy-nilly, you will have\nto do as the powers that be command.\" To such arrogance the Israelites\nwould not submit, and they fell upon the officers, slaying some and\nwounding others. The maimed survivors went back to Egypt, and report\nthe contumacy of the Israelites to Pharaoh. Meantime Moses, who did not\ndesire the departure of his people to have the appearance of flight\nbefore the Egyptians, gave the signal to turn back to Pi-hahiroth.\nThose of little faith among the Israelites tore their hair and their\ngarments in desperation, though Moses assured them that by the word of\nGod they were free men, and no longer slaves to Pharaoh. [12]\nAccordingly, they retraced their steps to Pi-hahiroth, where two\nrectangular rocks form an opening, within which the great sanctuary of\nBaal-zephon was situated. The rocks are shaped like human figures, the\none a man and the other a woman, and they were not chiseled by human\nhands, but by the Creator Himself. The place had been called Pithom in\nearlier times, but later, on account of the idols set up there, it\nreceived the name Hahiroth. Of set purpose God had left Baal-zephon\nuninjured, alone of all the Egyptian idols. He wanted the Egyptian\npeople to think that this idol was possessed of exceeding might, which\nit exercised to prevent the Israelites from journeying on. To confirm\nthem in their illusory belief, God caused wild beasts to obstruct the\nroad to the wilderness, and they took it for granted that their idol\nBaal-zephon had ordained their appearance. [13]\n\nPi-hahiroth was famous, besides, on account of the treasures heaped up\nthere. The wealth of the world which Joseph had acquired through the\nsale of corn he had stored up during the seven years of plenty, he had\ndivided into three parts. The first part he surrendered to Pharaoh. The\nsecond part he concealed in the wilderness, where it was found by\nKorah, though it disappeared again, not to come to view until the\nMessianic time, and then it will be for the benefit of the pious. The\nthird part Joseph hid in the sanctuary of Baal-zephon, whence the\nHebrews carried it off as booty. [14]\n\nWhen Amalek and the magicians brought the information to Pharaoh, that\nthe Israelites had resolved not to return to Egypt, his heart and the\nheart of his whole people turned against them. The very counselors that\nhad persuaded him to dismiss the children of Israel spake now as\nfollows: \" If we had only been smitten with the plaques, we could have\nresigned ourselves to our fate. Or if, besides being smitten with the\nplagues, we had been compelled to let the Hebrews depart from the land,\nthat, too, we could have been borne with patience. But to be smitten\nwith the plagues, to be compelled to let our slaves depart from us, and\nto sit by and see them go off with our riches, that is more than we can\nendure.\"\n\nNow that the children of Israel had gone from them the Egyptians\nrecognized how valuable an element they had been in their country. In\ngeneral, the time of the exodus of Israel was disastrous for their\nformer masters. In addition to losing their dominion over the\nIsraelites, the Egyptians had to deal with mutinies that broke out\namong many other nations tributary to them, for hitherto Pharaoh had\nbeen the ruler of the whole world. The king resorted to blandishments\nand promises, to induce the people to make war against the Israelites,\nsaying, \"As a rule the army marches forth first, and the king follows\nin security, but I will precede you; and as a rule the king has the\nfirst choice of the booty, and as much of it as he desires, but I will\ntake no more than any one of you, and on my return from the war I will\ndivide my treasures of silver, gold, and precious stones among you.\"\n\nIn his zeal Pharaoh did not wait to have his chariot made ready for him\nhe did it with his own hands, and his nobles followed his example. [15]\nSamael granted Pharaoh assistance, putting six hundred chariots manned\nwith his own hosts at his disposal. [16] These formed the vanguard, and\nthey were joined by all the Egyptians, with their vast assemblages of\nchariots and warriors, no less than three hundred of their men to one\nof the children of Israel, each equipped with their different sorts of\nweapons. The general custom was for two charioteers to take turns at\ndriving a car, but to overtake the Israelites more surely and speedily,\nPharaoh ordered three to be assigned to each. The result was that they\ncovered in one day the ground which it had taken the Israelites three\nto traverse.\n\nThe mind of the Egyptians was in no wise directed toward spoil and\nplunder in this expedition. Their sole and determined purpose was to\nexterminate Israel, kith and kin. As the heathen lay great stress upon\nomens when they are about to start out on a campaign, God caused all\ntheir preparations to proceed smoothly, without the slightest untoward\ncircumstance. Everything pointed to a happy issue. [17] Pharaoh,\nhimself an adept in magic, had a presentiment that dire misfortune\nwould befall the children of Israel in the wilderness, that they would\nlose Moses there, and there the whole generation that had departed from\nEgypt would find its grave. Therefore he spoke to Dathan and Abiram,\nwho remained behind in Egypt, saying: \"Moses is leading them, but he\nhimself knows not whither. Verily, the congregation of Israel will lift\nup their voice in the wilderness, and cry, and there they will be\ndestroyed.\" He thought naturally that these visions had reference to an\nimminent future, to the time of his meeting with his dismissed slaves.\nBut his error was profound - he was hurrying forward to his own\ndestruction. [18]\n\nWhen he reached the sanctuary of Baal-zephon, Pharaoh, in his joy at\nfinding him spared while all the other idols in Egypt had been\nannihilated, lost no time, but hastened to offer sacrifices to him, and\nhe was comforted, \"for,\" he said, \"Baal-zephon approves my purpose of\ndrowning the children of Israel in the sea.\" [19]\n\nWhen the Israelites beheld the huge detachments of the Egyptian army\nmoving upon them, and when they considered that in Migdol there were\nother troops stationed, besides, more, indeed, than their own numbers,\nmen, women, and children all told, great terror overwhelmed them. [20]\nWhat affrighted them most, was the sight of the Angel of Egypt darting\nthrough the air as he flew to the assistance of the people under his\ntutelage. They turned to Moses, saying: \"What has thou done to us? Now\nthey will requite us for all that hath happened - that their first-born\nwere smitten, and that we ran off with their money, which was thy\nfault, for thou didst bid up borrow gold and silver from our Egyptian\nneighbors and depart with their property.\"\n\nThe situation of the Israelites was desperate. Before them was the sea,\nbehind them the Egyptians, on both sides the wild beasts of the desert.\n[21] The wicked among them spoke to Moses, saying, \"While we were in\nEgypt, we said to thee and to Aaron, 'The Lord look upon you, and\njudge, because ye have made our savor to be abhorred in the eyes of\nPharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hand\nto slay us.' Then there died many of our brethren during the days of\ndarkness, which was worse than the bondage in which the Egyptians kept\nus. Nevertheless our fate in the desert will be sadder than theirs.\nThey at least were mourned, and their bodies ere buried, but our\ncorpses will lie exposed, consumed in the day by drought and by frost\nin the night.\"\n\nMoses in his wisdom knew how to pacify the thousands and myriads under\nhis leadership. He impressed them with the words, \"Fear ye not, stand\nstill, and see the salvation of the Lord.\" \"When will His salvation\ncome?\" questioned the people, and he told them it would appear the\nfollowing day, but they protested, \"We cannot wait until to-morrow.\"\nThen Moses prayed to God, and the Lord showed him the angel hosts\nstanding ready to hasten to the assistance of the people. [22]\n\nThey were not agreed as to what they were to do. There were four\ncontending parties. The opinion of the first party was that they seek\ndeath by drowning in the sea; of the second, that they return to Egypt;\nthe third was in favor of a pitched battle with the enemy, and the\nfourth thought it would be a good plan to intimidate the Egyptians by\nnoise and a great hubbub. To the first Moses said, \"Stand still, and\nsee the salvation of the Lord;\" to the second, \"The Egyptians whom ye\nhave seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more forever;\" to the\nthird, \"The Lord shall fight for you;\" and to the fourth, \"Ye shall\nhold your peace.\" \"What, then, shall we do?\" these asked their leader,\nand Moses answered them, saying, \"Ye shall bless, praise, extol, adore\nand glorify Him that is the Lord of war!\" Instead of the sword and the\nfive sorts of arms which they bore, they mad use of their mouth, and it\nwas of greater avail than all possible weapons of war. The Lord\nhearkened unto their prayer, for which He had but been waiting. [23]\n\nMoses also addressed himself to God, saying: \"O Lord of the world! I am\nlike the shepherd who, having undertaken to pasture a flock, has been\nheedless enough to drive his sheep to the edge of a precipice, and then\nis in a despair how to get them down again. Pharaoh is behind my flock\nIsrael, in the south is Baal-zephon, in the north Midgol, and before us\nthe sea lies spread out. [24] Thou knowest, O Lord, that it is beyond\nhuman strength and human contrivance to surmount the difficulties\nstanding in our way. Thine alone is the work of procuring deliverance\nfor this army, which left Egypt at Thy appointment. We despair of all\nother assistance or device, and we have recourse only to our hope in\nThee. If there be any escape possible, we look up to Thy providence to\naccomplish it for us.\" [25] With such words Moses continued to make\nfervent supplication to God to succor Israel in their need. But God cut\nshort his prayer, saying: \"Moses, My children are in distress - the sea\nblocks the way before them, the enemy is in hot pursuit after them, and\nthou standest here and prayest. Sometimes long prayer is good, but\nsometimes it is better to be brief. If I gathered the waters together\nunto one place, and let the dry land appear for Adam, a single human\nbeing, should I not do the same for this holy congregation? I will save\nthem if only for the sake of the merits of Abraham, who stood ready to\nsacrifice his son Isaac unto Me, and for the sake of My promise to\nJacob. The sun and the moon are witnesses that I will cleave the sea\nfor the seed of the children of Israel, who deserve My help for going\nafter Me in the wilderness unquestioningly. Do thou but see to it that\nthey abandon their evil thought of returning to Egypt, and then it will\nnot be necessary to turn to Me and entreat My help.\" [26]\n\nMoses, however, was still very much troubled in mind, on account of\nSamael, who had not left off lodging accusations before God against\nIsrael since the exodus from Egypt. The Lord adopted the same procedure\nin dealing with the accuser as the experienced shepherd, who, at the\nmoment of transferring his sheep across a stream, was faced by a\nravening wolf. The shepherd threw a strong ram to the wolf, and while\nthe two engaged in combat, the rest of the flock was carried across the\nwater, and then the shepherd returned and snatch the wolf's supposed\nprey away from him. Samael said to the Lord: \"Up to this time the\nchildren of Israel were idol worshippers, and now Thou proposest so\ngreat a thing as dividing the sea for them?\" What did the Lord do? He\nsurrendered Job to Samael, saying, \"While he busies himself with Job,\nIsrael will pass through the sea unscathed, and as soon as they are in\nsafety, I will rescue Job from the hands of Samael.\" [27]\n\nIsrael had other angel adversaries, besides. Uzza, the tutelary Angel\nof the Egyptians, appeared before God, and said, \"O Lord of the world!\nI have a suit with this nation which Thou hast brought forth out to\nEgypt. If it seemeth well to Thee, let their angel Michael appear, and\ncontend with me before Thee.\" The Lord summoned Michael, and Uzza\nstated his charges against Israel: \"O Lord of the world! Thou didst\ndecree concerning this people of Israel that is hall be held in bondage\nby my people, the Egyptians, for a period of four hundred years. But\nthey had dominion over them only eighty-six years, therefore the time\nof their going forth hath not yet arrived. If it be Thy will, give me\npermission to take them back to Egypt, that they may continue in\nslavery for the three hundred and fourteen years that are left, and Thy\nword be fulfilled. As Thou are immutable, so let Thy decree be\nimmutable!\"\n\nMichael was silent, for he knew not how to controvert these words, and\nit seemed as if Uzza had won his suit. But the Lord Himself espoused\nthe cause of Israel, and He said to Uzza: \"The duty of serving thy\nnation was laid upon My children only on account of an unseemly word\nuttered by Abraham. When I spoke to him, saying, 'I am the Lord that\nbrought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to\ninherit it,' he made answer, 'Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit\nit?' Therefore did I say to him, 'Thy seed shall be a stranger.' But it\nis well-known and manifest before Me that they were 'strangers' from\nthe day of Isaac's birth, and. reckoning thence, the period of four\nhundred years has elapsed, and thou hast no right to keep My children\nin bondage any longer.\" [28]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SEA DIVIDED\n\n\nGod spake to Moses, saying, \"Why dost thou stand here praying? My\nchildren's prayer has anticipated thine. For thee there is naught to do\nbut lift up thy rod and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide\nit.\" Moses replied: \"Thou commandest me to divide the sea, and lay bare\nthe dry ground in the midst of it, and yet Thou didst Thyself make it a\nperpetual decree, that the sand shall be placed for the bound of the\nsea.\" And again God spake to Moses: \"Thou has not read the beginning of\nthe Torah. I, yea, I, did speak, 'Let the waters under the heaven be\ngathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear,' and at\nthat time I made the condition that the waters shall divide before\nIsrael. [29] Take the rod that I gave unto thee, and go to the sea upon\nMine errand, and speak thus: 'I am the messenger sent by the Creator of\nthe world! Uncover thy paths, O sea, for My children, that they may go\nthrough the midst of thee on dry ground.'\"\n\nMoses spoke to the sea as God had bidden him, but it replied, \"I will\nnot do according to thy words, for thou are only a man born of woman,\nand, besides, I am three days older than thou, O man, for I was brought\nforth on the third day of creation, and thou on the sixth.\" Moses lost\nno time, but carried back to God the words the sea has spoken, and the\nLord said\" \"Moses, what does a master do with an intractable servant?\"\n\"He beats him with a rod,\" said Moses. \"Do thus!\" ordered God. \"Lift up\nthy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea and divide it.\" [30]\n\nThereupon Moses raised up his rod - the rod that had been created at\nthe very beginning of the world, on which were graven in plain letters\nthe great and exalted Name, the names of the ten plagues inflicted upon\nthe Egyptians, and the names of the three Fathers, the six Mothers, and\nthe twelve tribes of Jacob. This rod he lifted up, and stretched it out\nover the sea. [31]\n\nThe sea, however, continued in its perverseness, and Moses entreated\nGod to give His command direct to it. But God refused, saying: \"Were I\nto command the sea to divide, it would never again return to its former\nestate. Therefore, do thou convey My order to it, that it be not\ndrained dry forever. But I will let a semblance of My strength\naccompany thee, and that will compel its obedience.\" When the sea saw\nthe Strength of God at the right hand of Moses, it spoke to the earth\nsaying, \"Make hollow places for me, that I may hide myself therein\nbefore the Lord of all created things, blessed be He.\" Noticing the\nterror of the sea, Moses said to it: \"For a whole day I spoke to thee\nat the bidding of the Holy One, who desired thee to divide, but thou\ndidst refuse to pay heed to my words; even when I showed thee my rod,\nthou didst remain obdurate. What hath happened now that thou skippest\nhence?\" The sea replied, \"I am fleeing, not before thee, but before the\nLord of all created things, that His Name be magnified in all the\nearth.\" [32] And the waters of the Red Sea divided, and not they alone,\nbut all the waters in heaven and on earth, in whatever vessel it was,\nin cisterns, in wells, in caves, in casks, in pitchers, in drinking\ncups, and in glasses, and none of these waters returned to their former\nestate until Israel has passed through the sea on dry land. [ 33]\n\nThe angel Gabriel was eager to drown the Egyptians during the same\nnight, but God bade him wait until early the next day, until the hour\nof the morning watch, when Abraham had made himself ready to set out\nfor the sacrifice of his son. Gabriel succeeded, however, in holding\nback the turbulent water about to sweep over Israel. To the wall of\nwater on the right, he called, \"Beware of Israel, who will receive the\nlaw in time to come from the right hand of the Lord,\" and turning to\nthe wall of water on the left, he said, \"Beware of Israel, who will\nwind the phylacteries about their left hand in time to come.\" The water\nbehind he admonished, \"Beware of Israel, who will let the Zizit drop\ndown upon their back in time to come,\" and to the water towering in\nfront of them, he called, \"Beware of Israel, who bear the sign of the\ncovenant upon their bodies.\" [34]\n\nGod caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind, the wind He always\nmakes use of when He chastises the nations. The same east wind had\nbrought the deluge; it had laid the tower of Babel in ruins; it was to\ncause the destruction of Samaria, Jerusalem, and Tyre; and it will, in\nfuture, be the instrument for castigating Rome drunken with pleasure;\nand likewise the sinners in Gehenna are punished by means of the east\nwind. All night long God made it to blow over the sea. To prevent the\nenemy from inflicting harm upon the Israelites, He enveloped the\nEgyptians in profound darkness, so impenetrable it could be felt, and\nnone could move or change his posture. He that sat when it fell could\nnot arise from his place, and he that stood could not sit down.\nNevertheless, the Egyptians could see that the Israelites were\nsurrounded by bright light, and were enjoying a banquet where they\nstood, and when they tried to speed darts and arrows against them, the\nmissiles were caught up by the cloud and by the angels hovering between\nthe two camps, and no harm came to Israel. [35]\n\n\n\n\nTHE PASSAGE THROUGH THE RED SEA\n\n\nOn the morning after the eventful night, though the sea was not yet\nmade dry land, the Israelites, full of trust in God, were ready to cast\nthemselves into its waters. The tribes contended with one another for\nthe honor of being the first to jump. Without awaiting the outcome of\nthe wordy strife, the tribe of Benjamin sprang in, and the princes of\nJudah were so incensed at having been deprived of pre-eminence in\ndanger that they pelted the Benjamites with stones. God knew that the\nJudaeans and the Benjamites were animated by a praiseworthy purpose.\nThe ones like the others desired but to magnify the Name of God, and He\nrewarded both tribes: in Benjamin's allotment the Shekinah took up her\nresidence, and the royalty of Israel was conferred upon Judah.\n\nWhen God saw the two tribes in the waves of the sea, He called upon\nMoses, and said: \"My beloved are in danger of drowning, and thou\nstandest by and prayest. Bid Israel go forward, and thou lift up thy\nrod over the sea, and divide it.\" Thus it happened, and Israel passed\nthrough the sea with its water cleft in twain.\n\nThe dividing of the sea was but the first of ten miracles connected\nwith the passage of the Israelites through it. The others were that the\nwaters united in a vault above their heads; twelve paths opened up, one\nfor each of the tribes; the water became transparent as glass, and each\ntribe could see the others; the soil underfoot was dry, but it changed\ninto clay when the Egyptians stepped upon it; the walls of water\ntransformed into rocks, against which the Egyptians were thrown and\ndashed to death, while before the Israelites could slake their thirst;\nand, finally, the tenth wonder was, that this drinking water was\ncongealed in the heart of the sea as soon as they had satisfied their\nneed. [36]\n\nAnd there were other miracles, besides. The sea yielded the Israelites\nwhatever their hearts desired. If a child cried as it lay in the arms\nof its mother, she needed but to stretch out her hand and pluck and\napple or some fruit and quiet it. [37] The waters were piled up to the\nheight of sixteen hundred miles, and they could be seen by all the\nnations of the earth. [38]\n\nThe great wonder of Israel's passage through the sea took place in the\npresence of the three Fathers and the six Mothers, for God had fetched\nthem out of their graves to the shores of the Red Sea, to be witnesses\nof the marvelous deeds wrought in behalf of their children. [39]\n\nWonderful as were the miracles connected with the rescue of the\nIsraelites from the waters of the sea, those performed when the\nEgyptians were drowned were no less remarkable. First of all God felt\ncalled upon to defend Israel's cause before Uzza, the Angel of the\nEgyptians, who would not allow his people to perish in the waters of\nthe sea. He appeared on the spot at the very moment when God wanted to\ndrown the Egyptians, and he spake: \"O Lord of the world! Thou are\ncalled just and upright, and before Thee there is no wrong, no\nforgetting, no respecting of persons. Why, then, dost Thou desire to\nmake my children perish in the sea? Canst Thou say that my children\ndrowned or slew a single one of Thine? If it be on account of the\nrigorous slavery that my children imposed upon Israel, then consider\nthat Thy children have received their wages, in that they took their\nsilver and golden vessels from them.\"\n\nThen God convoked all the members of His celestial family, and He spake\nto the angel hosts: \"Judge ye in truth between Me and yonder Uzza, the\nAngel of the Egyptians. At the first I brought a famine upon his\npeople, and I appointed My friend Joseph over them, who saved them\nthrough his sagacity, and they all became his slaves. Then My children\nwent down into their land as strangers, in consequence of the famine,\nand they made the children of Israel to serve with rigor in all manner\nof hard work there is in the world. They groaned on account of their\nbitter service, and their cry rose up to Me, and I sent Moses and\nAaron, My faithful messengers, to Pharaoh. When they came before the\nking of Egypt, they spake to him, 'Thus said the Lord, the God of\nIsrael, Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the\nwilderness.' In the presence of the kings of the East and of the West,\nthe sinner began to boast, saying: 'Who is the Lord, that I should\nhearken unto His voice, to let Israel go? Why comes He not before me,\nlike all the kings of the world, and why doth He not bring me a present\nlike the others? This God of whom you speak, I know Him not at all.\nWait and let me search my lists, and see whether I can find His Name.'\nBut his servants said, 'We have heard that He is the son of the wise,\nthe son of ancient kings.' Then Pharaoh asked My messengers, 'What are\nthe works of this God?' and they replied, 'He is the God of gods, the\nLord of lords, who created the heaven and the earth.' But Pharaoh\ndoubted their words, and said, 'There is no God in all the world that\ncan accomplish such works besides me, for I made myself, and I made the\nNile river.' Because he denied Me thus, I sent ten plagues upon him,\nand he was compelled to let My children go. Yet, in spite of all, he\ndid not leave off from his wicked ways, and he tried to bring them back\nunder his bondage. Now, seeing all that hath happened to him, and that\nhe will not acknowledge Me as God and Lord, does he not deserve to be\ndrowned in the sea with his host?\"\n\nThe Celestial family called out when the Lord had ended His defense,\n\"Thou hast every right to drown him in the sea!\"\n\nUzza heard their verdict, and he said: \"O Lord of all the worlds! I\nknow that my people deserve the punishment Thou has decreed, but may it\nplease Thee to deal with them according to Thy attribute of mercy, and\ntake pity upon the work of Thy hands, for Thy tender mercies are over\nall Thy works!\"\n\nAlmost the Lord had yielded to Uzza's entreaties, when Michael gave a\nsign to Gabriel that mad him fly to Egypt swiftly and fetch thence a\nbrick for which a Hebrew child had been used as a mortar. Holding this\nincriminating object in his had, Gabriel stepped into the presence of\nGod, and said: \"O Lord of the world! Wilt Thou have compassion with the\naccursed nation that has slaughtered Thy children so cruelly?\" Then the\nLord turned Himself away from His attribute of mercy, and seating\nHimself upon His throne of justice He resolved to drown the Egyptians\nin the sea. [40]\n\nThe first upon whom judgement was executed was the Angel of Egypt -\nUzza was thrown into the sea. [41] A similar fate overtook Rahab, the\nAngel of the Sea, with his hosts. Rahab had made intercession before\nGod in behalf of the Egyptians. He had said: \"Why shouldst Thou drown\nthe Egyptians? Let is suffice the Israelites that Thou hast saved them\nout of the hand of their masters.\" At that God dealt Rahab and his army\na blow, under which they staggered and fell dead, and then He cast\ntheir corpses in the sea, whence its unpleasant odor. [42]\n\n\n\n\nTHE DESTRUCTION OF THE EGYPTIANS\n\n\nAt the moment when the last of the Israelites stepped out of the bed of\nthe sea, the first of the Egyptians set foot into it, but in the same\ninstant the waters surged back into their wonted place, and all the\nEgyptians perished. [43]\n\nBut drowning was not the only punishment decreed upon them by God. He\nundertook a thoroughgoing campaign against them. When Pharaoh was\npreparing to persecute the Israelites, he asked his army which of the\nsaddle beasts was the swiftest runner, that one he would use, and they\nsaid: \"There is none swifter than thy piebald mare, whose like is to be\nfound nowhere in the world.\" Accordingly, Pharaoh mounted the mare, and\npursued after the Israelites seaward. And while Pharaoh was inquiring\nof his army as to the swiftest animal to mount, God was questioning the\nangels as to the swiftest creature to use to the detriment of Pharaoh.\nAnd the angels answered: \"O Lord of the world! All thing are Thine, and\nall are Thine handiwork. Thou knowest well, and it is manifest before\nThee, that among all Thy creatures there is none so quick as the wind\nthat comes from under the throne of Thy glory,\" and the Lord flew\nswiftly upon the wings of the wind. [44]\n\nThe angels now advanced to support the Lord in His war against the\nEgyptians. Some brought swords, some arrows, and some spears. But God\nwarded them off, saying, \"Away! I need no help!\" [45] The arrows sped\nby Pharaoh against the children of Israel were answered by the Lord\nwith fiery darts directed against the Egyptians. Pharaoh's army\nadvanced with gleaming swords, and the Lord sent out lightnings that\ndiscomfited the Egyptians. Pharaoh hurled missiles, and the Lord\ndischarged hailstones and coals of fire against him. With trumpets,\nsackbuts, and horns the Egyptians made their assault, and the Lord\nthundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice. In vain\nthe Egyptians marched forward in orderly battle array; the Lord\ndeprived them of their standards, and they were thrown into wild\nconfusion. [46] To lure them into the water, the Lord caused fiery\nsteeds to swim out upon the sea, and the horses of the Egyptians\nfollowed them, each with a rider upon his back. [47]\n\nNow the Egyptians tried to flee to their land in their chariots drawn\nby she-mules. As they had treated the children of Israel in a way\ncontrary to nature, so the Lord treated them now. Not the she-mules\npulled the chariots but the chariots, though fire from heaven had\nconsumed their wheels, dragged the men and the beasts into the water.\nThe chariots were laden with silver, gold, and all sorts of costly\nthings, which the river Pishon, as it flows forth from Paradise,\ncarries down into the Gihon. Thence the treasures float into the Red\nSea, and by its waters they were tossed into the chariots of the\nEgyptians. It was the wish of Israel, and for this reason He caused the\nchariots to roll down into the sea, and the sea in turn to cast them\nout upon the opposite shore, at the feet of the Israelites. [48]\n\nAnd the Lord fought against the Egyptians also with the pillar of cloud\nand the pillar of fire. The former made the soil miry, and the mire was\nheated to the boiling point by the latter, so that the hoofs of the\nhorses dropped from their feet, and they could not budge from the spot.\n[49]\n\nThe anguish and the torture that God brought upon the Egyptians at the\nRed Sea caused them by far more excruciating pain than the plagues they\nhad endured in Egypt, for at the sea He delivered them into the hands\nof the Angels of Destruction, who tormented them pitilessly. Had God\nnot endowed the Egyptians with a double portion of strength, they could\nnot have stood the pain a single moment. [50]\n\nThe last judgement executed upon the Egyptians corresponded to the\nwicked designs harbored against Israel by the three different parties\namong them when they set out in pursuit of their liberated slaves. The\nfirst party had said, \"We will bring Israel back to Egypt;\" the second\nhad said, \"We will strip them bare,\" and the third had said, \"We will\nslay them all.\" The Lord blew upon the first with His breath, and the\nsea covered them; the second party He shook into the sea, and the third\nHe pitched into the depths of the abyss. [51] He tossed them about as\nlentils are shaken up and down in a saucepan; the upper ones are made\nto fall to the bottom, the lower ones fly to the top. This was the\nexperience of the Egyptians. And worse still, first the rider and his\nbeast were whisked high up in the air, and then the two together, the\nrider sitting upon the back of the beast, were hurled to the bottom of\nthe sea. [52]\n\nThe Egyptians endeavored to save themselves from the sea by conjuring\ncharms, for they were great magicians. Of the ten measures of magic\nallotted to the world, they had taken nine for themselves. And, indeed,\nthey succeeded for the moment; they escaped out of the sea. But\nimmediately the sea said to itself, \"How can I allow the pledge\nentrusted to me by God to be taken from me?\" And the water rushed after\nthe Egyptians, and dragged back every man of them.\n\nAmong the Egyptians were the two arch-magicians Jannes and Jambres.\nThey made wings for themselves, with which they flew up to heaven. They\nalso said to Pharaoh: \"If God Himself hath done this thing, we can\neffect naught. But if this work has been put into the hands of His\nangel, then we will shake his lieutenants into the sea.\" They proceeded\nat once to use their magic contrivances, whereby they dragged the\nangels down. These cried up to God: \"Save us, O God, for the waters are\ncome in unto our soul! Speak Thy word that will cause the magicians to\ndrown in the mighty waters.\" And Gabriel cried to God, \"By the\ngreatness of Thy glory dash Thy adversaries to pieces.\" Hereupon God\nbade Michael go and execute judgement upon the two magicians. The\narchangel seized hold of Jannes and Jambres by the locks of their hair,\nand he shattered them against the surface of the water. [53]\n\nThus all the Egyptians were drowned. Only one was spared - Pharaoh\nhimself. When the children of Israel raised their voices to sing a song\nof praise to God at the shores of the Red Sea, Pharaoh heard it as he\nwas jostled hither and thither by the billows, and he pointed his\nfinger heavenward, and called out: \"I believe in Thee, O God! Thou art\nrighteous, and I and My people are wicked, and I acknowledge now that\nthere is no god in the world beside Thee.\" Without a moments delay,\nGabriel descended and laid and iron chain about Pharaoh's neck, and\nholding him securely, he addressed him thus: \"Villain! Yesterday thou\ndidst say, 'Who is the Lord that I should hearken to His voice?' and\nnow thou sayest, 'The Lord is righteous.'\" With that he let him drop\ninto the depths of the sea, and there he tortured him for fifty days,\nto make the power of God known to him. At the end of the time he\ninstalled him as king of the great city of Nineveh, and after the lapse\nof many centuries, when Jonah came to Nineveh, and prophesied the\noverthrow of the city on account of the evil done by the people, it was\nPharaoh who, seized by fear and terror, covered himself with sackcloth,\nand sat in ashes, and with his own mouth made proclamation and\npublished this decree through Nineveh: \"Let neither man nor beast, herd\nnor flock, taste anything; let them not feed nor drink water; for I\nknow there is no god beside Him in all the world, all His words are\ntruth, and all His judgements are true and faithful.\"\n\nPharaoh never died, and never will die. He always stands at the portal\nof hell, and when the kings of the nations enter, he makes the power of\nGod known to them at once, in these words: \"O ye fools! Why have ye not\nlearnt knowledge from me? I am denied the Lord God, and He brought ten\nplagues upon me, sent me to the bottom of the sea, kept me there for\nfifty days, released me then, and brought me up. Thus I could not but\nbelieve in Him.\" [54]\n\nGod caused the Egyptians to be washed ashore in their death struggle.\nThere were four reasons for this. The Israelites were not to say that\nas they themselves had escaped, so also the Egyptians had passed\nthrough the sea dryshod, only the latter had gone in another direction,\nand therefore had vanished from sight. The Egyptians, on the other\nhand, were not to think that the children of Israel had been drowned in\nthe sea like themselves. In the third place, the Israelites were to\nhave, as their booty, the silver, gold, and other precious things with\nwhich the Egyptians were decked; and, finally, the Israelites were to\nenjoy the satisfaction of seeing their enemies suffer. With their\nfinger thy could point them out one by one, saying, \"This one way my\ntaskmaster, who beat me with those fists of his at which the dogs are\nnow gnawing, and yonder Egyptian, the dogs are chewing the feet with\nwhich he kicked me.\"\n\nAs they lay on the shore in their last agony, they had to witness their\nown destruction and the victory of the Israelites, and they also beheld\nthe suffering of their brethren that had remained behind in Egypt, for\nGod poured out His punishment over the whole people, whether in Egypt\nor at the Red Sea. [55] As for the corpses by the shores of the sea,\nthey did not remain unburied, the earth swallowed them, by way of\nreward for Pharaoh's having acknowledged the justice of the\nchastisement that had been inflicted upon king and people. Before their\ncorpses had been disposed of in this way, there had been a quarrel\nbetween the earth and the sea. The sea said to the earth, \"Take thy\nchildren unto thyself,\" and the earth retorted, \"Keep those whom thou\nhast slain.\" The sea hesitated to do as the earth bade, for fear that\nGod would demand them back on the day of judgement; and the earth\nhesitated, because it remembered with terror the curse that had been\npronounced upon it for having sucked up Abel's blood. Only after God\nswore and oath, not to punish it for receiving the corpses of the\nEgyptians, would the earth swallow them. [56]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SONG AT THE SEA\n\n\nMighty is faith, for the spirit of God came upon the Israelites as a\nreward for their trust in God, and in His servant Moses; and it was in\nthis exaltation that they sang to the Lord a song [57] that moved Him\nto grant forgiveness for all their sins. [58] This song was the second\nof the nine songs that in the course of history of Israel sang to their\nGod. They assembled to sing the first in Egypt, on the night when they\nwere freed from captivity; their second was the song of triumph by the\nRed Sea; their third, when the well sprang up in the wilderness; Moses\nsang the fourth before his death; the fifth was Joshua's song after his\nvictory over the five Amorite Kings; Deborah and Barak sang the sixth\nwhen they conquered Sisera; the seventh was David's psalm of\nthanksgiving to God for his deliverance out of the hand of all his\nenemies; the eighth was Solomon's song at the dedication of the Temple;\nthe ninth Jehoshaphat sang as, trusting in God, he went to battle\nagainst the Moabites and the Ammonites. The tenth and last song,\nhowever, will be that grand and mighty song, when Israel will raise\ntheir voice in triumph at their future deliverance, for that will be\nthe final release of Israel for all time. [59]\n\nWhen Israel prepared to sound their praises to God for delivering them\nfrom destruction in the Red Sea, God, to show His recognition of\nIsrael's fulfillment of the token of the Abrahamic covenant, bade the\nangels who came to intone their song, wait: \"Let My children sing\nfirst,\" He said. This incident with the angels is like the story of the\nking who, upon returning from a victorious campaign, was told that his\nson and his servant were waiting with wreaths in their hands, and were\nasking who should first crown him. The king said, \"O ye fools, to\nquestion if my servant should walk before my son! No, let my son come\nfirst!\"\n\nThis was the second time the angels were obliged to retire before\nIsrael. When Israel stood by the Red Sea, before them the rolling\nwaters, and behind them the hosts of Egypt, then, too, the angels\nappeared, to sing their daily song of praise to the Lord, but God\ncalled to them, \"Forbear! My children are in distress, and you would\nsing!\"\n\nBut even after the men had completed their song, it was not yet given\nto the angels to raise their voices, for after the men followed the\nwomen of Israel, and only then came the turn of the angels. Then they\nbegan to murmur, and said, \"Is it not enough that the men have preceded\nus? Shall the women come before us also?\" But God replied, \"As surely\nas ye live, so it is.\" [60]\n\nAt first Israel requested their leader Moses to begin the song, but he\ndeclined, saying, \"No, ye shall begin it, for it is a greater mark of\nhonor to be praised by the multitude than by a single one.\" At once the\npeople sang: \"We will glorify the Eternal, for He has shown us signs\nand tokens. When the Egyptians passed the decree against us, and said,\n'Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river,' our mothers went\ninto the field, and Thou didst bid a sleep to fall upon them, and they\nbore us without any pain; and the angels descended from Heaven, washed\nand anointed us, and robed us in many-colored silken garments, and\nplaced in our hands two lumps, one of butter and one of honey. When our\nmothers awoke and saw us washed, anointed, and clothed in silk, then\nthey praised Thee, and said, 'Praise be God who has not turned His\ngrace and His lasting love from the seed of our father Abraham; and now\nbehold! they are in Thy hand, do with them as Thou wilt.' And they\ndeparted. When the Egyptians saw us, they approached to kill us, but\nThou in Thy great mercy didst bid the earth swallow us and set us in\nanother place, where we were not seen by the Egyptians, and lo! in this\nway didst Thou save us from their hand. When we grew up, we wandered in\ntroops to Egypt, where each recognized his parents and his family. All\nthis hast Thou done for us, therefore will we sing of Thee.\"\n\nThereupon Moses said: \"Ye have given thanks to the Holy One, blessed be\nHe, and not I will praise His name, for to me also has He shown signs\nand tokens. The Lord is my strength and my song, and He is become my\nsalvation; He is my God, and I will prepare Him and habitation; my\nfather's God, and I will exalt Him.\" [61]\n\nThe song by the Red Sea was as much the song of Moses as of all Israel,\nfor the great leader counted as not less than all the other Israelites\ntogether, and, besides, [62] he had composed a large portion of the\nsong. In virtue of the spirit of God that possessed them while they\nsang, Moses and the people mutually supplemented each other, so that,\nas soon as Moses spoke half the verse, the people repeated it, and\nlinked the second complementary part to it. So Moses began with the\nhalf verse, \"I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed\ngloriously,\" whereupon the people answered, \"The horse and his rider\nhath He thrown into the sea.\" And in this wise developed the whole\nsong. [63]\n\nBut not alone the adults took part in this song, even the sucklings\ndropped their mothers' breasts to join in singing; yea, even the\nembryos in the womb joined the melody, and the angels' voices swelled\nthe song. [64] God so distinguished Israel during the passage through\nthe Red Sea, that even the children beheld His glory, yea, even the\nwoman slave saw more of the presence of God by the Red Sea than the\nProphet Ezekiel was ever permitted to behold. [65]\n\nThey closed the song with the words: \"Let us set the crown of glory\nupon the head of our Deliverer, who suffers all things to perish, but\ndoes not Himself decay, who changes all things, but is Himself\nunchanged. His is the diadem of sovereignty, for He is the King of\nkings in this world, and His is the sovereignty of the world to come;\nit is His and will be His in all eternity.\" [66] Thereupon Moses spake\nto Israel, \"Ye have seen all the signs, all miracles and works of glory\nthat the Holy One, blessed be He, hath wrought for you, but even more\nwill He do for you in the world to come; for not like unto this world\nis the world of the hereafter; for in this world war and suffering,\nevil inclination, Satan, and the Angel of Death hold sway; but in the\nfuture would, there will be neither suffering nor enmity, neither Satan\nnor the Angel of Death, neither groans nor oppression, nor evil\ninclination.\" [67]\n\nAs Moses and the race that wandered from Egypt with him sang a song to\nthe Lord by the Red Sea, so shall they sing again in the world to come.\nIn the world to come, all generations will pass before the Lord and\nwill ask Him who should first intone the song of praise, whereupon He\nwill reply: \"In the past it was the generation of Moses that offered up\nto me a song of praise. Let them do it now once more, and as Moses\nconducted the song by the Red Sea, so shall he do in the world of the\nhereafter.\" [68]\n\nIn other respects, too, it shall be in the world to come as it was at\nthe time of the song by the sea. For when Israel intoned the song of\npraise, God put on a festive robe, on which were embroidered all the\npromises for a happy future to Israel. Among them were written: \"Then\nshall thy light break forth as the morning\"; \"Then said they among the\nheathen. 'The Lord hath done great things for them,'\" and many similar\npromises. But when Israel sinned, God rent the festive robe, and He\nwill not restore it, or put it on until the coming of the future world.\n[69]\n\nAfter the men had completed the song, the women under the guidance of\nMiriam sang the same song to the accompaniment of music and dancing.\nThe Israelites had had perfect faith, that God would perform for them\nmiracles and deeds of glory, hence they had provided themselves with\ntimbrels and with flutes, that they might have them at hand to glorify\nthe anticipated miracles. [70] Then Miriam said to the women, \"Let us\nsing unto the Lord, for strength and sublimity are His; He lords it\nover the lordly, and He resents presumption. He hurled Pharaoh's horses\nand chariots into the sea, and drowned them, because wicked Pharaoh in\nhis presumption pursued God's people, Israel.\" [71]\n\n\n\n\nTHE AWFUL DESERT\n\n\nJust as Israel had displayed sullenness and lack of faith upon\napproaching the sea, so did they upon leaving it. Hardly had they seen\nthat the Egyptians met death in the waters of the sea, when they spoke\nto Moses, and said: \"God had led us from Egypt only to grant us five\ntokens: To give us the wealth of Egypt, to let us walk in clouds of\nglory, to cleave the sea for us, to take vengeance on the Egyptians,\nand to let us sing Him a song of praise. Now that all this has taken\nplace, let us return to Egypt.\" Moses answered: \"The Eternal said, 'The\nEgyptians whom ye have seen to-day, yes shall see them again no more\nforever.'\" But the people were not yet content, and said, \"Now the\nEgyptians are all dead, and therefore we can return to Egypt.\" Then\nMoses said, \"You must now redeem your pledge, for God said, 'When thou\nhast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon\nthis mountain.'\" Still the people remained headstrong, and without\ngiving heed to Moses, they set out on the road to Egypt, under the\nguidance of an idol that they had brought with them out of Egypt, and\nhad even retained during their passage through the sea. Only through\nsheer force was Moses able to restrain them from their sinful\ntransgression. [72] This was the second of the ten temptations with\nwhich Israel tempted God during their wanderings through the desert.\n[73]\n\nThere was one other difficulty with the people that Moses had to\novercome: The sea cast up many jewels, pearls and other treasures that\nhad belonged to the Egyptians, drowned in its waves, and Israel found\nit hard to tear themselves away from the spot that brought them such\nriches. Moses, however, said, \"Do you really believe that the sea will\ncontinue to yield you pearls and jewels?\" [74]\n\nFrom the sea they passed to the desert Shur, a horrible and dreadful\nwilderness, full of snakes, lizards, and scorpions, extending over\nhundreds of miles. So deadly is the nature of the snakes that dwell in\nthe desert, that if one of them merely glides over the shadow of a\nflying bird, the bird falls into pieces. [75] It was in this desert\nthat the following happened to King Shapor: A cohort that he sent\nthrough this desert was swallowed by a snake, and the same fate\novertook a second and a third cohort. Upon the advice of his sages, he\nthen filled the hides of animals with hot coals wrapped in straw, and\nhad these cast before the snake until it expired. [76]\n\nIt was then a proof of Israel's great faith in their God, that they\nobeyed Moses, and without murmur or delay followed him into this\nfrightful wilderness. [77] Therefore did God reward them for their\ntrust in Him, for not only were they not harmed by the snakes and\nscorpions during their many years stay in the desert, but they were\neven relieved of the fear of the reptiles, for as soon as the snakes\nsaw the Israelites, they meekly lay down upon the sand. [78] For three\ndays they marched through the desert, uncomplaining, but when their\nsupply of water gave out, the people murmured against Moses, saying,\n\"What shall we drink?\" While crossing through the Red Sea they had\nprovided themselves with water, for, miraculously, the sea flowed sweet\nfor them; and now when the supply was becoming exhausted, they began to\ngive expression to their dissatisfaction. On this occasion they again\nbetrayed their faintheartedness, for instead of seeking advice from\ntheir leader Moses, they began to murmur against him and against God,\neven though at present they had not yet suffered from lack of water. So\npoorly did they stand the test to which God has put them, for in fact\nthe very ground upon which they trod had running water beneath it, but\nthey were not aware of this. God had desired to see how they would act\nunder these conditions. [79]\n\nThe people were all the more exasperated because their joy, when they\nsighted the springs and hastened to draw from the, turned to keenest\ndisappointment when they tasted of the water and found it bitter. These\ndeluded hopes cast them down spiritually as well as physically, and\ngrieved them, not so much for their own sakes as for those of their\nyoung children, to whose pleas for water they could not listen without\ntears. Some of the thoughtless and fickle of faith among them uttered\nthe accusation that even the former kindness had been granted them so\nmuch as a benefit, but rather with a view to the present and much\ngreater privation. These said that death by the hand of the enemy is to\nbe thrice preferred to perishing by thirst; for by the wise man, speedy\nand painless departure from life is in no way to be distinguished from\nimmortality; the only real death, however, is slow and painful dying,\nfor the dread lies not in being dead, but in dying.\n\nWhile they indulged in these lamentations, Moses prayed to God to\nforgive the faint of heart their unseemly words, and, furthermore, to\nsupply the general want. [80] Mindful of the distress of the people,\nMoses did not pray long, but uttered his request in a few words; and\nquickly, as he had prayed, was his prayer answered. God bade him take a\npiece of a laurel tree, write upon it the great and glorious name of\nGod, and throw it into the water, whereupon the water would become\ndrinkable and sweet. [81]\n\nThe ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, differ from the ways of man:\nMan turns bitter to sweet by the agency of some sweet stuff, but God\ntransformed the bitter water through the bitter laurel tree. When\nIsrael beheld this miracle, they asked forgiveness of their heavenly\nFather, and said: \"O Lord of the world! We sinned against Thee when we\nmurmured about the water.\" [82] Not through this miracle alone,\nhowever, has Marah become a significant spot for Israel, but,\nespecially, because there God gave to Israel important percepts, like\nthe Sabbath rest, marriage and civil laws, and said to the people: \"If\nyou will observe these statutes, you will receive many more, the Ten\nCommandments, the Halakot, and the Haggadot; the Torah, however, will\nbring you happiness and life. If you will diligently endeavor to walk\nthrough life uprightly, so that you will be virtuous in your dealing\nwith men, I will value it as if you had fulfilled all commandments, and\nwill put upon you none of those diseases that I brought Egypt. If,\nhowever, you will not be mindful of My laws, and will be visited by\ndiseases, then will I be you physician and will make you well, for as\nsoon as you will observe the laws, shall the diseases vanish.\" [83]\n\nThe cause for the want of water at Marah had been that for three days\nthe people had neglected the study of the Torah, and it was for this\nreason that the prophets and elders of Israel instituted the custom of\nreading from the Torah on Saturday, Monday and Thursday, at the public\nservice, so that three days might never again pass without a reading\nfrom the Torah. [84]\n\nFrom Marah they moved on to Elim. From a distance palm trees made the\nplace look inviting enough, but when the people came close, they were\nagain disappointed; there were not more than three score and ten palm\ntress, and there were of stunted growth owing to a lack of water, for\nin spite of the presence of twelve wells of water, the soil was so\nbarren and sandy that the wells were not sufficient to water it. [85]\nHere again the marvelous intercession of God in favor of the fate of\nIsrael is shown, for the scant supply of water at Elim, which had\nhardly sufficed for seventy palm trees, satisfied sixty myriads of the\nwandering people that stayed there for several days. [86]\n\nThe men of understanding could at this place see a clear allusion to\nthe fortune of the people; for there are twelve tribes of the people,\neach of which, if it prove God-fearing, will be a well of water,\ninasmuch as its piety will constantly and continually bring forth\nbeautiful deeds; the leaders of the people, however, are seventy, and\nthey recall the noble palm tree, for in outward appearance as well as\nin its fruits, it is the most beautiful of trees, whose seat of life\ndoes not lie buried deep in the roots, as with other plants, but soars\nhigh, set like the heart in the midst of its branches, by which it is\nsurrounded as a queen under the protection of her bodyguard. The soul\nof him who has tasted piety possesses a similar spirit; it has learned\nto look up and ascend, and itself ever busy with spiritual things and\nthe investigation of Divine beauty, disdains earthly things, and\nconsiders them only a childish play, whereas that aspiration alone\nseems serious. [87]\n\nIt was at Elim, where, at the creation of the world, God had made the\ntwelve wells of water, and the seventy palm trees, to correspond to the\ntwelve tribes and the seventy elders of Israel, that Israel first took\nup the study of the law, for there they studied the laws given them at\nMarah. [88]\n\n\n\n\nTHE HEAVENLY FOOD\n\n\nThe bread which Israel had taken along out of Egypt sufficed for\nthirty-one days, and when they had consumed it, the whole congregation\nof the children of Israel murmured against their leader Moses. It was\nnot only immediate want that oppressed them, but despair of a food\nsupply for the future; for when they saw the vast, extensive, utterly\nbarren wilderness before them, their courage gave way, and they said:\n\"We migrated, expecting freedom, and now we are not even free from the\ncares of subsistence; we are not, as out leader promised, the happiest,\nbut in truth the most unfortunate of men. After our leader's words had\nkeyed us to the highest pitch of expectation, and had filled out ears\nwith vain hopes, he tortures us with famine and does not provide even\nthe necessary food. With the name of a new settlement he has deceived\nthis great multitude; after he had succeeded in leading us from a\nwell-known to an uninhabited land, he now plans to send us to the\nunderworld, the last road of life. [89] 'Would to God we had died by\nthe hand of the Lord during the three days of darkness in the land of\nEgypt when we sat by the flesh-pots, and when we did eat bread to the\nfull.'\" In their exasperation they spoke untruths, for in reality they\nhad suffered from want of food in Egypt, too, as the Egyptians had not\ngiven them enough to eat. [90]\n\nIn spite of the railings against him, Moses was not so much indignant\nabout their words as about the fickleness of the people. After those\nmany quite extraordinary experiences they had no right to expect merely\nthe natural and the probable, but should cheerfully have trusted him;\nfor, truly, in the sight of all, they had been shown the most tangible\nproofs of his reliability. When, on the other hand, Moses considered\ntheir distress, he forgave them; for he told himself that a multitude\nis by nature fickle, and allows itself to be easily influenced by\nimpressions of the moment, which cast the past into oblivion, and\nengender despair of the future. [91]\n\nGod also forgave the unworthy conduct of Israel, and instead of being\nangry with them because they murmured against Him, when it should have\nbeen their duty to pray to Him, He was ready to grant them aid, saying\nto Moses, \"They act according to their lights, and I will act according\nto Mine; not later than to-morrow morning manna will descend from\nheaven.\"\n\nAs a reward for Abraham's readiness, in answer to the summons to\nsacrifice Isaac, when he said, \"Here am I,\" God promised manna to the\ndescendants of Abraham with the same words, \"Here I am.\" In the same\nway, during their wanderings through the wilderness, God repaid the\ndescendants of Abraham for what their ancestor had done by the angels\nwho visited him. He himself had fetched bread for them, and likewise\nGod Himself caused bread to rain from heaven; he himself ran before\nthem on their way, and likewise God moved before Israel; he had water\nfetched for them, and likewise God, through Moses, caused water to flow\nfrom the rock; he bade them seek shade under the tree, and likewise God\nhad a cloud spread over Israel. [92] Then God spoke to Moses: \"I will\nimmediately reveal Myself without Jacob, 'I will rain bread from My\ntreasure in heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a\ncertain rate every day.'\"\n\nThere were good reasons for not exceeding a day's ration in the daily\ndownpour of manna. First, that they might be spared the need of\ncarrying it on their wanderings; secondly, that they might daily\nreceive it hot; and, lastly, that they might day by day depend upon\nGod's aid, and in this way exercise themselves in faith. [93]\n\nWhile the people were still abed, God fulfilled their desire, and\nrained down manna for them. For this food had been created on the\nsecond day of creation, [94] and ground by the angels, it later\ndescended for the wanderers in the wilderness. [95] The mills are\nstationed in the third heaven, where manna is constantly being ground\nfor the future use of the pious; [96] for in the future world manna\nwill be set before them. [97] Manna deserves its name, \"bread of the\nangels,\" not only because it is prepared by them, but because those who\npartake of it become equal to the angels in strength, and, furthermore,\nlike them, have no need of easing themselves, as manna is entirely\ndissolved in the body. Not until they sinned, did they have to ease\nthemselves like ordinary mortals. [98]\n\nManna also showed its heavenly origin in the miraculous flavor it\npossessed. There was no need of cooking or baking it, nor did it\nrequire any other preparation, and still it contained the flavor of\nevery conceivable dish. One had only to desire a certain dish, and no\nsooner had he thought of it, than manna had the flavor of the dish\ndesire. The same food had a different taste to every one who partook of\nit, according to his age; to the little children it tasted like milk,\nto the strong youths like bread, to the old men like honey, to the sick\nlike barley steeped in oil and honey. [99]\n\nAs miraculous as the taste of manna was it descent from heaven. First\ncame a north wind to sweep the floor of the desert; then a rain to wash\nit quite clean; then dew descended upon it, which was congealed into a\nsolid substance by the wind, that it might serve as a table for the\nheaven-descending gold. [100] But, that no insects or vermin might\nsettle on the manna, the frozen dew formed not only a tablecloth, but\nalso a cover for the manna, so that it lay enclosed there as in a\ncasket, protected from soiling or pollution above and below.\n\n\n\n\nTHE GATHERING OF THE MANNA\n\n\nWith an easy mind every individual might perform his morning prayer in\nhis house and recite the Shema', then betake himself to the entrance of\nhis tent, and gather manna for himself and all his family. [101] The\ngathering of manna caused little trouble, and those among the people\nwho were too lazy to perform even the slightest work, went out while\nmanna fell, so that it fell straight into their hands. [102] The manna\nlasted until the fourth hour of the day, when it melted; but even the\nmelted manna was not wasted, for out of it formed the rivers, from\nwhich the pious will drink in the hereafter. The heathen even then\nattempted to drink out of these streams, but the manna that tasted so\ndeliciously to the Jews, had a quite bitter taste in the mouth of the\nheathen. Only indirectly could they partake of the enjoyment of manna:\nThey used to catch the animals that drank the melted manna, and even it\nthis form it was so delicious that the heathen cried, \"Happy is the\npeople that is in such a case.\" [103] For the descent of manna was not\na secret to the heathen, as it settled at such enormous heights that\nthe kings of the East and of the West could see how Israel received its\nmiraculous food. [104]\n\nThe mass of the manna was in proportion to its height, for as much\ndescended day by day, as might have satisfied the wants of sixty\nmyriads of people, through two thousand years. [105] Such profusion of\nmanna fell over the body of Joshua alone, as might have sufficed for\nthe maintenance of the whole congregation. [106] Manna, indeed, had the\npeculiarity of falling to every individual in the same measure; and\nwhen, after gathering, they measured it, they found that there was an\nomer for every man.\n\nMany lawsuits were amicably decided through the fall of manna. If a\nmarried couple came before Moses, each accusing the other of\ninconstancy, Moses would say to them, \"To-morrow morning judgement will\nbe given.\" If, then, manna descended for the wife before the house of\nher husband, it was known that he was in the right; but if her share\ndescended before the house of her own parents, she was in the right.\n[107]\n\nThe only days on which manna did not descend were the Sabbaths and the\nholy days, but then a double portion fell on the preceding day. These\ndays had the further distinction that, while they lasted, the color of\nthe manna sparkled more than usual, and it tasted better than usual.\nThe people, however, were fainthearted, and on the very first Sabbath,\nthey wanted to go out as usual to gather manna in the morning, although\nannouncement had been made that God would send them no food on that\nday. Moses, however, restrained them. They attempted to do it again\ntoward evening, and again Moses restrained them with the words, \"To-day\nye shall not find it in the field.\" At these words they were greatly\nalarmed, for they feared that they might not receive it any more at\nall, but their leader quieted them with the words, \"To-day ye shall not\nfind any of it, but assuredly to-morrow; in this world ye shall not\nreceive manna on the Sabbath, but assuredly in the future world.\"\n\nThe unbelieving among them did not hearken to the words of God, and\nwent out on the Sabbath to find manna. Here-upon God said to Moses:\n\"Announce these words to Israel: I have led you out of Egypt, have\ncleft the sea for you, have sent you manna, have caused the well of\nwater to spring up for you, have sent the quails to come up to you,\nhave battled for you against Amalek, and wrought other miracles for\nyou, and still you do not obey My statutes and commandments. You have\nnot even the excuse that I imposed full many commandments upon you, for\nall that I bade you do at Marah, was to observe the Sabbath, but you\nhave violated it.\" \"If,\" continues Moses, \"you will observe the\nSabbath, God will give you three festivals in the months of Nisan,\nSiwan, and Tishri; and as a reward for the observance of the Sabbath,\nyou will receive six gifts from God: the land of Israel, the future\nworld, the new world, the sovereignty of the dynasty of David, the\ninstitution of the priests and the Levites; and, furthermore, as a\nreward for the observance of the Sabbath, you shall be freed from the\nthree great afflictions: from the sufferings of the times of Gog and\nMagog, from the travails of the Messianic time, and from the day of the\ngreat Judgement.\"\n\nWhen Israel heard these exhortations and promises, they determined to\nobserve the Sabbath, and did so. [108] They did not know, to be sure,\nwhat they had lost through their violation of the first Sabbath. Had\nIsrael then observed the Sabbath, no nation would ever have been able\nto exercise any authority over them. [109]\n\nThis, moreover, was not the only sin that Israel committed during this\ntime, for some among them also broke the other commandment in regard to\nmanna, that it, not to store it away from day to day. These sinners\nwere none other than the infamous pair, Dathan and Abiram, who did not\nhearken to the word of God, but saved the manna for the following day.\nBut if they fancied they could conceal their sinful deed, they were\nmistaken, for great swarms of worms bred from the manna, and these\nmoved in a long train from their tents to the other tents, so that\neveryone perceived what these two had done. [110]\n\nTo serve future generations as a tangible proof of the infinite power\nof God, the Lord bade Moses lay an earthen vessel full of manna before\nthe Holy Ark, and this command was carried out by Aaron in the second\nyear of the wanderings through the desert. When, many centuries later,\nthe prophet Jeremiah exhorted his contemporaries to study the Torah,\nand they answered his exhortations, saying, \"How shall we then maintain\nourselves?\" the prophet brought forth the vessel with manna, and spoke\nto them, saying: \"O generation, see ye the word of the Lord; see what\nit was that served your fathers as food when they applied themselves to\nthe study of the Torah. You, too, will God support in the same way, if\nyou will but devote yourselves to the study of the Torah. [111]\n\nWhen the imminent destruction of the Temple was announced to King\nJosiah, he concealed the Holy Ark, and with it also the vessel with\nmanna, as well as the jug filled with sacred oil, which was used by\nMoses for anointing the sacred implements, and other sacred objects. In\nthe Messianic time the prophet Elijah will restore all these concealed\nobjects. [112]\n\nIsrael received three gifts during their wanderings through the desert:\nthe well, the clouds of glory, and the manna; the first for the merits\nof Miriam, the second for those of Aaron, and the third for those of\nMoses. When Miriam died, the well disappeared for a time, but it\nreappeared as a reward for the merits of Aaron and Moses; when Aaron\ndies, the clouds of glory disappeared for a time, but reappeared owing\nto the merits of Moses. But when the last-named died, the well, the\nclouds of glory, and the manna disappeared forever. [113] Throughout\nforty years, however, manna served them not only as food, but also as\nprovender for their cattle, for the dew that preceded the fall of manna\nduring the night brought grain for their cattle. [114] Manna also\nreplaced perfume for them, for it shed and excellent fragrance upon\nthose who ate of it. [115]\n\nIn spite of all the excellent qualities of manna, they were not\nsatisfied with it, and demanded that Moses and Aaron give them flesh to\neat. These replied: \"We might put up with you if you murmured only\nagainst us, but you murmur against the Eternal. Come forward, that you\nmay hear the judgment of God.\" At once God appeared to Moses, and said\nto him: \"It is revealed to Me what the congregation of Israel have\nsaid, and what they will say, but tell them this: You have demanded two\nthings; you have desired bread, and I gave it to you, because man\ncannot exist without it; but now, filled to satiety, you demand flesh;\nthis also will I give you, so that you might not say if your wish were\ndenied. 'God cannot grant it,' but at some future time you shall make\natonement for it; I am a judge and shall assign punishment for this.\"\n\nIn the meantime, however, God granted their wish, and toward evening\nthick swarms of quails came up from the sea, and covered the whole\ncamp, taking their flight quite low, not two ells above the ground, so\nthat they might be easily caught. Contrary to the manna, which fell in\nthe morning, the quails did not come before evenfall; with a radiant\ncountenance God gave them the former, as their desire for bread was\njustified, but with a darkened mien, under cover of night, He sent\nquails. [116] Now, because the one food came in the morning and the\nsecond in the evening, Moses instituted the custom among his people of\ntaking two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening; and\nhe set the meal with the use of meat for the evening. [117] At the same\ntime he taught them the prayer in which they were to offer thanks after\neating manna, which read: \"Blessed be Thou, O God our Lord, King of the\nworld, who in Thy bounty, dost provide for all the world; who, in Thy\ngrace, goodwill, and mercy, dost grant food to every creature, for Thy\ngrace is everlasting. Thanks to Thy bounty we have never lacked food,\nnor ever shall lack it, for Thy great name's sake. For Thou suppliest\nand providest for all; Thou are bountiful, and nourishest all Thy\ncreatures which Thou has made. Blessed be Thou, O God, that dost\nprovide for all.\" [118]\n\n\n\n\nMIRIAM'S WELL\n\n\nRelieved as they were of all the cares of subsistence through the gift\nof manna, it was plainly the duty of the Israelites to devote\nthemselves exclusively to the study of the Torah. [119] When,\ntherefore, they slackened in the performance of this duty, punishment\nin the form of lack of water immediately overtook them. This was the\nfirst time that they actually experienced this want, for at Marah\nnothing more than alarm that this need might come upon them, had caused\nthem to murmur and complain. In their distress they once more\nunreasonably cast reproaches upon their leader, and disputed with him,\nsaying: \"Wherefore is this, children, that thou hast brought us up out\nof Egypt, to kill us, and our children, and our cattle with thirst?\"\nMoses replied: \"As often as you quarrel with me, you tempt God, but God\nperformeth wonders and excellent deeds for you, as often as you dispute\nwith me, that His name may sound in glory throughout the world.\"\n\nIn spite of the injury they had done him, Moses prayed to God that He\nmight aid them in their distress and also stand by him. \"O Lord of the\nworld!\" said he, \"I am surely doomed to die. Thou biddest me not to be\noffended with them, but if I obey Thy words, I shall certainly be\nkilled by them.\" God, however, replied: \"Try thou to act like Me; as I\nreturn good for evil, so do thou return to them good for evil, and\nforgive their trespass; go on before the people, and We shall see who\ndares touch thee.\" [120] Hardly had Moses shown himself to the people,\nwhen all of them rose reverently from their seats, whereupon God said\nto Moses: \"How often have I told thee not to be angry with them, but to\nlead them, as a shepherd leads his flock; it is for their sake that I\nhave set thee on this height, and only for their sake wilt thou find\ngrace, goodwill, and mercy in My sight.\" [121]\n\nThen God bade him go with some elders to the rock on Horeb, and fetch\nwater out of it. The elders were to accompany him there, that they\nmight be convinced that he was not bringing water from a well, but\nsmiting it from a rock. To accomplish this miracle, God bade him smite\nthe rock with his rod, as the people labored under the impression that\nthis rod could only bring destruction, for through its agency Moses had\nbrought the ten plagues upon the Egyptians in Egypt, and at the Red\nSea; now they were to see that it could work good also. [122] Upon\nGod's bidding, Moses told the people to choose from which rock they\nwished water to flow, [123] and hardly had Moses touched with his\nsapphire rod the rock which they had chosen, when plenteous water\nflowed from it. The spot where this occurred, God called Massah, and\nMeribah, because Israel had there tried their God, saying, \"If God is\nLord over all, as over us; if He satisfies our needs, and will further\nshow us that He knows our thoughts, then will we serve Him, but not\notherwise.\" [124]\n\nThe water that flowed for them on this spot served not only as a relief\nfor their present need, but on this occasion there was revealed to them\na well of water, which did not abandon them in all their forty years'\nwandering, but accompanied them on all their marches. [125] God wrought\nthis great miracle for the merits of the prophetess Miriam, wherefore\nalso it was called \"Miriam's Well.\" [126] But his well dates back to\nthe beginning of the world, for God created it on the second day of the\ncreation, [127] and at one time it was in the possession of Abraham. It\nwas this same well that Abraham demanded back from Abimelech, king of\nthe Philistines, after the king's servants had violently taken it away.\nBut when Abimelech pretended not to know anything about it, saying, \"I\nwot not who hath done this thing,\" Abraham said: \"Thou and I will send\nsheep to the well, and he shall be declared the rightful owner of the\nwell, for whose sheep the water will spout forth to water them. And,\"\ncontinued Abraham, \"from that same well shall the seventh generation\nafter me, the wanderers in the desert, draw their supply.\" [128]\n\nThis well was in the shape of a sieve-like rock, out of which water\ngushes forth as from a spout. It followed them on all their wanderings,\nup hill and down dale, and wherever they halted, it halted, too, and it\nsettled opposite the Tabernacle. Thereupon the leaders of the twelve\ntribes would appear, each with his staff and chant these words to the\nwell, \"Spring up, O well, sing ye unto it; nobles of the people digged\nit by the direction of the lawgiver with their staves.\" Then the water\nwould gush forth from the depths of the well, and shoot up high as\npillars, then discharge itself into great streams that were navigable,\nand on these rivers the Jews sailed to the ocean, and hauled all the\ntreasures of the world therefrom. [129]\n\nThe different parts of the camp were separated by these rivers, so that\nwomen, visiting each other, were obliged to make use of ships. Then the\nwater discharged itself beyond the encampment, where it surrounded a\ngreat plain, in which grew every conceivable kind of plant and tree;\n[130] and these trees, owing to the miraculous water, daily bore fresh\nfruits. [131] This well brought fragrant herbs with it, so that the\nwomen had no need of perfumes on the march, for the herbs they gathered\nserved this purpose. [132] This well furthermore threw down soft,\nfragrant kinds of grass that served as pleasant couches for the poor,\nwho had no pillows or bedclothes. [133] Upon the entrance to the Holy\nLand this well disappeared and was hidden in a certain spot of the Sea\nof Tiberias. Standing upon Carmel, and looking over the sea, one can\nnotice there a sieve-like rock, and that is the well of Miriam. [134]\nOnce upon a time it happened that a leper bathed at this place of the\nSea of Tiberias, and hardly had he come in contact with the waters of\nMiriam's well when he was instantly healed. [135]\n\n\n\n\nAMALEK'S WAR AGAINST ISRAEL\n\n\nAs a punishment because they had not had sufficient faith in God, and\nhad doubted whether He could fulfill all their wishes, and had grown\nnegligent in the study of the Torah and in the observance of the laws,\nGod turned Amalek against them during their sojourn in Rephidim, where\nthey had committed these sins. God dealt with them as did that man with\nhis son, whom he bore through the river on his shoulders. Whenever the\nchild saw something desirable, he said, \"Father, buy it for me,\" and he\nfulfilled the child's wish. After the son had in this way received many\nbeautiful things from his father, he called to a passing stranger with\nthese words, \"Hast thou perhaps seen my father?\" Then, indignantly, the\nfather said to his son: \"O thou fool, that sittest on my shoulder! All\nthat thou didst desire, did I procure for thee, and now dost thou ask\nof that man, 'Hast thou seen my father?'\" Thereupon the father threw\nthe child off his shoulder, and a dog came and bit him. So did Israel\nfare. When they moved out of Egypt, God enveloped them in seven clouds\nof glory; they wished for bread, and He gave them manna; they wished\nfor flesh, and He gave them quails. After all their wishes had been\ngranted, they began to doubt, saying, \"Is the Lord among us, or not?\"\nThen God answered, \"You doubt My power; so surely as you live shall you\ndiscover it; the dog will soon bite you.\" Then came Amalek. [136]\n\nThis enemy of Israel bore the name Amalek to denote the rapidity with\nwhich he moved against Israel, for like a swarm of locusts he flew upon\nthem; and the name furthermore designates the purpose of this enemy,\nwho came to suck the blood of Israel. [137] This Amalek was a son of\nEliphaz, the first-born son of Esau, and although the descendants of\nJacob had been weaker and more insignificant in earlier times, Amalek\nhad left them in peace, for he had excellent reasons to delay his\nattack. God had revealed to Abraham that his seed would have to serve\nin the land of the Egyptians, and had put the payment of this debt upon\nIsaac, and after his death, upon Jacob and his descendants. The wicked\nAmalek now said to himself, \"If I destroy Jacob and his descendants,\nGod will impose the Egyptians bondage upon, me, grandson of Esau,\ndescendant of Abraham.\" Therefore he kept himself in restraint as long\nas Israel dwelt in Egypt, but only after the bondage predicted to the\nseed of Abraham had been served in full, did he set out to accomplish\nthe war of annihilation against Israel, which his grandfather Esau had\nenjoined upon him. [138]\n\nNo sooner had he heard of Israel's departure from Egypt, then he set\nout against them and met them by the Red Sea. There, indeed, he could\nwork them no ill, for Moses uttered against him the Ineffable Name; and\nso great was his confusion, that he was forced to retreat without\nhaving effected his object. [139] Then, for some time, he tried lying\nhidden in ambush, and in this wise molesting Israel, but as length he\ngave up this game of hide-and-seek, and with a bold front revealed\nhimself as the open enemy of Israel. Not alone, however, did he himself\ndeclare war upon Israel, but he also seduced all the heathen nations to\nassist him in his enterprise against Israel. Although these declined to\nwar upon Israel, fearing that they might have to fare like the\nEgyptians, they agreed to the following plan of Amalek. He said:\n\"Follow my expedition. Should Israel conquer me, there will still be\nplenty of time for you to flee, but should success crown my attempt,\njoin your fate to mine, in my undertaking against Israel.\" So Amalek\nnow marched from his settlement in Seir, which was no less than four\nhundred parasangs away from the encampment of the Jews; and although\nfive nations, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Amorites,\nand the Canaanites, had their dwellings between his home and the camp\nof the Jews, he insisted upon being the first to declare war upon\nIsrael.\n\nGod punished Israel, who had shown themselves an ungrateful people, by\nsending against them an enemy that was ungrateful, too, never recalling\nthat he owed his life to the sons of Jacob, who had had him in their\npower after their brilliant victory over Esau and his followers. [140]\n\nIn his expedition against Israel he made use of his kinsman. Before\ngoing over to open attack, he lured many unsuspecting Jews to death by\nhis kindly words. He had fetched from Egypt the table of descent of the\nJews; for every Jew had there to mark his name on the bricks produced\nby him, and these lists lay in the Egyptian archives. Familiar with the\nnames of the different Jewish families, Amalek appeared before the\nJewish camp, and calling the people by name, he invited them to leave\nthe camp, and come out to him. \"Reuben! Simeon! Levi! etc.,\" he would\ncall, \"come out to me, your brother, and transact business with me.\"\n\nThose who answered the enticing call, found certain death at his hands;\nand not only did Amalek kill them, but he also mutilated their corpses,\nfollowing the example of his grandsire Esau, by cutting off a certain\npart of the body, and throwing it toward heaven with the mocking words,\n\"Here shalt Thou have what Thou desirest.\" In this way did he jeer at\nthe token of the Abrahamic covenant.\n\nSo long as the Jews remained within the encampment, he could, of\ncourse, do them no harm, for the cloud enveloped them, and under its\nshelter they were as well fortified as a city that is surrounded by a\nsolid wall. The cloud, however, covered those only who were pure, but\nthe unclean had to stay beyond it, until they were cleansed by a ritual\nbath, and these Amalek caught and killed. The sinners, too,\nparticularly the tribe of Dan, who were all worshippers of idols, were\nnot protected by the cloud, and therefore exposed to the attacks of\nAmalek. [141]\n\nMoses did not himself set out to battle against this dangerous foe of\nIsrael, but he sent his servant Joshua, and for good reasons. Moses\nknew that only a descendant of Rachel, like the Ephraimite Joshua,\ncould conquer the descendant of Esau. All the sons of Jacob had taken\npart in the unbrotherly act of selling Joseph as a slave, hence none of\ntheir descendants might stand up in battle against the descendant of\nEsau; for they who had themselves acted unnaturally to a brother, could\nhardly hope for God's assistance in a struggle with the unbrotherly\nEdomites. Only the descendants of Joseph, the man who had been generous\nand good to his brothers, might hope that God would grant them aid\nagainst the unbrotherly descendants of Esau. In many other respects,\ntoo, Joseph was the opposite of Esau, and his services stood his\ndescendants in good stead in their battles against the descendants of\nEsau. Esau was the firstborn of his father, but through his evil deeds\nhe lost his birthright; Joseph, on the other hand, was the youngest of\nhis father's sons, and through his good deeds was he found worthy of\nenjoying the rights of a firstborn son. Joseph had faith in the\nresurrection, while Esau denied it; hence God said, \"Joseph, the\ndevout, shall be the one to visit merited punishment on Esau, the\nunbelieving.\" Joseph associated with two wicked men, Potiphar and\nPharaoh, yet he did not follow their example; Esau associated with two\npious men, his father and his brother, yet he did not follow their\nexample. \"Hence,\" said God, \"Joseph, who did not follow example of\nwicked men, shall visit punishment upon him who did not follow the\nexample of pious men.\" Esau soiled his life with lewdness and murder;\nJoseph was chaste and shunned bloodshed, hence God delivered Esau's\ndescendants into the hands of Joseph's descendants. And, as in the\ncourse of history only the descendants of Joseph were victorious over\nthe descendants of Esau, so will it be in the future, at the final\nreckoning between the angel of Esau and the angels of the Jews. The\nangel of Reuben will be rebuffed by the angel of Esau with these words,\n\"you represent on who had illegal relations with his father's wife\";\nthe angels of Simeon and Levi will have the listen to this reproof,\n\"You represent people who slew the inhabitants of Shechem\"; the angel\nof Judah will be repulsed with the words, \"Judah had illicit relations\nwith his daughter-in-law.\" And the angels of the other tribes will be\nrepulsed by Esau's angel, when he points out to them that they all took\npart in selling Joseph. The only one whom he will not be able to\nrepulse will be Joseph's angel, to whom he will be delivered and by\nwhom he will be destroyed; Joseph will b the flame and Esau the straw\nburned in the flame. [142]\n\n\n\n\nAMALEK DEFEATED\n\n\nMoses now instructed Joshua in regard to his campaign against Amalek,\nsaying, \"Choose us out men and go out, fight with Amalek.\" The words\n\"choose us\" characterize the modesty of Moses, who treated his disciple\nJoshua as an equal; in these words he has taught us that the honor of\nour disciples should stand as high as our own. Joshua did not at first\nwant to expose himself to danger and leave the protection of the cloud,\nbut Moses said to him, \"Abandon the cloud and set forth against Amalek,\nif ever thou dost hope to set the crown upon thy head.\" He commanded\nhim to choose his warriors from among the pious and God-fearing, and\npromised him that he would set a fast day for the following day, and\nimplore God, in behalf of the good deeds of the Patriarchs and the\nwives of the Patriarchs, to stand by Israel in this war.\n\nJoshua acted in accordance with these commands [143] and set out\nagainst Amalek, to conquer whom required not only skillful strategy,\nbut also adeptness in the art of magic. For Amalek was a great magician\nand knew that propitious and the unpropitious hour of each individual,\nand in this way regulated his attacks against Israel; he attacked that\none at night, whose death had been predicted for a night, and him whose\ndeath had been preordained for a day did he attack by day.\n\nBut in this art, too, Joshua was his match, for he, too, knew how to\ntime properly the attack upon [144] individuals, and he destroyed\nAmalek, his sons, the armies he himself commanded, and those under the\nleadership of his sons. But in the very heat of battle, Joshua treated\nhis enemies humanely, he did not repay like with like. Far was it from\nhim to follow Amalek's example in mutilating the corpses of the enemy.\nInstead with a sharp sword he cut off the enemies' heads, an execution\nthat does not dishonor.\n\nBut only through the aid of Moses, did Joshua with his victory. Moses\ndid not go out into battle, but through his prayer and through his\ninfluence upon the people in inspiring them with faith, the battle was\nwon. While the battle raged between Israel and Amalek, Moses was\nstationed on a height, where, supported by the Levite Aaron and the\nJudean Hur, the representatives of the two noble tribes Levi and Judah,\nhe fervently implored God's aid. He said: \"O Lord of the world! Through\nme has Thou brought Israel out of Egypt, through me hast Thou cleft the\nsea, and through me has Thou wrought miracles; so do Thou now work\nmiracles for me, and lend me victory to Israel, for I well know that\nwhile all other nations fight only to the sixth hour of the day, this\nsinful nation stand in battle ranks till sunset.\" Moses did not\nconsider it sufficient to pray alone to God, but he raised his hands\ntoward heaven as a signal for the whole nation to follow his example\nand trust in God. As often as he then raised his hands to heaven and\nthe people prayed with him, trusting that God would lend them victory,\nthey were indeed victorious; as often, however, as Moses let down his\nhands and the people ceased prayer, weakening in their faith in God,\nAmalek conquered. But it was hard for Moses constantly to raise his\nhands. This was God's way of punishing him for being somewhat negligent\nin the preparations for the war against Amalek. Hence Aaron and Hur\nwere obliged to hold up his arms and assist him in his prayer. As,\nfurthermore, he was unable to stand all that time, he seated himself on\na stone, disdaining a soft and comfortable seat, saying, \"So long as\nIsrael is in distress, I shall share it with them.\" [145]\n\nAt evenfall, the battle was not yet decided, therefore Moses prayed to\nGod that He might stay the setting of the sun and thus enable Israel to\ndraw the battle to a close. God granted this prayer, for the sun did\nnot set until Israel had completely destroyed their enemy. Thereupon\nMoses blessed Joshua with the words, \"Some day the sun shall stand\nstill for thy sake, as it did to-day for mine,\" and this blessing was\nlater fulfilled at Gibeon, when the sun stood still to help Joshua in\nhis battle against the Amorites. [146]\n\nAlthough Amalek had not received the merited punishment from the hands\nof Joshua, still his enterprise against Israel had not been entirely\nunavailing. The miraculous exodus of Israel out of Egypt, and\nespecially the cleaving of the sea, had created such alarm among the\nheathens, that none among them had dared to approach Israel. But this\nfear vanished as soon as Amalek attempted to compete in battle with\nIsrael. Although he was terrible beaten, still the fear of the\ninaccessibility of Israel was gone. It was with Amalek as with that\nfoolhardy wight who plunged into a scalding-hot tub. He scalded himself\nterribly, yet the tub became cold through his plunge into it. Hence God\nwas not content with the punishment Amalek received in the time of\nMoses, but swore by His throne and by His right hand that He would\nnever forget Amalek's misdeeds, that in this world as well as in the\ntime of the Messiah He would visit punishment upon him, and would\ncompletely exterminate him in the future world. So long as the seed of\nAmalek exist, the face of God is, as it were, covered, and will only\nthen come to view, when the seed of Amalek shall have been entirely\nexterminated.\n\nGod had at first left the war against Amalek in the hands of His\npeople, therefore He bade Joshua, the future leader of the people,\nnever to forget the war against Amalek; and if Moses had listened\nintently, he would have perceived from this command of God that Joshua\nwas destined to lead the people into the promised land. But later, when\nAmalek took part in the destruction of Jerusalem, God Himself took up\nthe war against Amalek, saying, \"By My throne I vow not to leave a\nsingle descendant of Amalek under the heavens, yea, no one shall even\nbe able to say that this sheep or that wether belonged to an\nAmalekite.\" [147]\n\nGod bade Moses impress upon the Jews to repulse no heathen should he\ndesire conversion, but never to accept an Amalekite as a proselyte. It\nwas in consideration of this word of God that David slew the Amalekite,\nwho announced to him the death of Saul and Jonathan; for he saw in him\nonly a heathen, although he appeared in the guise of a Jew. [148]\n\nPart of the blame for the destruction of Amalek falls upon his father,\nEliphaz. He used to say to Amalek: \"My son, dost thou indeed know who\nwill posses this world and the future world?\" Amalek paid no attention\nto his allusion to the future fortune of Israel, and his father urged\nit no more strongly upon him, although it would have been his duty to\ninstruct his son clearly and fully. He should have said to him: \"My\nson, Israel will posses this world as well as the future world; dig\nwells then for their use and build road for them, so that thou mayest\nbe judged worthy to share in the future world.\" But as Amalek had not\nbeen sufficiently instructed by his father, in his wantonness he\nundertook to destroy the whole world. God, who tries the reins and the\nheart, said to him: \"O thou fool, I created thee after all the seventy\nnations, but for thy sins thou shalt be the first to descend into\nhell.\" [149]\n\nTo glorify the victory over Amalek, Moses built an altar, which God\ncalled \"My Miracle,\" for the miracle God wrought against Amalek in the\nwar of Israel was, as it were, a miracle for God. For so long as the\nIsraelites dwell in sorrow, God feels with them, and a joy for Israel\nis a joy for God, hence, too, the miraculous victory over Israel's foe\nwas a victory for God. [150]\n\n\n\n\nJETHRO\n\n\n\"Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware.\" The destruction of\nAmalek brought Jethro to his senses. Jethro was originally in the same\nplot with Amalek, both having incited Pharaoh against Israel, but when\nhe saw that Amalek lost this world and the other, he repented of his\nsinful ways, saying: \"There is nothing left to me but to go over to the\nGod of Israel\"; [151] and although he dwelt in the greatest wealth and\nhonor, he determined to set out for the desert, to Moses and his God.\n[152] Arrived at the camp of Israel, he could not enter it, for it was\nenveloped by a cloud that none could pierce, hence he wrote a letter to\nMoses and shot it off with an arrow, so that it fell into the camp.\n[153] The letter read: \"I adjure thee, by thy two sons and by thy God,\nto come to meet me and receive me kindly. If thou wilt not do if for my\nsake, do it for thy wife's sake; and if thou wilt not do it for her\nsake, do it for thy sons' sake.\" For Jethro brought with him his\ndaughter Zipporah, from whom Moses had been divorced, as well as her\ntwo sons, her only children, for after her separation from Moses, she\nhad wed no other man.\n\nAt first Moses was inclined to give no ear to this letter, but God said\nto him: \"I, through whose word the world came into being, I bring men\nto Me and do not thrust them back. I permitted Jethro to approach Me,\nand did not push him from Me. So do thou, too, receive this man, who\ndesires to betake himself under the wings of the Shekinah, let him\napproach, and do not repulse him.\" God herewith taught Moses that one\nshould repulse with the left hand, and beckon with the right. [154]\n\nMoses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, together with the seventy elders of\nIsrael, carrying with them the sacred Ark, hastened to welcome Jethro\nkindly; and Moses so honored his father-in-law as to make an obeisance\nbefore him and kiss him. Before Moses told his father-in-law of the\ngreat miracles God had wrought for Egypt, such as the exodus from\nEgypt, the cleaving of the sea, the rain of manna, and the rest, he\noffered him the greeting of peace; for great is peace, that precedes\nevent he praise of God. [155] After the peace-greeting, Moses, to draw\nhis father-in-law nearer to true faith in God and His revelation, began\nto relate to him the miracles that God had wrought for them at the\nexodus from Egypt, during the passing through the Red Sea, and during\nthe war with Amalek. He said, moreover, \"In the manna that God gives us\nwe perceive the taste of bread, of meat, of fish, in short, of all the\ndishes there are. Out of the well that God gives us we draw a drink\nthat possesses the taste of old wine as well as new, of milk and of\nhoney, in short, of all the beverages that exist.\" \"We shall,\" Moses\ncontinued, \"receive six other gifts from God, the land of Israel, the\nfuture world, the new world, the sovereignty of David, the institution\nof priests, and of Levites.\"\n\nWhen Jethro heard all this, he determined to become a Jew and to\nbelieve in the only God, and although he felt a pang at heart upon\nhearing that the Egyptians had perished - for no one should scoff at a\nheathen before a proselyte who is not a Jew of ten generation's\nstanding - still he burst into a song of praise to God for the deeds He\nhad one for His people. In truth, it reflects shame upon Moses and the\nsixty myriads of Jews that they had not given thanks to God for the\nrelease from Egypt, until Jethro came and did so. He said: \"Praised be\nGod who delivered Moses and Aaron, as well as the whole nation of\nIsrael, from the bondage of Pharaoh, that great dragon, and of the\nEgyptians. Truly, great is the Lord before all gods, for whereas\nformerly not a single slave succeeded in escaping from Egypt, He led\nsixty myriads out of Egypt. There is no god whom I had not, at some\ntime in my life, worshipped, but not I must admit that none is like the\nGod of Israel. This God had not been unbeknown to me heretofore, but\nnow I know Him better, for His fame will sound throughout the world,\nbecause He visited upon the Egyptians exactly what they had planned to\nundertake against Israel. They wanted to destroy Israel by water, and\nby water were they destroyed.\" [156]\n\nWith sacrifices and a feast was the arrival of Jethro celebrated, for\nafter he had made the burnt offering not far from the bush of thorns\nthat had been unscathed by fire, Jethro prepared a feast of rejoicing\nfor the whole people, [157] at which Moses did not consider it below\nthe dignity to wait on the guests in person. In this he followed the\nexample of Abraham, who in person waited on the three angels, though\nthey appeared in the guise of idolatrous Arabs.\n\nAbraham like Moses sought to follow in the ways of the Lord, to provide\neach according to his wants, and to grant to everybody what he lacks,\nwhether he be a righteous man, or an idolater, who through his sins\nconjures up God's wrath. [158]\n\nTo this feast the people sat down according to their tribes. They ate,\ndrank and were merry, while Aaron and Jethro with their relatives sang\nsongs of thanksgiving to God, and praised Him as the Creator and Donor\nof their lives and their liberty. At the same time they gave due\nappreciation to Moses, through whose courage everything had happily\ncome to pass. In his words of gratitude to Moses, Jethro also gave\nexpression to many glorious eulogies on the people of Israel, but he\nespecially extolled Moses, who through difficulties and dangers had\nshown so much courage in the salvation of his friends. [159]\n\n\n\n\nTHE INSTALLATION OF ELDERS\n\n\nJethro, who had come to Moses shortly before the revelation on Mount\nSinai, stayed with his son-in-law for more than a year. In the first\nmonths, however, he had no opportunity of observing Moses in the\ncapacity of judge, for Moses spent the time from the day of the\nrevelation to the tenth day of Tishri almost entirely in heaven. Hence\nJethro could not be present at a court proceeding of his before the\neleventh day of Tishri, the first day after Moses' return from heaven.\nJethro now perceived how Moses sat like a king upon his throne, while\nthe people, who brought their lawsuits before him, stood around him.\nThis so displeased him that he said to his son-in-law: \"Why sittest\nthou thyself alone, and all the people stand by thee from morning until\neven?\" Moses answered: \"Because the people come unto me to enquire of\nGod. It is not in my honor that they stand, but in honor of God, whose\njudgement they would know. When they are in doubt over a case of clean\nor unclean, or when there is a dispute between two parties, which they\ndesire to have settled exactly according to the law, or in conformity\nwith a compromise, they come to me; and when the parties at dispute\nleave me, they part as friends and no longer enemies. I expound to the\npeople, besides, the words of God and His decisions.\"\n\nOn the day that Moses again took up his activity as a judge, and Jethro\nhad for the first time the chance of observing him, came the mixed\nmultitude with the pleas that they, like the other Israelites, wanted\ntheir share in the Egyptians booty. Moses' method, first seen by him in\npractice, [160] struck Jethro as most absurd, and he therefore said:\n\"The thing that thou doest is not good,\" through delicacy softening his\nreal opinion, \"It is bad\" to \"It is not good.\" [161] \"The people,\" he\ncontinued, \"will surely unbraid thee and Aaron, his two sons Nadab and\nAbihu, and the seventy elders, if thou continuest in this fashion. But\nif thou hearkenest now to my voice, thou wilt fare well, provided God\napproves of my plan. This is, that thou shalt be 'the vessel of the\nrevelations of God,' and shalt lay the revelations of God before the\npeople, as often as thou receivest them; so that they may understand\nthe exposition of the Torah, as well as its decisions. And thou shalt\ninstruct them how to pray in the synagogues, how to tend the sick, how\nto bury their dead, how to render the services of friendship to one\nanother, how to practice justice, and how, in some cases, not to insist\non strict justice. But as for trying the people as a judge, thou\nshouldst, in accordance with thy prophetic insight, choose men that are\npossessed of wisdom, fear of God, modesty, hate of covetousness, love\nof truth, love of humanity, and a good name, and these shall devote all\ntheir time to trials, and to the study of the study of the Torah. If\nGod approve my plan, then wilt thou and Aaron, his sons and the seventy\nelders, and all the people dwell in peace.\" [162]\n\nThis counsel of Jethro's found great favor in Moses' eyes, for he had\nbeen only too well aware of the difficulties and annoyances with which\nhe had had to contend. The people were very disputatious, being willing\nto spend seventy silverlings in litigation costs for the sake of\ngaining one silverling, and did their utmost to lengthen their disputes\nat law. When on say that Moses was about to cast a decision against\nhim, he demanded that his lawsuit be adjourned, declaring that had\nwitnesses and other proofs, which he would bring forward on the next\noccasion. But they were not merely litigious and disputations, they\nwere also spiteful, and vented their temper on Moses. If Moses went out\nearly, they would say: \"Behold the son of Amram, who betakes himself\nearly to the gathering of manna, that he may get the largest grains.\"\nIf he went out late, they would say: \"Behold the son of Amram, he goes\nthrough the multitude, to gather in marks of hone.\" But if he chose a\npath aside from the crowd, they said: \"Behold the son of Amram, who\nmakes it impossible for us to follow the simple commandment, to hone a\nsage.\" Then Moses said: \"If I did this you were not content, and if I\ndid that you were not content! I can no longer bear you alone. 'The\nEternal, your God, hath multiplied you, and behold, ye are this day as\nthe stars of heaven for multitude. The Lord, God of you fathers, make\nyou a thousand times so many as ye are, and bless you, as he hath\npromised you!\"\n\nThe Israelites were not content with this blessing of Moses, and said\nto him: \"O our teacher Moses, we do not desire thee to bless us, we\nhave had much greater blessings given to us. God spoke to our father\nAbraham: 'I will bless thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed\nas the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea\nshore,' and thou dost limit our blessings.\" Moses cried: \"I am only a\ncreature of flesh and blood, limited in my powers, hence is my blessing\nlimited. I give you my blessing, but the blessing of God remains\npreserved for ye, and He will bless you unlimitedly, and multiply you\nas the fish of the sea and the sands on the seashore, as the star in\nthe sky and the plants on the earth.\" [163]\n\nAfter he had bestowed his blessing upon them, he asked them to propose\ncapable pious men, that he might appoint them as judges and leaders\nover them. He said: \"If a man were to present himself to me as a\ncandidate for this position of honor, I alone should not be able to\ndecide to what tribe he belonged, and whence he came; but you know\nthem, and hence it is advisable for you to propose them. Do not think,\nhowever, that I feel I must abide by your choice, for it depends solely\nupon me, whether or not I shall appoint them.\"\n\nThe people were very eager to carry this plan of Moses into execution,\nand requested him to settle the matter as quickly as possible. But\ntheir motive was self-interested, for every one among them said: \"Moses\nwill now appoint about eighty thousand officials. If I myself should\nnot be among them, surely my son will be, and if not he, my grandson,\nand with a gift of some kind it will be an easy matter to induce such a\njudge to look after my interests at court.\" Moses, of course, was not\ndeceived about their true sentiments; still, he paid no further\nattention to them, and picked out the best men among the people, though\nthey were not possessed of nearly all the good qualities Jethro had\nthought essential for judges and leaders of people. With kindly words\nhe invited them to assume their offices, and said: \"Blessed are ye that\nare judged worthy of being leader of the children of Abraham, Isaac,\nand Jacob, of a people whom God called His friends, His brothers, His\nflock, and other titles of love.\" He impressed upon them that they must\npossess much patience, and must not become impatient if a lawsuit is\nbrought before them more than once. \"Heretofore,\" he said, \"you\nbelonged to yourselves, but from now you belong to the people; for you\njudge between every man, and his brother and his neighbor. If ye are to\nappoint judges, do so without respect of persons. Do not say 'I will\nappoint that man because he is a handsome man or a strong man, because\nhe is my kinsman, or because he is a linguist.' Such judges will\ndeclare the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent, not through\nwickedness, but through ignorance; and God will reckon the appointment\nof such judges against you, as a perversion of justice, on account of\nyour respect of persons. If a wealthy man and a poor man come before\nyou to court, do not say: 'Why should I insult the rich man for so\nsmall a matter? I will rather give judgement in his favor, and then,\noutside the court, tell him to give the poor man what he demands, as he\nis in the right.' But do not, on the other hand, if the poor man is in\nthe wrong, say: 'The rich man is obliged to assist the poor anyhow, I\nwill now decide in favor of the poor, that in a decent way he may,\nwithout begging, obtain money from his rich fellow-man.' Do not,\nmoreover, say: 'I fear to pronounce judgement, lest that man kill my\nson, burn my barn, or destroy my plants,' for the judgement is God's.\"\n\nAfter these admonitions, Moses instructed the new judges in legal\nprocedure, in both civil and criminal cases, and at the same time urged\nthe people no to deny the judges the veneration due him. [164] For\ngreat is the importance of justice. For him who hates it, there is no\nremedy; but the judge who decides conscientiously is the true\npeacemaker, for the weal of Israel, of the commonwealth, and indeed of\nall living creatures. [165]\n\n\n\n\nJETHRO REWARDED\n\n\nAlthough the installation of elders on Moses' part came to pass in\naccordance with the command of God, still it was Jethro upon whose\nadvice Moses besought God to lighten his burden, and to permit him\npartly to transfer the leadership of the people to others. [166] Hence\nhe did not conceal the name of the adviser, but announced it to all the\npeople, and immortalized him as such in the Holy Scriptures; for he\ndeemed it praiseworthy to appreciate duly the merits of others. [167]\nIt had, however, been part of God's scheme to reward Jethro for the\nlove he bore the Torah; and for this reason did He allow it to come to\npass that Moses had to have his attention called to the plan of\ninstalling the elders through his father-in-law, that the Holy\nScriptures might devote a whole chapter to the plan of Jethro. [168]\n\nThis, however, is not the only reward for Jethro's piety, who, in his\nlove for the Torah, excelled all proselytes. A miracle occurred on the\nvery first day of his arrival in camp for manna in his honor descended\nat the noon hour, the hour of his arrival; and, moreover, in as great\nquantities as was wont to rain down for sixty myriads of Israelites. He\ndid not have to exert himself to gather the food, for it came over his\nbody, so all he had to do was to carry his hand to his mouth to partake\nof it. [169] Jethro, nevertheless, did not remain with Moses, but\nreturned to his native land. Moses, of course, tried to persuade his\nfather-in-law to stay. He said to him: \"Do not think that we shall\ncontinue to move thus slowly through the desert, nay, we shall now move\ndirectly to the promised land.\" Only to urge Jethro to stay longer with\nthem did Moses use the words \"we move,\" so that his father-in-law might\nbelieve that Moses too would enter the promised land, for otherwise he\nwould hardly have allowed himself to be persuaded to join the march to\nPalestine. Moses continued: \"I do not want to mislead thee, hence I\nwill tell thee that the land will be divided only among the twelve\ntribes, and that thou has no claim to possession of lands; but God bade\nus be kind to the proselytes, and to thee we shall be kinder than to\nall other proselytes.\" Jethro, however, was not to be persuaded by his\nson-in-law, considering himself in duty bound to return to his native\nland. For the inhabitants of his city had for many years made a habit\nof having him store their valuable, as none possessed their confidence\nin such a measure as he. If he had stayed still longer with Moses,\npeople would have declared that he had absconded with all these things\nand fled to Moses to share it with him, and that would have been a blot\non his fair name and that of Moses. Jethro had furthermore made many\ndebts during the year in which he came to Moses, for, owing to the hail\nGod had sent upon Egypt before the exodus of Israel, a great famine had\narisen in Jethro's home too, and he had found himself obliged to lend\nmoney for the support of the poor. If he were not now to return to his\nhome, people would say that he had run away in order to evade his\ncreditors, and such talk concerning a man of piety would have been\ndesecration of the Divine Name. So he said to Moses: \"There are people\nwho have a fatherland, but no property there; there are also\nproperty-holders who have no family; but I have a fatherland, and have\nproperty there as well as a family; hence I desire to return to my\nfatherland, my property, and my family.\" But Moses would not yield so\nsoon, and said to his father-in-law: \"If thou dost not accompany us as\na favor, I will command thee to do so, that the Israelites might not\nsay thou hadst been converted to our religion only in the expectation\nof receiving a share in the promised land, but hadst returned to thy\nhome when thou didst discover that proselytes have no claim on property\nin the Holy Land. Through thy refusal to move with us, thou wilt give\nthe heathens an opportunity to say that the Jews do not accept\nproselytes, since they did not accept even their own king's\nfather-in-law, but allowed him to return to his own land. Thy refusal\nwill injure the glory of God, for the heathens will keep away from the\ntrue faith. But if thou wilt wander with us, I assure thee that they\nseed shall share with us the Temple, the Torah, and the future reward\nof the pious. How canst thou, moreover, who hast seen all the miracles\nof God wrought for us during the march through the desert; who wert a\nwitness of the way in which even the Egyptians became fond of us - how\ncanst thou now depart from us? It is a sufficient motive for thee to\nremain with us, in order to officiate as a member of the Sanhedrin, and\nteach the Torah. We, on our part, want to retain thee, only that thou\nmightest in difficult cases enlighten our eyes; for thou wert the man\nwho gave us good and fair counsel, to which God Himself could not\nrefuse His assent.\" Jethro replied: \"A candle may glow in the dark, but\nnot when the sun and the moon; of what avail would my candle-light be?\nI had, therefore, better return to my home city that I may make\nproselytes of its inhabitants, instruct them in the Torah, and lead\nthem under the wings of the Shekinah.\" Amid great marks of honor, and\nprovided with rich gifts, Jethro returned to his home, where he\nconverted his kinsmen and his compatriots to the belief in the true\nGod, as he had intended. [170]\n\nThe descendants of Jethro later settled in Palestine, where the\nfruitful land of Jericho was allotted to them as a dwelling place.\nAfter the capture of Palestine, the tribes, by mutual consent, agreed\nthat the fertile strip of land at Jericho should fall to the share of\nthe tribe on whose land the Temple was to be erected. But when its\nerection was postponed for a long time, they agreed to allot this piece\nof land to Jethro's sons, because they, being proselytes, had no other\npossession in the Holy Land. Four hundred and eighty years did the\ndescendants of Jethro dwell in Jericho, when, upon the erection of the\nTemple at Jerusalem, they relinquished it to the tribe of Judah, who\nclaimed it as an indemnity for the site of the Temple. [171]\n\nJethro's descendants inherited his devotion to the Torah, like him\ndedicating their lives entirely to its study. So long as Joshua lived,\nthey sat at this master's feet, but when he died, they said: \"We left\nour fatherland and came here only for the sake of studying the Torah;\nif we were now to spend our time in cultivating the soil, when should\nwe study the Torah?\" They therefore gave up their dwelling-place in\nJericho, and moved to the cold barren wilderness, to Jabez, who there\nhad his house of instruction. But when they there beheld the priests,\nthe Levites, and the noblest of the Jews, they said, \"How can we,\nproselytes, presume to sit beside these?\" Instead of sitting within the\nhouse of instruction, they remained at the entrance of it, where they\nlistened to the lectures, and in this manner made further progress in\nthe study of the Torah. [172] They were rewarded for their piety, their\nprayer was heard by God, and their good deeds served as a protection to\nIsrael; and on account of their pious actions they were called \"the\nfamilies of the scribes,\" the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the\nSuchathites, names designating their piety and devotion to the Torah.\n\nOne of the descendants of Jethro was Jonadab, son of Rechab, who, when\nhe heard from a prophet that God would destroy the Temple, bade all his\nchildren, as a toke of mourning, to drink no wine, use no oil for\nanointing themselves, nor cut their hair, nor dwell in houses. The\nRechabites obeyed this command of their sire, and as a reward for this,\nGod made a covenant with them that their descendants should always be\nmembers of the Sanhedrin, and teachers of Israel. The covenant with the\nRechabites was even stronger than that with David, for to the house of\nthe latter God promised to keep the covenant only if his descendants\nwere pious, but He made an unconditional covenant with the Rechabites.\nGod rewarded them for their devotion to Him in this way, although they\ndid not belong to the Jewish nation. From this one can gather how great\nwould have been their reward if they had been Israelites. [173]\n\n\n\n\nTHE TIME IS AT HAND\n\n\nMoses sent his father-in-law Jethro back to his home, shortly before\nthe revelation on Mount Sinai. He thought: \"When God gave us a single\ncommandment of the Torah in Egypt, the Passover, He said, 'There shall\nno stranger eat thereof.' Surely Jethro may not look on when God\nbestows on us the whole Torah.\" Moses was right: God did not want\nJethro to be present at the revelation. He said: \"Israel was in Egypt,\nbound to work with clay and bricks, at the same time as Jethro was\nsitting at home in peace and quiet. He who suffers with the community\nshall share their future joys, but he who does not share the sufferings\nof the community shall not take part in their rejoicing.\" [174]\n\nGod had not only good cause to delay the giving of the Torah until\nafter the departure of Jethro, but the time He chose to bestowing it\nwas also chosen for a good reason. Just as a female proselyte, or a\nwoman freed from captivity, or an emancipated slave, may not enter\nwedlock before she has for three months lived as a free Jewess, so God\nalso waited three months after the deliverance of Israel from the\nbondage and the slavery of Egypt, before His union with Israel on Mount\nSinai. [175] God furthermore treated His bride as did that king who\nwent to the marriage ceremony only after he had overwhelmed his chosen\nbride with many gifts. So did Israel first receive manna, the well, and\nthe quails, and not till then was the Torah granted them. Moses, who\nhad received this promise when God had first appeared to him, viz.,\n\"When thou has brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve\nGod upon this mountain\" - waited most longingly for the promised time,\nsaying, \"When will this time come to pass?\" When the time drew near,\nGod said to Moses, \"The time is at hand when I shall bring about\nsomething entirely new.\"\n\nThis new miracle of which God spoke was the healing of all the sick\namong the Jews. God had wanted to give the Torah to the Jews\nimmediately after the exodus from Egypt, but among them were found many\nthat were lame, halt, or deaf; wherefore God said: \"The Torah is\nwithout a blemish, hence would I not bestow it on a nation that has in\nit such as are burdened with defects. Nor do I want to wait until their\nchildren shall have grown to manhood, for I do not desire any longer to\ndelay the delight of the Torah.\" For these reasons nothing was left Him\nto do, but to heal those afflicted with disease. In the time between\nthe exodus from Egypt and the revelation on Mount Sinai, all the blind\namong the Israelites regained their sight, all the halt became whole,\nso that the Torah might be given to a sound and healthy people. God\nwrought for that generation the same miracle which He will hereafter\nbring about in the future world, when \"the eyes of the blind shall be\nopened, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped, the lame man leap as\nan hart, and the tongues of the dumb sing.\" [176] Not only physically\nwas this generation free from blemishes, but spiritually, too, it stood\non a high plane, and it was the combined merits of such a people that\nmade them worthy of their high calling. Never before or after lived a\ngeneration as worthy as this of receiving the Torah. Had there been but\none missing, God would not have given them the Torah: \"for He layeth up\nwisdom for the righteous; He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.\"\n[177]\n\nFor one other reason did God delay the revelation of the Torah. He had\nintended giving them the Torah immediately after their exodus from\nEgypt, but at the beginning of the march through the desert, great\ndiscord reigned among them. Nor was harmony established until the new\nmoon of the third month, when they arrived at Mount Sinai; whereupon\nGod said: \"The ways of the Torah are ways of loveliness, and all its\npaths are paths of peace; I will yield the Torah to a nation that\ndwells in peace and amity.\" [178] This decision of God, now to give\nthem the Torah, also shows how mighty is the influence of penance. For\nthey had been sinful upon their arrival at Mount Sinai, continuing to\ntempt God and doubting His omnipotence. After a short time, however,\nthey changed in spirit; and hardly had they reformed, when God found\nthem worthy of revealing to them the Torah.\n\nThe third month was chosen for the revelation, because everything that\nis closely connected with the Torah and with Israel is triple in\nnumber. The Torah consists of three parts, the Pentateuch, the\nProphets, and the Hagiographa; similarly the oral law consists of\nMidrash, Halakah, and Haggadah. The communications between God and\nIsrael were carried on by three, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. Israel also\nis divided into three divisions, priests, Levites, and laymen; and they\nare, furthermore, the descendants of the three Patriarchs, Abraham,\nIsaac, and Jacob. For God has a preference for \"the third\": It was the\nthird of Adam's sons, Seth, who became the ancestor of humanity, and so\ntoo it was the third among Noah's sons, Shem, who attained high\nstation. Among the Jewish kings, too, it was the third, Solomon, whom\nGod distinguished before all others. The number three plays a\nparticularly important part in the life of Moses. He belonged to the\ntribe of Levi, which is not only the third of the tribes, but has a\nname consisting of three letters. He himself was the third of the\nchildren of the family; his own name consists of three letters; in his\ninfancy he had been concealed by his mother throughout three months;\nand in the third month of the year, after a preparation of three days,\ndid he receive the Torah on a mountain, the name of which consists of\nthree letters. [179]\n\n\n\n\nTHE GENTILES REFUSE THE TORAH\n\n\nThe mountain on which God made his revelation bears six names: It is\ncalled the Desert Sin, because God there announced His commandments; it\nis called the Desert Kadesh, because Israel was sanctified there; the\nDesert Kadmut because the pre-existing Torah was there revealed; the\nDesert Paran because Israel there was greatly multiplied; the Desert\nSinai because the hatred of God against the heathens began there, for\nthe reason that they would not accept the Torah; and for this same\nreason is it called Horeh, because the annihilation of the heathens was\nthere decreed by God. [180] For the wrath of God against the heathens\ndates from their refusal to accept the Torah offered them.\n\nBefore God gave Israel the Torah, He approached every tribe and nation,\nand offered them the Torah, that hereafter they might have no excuse to\nsay, \"Had the Holy one, blessed be He, desired to give us the Torah, we\nshould have accepted it.\" He went to the children of Esau and said,\n\"Will ye accept the Torah?\" They answered Him, saying, \"What is written\ntherein?\" He answered them, \"Thou shalt not kill.\" Then they all said:\n\"Wilt Thou perchance take from us the blessing with which our father\nEsau was blessed? For he was blessed with the words, 'By thy sword\nshalt thou live.\" We do not want to accept the Torah.\" Thereupon He\nwent to the children of Lot and said to them, \"Will ye accept the\nTorah?\" They said, \"What is written therein?\" He answered, \"Thou shalt\nnot commit unchastity.\" They said: \"From unchastity do we spring; we do\nno want to accept the Torah.\" Then He went to the children of Ishmael\nand said to them, \"Do ye want to accept the Torah?\" They said to Him,\n\"What is written therein?\" He answered, \"Thou shalt not steal.\" They\nsaid: \"Wilt Thou take from us the blessing with which our father was\nblessed? God promised him: 'His hand will be against every man.' We do\nnot want to accept the Thy Torah.\" Thence He went to all the other\nnations, who likewise rejected the Torah, saying: \"We cannot give up\nthe law of our fathers, we do not want Thy Torah, give it to Thy people\nIsrael.\" Upon this He came to Israel and spoke to them, \"Will ye accept\nthe Torah?\" They said to Him, \"What is written therein?\" He answered,\n\"Six hundred and thirteen commandments.\" They said: \"All that the Lord\nhas spoken will we do and be obedient.\" [181] \"O Lord of the world!\"\nthey continued, \"We acted in accordance with Thy commandments before\nthey were revealed to us. Jacob fulfilled the first of the Ten\nCommandments by bidding his sons put away strange gods that were among\nthem. Abraham obeyed the commandment not to take the name of the Lord\nin vain, for he said: 'I have lifted up mine hand unto the Lord, the\nmost high God.' Joseph fulfilled the commandment to remember the\nSabbath and keep it holy; and when his brothers came to him, he had\neverything for their welcome prepared on Friday. Isaac observed the law\nto honor his father and his mother, when he allowed Abraham to bind him\non the altar as a sacrifice. Judah observed the commandment not to kill\nwhen he said to his brothers, 'What profit is it if we slay our brother\nand conceal his blood?' Joseph observed the law: 'Thou shalt not commit\nadultery,' when he repulsed the desire of the wife of Potiphar. The\nother sons of Jacob observed the commandment: 'Thou shalt not steal,'\nsaying: 'How then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver and\ngold?' Abraham observed the commandment: 'Thou shalt not bear false\nwitness,' for he was a true witness, and bore witness before all the\nworld that Thou art the Lord of all creation. It was Abraham, also, who\nobserved the last of the Ten Commandments 'Thou shalt not covet,'\nsaying: 'I will not take from a thread even to a shoe-latchet.'\" [182]\n\n\n\n\nTHE CONTEST OF THE MOUNTAINS\n\n\nWhile the nations and peoples were refusing to accept the Torah, the\nmountains among themselves were fighting for the honor of being chosen\nas the spot for the revelation. One said: \"Upon me shall the Shekinah\nof God rest, and mine shall be this glory,\" whereupon the other\nmountain replied: \"Upon me shall the Shekinah rest, and mine shall be\nthis glory.\" The mountain of Tabor said to the mountain of Hermon:\n\"Upon me shall the Shekinah rest, mine shall be this glory, for in\ntimes of old, when in the days of Noah the flood came over the earth,\nall the mountains that are under the heavens were covered with water,\nwhereas it did not reach my head, nay, not even my shoulder. All the\nearth was sunk under water, but I, the highest of the mountains,\ntowered high above the waters, hence I am called upon to bear the\nShekinah.\" Mount Hermon replied to Mount Tabor: \"Upon me shall the\nShekinah rest, I am the destined one, for when Israel wished to pass\nthrough the Red Sea, it was I who enabled them to do so, for I settled\ndown between the two shores of the sea, and they moved from one side to\nthe other, through my aid, so that not even their clothes became wet.\"\nMount Carmel was quite silent, but settled down on the shore of the\nsea, thinking: \"If the Shekinah is to repose on the sea, it will rest\nupon me, and if it is to repose on the mainland, it will rest upon me.\"\nThen a voice out of the high heavens rang out and said: \"The Shekinah\nshall not rest upon these high mountains that are so proud, for it is\nnot God's will that the Shekinah should rest upon high mountains that\nquarrel among themselves and look upon one another with disdain. He\nprefers the low mountains, and Sinai among these, because it is the\nsmallest and most insignificant of all. Upon it will He let the\nShekinah rest.\" [183] The other mountains hereupon said to God, \"Is it\npossible that Thou are partial, and wilt give us no reward for our good\nintention?\" God replied: \"Because ye have striven in My honor will I\nreward ye. Upon Tabor will I grant aid to Israel at the time of\nDeborah, and upon Carmel will I give aid to Elijah.\" [184]\n\nMount Sinai was given the preference not for its humility alone, but\nalso because upon it there had been no worshipping of idols; whereas\nthe other mountains, owing to their height, had been employed as\nsanctuaries by the idolaters. [185] Mount Sinai has a further\nsignificance, too, for it had been originally a part of Mount Moriah,\non which Isaac was to have been sacrificed; but Sinai separated itself\nfrom it, and came to the desert. Then God said: \"Because their father\nIsaac lay upon this mountain, bound as a sacrifice, it is fitting that\nupon it his children receive the Torah.\" Hence God now chose this\nmountain for a brief stay during the revelation, for after the Torah\nhad been bestowed, He withdrew again to heaven. In the future world,\nSinai will return to its original place, Mount Moriah, when \"the\nmountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the\nmountains, and shall be exalted above the hills.\" [186]\n\nJust as Sinai was chosen as the spot for the revelation owing to its\nhumility, so likewise was Moses. When God said to Moses, \"Go, deliver\nIsrael,\" he in his great humility, said: \"Who am I that I should go to\nPharaoh and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt? There are nobler\nand wealthier than I.\" But God replied: \"Thou are a great man, thee\nhave I chosen out of all Israel. Of thee shall the prophet of the\nfuture say, 'I have laid help upon one that is mighty; I have exalted\non chosen out of the people.'\" Moses in his humility, however, still\nstood apart and would not accept the office offered him, until God said\nto him \"Why dost thou stand apart? If they are not to be delivered by\nthee, by none other will they be delivered.\" When, likewise, at God's\ncommand Moses had erected the Tabernacle, he did not enter it, out of\ngreat humility, until God said to him, \"Why dost thou stand outside?\nThou are worthy to serve Me.\" [187]\n\n\n\n\nTHE TORAH OFFERED TO ISRAEL\n\n\nOn the second day of the third month, Moses received word form God to\nbetake himself to Mount Sinai, for without this direct summons he would\nnot have gone there. This time, as at all times, when God desired to\nspeak with Moses, He twice called him by name, and after he had\nanswered, \"Here I am,\" God's revelation to him followed. [188] When\nMoses had been carried to God in a cloud, which was always ready to\nbear him to God and the restore him to men, God said to him: \"Go and\nacquaint the women of Israel with the principles of Judaism, and try\nwith kindly words to persuade them to accept the Torah; but expound the\nfull contents of the Torah to the men, and with them speak solemn words\nconcerning it.\"\n\nThere were several reasons for his going to the women first. God said:\n\"When I created the world, I gave My commandment concerning the\nforbidden fruit to Adam only, and not to his wife Eve, and this\nomission had the effect that she tempted Adam to sin. Hence it appears\nadvisable that the women first hear My commandments, and the men will\nthen follow their counsel.\" [189] God, furthermore, knew that women are\nmore scrupulous in their observance of religious percepts, and hence He\nfirst addressed Himself to them. Then, too, God expected the women to\ninstruct their children in the ways of the Torah, wherefore He sent His\nmessenger first to them. [190]\n\nThe words that Moses was to address to the women as well as to the men,\nto the Sanhedrin as well as to the people, were as follows: \"You\nyourselves have seen - for it is not from writings, or through\ntradition, or from the mouths of others that ye learn it - what I did\nfor you in Egypt; for although they were idolaters, slayers of men, and\nmen of lewd living, still I punished them not for these sins, but only\nfor the wrong done to you. But ye will I carry on the wings of eagles,\non the day of the revelation at Sinai, and ye will I bring to Me when\nthe Temple shall be erected. Since I have wrought for you so many\nmiracles, even before you had received the Torah and observed the laws,\nhow many more miracles will I work for you, when you will have received\nthe Torah and observed the laws! The beginning of all things is hard,\nbut as soon as you will have grown accustomed to obedience, all else\nwill be easy to you. If you will now observe the Abrahamic covenant,\nthe Sabbath, and the commandment against idolatry, then will you be My\npossession; for although everything belongs to Me, Israel will be My\nespecial possession, because I led them out of Egypt, and freed them\nfrom bondage. With respect to Israel, God is like one who receive many\nfields as an heritage, but one he purchased himself, and the one he\nearned was dearest to his heart. I will reign alone over you, as My\npossession, I and none other, so long as you keep yourselves aloof from\nother peoples. If not, other peoples shall reign over you. But if you\nobey Me, you shall be a nation, not only free from care, but also a\nnation of priests, and a holy nation.\"\n\nIf Israel had not sinned through worshipping the Golden Calf, there\nwould be among them no caste of priests, the nation would have been a\nnation of priests, and it was only after their sin that the greater\npart of the people lost the right to priesthood.\n\nGod now instructed Moses to transmit to the people His words without\nadding to them or diminishing from them, in the precise order and in\nthe same tongue, the Hebrew. Moses hereupon betook himself to the\npeople to deliver his message, without first seeing his family. He\nfirst addressed the word of God to the elders, for he never forgot the\nhonor due the elders. Then, in simple and well arranged form, he\nrepeated it to all the people, including the women. Joyfully and of his\nown impulse, every Israelite declared himself willing to accept the\nTorah, whereupon Moses returned to God to inform Him of the decision of\nthe people. For although God, being omniscient, had no need of hearing\nfrom Moses the answer of the people, still propriety demands that one\nwho is sent on a message return to make a report of his success to him\nwho sent him. God hereupon said to Moses: \"I will come to thee in a\nthick cloud and repeat to thee the commandments that I gave thee on\nMarah, so that what thou tellest them may seem to the people as\nimportant as what they hear from Me. But not only in thee shall they\nhave faith, but also in the prophets and sages that will come after\nthee.\"\n\nMoses then returned to the people once more, and explained to them the\nserious effects that disregard of the law would have upon them. The\nfirst time he spoke to them about the Torah, he expounded its\nexcellencies to them, so as to induce them to accept it; but now he\nspoke to them of the terrible punishments they would bring upon\nthemselves, if they did not observe the laws. The people did not,\nhowever, alter their resolution, but were full of joy in the\nexpectation of receiving the Torah. They only wished Moses to voice to\nGod their desire to hear Him impart His words directly to them, so they\nsaid to Moses, \"We want to hear the words of our King from Himself.\"\nThey were not even content with this, but wanted to see the Divine\npresence, for \"hearing is not like seeing.\" God granted both their\nwishes, and commanded Moses to tell them to prepare themselves during\nthe next two days for receiving the Torah. [191]\n\n\n\n\nISRAEL PREPARES FOR THE REVELATION\n\n\nJust as one who is to be admitted to Judaism must first submit to the\nthree ceremonies of circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice, so Israel did\nnot receive the Torah until they had performed these three ceremonies.\nThey had already undergone circumcision in Egypt. Baptism was imposed\nupon them two days before the revelation on Mount Sinai. On the day\npreceding the revelation Moses recorded in a book the covenant between\nIsrael and their God, and on the morning of the day of the revelation,\nsacrifices were offered as a strengthening of the covenant. [192]\n\nAs there were no priests at that time, the service was performed by the\nelders of Israel, who in spite of their age performed their duty with\nyouthful vigor. [193] Moses erected an altar on Mount Sinai, as well as\ntwelve memorial pillars, one for each tribe, and then bade them bring\nbulls, as a burnt offering and a peace offering. [194] The blood of\nthese animals was then separated exactly into two halves. This was\nattended to by the angel Michael, who guided Moses' hand, and so\nconducted the separation of the blood that there might be not a drop\nmore in one half than in the other. God upon this said to Moses:\n\"Sprinkle the one half of the blood upon the people, as a token that\nthey will not barter My glory for the idols of other peoples; and\nsprinkle the other half on the altar, as a token that I will not\nexchange them for any other nation.\" Moses did as he was bidden, and\nlo! the miracle came to pass that the blood of a few animals sufficed\nto sprinkle every single Israelite.\n\nBefore this covenant between God and Israel had been made, Moses read\naloud to the people all of the Torah, that they might know exactly what\nthey were taking upon themselves. This covenant was made a second time\nin the desert of Moab by Moses, and a third time by Joshua after the\nentrance into the promised land, on the mountains of Gerizim and Ebal.\n[195]\n\nAlthough the people had now clearly expressed their desire to accept\nthe Torah, still God hesitated to give it to them, saying: \"Shall I\nwithout further ado give you the Torah? Nay, bring Me bondsmen, that\nyou will observe it, and I will give you the Torah.\" Israel: \"O Lord of\nthe world! Our fathers are bondsmen for us.\" God: \"Your fathers are My\ndebtors, and therefore not good bondsmen. Abraham said, 'Whereby shall\nI know it?' and thus proved himself lacking in faith. Isaac loved Esau,\nwhom I hated, and Jacob did not immediately upon his return from\nPadan-Aram keep his vow that he had made upon his way there. Bring Me\ngood bondsmen and I will give you the Torah.\" Israel: \"Our prophets\nshall be our bondsmen.\" God: \"I have claims against them, for 'like\nfoxes in the deserts became your prophets.' Bring Me good bondsmen and\nI will give you the Torah.\" Israel: \"We will give Thee our children as\nbondsmen.\" God: \"Well, then, these are good bondmen, on whose bond I\nwill give you the Torah.\" Hereupon the Israelites brought their wives\nwith their babes at their breasts, and their pregnant wives, and God\nmade the bodies of the pregnant women transparent as glass, and He\naddressed the children in the womb with these words: \"Behold, I will\ngive your fathers the Torah. Will you be surety for them that they will\nobserve it?\" They answered: \"Yea.\" He furthermore said: \"I am your\nGod.\" They answered: \"Yea.\" \"Ye shall have no other gods.\" They said:\n\"Nay.\" In this wise the children in the womb answered every commandment\nwith \"Yea,\" and every prohibition with \"Nay.\" As it was the little\nchildren upon whose bond God gave His people the Torah, it comes to\npass that many little children die when Israel does not observe the\nTorah. [196]\n\n\n\n\nTHE REVELATION ON MOUNT SINAI\n\n\nFrom the first day of the third month, the day on which Israel arrived\nat Mount Sinai, a heavy cloud rested upon them, and every one except\nMoses was forbidden to ascend the mountain, yea, they durst not even\nstay near it, lest God smite those who pushed forward, with hail or\nfiery arrows. [197] The day of the revelation announced itself as an\nominous day even in the morning, for diverse rumblings sounded from\nMount Sinai. Flashes of lightning, accompanied by an ever swelling peal\nof horns, moved the people with mighty fear and trembling. God bent the\nheavens, moved the earth, and shook the bounds of the world, so that\nthe depths trembled, and the heavens grew frightened. His splendor\npassed through the four portals of fire, earthquake, storm and hail.\nThe kings of the earth trembled in their palaces, and they all came to\nthe villain Balaam, and asked him if God intended the same fate for\nthem as for the generation of the flood. But Balaam said to them: \"O ye\nfools! The Holy One, blessed be He, has long since promised Noah never\nagain to punish the world with a flood.\" The kings of the heathen,\nhowever, were not quieted, and furthermore said: \"God has indeed\npromised never again to bring a flood upon the world, but perhaps He\nnow means to destroy it by means of fire.\" Balaam said: \"Nay, God will\nnot destroy the world either through fire or through water. The\ncommotion throughout nature was caused through this only, that He is\nnot about to bestow the Torah upon His people. 'The Eternal will give\nstrength unto His people.'\" At this all the kings shouted, \"May the\nEternal bless His people with peace,\" and each one, quieted in spirit,\nwent to his house. [198]\n\nJust as the inhabitants of the earth were alarmed at the revelation,\nand believed the end of all time had arrived, so too did the earth. She\nthought the resurrection of the dead was about to take place, and she\nwould have to account for the blood of the slain that she had absorbed,\nand for the bodies of the murdered whom she covered. The earth was not\ncalmed until she heard the first words of the Decalogue. [199]\n\nAlthough phenomena were perceptible on Mount Sinai in the morning,\nstill God did not reveal Himself to the people until noon. For owing to\nthe brevity of the summer nights, and the pleasantness of the morning\nsleep in summer, the people were still asleep when God had descended\nupon Mount Sinai. Moses betook himself to the encampment and awakened\nthem with these words: \"Arise from your sleep, the bridegroom is at\nhand, and is waiting to lead his bride under the marriage-canopy.\"\nMoses, at the head of the procession, hereupon brought the nation to\nits bridegroom, God, to Sinai, himself going up the mountain. [200] He\nsaid to God: \"Announce Thy words, Thy children are ready to obey them.\"\nThese words of Moses rang out near and far, for on the occasion, his\nvoice, when he repeated the words of God to the people, had as much\npower as the Divine voice that he heard. [201]\n\nIt was not indeed quite of their own free will that Israel declared\nthemselves ready to accept the Torah, for when the whole nation, in two\ndivisions, men and women, approached Sinai, God lifted up this mountain\nand held it over the heads of the people like a basket, saying to them:\n\"If you accept the Torah, it is well, otherwise you will find you grave\nunder this mountain.\" They all burst into tears and poured out their\nheart in contrition before God, and then said: \"All that the Lord hath\nsaid, will we do, and be obedient.\" [202] Hardly had they uttered these\nwords of submission to God, when a hundred and twenty myriads of angels\ndescended, an provided every Israelite with a crown and a girdle of\nglory - Divine gifts, which they did not lose until they worshipped the\nGolden Calf, when the angels came and took the gifts away from them.\n[203] At the same time with these crowns and girdles of glory, a\nheavenly radiance was shed over their faces, but this also they later\nlost through their sins. Only Moses retained it, whose face shone so\nbrightly, that if even to-day a crack were made in his tomb, the light\nemanating from his corpse would be so powerful that it could not but\ndestroy all the world. [204]\n\nAfter God had bestowed upon Israel these wonderful gifts, He wanted to\nproceed to the announcement of the Torah, but did not desire to do so\nwhile Moses was with Him, that the people might not say it was Moses\nwho had spoken out of the cloud. Hence He sought an excuse to be rid of\nhim. He therefore said to Moses: \"Go down, warn the people, that they\nshall not press forward to see, for if even one of them were to be\ndestroyed, the loss to Me would be as great as if all creation had been\ndestroyed. Bid Nadab and Abihu also, as well as the first born that are\nto perform priestly duties, beware that they do not press forward.\"\nMoses, however, desirous of remaining with God, replied: \"I have\nalready warned the people and set the bounds beyond which they may not\nventure.\" God hereupon said to Moses: \"Go, descend and call upon Aaron\nto come up with thee, but let him keep behind thee, while the people do\nnot move beyond the positions thou hadst assigned them.\" Hardly had\nMoses left the mountain, when God revealed the Torah to the people.\n[205]\n\nThis was the sixth revelation of God upon earth since the creation of\nthe world. The tenth and last is to take place on the Day of Judgement.\n\nThe heavens opened and Mount Sinai, freed from the earth, rose into the\nair, so that its summit towered into the heavens, while a thick cloud\ncovered the sides of it, and touched the feet of the Divine Throne.\n[206] Accompanying God on one side, appeared twenty-two thousand angels\nwith crowns for the Levites, the only tribe that remained true to God\nwhile the rest worshipped the Golden Calf. On the second side were\nsixty myriads, three thousand five hundred and fifty angels, each\nbearing a crown of fire for each individual Israelite. Double this\nnumber of angels was on the third side, whereas on the fourth side they\nwere simply innumerable. For God did not appear from one direction, but\nfrom all four simultaneously, which, however, did not prevent His glory\nfrom filling the heaven as well as all the earth. [207] In spite of\nthese innumerable hosts of angels there was no crowding on Mount Sinai,\nno mob, there was room for all the angels that had appeared in honor of\nIsrael and the Torah. They had, however, at the same time received the\norder to destroy Israel in case they intended to reject the Torah.\n[208]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FIRST COMMANDMENT\n\n\nThe first word of God on Sinai was Anoki, \"It is I.\" It was not a\nHebrew word, but and Egyptian word that Israel first heard from God. He\ntreated them as did that king his home-coming son, whom, returning from\na long stay over sea, he addressed in the language the son had acquired\nin a foreign land. So God addressed Israel in Egyptian, because it was\nthe language they spoke. At the same time Israel recognized in this\nword \"Anoki,\" that is was God who addressed them. For when Jacob had\nassembled his children around his death-bed, he warned them to be\nmindful of the glory of God, and confided to them the secrets that God\nwould hereafter reveal to them with the word \"Anoki.\" He said: \"With\nthe word 'Anoki' He addressed my grandfather Abraham; with the word\n'Anoki' He addressed my father Isaac, and with the word 'Anoki' He\naddressed me. Know, then, that when He will come to you, and will so\naddress, you, it will be He, but not otherwise.\" [209]\n\nWhen the first commandment had come out of the mouth of God thunder and\nlightning proceeded from His mouth, a torch was at His right, and a\ntorch at His left, and His voice flew through the air, saying: \"My\npeople, My people, House of Israel! I am the Eternal, you God, who\nbrought you out of the land of Egypt.\" When Israel heard the awful\nvoice, they flew back in their horror twelve miles, until their souls\nfled from them. Upon this the Torah turned to God, saying: \"Lord of the\nworld! Hast Thou given me to the living, or to the dead?\" God said: \"To\nthe living.\" The Torah: \"But they are all dead.\" God: \"For thy sake\nwill I restore them to life.\" Hereupon He let fall upon them the dew\nthat will hereafter revive the dead, and they returned to life.\n\nThe trembling of heaven and earth that set in upon the perception of\nthe Divine voice, alarmed Israel so greatly that they could hardly\nstand on their feet. God hereupon sent to every one of them two angels;\non lay his hand upon the heart of each, that his soul might not depart,\nand on to lift the head of each, that he might behold his Maker's\nsplendor. They beheld the glory of God as well as the otherwise\ninvisible word when it emanated from the Divine vision, and rolled\nforward to their ears, whereupon they perceived these words: \"Wilt thou\naccept the Torah, which contains two hundred and forty-eight\ncommandments, corresponding to the number of the members of they body?\"\nThey answered: \"Yea, yea.\" Then the word passed from the ear to the\nmouth; it kissed the mouth, then rolled again to the ear again to the\near, and called to it: \"Wilt thou accept the Torah, which contains\nthree hundred and sixty-five prohibitions, corresponding to the days of\nthe year?\" And when they replied, \"Yea, yea,\" again the word turned\nfrom the ear to the mouth and kissed it. After the Israelites had in\nthis wise taken upon themselves the commandments and the prohibitions,\nGod opened the seven heavens and the seven earths, and said: \"Behold,\nthese are My witnesses that there is none like Me in the heights or on\nearth! See that I am the Only One, and that I have revealed Myself in\nMy splendor and My radiance! If anyone should say to you, 'Go, serve\nother gods,' then say: 'Can one who has seen his Maker, face to face,\nin His splendor, in His glory and His strength, leave Him and become an\nidolater?' See, it is I that have delivered you out of the house of\nbondage; it is I that cleaved the seas before you and led you on dry\nland, while I submerged you enemies in the depths. [210] I am the God\nof the dry land as well as the sea, of the past as well as of the\nfuture, the God of this world as well as of the future worlds. [211] I\nam the God of all nations, but only with Israel is My name allied. If\nthey fulfil My wishes, I, the Eternal, am merciful, gracious and long\nsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; but if you are\ndisobedient, then will I be a stern judge. If you had not accepted the\nTorah, no punishment could have fallen upon you were you not to fulfil\nit, but now that you have accepted it, you must obey it.\" [212]\n\nIn order to convince Israel of the unity and uniqueness of God, He bade\nall nature stand still, that all might see that there is nothing beside\nHim. When God bestowed the Torah, no bird sang, no ox lowed, the\nOfannim did not fly, the Seraphim uttered not their \"Holy, holy, holy,\"\nthe sea did not roar, no creature uttered a sound - all listened in\nbreathless silence to the words announced by an echoless voice, \"I am\nthe Lord you God.\" [213]\n\nThese words as well as the others, made know by God on Mount Sinai,\nwere not heard by Israel alone, but by the inhabitants of all the\nearth. The Divine voice divided itself into the seventy tongues of men,\nso that all might understand it; but whereas Israel could listen to the\nvoice without suffering harm, the souls of the heathens almost fled\nfrom them when they heard it. [214] When the Divine voice sounded, all\nthe dead in Sheol were revived, and betook themselves to Sinai; for the\nrevelation took place in the presence of the living as well as of the\ndead, yea, even the souls of those who were not yet born were present.\nEvery prophet, every sage, received at Sinai his share of the\nrevelation, which in the course of history was announced by them to\nmankind. [215] All heard indeed the same words, but the same voice,\ncorresponding to the individuality of each, was God's way of speaking\nwith them. And as the same voice sounded differently to each one, so\ndid the Divine vision appear differently to each, wherefore God warned\nthem not to ascribe the various forms to various beings, saying: \"Do\nnot believe that because you have seen Me in various forms, there are\nvarious gods, I am the same that appeared to you at the Red Sea as a\nGod of war, and at Sinai as a teacher.\" [216]\n\n\n\n\nTHE OTHER COMMANDMENTS REVEALED ON SINAI\n\n\nAfter Israel had accepted the first commandment with a \"Yea,\" God said:\n\"As you have now acknowledged Me as you sovereign, I can now give you\ncommands: Thou shalt not acknowledge the gods of other nations as such,\nfor they bring no advantage to those who adore them; this thou shalt\nnot do while I exist. I have given you my Torah in order to lend\nsovereignty to you, hence you must not kindle My wrath by breaking My\ncovenant through idolatry. You shall not worship dead idols, but Him\nwho kills and restores to life, and in whose hand are all living\nthings. Do not learn the works of other nations, for their works are\nvanity. I, the Eternal, you God, rule over zeal and am not ruled by it;\nI wait until the fourth generation to visit punishment. But those who\nlove Me, or fear Me, will I reward even unto the thousandth\ngeneration.\"\n\nWhen Moses heard these words, according to which God would visit upon\nthe descendants the sins of their fathers only if the consecutive\ngenerations were one after another sinful, he cast himself upon the\nground and thanked God for it; for he knew it never occurred among\nIsrael that three consecutive generations were sinful. [217]\n\nThe third commandment read: \"O My people of Israel, none among you\nshall call the name of the Lord in vain, for he who swears falsely by\nthe name of the Lord shall not go unpunished on the great Judgement\nDay.\" [218] Swearing falsely has terrible consequences not only for the\none who does it, but it endangers all the world. For when God created\nthe world, He laid over the abyss a shard, on which is engraved the\nIneffable Name, that the abyss may not burst forth and destroy the\nworld. But as often as on swears falsely in God's name, the letters of\nthe Ineffable Name fly away, and as there is then nothing to restrain\nthe abyss, the waters burst forth from it to destroy the world. This\nwould surely come to pass, if God did not sent the angel Ya'asriel, who\nhas charge of the seventy pencils, to engrave anew the Ineffable Name\non the shard. [219]\n\nGod said then to Israel, \"If you accept My Torah and observe My laws, I\nwill give you for all eternity a thing most precious that I have in My\npossession.\" \"And what,\" replied Israel, \"is that precious thing which\nThou wilt give us if we obey Thy Torah?\" God: \"The future world.\"\nIsrael: \"But even in this world should we have a foretaste of that\nother.\" God: \"The Sabbath will give you this foretaste. [220] Be\nmindful of the Sabbath on the seventh day of the creation of the\nworld.\" For when the world was created, the seventh day came before\nGod, and said to Him: \"All that Thou has created is in couples, why not\nI?\" Whereupon God replied, \"The community of Israel shall be thy\nspouse.\" Of this promise that God had made to the seventy day, He\nreminded the people on Mount Sinai, when he gave them the fourth\ncommandment, to keep the Sabbath holy. [221]\n\nWhen the nations of the earth heard the first commandment, they said:\n\"There is no king that does not like to see himself acknowledged as\nsovereign, and just so does God desire His people to pledge unto Him\ntheir allegiance.\" At the second commandment they said: \"No king\nsuffers a king beside himself, nor does the God of Israel.\" At the\nthird commandment they said: \"Is there a king that would like to have\npeople swear false oaths by his name?\" At the fourth commandment they\nsaid: \"No King dislikes to see his birthday celebrated.\" But when the\npeople heard the fifth commandment, \"Honor thy father and thy mother,\"\nthey said: \"According to our laws, if a man enrolls himself as a\nservant of the king, he thereby disowns his parents. God, however,\nmakes it a duty to honor father and mother; truly, for this is honor\ndue to Him.\" [222]\n\nIt was with these words that the fifth commandment was emphasized:\n\"Honor thy parents to whom thou owest existence, as thou honorest Me.\nHonor the body that bore thee, and the breasts that gave thee suck,\nmaintain thy parents, for thy parents took part in thy creation.\" [223]\nFor man owes his existence to God, to his father, and to his mother, in\nthat he receives from each of his parents five of the parts of his\nbody, and ten from God. The bones, the veins, the nails, the brain, and\nthe white of the eye come from the father. The mother gives him skin,\nflesh, blood, hair, and the pupil of the eye. God gives him the\nfollowing: breath, soul, light of countenance, sight, hearing, speech,\ntouch, sense, insight, and understanding. [224] When a human being\nhonors his parents, God says: \"I consider it as if I had dwelled among\nmen and they had honored Me,\" but if people do not honor their parents,\nGod say: \"It is good that I do not dwell among men, or they would have\ntreated Me superciliously, too.\" [225]\n\nGod not only commanded to love and fear parents as Himself, but in some\nrespects He places the honor due to parents even higher than that due\nHim. A man is only then obliged to support the poor or to perform\ncertain religious ceremonies, if he has the wherewithal, but it is the\nduty of each one even to go begging at men' doors, if he cannot\notherwise maintain his parents. [226]\n\nThe sixth commandment said: \"O My people Israel, be no slayers of men,\ndo not associate with murderers, and shun their companionship, that\nyour children may not learn the craft of murder.\" As a penalty for\ndeeds of murder, God will send a devastating war over mankind. [227]\nThere are two divisions in Sheol, an inner and an outer. In the latter\nare all those who were slain before their time. There they stay until\nthe course of the time predestined them is run; and every time a murder\nhas been committed, God says: \"Who has slain this person and has forced\nMe to keep him in the outer Sheol, so that I must appear unmerciful to\nhave removed him from earth before his time?\" [228] On the Judgement\nDay the slain will appear before God, and will implore Him: \"O Lord of\nthe world! Thou hast formed me, Thou hast developed me, Thou hast been\ngracious unto me while I was in the womb, so that I left it unharmed.\nThou in Thy great mercy hast provided for me. O Lord of all worlds!\nGrant me satisfaction from this villain that knew no pity for me.\" Then\nGod's wrath will be kindled against the murderer, into Gehenna will he\nthrow him and damn him for all eternity, while the slain will see\nsatisfaction given him, and be glad. [229]\n\nThe seventh commandment says: \"O My people of Israel, be not\nadulterers, nor the accomplices or companions of adulterers, that your\nchildren after you may not be adulterers. Commit no unchaste deeds,\nwith your hands, feet, eyes, or ears, for as a punishment therefore the\nplague will come over the world.\" [230]\n\nThis is the eighth commandment: \"Be not thief, nor the accomplice or\ncompanion of thieves, that your children may not become thieves.\" As a\npenalty for robbery and theft famine will come upon the world. [231]\nGod may forgive idolatry, but never theft, and He is always ready to\nlisten to complaints against forgers and robbers. [232]\n\nThe ninth commandment reads: \"O My people of Israel, bear not false\nwitness against your companions, for in punishment for this the clouds\nwill scatter, so that there may be no rain, and famine will ensue owing\nto drought.\" God is particularly severe with a false witness because\nfalsehood is the one quality that God did not create, but is something\nthat men themselves produces. [233]\n\nThe content of the tenth commandment is: \"O My people Israel, covet not\nthe possessions of your neighbors, for owing to this sin will the\ngovernment take their possessions from the people, so that even the\nwealthiest will become poor and will have to go into exile.\" [234] The\ntenth commandment is directed against a sin that sometimes leads to a\ntrespassing of all the Ten Commandments. If a man covets his neighbor's\nwife and commits adultery, he neglects the first commandment: \"I am the\nEternal, thy God,\" for he commits his crime in the dark and thinks that\nnone sees him, not even the Lord, whose eyes float over all the world,\nand see good as well as evil. He oversteps the second commandment:\n\"Thou shalt not have strange gods besides Me\u2026, I am a jealous God,\" who\nis wroth against faithlessness, whether toward Me, or toward men. He\nbreaks the third commandment: \"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord\nin vain,\" for he swears he has not committed adultery, but he did so.\nHe is the cause of profanation of the Sabbath, the consecration of\nwhich God commands in the fourth commandment, because in his illegal\nrelation he generates descendants who will perform priestly duties in\nthe Temple on the Sabbath, which, being bastards, they have no right to\ndo. The fifth commandment will be broken by the children of the\nadulterer, who will honor as a father a strange man, and will not even\nknow their true father. He breaks the sixth commandment: \"Thou shalt\nnot kill,\" if he is surprised by the rightful husband, for every time a\nman goes to a strange woman, he does so with the consciousness that\nthis may lead to his death or the death of his neighbor. The\ntrespassing of the seventh commandment: \"Thou shalt not commit\nadultery,\" is the direct outcome of a forbidden coveting. The eighth\ncommandment: \"Thou shalt not steal,\" is broken by the adulterer, for he\nsteals another man's fountain of happiness. The ninth commandment\"\n\"Thou shalt not bear false witness,\" is broken by the adulterous woman,\nwho pretends that the fruit of her criminal relations is the child of\nher husband. In this way, the breaking of the tenth commandment has not\nonly led to all the other sins, but has also the evil effect that the\ndeceived husband leaves his whole property to one who is not his son,\nso that the adulterer robs him of his possessions as well as of his\nwife. [235]\n\n\n\n\nTHE UNITY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS\n\n\nThe Ten Commandments are so closely interwoven, that the breaking of\none leads to the breaking of another. But there is a particularly\nstrong bond of union between the first five commandments, which are\nwritten on one table, and the last five, which were on the other table.\nThe first commandment: \"I am the Lord, thy God,\" corresponds to the\nsixth: \"Thou shalt not kill,\" for the murderer slays the image of God.\nThe second: \"Thou shalt have no strange gods before me,\" corresponds to\nthe seventh: \"Thou shalt not commit adultery,\" for conjugal\nfaithlessness is as grave a sin as idolatry, which is faithlessness to\nGod. The third commandment: \"Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord\nin vain,\" corresponds to the eighth: \"Thou shalt not steal,\" for theft\nleads to false oath. The fourth commandment: \"Remember the Sabbath day,\nto keep it holy,\" corresponds to the ninth: \"Thou shalt not bear false\nwitness against thy neighbor,\" for he who bears false witness against\nhis neighbor commits as grave a sin as if he had borne false witness\nagainst God, saying that He had not created the world in six days and\nrested on the seventh, the Sabbath. The fifth commandment: \"Honor thy\nfather and thy mother,\" corresponds to the tenth: \"Covet not thy\nneighbor's wife,\" for one who indulges this lust produces children who\nwill not honor their true father, but will consider a stranger their\nfather. [236]\n\nThe Ten Commandments, which God first revealed on Mount Sinai,\ncorrespond in their character to the ten words of which He had made use\nat the creation of the world. The first commandment: \"I am the Lord,\nthy God,\" corresponds to the first word at the creation: \"Let there be\nlight,\" for God is the eternal light. The second commandment: \"Thou\nshalt have no strange gods before me,\" corresponds to the second word:\n\"Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide\nthe waters from the waters.\" For God said: \"Choose between Me and the\nidols; between Me, the fountain of living waters, and the idols, the\nstagnant waters.\" The third commandment: \"Thou shalt not take the name\nof thy God in vain\" corresponds to the word: \"Let the waters be\ngathered together,\" for as little as water can be gathered in a cracked\nvessel, so can a man maintain his possession which he has obtained\nthrough false oaths. The fourth commandment: \"Remember to keep the\nSabbath holy,\" corresponds to the word: \"Let the earth bring forth\ngrass,\" for he who truly observes the Sabbath will receive good things\nfrom God without having to labor for them, just as the earth produces\ngrass that need not be sown. For at the creation of man it was God's\nintention that he be free from sin, immortal, and capable of supporting\nhimself by the products of the soil without toil. The fifth\ncommandment: \"Honor thy father and thy mother,\" corresponds to the\nword: \"Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven,\" for God\nsaid to man: \"I gave thee two lights, thy father and thy mother, treat\nthem with care.\" The sixth commandment: \"Thou shalt not kill,\"\ncorresponds to the word: \"Let the waters bring forth abundantly the\nmoving creature,\" for God said: \"Be not like the fish, among whom the\ngreat swallow the small.\" The seventh commandment: \"Thou shalt not\ncommit adultery,\" corresponds to the word: \"Let the earth bring forth\nthe living creature after his kind,\" for God said: \"I chose for thee a\nspouse, abide with her.\" The eighth commandment: \"Thou shalt not\nsteal,\" corresponds to the word: \"Behold, I have given you every\nherb-bearing seed,\" for none, said God, should touch his neighbor's\ngoods, but only that which grows free as the grass, which is the common\nproperty of all. The ninth commandment: \"Thou shalt not bear false\nwitness against thy neighbor,\" corresponds to the word: \"Let us make\nman in our image.\" Thou, like thy neighbor, art made in My image, hence\nbear not false witness against thy neighbor. The tenth commandment:\n\"Thou shalt not covet the wife of thy neighbor,\" corresponds to the\ntenth word of the creation: \"It is not good for man to be alone,\" for\nGod said: \"I created thee a spouse, and let not one among ye covet his\nneighbor's wife.\" [237]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES CHOSEN AS INTERMEDIATOR\n\n\nAfter Israel had heard the Ten Commandments, they supposed that God\nwould on this occasion reveal to them all the rest of the Torah. But\nthe awful vision on Mount Sinai, where they heard the visible and saw\nthe audible - the privilege was granted them that even the slave women\namong them saw more than the greatest prophet of later times - this\nvision has so exhausted them that they would surely have perished, had\nthey heard another word from God. They therefore went to Moses and\nimplored him to be the intermediator between them and God. God found\ntheir wish right, so that He not only employed Moses as His\nintermediator, but determined in all future times to send prophets to\nIsrael as messengers of His words. Turning to Moses, God said: \"All\nthat they have spoken is good. If it were possible, I would even now\ndismiss the Angel of Death, but death against humanity has already been\ndecreed by Me, hence it must remain. [238] Go, say unto them: 'Return\nto your tents,' but stay thou with Me.\" In these words God indicated to\nIsrael that they might again enter upon conjugal relations, from which\nthey has abstained throughout three days, while Moses should forever\nhave to deny himself all earthly indulgences. [239]\n\nMoses in his great wisdom now knew how, in a few words, to calm the\ngreat excitement of the myriads of men, saying to them: \"God gave you\nthe Torah and wrought marvels for you, in order, through this and\nthrough the observances of the laws which He imposed upon you, to\ndistinguish you before all other nations on earth. Consider, however,\nthat whereas up to this time you have been ignorant, and your ignorance\nserved as your excuse, you now know exactly what to do and what not to\ndo. Until now you did not know that the righteous are to be rewarded\nand the godless to be punished in the future world, but now you know\nit. But as long as you will have a feeling of shame, you will not\nlightly commit sins.\" Hereupon the people withdrew twelve miles from\nMount Sinai, while Moses stepped quite close before the Lord. [240]\n\nIn the immediate proximity of God are the souls of the pious, a little\nfarther Mercy and Justice, and close to these was the position Moses\nwas allowed to occupy. [241] The vision of Moses, owing to his nearness\nto God, was clear and distinct, unlike that of the other prophets, who\nsaw but dimly. He is furthermore distinguished from all the other\nprophets, that he was conscious of his prophetic revelations, while\nthey were unconscious in the moments of prophecy. A third distinction\nof Moses, which he indeed shared with Aaron and Samuel, was that God\nrevealed Himself to him in a pillar of cloud. [242]\n\nIn spite of these great marks of favor to Moses, the people still\nperceived the difference between the first two commandments, which they\nheard directly from God, and those that they learned through Moses'\nintercession. For when they heard the words, \"I am the Eternal, thy\nLord,\" the understanding of the Torah became deep-rooted in their\nhearts, so that they never forgot what they thus learned. But they\nforgot some of the things Moses taught, for as man is a being of flesh\nand blood, and hence ephemeral, so are his teachings ephemeral. They\nhereupon came to Moses, saying: \"O, if He would only reveal Himself\nonce more! O that once more He would kiss us with the kisses of His\nmouth! O that understanding of the Torah might remain firm in our\nhearts as before!\" Moses answered: \"It is no longer possible now, but\nit will come to pass in the future world, when He will put His law in\ntheir inward parts, and write it in their hearts.\"\n\nIsrael had another reason for regretting the choice of an intermediator\nbetween themselves and God. When they heard the second commandment:\n\"Thou shalt have no strange gods beside Me,\" the evil impulse was torn\nout from their hearts. But as soon as they requested Moses to intercede\nfor them, the evil impulse set in once more in its old place. In vain,\nhowever, did they plead with Moses to restore the former direct\ncommunication between them and God, so that the evil impulse might be\ntaken from them. For he said: \"It is no longer possible now, but in the\nfuture world He will 'take out of your flesh the stony heart.'\" [243]\n\nAlthough Israel had now heard only the first two commandments directly\nfrom God, still the Divine apparition had and enormous influence upon\nthis generation. Never in the course of their lives was any physical\nimpurity heard of among them, nor did any vermin succeed in infesting\ntheir bodies, and when they died, their corpses remained free from\nworms and insects. [244]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES AND THE ANGELS STRIVE FOR THE TORAH\n\n\nThe day on which God revealed Himself on Mount Sinai was twice as long\nas ordinary days. For on that day the sun did not set, a miracle that\nwas four times more repeated for Moses' sake. [245] When this long day\nhad drawn to its close, Moses ascended the holy mountain, where he\nspent a week to rid himself of all mortal impurity, so that he might\nbetake himself to God into heaven. At the end of his preparations, God\ncalled him to come to Him. [246] Then a cloud appeared and lay down\nbefore him, but he knew not whether to ride upon it or merely to hold\nfast to it. Then suddenly the mouth of the cloud flew open, and he\nentered into it, and walked about in the firmament as a man walks about\non earth. Then he met Kemuel, the porter, the angel who is in charge of\ntwelve thousand angels of destruction, who are posted at the portals of\nthe firmament. He spoke harshly to Moses, saying: \"What dost thou here,\nson of Amram, on this spot, belonging to the angels of fire?\" Moses\nanswered: \"Not of my own impulse do I come here, but with the\npermission of the Holy One, to receive the Torah and bear it down to\nIsrael.\" As Kemuel did not want to let him pass, Moses struck him and\ndestroyed him out of the world, whereupon he went on his way until the\nangel Hadarniel came along.\n\nThis angel is sixty myriads of parasangs taller than his fellows, and\nat every word that passes out of his mouth, issue twelve thousand fiery\nlightning flashes. When he beheld Moses he roared at him: \"What dost\nthou here, son of Amram, here on the spot of the Holy and High?\" When\nMoses heard his voice, he grew exceedingly frightened, his eyes shed\ntears, and soon he would have fallen from the cloud. But instantly the\npity of God for Moses was awakened, and He said to Hadarniel: \"You\nangels have been quarrelsome since the day I created you. In the\nbeginning, when I wanted to create Adam, you raised complaint before Me\nand said, 'What is man that Thou are mindful of him!' and My wrath was\nkindled against you and I burned scores of you with My little finger.\nNow again ye commence strife with the faithful one of My house, whom I\nhave bidden to come up here to receive the Torah and carry it down to\nMy chosen children Israel, although you know that if Israel did not\nreceive the Torah, you would no longer be permitted to dwell in\nheaven.\" When Hadarniel heard this, he said quickly to the Lord: \"O\nLord of the world! It is manifest and clear to Thee, that I was not\naware he came hither with Thy permission, but since I now know it, I\nwill be his messenger and go before him as a disciple before his\nmaster.\" Hadarniel hereupon, in a humble attitude, ran before Moses as\na disciple before his master, until he reached the fire of Sandalfon,\nwhen he spoke to Moses, saying: \"Go, turn about, for I may not stay in\nthis spot, or the fire of Sandalfon will scorch me.\"\n\nThis angel towers above his fellows by so great height, that it would\ntake five hundred years to cross over it. He stands behind the Divine\nThrone and binds garlands for his Lord. Sandalfon does not know the\nabiding spot of the Lord either, so that he might set the crown on His\nhead, but he charms the crown, so that it rises of its own accord until\nit reposes on the head of the Lord. As soon as Sandalfon bids the crown\nrise, the hosts on high tremble and shake, the holy animals burst into\npaeans, the holy Seraphim roar like lions and say: \"Holy, holy, holy is\nthe Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.\" When the\ncrown has reached the Throne of Glory, the wheels of the Throne are\ninstantly set in motion, the foundations of its footstool tremble, and\nall the heavens are seized with trembling and horror. As soon as the\ncrown now passes the Throne of Glory, to settle upon its place, all the\nheavenly hosts open their mouths, saying: \"Praised be the glory of the\nEternal from His place.\" And when the crown has reached its\ndestination, all the holy animals, the Seraphim, the wheels of the\nThrone, and the hosts on high, the Cherubim and the Hashmalim speak\nwith one accord: \"The Eternal is King, the Eternal was King, the\nEternal will be King in all eternity.\"\n\nNow when Moses beheld Sandalfon, he was frightened, and in his alarm\ncame near to falling out of the cloud. In tears he imploringly begged\nGod for mercy, and was answered. In His bountiful love of Israel, He\nHimself descended from the Throne of His glory and stood before Moses,\nuntil he had passed the flames of Sandalfon.\n\nAfter Moses had passed Sandalfon, he ran across Rigyon, the stream of\nfire, the coals of which burn the angels, who dip into them every\nmorning, are burned, and then arise anew. This stream with the coals of\nfire is generated beneath the Throne of Glory out of the perspiration\nof the holy Hayyot, who perspire fire out of fear of God. God, however,\nquickly drew Moses past Rigyon without his suffering any injury.\n\nAs he passed on he met the angel Gallizur, also called Raziel. He it is\nwho reveals the teachings to his Maker, and makes known in the world\nwhat is decreed by God. For he stands behind the curtains that are\ndrawn before the Throne of God, and sees and hears everything. Elijah\non Horeb hears that which Raziel calls down into the world, and passes\nhis knowledge on. This angel performs other functions in heaven. He\nstands before the Throne with outspread wings, and in this way arrests\nthe breath of the Hayyot, the heat of which would otherwise scorch all\nthe angels. He furthermore puts the coals of Rigyon into a glowing\nbrazier, which he holds up to kings, lords, and princes, and from which\ntheir faces receive a radiance that makes men fear them. When Moses\nbeheld him, he trembled, but God led him past unhurt.\n\nHe then came to a host of Angels of Terror that surround the Throne of\nGlory, and are the strongest and mightiest among the angels. These now\nwished to scorch Moses with their fiery breath, but God spread His\nradiance of splendor over Moses, and said to him: \"Hold on tight to the\nThrone of My Glory, and answer them.\" [247] For as soon as the angels\nbecame aware of Moses in heaven, they said to God: \"What does he who is\nborn of woman here?\" And God's answer was as follows: \"He has come to\nreceive the Torah.\" They furthermore said: \"O Lord, content Thyself\nwith the celestial beings, let them have the Torah, what wouldst Thou\nwith the dwellers of the dust?\" Moses hereupon answered the angels: \"It\nis written in the Torah: 'I am the Eternal, thy Lord, that have led\nthee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage.' Were ye\nperchance enslaved in Egypt and then delivered, that ye are in need of\nthe Torah? It is further written in the Torah: 'Thou shalt have no\nother gods.' Are there perchance idolaters among ye, that ye are in\nneed of the Torah? It is written: 'Thou shalt not utter the name of the\nEternal, thy God, in vain,' Are there perchance business negotiations\namong ye, that ye are in need of the Torah to teach you the proper form\nof invocation? It is written: 'Remember to keep the Sabbath holy.' Is\nthere perchance any work among you, that ye are in need of the Torah?\nIt is written: 'Honor thy father and thy mother.' Have ye perchance\nparents, that ye are in need of the Torah? It is written: 'Thou shalt\nnot kill.' Are there perchance murderers among ye, that ye are in need\nof the Torah? It is written: 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.' Are\nthere perchance women among ye, that ye are in need of the Torah? It is\nwritten: 'Thou shalt not steal.' Is there perchance money in heaven,\nthat ye are need of the Torah? It is written: 'Thou shalt not bear\nfalse witness against thy neighbor.' Is there perchance any false\nwitness among ye, that ye are in need of the Torah? It is written:\n'Covet not the house of thy neighbor.' Are there perchance houses,\nfields, or vineyards among ye, that ye are in need of the Torah?\" The\nangels hereupon relinquished their opposition to the delivering of the\nTorah into the hands of Israel, and acknowledged that God was right to\nreveal it to mankind, saying: \"Eternal, our Lord, how excellent is Thy\nname in all the earth! Who hast set Thy glory upon the heavens.\"\n\nMoses now stayed forty days in heaven to learn the Torah from God. But\nwhen he started to descend and beheld the hosts of the angels of\nterror, angels of trembling, angels of quaking, and angels of horror,\nthen through his fear he forgot all he had learned. For this reason God\ncalled the angel Yefefiyah, the prince of the Torah, who handed over to\nMoses the Torah, \"ordered in all things and sure.\" All the other\nangels, too, became his friends, and each bestowed upon him a remedy as\nwell as the secret of the Holy Names, as they are contained in the\nTorah, and as they are applied. Even the Angel of Death gave him a\nremedy against death. The applications of the Holy Names, which the\nangels through Yefefiyah, the prince of the Torah, and Metatron, the\nprince of the Face, taught him, Moses passed on to the high-priest\nEleazar, who passed them to his son Phinehas, also known as Elijah.\n[248]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES RECEIVES THE TORAH\n\n\nWhen Moses reached heaven, he found God occupied ornamenting the\nletters in which the Torah was written, with little crown-like\ndecorations, and he looked on without saying a word. God then said to\nhim: \"In thy home, do not people know the greeting of peace?\" Moses:\n\"Does it behoove a servant to address his Master?\" God: \"Thou mightest\nat least have wished Me success in My labors.\" Moses hereupon said:\n\"Let the power of my Lord be great according as Thou hast spoken.\"\n[249] Then Moses inquired as the significance of the crowns upon the\nletter, and was answered: \"Hereafter there shall live a man called\nAkiba, son of Joseph, who will base in interpretation a gigantic\nmountain of Halakot upon every dot of these letters.\" Moses said to\nGod: \"Show me this man.\" God: \"Go back eighteen ranks.\" Moses went\nwhere he was bidden, and could hear the discussions of the teacher\nsitting with his disciples in the eighteenth rank, but was not able to\nfollow these discussions, which greatly grieved him. But just then he\nheard the disciples questioning their master in regard to a certain\nsubject: \"Whence dost thou know this?\" And he answered, \"This is a\nHalakah given to Moses on Mount Sinai,\" and not Moses was content.\nMoses returned to God and said to Him: \"Thou has a man like Akiba, and\nyet dost Thou give the Torah to Israel through me!\" But God answered:\n\"Be silent, so has it been decreed by Me.\" Moses then said: \"O Lord of\nthe world! Thou has permitted me to behold this man's learning, let see\nalso the reward which will be meted out to him.\" God said: \"Go, return\nand see.\" Moses saw them sell the flesh of the martyr Akiba at the meat\nmarket. He said to God: \"Is this the reward for such erudition?\" But\nGod replied: \"Be silent, thus have I decreed.\" [250]\n\nMoses then saw how God wrote the word \"long-suffering\" in the Torah,\nand asked: \"Does this mean that Thou hast patience with the pious?\" But\nGod answered: \"Nay, with sinners also am I long-suffering.\" \"What!\"\nexclaimed Moses, \"Let the sinners perish!\" God said no more, but when\nMoses implored God's mercy, begging Him to forgive the sin of the\npeople of Israel, God answered him: \"Thou thyself didst advice Me to\nhave no patience with sinners and to destroy them.\" \"Yea,\" said Moses,\n\"but Thou didst declare that Thou art long-suffering with sinners also,\nlet now the patience of the Lord be great according as Thou has\nspoken.\" [251]\n\nThe forty days that Moses spent in heaven were entirely devoted to the\nstudy of the Torah, he learned the written as well as the oral\nteaching, yea, even the doctrines that an able scholar would some day\npropound were revealed to him. [252] He took an especial delight in\nhearing the teachings of the Tanna Rabbi Eliezer, and received the\njoyful message that this great scholar would be one of his descendants.\n[253]\n\nThe study of Moses was so planned for the forty days, that by day God\nstudied with him the written teachings, and by night the oral. In this\nway was he enabled to distinguish between night and day, for in heaven\n\"the night shineth as the day.\" There were other signs also by which he\ncould distinguish night from day; for if he heard the angels praise God\nwith \"Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts,\" he knew that it was day;\nbut if they praised Him with \"Blessed be the Lord to whom blessing is\ndue,\" he knew it was night. Then, too, if he saw the sun appear before\nGod and cast itself down before Him, he knew that it was night; if,\nhowever, the moon and the stars cast themselves at His feet, he knew\nthat it was day. He could also tell time by the occupation of the\nangels, for by day they prepared manna for Israel, and by night they\nsent it down to earth. The prayers he heard in heaven served him as\nanother token whereby he might know the time, for if he heard the\nrecitation of the Shema' precede prayer, he knew that it was day, but\nif the prayer preceded the recitation of the Shema', then it was night.\n[254]\n\nDuring his stay with Him, God showed Moses all the seven heavens, and\nthe celestial temple, and the four colors that he was to employ to fit\nup the tabernacle. Moses found it difficult to retain the color,\nwhereupon God said to him: \"Turn to the right,\" and as he turned, he\nsaw a host of angels in garments that had the color of the sea. \"This,\"\nsaid God, \"is violet.\" Then He bade Moses turn to the left, and there\nhe saw angels dressed in red, and God said: \"This is royal purple.\"\nMoses hereupon turned around to the rear, and saw angels robed in a\ncolor that was neither purple nor violet, and God said to him: \"This\ncolor is crimson.\" Moses then turned about and saw angels robed in\nwhite, and God said to him: \"This is the color of twisted linen.\" [255]\n\nAlthough Moses now devoted both night and day to the study of the\nTorah, he still learned nothing, for hardly had he learned something\nfrom God when he forgot it again. Moses thereupon said to God: \"O Lord\nof the world! Forty days have I devoted to studying the Torah, without\nhaving profited anything by it.\" God therefore bestowed the Torah upon\nMoses, and now he could descend to Israel, for now he remembered all\nthat he had learned. [256]\n\nHardly had Moses descended from heaven with the Torah, when Satan\nappeared before the Lord and said: \"Where, forsooth, is the place where\nthe Torah is kept?\" For Satan knew nothing of the revelation of God on\nSinai, as God had employed him elsewhere on purposes, that he might not\nappear before him as an accuser, saying: \"Wilt Thou give the Torah to a\npeople that forty days later will worship the Golden Calf?\" In answer\nto Satan's question regarding the whereabouts of the Torah, God said:\n\"I gave the Torah to Earth.\" To earth, then, Satan betook himself with\nhis query: \"Where is the Torah?\" Earth said: \"God knows of its course,\nHe knoweth its abiding-place, for 'He looketh to the ends of the earth,\nand seeth under the whole heaven.'\" Satan now passed on to the sea to\nseek for the Torah, but the sea also said: \"It is not with me,\" and the\nabyss said: \"It is not in me.\" Destruction and death said: \"We have\nheard the fame thereof with our ears.\" Satan now returned to God and\nsaid: \"O Lord of the world! Everywhere have I sought the Torah, but I\nfound it not.\" God replied: \"Go, seek the son of Amram.\" Satan now\nhastened to Moses and asked him: \"Where is the Torah that God hath\ngiven thee?\" Whereupon Moses answered: \"Who am I, that the Holy One,\nblessed be He, should have given me the Torah?\" God hereupon spoke to\nMoses: \"O Moses, thou utterest a falsehood.\" But Moses answered: \"O\nLord of the world! Thou hast in Thy possession a hidden treasure that\ndaily delights Thee. Dare I presume to declare it my possession?\" Then\nGod said: \"As a reward for thy humility, the Torah shall be named for\nthee, and it shall henceforth be known as the Torah of Moses.\" [257]\n\nMoses departed from the heavens with the two tables on which the Ten\nCommandments were engraved, and just the words of it are by nature\nDivine, so too are the tables on which they are engraved. These were\ncreated by God's own hand in the dusk of the first Sabbath at the close\nof the creation, and were made of a sapphire-like stone. On each of the\ntwo tables are the Ten Commandments, four times repeated, and in such\nwise were they engraved that the letters were legible on both sides,\nfor, like the tables, the writing and the pencils for inscription, too,\nwere of heavenly origin. Between the separate commandments were noted\ndown all the precepts of the Torah in all their particulars, although\nthe tables were not more than six hands in length and as much in width.\n[258] It is another of the attributes of the tables, that although they\nare fashioned out of the hardest stone, they can still be rolled up\nlike a scroll. [259] When God handed the tables to Moses, He seized\nthem by the top third, whereas Moses took hold of the bottom third, but\non third remained open, and it was in this way that the Divine radiance\nwas shed upon Moses' face. [260]\n\n\n\n\nTHE GOLDEN CALF\n\n\nWhen God revealed Himself upon Mount Sinai, all Israel sang a song of\njubilation to the Lord, for their faith in God was on this occasion\nwithout bounds and unexampled, except possibly at the time of the\nMessiah, when they likewise will cherish this firm faith. The angels,\ntoo, rejoiced with Israel, only God was down-cast on this day and sent\nHis voice \"out of thickest darkness,\" in token of His sorrow. The\nangels hereupon said to God: \"Is not the joy that Thou hast created\nThine?\" But God replied: \"You do not know what the future will bring.\"\nHe knew that forty days later Israel would give the lie to the words of\nGod: \"Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,\" and would adore the\nGolden Calf. [261] And truly, God had sufficient cause to grow sad at\nthis thought, for the worship of the Golden Calf had more disastrous\nconsequences for Israel than any other of their sins. God had resolved\nto give life everlasting to the nation that would accept the Torah,\nhence Israel upon accepting the Torah gained supremacy over the Angel\nof Death. But they lost this power when they worshipped the Golden\nCalf. As a punishment for this, their sin, they were doomed to study\nthe Torah in suffering and bondage, in exile and unrest, amid cares of\nlife and burdens, until, in the Messianic time and in the future world,\nGod will compensate them for all their sufferings. [262] But until that\ntime there is no sorrow that falls to Israel's lot that is not in part\na punishment for their worship of the Golden Calf. [263]\n\nStrange as it may seem that Israel should set out to worship this idol\nat the very time when God was busied with the preparation of the two\ntables of the law, still the following circumstances are to be\nconsidered. When Moses departed from the people to hasten to God to\nreceive the Torah, he said to them: \"Forty days from to-day I will\nbring you the Torah.\" But at noon on the fortieth day Satan came, and\nwith a wizard's trick conjured up for the people a vision of Moses\nlying stretched out dead on a bier that floated midway between earth\nand heaven. Pointing to it with their fingers, they cried: \"This is the\nman Moses that bought us up out of the land of Egypt.\" [264] Under the\nleadership of the magicians Jannes and Jambres, they appeared before\nAaron, saying: \"The Egyptians were wont to carry their gods about with\nthem, to dance and play before them, that each might be able to behold\nhis gods; and now we desire that thou shouldst make us a god such as\nthe Egyptians had.\" When Hur, the son of Miriam, whom Moses during his\nabsence had appointed joint leader of the people with Aaron, owing to\nhis birth which placed him among the notables of highest rank, beheld\nthis, he said to them: \"O ye frivolous ones, you are no longer mindful\nof the many miracles God wrought for you.\" In their wrath, the people\nslew this pious and noble man; and, pointing out his dead body to\nAaron, they said to him threateningly: \"If thou wilt make us a god, it\nis well, if not we will dispose of thee as of him.\" Aaron had no fear\nfor his life, but he thought: \"If Israel were to commit so terrible a\nsin as to slay their priest and prophet, God would never forgive them.\"\nHe was willing rather to take a sin upon himself than to cast the\nburden of so wicked a deed upon the people. He therefore granted them\ntheir wish to make them a god, but he did it in such a way that he\nstill cherished the hope that this thing might not come to pass. Hence\nhe demanded from them not their own ornaments for the fashioning of the\nidol, but the ornaments of their wives, their sons, and their\ndaughters, thinking: \"If I were to tell them to bring me gold and\nsilver, they would immediately do so, hence I will demand the earrings\nof their wives, their sons, and their daughters, that through their\nrefusal to give up their ornaments, the matter might come to nought.\"\nBut Aaron's assumption was only in part true; the women indeed did\nfirmly refuse to give up their jewels for the making of a monster that\nis of no assistance to his worshippers. As a reward for this, God gave\nthe new moons as holidays to women, and in the future world too they\nwill be rewarded for their firm faith in God, in that, like the new\nmoons, they too, may monthly be rejuvenated. But when the men saw that\nno gold or silver for the idol was forthcoming from the women, they\ndrew off their own earrings that they wore in Arab fashion, and brought\nthese to Aaron. [265]\n\nNo living calf would have shaped itself out of the gold of these\nearrings, if a disaster had not occurred through an oversight of Aaron.\nFor when Moses at the exodus of Israel from Egypt set himself to\nlifting the coffin of Joseph out of the depths of the Nile, he employed\nthe following means: He took four leaves of silver, and engraved on\neach the image of one of the beings represented at the Celestial\nThrone, - the lion, the man, the eagle, and the bull. He then cast on\nthe river the leaf with the image of the lion, and the waters of the\nriver became tumultuous, and roared like a lion. He then threw down the\nleaf with the image of man, and the scattered bones of Joseph united\nthemselves into an entire body; and when he cast in the third leaf with\nthe image of the eagle, the coffin floated up to the top. As he had no\nuse for the fourth leaf of silver with the image of the bull, he asked\na woman to store it away for him, while he was occupied with the\ntransportation of the coffin, and later forgot to reclaim the leaf of\nsilver. This was now among the ornaments that the people brought to\nAaron, and it was exclusively owing to this bull's image of magical\nvirtues, that a golden bull arose out of the fire into which Aaron put\nthe gold and silver. [266]\n\nWhen the mixed multitude that had joined Israel in their exodus from\nEgypt saw this idol conducting itself like a living being, they said to\nIsrael: \"This is thy God, O Israel.\" [267] The people then betook\nthemselves to the seventy members of the Sanhedrin and demanded that\nthey worship the bull that had led Israel out of Egypt. \"God,\" said\nthey, \"had not delivered us out of Egypt, but only Himself, who had in\nEgypt been in captivity.\" The members of the Sanhedrin remained loyal\nto their God, and were hence cut down by the rabble. [268] The twelve\nheads of the tribes did not answer the summons of the people any more\nthan the members of the Sanhedrin, and were therefore rewarded by being\nfound worthy of beholding the Divine vision. [269]\n\nBut the people worshipped not only the Golden Calf, they made thirteen\nsuch idols, one each for the twelve tribes, and one for all Israel.\nMore than this, they employed manna, which God in His kindness did not\ndeny them even on this day, as an offering to their idols. [270] The\ndevotion of Israel to this worship of the bull is in part explained by\nthe circumstance that while passing through the Red Sea, they beheld\nthe Celestial Throne, and most distinctly of the four creatures about\nthe Throne, they saw the ox. It was for this reason that they hit upon\nthe notion that the ox had helped God in the exodus from Egypt, and for\nthis reason did they wish to worship the ox beside God. [271]\n\nThe people then wanted to erect an altar for their idol, but Aaron\ntried to prevent this by saying to the people: \"It will be more\nreverential to your god if I build the altar in person,\" for he hoped\nthat Moses might appear in the meantime. His expectation, however, was\ndisappointed, for on the morning of the following day, when Aaron had\nat length completed the altar, Moses was not yet at hand, and the\npeople began to offer sacrifices to their idol, and to indulge in\nlewdness. [272]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES BLAMED FOR ISRAEL'S SIN\n\n\nWhen the people turned from their God, He said to Moses, who was still\nin heaven: \"'Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest\nout of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.'\" Moses, who until\nthen had been superior to the angels, now, owing to the sins of Israel,\nfeared them greatly. The angels, hearing that God meant to send him\nfrom His presence, wanted to kill him, and only by clinging to the\nThrone of God, who covered him with His mantle, did he escape from the\nhands of the angels, that they might do him no harm. [273] He had\nparticularly hard struggle with the five Angels of Destruction: Kezef,\nAf, Hemah, Mashhit, and Haron, whom God had sent to annihilate Israel.\nMoses then hastened to the three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,\nand said to them: \"If ye are men who are participators of the future\nlife, stand by me in this hour, for your children are as a sheep that\nis led to the slaughter.\" The three Patriarchs united their prayers\nwith those of Moses, who said to God; \"Hast Thou not made a vow to\nthese three to multiply their seed as the stars, and are they now to be\ndestroyed?\" In recognition of the merits of these three pious men, God\ncalled away three of the Angels of Destruction, leaving only two:\nwhereupon Moses further importuned God: \"For the vow Thou madest to\nIsrael, take from them the angel Mashhit;\" and God granted his prayer.\nMoses continued: \"For the vow Thou madest me, take from them also the\nangel Haron.\" God now stood by Moses, so that he was able to conquer\nthis angel, and he thrust him down deep into the earth in a spot that\nis possession of the tribe of Gad, and there held him captive.\n\nSo long as Moses lived this angel was held in check by him, and if he\ntried, even when Israel sinned, to rise out of the depths, open wide\nhis mouth, and destroy Israel with his panting, all Moses had to do was\nto utter the name of God, and Haron, or as he is sometimes called,\nPeor, was drawn once more into the depths of the earth. At Moses'\ndeath, God buried him opposite the spot where Peor is bound. For should\nPeor, if Israel sinned, reach the upper world and open his mouth to\ndestroy Israel with his panting, he would, upon seeing Moses' grave, be\nso terror-stricken, that he would fall back into the depths once more.\n[274]\n\nMoses did indeed manage the Angels of Destruction, but it was a more\ndifficult matter to appease God in His wrath. He addressed Moses\nharshly, crying: \"The grievous sins of men had once caused Me to go\ndown from heaven to see their doings. Do thou likewise go down from\nheaven now. It is fitting that the servant be treated as his master. Do\nthou now go down. Only for Israel's sake have I caused this honor to\nfall to thy lot, but now that Israel has become disloyal to Me, I have\nnot further reason thus to distinguish thee.\" Moses hereupon answered:\n\"O Lord of the world! Not long since didst Thou say to me: 'Come now,\ntherefore, and I will send thee that thou mayest bring forth My people\nout of Egypt;' and now Thou callest them my people. Nay, whether pious\nor sinful, they are Thy people still.\" Moses continued: \"What wilt Thou\nnow do with them?\" God answered: \"I will consume them, and I will make\nof thee a great nation.\" \"O Lord of the world!\" replied Moses, \"If the\nthree-legged bench has no stability, how then shall the one-legged\nstand? Fulfil not, I implore Thee, the prophecies of the Egyptian\nmagicians, who predicted to their king that the star 'Ra'ah' would move\nas a harbinger of blood and death before the Israelites.\" [275] Then he\nbegan to implore mercy for Israel: \"Consider their readiness to accept\nthe Torah, whereas the sons of Esau rejected it.\" God: \"But they\ntransgressed the precepts of the Torah; one day were they loyal to Me,\nthen instantly set to work to make themselves the Golden Calf.\" Moses:\n\"Consider that when in Thy name I came to Egypt and announced to them\nThy name, they at once believed in me, and bowed down their heads and\nworshipped Thee.\" God: \"But they now bow down their heads before their\nidol.\" Moses: \"Consider that they sent Thee their young men to offer\nThee burnt offerings.\" God: \"They now offered sacrifices to the Golden\nCalf.\" Moses: \"Consider that on Sinai they acknowledged that Thou are\ntheir God.\" God: \"They now acknowledge that the idol is their god.\"\n\nAll these arguments with God did not help Moses; he even had to put up\nwith having the blame for the Golden Calf laid on his shoulders.\n\"Moses,\" said God, \"when Israel was still in Egypt, I gave thee the\ncommission to lead them out of the land, but not take with thee the\nmixed multitude that wanted to join them. But thou in thy clemency and\nhumility didst persuade Me to accept the penitent that do penance, and\ndidst take with thee the mixed multitude. I did as thou didst beg me,\nalthough I knew what the consequences would be, and it is now these\npeople, 'thy people,' that have seduced Israel to idolatry.\" Moses now\nthought it would be useless to try to secure God's forgiveness for\nIsrael, and was ready to give up his intercession, when God, who in\nreality meant to preserve Israel, but only like to hear Moses pray, now\nspoke kindly to Moses to let him see that He was not quite inaccessible\nto his exhortations, saying: \"Even in Egypt did I foresee what this\npeople would do after their deliverance. Thou foresawest only the\nreceiving of the Torah on Sinai, but I foresaw the worship of the Calf\nas well.\" With these words, God let Moses perceive that the defection\nof Israel was no surprise to Him, as He had considered it even before\nthe exodus from Egypt; hence Moses now gathered new courage to\nintercede for Israel. He said: \"O Lord of the world! Israel has indeed\ncreated a rival for Thee in their idol, that Thou are angry with them.\nThe Calf, I supposed, shall bid stars and moon to appear, while Thou\nmakest the sun to rise; Thou shalt send the dew and he will cause the\nwind to blow; Thou shalt send down the rain, and he shall bid the\nplants to grow.\" God: \"Moses, thou are mistaken, like them, and knowest\nnot that the idol is absolutely nothing.\" \"If so,\" said Moses, \"why art\nThou angry with Thy people for that which is nothing?\" \"Besides,\" he\ncontinued, \"Thou didst say Thyself that it was chiefly my people, the\nmixed multitude, that was to blame for this sin, why then are Thou\nangry with Thy people? If Thou are angry with them only because they\nhave not observed the Torah, then let me vouch for the observance of it\non the part of my companions, such as Aaron and his sons, Joshua and\nCaleb, Jair and Machir, as well as many pious men among them, and\nmyself.\" But God said: \"I have vowed that 'He that sacrificeth unto any\ngod, save unto the Lord only, he shall be utterly destroyed,' and a vow\nthat has once passe My lips, I can not retract.\" Moses replied: \"O Lord\nof the world! Has not Thou given us the law of absolution from a vow,\nwhereby power is given to a learned man to absolve any one from his\nvows? But every judge who desires to have his decisions accounted\nvalid, must subject himself to the law, and Thou who has prescribed the\nlaw of absolution from vows through a learned man, must subject Thyself\nto this law, and through me be absolved from Thy vow.\" Moses thereupon\nwrapped his robe about him, seated himself, and bade God let him\nabsolve Him from his vow, bidding Him say: \"I repent of the evil that I\nhad determined to bring upon My people.\" Moses then cried out to Him:\n\"Thou are absolved from Thine oath and vow.\" [276]\n\n\n\n\nTHE PUNISHMENT OF THE SINNERS\n\n\nWhen Moses descended from Sinai, he there found his true servant\nJoshua, who had awaited him on the slope of the mountain throughout all\nthe forty days during which Moses stayed in heaven, [277] and together\nthey repaired to the encampment. On approaching it, they heard cries of\nthe people, and Joshua remarked to Moses: \"There is a noise of war in\nthe camp,\" but Moses replied: \"Is it possible that thou, Joshua, who\nart one day destined to be the leader of sixty myriads of people, canst\nnot distinguish among the different kinds of dins? This is no cry of\nIsrael conquering, nor of their defeated foe, but their adoration of an\nidol.\" [278] When Moses had now come close enough to the camp to see\nwhat was going on there, he thought to himself: \"How now shall I give\nto them the tables and enjoin upon them the prohibition of idolatry,\nfor the very trespassing of which, Heaven will inflict capital\npunishment upon them?\" Hence, instead of delivering to them the tables,\nhe tried to turn back, but the seventy elders pursued him and tried to\nwrest the tables from Moses. But his strength excelled that of the\nseventy others, and he kept the tables in his hands, although these\nwere seventy Seah in weight. All at once, however, he saw the writing\nvanish from the tables, and at the same time became aware of their\nenormous weight; for while the celestial writing was upon them, they\ncarried their own weight and did not burden Moses, but with the\ndisappearance of the writing all this changes. Now all the more did\nMoses feel loath to give the tables without their contents to Israel,\nand besides he thought: \"If God prohibited one idolatrous Israelite\nfrom partaking of the Passover feast, how much more would He be angry\nif I were now to give all the Torah to an idolatrous people?\" Hence,\nwithout consulting God, he broke the tables. God, however, thanked\nMoses for breaking the tables. [279]\n\nHardly had Moses broken the tables, when the ocean wanted to leave its\nbed to flood the world. Moses now \"took the Calf which they had made,\nand burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon\nthe water,\" saying to the waters: \"What would ye upon the dry land?\"\nAnd the waters said: \"The world stands only through the observance of\nthe Torah, but Israel has not been faithful to it.\" Moses hereupon said\nto the water\" \"All that have committed idolatry shall be yours. Are you\nnow satisfied with these thousands?\" But the waters were not to be\nappeased by the sinners that Moses cast into them, and the ocean would\nnot retreat to its bed until Moses made the children of Israel drink of\nit. [280]\n\nThe drinking of these waters was one of the forms of capital punishment\nthat he inflicted upon the sinners. When, in answer to Moses' call:\n\"Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me,\" all the sons of Levi\ngathered themselves together unto him - they who had not taken part in\nthe adoration of the Golden Calf, - Moses appointed these Levites as\njudges, whose immediate duty it was to inflict the lawful punishment of\ndecapitation upon all those who had been seen by witnesses to be\nseduced to idolatry after they had been warned not to do so. Moses gave\nthe command as though he had been commissioned to do so by God. This\nwas not actually so, but he did it in order to enable the judges\nappointed by him to punish all the guilty in the course of one day,\nwhich otherwise, owing to the procedure of Jewish jurisprudence, could\nnot well have been possible. Those who, according to the testimony of\nwitnesses, had been seduced to idolatry, but who could not be proven to\nhave been warned beforehand, were not punished by temporal justice,\nthey died of the water that Moses forced them to drink; for this water\nhad upon them the same effect as the curse-bringing water upon the\nadulterous woman. But those sinners, too, against whom no witnesses\nappeared, did not escape their fate, for upon them God sent the plague\nto carry them off. [281]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES INTERCEDES FOR THE PEOPLE\n\n\nThose who were executed by these judgements numbered three thousand, so\nthat Moses said to God: \"O Lord of the world! Just and merciful art\nThou, and all Thy deeds are deeds of integrity. Shall six hundred\nthousand people - not to mention all who are below twenty years of age,\nand all the many proselytes and slaves - perish for the sake of three\nthousand sinners?\" God could no longer withhold His mercy, and\ndetermined to forgive Israel their sins. [282] It was only after long\nand fervent prayers that Moses succeeded in quite propitiating God, and\nhardly had he returned from heaven, when he again repaired thither to\nadvance before God his intercession for Israel. He was ready to\nsacrifice himself for the sake of Israel, and as soon as punishment had\nbeen visited on the sinners, he turned to God with the words: \"O Lord\nof the world! I have now destroyed both the Golden Calf and its\nidolaters, what cause for ill feeling against Israel can now remain?\nThe sins these committed came to pass because Thou hadst heaped gold\nand silver upon them, so that the blames is not wholly theirs. 'Yet\nnow, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee,\nout of Thy book which Thou has written.'\" [283]\n\nThese bold words of Moses were not without consequences for him, for\nalthough God thereupon replied: \"Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him\nwill I blot out of My blood,\" still it was on account of this that his\nname was omitted from one section of the Pentateuch. [284] But for\nIsrael his words created an instant revulsion of feeling in God, who\nnow addressed him kindly, and promised that he would send His angel,\nwho would lead the people into the promised land. These words indicated\nto Moses that God was not yet entirely appeased, and he could further\nsee this in the punishment that fell upon Israel on that day. Their\nweapons, which every man among them had received at the revelation on\nSinai, and which had miraculous virtues, having the name of God\nengraved upon them, were taken from them by the angels, and their robes\nof purple likewise. When Moses saw from this that God's wrath was still\nupon Israel, and that He desired to have nothing further to do with\nthem, he removed his tent a mile away from the camp, saying to himself:\n\"The disciple may not have intercourse with people whom the master has\nexcommunicated.\"\n\nNot only the people went out o this tent whenever they sought the Lord,\nbut the angels also, the Seraphim, and the heavenly hosts repaired\nthither, the sun, the moon, and the other heavenly bodies, all of whom\nknew that God was to be found there, and that the tent of Moses was the\nspot where they were to appear before their Creator. God, however, was\nnot at all pleased to see Moses keep himself aloof from the people, and\nsaid to him: \"According to our agreement, I was to propitiate thee\nevery time thou wert angry with the people, and thou wert to propitiate\nMe when My wrath was kindled against them. What is now to become of\nthese poor people, if we be both angry with them? Return, therefore,\ninto the camp to the people. But if thou wilt not obey, remember that\nJoshua is in the camp at the sanctuary, and he can well fill thy\nplace.\" Moses replied: \"It is for Thy sake that I am angry with them,\nand now I see that still Thou canst not forsake them.\" \"I have,\" said\nGod, \"already told thee, that I shall send and angel before them.\" But\nMoses, by no means content with this assurance, continued to importune\nGod not to entrust Israel to an angel, but to conduct and guide them in\nperson. [285]\n\nForty days and forty nights, from the eighteenth day of Tammus to the\ntwenty-eight day of Ab, did Moses stay in heaven, [286] beseeching and\nimploring God to restore Israel once more entirely into His favor. But\nall his prayers and exhortations were in vain, until at the end of\nforty days he implored God to set the pious deeds of the three\nPatriarchs and of the twelve sons of Jacob to the account of their\ndescendants; and only then was his prayer answered. H said: \"If Thou\nart angry with Israel because they transgressed the Ten Commandments,\nbe mindful for their sake of the ten tests to which Thou didst subject\nAbraham, and through which he nobly passed. If Israel deserves at Thy\nhands punishment by fire for their sin, remember the fire of the\nlimekiln into which Abraham let himself be cast for the glory of Thy\nname. If Israel deserves death by sword, remember the readiness with\nwhich Isaac laid down his neck upon the altar to be sacrificed to Thee.\nIf they deserve punishment by exile, remember for their sake how their\nfather Jacob wandered into exile from his paternal home to Haran.\"\nMoses furthermore said to God: \"Will the dead ever be restored to\nlife?\" God in surprise retorted: \"Hast thou become a heretic, Moses,\nthat thou dost doubt the resurrection?\" \"If,\" said Moses, \"the dead\nnever awaken to life, then truly Thou art right to wreak vengeance upon\nIsrael; but if the dead are to be restored to life hereafter, what wilt\nThou then say to the fathers of this nation, if they ask Thee what has\nbecome of the promise Thou hadst made to them? I demand nothing more\nfor Israel,\" Moses continued, \"than what Thou were willing to grant\nAbraham when he pleaded for Sodom. Thou wert willing to let Sodom\nsurvive if there were only ten just men therein, and I am now about to\nenumerate to Thee ten just men among the Israelites: myself, Aaron,\nEleazar, Ithamar, Phinehas, Joshua, and Caleb.\" \"But that is only\nseven,\" objected God. Moses, not at all abashed, replied: \"But Thou\nhast said that the dead will hereafter be restored to life, so count\nwith these the three Patriarchs to make the number ten complete.\"\nMoses' mention of the names of the three Patriarchs was of more avail\nthan all else, and God granted his prayer, forgave Israel their\ntransgression, and promised to lead the people in person. [287]\n\n\n\n\nTHE INSCRUTABLE WAYS OF THE LORD\n\n\nMoses still cherished three other wishes: that the Shekinah might dwell\nwith Israel; that the Shekinah might not dwell with other nations; and\nlastly, that he might learn to know the ways of the Lord whereby He\nordained good and evil in the world, sometimes causing suffering to the\njust and letting the unjust enjoy happiness, whereas at other times\nboth were happy, or both were destined to suffer. Moses laid these\nwishes before God in the moment of His wrath, hence God bade Moses wait\nuntil His wrath should have blown over, and then He granted him his\nfirst two wishes in full, but his third in part only. [288] God showed\nhim the great treasure troves in which are stored up the various\nrewards for the pious and the just, explaining each separated one to\nhim in detail: in this one were the rewards of those who give alms; in\nthat one, of those who bring up orphans. In this way He showed him the\ndestination of each one of the treasures, until at length they came to\none of gigantic size. \"For whom is this treasure?\" asked Moses, and God\nanswered: \"Out of the treasures that I have shown thee I give rewards\nto those who have deserved them by their deeds; but out of this\ntreasure do I give to those who are not deserving, for I am gracious to\nthose also who may lay no claim to My graciousness, and I am bountiful\nto those who are not deserving of My bounty.\"\n\nMoses now had to content himself with the certainty that the pious were\nsure of their deserts; without, however, learning from God, how it\nsometimes comes to pass that evil doers, too, are happy. For God merely\nstated that He also shows Himself kind to those who do not deserve it,\nbut without further assigning the why and the wherefore. But the reward\nto the pious, too, was only in part revealed to him, for he beheld the\njoys of Paradise of which they were to partake, but not the real reward\nthat is to follow the feast in Paradise; for truly \"eye hath not seen,\nbeside the Lord, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him.\"\n[289]\n\nBy means of the following incident God showed Moses how little man is\nable to fathom the inscrutable ways of the Lord. When Moses was on\nSinai, he saw from that station a man who betook himself to a river,\nstooped down to drink, lost his purse, and without noticing it went his\nway. Shortly after, another man cam, found the money, pocketed it, and\ntook to his heels. When the owner of the purse became aware of his\nloss, he returned to the river, where he did not find his money, but\nsaw a man, who came there by chance to fetch water. To him he said:\n\"Restore to me the money that a little while ago I left here, for none\ncan have taken it if not thou.\" When the man declared that he had found\nnone of the money nor seen any of it, the owner slew him. Looking with\nhorror and amazement on this injustice on earth, Moses said to God: \"I\nbeseech Thee, show my Thy ways. Why has this man, who was quite\ninnocent, been slain, and why hath the true thief gone unpunished?\" God\nreplied: \"The man who found the money and kept it merely recovered his\nown possession, for he who had lost the purse by the river, had\nformerly stolen it from him; but the one who seemed to be innocently\nslain is only making atonement for having at one time murdered the\nfather of his slayer.\" [290] In this way, God granted the request of\nMoses, \"to show him His ways,\" in part only. He let him look into the\nfuture, and let him see every generation and it sages, every generation\nand its prophets, every generation and its expounders of the\nScriptures, every generation and its leaders, ever generation and its\npious men. But when Moses said: \"O Lord of the world! Let me see by\nwhat law Thou dost govern the world; for I see that many a just man is\nlucky, but many a one is not; many a wicked man is lucky, but many a\none is not; many a rich man is happy, but many a one is not; many a\npoor man is happy, but many a one is not;\" then God answered: \"Thou\ncanst not grasp all the principles which I apply to the government of\nthe world, but some of them shall I impart to thee. When I see human\nbeings who have no claim to expectations from Me either for their own\ndeeds or for those of their fathers, but who pray to Me and implore Me,\nthen do I grant their prayers and give them what they require from\nsubsistence.\" [291]\n\nAlthough God had now granted all of his wishes, still Moses received\nthe following answer to his prayer, \"I beseech Thee, show me Thy\nglory\": \"Thou mayest not behold My glory, or else thou wouldst perish,\nbut in consideration of My vow to grant thee all thy wishes, and in\nview of the fact that thou are in possession of the secret of My name,\nI will meet thee so far as to satisfy thy desire in part. Lift the\nopening of the cave, and I will bid all the angels that serve Me pass\nin review before thee; but as soon as thou hearest the Name, which I\nhave revealed to thee, know then that I am there, and bear thyself\nbravely and without fear.' [292]\n\nGod has a reason for not showing His glory to Moses. He said to him:\n\"When I revealed Myself to thee in the burning bush, thou didst not\nwant to look upon Me; now thou are willing, but I am not.\" [293]\n\n\n\n\nTHE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF GOD\n\n\nThe cave in which Moses concealed himself while God passed in review\nbefore him with His celestial retinue, was the same in which Elijah\nlodged when God revealed Himself to him on Horeb. If there had been in\nit an opening even as tiny as a needle's point, both Moses and Elijah\nwould have been consumed by the passing Divine light, [294] which was\nof an intensity so great that Moses, although quite shut off in the\ncave, nevertheless caught the reflection of it, so that from its\nradiance his face began to shine. [295] Not without great danger,\nhowever, did Moses earn this distinction; for as soon as the angels\nheard Moses request God to show him His glory, they were greatly\nincensed against him, and said to God: \"We, who serve Thee night and\nday, may not see Thy glory, and he, who is born of woman, asks to see\nit!\" In their anger they made ready to kill Moses, who would certainly\nhave perished, had not God's hand protected him from the angels. Then\nGod appeared in the cloud.\n\nIt was the seventh time that He appeared on earth, [296] and taking the\nguise of a precentor of a congregation, He said to Moses: \"Whenever\nIsrael hath sinned, and calleth Me by the following thirteen\nattributes, I will forgive them their sins. I am the Almighty God who\nprovides for all creatures. I am the Merciful One who restrains evil\nfrom human kind. I am the Gracious One who helps in time of need. I am\nthe Long-Suffering to the upright as well as to the wicked. I am\nBountiful to those whose own deed do not entitle them to lay claim to\nrewards. I am Faithful to those who have a right to expect good from\nMe; and preserve graciousness unto the two-thousandth generation. I\nforgive misdeeds and even atrocious actions, in forgiving those who\nrepent.\" [297] When Moses heard this, and particularly that God is\nlong-suffering with sinners, [298] he prayed: \"O forgive, then,\nIsrael's sin which they committed in worshipping the Golden Calf.\" Had\nMoses now prayed, \"Forgive the sins of Israel unto the end of all\ntime,\" God would have granted that too, as it was a time of mercy; but\nas Moses asked forgiveness for this one sin only, this one only was\npardoned, and God said: \"I have pardoned according to thy word.\" [298]\n\nThe day on which God showed Himself merciful to Moses and to His\npeople, was the tenth day of Tishri, the day on which Moses was to\nreceive the tables of the law from God for the second time, and all\nIsrael spent it amid prayer and fasting, that the evil spirit might not\nagain lead them astray. Their ardent tears and exhortations, joined\nwith those of Moses, reached heaven, so that God took pity upon them\nand said to them: \"My children, I swear by my lofty Name that these\nyour tears shall be tears of rejoicing for you; that this day shall be\na day of pardon, of forgiveness, and of the canceling of sins for you,\nfor your children, and your children's children to the end of all\ngenerations.\" [300]\n\nThis day was not set for the annual Day of Atonement, without which the\nworld could not exist, and which will continue even in the future world\nwhen all other holy days will cease to be. The Day of Atonement,\nhowever, is not only a reminiscence of the day on which God was\nreconciled to Israel and forgave them their sins, but it is also the\nday on which Israel finally received the Torah. [301] For after Moses\nhas spent forty days in prayer, until God finally forgave Israel their\nsins, he began to reproach himself for having broken the tables of the\nlaw, saying\" \"Israel asked me to intercede for them before God, but who\nwill, on account of my sin, intercede before God for my sake?\" Then God\nsaid to him: \"Grieve not for the loss of the first two tables, which\ncontained only the Ten Commandments. The second tables that I am now\nready to give thee, shall contain Halakot, Midrash, and Haggadot.\"\n[302]\n\nAt the new moon of the month Elul, Moses had the trumpet sounded\nthroughout the camp, announcing to the people that he would once more\nbetake himself to God for forty days to receive the second tables from\nHim, so that they might be alarmed by his absence; and he stayed in\nheaven until the tenth day of Tishri, on which day he returned with the\nTorah and delivered it to Israel. [303]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SECOND TABLES\n\n\nWhereas the first tables had been given on Mount Sinai amid great\nceremonies, the presentation of the second tables took place quietly,\nfor God said: \"There is nothing lovelier than quiet humility. The great\nceremonies on the occasion of presenting the first tables had the evil\neffect of directing an evil eye toward them, so that they were finally\nbroken.\" [304] In this also were the second tables differentiated from\nthe first, that the former were the work of God, and the latter, the\nwork of man. God dealt with Israel like the king who took to himself to\nwife and drew up the marriage contract with his own hand. One day the\nking noticed his wife engaged in very intimate conversation with a\nslave; and enraged at her unworthy conduct, he turned here out of his\nhouse. Then he who had given the bride away at the wedding came before\nthe king and said to him: \"O sire, dost thou not know whence thou didst\ntake thy bride? She had been brought up among the slaves, and hence is\nintimate with them.\" The king allowed himself to be appeased, saying to\nthe other: \"Take paper and let a scribe draw up a new marriage\ncontract, and here take my authorization, signed in my own hand.\" Just\nso did Israel fare with their God when Moses offered the following\nexcuse for their worship of the Golden Calf: \"O Lord, dost Thou not\nknow whence Thou hast brought Israel, out of a land of idolaters?\" God\nreplied: \"Thou desirest Me to forgive them. Well, then, I shall do so,\nnow fetch Me hither tables on which I may write the words that were\nwritten on the first. But to reward thee for offering up thy life for\ntheir sake, I shall in the future send thee along with Elijah, that\nboth of you together may prepare Israel for the final deliverance.\"\n[305]\n\nMoses fetched the tables out of a diamond quarry which God pointed out\nto him, and the chips that fell, during the hewing, from the precious\nstone made a rich man of Moses, so that he now possessed all the\nqualifications of a prophet - wealth, strength, humility, and wisdom.\nIn regard to the last-named be it said, that God given in Moses' charge\nall the fifty gates of wisdom except one.\n\nAs the chips falling from the precious stone were designed for Moses\nalone, so too had originally the Torah, written on these tables, been\nintended only Moses and his descendants; but he was benevolent of\nspirit, and imparted the Torah to Israel. [306] The wealth that Moses\nprocured for himself in fashioning the Torah, was a reward for having\ntaken charge of the corpse of Joseph while all the people were\nappropriating to themselves the treasures of Egyptians. God now said:\n\"Moses deserves the chips from the tables. Israel, who did not occupy\nthemselves with labors of piety, carried off the best of Egypt at the\ntime of their exodus. Shall Moses, who saw to the corpse of Joseph,\nremain poor? Therefore will I make him rich through these chips.\" [307]\n\nDuring the forty days he spent in heaven, Moses received beside the two\ntables all the Torah - the Bible, Mishnah, Talmud, and Haggadah, yea,\neven all that ever clever scholars would ask their teacher was revealed\nto him. When he now received the command from God to teach all this to\nIsrael, he requested God to write down all the Torah and to give it to\nIsrael in that way. But God said: \"Gladly would I give them the whole\nin writing, but it is revealed before Me that the nations of the world\nwill hereafter read the Torah translated into Greek, and will say: 'We\nare the true Israel, we are the children of God.' Then I shall say to\nthe nations: 'Ye claim to be MY children, do ye not know that those\nonly are My children to whom I have confided My secret, the oral\nteaching?'\" This was the reason why the Pentateuch only was given to\nMoses in writing, and the other parts of the Torah by word of mouth.\nHence the covenant God made with Israel reads: \"I gave ye a written and\nan oral Torah. My covenant with you says that ye shall study the\nwritten Torah as a written thing, and the oral as an oral; but in case\nyou confound the one with the other you will not be rewarded. For the\nTorah's sake alone have I made a covenant with you; had ye not accepted\nthe Torah, I should not have acknowledged you before all other nations.\nBefore you accepted the Torah, you were just like all other nations,\nand for the Torah's sake alone have I lifted you above the others. Even\nyour king, Moses, owes the distinction he enjoys in this world and in\nthe world hereafter to the Torah alone. Had you not accepted the Torah,\nthen should I have dissolved the upper and the under worlds into\nchaos.\" [308]\n\nForty days and forty nights Moses now devoted to the study of the\nTorah, and in all the time he ate no bread and drank no water, acting\nin accordance with the proverb, \"If thou enterest a city, observe its\nlaws.\" The angels followed this maxim when they visited Abraham, for\nthey there ate like men; and so did Moses, who being among angels, like\nthe angels partook of no food. He received nourishment from radiance of\nthe Shekinah, which also sustains the holy Hayyot that bear the Throne.\nMoses spent the day in learning the Torah from God, and the night in\nrepeating what he had learned. In this way he set an example for\nIsrael, that they might occupy themselves with the Torah by night and\nby day.\n\nDuring this time Moses also wrote down the Torah, although the angels\nfound it strange that God should have given him the commission to write\ndown the Torah, and gave expression to their astonishment in the\nfollowing words, that they addressed to God: \"How is it that Thou\ngivest Moses permission to write, so that he may write whatever he\nwill, and say to Israel, 'I gave you the Torah, I myself wrote it, and\nthen gave it to you?'\" But God answered: \"Far be it from Moses to do\nsuch a thing, he is a faithful servant!\"\n\nWhen Moses had complete the writing of the Torah, he wiped his pen on\nthe hair of his forehead, and from this heavenly ink that cleaved to\nhis forehead originated the beams of light that radiated from it. [309]\nIn this way God fulfilled to Moses the promise: \"Before all thy people\nI will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in\nany nation.\" [310] On Moses' return from heaven, the people were\ngreatly amazed to see his face shining, and there was fear, too, in\ntheir amazement. This fear was a consequence of their sin, for formerly\nthey had been able to bear without fear the sight of \"the glory of the\nLord that was like devouring fire,\" although it consisted of seven\nsheaths of fire, laid one over another; but after their transgression\nthey could not even bear to look upon the countenance of the man who\nhad been the intermediator between themselves and God. [311] But Moses\nquieted them, and instantly set about imparting to the people the Torah\nhe had received from God.\n\nHis method of instruction was as follows: first came Aaron, to whom he\nimparted the word of God, and as soon as he had finished with Aaron,\ncame the sons of Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar, and he instructed them,\nwhile Aaron sat at his right hand, listening. When he had finished with\nthe sons of Aaron, the elders appeared to receive instruction, while\nEleazar sat at the right hand of his father, and Ithamar at the left\nhand of Moses, and listened; and when he had finished with the elders,\nthe people came and received instruction, whereupon Moses withdrew.\nThen Aaron went over what had been taught, and his sons likewise, and\nthe elders, until every one, from Aaron down to every man out of the\npeople, had four times repeated what he had learned, for in this way\nhad God bidden Moses impress the Torah four times upon Israel. [312]\n\n\n\n\nTHE CENSUS OF THE PEOPLE\n\n\nAt sight of the rays that emanated from Moses' face, the people said to\nhim: \"We were humbled by God owing to that sin we had committed. God,\nthou sayest, had forgiven us, and is reconciled to us. Thou, Moses,\nwere include in our humiliation, and we see that He has once more\nexalted thee, whereas, in spite of the reconciliation with God, we\nremain humbled.\" Hereupon Moses betook himself to God and said; \"When\nThou didst humble them, Thou didst humble me also, hence shouldst Thou\nnow raise them too, if Thou has raised me.\" God replied: \"Truly, as I\nhave exalted thee, so will I exalt them also; record their number, and\nthrough this show the world how near to My heart is the nation that\nbefore all others acknowledged Me as their king, singing by the Red\nSea: 'This is my God, and I will exalt Him.'\" Moses then said to God:\n\"O Lord of the world! Thou hast so many nation in Thy world, but Thou\ncarest nothing about recording their numbers, and only Israel dost Thou\nbid me count.\" God replied: \"All these multitudes do not belong to Me,\nthey are doomed to the destruction of Gehenna, but Israel is My\npossession, and as a man most prizes the possession he paid for most\ndearly, so is Israel most dear to Me, because I have with great\nexertions made it My own.\" [313] Moses further said to God: \"O Lord of\nthe world! To our father Abraham Thou made the following promises: 'And\nI will make thy seed as the stars in the heavens,' but now Thou biddest\nme number Israel. If their forefather Abraham could not count them,\nhow, then, should I?\" But God quieted Moses, saying: \"Thou needest not\nactually count them, but if thou wouldst determine their number, add\ntogether the numerical value of the names of the tribes, and the result\nwill be their number.\" And truly in this way did Moses procure the sum\ntotal of the Jews, which amounted to sixty myriads less three thousand,\nthe three thousand having been swept away by the plague in punishment\nfor their worship of the Golden Calf. Hence the difference between the\nnumber at the exodus from Egypt, when Moses had counted them for the\nfirst time, and the number at the second census, after the losses\nincurred by the plague. God treated Israel as did that king his herd,\nwho ordered the shepherds tell the tale of the sheep when he heard that\nwolves had been among them and had killed some, having this reckoning\nmade in order to determine the amount of his loss.\n\nThe occasions on which, in the course of history, Israel were numbered,\nare as follows: Jacob counted his household upon entering Egypt; Moses\ncounted Israel upon the exodus from Egypt; after the worship of the\nGolden Calf; at the arrangement into camp divisions; and at the\ndistribution of the promised land. Saul twice instituted a census of\nthe people, the first time when he set out against Nahash, the\nAmmonite, and the second time when he set out in war upon Amalek. It is\nsignificant of the enormous turn in the prosperity of the Jews during\nSaul's reign, that at the first census every man put down a pebble, so\nthat the pebbles might be counted, but at the second census the people\nwere so prosperous that instead of putting down a pebble, every man\nbrought a lamb. There was a census in the reign of David, which,\nhowever, not having been ordered by God, had unfortunate consequences\nboth for the king and for the people. Ezra instituted the last census\nwhen the people returned from Babylon to the Holy Land. Apart from\nthese nine censuses, God will Himself count His people in the future\ntime when their number will be so great that no mortal will be able to\ncount them. [314]\n\nThere was an offering to the sanctuary connected with the second census\nin Moses' time, when every one above twenty years of age had to offer\nup half a shekel. For God said to Moses: \"They indeed deserve death for\nhaving made the Golden Calf, but let each one offer up to the Eternal\natonement money for his soul, and in this way redeem himself from\ncapital punishment.\" When the people heard this, they grieved greatly,\nfor they thought: \"In vain did we exert ourselves in taking booty from\nthe Egyptians, if we are not to yield up our hard-earned possessions as\natonement money. The law prescribes that a man pay fifty shekels of\nsilver for dishonoring a woman, and we who have dishonored the word of\nGod, should have to pay at least an equal amount. The law furthermore\ndecrees that if an ox kill a servant, his owner shall pay thirty\nshekels of silver, hence every Israelite should have to discharge such\na sum, for 'we changed our glory into the similitude of an ox that\neateth grass.' But these two fines would not suffice, for we slandered\nGod, He who brought us out of Egypt, by calling out to the Calf, 'This\nis thy God, that brought thee up out of Egypt,' and slander is\npunishable by law with one hundred shekels of silver.\" God who knew\ntheir thoughts, said to Moses: \"Ask them why they are afraid. I do not\nask of them to pay as high a fine as he who dishonors or seduces a\nwoman, nor the penalty of a slanderer, nor that of the owner of a\ngoring ox, all that I ask of them is this,\" and hereupon he showed\nMoses at the fire a small coin that represented the value of half a\nshekel. This coin each one of those who had passed through the Red Sea\nwas to give as an offering.\n\nThere were several reasons why God asked particularly for the value of\nhalf a shekel as a penalty. As they committed their sin, the worship of\nthe Golden Calf, in the middle, that is the half of the day, so they\nwere to pay half of a shekel; and, furthermore, as they committed their\nsin in the sixth hour of the day, so were they to pay half a shekel,\nwhich is six grains of silver. This half shekel, furthermore, contains\nten gerahs, and is hence the corresponding fine for those who\ntrespassed the Ten Commandments. The half shekel was also to be an\natonement for the sin committed by the ten sons of Jacob, who sold\ntheir brother Joseph as a slave, for whom each had received half a\nshekel as his share. [315]\n\n\n\n\nTHE ERECTION OF THE TABERNACLE COMMANDED\n\n\nWhen, on that memorable Day of Atonement, God indicated His forgiveness\nto Israel with the words, \"I have forgiven them according as I have\nspoken,\" Moses said: \"I now feel convinced that Thou hast forgiven\nIsrael, but I wish Thou wouldst show the nations also that Thou are\nreconciled with Israel.\" For these were saying: \"How can a nation that\nheard God's word on Sinai, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,'\nand that forty days later called out to the Calf, 'This is thy god, O\nIsrael,' expect that God would ever be reconciled to them?\" God\ntherefore said to Moses: \"As truly as thou livest, I will let My\nShekinah dwell among them, so that all my know that I have forgiven\nIsrael. My sanctuary in their midst will be a testimony of My\nforgiveness of their sins, and hence it may well be called a\n'Tabernacle of Testimony.'\" [316]\n\nThe erection of a sanctuary among Israel was begun in answer to a\ndirect appeal from the people, who said to God: \"O Lord of the world!\nThe kings of the nations have palaces in which are set a table,\ncandlesticks, and other royal insignia, that their king may be\nrecognized as such. Shalt not Thou, too, our King, Redeemer, and\nHelper, employ royal insignia, that all the dwellers of the earth may\nrecognize that Thou are their King?\" God replied: \"My children, the\nkings of the flesh and blood need all these things, but I do not, for I\nneed neither food nor drink; nor is light necessary to Me, as can well\nbe seen by this, that My servants, the sun and the moon, illuminate all\nthe world with the light they receive from Me; hence ye need do none of\nthese things for Me, for without these signs of honor will I let all\ngood things fall to your lot in recognition of the merits of your\nfathers.\" But Israel answered: \"O Lord of the world! We do not want to\ndepend on our fathers. 'Doubtless Thou are our Father, though Abraham\nbe ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not.\" God hereupon said:\n\"If you now insist upon carrying out your wish, do so, but do it in the\nway I command you. It is customary in the world that whosoever had a\nlittle son, cares for him, anoints him, washes him, feeds him, and\ncarries him, but as soon as the son is come of age, he provides for his\nfather a beautiful dwelling, a table, and a candlestick. So long as you\nwere young, did I provide for you, washed you, fed you with bread and\nmeat, gave you water to drink, and bore you on eagles' wings; but now\nthat you are come of age, I wish you to build a house for Me, set\ntherein a table and a candlestick, and make an altar of incense within\nit.\" [317] God then gave them detailed instruction for furnishing the\nTabernacle, saying to Moses; \"Tell Israel that I order them to build Me\na tabernacle not because I lack a dwelling, for, even before the world\nhad been created, I had erected My temple in the heavens; but only as a\ntoken of My affection for you will I leave My heavenly temple and dwell\namong you, 'they shall make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among\nthem.'\"\n\nAt these last words Moses seized by a great fear, such as had taken\npossession of him only on two other occasions. Once, when God said to\nhim, \"Let each give a ransom for his soul,\" when, much alarmed, he\nsaid: \"If a man were to give all that he hath for his soul, it would\nnot suffice.\" God quieted him with the words, \"I do not ask what is due\nMe, but only what they can fulfil, half a shekel will suffice.\" Then\nagain, fear stirred Moses when God said to him: \"Speak to Israel\nconcerning My offering, and My bread for My sacrifices made by fire,\"\nand he said trembling, \"Who can bring sufficient offerings to Thee?\n'Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beast thereof sufficient\nfor a burnt offering.'\" Then again God quieted him with the words, \"I\ndemand not according to what is due Me, but only that which they can\nfulfil, one sheep as a morning sacrifice, and one sheep as an evening\nsacrifice.\" The third time, God was in the midst of giving Moses\ninstructions concerning the building of the sanctuary, when Moses\nexclaimed in fear: \"Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot\ncontain Thee, how much less this sanctuary that we are to build Thee?\"\nAnd this time also God quieted him with the words, \"I do not ask what\nis due Me, but only that which they can fulfil; twenty boards to the\nnorth, as many to the south, eight in the west, and I shall then so\ndraw My Shekinah together that it may find room under them.\" [318] God\nwas indeed anxious to have a sanctuary erected to Him, it was the\ncondition on which He led them out of Egypt, [319] yea, in a certain\nsense the existence of all the world depended on the construction of\nthe sanctuary, for when the sanctuary had been erected, the world stood\nfirmly founded, whereas until then it had always been swaying hither\nand thither. [320] Hence the Tabernacle in its separate parts also\ncorresponded to the heaven and the earth, that had been created on the\nfirst day. As the firmament had been created on the second day to\ndivide the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which\nwere above, so there was a curtain in the Tabernacle to divide between\nthe holy and the most holy. As God created the great sea on the third\nsay, so did He appoint the laver in the sanctuary to symbolize it, and\nas He had on that day destined the plant kingdom as nourishment for\nman, so did He now require a table with bread in the Tabernacle. The\ncandlestick in the Tabernacle corresponded to the two luminous bodies,\nthe sun and the moon, created on the fourth day; and the seven branches\nof the candlestick corresponded to the seven planets, the Sun, Venus,\nMercury, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. Corresponding to the\nbirds created on the fifth day, the Tabernacle contained the Cherubim,\nthat had wings like birds. On the sixth, the last day of creation, man\nhad been created in the image of God to glorify his Creator, and\nlikewise was the high priest anointed to minister in the Tabernacle\nbefore the Lord and Creator. [321]\n\n\n\n\nTHE MATERIALS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE\n\n\nWhen, on the Day of Atonement, God said to Moses, \"Let them make Me a\nsanctuary, that I may dwell among them,\" that the nations of the world\nmight see that He has forgiven Israel their sin, the worship of the\nGolden Calf, it was gold He bade them bring for the adornment of the\nsanctuary. God said: \"The gold of the Tabernacle shall serve as an\nexpiation for the gold they employed in the construction of the Golden\nCalf. Besides gold, let them bring Me twelve other materials for the\nconstruction of the Tabernacle: 'silver, brass, and blue, and purple,\nand scarlet, fine linen, and goats' hair, and rams' skins dyed red, and\nbadgers' skins, and shittim wood, oil for the light, spices for\nanointing-oil, and for sweet incense, onyx stones and stones to be set\nin the ephod and in the breastplate.'\" To these instructions, God added\nthese words: \"But do not suppose that you are giving Me these thirteen\nobjects as gifts, for thirteen deed did I perform for you in Egypt,\nwhich these thirteen objects now repay. For 'I clothed you with\nbroidered work, and shod you with badgers' skins, and girded you about\nwith fine linen, and I covered you with silk. I decked you also with\nornaments, and I put bracelets upon your arms, and chains about your\nnecks. And I put jewels on your foreheads, and earrings in your ears,\nand a beautiful crown upon your heads.' But in the future world, in\nreturn for these thirteen offerings to the Tabernacle, you shall\nreceive thirteen gifts from Me, when 'I shall create upon every\ndwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and\nsmoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night, for upon all\nthe glory shall be a defence. And there shall be a tabernacle for a\nshadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for\na covert, from storms and from rain.'\" God continued: \"Give your\ncontributions to the sanctuary with a willing heart. Do not think that\nyou need give anything out of your pockets, for all you have belongs to\nMe, through whom you received it in you passage through the Red Sea,\nwhen you took their wealth from the Egyptians. [322] I demand nothing\nfrom the other nations, but from you I do so, because it was I that led\nyou out of Egypt. But you shall erect a sanctuary to Me not in this\nworld only, but in the future world also. At first the Torah dwelt with\nMe, but now that it is in your possession, you must let Me dwell among\nyou with the Torah.\"\n\nThrough the various objects God bade them dedicate to the sanctuary,\nthe course of their history was indicated. The gold signified their\nyoke under Babylon, \"the head of golds;\" the silver pointed toward the\nsovereignty of Persia and Media, who through silver tried to bring\nabout the destruction of Israel; brass stood for the Greek Empire, that\nlike this metal is of inferior quality, its rule also was less\nsignificant than that of its predecessors in the sovereignty over the\nworld; the ram's skins dyed red indicate the sovereignty of \"red Rome.\"\nGod now said to Israel: \"Although you now behold the four nations that\nwill hold sway over you, still shall I send you help out of your\nbondage, 'oil for the light,' the Messiah, who will enlighten the eyes\nof Israel, and who will make use of 'spices for anointing-oil,' for he\nwill anoint the high priest, that once again 'I may accept you with\nyour sweet savour.'\" [323]\n\nWhen Moses was in heaven, God showed him the Tabernacle, as well as\nmodels for all the holy vessels therein, hence Moses naturally supposed\nthat he was destined to be the builder of the Tabernacle. But he was\nmistaken, for when he was about to leave heaven, God said to Moses:\n\"Thee have I appointed king, and it does not behoove a king to execute\nworks in person, but to give people directions. Therefore thou are not\nto execute the building of the Tabernacle in person, but thou art to\ngive them thy directions to be executed.\" Moses now asked God whom he\nshould select as the man to carry out his orders, whereupon God fetched\nout the book of Adam and laid it before Moses. In this book he found\nrecorded all the generations, from the creation of the world to the\nresurrection of the dead, and the kings, leaders, and prophets set down\nbeside every generation. Then God said to Moses: \"In that hour did I\ndecree every man's calling, and Bezalel was then appointed to his\ntask.\" [324]\n\n\n\n\nBEZALEL\n\n\nBezalel was, first of all, of a noble line. His father Hur was a son of\nCaleb from his union with Miriam, Moses' sister, that Hur who gave his\nlife to restrain Israel from the worship of the Golden Calf. As a\nreward for his martyrdom, his son Bezalel was to build the Tabernacle,\nand one of his later descendants, King Solomon, was to build the Temple\nat Jerusalem. Bezalel was not only of a distinguished family, he was\nhimself a man of distinction, possessed of wisdom, insight, and\nunderstanding. By means of these three God created the world; Bezalel\nerected the Tabernacle. Through their aid was the Temple complete, and\neven in the future world will it be wisdom, insight, and understanding,\nthese three that God will employ to set up the new Temple. Bezalel,\nfurthermore, had wisdom in the Torah, insight into the Halakah, and\nunderstanding in the Talmud, [325] but more than this, he was well\nversed in secret lore, knowing as he did the combination of letters by\nmeans of which God created heaven and earth. The name Bezalel, \"in the\nshadow of God,\" was most appropriate for this man whose wisdom made\nclear to him what none could know save one who dwelt \"in the shadow of\nGod.\"\n\nMoses had an instant opportunity of testing the wisdom of this builder\nappointed by God. God had bidden Moses first to erect the Tabernacle,\nthen the Holy Ark, and lastly to prepare the furnishings of the\nTabernacle; but Moses, to put Bezalel's wisdom to the test, ordered him\nto construct first the Holy Ark, then the furnishings of the\nTabernacle, and only then the sanctuary. Hereupon wise Bezalel said to\nMoses: \"O our teacher Moses, it is the way of man first to build his\nhouse, and only then to provide its furnishings. Thou biddest me first\nprovide furnishings and then build a sanctuary. What shall I do with\nthe furnishings when there is no sanctuary ready to receive them?\"\nMoses, delighted with Bezalel's wisdom, replied: \"Now truly, the\ncommand was given just as thou sayest. Wert thou, perchance, 'in the\nshadow of God,' that thou knewest it?\"\n\nAlthough God knew that Bezalel was the right man for the erection of\nthe Tabernacle, still He asked Moses, \"Dost thou consider Bezalel\nsuited to this task?\" Moses replied: \"O Lord of the world! If Thou\nconsiderest him suitable, then surely do I!\" But God said: \"Go,\nnevertheless, and ask Israel if they approve My choice of Bezalel.\"\nMoses did as he was bidden, and the people assented in these words: \"If\nBezalel is judged good enough by God and by thee, assuredly he is\napproved by us.\" [326] As the builder of the Tabernacle, God gave\nBezalel five other names to bear. He called him Reaiah, \"to behold,\"\nfor Bezalel was beheld by God, by Moses, and by Israel, as the one who\nhad been decreed for his activity since the beginning of the world. He\ncalled him \"the son of Shobal,\" because he had erected the Tabernacle\nthat towered high, like a dove-cote. He called him Jahath, \"the\nTrembler,\" because he made the sanctuary, the seat of the fear of God.\nHe called him Ahamai, because, through his work, the sanctuary, Israel,\nand God were united; and finally Lahad, as the one who brought splendor\nand loftiness it Israel, for the sanctuary is the pride and splendor of\nIsrael.\n\nAt the side of Bezalel, the noble Judean, worked Oholiab, of the\ninsignificant tribe of Dan, to show that \"before God, the great and the\nlowly are equal.\" And as the Tabernacle rose, thanks to the combined\nefforts of a Judean and a Danite, so too did the Temple of Jerusalem,\nwhich was built at the command of the Judean Solomon by the Danite\nHiram. [327] As the head-workers of the Tabernacle were filled with the\nholy spirit of God in order to accomplish their task aright, so too\nwere all who aided in its construction, yes, even the beasts that were\nemployed on this occasion possessed wisdom, insight, and understanding.\n[328]\n\n\n\n\nTHE ARK WITH THE CHERUBIM\n\n\nThe very first thing that Bezalel constructed was the Ark of the\nCovenant, contrary to Moses' order, first to erect the Tabernacle and\nthen to supply its separate furnishings. He succeeded in convincing\nMoses that it was the proper thing to begin with the Ark, saying: \"What\nis the purpose of this Tabernacle?\" Moses: \"That God may let His\nShekinah rest therein, and so teach the Torah to His people Israel.\"\nBezalel: \"And where dost thou keep the Torah?\" Moses: \"As soon as the\nTabernacle shall have been complete, we shall make the Ark for keeping\nthe Torah.\" Bezalel: \"O our teacher Moses, it does not become the\ndignity of the Torah that in the meanwhile it should lie around like\nthis, let us rather first make the Ark, put the Torah into it, and then\ncontinue with the erection of the Tabernacle, for the Tabernacle exists\nonly for the sake of the Torah.\" Moses saw the justice of this\nargument, and Bezalel began his work with the construction of the Ark.\nIn this he followed the example of God, who created light before all\nthe rest of the creation. So Bezalel first constructed the Ark that\ncontains the Torah, the light that illuminates this world and the other\nworld; and only then followed the rest. [329] The Ark consisted of\nthree caskets, a gold one, the length of then spans and a fractional\npart; within this a wooden one, nine spans long, and within this wooden\none, one of gold, eight spans long, so that within and without the\nwooden was overlaid with the golden caskets. The Ark contained the two\ntables of the Ten Commandments as well as the Ineffable Name, and all\nHis other epithets. The Ark was an image of the celestial Throne, and\nwas therefore the most essential part of the Tabernacle, so that even\nduring the march it was spread over with a cloth wholly of blue,\nbecause this color is similar to the color of the celestial Throne. It\nwas through the Ark, also, that all the miracles on the way through the\ndesert had been wrought. Two sparks issued from the Cherubim that\nshaded the Ark, and these killed all the serpents and scorpions that\ncrossed the path of the Israelites, and furthermore burned all thorns\nthat threatened to injure the wanderers on their march through the\ndesert. The smoke rising from these scorched thorns, moreover, rose\nstraight as a column, and shed a fragrance that perfumed all the world,\nso that the nations exclaimed: \"Who is this that cometh out of the\nwilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,\nwith all powders of the merchant?\" [330]\n\nApart from this Ark, which was kept in the Tabernacle, they had another\nark, in which were contained the tables broken by Moses, which they\ncarried with them whenever they went to war. [331] The Ark that Bezalel\nconstructed was also used again in Solomon's Temple, for he retained\nthe Ark used by Moses in the Tabernacle, even though all the other\nfurnishings of the Temple were fashioned anew. It remained there up to\nthe time of the destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, when it\nwas concealed under the pavement of the wood-house, that it might not\nfall into the hands of the enemy. This place remained a secret for all\ntime. Once a priest, noticing about the wood-house that something lay\nhidden under it, called out to his colleagues, but was suddenly\nstricken dead before divulging the secret. [332]\n\nOn the Ark were the Cherubim with their faces of boys and their wings.\nTheir number was two, corresponding to the two tables, and to the two\nsacred names of God, Adonai and Elohim, which characterized Him as\nbenevolent and as powerful. The face of each Cherub measured one span,\nand the wings extended each ten spans, making twenty-two spans in all,\ncorresponding to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. [333]\nIt was \"from between the two Cherubim\" that God communed with Moses,\nfor the Shekinah never wholly descended to earth any more than any\nmortal ever quite mounted into the heaven, even Moses and Elijah stood\na slight distance from heaven; for, \"The heaven, even the heavens, are\nthe Lord's: but the earth hath He given to the children of men.\"\nTherefore God chose the Cherubim that were ten spans above the earth as\nthe place where the Shekinah betook itself to commune with Moses. [334]\nThe heads of the Cherubim were slightly turned back, like that of a\nscholar bidding his master farewell; but as a token of God's delight in\nHis people Israel, the faces of the Cherubim, by a miracle, \"looked one\nto another\" whenever Israel were devoted to their Lord, yea, even\nclasped one another like a loving couple. During the festivals of the\npilgrimage the priest used to raise the curtain from the Holy of Holies\nto show the pilgrims how much their God loved them as they could see in\nthe embrace of the two Cherubim. [335]\n\nA tow-fold miracle came to pass when the Cherubim were brought into the\nTemple by Solomon: the two staves that were attached to the Ark\nextended until they touched the curtain, so that two protuberances like\na woman's breasts became visible at the back of it, and the wings of\nthe Cherubim furthermore extended until they reached the ceiling of the\nHoly of Holies. [336]\n\n\n\n\nTHE TABLE AND THE CANDLESTICK\n\n\nWhile the number of Cherubim was the same in the Temple as in the\nTabernacle, Solomon had, on the other hand, ten tables set up in the\nTemple in place of the one fashioned by Moses. This was because the one\ntable sufficed to bring sustenance to Israel so long as they were\nmaintained by manna in the desert; but as the demand for food was\ngreater after they settled in the promised land, Solomon had ten tables\nset up. But in the Temple also did the table of Moses retain its\nancient significance, for only upon it was the shewbread placed, and it\nstood in the center, whereas the tables fashioned by Solomon stood five\nto the south and five to the north. For from the south come \"the dews\nof blessing and the rains of plenty,\" while all evil comes from the\nnorth; hence Solomon said: \"The tables on the south side shall cause\nthe rains of plenty and the dews of blessing to come upon the earth,\nwhile the tables on the north side shall keep off all evil from\nIsrael.\" [337]\n\nMoses had great difficulty with the construction of the candlestick,\nfor although God had given him instructions about it, he completely\nforgot these when he descended from heaven. He hereupon betook himself\nto God once more to be shown, but in vain, for hardly had he reached\nearth, when he again forgot. When he betook himself to God the third\ntime, God took a candlestick of fire and plainly showed him every\nsingle detail of it, that he might now be able to reconstruct the\ncandlestick for the Tabernacle. When he found it still hard to form a\nclear conception of the nature of the candlestick, God quieted him with\nthese words\" \"Go to Bezalel, he will do it aright.\" And indeed, Bezalel\nhad no difficulty in doing so, and instantly executed Moses'\ncommission. Moses cried in amazement: \"God showed me repeatedly how to\nmake the candlestick, yet I could not properly seize the idea; but\nthou, without having had it shown thee by God, couldst fashion it out\nof thy own fund of knowledge. Truly dost thou deserve thy name Bezalel,\n'in the shadow of God,' for thou dost act as if thou hadst been 'in the\nshadow of God' while He was showing me the candlestick.\" [338]\n\nThe candlestick was later set up in the Temple of Solomon, and although\nhe set up ten other candlesticks, still this one was the first to be\nlighted. Solomon chose the number ten because it corresponds to the\nnumber of Words revealed on Sinai; and each of these candlesticks had\nseven lamps, seventy in all, to correspond to the seventy nations. For\nwhile these lamps burned the power of these nations was held in check,\nbut on the day on which these lamps are extinguished the power of the\nnations is increased. [339] The candlestick stood toward the south, and\nthe table to the north of the sanctuary, the table to indicate the\ndelights of which the pious would partake in Paradise, which lies to\nthe north; the light of the candlestick to symbolize the light of the\nShekinah, for in the future world there will be but one delight, to\ngaze at the light of the Shekinah. [340] On account of its sacredness\nthe candlestick was one of the five sacred objects that God concealed\nat the destruction of the Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, and that He will\nrestore when in His loving-kindness He will erect His house and Temple.\nThese sacred objects are: the Ark, the candlestick, the fire of the\naltar, the Holy Spirit of prophecy, and the Cherubim. [341]\n\n\n\n\nTHE ALTAR\n\n\nOne of the most miraculous parts of the Tabernacle was the altar. For\nwhen God bade Moses make an altar of shittim wood and overlay it with\nbrass, Moses said to God: \"O Lord of the world! Thou badest me make the\naltar of wood and overlay it with brass, but Thou didst also bid me\nhave 'a fire kept burning upon the altar continually.' Will not the\nfire destroy the overlay of brass, and then consume the wood of the\naltar?\" God replied: \"Moses, thou judgest by the laws that apply to\nmen, but will these also apply to Me? Behold, the angels that are of\nburning flame. Beside them are My store-houses of snow and My\nstore-houses of hail. Doth the water quench their fire, or doth their\nfire consume the water? Behold, also, the Hayyot that are of fire.\nAbove their heads extends a terrible sea of ice that no mortal can\ntraverse in less than five hundred years. Yet doth the water quench\ntheir fire, or doth their fire consume the water? For, 'I am the Lord\nwho maketh peace between these elements in My high places.' But thou,\nbecause I have bidden thee to have 'a fire kept burning upon the altar\ncontinually,' art afraid that the wood might be consumed by the fire.\nDead things come before Me, and leave Me imbued with life, and thou are\nafraid the wood of the altar might be consumed! Thine own experience\nshould by now have taught thee better; thou didst pierce the fiery\nchambers of heaven, thou didst enter among the fiery hosts on high,\nyea, thou didst even approach Me, that 'am a consuming fire.' Surely\nthou shouldst then have been consumed by fire, but thou wert unscathed\nbecause thou didst go into the fire at My command; no more shall the\nbrass overlay of the altar be injured by fire, even though it be no\nthicker than a denarium.\"\n\nIn the words, \"Dead things come before Me and leave Me imbued with\nlife,\" God alluded to the three following incidents. The rod of Aaron,\nafter it had lain for a night in the sanctuary, \"brought forth buds,\nand bloomed blossoms, and even yielded almonds.\" The cedars that Hiram,\nking of Tyre, sent to Solomon for the building of the Temple, as soon\nas the incense of the sanctuary reached them, thrilled green anew, and\nthroughout centuries bore fruits, by means of which the young priests\nsustained themselves. Not until Manasseh brought the idol into the Holy\nof Holies, did these cedars wither and cease to bear fruit. The third\nincident to which God alludes was the stretching of the staves of the\nArk when Solomon set them in the Holy of Holies, and the staves, after\nhaving been apart of the Ark for four hundred and eighty years,\nsuddenly extended until they touched the curtain.\n\nSolomon erected a new altar for offerings, but knowing how dear to God\nwas the altar erected by Moses, the brazen altar, he at least retained\nthe same name for his altar. But in the following words it is evident\nhow much God prized the altar erected by Moses, for He said: \"To reward\nIsrael for having had 'a fire kept burning upon the altar continually,'\nI shall punish 'the kingdom laden with crime' by fire 'that shall not\nbe quenched night or day; the smoke thereof shall go up forever.'\"\n[342]\n\nBeside the brazen altar there was also one of gold, which corresponded\nto the human soul, while the former corresponded to the body; and as\ngold is more valuable than brass, so also is the soul greater than the\nbody. But both altars were used daily, as man must also serve his Maker\nwith both body and soul. On the brazen altar sacrifices were offered,\nas the body of man, likewise, is nourished by food; but on the golden\naltar, spices and sweet incense, for the soul takes delight in perfumes\nonly. [343]\n\nThe materials employed for the constructions of the Tabernacle, the\nskins and the wood, were not of the common order. God created the\nanimal Tahash exclusively for the needs of the Tabernacle, for it was\nso enormous that out of one skin could be made a curtain, thirty cubits\nlong. This species of animal disappeared as soon as the demands of the\nTabernacle for skins were satisfied. The cedars for the Tabernacle,\nalso, were obtained in no common way, for whence should they have\ngotten cedars in the desert? They owed these to their ancestor Jacob.\nWhen he reached Egypt, he planted a cedar-grove and admonished his sons\nto do the same, saying: \"You will in the future be released from\nbondage in Egypt, and God will then demand that you erect Him a\nsanctuary to thank Him for having delivered you. Plant cedar trees,\nthen, that when God will bid you build Him a sanctuary, you may have in\nyour possession the cedars required for its construction.\" His sons\nacted in accordance with the bidding of their father, and upon leaving\nEgypt took along the cedars for the anticipated erection of the\nsanctuary. Among these cedars was also that wonderful cedar out of\nwhich was wrought \"the middle bar in the midst of the boards, that\nreached from end to end,\" and which Jacob took with him from Palestine\nwhen he emigrated to Egypt, and then left to remain among his\ndescendants. When the cedars were selected for the construction of the\nTabernacle, they intoned a song of praise to God for this distinction.\n\nBut not all the twenty-four species of cedar might be used for the\nTabernacle, nay, not even the seven most excellent among them were\nfound worthy, but only the species shittim might be used. For God, who\nforesees all, knew that Israel would in the future commit a great sin\nat Shittim, and therefore ordained that shittim wood be used for the\nTabernacle to serve as atonement for the sin committed at Shittim.\nShittim furthermore signifies \"follies,\" hence Israel were to construct\nthe place of penance for their folly in adoring the Golden Calf, out of\nshittim wood, to atone for this \"folly.\" And finally, the letters of\nwhich the wood \"Shittim\" is composed, stand for Shalom, \"peace,\" Tobah,\n\"good,\" Yesh'uah. \"salvation,\" and Mehillah, \"forgiveness.\" [344] The\nboards that were made for the Tabernacle out of shittim wood never\ndecayed, but endure in all eternity. [345]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SYMBOLICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TABERNACLE\n\n\nThe separate parts of the Tabernacle had each a symbolical\nsignificance, for to all that is above there is something corresponding\nbelow. There are stars above, but likewise below, where \"a star shall\ncome out of Jacob;\" God has His hosts above, and likewise below, His\npeople Israel, \"the hosts of the Lord;\" above there are Ofannim, and on\nearth likewise there is an Ofan; above, God has Cherubim, and likewise\nbelow in the sanctuary of Israel; God hath His dwelling above, but\nlikewise below; and, lastly, God hath stretched out the heavens above\nlike a curtain, and below, in the sanctuary, were curtains of goats'\nhair. [346]\n\nThe number of curtains, also, corresponds to those in heaven, for just\nas there are eleven upper heavens, so also were there eleven curtains\nof goats' hair. [347] The size of the Tabernacle was seventy cubits,\ncorresponding to the seventy holy days celebrated annually by the Jews,\nto wit: fifty-two Sabbaths, seven days of Passover, eight of\nTabernacles, and a day each for Pentecost, the Day of Atonement, and\nNew Year's Day. The number of vessels amounted to seventy also; as\nlikewise God, Israel, and Jerusalem bear seventy names; and as,\ncorrespondingly, in the time between the building of the first and of\nthe second Temple, there were seventy consecutive Sanhedrin. [348]\n\nLike the Tabernacle, so the altar, too had its symbolical significance.\nIts length and its breadth were five cubits each, corresponding\nrespectively to the five Commandments on the two tables of the law. Its\nheight was three cubits, corresponding to the three deliverers God sent\nto deliver Israel from Egypt, - Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. It had four\nhorns in the corners thereof, to atone for the sins of the people that\non Sinai receive four horns, \"the horn of the Torah,\" \"the horn of the\nShekinah,\" \"the horn of Priesthood,\" and \"the horn of the Kingdom.\"\n[349]\n\nIn the Tabernacle, as later in the Temple, gold, silver, and brass were\nemployed, but not iron. God meant to indicate by the exclusion of iron\nthat \"in the future time,\" \"the golden Babylon, the silver Media, and\nthe brazen Greece,\" would be permitted to bestow the gifts on the new\nTemple, but not \"the iron Rome.\" It is true that Babylon also destroyed\nthe sanctuary of God, like Rome, but not with such fury and such\nthorough-going wrath as Rome, whose sons cried: \"Raze it, raze it, even\nto the foundations thereof,\" and for this reason Rome may not\ncontribute to the Messianic Temple. And as God will reject the gifts of\nRome, so also will the Messiah, to whom all the nations of the earth\nwill have to offer gifts. Egypt will come with her gifts, and although\nthe Messiah will at first refuse to accept anything from the former\ntaskmaster of Israel, God will say to him: \"The Egyptians granted My\nchildren an abode in their land, do not repulse them.\" Then the Messiah\nwill accept their gift. After Egypt will follow her neighbor, Ethiopia,\nwith her gifts, thinking that if the Messiah accepted gifts from the\nformer taskmaster of Israel, he will also accept gifts from her. Then\nthe Messiah will also accept Ethiopia's gifts. After these two kingdoms\nwill follow all others with their gifts, and all will be accepted save\nthose from Rome. This kingdom will be sorely disappointed, for,\ndepending upon their kinship with Israel, they will expect kind\ntreatment from the Messiah, who had graciously received the other\nnations not connected with Israel. But God will call out to the\nMessiah: \"Roar at this monster that devours the fat of nations, that\njustifies its claims for recognition through being a descendant of\nAbraham by his grandson Esau, the nation that forgives all for the sake\nof money, that kept Israel back from the study of the Torah, and\ntempted them to deeps that are in accord with the wishes of Satan.\"\n[350]\n\n\n\n\nTHE PRIESTLY ROBES\n\n\nSimultaneously with the construction of the Tabernacle and its vessels,\nwere fashioned the priestly robes for Aaron and his sons. It was at\nthis time that God made known Aaron's appointment to the office of high\npriest, saying: \"Go and appoint a high priest.\" Moses: \"Out of which\ntribe?\" God: \"Of the tribe of Levi.\" Moses was most happy upon hearing\nthat the high priest was to be chosen out of his tribe, and his joy was\nincreased when God added: \"Appoint thy brother Aaron as high priest.\"\nThis choice of Aaron was, of course, also a disappointment to Moses,\nwho had hoped God would appoint him as His high priest, but God had\ndesigned this dignity for Aaron to reward him for his pious deeds when\nIsrael worshipped the Golden Calf. For when Moses returned from Sinai\nand saw the Calf fashioned by Aaron, he thought his brother was no\nbetter than the rest of the people, and had, like them, devoted himself\nto idolatry. But God knew that Aaron's participation in the\nconstruction of the Calf was merely due to the pious motive of delaying\nthe people until Moses should return, hence He even then said to Aaron:\n\"I am fully aware of they motive, and, as truly as thou livest, I shall\nappoint thee as warden over the sacrifices that My children offer Me.\"\nIn consideration of Moses' feelings, God gave into his hands the\nappointment of Aaron, saying to him: \"I might have installed thy\nbrother as high priest without having informed thee of it, but I\nrelinquish his appointment to thee, that thou mayest have an\nopportunity of showing the people thy humility, in that thou dost not\nseek this high office for thyself.\" [351] At God's bidding, Aaron and\nhis two sons were now chosen as priest, and, moreover, not for a\nlimited period, but Aaron and his house were invested with the\npriesthood for all eternity. As soon as these were installed as\npriests, Moses set to work to instruct them thoroughly in the priestly\nlaws. [352]\n\nGod ordered the following eight garments as Aaron's garb: coat,\nbreeches, mitre, girdle, breastplate, ephod, robe, and golden plate;\nbut his sons needed only the first four garments. All these garments\nhad expiatory virtues, and each expiated a definite sin. The coat\natoned for murder, the breeches for unchastity, the mitre for pride,\nthe girdle for theft, the breastplate for partial verdicts, the ephod\nfor idolatry, the bells on the robe for slander, and the golden plate\nfor effrontery. [353]\n\nThe breastplate and the ephod were set with precious stones, which were\nthe gifts of the noble to the sanctuary, though, to be exact, they were\nin reality a gift from God. For precious stones and pearls had rained\ndown with the manna, which the noble among Israel had gathered up and\nlaid away until the Tabernacle was erected, when they offered them as\ngifts. [354]\n\nThe ephod had only two precious stones, one on each shoulder, and on\neach of these stones were engraved the names of the six tribes in the\nfollowing order: Reuben, Levi, Issachar, Naphtali, Gad, Jehoseph, on\nthe right shoulder-piece; Simeon, Judah, Zebulun, Dan, Asher, Benjamin,\non the left shoulder. The name Joseph was spelled Jehoseph, a device by\nwhich the two stones had exactly the same number of letters engraved\nupon them. [355] On the breast plate were twelve precious stones, on\nwhich the names of the three Patriarchs preceded those of the twelve\ntribes, and at the end were engraved the words, \"All these are the\ntwelve tribes of Israel.\" [356]\n\n\n\n\nTHE STONES IN THE BREASTPLATE\n\n\nThe twelve stones differed not only in color, but also in certain\nqualities peculiar to each, and both quality and color had especial\nreference to the tribe whose name it bore. Reuben's stone was the ruby,\nthat has the property, when grated by a woman and tasted by her, of\npromoting pregnancy, for it was Reuben who found the mandrakes which\ninduce pregnancy.\n\nSimeon's stone was the smaragd, that has the property of breaking as\nsoon as an unchaste woman looks at it, a fitting stone for the tribe\nwhose sire, Simeon, was kindles to wrath by the unchaste action of\nShechem. It was at the same time a warning to the tribe of Simeon, that\ncommitted whoredom at Shittim with the daughters of Moab, to be mindful\nof chastity, and like its stone, to suffer no prostitution.\n\nLevi's stone was the carbuncle, that beams like lightning, as,\nlikewise, the faces of that tribe beamed with piety and erudition. This\nstone has the virtue of making him who wears it wise; but true wisdom\nis the fear of God, and it was this tribe alone that did not join in\nthe worship of the Golden Calf.\n\nJudah's stone was the green emerald, that has the power of making its\nowner victorious in battle, a fitting stone for this tribe from which\nsprings the Jewish dynasty of kings, that routed its enemies. The color\ngreen alludes to the shame that turned Judah's countenance green when\nhe publicly confessed his crime with Tamar.\n\nIssachar's stone was the sapphire, for this tribe devoted themselves\ncompletely to the study of the Torah, and it is this very stone, the\nsapphire, out of which the two tables of the law were hewn. This stone\nincreases strength of vision and heals many diseases, as the Torah,\nlikewise, to which this tribe was so devoted, enlightens the eye and\nmakes the body well.\n\nThe white pearl is the stone of Zebulun, for with his merchant ships he\nsailed the sea and drew his sustenance from the ocean from which the\npearl, too, is drawn. The pearl has also the quality of bringing its\nowner sleep, and it is all the more to the credit of this tribe that\nthey nevertheless spent their nights on commercial ventures to maintain\ntheir brother-tribe Issachar, that lived only for the study of the\nTorah. The pearl is, furthermore, round, like the fortune of the rich,\nthat turns like a wheel, and in this way the wealthy tribe of Zebulun\nwere kept in mind of the fickleness of fortune.\n\nDan's stone was a species of topaz, in which was visible the inverted\nface of a man, for the Danites were sinful, turning good to evil, hence\nthe inverted face in their stone.\n\nThe turquoise was Naphtali's stone, for it gives its owner speed in\nriding, and Naphtali was \"a hind let loose.\"\n\nGad's stone was the crystal, that endows its owner with courage in\nbattle, and hence served this warlike tribe that battled for the Lord\nas an admonition to fear none and build on God.\n\nThe chrysolite was Asher's stone, and as this stone aids digestion and\nmakes its owner sturdy and fat, so were the agricultural products of\nAsher's tribe of such excellent quality that they made fat those who\nate of them.\n\nJoseph's stone was the onyx, that has the virtue of endowing him who\nwears it with grace, and truly, by his grace, did Joseph find favor in\nthe eyes of all.\n\nJasper was Benjamin's stone, and as this stone turns color, being now\nred, now green, now even black, so did Benjamin's feelings vary to his\nbrothers. Sometimes he was angry with them for having sold into slavery\nJoseph, the only other brother by his mother Rachel, and in this mood\nhe came near betraying their deed to his father; but, that he might not\ndisgrace his brothers, he did not divulge their secret. To this\ndiscretion on his part alludes the Hebrew name of his stone, Yashpeh,\nwhich signifies, \"There is a mouth,\" for Benjamin, though he had a\nmouth, did not utter the words that would have covered his brothers\nwith disgrace. [357]\n\nThe twelve stones in the breastplate, with their bright colors, were of\ngreat importance in the oracular sentences of the high priest, who by\nmeans of these stones made the Urim and Tummim exercise their\nfunctions. For whenever the king or the head of the Sanhedrin wished to\nget directions from the Urim and Tummim he betook himself to the high\npriest. The latter, robed in his breastplate and ephod, bade him look\ninto his face and submit his inquiry. The high priest, looking down on\nhis breastplate, then looked to see which of the letters engraved on\nthe stones shone out most brightly, and then constructed the answer out\nof these letters. Thus, for example, when David inquired of the Urim\nand Tummim if Saul would pursue him, the high priest Abiathar beheld\ngleaming forth the letter Yod in Judah's name, Resh in Reuben's name,\nand Dalet in Dan's name, hence the answer read as follows: Yered, \"He\nwill pursue.\"\n\nThe information of this oracle was always trustworthy, for the meaning\nof the name Urim and Tummim is in the fact that \"these answers spread\nlight and truth,\" but not every high priest succeeded in obtaining\nthem. Only a high priest who was permeated with the Holy Spirit, and\nover whom rested the Shekinah, might obtain an answer, for in other\ncases the stones withheld their power. But if the high priest was\nworthy, he received an answer to every inquiry, for on these stones\nwere engraved all the letters of the alphabet, so that all conceivable\nwords could be constructed from them. [358]\n\n\n\n\n THE COMPLETION OF THE TABERNACLE\n\n\nOn the eleventh day of Tishri Moses assembled the people, and informed\nthem that it was God's wish to have a sanctuary among them, and each\nman was bidden to bring to the sanctuary any offering he pleased. At\nthe same time he impressed upon them that, however pious a deed\nparticipation in the construction of the Tabernacle might be, still\nthey might under no circumstances break the Sabbath to hasten to\nbuilding of the sanctuary. Moses thereupon expounded to them the kind\nof work that was permissible on the Sabbath, and the king that was\nprohibited, for there were not less then thirty-nine occupations the\npursuit of which on the Sabbath was punishable by death. [359] Owing to\nthe importance of keeping the Sabbath, Moses imparted the precepts\nconcerning it directly to the great masses of the people that he had\ngathered together, and not to the elders alone. In this he acted\naccording to God's command, who said to him: \"Go, Moses, call together\ngreat assemblages and announce the Sabbath laws to them, that the\nfuture generations may follow thy example, and on Sabbath days assemble\nthe people in the synagogues and instruct them in the Torah, that they\nmay know what is prohibited and what is permitted, that My name may be\nglorified among My children.\" In the spirit of this command did Moses\ninstitute that on every holy day there might be preaching in the\nsynagogues, and instruction concerning the significance of the special\nholy day. He summoned the people to these teachings with the words: \"If\nyou will follow my example, God will count it for you as if you had\nacknowledged God as your king throughout the world.\" [360]\n\nThe stress laid on the observance of the Sabbath laws was quite\nnecessary, for the people were so eager to deliver up their\ncontributions, that on the Sabbath Moses had to have an announcement\nproclaimed that they were to take nothing out of their houses, as the\ncarrying of things on the Sabbath is prohibited. [361] For Israel is a\npeculiar people, that answered the summons to fetch gold for the Golden\nCalf, and with no less zeal answered the summons of Moses to give\ncontributions for the Tabernacle. They were not content to bring things\nout of their houses and treasuries, but forcibly snatched ornaments\nfrom their wives, their daughters, and their sons, and brought them to\nMoses for the construction of the Tabernacle. In this way they thought\nthey could cancel their sin in having fashioned the Golden Calf; then\nhad they used their ornaments in the construction of the idol, and now\nthey employed them for the sanctuary of God. [362]\n\nThe women, however, were no less eager to contribute their mite, and\nwere especially active in producing the woolen hangings. They did this\nin no miraculous a way, that they spun the wool while it was still upon\nthe goats. [363] Moses did not at first want to accept contributions\nfrom the women, but these brought their cloaks and their mirrors,\nsaying: \"Why dost thou reject our gifts? If thou doest so because thou\nwantest in the sanctuary nothing that women use to enhance their\ncharms, behold, here are our cloaks that we use to conceal ourselves\nfrom the eyes of the men. But if thou are afraid to accept from us\nanything that might be not our property, but our husbands', behold,\nhere are our mirrors that belong to us alone, and not to our husbands.\"\nWhen Moses beheld the mirrors, he waxed very angry, and bade the women\nto be driven from him, exclaiming: \"What right in the sanctuary have\nthese mirrors that exist only to arouse sensual desires?\" But God said\nto Moses: \"Truly dearer to Me than all other gifts are these mirrors,\nfor it was these mirrors that yielded Me My hosts. When in Egypt the\nmen were exhausted from their heavy labors, the women were wont to come\nto them with food and drink, take out their mirrors, and caressingly\nsay to their husbands: 'Look into the mirror, I am much more beautiful\nthan thou,' and in this way passion seized the men so that they forgot\ntheir cares and united themselves with their wives, who thereupon\nbrought many children into the world. Take now these mirrors and\nfashion out of them the laver that contains the water for the\nsanctifying of the priests.\" Furthermore out of this laver was fetched\nthe water that a woman suspected of adultery had to drink to prove her\ninnocence. As formerly the mirrors had been used to kindle conjugal\naffection, so out of them was made the vessel for the water that was to\nrestore broken peace between husband and wife.\n\nWhen Moses upon God's command made known to the people that whosoever\nwas of a willing heart, man or woman, might bring an offering, the zeal\nof the women was so great, that they thrust away the men and crowded\nforward with their gifts, [364] so that in two days all that was\nneedful for the construction of the Tabernacle was in Moses' hands. The\nprinces of the tribes came almost too late with their contributions,\nand at the last moment they brought the precious stones for the\ngarments of Aaron, that they might not be entirely unrepresented in the\nsanctuary. But God took their delay amiss, and for this reason they\nlater sought to be the first to offer up sacrifices in the sanctuary.\n[365]\n\nAfter everything had been provided for the construction of the\nTabernacle, Bezalel set to work with the devotion of his whole soul,\nand as a reward for this, the Holy Scriptures speak of him only as the\nconstructor of the sanctuary, although many others stood by him in this\nlabor. He began his work by fashioning the boards, then attended to the\noverlaying of them, and when he had completed these things, he set to\nwork to prepare the curtains, then completed the Ark with the\npenance-cover belonging to it, and finally the table for the shewbread,\nand the candlestick. [366]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SETTING UP OF THE TABERNACLE\n\n\nThe work on the Tabernacle progressed rapidly, for everything was ready\nin the month of Kislew, but it was not set up until three months later.\nThe people were indeed eager to set up the sanctuary at once and to\ndedicate it, but God bade Moses wait until the first day of the month\nof Nisan, because that was Isaac's birthday, and God wished the joy of\ndedication to take place on this day of joy. The mockers among Israel,\nof course, to whom this was not known, made fun of Moses, saying: \"Of\ncourse, is it possible that the Shekinah should rest over the work of\nAmram's sons?\" [357]\n\nIn regard to the Tabernacle, Moses had to suffer much besides from the\nfault-finders and wicked tongues. If he showed himself upon the street,\nthey called out to one another: \"See what a well-fed neck, what sturdy\nlegs the son of Amram has, who eats and drinks from our money!\" The\nother would answer: \"Dost thou believe that one who has construction of\nthe Tabernacle in his hands will remain a poor man?\" Moses said\nnothing, but resolved, as soon as the Tabernacle should have been\ncompleted, to lay an exact account before the people, which he did. But\nwhen it came to giving his account, he forgot one item of seven hundred\nseventy-five shekels which he had expended for hooks upon which to hang\nthe curtains of the Tabernacle. Then, as he suddenly raised his eyes,\nhe saw the Shekinah resting on the hooks and was reminded of his\nomission of this expenditure. Thereafter all Israel became convinced\nthat Moses was a faithful and reliable administrator. [358]\n\nAs the people had brought much more material than was necessary for the\nTabernacle, Moses erected a second Tabernacle outside the encampment on\nthe spot where God had been accustomed to reveal Himself to him, and\nthis \"Tabernacle of revelation\" was in all details like the original\nsanctuary in the camp. [359]\n\nWhen everything was ready, the people were very much disappointed that\nthe Shekinah did not rest upon their work, and the betook themselves to\nthe wise men who had worked on the erection of the Tabernacle, and said\nto them: \"Why do ye sit thus idle, set up the Tabernacle, that the\nShekinah may dwell among us.\" These now attempted to put up the\nTabernacle, but did not succeed, for hardly did they believe it was up,\nwhen it fell down again. Now all went to Bezalel and his assistant\nOholiab, saying to them: \"Do you now set up the Tabernacle, you who\nconstructed it, and perhaps it will then stand.\" But when even these\ntwo master-builders did not succeed in setting up the Tabernacle, the\npeople began to find fault, and say: \"See now what the son of Amram has\nbrought upon us. We spent our money and went through a great deal of\ntrouble, all because he assured us that the Holy One, blessed be He,\nwould descend from His place with the angels and dwell among us under\n'the hangings of goats' hair,' but it has all been in vain.\" The people\nnow went to Moses, saying: \"O our teacher Moses, we have done all thou\nhas bidden us do, we gave all thou didst ask of us. Look now upon this\ncompleted work, and tell us if we have omitted aught, or have done\naught we should have refrained from doing, examine it with care and\nanswer us.\" Moses had to admit that all had been done according to his\ninstructions. \"But if it be so,\" continued the people, \"why then cannot\nthe Tabernacle stand? Bezalel and Oholiab failed to set it up, and all\nthe wise men as well!\" This communication sorely grieved Moses, who\ncould not understand why the Tabernacle could not be set up. But God\nsaid to him: \"Thou wert sorry to have had no share in the erection of\nthe Tabernacle, which the people supplied with material, and on which\nBezalel, Oholiab, and the other wise men labored with the work of their\nhands. For this reason did it come to pass that none could set up the\nTabernacle, for I want all Israel to see that it cannot stand if thou\ndost not set it up.\" Moses replied: \"O Lord of the world! I do not know\nhow to put it up.\" But God answered: \"Go, get busy with its setting-up,\nand while thou art busy at it, it will rise of its own accord.\" And so\nit came to pass. Hardly had Moses put his hand upon the Tabernacle,\nwhen it stood erect, and the rumors among the people that Moses had\narbitrarily put up the Tabernacle without the command of God ceased\nforevermore. [370]\n\n\n\n\nTHE CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTS\n\n\nBefore the sanctuary and its vessels were dedicated for service, they\nwere anointed with holy oil. On this occasion the miracle came to pass\nthat twelve lugs of oil sufficed not only to anoint the sanctuary and\nits vessels, and Aaron and his two sons throughout the seven days of\ntheir consecration, but with this same oil were anointed all the\nsuccessors of Aaron in the office of high priest, and several kings\nuntil the days of Josiah.\n\nAn especial miracle occurred when Aaron was anointed and on his pointed\nbeard two drops of holy oil hung pendant like two pearls. These drops\ndid not even disappear when he trimmed his beard, but rose to the roots\nof the hair. Moses at first feared that the useless waste of these\ndrops of holy oil on Aaron's beard might be considered sacrilege, but a\nDivine voice quieted him. A Divine voice quieted Aaron, also, who\nlikewise feared the accident that had turned the holy oil to his\npersonal use. [371]\n\nThe anointing of Aaron and his two sons was not the only ceremony that\nconsecrated them as priests, for during a whole week did they have to\nlive near the Tabernacle, secluded from the outer world. During this\ntime Moses performed all priestly duties, even bringing sacrifices for\nAaron and his sons, and sprinkling them with the blood of these\nsacrifices. [372] It was on the twenty-third day of Adar that God bade\nMoses consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests, saying to him: \"Go,\npersuade Aaron to accept his priestly office, for he is a man whom\nshuns distinctions. But effect his appointment before all Israel, that\nhe may be honored in this way, and at the same time warn the people\nthat after the choice of Aaron none may assume priestly rights. Gather\nthou all the congregation together unto the door of the Tabernacle.\" At\nthese last words Moses exclaimed: \"O Lord of the world! How shall I be\nable to assemble before the door of the Tabernacle, a space that\nmeasures only two seah, sixty myriads of adult men and as many youths?\"\nBut God answered: \"Dost thou marvel at this? Greater miracles than this\nhave I accomplished. The heaven was originally as thin and as small as\nthe retina of the eye, still I caused it to stretch over all the world\nfrom one end to the other. In the future world, too, when all men from\nAdam to the time of the Resurrection will be assembled in Zion, and the\nmultitude will be so great that one shall call to the other, 'The place\nis too strait for me, give place to me that I may dwell,' on that day\nwill I so extend the holy city that all will conveniently find room\nthere.\" [373]\n\nMoses did as he was bidden, and in presence of all the people took\nplace the election of Aaron and his sons as priests, whereupon these\nretired for a week to the door of the Tabernacle. During this week, in\npreparing the burnt offering and the sin offering, Moses showed his\nbrother Aaron and Aaron's sons how to perform the different priestly\nfunctions in the sanctuary. Moses made a sin offering because he feared\nthat among the gifts out of which the sanctuary had been constructed,\nthere might have been ill-gotten gains, and God loves justice and hates\nloot as an offering, Moses through a sin offering sought to obtain\nforgiveness for a possible wrong. During this week, however, the\nsanctuary was only temporarily used. Moses would set it up mornings and\nevenings, then fold it together again, and it was not until this week\nhad passed that the sanctuary was committed to the general use. After\nthat it was not folded together except when they moved from on\nencampment to another. [374]\n\nThese seven days of retirement were assigned to Aaron and his sons not\nonly as a preparation for their regular service, they had another\nsignificance also. God, before bringing the flood upon the earth,\nobserved the seven days preceding as a week of mourning, and in the\nsame way He bade Aaron and his sons live in absolute retirement for a\nweek, as is the duty of mourners, for a heavy loss awaited them - the\ndeath of Nadab and Abihu, which took place on the joyous day of their\ndedication. [375]\n\n\n\n\nTHE DAY OF THE TEN CROWNS\n\n\nThe first day of Nisan was an eventful day, \"a day that was\ndistinguished by ten crowns.\" It was the day on which the princes of\nthe tribes began to bring their offerings; it was the first day on\nwhich Shekinah came to dwell among Israel; the first day on which\nsacrifice on any but the appointed place was forbidden; the first day\non which priests bestowed their blessing upon Israel; the first day for\nregular sacrificial service; the first day on which the priests partook\nof certain portions of the offering; the first day on which the\nheavenly fire was seen on the altar; it was besides the first day of\nthe week, a Sunday, the first day of the first month of the year. [376]\n\nIt was on this day after \"the week of training\" for Aaron and his sons\nthat God said to Moses: \"Thinkest thou that thou are to be high priest\nbecause thou hast been attending to priestly duties during this week?\nNot so, call Aaron and announce to him that he has been appointed high\npriest, and at the same time call the elders and in their presence\nannounce his elevation to this dignity, that none may say Aaron himself\nassumed this dignity.\" [377] Following the example of God, who on Sinai\ndistinguished Aaron before all others, saying, \"And thou shalt come up,\nthou and Aaron with thee, but let not the priests and the people break\nthrough,\" Moses went first to Aaron, then to Aaron's sons, and only\nthen to the elders, to discuss with them the preparations for the\ninstallation of Aaron into office. [378]\n\nWhen Moses approached Aaron with the news of God's commission to\nappoint him as high priest, Aaron said: \"What! Thou hadst all the labor\nof erecting the Tabernacle, and I am now to be its high priest!\" But\nMoses replied: \"As truly as thou livest, although thou art to be high\npriest, I am as happy as if I had been chosen myself. As thou didst\nrejoice in my elevation, so do I now rejoice in thine.\" [379] Moses\ncontinued: \"My brother Aaron, although God had become reconciled to\nIsrael and has forgiven them their sin, still, through thy offering\nmust thou close the mouth of Satan, that he may not hate thee when thou\nenterest the sanctuary. Take then a young calf as a sin-offering, for\nas thou didst nearly lose thy claim to the dignity of high priest\nthrough a calf, so shalt thou now through the sacrifice of a calf be\nestablished in thy dignity.\" Then Moses turned to the people, saying:\n\"You have two sins to atone for: the selling of Joseph, whose coat you\nfathers smeared with the blood of a kid to convince their father that\nits owner had been torn to pieces by a wild beast, and the sin you\ncommitted through the worship of the Golden Calf. Take, then, a kid to\natone for the guilt you brought upon yourselves with a kid, and take a\ncalf to atone for the sin you committed through a calf. But to make\nsure that God had become reconciled to you, offer up a bull also, and\nthereby acknowledge that you are slaughtering before God your idol, the\nbull that you had erstwhile worshipped.\" The people, however, said to\nMoses: \"What avails it this nation to do homage to its king, who is\ninvisible?\" Moses replied: \"For this very reason did God command you to\noffer these sacrifices, so that He may show Himself to you.\" At these\nwords they rejoiced greatly, for through them they knew that God was\nnow completely reconciled to them, and they hastened to bring the\nofferings to the sanctuary. Moses admonished them with the words: \"See\nto it now that you drive evil impulse from your hearts, that you now\nhave but one thought and one resolution, to serve God; and that your\nundivided services are devoted singly and solely to the one God, for He\nis the God of gods and the Lord of lords. If you will act according to\nmy words, 'the glory of the Lord shall appear unto you.'\"\n\nBut Aaron in his humility still did not dare to enter on his priestly\nactivities. The aspect of the horned altar filled him with fear, for it\nreminded him of the worship of the bull by Israel, an incident in which\nhe felt he had not been altogether without blame. Moses had to\nencourage him to step up to the altar and offer the sacrifices. After\nAaron had offered up the prescribed sacrifices, he bestowed his\nblessing upon the people with lifted hands, saying: \"The Eternal bless\nthee and keep thee: The Eternal make His face shine upon thee and be\ngracious unto thee: The Eternal lift up His countenance upon thee and\ngive thee peace.\"\n\nIn spite of the offerings and the blessings, there was still no sign of\nthe Shekinah, so that Aaron, with a heavy heart, thought, \"God is angry\nwith me, and it is my fault that the Shekinah had not descended among\nIsrael, I merely owe it to my brother Moses that to my confusion I\nentered the sanctuary, for my service did not suffice to bring down the\nShekinah.\" Upon this Moses went with his brother into the sanctuary a\nsecond time, and their united prayers had the desired effect, there\ncame \"a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar\nwell-neigh one hundred and sixteen years, and neither was the wood of\nthe altar consumed, nor its brazen overlay molten.\n\nWhen the people saw the heavenly fire, the evident token of God's grace\nand His reconciliation with them, they shouted, and fell on their\nfaces, and praised God, intoning in His honor a song of praise. Joy\nreigned not only on earth, but in heaven also, for on this day God's\njoy over the erection of the sanctuary was as great as had been His joy\non the first day of creation over His works, heaven and earth. [380]\nFor, in a certain sense, the erection of the Tabernacle was the\nfinishing touch to the creation of the world. For the world exists for\nthe sake of three things, the Torah, Divine service, and works of love.\nFrom the creation of the world to the revelation on Sinai the world\nowed its existence to the love and grave of God; from the revelation to\nthe erection of the sanctuary, the world owed its existence to the\nTorah and to love, but only with the erection of the Tabernacle did the\nworld secure its firm basis, for now it had three feet whereupon to\nrest, the Torah, Divine service, and love. From another point of view,\ntoo, is the day of consecration of the sanctuary to be reckoned with\nthe days of creation, for at the creation of the world God dwelt with\nmortals and withdrew the Shekinah to heaven only on account of the sin\nof the first two human beings. But on the day of consecration of the\nTabernacle the Shekinah returned to its former abode, the earth. The\nangels therefore lamented on this day, saying: \"Now God will leave the\ncelestial hosts and will dwell among mortals.\" God indeed quieted them\nwith the words, \"As truly as ye live, My true dwelling will remain on\nhigh,\" but He was not quite in earnest when He said so, for truly earth\nis His chief abode. Only after the Tabernacle on earth had been erected\ndid God command the angels to build one like it in heaven, and it is\nthis Tabernacle in which Metatron offers the souls of the pious before\nGod as an expiation for Israel, at the time of the exile when His\nearthly sanctuary is destroyed.\n\nThis day marks an important change in the intercourse between God and\nMoses. Before this, the voice of God would strike Moses' ear as if\nconducted through a tube, and on such an occasion the outer would\nrecognized only through Moses' reddened face that he was receiving a\nrevelation; now, at the consecration of the sanctuary, this was\nchanged. For when, on this day, he entered the sanctuary, a sweet,\npleasant and lovely voice rang out toward him, whereupon he said: \"I\nwill hear what God the Lord will speak.\" Then he heard the words:\n\"Formerly there reigned enmity between Me and My children, formerly\nthere reigned anger between Me and My children, formerly there reigned\nhatred between Me and My children; but now love reigns between Me and\nMy children, friendship reigns between Me and My children, peace reigns\nbetween Me and My children.\"\n\nIt was evident that peace reigned, for on this day the undisturbed\nfreedom of movement over the world, which had until then been accorded\nthe demons, was taken from them. Until then these were so frequently\nmet with, that Moses regularly recited a special prayer whenever going\nto Mount Sinai, entreating God to protect him from the demons. But as\nsoon as the Tabernacle had been erected, they vanished. Not entirely,\nit is true, for even now these pernicious creatures may kill a person,\nespecially within the period from the seventeenth day of Tammuz to the\nninth day of Ab, when the demons exercise their power. The most\ndangerous one among them is Keteb, the sight of whom kill men as well\nas animals. He rolls like a ball and had the head of a calf with a\nsingle horn on his forehead.\n\nJust as God destroyed the power of these demons through the Tabernacle,\nso too, through the priestly blessing that He bestowed upon His people\nbefore the consecration of the sanctuary, did He break the spell of the\nevil eye, which might otherwise have harmed them now as it had done at\nthe revelation on Sinai. The great ceremonies on that occasion had\nturned the eyes of all the world upon Israel, and the evil eye of the\nnations brought about the circumstance of the breaking of the two\ntables. As God blessed His people on this occasion, so too did Moses,\nwho upon the completion of the Tabernacle blessed Israel with the\nwords: \"The Eternal God of you fathers make you a thousand times so\nmany more as ye are, and bless you, as He hath promised you!\" The\npeople made answer to this blessing, saying: \"Let the beauty of the\nLord our God be upon us: and establish Thou the work of our hands upon\nus; yea the work of our hands establish Thou it.\" [381]\n\n\n\n\nTHE INTERRUPTED JOY\n\n\nThe happiest of women on this day was Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab,\nfor beside the general rejoicing at the dedication of the sanctuary,\nfive particular joys fell to her lot: her husband, Aaron, was high\npriest; her brother-in-law, Moses, king; her son, Eleazar, head of the\npriests; her grandson, Phinehas, priest of war; and her brother,\nNahshon, prince of his tribe. But how soon was her joy turned to grief!\nHer two sons, Nadab and Abihu, carried away by the universal rejoicing\nat the heavenly fire, approached the sanctuary with the censers in\ntheir hands, to increase God's love for Israel through this act of\nsacrifice, but paid with their lives for this offering. From the Holy\nof Holies issued two flames of fire, as thin as threads, then parted\ninto four, and two each pierced the nostrils of Nadab and Abihu, whose\nsouls were burnt, although no external injury was visible. [382]\n\nThe death of these priests was not, however, unmerited, for in spite of\ntheir piety they had committed many a sin. Even at Sinai they had not\nconducted themselves properly, for instead of following the example of\nMoses, who had turned his face away from the Divine vision in the\nburning bush, they basked in the Divine vision of Mount Sinai. Their\nfate had even been decreed, but God did not want to darken the joy of\nthe Torah by their death, hence He waited for the dedication of the\nTabernacle. On this occasion God acted like the king who, discovering\non the day of his daughter's wedding that the best-man was guilty of a\ndeadly sin, said: \"If I cause the best-man to be executed on the spot,\nI shall cast a shadow on my daughter's joy. I will rather have him\nexecuted on my day of gladness than on hers.\" God inflicted the penalty\nupon Nadab and Abihu \"in the day of gladness of His heart,\" and not on\nthe day on which the Torah espoused Israel.\n\nAmong the sins for which they had to atone was their great pride, which\nwas expressed in several ways. They did not marry, because they\nconsidered no woman good enough for them, saying: \"Our father's brother\nis king, our father is high priest, our mother's brother is prince of\nhis tribe, and we are heads of the priests. What woman is worthy of\nus?\" And many a woman remained unwed, waiting for these youths to woo\nher. In their pride they even went so far in sinful thoughts as to wish\nfor the time when Moses and Aaron should die and they would have the\nguidance of the people in their hands. But God said: \"'Boast not\nthyself of to-morrow;' many a colt has died and his hide had been used\nas cover for his mother's back.\" Even in the performance of the act\nthat brought death upon them, did they show their pride, for they asked\npermission of neither Moses nor Aaron whether they might take part in\nthe sacrificial service. What is more, Nadab and Abihu did not even\nconsult with each other before starting out on this fatal deed, they\nperformed it independently of each other. Had they previously taken\ncounsel together, or had they asked their father and their uncle, very\nlikely they would never have offered the disastrous sacrifice. For they\nwere neither in a proper condition for making an offering, nor was\ntheir offering appropriate. They partook of wine before entering the\nsanctuary, which if forbidden to priests; they did not wear the\nprescribed priestly robes, and, furthermore, they had not sanctified\nthemselves with water out of the laver for washing. They made their\noffering, moreover, in the Holy of Holies, to which admittance had been\nprohibited, and used \"strange fire,\" and the offering was all in all\nout of place because they had had no command from God to offer up\nincense at that time. Apart from this lists of sins, however, they were\nvery pious men, and their death grieved God more than their father\nAaron, not alone because it grieves God to see a pious father lose his\nsons, but because they actually were worthy and pious youths. [383]\n\nWhen Aaron heard of the death of his sons, he said: \"All Israel saw\nThee at the Red Sea as well as at Sinai without suffering injury\nthereafter; but my sons, whom Thou didst order to dwell in the\nTabernacle, a place that a layman may not enter without being punished\nby death - my sons entered the Tabernacle to behold Thy strength and\nThy might, and they died!\" God hereupon said to Moses: \"Tell Aaron the\nfollowing: 'I have shown thee great favor and have granted thee great\nhonor through this, that thy sons have been burnt. I assigned to thee\nand thy sons a place nearer to the sanctuary, before all others, even\nbefore thy brother Moses. But I have also decreed that whosoever enters\nthe Tabernacle without having been commanded, he shall be stricken with\nleprosy. Wouldst thou have wished thy sons, to whom the innermost\nplaces had been assigned, to sit as lepers outside the encampment as a\npenalty for having entered the Holy of Holies?\" When Moses imparted\nthese words to his brother, Aaron said: \"I thank Thee, O God, for that\nwhich Thou hast shown me in causing my sons to die rather then having\nthem waste their lives as lepers. It behooves me to thank Thee and\npraise Thee, 'because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips\nshall praise Thee.'\" [384]\n\nMoses endeavored to comfort his brother in still another way, saying:\n\"Thy sons died to glorify the name of the Lord, blessed be His name,\nfor on Sinai God said to me: 'And there will I meet with the children\nof Israel, the Tabernacle shall be sanctified by those that glorify\nMe.' I knew that this sanctuary of God was to be sanctified by the\ndeath of those that stood near it, but I thought either thou or I was\ndestined for this, but now I perceive that thy sons were nearer to God\nthan we.\" These last words sufficed to induce Aaron to control his\ngrief over the loss of his sons, and like the true wise man he silently\nbore the heavy blow of fate without murmur or lament. God rewarded him\nfor his silence by addressing him directly, and imparting an important\npriestly law to him.\n\nAaron could not take part in the burial of Nadab and Abihu, for a high\npriest is not permitted to take part in a funeral procession, even if\nthe deceased be a near kinsman. Eleazar and Ithamar, also, the\nsurviving sons of Aaron, were not permitted to mourn or attend the\nfuneral on the day of their dedication as priests, so that Aaron's\ncousins, the Levites Mishael and Elzaphan, the next of kin after these\nhad to attend to the funeral. These two Levites were the sons of a very\nworthy father, who was not only by descent a near kinsman of Aaron, but\nwho was also closely akin to Aaron in character. As Aaron pursued\npeace, so too did his uncle Uzziel, father to Mishael and Elzaphan.\nBeing Levites they might not enter the place where the heavenly fire\nhad met their cousins, hence an angel had thrust Nadab and Abihu out of\nthe priestly room, and they did not die until they were outside it, so\nthat Mishael and Elzaphan might approach them. [385]\n\nWhereas the whole house of Israel was bidden to bewail the death of\nNadab and Abihu, for \"the death of a pious man is greater misfortune to\nIsrael than the Temple's burning to ashes,\" [386] - Aaron and his sons,\non the other hand, were permitted to take no share in the mourning, and\nMoses bade them eat of the parts of the offering due them, as if\nnothing had happened. Now when Moses saw that Aaron had burnt to ashes\none of the three sin offerings that were offered on that day, without\nhimself or his sons having partaken of it, his wrath was kindled\nagainst his brother, but in consideration of Aaron's age and his office\nMoses addressed his violent words not to Aaron himself, but to his\nsons. He reproached them with having offended against God's commandment\nin burning one sin offering and eating of the other two. He asked them,\nbesides, if they were not wise enough to profit by the example of their\ndeceased brothers, who paid for their arbitrary actions with their\nlives, particularly since they also had been doomed to death, and owed\ntheir lived only to his prayer, which had power to preserve for their\nfather half the number of sons. Moses' reproof, however, was\nunjustified, for Aaron and his sons had done what the statutes\nrequired, but Moses had on this occasion, as on two others, owing to\nhis wrath, forgotten the laws which he himself had taught Israel. Hence\nAaron opposed him decidedly and pointed out his error to him. Moses,\nfar from taking Aaron's reprimand amiss, caused a herald to make an\nannouncement throughout the camp: \"I have falsely interpreted the law,\nand Aaron, my brother, has corrected me. Eleazar and Ithaman also knew\nthe law, but were silent out of consideration for me.\" As a reward for\ntheir considerateness, God thereupon revealed important laws to Moses\nwith a special injunction to tell them to Aaron as well as to Eleazar\nand Ithamar. [387]\n\n\n\n\nTHE GIFTS OF THE PRINCES\n\n\nWhen Moses called on the people to make their offerings for the\nerection of the sanctuary, it sorely vexed the princes of the tribes\nthat he had not summoned them particularly. Hence they withheld their\ncontributions, waiting for the people to give according to their\npowers, so that they might step in and make up the deficiency, and all\nshould observe that without them the Tabernacle could not have been\ncompleted. But they were mistaken, for in their ready devotion the\npeople provided all needful things for the sanctuary, and when the\nprinces of the tribes perceived their mistake and brought their\ncontributions, it was too late. All that they could do was to provide\nthe jewels for the robes of the high priest, but they could no longer\ntake a hand in the erection of the Tabernacle. On the day of the\ndedication they tried to make partial amends for letting slip their\nopportunity, by following the advice of the tribe of Issachar, renowned\nfor wisdom and erudition, to bring wagons for the transportation of the\nTabernacle. These princes of the tribes were no upstarts or men newly\nrisen to honor, they were men who even in Egypt had been in office and\nexposed to the anger of the Egyptians; they had also stood at Moses'\nside when he undertook the census of the people. They now brought as an\noffering to Moses six covered wagons, fully equipped, and even painted\nblue, the color of the sky, and also twelve oxen to draw the wagons.\nThe number of wagons as well as of oxen had been set with purpose. The\nsix wagons corresponded to the six days of creation; to the six\nMothers, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Billhah, and Zilpah; to the six\nlaws that the Torah prescribes exclusively for the king; to the six\norders of the Mishnah, and to the six heavens. The number of the oxen\ncorresponded to the twelve constellations, and to the twelve tribes.\nMoses did not at first want to accept the teams, but God not only bade\nhim accept them, He also ordered him to address the princes kindly, and\nto thank them for their gifts. Moses now even thought the Shekinah had\ndeserted him and would rest on the princes of the tribes, assuming that\nthey had received direct communication from God to make this offering\nto the sanctuary. But God said to Moses: \"If it had been a direct\ncommand from Me, then I should have ordered thee to tell them, but they\ndid this on their own initiative, which indeed meets with My wish.\"\nMoses now accepted the gifts, not without misgivings, fearing lest a\nwagon should break, or an ox die, leaving the tribe or that\nunrepresented by a gift. But God assured him that no accident should\noccur to either wagon or ox, \u2014 yes, a great miracle came to pass in\nregard to these wagons and oxen, for the animals live forever without\nailing or growing old, and the wagons likewise endure to all eternity.\n\nMoses then distributed the wagons among the Levites so that the\ndivision of the sons of Gershon received two wagons, with the\ntransportation of the heavy portions of the Tabernacle, boards, bars,\nand similar things, whereas the former, having the lighter portions,\nhad enough with two wagons. The third division of Levites, the sons of\nKohath, received no wagons, for they were entrusted with the\ntransportation of the Holy Ark, which might not be lifted upon a wagon,\nbut was to be borne upon their shoulders. David, who forgot to observe\nthis law and had the Ark lifted upon a wagon, paid heavily for his\nnegligence, for the priests who tried to carry the Ark to the wagon\nwere flung down upon the ground. Ahithophel then called David's\nattention to the need of following the example of Kohath's sons, who\nbore the Ark on their shoulders through the desert, and David ordered\nthem to do the same.\n\nBut the princes of the tribes were not content with having provided the\nmeans for transporting the sanctuary, they wanted to be the first, on\nthe day of dedication, to present offerings. As with the wagons, Moses\nwas doubtful whether or not to permit them to bring their offerings,\nfor theses were of an unusual kind that were not ordinarily\npermissible. But God bade him accept the dedication offerings of the\nprinces, though Moses was still in doubt whether to let all the twelve\nprinces make their offerings on the same day, or to set a special day\nfor each, and if so, in what order they should make their offerings.\nGod thereupon revealed to him that each one of the princes of the\ntribes were to sacrifice on a special day, and that Nahshon, the prince\nof Judah, was to make the start. He was rewarded in this way for the\ndevotion he had shown God during the passage through the Red Sea. When\nIsrael, beset by the Egyptians, reached the sea, the tribes among\nthemselves started quarreling who should first go into the sea. Then\nsuddenly Nahshon, the prince of Judah, plunged into the sea, firmly\ntrusting that God would stand by Israel in their need. [388]\n\nNahshon's offering was one silver changer that had been fashioned for\nthe sanctuary, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels; on\nbowl of equal size, but of lighter weight, of seventy shekels; both of\nthem full of fine flour mingles with oil for a meat offering.\nFurthermore, one spoon of ten shekels of gold, full of incense; on\nyoung bullock, the picked of his herd; one excellent ram, and one lamb\na year old, these three for a burnt offering; and a kid of the goats\nfor a sin offering, to atone for a possible uncleanness in the\nsanctuary. These sacrifices and gifts Nahshon offered out of his own\npossessions, not out of those of his tribe. God's acceptance of the\nofferings of the princes of the tribes shows how dear they were to God;\nfor at no other time was and individual allowed to offer up incense, as\nNahshon and his fellows did. They also brought sin offerings, which is\nordinarily not permitted unless on is conscious of having committed a\nsin. Finally the prince of the tribe of Ephraim brought his offering on\nthe seventh day of the dedication, which was on a Sabbath, though\nordinarily none but the daily sacrificed may be offered on the Sabbath.\n[389]\n\nThe offerings of all the princes of the tribes were identical, but they\nhad a different significance for each tribe. From the time of Jacob,\nwho foretold it to them, every tribe knew his future history to the\ntime of the Messiah, hence at the dedication every prince brought such\nofferings as symbolized the history of his tribe.\n\nNahshon, the prince of Judah, brought a silver charger and a silver\nbowl, the one to stand for the sea, the other for the mainland,\nindicating that out of his tribe would spring such men as Solomon and\nthe Messiah, who would rule over all the world, both land and sea. The\ngolden spoon of ten shekels signified the ten generations from Perez,\nson of Judah, to David, first of Judean kings, all whose actions were\nsweet as the incense contained in the spoon. The three burnt offerings,\nthe bullock, the ram, and the lamb, corresponded to the three\nPatriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whereas the kid of the goats was\nto atone for the sin of Judah, who sought to deceive his father with\nthe blood of a kid. The two oxen of the peace offering pointed to David\nand Solomon, and the three small cattle of the peace offering, the\nrams, the goats, and the lambs, corresponded to the descendants and\nsuccessors of these two Judean kings, who may also be classified in\nthree groups, the very pious, the very wicked, and those who were\nneither pious nor wicked.\n\nOn the second day of the dedication appeared the prince of the tribe of\nReuben and wanted to present his offering, saying: \"Tis enough that\nJudah was permitted to offer sacrifice before me, surely it is not time\nfor our tribe to present our offerings.\" But Moses informed him that\nGod had ordained that the tribes should present offerings in the order\nin which they moved through the desert, so that the tribe of Issachar\nfollowed Judah. This tribe had altogether good claims to be among the\nfirst to offer sacrifices, for, in the first place, this tribe devoted\nitself completely to the study of the Torah, so that the great scholars\nin Israel were among them; and then, too, it was this tribe that had\nproposed to the others that bringing of the dedication offerings. As\nthis was the tribe of erudition, its gifts symbolized things\nappertaining to the Torah. The silver charger and the silver bowl\ncorresponded to the written and to the oral Torah; and both vessels\nalike are filled with fine flour, for the two laws are not\nantagonistic, but form a unity and contain the loftiest teachings. The\nfine flour was mingled with oil, just as knowledge of the Torah should\nbe added to good deeds; for he who occupies himself with the Torah, who\nworks good deeds, and keeps himself aloof from sin, fills his Creator\nwith delight. The golden spoon of ten shekels symbolizes the two tables\non which God with His palm wrote the Ten Commandments, and which\ncontained between the commandments all the particulars of the Torah,\njust as the spoon was filled with incense. The three burnt offerings,\nthe bullock, the ram, and the lamb corresponded to the three groups of\npriests, Levites and Israelites, whereas the kid of the goats alluded\nto the proselytes, for the Torah was revealed not only for Israel but\nfor all the world; and \"a proselyte who studies the Torah is no less\nthan a high priest.\" The two oxen of the peace offering corresponded to\nthe oral and the written Torah, the study of which brings peace on\nearth and peace in heaven. [390]\n\nAfter Nahshon, the temporal king, and Nethanel the spiritual king, came\nthe turn of Eliab, the prince of the tribe of Zebulun. This tribe owed\nits distinction to the circumstance that it followed commerce and\nthrough the profits thereof was enabled to maintain the tribe of\nIssachar, which, entirely devoted to study, could not support itself.\nThe charger and bowl that he presented to the sanctuary symbolize the\nfood and drink with which Zebulun provide the scholar-tribe Issachar.\nThe spoon indicated the border of the sea, which Jacob in his blessing\nhad bestowed on Zebulun as his possession, and the ten shekels of its\nweight corresponded to the ten words of which this blessing consisted.\nThe tow oxen point to the two blessings which Moses bestowed upon\nZebulun, as the three small cattle, the ram, the goat, and the lamb,\ncorresponded to the three things which gave Zebulun's possessions\ndistinction before all others, the tunny, the purple snail, and white\nglass. [391]\n\nAfter the tribes that belonged to Judah's camp division had brought\ntheir offerings, followed Reuben and the tribes belonging to his\ndivision. The gifts of the tribe of Reuben symbolized the events in the\nlife of their forefather Reuben. The silver charger recalled Reuben's\nwords when he saved Joseph's life, whom the other brothers wanted to\nkill, for \"the tongue of the just is as choice silver.\" The silver\nbowl, from which was sprinkled the sacrificial blood, recalled the same\nincident, for it was Reuben who advised his brothers to throw Joseph\ninto the pit rather than to kill him. The spoon of ten shekels of gold\nsymbolized the deed of Reuben, who restrained Jacob's sons from\nbloodshed, hence the gold out of which the spoon was fashioned had a\nblood-red color. The spoon was filled with incense, and so too did\nReuben fill his days with fasting and prayer until God forgave his sin\nwith Billhah, and \"his prayer was set forth before God as incense.\" As\npenance for this crime, Reuben offered the kid of goats as a sin\noffering, whereas the two oxen of the peace offering corresponded to\nthe two great deeds of Reuben, the deliverance of Joseph, and the long\npenance for his sin. [392]\n\nJust as Reuben interceded to save his brother Joseph's life so did\nSimeon rise up for his sister Dinah when he took vengeance upon the\ninhabitants of Shechem for the wrong they had done her. Hence the\nprince of the tribe of Simeon followed the prince of the tribe of\nReuben. As the sanctuary was destined to punish unchastity among\nIsrael, so were the gifts of the tribe whose sire figured as the\navenger of unchastity symbolical of the different parts of the\nTabernacle. The charger corresponded to the court that surrounded the\nTabernacle, and therefore weighed one hundred and thirty shekels, to\ncorrespond to the size of the court that measured one hundred cubits,\nof which the Tabernacle occupied thirty. The bowl of seventy shekels\ncorresponded to the empty space of the Tabernacle. These two, the\ncharger and the bowl, were filled with fine flour mingled with oil,\nbecause in the court of the Tabernacle were offered up meat offerings,\nmingled with oil, whereas in the Tabernacle was the shewbread of fine\nflour, and the candlestick filled with oil. The spoon of ten shekels of\ngold corresponded to the scroll of the Torah and the tables with the\nTen Commandments that rested in the Ark. The sacrificial animals, the\nbullock, the ram, the lamb, and the kid corresponded to the four\ndifferent kinds of curtains and hangings that were used in the\nsanctuary, and that were fashioned our of the hides of these animals.\nThe two oxen of the peace offering pointed to the two curtains, the one\nin front of the Tabernacle, the other in front of the court, whereas\nthe three kinds of small cattle that were used as offerings\ncorresponded to the three curtains of the court, one to the north, one\nto the south, one to the west of it; and as each of these was five\ncubits long, so were five of each kind presented as offerings. [393]\n\nAs Simeon, sword in hand, battled for his sister, so, by force of arms,\ndid the tribe of Gad set out to gain the land beyond the Jordan for\ntheir brethren. Therefore did their prince follow Shelumiel, prince of\nSimeon, with his offerings. This tribe, so active in gaining the\npromised land, symbolized in its gifts the exodus from Egypt, which\nalone made possible the march of Palestine. The charger of the weight\nof a hundred and thirty shekels alluded to Jochebed, who at the age of\none hundred and thirty years bore Moses, who had symbolical connection\nwith the bowl, for he was thrown into the Nile. This bowl weighed\nseventy shekels, as Moses extended his prophetic spirit over the\nseventy elders; and as the bowl was filled with fine flour, so did\nMoses' prophetic spirit in no way diminish because the seventy elders\nshared in prophecy. The three burnt offerings recalled the three\nvirtues Israel possessed in Egypt, which were instrumental in their\ndeliverance - they did not alter their Hebrew names, they did not alter\ntheir Hebrew language, and they lived a live of chastity. The sin\nofferings were to atone for the idolatry to which they were addicted in\nEgypt, so that God did not permit their deliverance until they had\nrenounced idolatry. The two oxen of the peace offering corresponded to\nJacob and Joseph, for whose sake God had delivered Israel out of Egypt.\nThey brought, besides, fifteen heads of small cattle as sacrifice,\nbecause God was mindful of His vow to the three Patriarchs and the\ntwelve fathers of the tribes, and released Israel out of bondage. [394]\n\nA special distinction was granted to the tribe of Ephraim, for God\nallowed their prince to make his offering on the Sabbath, a day on\nwhich otherwise none but the daily offerings were allowed to be\noffered. This distinction the tribe of Ephraim owed to its ancestor\nJoseph in recognition of his strict observance of the Sabbath as\ngovernor of Egypt. The gifts of this tribe represent the history of\nJacob and of Joseph, for the descendants of the latter owed much to\nJacob's love for his son Joseph. The charger alluded to Jacob, the bowl\nto Joseph, and as both these vessels were filled with fine flour\nmingled with oil, so too were both Jacob and Joseph very pious men, and\nthe course of their lives ran evenly. The spoon symbolized Jacob's\nright hand, which he laid on the head of Ephraim to bless him; the\nspoon was filled with incense; Jacob laid his right hand upon Ephraim\nand not upon his elder brother Manasseh because he knew that the former\nwas worthy of the distinction. The three burnt offerings corresponded\nto the three Patriarchs, whereas the kid of goats stood for Joseph,\nwhose coat had been smeared with a kid's blood. The two oxen of the\npeace offering indicated the two blessings that the sons of Joseph had\nreceived from their grandfather, Jacob, and the three kinds of small\ncattle that were offered as peace offerings corresponded to the three\ngenerations of Ephraim that Joseph was permitted to see before his\ndeath. [395]\n\nJoseph not only observed the Sabbath, he was also chaste, not to be\ntempted by Potiphar's wife, and he was faithful in the service of his\nmaster. God therefore said to Joseph: \"Thou hast kept the seventh\ncommandment, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery,' and has not committed\nadultery with Potiphar's wife; and thou hast also kept the following\ncommandment, the eighth, 'Thou shalt not steal,' for thou didst still\nneither Potiphar's money nor his conjugal happiness, hence there will\ncome a time when I shall give thee the reward due thee. When,\nhereafter, the princes of the tribes will offer their offerings at the\ndedication of the altar, the two princes among thy descendants shall\none after the other offer their offerings, the one on the seventh, the\nother on the eighth day of the dedication, as a reward because thou\ndidst observe the seventh and the eighth commandments.\" The prince of\nthe tribe of Manasseh now followed that of Ephraim, trying like the\npreceding, symbolically to represent Jacob's and Joseph's lives. The\ncharger, one hundred and thirty shekels in weight, indicated that Jacob\nat the age of one hundred and thirty years migrated to Egypt for the\nsake of Joseph. The bowl of seventy shekels corresponded to Joseph who\ncaused seventy souls of the Hebrews to migrated to Egypt. The spoon of\nten shekels of gold indicated the ten portions of land that fell to\nManasseh. The three burnt offerings corresponded to the three\ngenerations of Manasseh that Joseph was permitted to see before his\ndeath, whereas the kid of the goats recalled Jair, son of Manasseh, who\ndied childless. The two oxen of the peace offering indicated that the\npossessions of the tribe of Manasseh were to be divided into two parts,\none on this side the Jordan, and one beyond it. The three kinds of\nsmall cattle for peace offerings corresponded to the triple attempt of\nJoseph to influence his father in favor of Manasseh, whereas the five\nhead of each indicated the five daughters of Zelophehad, the only women\nwho, like men, received their shares in the distribution of the\npromised land. [396]\n\nAs the sanctuary stood first in Shiloh, Joseph's possession, then in\nJerusalem, Benjamin's possession, so did this tribe with its sacrifices\nfollow Joseph's tribes. The charger signified Rachel, the mother of\nBenjamin, who bore him to Jacob when he was a hundred years old, and in\nmemory of this, as well as of Benjamin's attainment of thirty years\nwhen he came to Egypt, the weight of the charger amounted to one\nhundred and thirty shekels. The bowl indicated the cup Joseph employed\nto discover his brothers' sentiments toward Benjamin, and both vessels,\ncharger and cup, were filled with fine flour, for both Joseph's and\nBenjamin's lands were found worthy being sited for God's sanctuary. The\nspoon of then shekels of gold full of incense corresponded to the ten\nsons of Benjamin, all of whom were pious men. The three burnt offering\ncorresponded to the three temples erected in Jerusalem, Benjamin's\nproperty, the Temple of Solomon, the Temple of the exiles returned from\nBabylon, and the Temple to be erected by the Messiah. The sin offering,\nthe kid of the goats, points to the building of the Temple by the\nwicked king Herod, who atoned for his execution of the learned men by\nthe erection of the santuary. The two oxen of the peace offering\ncorresponded to the two deliverers of the Jews that sprang from the\ntribe of Benjamin, Mordecai, and Esther. The five heads each of the\nthree kinds of small cattle for a peace offering symbolized the triple\ndistinction of Benjamin and his tribe by five gifts. The gift of honor\nthat Joseph gave his brother Benjamin five times exceeded that of all\nhis other brothers; when Joseph made himself known to his brothers, he\ngave Benjamin five changes of raiment, and so too did the Benjamite\nMordecai receive from Ahasuerus five garments of state. [397]\n\nIn his blessing Jacob likened Dan to Judah, hence the tribe of Dan\nstood at the head of the fourth camp of Israel, and their prince\noffered his gifts before those of Asher and Naphtali. Jacob in his\nblessing to Dan thought principally of the great hero, Samson, hence\nthe gifts of this tribe allude chiefly to the history of this Danite\njudge. Samson was a Nazirite, and to this alluded the silver charger\nfor storing bread, for it is the duty of a Nazirite, at the expiration\nof the period of his vow, to present bread as an offering. To Samson,\ntoo, alluded the bowl, in Hebrew called Mizrak, \"creeping,\" for he was\nlame of both feet, and hence could only creep and crawl. The spoon of\nten shekels of gold recalled the ten laws that are imposed upon\nNazirites, and that Samson had to obey. The three burnt offerings had a\nsimilar significance, for Samson's mother received three injunctions\nfrom the angel, who said to her husband, Manoah: \"She may not eat of\nanything that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong\ndrink, nor eat any unclean thing.\" The sin offering, which consisted of\na kid, called in Hebrew, Sa'ir, corresponded to the admonition given to\nSamson's mother, not to shave his hair, in Hebrew Se'ar. The two oxen\ncorresponded to the two pillars of which Samson took hold to demolish\nthe house of the Philistines; whereas the three kinds of small cattle\nthat were presented as offerings symbolized the three battles that\nSamson undertook against the Philistines. [398]\n\nThe judge must pronounce judgement before it be executed, hence, too,\nthe tribe of Asher, \"the executors of justice,\" followed Dan, the\njudges. The name Asher also signifies \"good fortune,\" referring to the\ngood fortune of Israel that was chosen to the God's people, and in\naccordance with this name also do the gifts of the prince of the tribe\nof Asher allude to the distinction of Israel. The charger, one hundred\nand thirty shekels of silver in weight, corresponds to the nations of\nthe world, whom, however, God repudiated, choosing Israel in their\nstead. The bowl of seventy shekels corresponds to the seventy pious\nsouls of whom Israel consisted when they moved to Egypt. Both vessels\nwere filled with fine flour. God sent His prophets to the other nations\nas well as to Israel, but Israel alone declared itself willing to\naccept the Torah. This nation accepted \"the spoon of then shekels of\ngold filled with incense,\" every man among them being willing to accept\nthe Ten Commandments and the Torah. The three burnt offerings\ncorresponded to the three crowns that Israel received from their God,\nthe crown of the Torah, the crown of the Priesthood, and the crown of\nthe Kingdom, for which reason also golden crowns were fashioned on the\nArk in which the Torah was kept, on the altar on which the priests\noffered sacrifices, and on the table that symbolized the kingdom. But\nthe highest of all is the crown of a good name, which a man earns\nthrough good deeds, for the crucial test is not the study of the Torah,\nbut the life conforming to it. For this reason also there was a sin\noffering among the offerings, corresponding to the crown of good deeds,\nfor these alone can serve as an expiation. The two oxen indicate the\ntwo Torot that God gave His people, the written and the oral, whereas\nthe fifteen peace offerings of small cattle correspond to the three\nPatriarchs and the twelve fathers of the tribes, for these fifteen God\nhad chosen. [399]\n\nAs Jacob blessed after Asher and the Naphtali, so too did these two\ntribes succeed each other in the offerings at the dedication of the\nTabernacle. Naphtali, Jacob's son, was a very affectionate son, who was\never ready to execute his father's every command. The prince of the\ntribe of Naphtali followed his ancestor's example, and by his gifts to\nthe sanctuary sought to recall the three Patriarchs and their wives.\n\"One silver charger, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty\nshekels,\" symbolized Sarah, who was unique among her sex in her piety,\nand who almost attained the age of hundred and thirty years. A silver\nbowl for sprinkling blood recalled Abraham, who was thrown far away\nform his home. The weight of the bowl was seventy shekels, as Abraham\nalso was seventy years old when God made with him the covenant between\nthe pieces. The charger and the bowl were both filled with fine flour\nmingled with oil, as also Abraham and Sarah were imbued with a love for\ngood and pious deeds. The spoon of ten shekels of gold alludes to\nAbraham as well, for Abraham conquered the evil inclination and\nresisted the ten temptations, whereas the three burnt offerings and the\nsin offering corresponded to the offerings made by Abraham at the\ncovenant between the pieces. The two oxen for the peace offering\nindicate Isaac and Rebekah, whereas the three kinds of small cattle\nallude to Jacob, Leah, and Rachel, but the sum total of the offerings\nof these three species was fifteen, corresponding to these three and\nthe twelve fathers of the tribes. [400]\n\nApart from the significance that the offerings of the tribal princes\nhad for each individual tribe respectively, they also symbolized the\nhistory of the world from the time of Adam to the erection of the\nTabernacle. The silver charger indicated Adam, who lived nine hundred\nand thirty years, and the numerical equivalent of the letters of Kaarat\nKesef, \"silver charger,\" amounts to the same. Corresponding to the\nweight of \"an hundred and thirty shekels,\" Adam begat his son Seth, the\nactual father of the future generations, at the age of a hundred and\nthirty years. The silver bowl alludes to Noah, for, as it weighed\nseventy shekels, so too did seventy nations spring from Noah. Both\nthese vessels were filled with fine flour, as Adam and Noah were both\nfull of good deeds. The spoon \"of ten shekels of gold\" corresponded to\nthe ten words of God by which the world was created, to the ten\nSefirot, to the ten lists of generations in the Scriptures, to the ten\nessential constituent parts of the human body, to the ten miracles God\nwrought for Israel in Egypt, to the ten miracles Israel experienced by\nthe Red Sea. The three burnt offerings were meant to recall the three\nPatriarchs. The kid of goats indicated Joseph; the two oxen\ncorresponded to Moses and Aaron; the five rams to the five\ndistinguished sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara;\nwhereas the five goats and the five lambs symbolized the five senses of\nmankind by means of which the existence of things is determined.\n\nThe sum total of the gifts of the twelve princes of the tribes had also\na symbolical significance. The twelve chargers correspond to the twelve\nconstellations; the twelve bowls of the twelve months; the twelve\nspoons to the twelve guides of men, which are: the heart, that bestows\nunderstanding and insight; the kidneys, that give counsels, good as\nwell as evil; the mouth, that cuts all kinds of food; the tongue, that\nrenders speech impossible; the palate, that tastes the flavors of food;\nthe windpipe, that renders possible breathing and the utterance of\nsounds; the esophagus, that swallows food and drink; the lungs, that\nabsorbs fluids; the liver, that promotes laughter; the crop, that\ngrinds all food; and the stomach, that affords pleasant sleep. \"All the\nsilver of the vessels that weighed two thousand and four hundred\nshekels\" corresponded to the years that had passed from the creation of\nthe world to the advent of Moses in the fortieth year of his life. All\nthe gold of the spoons, the weight of which was an hundred and twenty\nshekels, corresponds to the years of Moses' life, for he died at the\nage of a hundred and twenty. [401]\n\nThe different species of animals offered as sacrifices corresponded to\nthe different ranks of the leaders of Israel. The twelve bullocks to\nthe kings, the twelve rams to the princes of the tribes, the twelve\nkids of the goats to the governors, and the twelve sheep to the\ngovernment officials. The twenty-four oxen for a peace offering\ncorresponded to the books of the Scriptures, and the divisions of the\npriests, and were also meant to serve as atonement for the twenty-four\nthousand men, who, owing to their worship of Peor, died of the plague.\nThe sixty rams of the peace offering corresponded to the sixty myriads\nof Israel's fighting hosts; the sixty he-goats to the sixty empires;\nand the sixty he-lambs to the building of the second Temple that\nmeasured sixty cubits in height and sixty in width. [402]\n\nThe gifts of the twelve princes of the tribes were not only equal in\nnumber, but also in the size and width of the objects bestowed, every\ntribe making exactly the same offering to the sanctuary. None among\nthem wished to outrival the others, but such harmony reigned among them\nand such unity of spirit that God valued the service of each as if he\nhad brought not only his own gifts but also those of his companions. As\na reward for this mutual regard and friendship, God granted them the\ndistinction of permitting them to present their offerings even on the\nSabbath day. [403]\n\n\n\n\nTHE REVELATIONS IN THE TABERNACLE\n\n\n\"Honor pursues him who tries to escape it.\" Moses in his humility felt\nthat his mission as leader of the people ended with the erection of the\nTabernacle, as Israel could now satisfy all their spiritual needs\nwithout his aid. But God said: \"As truly as thou livest, I have for\nthee a far greater task than any thou hast yet accomplished, for thou\nshalt instruct My children about 'clean and unclean,' and shalt teach\nthem how to offer up offerings to Me.\" God hereupon called Moses to the\nTabernacle, to reveal to him there the laws and teachings. [404] Moses\nin his humility did not dare to enter the Tabernacle, so that God had\nto summon him to enter. Moses, however, could not enter the sanctuary\nwhile a cloud was upon it, this being a sign \"that the demons held\nsway,\" but waited until the cloud had moved on. The voice that called\nMoses came from heaven in the form of a tube of fire and rested over\nthe two Cherubim, whence Moses perceived its sound. This voice was a\npowerful as at the revelation at Sinai when the souls of all Israel\nescaped in terror, still it was audible to none but Moses. Not even the\nangels heard it, for the words of God were destined exclusively for\nMoses. Aaron, too, with the exception of three cases in which God\nrevealed Himself to him, never received His commands except through the\ncommunications of Moses. God would call Moses twice caressingly words\nby name, and when he had answered, \"Here am I,\" God's words were\nrevealed to him, and every commandment as a special revelation. God\nalways allowed a pause to take place between the different laws to be\nimparted, that Moses might have time rightly to grasp what was told\nhim. [405]\n\nOn the first day of the dedication of the Tabernacle, not lest than\neight important sections of laws were communicated to Moses by God.\n[406] As a reward for his piety, Aaron and his descendants to all\neternity received the laws of sanctity, which are a special distinction\nof the priests, [407] and these laws were revealed on this day. It was\non this day, also, that Aaron and his sons received the gifts of the\npriests, for although even at the revelation on Sinai Israel had set\nthem aside, still they were not given to Aaron and his sons until this\nday when the sanctuary was anointed. [408]\n\nThe second law revealed on this day was the separation of the Levites\nfrom among the children of Israel, that they might be dedicated to the\nsanctuary. \"For God elevated no man to an office unless He has tried\nhim and found him worthy of his calling.\" He did not say, \"and the\nLevites shall be Mine,\" before He had tried this tribe, and found them\nworthy. In Egypt none but the tribe of Levi observed the Torah and\nclung to the token of the Abrahamic covenant, while the others tribes,\nabandoning both Torah and token of covenant, like the Egyptians,\npracticed idolatry. In the desert, also, it was this tribe alone that\ndid not take part in the worship of the Golden Calf. Justly, therefore,\ndid God's choice fall upon this godly tribe, who on this day were\nconsecrated as the servants of God and His sanctuary. [409]\n\nThe ceremonies connected with the consecration of the Levites had much\nin common with the regulations for cleansing of lepers. Originally, the\nfirstborn had been the servants of the sanctuary, but, owing to the\nworship of the Golden Calf, they lost this prerogative, and the Levites\nreplaced them. It was for this reason that the Levites were obliged to\nobserve regulations similar to those for the cleansing of lepers,\nbecause they took the place of men who by their sins had defiled\nthemselves. The offerings that the Levites brought on this occasion\nconsisted of two bullocks, on for a burnt offering whenever the\ncongregation, seduced by others, commits idolatry; and Israel would not\nhave worshipped the Golden Calf had not the mixed multitude misled\nthem. \"But whosoever worships an idol, by this act renounces the whole\nTorah,\" hence did the Levites have to offer up another bullock for a\nsin offering, in accordance with the law that \"if the whole\ncongregation of Israel have done somewhat against any of the\ncommandments of the Lord concerning things which should not be done,\nand are guilty, then they shall offer up a young bullock for the sin.\"\nAs the Levites had been chosen \"to do the service of the children of\nIsrael in the Tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement\nfor the children of Israel,\" God ordered all the congregation of Israel\nto be present at the consecration of the Levites, for whosoever had a\nsin offering up for himself must in person bring it to the Tabernacle.\nTherefore, too, did the elders of Israel have to put their hands upon\nthe Levites, according to the prescription that the elders must put\ntheir hands upon the sin of the congregation. Aaron, like the elders,\nparticipated in the ceremony of the consecration, lifting up every\nsingle Levite as a token that he was now dedicated to the sanctuary.\n[410] Aaron's extraordinary strength is proven by the fact that he was\nable to lift up twenty-tow thousand men in one day. [411]\n\n\n\n\n THE CLEANSING OF THE CAMP\n\n\nThe third law revealed on this day was the command that the children of\nIsrael put out of the camp every leper and every unclean person. When\nIsrael moved out of Egypt, the majority of the people were afflicted\nwith physical defects and diseases, contracted during their work on the\nstructures they had been compelled to erect in Egypt. One had his hand\ncrushed by a falling stone, another's eye blinded by splashing of loam.\nIt was a battered and crippled host that reached Sinai, eager to\nreceive the Torah, but God said: \"Does it become the glory of the Torah\nthat I should bestow it on a race of cripples? Nor do I want to await\nthe coming of another, sound generation, for I desire no further delay\nof the revelation of the Torah.\" Hereupon God sent angels to heal all\namong Israel that were diseased or afflicted with defects, so that all\nthe children of Israel were sound and whole when they received the\nTorah. They remained in this condition until they worshipped the Golden\nCalf, when all their diseases returned as a punishment for their\ndefection from God. Only the women, during their stay in the desert,\nwere exempt from the customary ailments to which women are subject, as\na reward for being the first who declared themselves ready to accept\nthe Torah. When the Tabernacle had been consecrated, God now said to\nMoses: \"So long as you had not yet erected the Tabernacle, I did not\nobject to having the unclean and the lepers mingle with the rest of the\npeople, but now that the sanctuary is erected, and that My Shekinah\ndwells among you, I insist upon your separating all these from among\nyou, that they may not defile the camp in the midst of which I dwell.\"\n\nThe law in regard to lepers was particularly severe, for they were\ndenied the right of staying within the camp, whereas the unclean were\nprohibited merely from staying near the sanctuary. [412] The lepers\nwere the very ones who had worshipped the Golden Calf, and had as a\nconsequence been smitten with this disease, and it was for this reason\nthat God separated them from the community. Thirteen sins are punished\nwith leprosy by God: blasphemy, unchastity, murder, false suspicion,\npride, illegal appropriation of the rights of others, slander, theft,\nperjury, profanation of the Divine Name, idolatry, envy, and contempt\nof the Torah. Goliath was stricken with leprosy because he reviled God;\nthe daughters of Zion became leprous in punishment of their unchastity;\nleprosy was Cain's punishment for the murder of Abel. When Moses said\nto God, \"But behold, they will not believe me,\" God replied: \"O Moses,\nart thou sure that they will not believe thee? They are believers and\nthe sons of believers. Thou who didst suspect them wrongly, put not\nthey hand into thy bosom,\u2026..and he put his hand into his bosom: and\nwhen he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. \" Uzziah\npresumed upon the rights of the priesthood, and went into the Temple to\nburn incense upon the altar of incense. He was just about to commit the\noffence, when \"the leprosy brake forth in his forehead.\" Leprosy fell\nupon Naaman, who had grown arrogant because of his heroic deeds. For\nslandering Moses Miriam became leprous as snow; and Gehazi was punished\nby leprosy because he frustrated the purpose of Elisha, who desired to\naccept nothing from Naaman in order that the cure might redound to the\nglory of God. [413]\n\nAnother important law revealed on this day referred to the celebration\nof \"the second Passover feast.\" Mishael and Elzaphan, who had attended\nto the burial of Nadab and Abihu, were godly men, anxious to fulfil the\ncommandments of God, hence they went to the house where Moses and Aaron\ninstructed the people, and said to them: \"We are defiled by the dead\nbody of a man; wherefore are we kept back that we may not offer an\noffering of the Lord in His appointed season among the children of\nIsrael?\" Moses at first answered that they might not keep the Passover\nowing to their condition of uncleanness, but they argued with him,\nasking that even if, owing to their condition, they might not partake\nof the sacrificial meat, they might, at least, be permitted to\nparticipate in the offering of the paschal lamb by having the blood of\nthe offering sprinkled for them. Moses admitted that he could not pass\njudgement on this case before receiving instruction concerning it from\nGod. For Moses had the rare privilege of being certain of receiving\nrevelations from God whenever he applied to Him. He therefore bade\nMishael and Elzaphan await God's judgement concerning their case, and\nsentence was indeed revealed immediately. [414]\n\nIt was on this day also that God said to Moses: \"A heavy blow of fate\nhad fallen upon Aaron to-day, but instead of murmuring he thanked Me\nfor the death that robbed him of his two sons, which proves his trust\nin My justice toward them, who had deserved punishment more severe. Go\nthen, and comfort him; and at the same time tell him 'that he come not\nat all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat,\nwhich is upon the Ark.'\" These last words greatly aggrieved Moses, who\nnot thought: \"Woe is me! For it seems as if Aaron had lost his rank,\nsince he may not at all times enter the sanctuary. The statement of the\nperiods for his admission into the sanctuary is also so indeterminate\nthat I am not at all sure whether they are to recur hourly, or daily,\nor annually, every twelve years, perhaps even seventy, or not at all.\"\nBut God replied: \"Thou art mistaken, I was not thinking of fixing a\ncertain time. Whether hour, or day or year, for Aaron may enter the\nsanctuary at any time, but when he does so, he must observe certain\nceremonies.\" The ceremonies that Aaron, as well as every other high\npriest, had to perform on the Day of Atonement before his entrance into\nthe Holy of Holies were symbolical of the three Patriarchs, of the four\nwives of the Patriarchs, and of the twelve tribes. Only by depending\nupon the merits of these pious men and women might the high priest\nventure to enter the Holy of Holies without having to fear the angels\nthat filled this space. These were obliged to retreat upon the entrance\nof the high priest, and even Satan had to flee whenever he beheld the\nhigh priest, and did not dare to accuse Israel before God. [415]\n\nAaron's grief about the death of his sons was turned to joy when God,\non the day of their death, granted him the distinction of receiving a\ndirect revelation from the Lord, which prohibited both him and his sons\nfrom drinking wine or strong drink when they went into the Tabernacle.\n[416]\n\nOn this day, also, Moses received the revelation concerning the red\nheifer, whose significance was never vouchsafed to any other human\nbeing beside himself. On the following day, under the supervision of\nEleazar, Aaron's son, it was slaughtered and burned. Although, beside\nthis one, a number of other red heifers were provided in future\ngenerations, this one was distinguished by having its ashes kept\nforever, which, mingled with the ashes of other red heifers, were\nalways used for the purification of Israel. But it is in this world\nalone that the priest can purify the unclean by sprinkling with this\nwater of purification, whereas in the future world God will sprinkle\nclean water upon Israel, \"that thy may be cleansed from all their\nfilthiness, and from all their idols.\" [417]\n\n\n\n\n THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLESTICK\n\n\nThe eighth law revealed on this day was the lighting of the\ncandlestick. After all the princes of the tribes had brought their\ngifts to the sanctuary, and God had bidden Moses to let them offer each\nhis offering, one a day, throughout twelve days, Aaron, profoundly\nagitated, thought: \"Woe is me! It seems as if, owing to my sin, my\ntribe has been excluded by God from participating in the dedication of\nthe sanctuary.\" Hereupon God said to Moses: \"Go to Aaron and say to\nhim, 'Do not fear that thou art slighted, and art deemed inferior to\nthe other princes of the tribes. Thou, on the contrary, shalt enjoy a\ngreater glory than all of these, for thou art to light the lamps of the\ncandlestick in the sanctuary.'\" When Israel heard God's command that\nthe lights of the sanctuary be lighted, they said: \"O Lord of the\nworld! Thou biddest us make a light for Thee that are the light of the\nworld, and with whom light dwelleth.\" But God replied: \"Not because I\nneed your light do I bid you burn lamps before Me, but only the I might\nthereby distinguish you in the eyes of the nations that will say,\n'Behold the people of Israel, that hold up a light before Him who\nbestoweth light upon the world.' By your own eye-sight can you see how\nlittle need I have of your light. You have the white of the eye and the\nblack of the eye, and it is by means of this dark part of the eye that\nyou are enabled to see, and not through the light part of the white of\nthe eye. How should I, that am all light, have need of your light!\" God\nfurthermore said: \"A mortal of flesh and blood lights one light by\nmeans of another that is burning, I have brought forth light out of\ndarkness: 'In the beginning darkness was upon the face of the deep,'\nwhereupon I spake, 'Let there be light: and there was light.' Shall I\nnow be in need of your illumination? Nay, I commanded you to light the\ncandles in the sanctuary that I might distinguish you and give you\nanother opportunity of doing a pious deed, the execution of which I\nwill reward in the future world by letting a great light shine before\nyou; and, furthermore, if you will let the candles shine before Me in\nMy sanctuary, I shall protect from all evil your spirit, 'the candle of\nthe Lord.'\" [418]\n\nSimultaneously with the command to light the sanctuary, Moses received\nthe instruction to celebrate the Sabbath by the lighting of candles,\nfor God said to him: \"Speak unto the children of Israel; if you will\nobserve My command to light the Sabbath candles, I shall permit you to\nlive to see Zion illuminated, when you will no longer require the light\nof the sun, but My glory will shine before you so that the nations will\nfollow your light.\" [419]\n\nAaron was distinguished not only by being selected to dedicate the\nsanctuary through the lighting of the candles, God ordered Moses to\ncommunicate to his brother the following revelation: \"The sanctuary\nwill on another occasion also be dedicated by the lighting of the\ncandles, and then it will be done by the descendants, the Hasmoneans,\nfor whom I will perform miracles and to whom I will grant grace. Hence\nthere is greater glory destined for thee than for all the other princes\nof the tribes, for their offerings to the sanctuary shall be employed\nonly so long as it endures, but the lights of the Hanukkah festival\nwill shine forever; and, moreover, thy descendants shall bestow the\npriestly blessing upon Israel even after the destruction of the\nTemple.\" [420]\n\nThe candlestick that Aaron lighted in the sanctuary, was not the common\nwork of mortal hands, but was wrought by a miracle. When God bade Moses\nfashion a candlestick, he found it difficult to execute the command,\nnot knowing how to set to work to construct it in all its complicated\ndetails. God therefore said to Moses: \"I shall show thee a model.\" He\nthen took white fire, red fire, and green fire, and black fire, and out\nthese four kinds of fires He fashioned a candlestick with its bowls,\nits knops, and its flowers. Even then Moses was not able to copy the\ncandlestick, whereupon God drew its design upon his palm, saying to\nhim: \"look at this, and imitate the design I have drawn on thy palm.\"\nBut even that did not suffice to teach Moses how to execute the\ncommission, whereupon God bade him cast a talent of gold into the fire.\nMoses did as he was bidden, and the candlestick shaped itself out of\nthe fire. As on this occasion, so upon other occasions also did God\nhave to present the things tangibly before Moses in order to make\ncertain laws intelligible to him. In this way, for example, at the\nrevelation concerning clean and unclean animals, God showed one\nspecimen of each to Moses, saying: \"This ye shall eat, and this ye\nshall not eat.\" [421]\n\n\n\n\n THE TWELVE PRINCES OF THE TRIBES\n\n\nGod in His love for Israel had frequent censuses taken of them, so that\nHe might accurately estimate His possession. In scarcely half a year\nthey were twice counted, once shortly before the erection of the\nTabernacle, and the second time a month after its dedication. [422] On\nthe first day of the month of Iyyar, Moses received instructions to\ntake a census of all men over twenty who were physically fit to go to\nwar. He was ordered to take Aaron as his assistant, so that in case he\nshould overlook some of the men Aaron might remind him of them, for\n\"two are better than one.\" They were also to take as their subordinate\nassistants Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons, and a man each from the\nseveral tribes. These twelve men were appointed not only to conduct the\ncensus, but also to look after the spiritual welfare of their\nrespective tribes, the sins of which would be upon their heads unless,\nwith all their powers, they strove to prevent them. Moses and Aaron\nnevertheless adjured the princes of the tribes, in spite of their high\nrank, not to tyrannize over the people, whereas, on the other hand,\nthey admonished the people to pay all due respect to their superiors.\n[423]\n\nThe names of these twelve princes of the tribes indicated the history\nof the tribes they represented. The prince of the tribe Reuben was\ncalled Elizur, \"my God is a rock,\" referring to the ancestor of this\ntribe, Reuben, Jacob's son, who sinned, but, owing to his penance, was\nforgiven by God, who bore his sin as a rock bears the house built upon\nit. The name of Elizur's father was Shedeur, \"cast into the fire,\"\nbecause Reuben was converted to repentance and atonement through Judah,\nwho confessed his sin when his daughter-in-law Tamar was about to be\ncast into the fire.\n\nThe prince of the tribe of Simeon was named Shelumiel, \"my God is\npeace,\" to indicate that in spite of the sin of Zimri, head of this\ntribe, through whom four and twenty thousand men among Israel died, God\nnevertheless made peace with this tribe.\n\nThe prince of the tribe of Judah bore the name Nahshon, \"wave of the\nsea,\" the son of Amminadab, \"prince of My people,\" because the prince\nreceived this dignity as a reward for having plunged into the waves of\nthe Red Sea to glorify God's name.\n\nThe tribe of Issachar had for its prince Nethanel, \"God gave,\" for this\ntribe devoted its life to the Torah given by God to Moses. Accordingly\nNethanel was called the son of Zuar, \"burden,\" for Issachar assumed the\nburden of passing judgement on the lawsuits of the other tribes.\n\nCorresponding to the occupation of the tribe of Zebulun, its prince was\ncalled Eliab, \"the ship,\" son of Helon, \"the sand,\" for this tribe\nspent its life on ships, seeking \"treasures hidden in the sand.\"\n\nElishama, son of Ammihud, the name of the prince of the tribe of\nEphraim, points to the history of Joseph, their forefather. God said:\n\"Elishama, 'he obeyed Me,' who bade him be chaste and not covet his\nmaster's wife that wanted to tempt him to sin, and Ammihud, 'Me he\nhonored,' and none other.\"\n\nThe other tribe of Joseph, Manasseh, also named their prince in\nreference to their forefather, calling him Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur,\nwhich signifies, \"God rewarded Joseph for his piety by releasing him\nfrom bondage and making him ruler over Egypt.\"\n\nThe prince of the tribe of Benjamin was named Abidan, \"my father\ndecreed,\" son of Gideoni, \"mighty hosts,\" referring to the following\nincident. When Rachel perceived that she would die at the birth of her\nson, she called him \"son of faintness,\" supposing that a similar fate\nwould overtake him, and that he was doomed through weakness to die\nyoung. But Jacob, the child's father, decreed otherwise, and called him\nBenjamin, \"son of might and of many years.\"\n\nThe prince of the tribe of Dan bore the name Ahiezer, \"brother of\nhelp,\" son of Ammishaddai, \"My people's judge,\" because he was allied\nwith the helpful tribe of Judah at the erection of the Tabernacle, and\nlike this ruling tribe brought forth a mighty judge in the person of\nSamson.\n\nThe tribe of Asher was distinguished by the beauty of its women, which\nwas so excellent that even the old among them were fairer and stronger\nthan the young girls of the other tribes. For this reason kings chose\nthe daughters of this tribe to be their wives, and these, through their\nintercession before the kings, saved the lives of many who had been\ndoomed to death. Hence the name of the prince of the tribe of Asher,\nPagiel, \"the interceder,\" son of Ochran, \"the afflicted,\" for the women\nof the tribe of Asher, through their intercession, obtained grace for\nthe afflicted.\n\nThe prince of the tribe of Gad bore the name Eliasaph, \"God\nmultiplied;\" son of Deuel, \"God is a witness.\" To reward them for\npassing over the Jordan and not returning to their property on this\nside of the river until the promised land was won, their wealth was\nmultiplied by God; for when, upon returning, they found the enemy at\nhome, God aided them and they gained all their enemies possessions. God\nwas furthermore witness that this tribe had no wicked motive when they\nerected an altar on their land.\n\nThe prince of the tribe of Naphtali was called Ahira, \"desirable\nmeadow,\" son of Enan, \"clouds;\" for the land of this tribe was\ndistinguished by its extraordinary excellence. Its products were\nexactly what their owners \"desired,\" and all this owing to the plenty\nof water, for the \"clouds\" poured plentiful rain over their land.\n\nAt the census of the people the tribes were set down in the order in\nwhich they put up their camp and moved in their marches. The tribes of\nJudah, Issachar, and Zebulun formed the first group, the royal tribe of\nJudah being associated with the tribe of learned men, Issachar, and\nwith Zebulun, which through its generosity enabled Issachar to devote\nitself to the study of the Torah. The second group consisted of Reuben,\nSimeon, and Gad. The sinful tribe of Simeon was supported on the right\nby the penance of Reuben and on the left by the strength of Gad. The\ntribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin formed a group by themselves,\nfor these before all the other tribes were destined to appear\ngloriously against Amalek. The Ephraimite Joshua was the first who was\nvictorious against Amalek, the Benjamite Saul followed his example in\nhis war against Agag, king of Amalek, and, under the leadership of men\nout of the tribe of Manasseh, the tribe of Simeon at the time of king\nJehoshaphat succeeded in destroying the rest of the Amalekites, and to\ntake possession formed the last group, and for the following reason\nwere united in this way. The tribe of Dan had already at the time of\nthe exodus from Egypt been possessed of the sinful thought to fashion\nan idol. To counteract this \"dark thought\" Asher was made its comrade,\nfrom whose soil came \"the oil for lighting;\" and that Dan might\nparticipate in the blessing, Naphtali, \"full with the blessing of the\nLord,\" became its second companion. [424]\n\nAt this third census the number of men who were able to go to war\nproved to be exactly the same as the second census, taken in the same\nyear. Not one among Israel had died during this period, from the\nbeginning of the erection of the Tabernacle to its dedication, when the\nthird census took place. [425] But no conclusive evidence concerning\nthe sum total of the separate tribes can be drawn from this number of\nmen able to go to war, because the ration of the two sexes varied among\nthe different tribes, as, for example, the female sex in the tribe of\nNaphtali greatly outnumbered the male. [426]\n\n\n\n\nTHE CENSUS OF THE LEVITES\n\n\nMoses at the census did not take into consideration the tribe of Levi,\nbecause God had not commanded him to select a prince for this tribe as\nfor all others, hence he drew the conclusion that they were not to be\ncounted. Naturally he was not sure of his decision in this matter, and\nwavered whether or not to include the Levites in the number, when God\nsaid to him: \"Do not muster the tribe of Levi, nor number them among\nthe children of Israel.\" At these words Moses was frightened, for he\nfeared that his tribe was considered unworthy of being counted with the\nrest, and was therefore excluded by God. But God quieted him, saying:\n\"Do not number the Levites among the children of Israel, number them\nseparately.\" There was several reasons for numbering the Levites\nseparately. God foresaw that, owing to the sin of the spies who were\nsent to search the land, all men who were able to go to war would\nperish in the wilderness, \"all that were numbered of them, according to\ntheir whole number, from twenty years old and upward.\" Now had the\nLevites been included in the sum total of Israel, the Angel of Death\nwould have held sway over them also, wherefore God excluded them from\nthe census of all the tribes, that they might in the future be exempt\nfrom the punishment visited upon the others, and might enter the\npromised land. The Levites were, furthermore, the body-guard of God, to\nwhose care the sanctuary was entrusted - another reason for counting\nthem separately. God in this instance conducted Himself like the king\nwho ordered one of his officers to number his legions, but added:\n\"Number all the legions excepting only the legion that is about me.\"\n[427]\n\nThe extent of God's love for Levi is evident through the command given\nto Moses, to number in the tribe of Levi \"all males from a month old\nand upward,\" whereas in the other tribes none were numbered save men\nable to go to war, from twenty years and upward. Upon other occasions\nGod had even the embryos among the Levites numbered. This occurred upon\nJacob's entrance into Egypt, when the number seventy for his family was\nattained only by including Jochebed who was still in the womb; and\nsimilarly at a future time upon the return of the exiles from Babylon.\nFor at that time only twenty-three of the priestly sections returned,\nhence to complete their number they had to include Bigvai, who belonged\nto the missing section, even though he was still in the womb. [428]\n\nWhen Moses was ordered to number among the Levites all children from a\nmonth old and upward, he said to God: \"Thou biddest me count them from\na month old and upward. Shall I now wander about their courts and\nhouses and count each child, seeing that Thou givest me such a\ncommand?\" But God replied: \"Do thou what thou canst do, and I will do\nwhat I can do.\" It now came to pass that whenever Moses betook himself\nto a Levite tent he found the Shekinah awaiting him, tell him exactly\nthe number of children without his having to count them. [429]\n\nIn the choice of this tribe God showed His preference for the seventh,\nfor Levi was the seventh pious man, starting from Adam, to wit: Adam,\nNoah, Enoch, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Levi. As in this instance, so\nin many others did God indicate His love for the seventh. He sits\nenthroned in the seventh heaven; of the seven worlds the seventh alone\nis inhabited by human beings; of the early generations the seventh was\nthe most excellent, for it produces Enoch. Moses, seventh among the\nPatriarch, was judged worthy of receiving the Torah. David, seventh son\nof Jesse, was chosen as king. In periods of time, also, the seventh was\nthe favorite. The seventh day is the Sabbath; the seventh month,\nTishri, is the month of the holy days; the seventh year is the\nSabbatical year of rest, and every seventh Sabbatical year of rest is\nthe year of jubilee. [430]\n\nAnother reason for numbering even the youngest boys among the Levites\nwas that the tribe of Levi as a whole had the responsibility of atoning\nfor the sin of the first-born among the children of Israel. For it was\nthese who until the time of the worship of the Golden Calf performed\nthe services of the priesthood, and their privilege was taken from them\nowing to this, their sin. This prerogative was then conferred upon the\ntribe of Levi, who, moreover, dedicating themselves, man for man, to\nthe service of the Lord, served as an atonement for the first-born of\nIsrael, that they might not be destroyed as they deserved. [431]\n\nThe exchange of Levites in place of the first-born did, however,\npresent a difficulty. For God had communicated the number of Levites to\nMoses in the following way: \"Their number amounts to as many as the\nnumber of My legion.\" For, when God came down upon Sinai, twenty-two\nthousand angels surrounded Him, and just as many men did the Levites\nnumber. Outside of these there were three hundred first-born among the\nLevites that could not well be offered in exchange for the first-born\namong the other tribes, because their standing was the same as theirs.\nAs the number of first-born among the other tribes exceeded the number\nof Levites by two hundred seventy-three, this surplus remained without\nactual atonement. Hence God ordered Moses to take from them five\nshekels apiece by the poll as redemption money, and give it to the\npriests. The sum was fixed upon by God, who said: \"Ye sold the\nfirst-born of Rachel for five shekels, and for this reason shall ye\ngive as redemption money for every first-born among ye five shekels.\"\n\nTo avoid quarrels among the first-born, as otherwise each one would try\nto lay the payment of redemption money upon his neighbor, Moses wrote\nupon twenty-two thousand slips of paper the word \"Levi,\" and upon two\nhundred seventy-three the words \"five shekels,\" all of which were then\nthrown into an urn and mixed. Then every first-born had to draw one of\nthe slips. If he drew a slip with \"Levi\" he was not obliged to remit\nany payment, but if he drew \"five shekels,\" he had to pay that sum to\nthe priests. [432]\n\n\n\n\nTHE FOUR DIVISIONS OF THE LEVITES\n\n\nApart from the census of all male Levites, Moses now took another\ncensus of the men from the ages of thirty to fifty, for only at this\nage were the Levites permitted to perform service in the Tabernacle\nthroughout their march through the desert, a law that indeed ceased to\nhold good when Israel settled in the Holy Land. [433] These officiating\nLevites, as well as the priests, were divided by Moses into eight\nsections, a number that was not doubled until the prophet Samuel\nincreased it to sixteen, to which David again added eight, so that\nthere were later twenty-four divisions among the Levites and priests.\n[434]\n\nThe most distinguished among the Levites were the sons of Kohath, whose\ncharge during the march through the desert was the Holy of Holies, and\namong the vessels particularly the Holy Ark. This latter was a\ndangerous trust, for out of the staves attached to it would issue\nsparks that consumed Israel's enemies, but now and then this fire\nwrought havoc among the bearers of the Ark. It therefore became a\ncustomary thing, when the camp was about to be moved, for Kohath's sons\nto hasten into the sanctuary and seek to pack up the different portions\nof it, each one planning cautiously to shift the carrying of the Ark\nupon another. But this even more kindled God's anger against them, and\nHe slew many of the Kohathites because they ministered to the Ark with\nan unwilling heart. To avert the danger that threatened them, God\nordered Aaron and his sons to enter first into the sanctuary, and \"to\nappoint to the Kohathites, every one, his service and his burden, that\nthey might not go in to see when the holy things are covered, lest they\ndie.\" This was done because previous to this command the sons of Kohath\nhad been accustomed to feast their eyes on the sight of the Ark, which\nbrought them instantaneous death. But, according to this order, Aaron\nand his sons first took apart the different portions of the sanctuary,\ncovered the Ark, and not till then called the sons of Kohath to bear\nthe burden.\n\nDuring the march the Levites might wear no shoes, but had to walk\nbarefoot because they carried and ministered to holy objects. The\nKohathites had, moreover, to walk backwards, for they might not turn\ntheir backs to the Holy Ark. They were, furthermore, owing to their\noffices as bearers of the Ark, distinguished by being the first of the\nLevites to be numbered in the census, although in other respects the\nsons of Gershon led, for Gershon was the first-born of Levi. [435]\n\nWhen giving the commission to count the sons of Kohath, God explicitly\nmentioned that Moses should undertake the census with Aaron, but He did\nnot do so when He ordered the numbering of the sons of Gershon. Moses\nnow thought that God had done this intentionally because the former\nwere directly under Aaron's supervision while the Gershonites were not.\nNevertheless, out of respect to his brother, he bade his brother, as\nwell as, out of courtesy, the princes of the tribes to be present at\nthe numbering of the Levites, but he did not tell Aaron that he did so\nin the name of God. In this Moses erred, for God wished Aaron to be\npresent at the numbering of the Levites. For this reason, when He\nordered the census of the third division, Merari's sons, to be taken,\nHe expressly mentioned Aaron's name. At the apportionment of the\nservice among the individual Levites, however, Aaron paid attention\nonly to the sons of Kohath, each of whom had his special task allotted\nto him, whereas Moses appointed their tasks to the sons of Gershon and\nMerari. [436] The highest chief of the Levites, however, was Eleazar,\nwho was \"to have the oversight of them that keep the charge of the\nsantuary.\" But despite his high position, Eleazar was modest enough to\nparticipate in the service in person. During their marches from place\nto place, he himself would carry all needful things for the daily\noffering. In his right hand he carried the oil for the candlestick, in\nhis left hand the incense, on his are the things that were made in the\npans, and, attached to his girdle, the phial with the oil for ointment.\n[437] Ithamar, Eleazar's brother, also had a duty in the sanctuary, for\nit was he to whom the guidance of the service of Gershon's and Merari's\nsons was assigned. For these must perform none but the service God had\nspecially assigned to them, as no Gershonite might perform the duty of\na Merarite, and vice versa, and each individual, too, had his special\nduty, that no quarrel might arise among them. [438]\n\n\n\n\n THE FOUR STANDARDS\n\n\nWhen God appeared upon Sinai, He was surrounded by twenty-two thousand\nangels, all in full array and divided into groups, each of which had\nits own standard. Looking upon these angel hosts, Israel wished like\nthem to be divided into groups with standards, and God fulfilled their\nwish. After Moses had completed the census of the people, God said to\nHim: \"Fulfill their wish and provide them with standards as they\ndesire. 'Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch by his own\nstandard, with the ensign of their father's house; far off about the\nTabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.'\" This commission\ngreatly agitated Moses, who thought: \"Now will there be much strife\namong the tribes. If I bid the tribe of Judah pitch in the East, it\nwill surely state its preference for the South, and every tribe will\nlikewise choose any direction but the one assigned to it.\" But God said\nto Moses: \"Do not concern thyself with the position of the standards of\nthe tribes, for they have no need of thy direction. Their father Jacob\nbefore his death ordered them to group themselves about the Tabernacle\njust as his sons were to be grouped about his bier at the funeral\nprocession.\" When Moses now told the people to divide themselves in\ngroups round about the Tabernacle, they did it in the manner Jacob had\nbidden them. [439]\n\n\"The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath He\nestablished the heavens.\" The division of the tribes of Israel\naccording to four standards, as well as their subdivision at each\nstandard, is not arbitrary and accidental, it corresponds to the same\nplan and direction as that of which God made use in heaven. The\ncelestial Throne is surrounded by four angels: to the right Michael, in\nfront Gabriel, to the left Uriel, and to the rear Raphael. To these\nfour angels corresponded the four tribes of Reuben, Judah, Dan, and\nEphraim, the standard bearers. Michael earned his name, \"Who is like\nunto God,\" by exclaiming during the passage of Israel through the Red\nSea, \"Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?\" and he made a\nsimilar statement when Moses completed the Torah, saying: \"There is\nnone like unto the God of Jeshurun.\" In the same way Reuben bore upon\nhis standard the words, \"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord,\"\nhence Reuben's position with his standard to the right of the sanctuary\ncorresponded exactly to Michael's post at the right of the celestial\nThrone. Gabriel, \"God is mighty,\" stands in front of the Throne, as\nJudah, \"mightiest among his brethren,\" was the standard bearer in front\nof the camp. Dan, the tribe \"from which emanated dark sin,\" stood at\nthe left side of the camp with his standard, corresponding to the angel\nUriel, \"God is my light,\" for God illuminated the darkness of sin by\nthe revelation of the Torah, in the study of which this angel\ninstructed Moses, and devotion to which is penance for sin. The tribe\nof Ephraim was the standard bearer to the rear of the camp, occupying\nthe same position as Raphael, \"God heals,\" holds the celestial Throne;\nfor this tribe, from which sprang Jeroboam, was in need of God's\nhealing for the wound that this wicked king dealt Israel. [440]\n\nGod had other reasons for the divisions of the tribes that He decreed,\nfor He said to Moses: \"In the East whence comes the light shall the\ntribe of Judah, whence arises the light of sovereignty, pitch its camp,\nand with them the tribe of Issachar, with whom dwells the light of the\nTorah, and Zebulum, shining through the wealth. From the South come the\ndews of blessing and the rains of plenty, hence shall Reuben pitch on\nthis side, for this tribe owes its existence to the penitent deeds of\nits forefather, penance being that which causes God to send His\nblessing upon the world. Beside Reuben shall stand the warlike tribe of\nGad, and between these two Simeon, in order that this tribe, made weak\nby its sins, might be protected on either side by the piety of Reuben\nand the heroism of Gad. In the West are storehouses of snow, the\nstorehouses of hail, of cold, and of heat, and as powerless as are\nmortals against these forces of nature, so ineffectual shall be the\nenemies of the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, for which\nreason their post was to the West of the camp. From the North comes the\ndarkness of sin, for this tribe alone will declare itself willing to\naccept the idols of Jeroboam, hence its place is to the North of the\ncamp. To illuminate its darkness, put beside it shining Asher, and\nNaphtali, filled with God's plenty.\" [441]\n\nThe four standards were distinguished from one another by their\ndifferent colors, and by the inscriptions and figures worked upon each.\nThe color of Judah's standard corresponded to the color of the three\nstones in the breastplate of the high priest, on which were engraved\nthe names of Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, and was composed of red,\ngreen, and fiery red. Judah's name, as well as Issachar's and\nZebulun's, was inscribed on the banner, and beside the names was this\ninscription: \"Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and\nlet them that hate Thee flee before Thee.\" The standard of Reuben,\nabout which gathered also the tribes of Simeon and Gad, was the color\nof the emerald, the sapphire, and the sabhalom, for on these three\nstones were the names of these tribes engraved on the breastplate of\nthe high priest. Besides the names of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad the\nfollowing device was wrought on the second standard, \"Hear, O Israel:\nthe Lord our God is one Lord.\" The third standard, around which rallied\nthe tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin, bore the color of the\ndiamond, the turquoise, and the amethyst, for on these three stones in\nthe high priest's breastplate were engrave the names of these three\ntribes. On this standard beside the names of these three tribes was the\nmotto, \"And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went\nout of camp.\" As on the breastplate of the high priest the stones\nchrysolite, beryl and panther-stone bore the names of Dan, Asher, and\nNaphtali, so too did the fourth standard, round which these three\ntribes gathered, bear a color resembling these three stones. This\nstandard contained the names of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, and the\ndevice: \"Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel.\" [442]\n\nThe standards had also other distinguishing characteristics. Judah's\nstandard bore in its upper part the figure of a lion, for its\nforefather had been characterized by Jacob as \"a lion's whelp,\" and\nalso sword-like hooks of gold. On these hooks God permitted a strip of\nthe seventh cloud of glory to rest, in which were visible the initials\nof the names of the three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the\nletters being radiations from the Shekinah. Reuben's standard had in\nits upper part the figure of a man, corresponding to the mandrakes that\nReuben, forefather of this tribe, found, for this plant had the form of\na manikin. The hooks on this standard were like those on the standard\nof Judah, but the second letters of the names of the three Patriarchs,\nBet, Zade, and 'Ayyin were seen above them in the cloud. In the\nstandard of Ephraim was fashioned the form of a fish, for Jacob had\nblessed the forefather of this tribe by telling him to multiply like a\nfish; in all other respects it was like the other two standards, save\nthe above the sword-like hooks of gold were seen the third letters in\nthe names of the Patriarchs, Resh, Het, and Kof. Dan's standard\ncontained the form of a serpent, for \"Dan shall be a serpent by the\nway,\" was Jacob's blessing for this tribe; and the gleaming letters\nover the hooks were: Mem for Abraham, Kof for Isaac, and Bet for Jacob.\nThe letter He of Abraham's name was not indeed visible over the\nstandards, but was reserved by God for a still greater honor. For, over\nthe Holy Ark, God let a pillar of cloud rest, and in this were visible\nthe letter Yod and He, spelling the name Yah, by means of which God had\ncreated the world. This pillar of cloud shed sunlight by day and\nmoonlight by night, so that Israel, who were surrounded by clouds,\nmight distinguish between night and day. These two sacred letters, Yod,\nHe, would on week-days fly about in the air over the four standards,\nhovering now upon this, now upon that. But as soon as Friday was over\nand the Sabbath began, these letters stood immovable on the spot where\nthey chanced to be at that moment, and remained in this rigid position\nfrom the first moment of the Sabbath to the last.\n\nWhenever God wanted Israel to break up camp and move on, He would send\non from its place over the Ark the cloud in which beamed the two sacred\nletters Yod and He in the direction in which Israel was to march, and\nthe four strips of cloud over the standards would follow. As soon as\nthe priests saw the clouds in motion, they blew the trumpets as a\nsignal for starting, and the winds thereupon from all sides breathed\nmyrrh and frankincense. [443]\n\nAlthough it was the clouds that gave the signal for taking down and\npitching tents, still they always awaited the word of Moses. Before\nstarting the pillar of cloud would contract and stand still before\nMoses, waiting for him to say: \"Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be\nscattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee,\" whereupon the\npillar of cloud would be set in motion. It was the same when they\npitched camp. The pillar of cloud would contract and stand still before\nMoses, waiting for him to say: \"Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands\nof Israel,\" whereupon it would expand first over the tribes that\nbelonged to the standard of Judah, and then over the sanctuary, within\nand without. [444]\n\n\n\n\n THE CAMP\n\n\nThe camp was in the form of a square, twelve thousand cubits on each\nside, and in the middle was the space, four thousand cubits in size,\nfor the sanctuary, and the dwelling place of priests and Levites. In\nthe East of the sanctuary lived Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons; the\nLevites of the family of Kohath lived in the South, the sons of Gershon\nin the West, and the sons of Merari in the North. Each of theses\ndivisions had for its dwelling place a space of a hundred cubits, while\neach group of three tribes that joined under one standard had a space\nof four thousand cubits. This was only for the dwelling place of the\npeople, the cattle were outside the encampment, and the cloud of glory\nseparated the dwelling places of the human beings from those of the\nanimals. Rivers surrounded the camp from without, and so also were the\ndifferent groups separated one from the other by rivers. But in order\nthat on the Sabbath, when riding was prohibited, intercourse among the\ndifferent parts of the camp might not be rendered impossible, there\nwere bridges of boards over the rivers. The purple color of the cloud\nof glory was reflected in the waters of the rivers, so that it spread\nafar a radiance like that of the sun and the stars. The heathens,\nwhenever they beheld these wondrous radiant waters, were frightened and\nfeared Israel, but at the same time praised God for the miracles He\nwrought for Israel. [445]\n\nThese were miracles that were visible to the outer world as well, but\nthere were others that were known to Israel alone. During their forty\nyears' march they had no need of change of raiment. The robe of purple\nwhich the angels clothed each one among them at their exodus from Egypt\nremained ever new; and as a snail's shell grows with it, so did their\ngarments grow with them. Fire could not injure these garments, and\nthough they wore the same things throughout forty years, still they\nwere not annoyed by vermin, yes, even the corpses of this generation\nwere spared by worms. [446]\n\nDuring their marches, as well as in their stay at a certain place, they\nhad not only the four standards that divided them into four groups of\nthree tribes each, each individual tribe had furthermore its own\nspecial spot and its special ensign. Reuben's flag was red, and on it\nwere pictured mandrakes. Simeon's flag was green, with a picture of the\ncity of Shechem upon it, for the forefather of the tribe had conquered\nthis city. Judah's flag was azure, and bore the form of a lion.\nIssachar's flag was black, and had two figures, the sun and the moon,\nfor from this tribe sprung the learned men who busied themselves with\nastronomy and the science of the calendar. Zebulun's flag was white,\nwith the form of a ship, for this tribe devoted to navigation. Dan's\nflag had a color like a sapphire, with the figure of a serpent.\nNaphtali's flag was a dull red, the color of wine, and on it was the\nfigure of a hind, in memory of its forefather, who was like \"a hind let\nloose.\" Ashere's flag was red like fire, and had the token of an olive\ntree, because this tribe had much olive oil of excellent quality. The\ntwo tribes descended from Joseph, - Ephraim, and Manasseh - both flags\nof the same deep black color with a representation of Egypt, but they\nhad other forms besides. Ephraim's had the picture of a bull, to\nsymbolize Joshua, sprung of this tribe, whose glory was like \"the\nfirstling of his bullock, that pusheth the people together to the ends\nof the earth;\" whereas Manasseh's was that of a unicorn, symbolizing\nthe judge Gideon that sprang from this tribe, \"who with his horns of\nunicorns pushed the people.\" Benjamin's flag had a color composed of\nall the other eleven colors, and a wolf for his token, Jacob having\ndescribed this tribe a \"a wolf that ravineth.\" The different colors of\nthe flags corresponded to the colors of the stones set in the\nbreastplate of the high priest, on which were engraved the names of the\ntwelve tribes. Reuben's stone had a red color like his flag, Simeon's\nflag was green like the color of his stone, and in this way with all\nthe tribes the color of stones and of flags harmonized. [447]\n\n\n\n\n THE BLASPHEMER AND THE SABBATH-BREAKER\n\n\nWhen Israel received the Torah from God, all the other nations envied\nthem and said: \"Why were these choosen by God out of all the nations?\"\nBut God stopped their mouths, replying: \"Bring Me your family records,\nand My children shall bring their family records.\" The nations could\nnot prove the purity of their families, but Israel stood without a\nblemish, every man among them ready to prove his pure descent, so that\nthe nations burst into praise at Israel's family purity, which was\nrewarded by God with the Torah for this its excellence. [448]\n\nHow truly chastity and purity reigned among Israel was shown by the\ndivision of the people into groups and tribes. Among all these\nthousands was found only a single man who was not of pure descent, and\nwho therefore at the pitching of the standards could attach himself to\nnone of the groups. This man was the son of Shelomith, a Danite woman,\nand the Egyptian, [449] whom Moses, when a youth of eighteen, had slain\nfor having offered violence to Shelomith, the incident that had\nnecessitated Moses' flight from Egypt. It had happened as follows: When\nMoses came to Goshen to visit his parents, he witnessed how an Egyptian\nstruck an Israelite, and the latter, knowing that Moses was in high\nfavor at Pharaoh's court, sought his assistance, appealing to him with\nthese words: \"O, my lord, this Egyptian by night forced his way into my\nhouse, bound me with chains, and in my presence offered violence to my\nwife. Now he wants to kill me besides.\" Indignant at this infamous\naction of the Egyptian, Moses slew him, so that the tormented Israelite\nmight go home. The latter, on reaching his house, informed his wife\nthat he intended getting a divorce from her, as it was not proper for a\nmember of the house of Jacob to live together with a woman that had\nbeen defiled. When the wife told her brothers of her husband's\nintentions, they wanted to kill their brother-in-law, who eluded them\nonly by timely flight. [450]\n\nThe Egyptian's violence was not without issue, for Shelomith gave birth\nto a son whom she reared as a Jew, even though his father had been and\nEgyptian. When the division of the people according to the four\nstandard took place, this son of Shelomith appeared among the Danites\ninto whose division he meant to be admitted, pointing out to them that\nhis mother was a woman of the tribe of Dan. The Danites, however,\nrejected him, saying: \"The commandment of God says, 'each man by his\nown standard, with the ensign of his father's house.' Paternal, not\nmaternal descent decides a man's admission to a tribe.\" As this man was\nnot content with this answer, his case was brought to Moses' court, who\nalso passed judgement against him. This so embittered him the he\nblasphemed the Ineffable Name which he had heard on Mount Sinai, and\ncursed Moses. He at the same time ridiculed the recently announced law\nconcerning the shewbread that was to be set on the table in the\nsanctuary every Sabbath, saying: \"It behooves a king to eat fresh bread\ndaily, and no stale bread.\" [451]\n\nAt the same time as the crime blasphemy was committed by the son of\nShelomith, Zelophehad committed another capital crime. On a Sabbath day\nhe tore trees out of the ground although he had been warned by\nwitnesses not to break the Sabbath. The overseers whom Moses had\nappointed to enforce the observance of the Sabbath rest seized him and\nbrought him to the school, where Moses, Aaron, and other leaders of the\npeople studied the Torah.\n\nIn both these cases Moses was uncertain how to pass judgement, for,\nalthough he knew that capital punishment must follow the breaking of\nthe Sabbath, still the manner of capital punishment in this case had\nnot yet been revealed to him. Zelophehad was in the meantime kept in\nprison until Moses should learn the details of the case, for the laws\nsays that a man accused of a capital charge may not be given liberty of\nperson. The sentence that Moses received from God was to execute\nZelophehad in the presence of all the community by stoning him. This\nwas accordingly done, and after the execution his corps was for a short\ntime suspended from the gallows. [452]\n\nThe sin of the Sabbath-breaker was the occasion that gave rise to God's\ncommandment of Zizit to Israel. For He said to Moses, \"dost thou know\nhow it came to pass that this man broke the Sabbath?\" Moses: \"I do not\nknow.\" God: \"On week days he wore phylacteries on his head and\nphylacteries on his arm to remind him of his duties, but on the Sabbath\nday, on which no phylacteries may be worn, he had nothing to call his\nduties to his mind, and he broke the Sabbath. God now, Moses, and find\nfor Israel a commandment the observance of which is not limited to week\ndays only, but which will influence them on Sabbath days and on holy\ndays as well.\" Moses selected the commandment of Zizit, the sight of\nwhich will recall to the Israelites all the other commandments of God.\n[453]\n\nWhereas in the case of the Sabbath breaker Moses had been certain that\nthe sin was punishable by death, and had been certain that the sin was\npunishable by death, and had been in doubt only concerning the manner\nof execution, in the case of the blasphemer matters were different.\nHere Moses was in doubt concerning the nature of the crime, for he was\nnot even sure if it was at all a capital offence. Hence he did not have\nthese two men imprisoned together, because one of them was clearly a\ncriminal, whereas the status of the other was undetermined. But God\ninstructed Moses that the blasphemer was also to be stoned to death,\nand that this was to be the punishment for blasphemers in the future.\n[454]\n\nThere were two other cases beside these two in Moses' career on which\nhe could not pass judgement without appealing to God. These were the\nclaims of Zelophehad's daughters to the inheritance of their father,\nand the case of the unclean that might not participate in the offering\nof the paschal lamb. Moses hastened in his appeal to God concerning the\ntwo last mentioned cases, but took his time with the two former, for on\nthese depended human lives. In this Moses set the precedent to the\njudges among Israel to dispatch civil cases with all celerity, but to\nproceed slowly in criminal cases. In all these cases, however, he\nopenly confessed that he did not at the time know the proper decision,\nthereby teaching the judges of Israel to consider it no disgrace, when\nnecessary, to consult others in cases when they were not sure of true\njudgement. [455]\n\n\n\n\n THE UNGRATEFUL MULTITUDE\n\n\nWhen God commanded Israel to set out from Sinai and continue their\nmarch, the Israelites were glad, for during their stay in that place\nthey had throughout eleven days received new laws daily, and they hoped\nthat after having departed from the holy mountain they would receive no\nfurther laws. Hence, instead of making a day's march from Sinai, as God\nhad commanded them, they marched incessantly for three days, in order\nto be as far as possible from the holy spot. They behaved like a boy\nwho runs quickly away after dismissal from school, that his teacher\nmight not call him back. Although this antipathy to His laws vexed God,\nHe did not therefore forsake them, but let the Ark move before them as\nlong as they desired to continue the march. For it was by this token\nthat the Israelites knew that the Shekinah was among them, as God had\npromised them. As often as they broke camp or pitched camp Moses would\nsay to them: \"Do what the Shekinah within the Ark bids you do.\" But\nthey would not believe Moses that the Shekinah dwelt among them unless\nhe spoke the words: \"Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered;\nand let them that hate Thee flee before Thee,\" whereupon the Ark would\nbegin to move, and they were convinced of the presence of the Shekinah.\nThe Ark furthermore gave the signal for breaking camp by soaring up\nhigh, [456] and then swiftly moving before the camp at a distance of\nthree days' march, until it found a suitable spot upon which Israel\nmight encamp. [457]\n\nHardly had they departed from Sinai when they once more began to lead\nthe wicked course of life that they had for a time abandoned. They\nbegan to seek a pretext to renounce God and again to be addicted to\nidolatry. [458] They complained about the forced marches which at God's\ncommand they had been obliged to make after their departure from Sinai,\nand in this way showed their ingratitude to God who wanted them as\nquickly as possible to reach the Holy Land, and for this reason allowed\nthem to cover an eleven days' distance in three days. [459] Their\nmurmurs and complaints, however, were not silent, but quite loud, for\nthey were anxious that God should hear their wicked words. In\npunishment for their defamation of the Divine glory, God sent upon them\na fire emanating from the very glory. [460]\n\nUpon twelve occasions did God send a Divine fire upon earth, six times\nas a token of honor and distinction, but as many times as a punishment.\nTo the first class belong the fire at the consecration of the\nTabernacle, at the offering of Gideon as at that of Manoah and of\nDavid; at the dedication of Solomon's Temple, and at the offering of\nElijah upon Mount Carmel. The six fatal fires are the following: the\nfire that consumed Nadab and Abihu; that which wrought havoc among the\nmurmuring and complaining multitude; the fire that consumed the company\nof Korah; the fire that destroyed Job's sheep, and the two fires that\nburned the first and second troops which Ahaziah sent against Elijah.\n[461]\n\nThis celestial fire wrought the greatest havoc among the idolatrous\ntribe of Dan, and among the mixed multitude that had joined the\nIsraelites upon their exodus from Egypt. [462] The elders of the people\nturned to Moses, saying: \"Rather deliver us as a sheep to the\nslaughter, but not to a celestial fire that consumes earthly fire.\"\n[463] They should by right have prayed to God themselves, but in this\ninstance they were like the king's son who had kindled his father's\nanger against him, and who not hastened to his father's friend, begging\nhim to intercede for him. So did Israel say to Moses: \"Go thou to God\nand pray for us.\" Moses instantly granted their wish, and God without\ndelay heard Moses' prayer and halted the destroying fire. [464] But God\ndid not simply take the fire away from Israel and put it elsewhere, for\nit was of such a nature that it would gradually have spread on all\nsides and finally have destroyed everything. It had in this way caused\nthe destruction in Israel, for, beginning at one end of the camp, it\nspread so rapidly that one could at not time tell how far it had gone.\nThat the presence of this Divine fire might continue to restrain Israel\nfrom sin, God did not allow it to rise back to heaven, but it found its\nplace on the altar of the Tabernacle, where it consumed all the\nofferings that were brought during Israel's stay in Egypt. This is the\nsame fire that destroyed Aaron's sons as well as Korah's company, and\nit is the Divine fire that every mortal beholds in the moment of his\ndeath. [465]\n\nOn this occasion also it was evident that pious men are greater than\nthe angels, for Moses took bundles of wool and laid them upon the\nDivine fire, which thereupon went out. [466] He then said to the\npeople: \"If you repent of your sin, then the fire will go out, but\notherwise it will burst forth and consume you.\" [467]\n\n\n\n\n THE FLESH-POTS OF EGYPT\n\n\nNot mindful of the punishment by fire, Israel still did not mend their\nways, but soon again began to murmur against God. As so often before,\nit was again the mixed multitude that rebelled against God and Moses,\nsaying: \"Who shall give up flesh to eat? We remember the fish that we\ndid eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks,\nand the onions, and the garlic. But now our soul is dried away: there\nis nothing at all, beside this manna before our eyes.\" But all this\nmurmuring and these complaints were only a pretext to sever themselves\nfrom God, for first of all, they actually possessed many herds and much\ncattle, enough plentifully to satisfy their lusting after flesh if they\nhad really felt it; and manna, furthermore, had the flavor of every\nconceivable kind of food, so all they had to do while eating it was to\nwish for a certain dish and they instantly perceived in manna the taste\nof the desired food. It is true that manna never gave them the flavor\nof the five vegetables they mentioned, but they should have been\ngrateful to God for sparing them the taste of these vegetables\ninjurious to health. Here they showed their perversity in being\ndissatisfied with measures for which they should have been grateful to\nGod. Manna displeased them because it did not contain the flavor\ninjurious to health, and they also objected to it because it remained\nin their bodies, wherefore they said: \"The manna will swell in our\nstomachs, for can there be a human being that takes food without\nexcreting it!\" God had, as a special mark of distinction, given them\nthis food of the angels, which is completely dissolved in the body, and\nof which they could always partake without injury to their health. It\nis a clear proof of the excellent taste of manna that a later time,\nwhen the last manna fell on the day of Moses' death, they ate of it for\nforty days, and would not make use of other food until the manna had\nbeen exhausted to the last grain, clearly showing that the taking of\nany different food was disagreeable. But while manna was at hand in\nabundance, they complained about seeing before them, morning and\nevening, no other food than manna. [468]\n\nThe true state of affairs was that they had a lurking dissatisfaction\nwith the yoke of the law. It is certain that they had not had in Egypt\nbetter food for which they now longed, for their taskmasters, far from\ngiving them dainties, gave them not even straw for making bricks. But\nin Egypt they had lived undisturbed by laws, and it was this\nunrestrained life that they desired back. Especially hard for them were\nthe new laws on marriage, for in Egypt they had been accustomed to\nmarry those closely related by blood, from whom they were now obliged\nto separate. They now trooped together in families, and awaiting the\nmoment when Moses, about to leave the house of study, would have to\npass them, they began to murmur publicly, [469] accusing him of being\nto blame for all the sufferings they had been obliged to bear. Upon his\nadvice, they said, had they abandoned a most fruitful land, and instead\nof enjoying the great fortune promised to them, they were now wandering\nabout in misery, suffering thirst from lack of water, and were\napprehensive of dying of starvation in case the supply of manna should\ncease. When these and similar abuses were uttered against Moses, one\nout of the people stepped forth and exhorted them not so soon to forget\nthe many benefactions they had known from Moses, and not to despair of\nGod's aid and support. But the multitude upon this became even more\nexcited, and raged and shouted more violently than ever against Moses.\n[470] This conduct of Israel called forth God's wrath, but Moses,\ninstead of interceding for the people, began to complain of their\ntreatment of him, and announced to God that he could not now execute\nthe commission he had undertaken in Egypt, namely, to lead Israel in\nspite of all reverses, until he had reached the promised land. He now\nbegged God to relieve him of the leadership of the people in some way,\nand at the same time to stand by him in his present predicament, that\nhe might satisfy the people's desire for flesh. [471]\n\n\n\n\nTHE APPOINTMENT OF THE SEVENTY ELDERS\n\n\nThe sad predicament of Moses on this occasion is partly traceable to\nthe fact that he had to face alone the murmurs and complaints of the\npeople without the accustomed assistance of the seventy elders. Since\nthe exodus from Egypt the seventy elders of the people had always been\nat his side, but these had recently been killed by the fire from heaven\nat Taberah, so that he now stood all alone. This death overtook the\nelders because like Nadab and Abihu they had not shown sufficient\nreverence in ascending Mount Sinai on the day of the revelation, when,\nin view of the Divine vision, they conducted themselves in an unseemly\nmanner. Like Nadab and Abihu the elder would have received\ninstantaneous punishment for their offense, had not God been unwilling\nto spoil the joyful day of the revelation by their death. But they had\nto pay the penalty nevertheless: Nadab and Abihu, by being burned at\nthe consecration of the Tabernacle, and the elders similarly, at\nTaberah. [472]\n\nAs Moses now utterly refused to bear the burden of the people alone,\nGod said to him: \"I gave thee sufficient understanding and wisdom to\nguide My children alone, that thou mightest be distinguished by this\nhonor. Thou, however, wishest to share this guidance with others. Go,\nthen, and expect no help from Me, 'but I will take of the spirit that\nis upon thee and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden\nof the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone'\" [473]\n\nGod bade Moses choose as his helpers in the guidance of the people such\nmen as had already been active leaders and officers in Egypt. In the\ndays of Egyptian bondage it frequently happened that the officers of\nthe children of Israel were beaten if the people had not fulfilled\ntheir task in making bricks, but \"he that is willing to sacrifice\nhimself for the benefit of Israel shall be rewarded with honor,\ndignity, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.\" The officers suffered in\nEgypt for Israel, and were now found worthy of having the Holy Spirit\ncome upon them. [474] God moreover said to Moses: \"With kindly words\nwelcome the elders to their new dignity, saying, 'Hail to you that are\ndeemed worthy by God of being fit for this office.' At the same time,\nhowever, speak seriously with them also, saying, 'Know ye that the\nIsraelites are a troublesome and stiff-necked people, and that you must\never be prepared to have them curse you or cast stones at you'\"\n\nGod commanded the selection of the elders to take place at the\nTabernacle, that Israel might reverence them, saying, \"Surely these are\nworthy men,\" but they were not permitted with Moses to enter the\nTabernacle and hear God's word. The people were however mistaken in\nassuming that God's word reached the ears of the elders, for He spoke\nwith Moses alone, even though the prophetic spirit came upon them also.\n[475]\n\nNow when Moses wished to proceed to the selection of the seventy\nelders, he was in a sore predicament because he could not evenly divide\nthe number seventy among the twelve tribes, and was anxious to show no\npartiality to one tribe over another, which would lead to\ndissatisfaction among Israel. Bezalel, son of Uri, however, gave Moses\ngood advice. He took seventy slips of paper on which was written\n\"elder,\" and with them two blank slips, and mixed all these in an urn.\nSeventy-two elders, six to each tribe, now advance and each drew a\nslip. Those whose slips were marked \"elder\" were elected, while those\nwho had drawn blank slips were rejected, but in such a wise that they\ncould not well accuse Moses of partiality. [476]\n\nBy this method of appointment, it came to pass that there were six\nelders for each tribe except the tribe of Levi. The names of those\nchosen were: from the tribe of Reuben, - Hanoch, Carmi, Pallu, Zaccur,\nEliab, Nemuel; from the tribe of Simeon, - Jamin, Jachin, Zohar, Ohad,\nShaul, Zimri; from the tribe of Levi, - Amram, Hananiah, Nethanel,\nSithri; from the tribe of Judah, - Zerah, Dan, Jonadab, Bezalel,\nShephatiah, Nahshon; from the tribe of Issachar, - Zuar, Uzza, Igal,\nPalti, Othniel, Haggi; from the tribe of Zebulun, - Sered, Elon, Sodi,\nOholiab, Elijah, Nimshi; from the tribe of Benjamin, - Senaah, Kislon,\nElidad, Ahitub, Jediael, Mattaniah; from the tribe of Joseph, - Jair,\nJoezer, Malchiel, Adoniram, Abiram, Sethur; from the tribe of Dan, -\nGedaliah, Jogli, Ahinoam, Ahiezer, Daniel, Seraiah; from the tribe of\nNaphtali, - Elhanan, Eliakim, Elishama, Semachiah, Zabdi, Johanan; from\nthe tribe of Gad, - Haggai, Zarhi, Keni, Mattathiah, Zechariah, Shuni;\nfrom the tribe of Asher, - Pashhur, Shelomi, Samuel, Shalom, Shecaniah,\nAbihu. [477]\n\nMoses gathered these seventy elders of novel extraction and of lofty\nand pious character round about the tent in which God used to reveal\nHimself, bidding thirty of them take their stand on the south side,\nthirty on the northern, and ten on the eastern, whereas he himself\nstood on the western side. For this tent was thirty cubits long and ten\ncubits wide, so that a cubit each was apportioned to the elders. [478]\nGod was so pleased with the appointment of the elders that, just as on\nthe day of the revelation, He descended from heaven and permitted the\nspirit of prophecy to come upon the elders, so that they received the\nprophetic gift to the end of their days, as God had put upon them of\nthe spirit of Moses. But Moses' spirit was not diminished by this, he\nwas like a burning candle from which many others are lighted, but which\nis not therefore diminished; and so likewise was the wisdom of Moses\nunimpaired. Even after the appointment of the elders did Moses remain\nthe leader of the people, for he was the head of this Sanhedrin of\nseventy members which he guided and directed. [479]\n\nThe position of the elders was not of the same rank as that of Moses,\nfor he was the king of Israel, and it was for this reason that God had\nbidden him to secure trumpets, to use them for the calling of the\nassembly, that this instrument might be blown before him as before a\nking. Hence shortly before Moses' death these trumpets were recalled\nfrom use, for his successor Joshua did not inherit from him either his\nkingly dignity or these royal insignia. Not until David's time were the\ntrumpets used again which Moses had fashioned in the desert. [480]\n\n\n\n\nELDAD AND MEDAD\n\n\nWhen Moses had completed the appointment of the elders and had asked\nthem to accompany him to the Tabernacle, there to receive the Holy\nSpirit, Eldad and Medad, two of these elders, in their humility, did\nnot obey his summons, but hid themselves, deeming themselves unworthy\nof this distinction. God rewarded them for their humility by\ndistinguishing them five-fold above the other elders. These prophesied\nwhat would take place on the following day, announcing the appearance\nof the quails, but Eldad and Medad prophesied what was still veiled in\nthe distant future. The elders prophesied only on this one day, but\nEldad and Medad retained the gift for life. The elders died in the\ndesert, whereas Eldad and Medad were the leaders of the people after\nthe death of Joshua. The elders are not mentioned by name in the\nScriptures, whereas theses two are called by name. The elders,\nfurthermore, had received the prophetic gift from Moses, whereas Eldad\nand Medad received it directly from God. [481]\n\nEldad now began to make prophecies, saying: \"Moses will die, and Joshua\nthe son of Nun will be his successor as leader of the people, whom he\nwill lead into the land of Canaan, and to whom he will give it as a\npossession.\" Medad's prophecy was as follows: \"Quails will come from\nthe sea and will cover the camp of Israel, but they will bring evil to\nthe people.\" Besides these prophecies, both together announced the\nfollowing revelation: \"At the end of days there will come up out of the\nland of Magog a king to whom all nations will do homage. Crowned kings,\nprinces, and warriors with shields will gather to make war upon those\nreturned from exile in the land of Israel. But God, the Lord, will\nstand by Israel in their need and will slay all their enemies by\nhurling a flame from under His glorious Throne. This will consume the\nsouls in the hosts of the king of Magog, so that their bodies will drop\nlifeless upon the mountains of the land of Israel, and will become a\nprey to the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. Then will all\nthe dead among Israel arise and rejoice in the good that at the\nbeginning of the world was laid up for them, and will receive the\nreward for their good deeds.\" [482]\n\nWhen Gershon, Moses' son, heard these prophecies of Eldad and Medad, he\nhurried to his father and told him of them. Joshua was now greatly\nagitated about the prophecy that Moses was to die in the desert and\nthat he as to be his successor, and said to Moses: \"O lord, destroy\nthese people that prophesy such evil news!\" But Moses replied: \"O\nJoshua, canst thou believe that I begrudge thee thy splendid future? It\nis my wish that thou mayest be honored as much as I have been and that\nall Israel be honored like thee.\" [483]\n\nEldad and Medad were distinguished not only by their prophetic gift,\nbut also by their noble birth, being half-brothers of Moses and Aaron.\nWhen the marriage laws were revealed, all those who had been married to\nrelatives by blood had to be divorced from them, so that Amram, too,\nhad to be separated from his wife Jochebed, who was his aunt, and he\nmarried another woman. From this union sprang Eldad, \"not of an aunt,\"\nand Medad, \"in place of an aunt,\" so called by Amram to explain by\nthese names why he had divorced his first wife, his aunt. [484]\n\n\n\n\nTHE QUAILS\n\n\nThe prophecy of these men concerning the quails turned out as they had\npredicted, the quails being, as God had foretold to Moses, no blessing\nfor the people. For God said to Moses: \"Tell the people to be prepared\nfor impending punishment, they shall eat flesh to satiety, but then\nthey shall loathe it more than they now lust for it. I know, however,\nhow they came to have such desires. Because My Shekinah is among them\nthey believe that they may presume anything. Had I removed My Shekinah\nfrom their midst they would never have cherished so foolish a desire.\"\nMoses, knowing that the granting of the people's wish would be\ndisastrous to them, said to God: \"O Lord, why, pray, dost Thou first\ngive them flesh, and then, in punishment for their sin, slay them? Who\never heard any one say to an ass, 'Here is a measure of wheat; eat it,\nfor we want to cut off they head?' Or to a man, 'Here is a loaf of\nbread for thee; take it, and go to hell with it?'\" God replied: \"Well,\nthen, what wouldst thou do?\" Moses: \"I will go to them and reason with\nthem that they may desist from their lusting after flesh.\" God: \"I can\ntell thee beforehand that thy endeavors in this matter will be\nfruitless.\" Moses betook himself to the people, saying to them: \"Is the\nLord's hand waxed short? Behold, He smote the rock, that the waters\ngushed out, and the streams overflowed; He can give bread also; can He\nnot provide flesh for His people?\" The people, however, said: \"Thou are\nonly trying to soothe us; God cannot grant our wish.\" [485] But they\nerred vastly, for hardly had the pious among them retired to their\ntents, when upon the godless, who had remained in the open, came down\nquails in masses as thick as snowflakes, so that many more were kill by\nthe descent of the quails than later by the tasting of them. The quails\ncame in such masses that they completely filled the space between\nheaven and earth, so that they even covered the sun's disk, and settled\ndown on the north side and the south side of the camp, as it were a\nday's journey, lying, however, not directly upon the ground but two\ncubits above it, that people might not have to stoop to gather them up.\nConsidering this abundance, it is not surprising that even the halt\nthat could not go far, and the lazy the would not, gathered each a\nhundred kor. These vast quantities of flesh did not, however, benefit\nthem, for hardly had they tasted of it, when they gave up the ghost.\nThis was the punishment for the grave sinners, while the better ones\namong them enjoyed the taste of the flesh for a month before they died,\nwhereas the pious without suffering harm caught the quails, slaughtered\nthem, and ate of them. This was the heaviest blow that had fallen upon\nIsrael since their exodus from Egypt, and in memory of the many men who\nhad died because of their forbidden lusting after flesh, they changed\nthe name of the place where this misfortune occurred to\nKibroth-hattaavah, \"Graves of those who lusted.\" [486] The winds that\nwent forth to bring the quails was so powerful a storm that it could\nhave destroyed the world, so great was God's anger against the\nungrateful people, and it was only due to the merits of Moses and Aaron\nthat this wind finally left the world upon its hinges. [487]\n\n\n\n\nAARON AND MIRIAM SLANDER MOSES\n\n\nWhen the seventy elders were appointed, and the spirit of the Lord came\nupon them, all the women lighted the candles of joy, to celebrate by\nthis illumination the elevation of these men to the dignity of\nprophets. Zipporah, Moses' wife, saw the illumination, and asked Miriam\nto explain it. She told her the reason, and added, \"Blessed are the\nwomen who behold with their eyes how their husbands are raised to\ndignity.\" Zipporah answered, \"It would be more proper to say, 'Woe to\nthe wives of these men who must now abstain from all conjugal\nhappiness!'\" Miriam: \"How does thou know this?\" Zipporah: \"I judge so\nfrom the conduct of thy brother, for ever since he was chosen to\nreceive Divine revelations, he no longer knows his wife.\" [488] Miriam\nhereupon went to Aaron, and said to him: \"I also received Divine\nrevelations, but without being obliged to separated myself from my\nhusband,\" whereupon Aaron agreed, saying\" \"I, too, received Divine\nrevelations, without, however, being obliged to separated myself from\nmy wife.\" Then both said: \"Our fathers also received revelations, but\nwithout discontinuing their conjugal life. Moses abstains from conjugal\njoys only out of pride, to show how holy a man he is.\" Not only did\nthey speak evil of Moses to each other, but hastened to him and told\nhim to his face their opinion of his conduct. [489] But he, who could\nbe self-assured and stern when it touched a matter concerning God's\nglory, was silent to the undeserved reproached they heaped upon him,\nknowing that upon God's bidding he had foresworn earthly pleasures. God\ntherefore said: \"Moses is very meek and pays no attention to the\ninjustice meted out to him, as he did when My glory was detracted from,\nand boldly stepped forth and exclaimed, 'Who is on the Lord's side? Let\nhim come unto me.' I will therefore now stand by him.\"\n\nIt is quite true that this was not the only occasion on which Moses\nproved himself humble and gentle, for it was part of his character.\nNever among mortals, counting even the three Patriarchs, was there more\nmeek a man than he. The angels alone excelled him in humility, but no\nhuman being; for the angels are so humble and meek, that when the\nassemble to praise God, each angel calls to the other and asks him to\nprecede him, saying among themselves: \"Be thou the first, thou are\nworthier than I.\" [490]\n\nGod carried out His intention to uphold Moses' honor, for just as Aaron\nwas with his wife and Miriam with her husband, a Divine call suddenly\nreached Amram's three children, one voice that simultaneously called,\n\"Aaron!\" \"Moses!\" and \"Miriam!\" - a miracle that God's voice alone can\nperform. The call went to Moses also, that the people might not think\nthat Aaron and Miriam had been chosen to take Moses' place. He was\nready to hearken to God's words, but not so his brother and his sister,\nwho had been surprised in the state of uncleanness, and who therefore,\nupon hearing God's call, cried, \"Water, water,\" that they might purify\nthemselves before appearing before God. [491] They then left their\ntents and followed the voice until God appeared in a pillar of cloud, a\ndistinction that was conferred also upon Samuel. The pillar of cloud\ndid not, however, appear in the Tabernacle, where it always rested\nwhenever God revealed Himself to Moses, and this was due to the\nfollowing reasons. First of all, God did not want to create the\nimpression of having removed Moses from his dignity, and of giving it\nto his brother and sister, hence He did not appear to them in the holy\nplace. At the same time, moreover, Aaron was spared the disgrace of\nbeing reproached by God in his brother's presence, for Moses did not\nfollow his brother and sister, but awaited God's word in the sanctuary.\nBut there was still another reason why God did not want Moses to be\npresent during His conference with Aaron and Miriam - \"Never praise a\nman to his face.\" As God wanted to praise Moses before Aaron and\nMiriam, He preferred to do so in his absence. [492]\n\nHardly had God addressed Aaron and Miriam, when they began to interrupt\nHim, whereupon He said to them: \"Pray, contain yourselves until I have\nspoken.\" In these words He taught people the rule of politeness, never\nto interrupt. He then said: \"Since the creation of the world hath the\nword of God ever appeared to any prophet otherwise than in a dream? Not\nso with Moses, to whom I have shown what is above and what is below;\nwhat it before and what it behind; what was and what will be. To him\nhave I revealed all that is in the water and all that is upon the dry\nland; to him did I confide the sanctuary and set him above the angels.\nI Myself ordered him to abstain from conjugal life, and the word he\nreceived was revealed to him clearly and not in dark speeches, he saw\nthe Divine presence from behind when It passed by him. Wherefore then\nwere ye not afraid to speak against a man like Moses, who is, moreover,\nMy servant? Your censure is directed to Me, rather than to him, for\n'the receiver is no better than the thief,' and if Moses is not worthy\nof his calling, I, his Master, deserve censure.\" [493]\n\n\n\n\nMIRIAM'S PUNISHMENT\n\n\nGod now gently rebuked Aaron and Miriam for their transgression, and\ndid not give vent to His wrath until He had shown them their sin. This\nwas an example to man never to show anger to his neighbor before giving\nhis reason for his anger. The effects of God's wrath were shown as soon\nas He had departed from them, for while He was with them, His mercy\nexceeded His anger, and nothing happened to them, but when He was not\nlong with them, punishment set in. Both Aaron and Miriam became\nleprous, for this is the punishment ordained for those who speak ill of\ntheir neighbors. [494] Aaron's leprosy, however, lasted for a moment\nonly, for his sin had not been as great as that of his sister, who\nstarted the talk against Moses. His disease vanished as soon as he\nlooked upon his leprosy. Not so with Miriam. Aaron in vain tried to\ndirect his eyes upon her leprosy and in this way to heal her, for in\nher case the effect was the reverse; as soon as he looked upon her the\nleprosy increased, and nothing remained but to call for Moses'\nassistance, who was ready to give it before being called upon. [495]\nAaron thereupon turned to his brother with the following words: \"Think\nnot that the leprosy is on Miriam's body only, it is as if it were on\nthe body of our father Amram, of whose flesh and blood she is.\" Aaron\ndid not, however, try to extenuate their sin, saying to Moses: \"Have\nwe, Miriam and I, ever done harm to a human being?\" Moses: \"No.\" Aaron:\n\"If we have done evil to no strange people, how then canst thou believe\nthat we wished to harm thee? For a moment only did we forget ourselves\nand acted in an unnatural way toward our brother. Shall we therefore\nlose our sister? If Miriam's leprosy doth not now vanish, she must pass\nall her life as a leper, for only a priest who is not a relative by\nblood of the leper may under certain conditions declare her clean, but\nall the priests, my sons and I, are her relatives by blood. The life of\na leper is as of one dead, for as a corpse makes unclean all that comes\nin contact with it, so too the leper. Alas!\" so Aaron closed his\nintercession, \"Shall our sister, who was with us in Egypt, who with us\nintoned the song at the Red Sea, who took upon herself the instruction\nof the women while we instructed the men, shall she now, while we are\nabout to leave the desert and enter the promised land, sit shut out\nfrom the camp?\"\n\nThese words of Aaron, however, were quite superfluous, for Moses had\ndetermined, as soon as his sister became diseased, to intercede for her\nwith God, saying to himself: \"It is not right that my sister should\nsuffer and I dwell in contentment.\" [496] He now drew a circle about\nhimself, stood up, and said a short prayer to God, which he closed with\nthe words: \"I will not go from this spot until Thou shalt have healed\nmy sister. But if Thou do not heal her, I myself shall do so, for Thou\nhast already revealed to me, how leprosy arises and how it disappears.\"\nThis prayer was fervent, spoken with his whole heart and soul, though\nvery brief. Had he spoken long, some would have said: \"His sister is\nsuffering terribly and he, without heeding her, spends his time in\nprayer.\" Others again would have said: \"He prayeth long for his sister,\nbut for us he prayeth briefly.\" God said to Moses: \"Why dost thou shout\nso?\" Moses: \"I know what suffering my sister is enduring. I remember\nthe chain which my hand was chained, for I myself once suffered from\nthis disease.\" God: \"If a king, or if her father had but spit in her\nface, should she not be ashamed seven days? I, the King of kings, have\nspit in her face, and she should be ashamed at least twice seven days.\nFor thy sake shall seven days be pardoned her, but the other seven days\nlet her be shut out from the camp.\" For want of priest who, according\nto the tenets of the law, must declare a leper clean after the healing,\nGod Himself assumed this part, declaring Miriam unclean for a week, and\nclean after the passing of that period. [497]\n\nAlthough leprosy came to Miriam as a punishment for her sin, still this\noccasion served to show how eminent a personage she was. For the people\nwere breaking camp and starting on the march when, after having saddled\ntheir beasts of burden for the march, upon turning to see the pillar of\ncloud moving before them, they missed the sight of it. They looked\nagain to see if Moses and Aaron were in the line of procession, but\nthey were missing, nor was there anywhere to be seen a trace of the\nwell that accompanied them on their marches. Hence they were obliged to\nreturn again to camp, where they remained until Miriam was healed. The\nclouds and the well, the sanctuary and the sixty myriads of the people,\nall had to wait a week in this spot until Miriam recovered. Then the\npillar of cloud moved on once more and the people knew that they had\nnot been permitted to proceed on their march only because of this pious\nprophetess. This was a reward for the kind deed Miriam had done when\nthe child Moses was thrown into the water. Then Miriam for some time\nwalked up and down along the shore to wait the child's fate, and for\nthis reason did the people wait for her, nor could they move on until\nshe had recovered. [498]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SENDING OF THE SPIES\n\n\nThe punishment that God brought upon Miriam was meant as a lesson of\nthe severity with which God punishes slander. For Miriam spoke no evil\nof Moses in the presence of any one except her brother Aaron. She had\nmoreover no evil motive, but a kindly intention, wishing only to induce\nMoses to resume his conjugal life. She did not even dare to rebuke\nMoses to his face, and still, even in spite of her great piety, Miriam\nwas not spared this heavy punishment. [499] Her experience,\nnevertheless, did not awe the wicked man who, shortly after this\nincident, made an evil report of the promised land, and by their wicked\ntongues stirred up the whole people in rebellion against God, so that\nthey desired rather to return to Egypt than to enter Palestine. The\npunishment that God inflicted upon the spies as well as upon the people\nthey had seduced was well deserved, for had they not been warned of\nslander by Miriam's example, there might still have been some excuse.\nIn that case they might have been ignorant of the gravity of the sin of\nslander, but now they had no excuse to offer. [500]\n\nWhen Israel approached the boundaries of Palestine, they appeared\nbefore Moses, saying: \"We will send men before us, and they shall\nsearch out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up,\nand into what cities we shall come.\" This desire caused God to exclaim:\n\"What! When you went through a land of deserts and of pits, you had no\ndesire for scouts, but now that you are about to enter a land full of\ngood things, now you wish to send out scouts. Not only was the desire\nin itself unseemly, but also the way in which they presented their\nrequest to Moses; for instead of approaching as they had been\naccustomed, letting the older men be the spokesmen of the younger they\nappeared on this occasion without guidance or order, the young crowding\nout the old, and these pushing away their leaders. [501] Their bad\nconscience after making this request - for they knew that their true\nmotive was lack of faith in God - caused them to invent all sorts of\npretexts for their plans. They said to Moses: \"So long as we are in the\nwilderness, the clouds act as scouts for us, for they move before us\nand show us the way, but as these will not proceed with us into the\npromised land, we want men to search out the land for us.\" Another plea\nthat they urged for their desire was this. They said: \"The Canaanites\nfear an attack from us and therefore hid their treasures. This is the\nreason why we want to sent spies there in time, to discover for us\nwhere they are hiding their treasures.\" They sought in other ways to\ngive Moses the impression that their one wish was exactly to carry out\nthe law. They said: \"Hast not thou taught us that an idol to which\nhomage is no longer paid may be used, but otherwise it must be\ndestroyed? If we now enter Palestine and find idols, we shall not know\nwhich of them were adored by the Canaanites and must be destroyed, and\nwhich of them were no longer adored, so that we might use them.\"\nFinally they said the following to Moses: \"Thou, our teacher, hast\ntaught us that God 'would little by little drive the Canaanites before\nus.' If this be so, we must send out spies to find out which cities we\nmust attack first.\" [502] Moses allowed himself to be influenced by\ntheir talk, and he also liked the idea of sending out spies, but not\nwishing to act arbitrarily he submitted to God the desire of the\npeople. God answered: \"It is not the first time that they disbelieve My\npromises. Even in Egypt they ridiculed Me, it is now become a habit\nwith them, and I know what their motive in sending spies is. If thou\nwishest to send spies do so, but do not pretend that I have ordered\nthee.\"\n\nMoses hereupon chose one man from every tribe with the exception of\nLevi, and sent these men to spy out the land. These twelve men were the\nmost distinguished and most pious of their respective tribes, so that\neven God gave His assent to the choice of every man among them. [503]\nBut hardly had these men been appointed to their office when they made\nthe wicked resolve to bring up an evil report of the land, and dissuade\nthe people from moving to Palestine. Their motive was a purely personal\none, for they thought to themselves that they would retain their\noffices at the head of the tribes so long as they remained in the\nwilderness, but would be deprived of them when they entered Palestine.\n[504]\n\n\n\n\nSIGNIFICANT NAMES\n\n\nSignificant of the wickedness of these men are their names, all of\nwhich point to their godless action. The representative of the tribe of\nReuben was called Shammua, the son of Zaccur, because he did not obey\nGod, which was counted against him just as if he had pursued sorcery.\nShaphat, the son of Hori, was Simeon's representative. His name\nsignifies, \"He did not conquer his evil inclination, and hence went out\nempty-handed, without having received a possession in the land of\nIsrael.\" The tribe of Issachar was represented by Igal, the son of\nJoseph. He bore this name because he soiled the reputation of the Holy\nLand, and therefore died before his time. Benjamin's representative was\nPalti, the son of Raphu, so called because \"he spat out the good\nqualities that had previously been his, and therefore wasted away.\" The\nname of Gaddiel, the son of Sodi, Zebulun's representative, signifies,\n\"He spoke infamous things against God in executing the secret plan of\nthe spies.\" Manasseh's representative, Gaddi, the son of Susi, was so\ncalled because he blasphemed God and aroused His wrath; for it was he\nwho said of the land, \"it eateth up its inhabitants.\" But the worst one\namong them was Ammiel, the son of Gemalli, the representative of Dan,\nfor it was he who said, \"The land is so strong that not even God could\ngo up against it,\" hence his name, which means, \"He cast a shadow upon\nGod's strength,\" and he was punished according to his wicked words, for\nhe did not enter the promised land. Asher's representative was Sethur,\nthe son of Michael, who had resolved to act against God and instead of\nsaying, \"Who is like unto God?\" he said, \"Who is God?\" Naphtali's\nrepresentative was named Nahbi, the son of Vophsi, for he suppressed\nthe truth, and faith found no room in his mouth, for he brought forth\nlies against God. The last of these spies, Gad's representative, bore\nthe name Geuel, the son of Machi, for he was humbled because he urged\nuntruths against God.\n\nAs the ten sinners were name in accordance with their actions, so too\ndid the names of the two pious spies among them correspond to their\npious actions. Judah's representative was name Caleb, the son of\nJephunneh, because \"he spoke what he felt in his heart and turned aside\nfrom the advice of the rest of the spies.\" The pious representative of\nEphraim was Hoshea, the son of Nun, a fitting name for him, for he was\nfull of understanding and was not caught like a fish by the spies.\nMoses who perceived, even when he sent out the spies, the evil\nintentions they harbored, changed Hoshea's name to Joshua, saying: \"May\nGod stand by thee, that thou mayest not follow the counsel of the\nspies.\" [505]\n\nThis change of name that was brought about by the prefixing of the\nletter Yod at last silenced the lamentations of this letter. For ever\nsince God had changed Sarai's name to Sarah, the letter Yod used to fit\nabout the celestial Throne and lament: \"Is it perchance because I am\nthe smallest among the letters that Thou has taken me away from the\nname of the pious Sarah?\" God quieted this letter, saying: \"Formerly\nthou wert in a woman's name, and, moreover, at the end. I will not\naffix thee to a man's name, and, moreover, at the beginning.\" This\npromise was redeemed when Hoshea's name was changed to Joshua. [506]\n\nWhen the spies set out on their way, they received instructions from\nMoses how to conduct themselves, and what in particular, they were to\nnote. He ordered them not to walk on the highways, but to go along\nprivate pathways, for although the Shekinah would follow them, they\nwere still to incur no needless danger. If they entered a city,\nhowever, they were not to slink like thieves in alleyways, but to show\nthemselves in public and answer those who asked what they wanted by\nsaying: \"We came only to buy some pomegranates and grapes.\" They were\nemphatically to deny that they had any intention of destroying the\nidols or of felling the sacred trees. Moses furthermore said: \"Look\nabout carefully what manner of land it is, for some lands produce\nstrong people and some weak, some lands produce many people and some\nfew. If you find the inhabitants dwelling in open places, then know\nthat they are mighty warriors, and depending upon their strength have\nno fear of hostile attack. If, however, they live in a fortified place,\nthey are weaklings, and in their fear of strangers seek shelter within\ntheir walls. Examine also the nature of the soil. If it be hard, know\nthen that it it fat; but if it be soft, it is lean.\" [507] Finally he\nbade them inquire whether Job was still alive, for if he was dead, then\nthey assuredly needed not to fear the Canaanites, as there was not a\nsingle pious man among them whose merits might be able to shield them.\n[508] And truly when the spies reached Palestine, Job died, and they\nfound the inhabitants of the land at his grave, partaking of the\nfuneral feast. [509]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SPIES IN PALESTINE\n\n\nOn the twenty-seventh day of Siwan Moses sent out the spies from\nKadesh-Barnea in the wilderness of Paran, [510] and following his\ndirections they went first to the south of Palestine, the poorest part\nof the Holy Land. Moses did like the merchants, who first show the\npoorer wares, and then the better kind; so Moses wished the spies to\nsee better parts of the land the farther they advanced into it. When\nthey reached Hebron, they could judge what a blessed land this was that\nhad been promised them, for although Hebron was the poorest tract in\nall Palestine, it was still much better than Zoan, the most excellent\npart of Egypt. When, therefore, the sons of Ham built cities in several\nlands, it was Hebron that they erected first, owing to its excellence,\nand not Zoan, which they built in Egypt fully seven years later.\n\nTheir progress through the land was on the whole easy, for God had\nwished it so, that as soon as the spies entered a city, the plague\nstruck it, and the inhabitants, busied with the burial of their dead,\nhad neither time nor inclination to concern themselves with the\nstrangers. [511] Although they met with no evil on the part of the\ninhabitants, still the sight of the three giants, Ahiman, Sheshai, and\nTalmai inspired them with terror. These were so immensely tall that the\nsun reached only to their ankles, and they received their names in\naccordance with their size and strength. The strongest among them was\nAhiman, beholding whom one fancied oneself standing at the foot of a\nmountain that was about to fall, and exclaimed involuntarily, \"What is\nthis that is coming upon me?\" Hence the name Ahiman. Strong as marble\nwas the second brother, wherefore he was called Sheshai, \"marble.\" The\nmighty strides of the third brother threw up plots from the ground when\nhe walked, hence he was called Talmi, \"plots.\" [512] Not only the sons\nof Anak were of such strength and size, but his daughters also, whom\nthe spies chanced to see. For when these reached the city inhabited by\nAnak, that was called Kiriath-Arba, \"City of Four,\" because the giant\nAnak and his three sons dwelt there, they were struck with such terror\nby them that they sought a hiding place. But what they had believed to\nbe a cave was only the rind of a huge pomegranate that the giant's\ndaughter had thrown away, as they later, to their horror, discovered.\nFor this girl, after having eaten the fruit, remembered that she must\nnot anger her father by letting the rind lie there, so she picked it up\nwith the twelve men in it as one picks up an egg shell, and threw it\ninto the garden, never noticing that she had thrown with it twelve men,\neach measuring sixty cubits in height. When they left their hiding\nplace, they said to one another: \"Behold the strength of these women\nand judge by their standard the men!\" [513]\n\nThey soon had an opportunity of testing the strength of the men, for as\nsoon as the three giants heard of the presence of the Israelite men,\nthey pursued them, but the Israelites found out with what manner of men\nthey were dealing even before the giants had caught up with them. One\nof the giants shouted, and the spies fell down as men dead, so that it\ntook a long time for the Canaanites to restore them to life by the aid\nof friction and fresh air. The Canaanites hereupon said to them: \"Why\ndo you come here? Is not the whole world your God's, and did not He\nparcel it out according to His wish? Came ye here with the purpose of\nfelling the sacred trees?\" The spied declared their innocence,\nwhereupon the Canaanites permitted them to go their ways unmolested. As\na reward for this kind deed, the nation to which these giants belonged\nhas been preserved even to this day. [514]\n\nThey would certainly not have escaped from the hands of the giants, had\nnot Moses given them two weapons against them, his staff and the secret\nof the Divine Name. These two brought them salvation whenever they felt\nthey were in danger from the giants. For these were none other than the\nseed of the angels fallen in the antediluvian era. Sprung from their\nunion with the daughters of men, and being half angels, half men, these\ngiants were only half mortal. They lived very long, and then half their\nbody withered away. Threatened by an eternal continuance of this\ncondition, half life, and half death, they preferred either to plunge\ninto the sea, or by magic herb which they knew to put an end to their\nexistence. [515] They were furthermore of such enormous size that the\nspies, listening one day while the giants discussed them, heard them\nsay, pointing to the Israelites: \"There are grasshoppers by the trees\nthat have the semblance of men,\" for \"so they were in their sight.\"\n[516]\n\nThe spies, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, had resolved from\nthe start to warn the people against Palestine, and so great was their\ninfluence that Caleb feared he would yield to it. He therefore hastened\nto Hebron where the three Patriarchs lie, and, standing at their\ngraves, said: \"Joshua is proof against the pernicious influence of the\nspies, for Moses had prayed to God for him. Send up prayers now, my\nfathers, for me, that God in His mercy may keep me far from the counsel\nof the spies.\" [517]\n\nThere had always been a clash between Caleb and his comrades during\ntheir crossing through Palestine. For whereas he insisted upon taking\nalong the fruits of the land to show their excellence to the people,\nthey strongly opposed this suggestion, wishing as they did to keep the\npeople from gaining an impression of the excellence of the land. Hence\nthey yielded only when Caleb drew his sword, saying: \"If you will not\ntake of the fruits, either I shall slay you, or you will slay me.\" They\nhereupon cut down a vine, which was so heavy that eight of them had to\ncarry it, putting upon each the burden of one hundred and twenty seah.\nThe ninth spy carried a pomegranate, and the tenth a fig, which they\nbrought from a place that had once belonged to Eshcol, one of Abraham's\nfriends, but Joshua and Caleb carried nothing at all, because it was\nnot consistent with their dignity to carry a burden. [518] This vine\nwas of such gigantic size that the wine pressed from its grapes\nsufficed for all the sacrificial libations of Israel during the forty\nyears' march. [519]\n\nAfter the lapse of forty days they returned to Moses and the people,\nafter having crossed through Palestine from end to end. By natural\nmeans it would not, of course, have been possible to traverse all the\nland in so short a time, by God made it possible by \"bidding the soil\nto leap for them,\" and they covered a great distance in a short time.\nGod knew that Israel would have to wander in the wilderness forty\nyears, a year for every day the spies had spent in Palestine, hence He\nhastened their progress through the land, that Israel might not have to\nstay too long in the wilderness. [520]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SLANDEROUS REPORT\n\n\nWhen Moses heard that the spies had returned from their enterprise, he\nwent to his great house of study, where all Israel too assembled, for\nit was a square of twelve miles, affording room to all. [521] There too\nthe spies betook themselves and were requested to give their report.\nPursuing the tactics of slanderers, they began by extolling the land,\nso that they might not by too unfavorable a report arouse the suspicion\nof the community. They said: \"We came unto the land whither thou\nsentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey.\" This was not an\nexaggeration, for honey flowed from the trees under which the goats\ngrazed, out of whose udders poured mile, so that both mile and honey\nmoistened the ground. But they used these words only as an\nintroduction, and the passed on to their actual report, which they had\nelaborated during those forty days, and by means of which they hoped to\nbe able to induce the people to desist from their plan of entering\nPalestine. [522] \"Nevertheless,\" they continued, \"the people be strong\nthat dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great: and\nmoreover we saw children of Anak there.\" Concerning the latter they\nspoke an untruth with the intention of inspiring Israel with fear, for\nthe sons of Anak dwelt in Hebron, whither Caleb alone had gone to pray\nat the graves of the Patriarchs, [523] at the same time as the Shekinah\nwent there to announce to the Patriarch that their children were now on\nthe way to take possession of the land which had been promised to them\nof yore. [524] To intensify to the uttermost their fear of the\ninhabitants of Palestine, they furthermore said: \"The Amalekites dwell\nin the land of the South.\" They threatened Israel with Amalek as one\nthreatens a child with a strap that had once been employed to chastise\nhim, for they had had bitter experiences with Amalek. The statement\nconcerning Amalek was founded on fact, for although southern Palestine\nhad not originally been their home, still they had recently settled\nthere in obedience to the last wish of their forefather Esau, who had\nbidden them cut off Israel from their entrance into the promised land.\n\"If, however,\" continued the spies in their report, \"you are planning\nto enter the land from the mountain region in order to evade Amalek,\nlet us inform you that the Hittites, and the Jebussites, and the\nAmorites dwell in the mountains; and if you plan to go there by sea,\nlet us inform you that the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the\nJordan.\" [525]\n\nAs soon as the spies had completed their report, Joshua arose to\ncontradict them, but they gave him no chance to speak, calling out to\nhim: \"By what right dost thou, foolish man, presume to speak? Thou hast\nneither sons nor daughters, so what dost thou care if we perish in our\nattempt to conquer the land? We, on the other hand, have to look out\nfor our children and wives.\" Joshua, therefore, very much against his\nwill, had to be silent. Caleb now considered in what way he could\nmanage to get a hearing without being shouted down as Joshua had been.\n\nCaleb had given his comrades an entirely false impression concerning\nhis sentiments, for when these formed the plan to try to make Israel\ndesist from entering Palestine, they drew him into their council, and\nhe pretended to agree with them, whereas he even then resolved to\nintercede for Palestine. Hence, when Caleb arose, the spies were\nsilent, supposing he would corroborate their statements, a supposition\nwhich his introductory words tended to strengthen. He began: \"Be\nsilent, I will reveal the truth. This is not all for which we have to\nthank the son of Amram.\" But to the amazement of the spies, his next\nwords praised, not blamed, Moses. He said: \"Moses - it is he who drew\nus up out of Egypt, who clove the sea for us, who gave us manna as\nfood.\" In this way he continued his eulogy on Moses, closing with the\nwords: \"We should have to obey him even if he bade us ascend to heaven\nupon ladders!\" [526] These words of Caleb were heard by all the people,\nfor his words were so mighty that they could be heard twelve miles off.\nIt was this same powerful voice that had saved the life of the spies.\nFor when the Canaanites first took note of them and suspected them of\nbeing spies, the three giants, Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai pursued them\nand caught up with them in the plain of Judea. When Caleb, hidden\nbehind a fence, saw that the giants were at their heels, he uttered\nsuch a shout that the giants fell down in a swoon because of the\nfrightful din. When they had recovered, the giants declared that they\nhad pursued the Israelites not because of the fruits, but because they\nhad suspected them of the wish to burn their cities. [527]\n\nCaleb's mighty voice did not, however, in the least impress the people\nor the spies, for the latter, far from retracting their previous\nstatements, went so far as to say: \"We be not able to go up against the\npeople; for they are stronger than we, they are so strong that even God\ncan not get at them. The land through which we had gone to search it is\na land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof through disease; and all\nthe people that we saw in it are men of wicked traits. And here we saw\nmen upon sight of whom we almost swooned in fright, the giants, the\nsons of Anak, which come of giants: and we were in our own sight as\ngrasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.\" [528] At these last\nwords, God said: \"I have not objection to your saying, 'We were in our\nown sight as grasshoppers,' but I take it amiss if you say, 'And so we\nwere in their sight,' for how can you tell how I made you appear in\ntheir sight? How do you know if you did not appear to them to be\nangels?\" [529]\n\n\n\n\nTHE NIGHT OF TEARS\n\n\nThe words of the spies were heard by willing ears. The people believed\nthem implicitly, and when called to task by Moses, replied: \"O our\nteacher Moses, if there had been only two spies or three, we should\nhave had to give credence to their words, for the law tells us to\nconsider the testimony of even two as sufficient, whereas in this case\nthere are fully ten! [530] Our brethren have made us faint of heart.\nBecause the Lord hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the land of\nEgypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us.\" By\nthese words the Israelites revealed that they hated God, and for this\nreason did they believe that they were hated by Him, for \"whatever a\nman wisheth his neighbor, doth he believe that his neighbor wisheth\nhim.\" They even tried to convince Moses that God hated them. They said:\n\"If an earthly king has two sons and two fields, on watered by a river,\nand the other dependent upon rains, will he not five the one that is\nwatered by the river to his favorite son, and give the other, less\nexcellent field to his other son? God led us out of Egypt, a land that\nis not dependent upon rain, only to give us the land of Canaan, which\nproduces abundantly only if the rains fall.\" [531]\n\nNot only did the spies in the presence of Moses and Aaron voice their\nopinion that is was not advisable to attempt conquering Palestine, but\nthey employed every means of inciting the people into rebellion against\nMoses and God. On the following evening every one of them betook\nhimself to his house, donned his mourning cloths, and began to weep\nbitterly and to lament. Their housemates quickly ran toward them and in\nastonishment asked their reason for these tears and lamentations.\nWithout interrupting their wailings, they answered\" \"Woe is me for ye,\nmy sons, and woe is me for ye, my daughters and daughters-in-law, that\nare doomed to be dishonored by the uncircumcised and to be given as a\nprey to their lusts. These men that we have beheld are not like unto\nmortals. Strong and mighty as angels are they; one of them might well\nslay a thousand of us. How dare we look into the iron faces of men so\npowerful that a nail of theirs is sufficient to stop up a spring of\nwater!\" At these words all the household, sons, daughters, and\ndaughters-in-law, burst into tears and loud lamentations. Their\nneighbors came running to them and joined in the wails and sobs until\nthey spread throughout all the camp, and all the sixty myriads of\npeople were weeping. When the sound of their weeping reached heaven,\nGod said: \"Ye weep to-day without a cause, I shall see to it that in\nthe future ye shall have a cause to weep on this day.\" It was then that\nGod decreed to destroy the Temple on the ninth day of Ab, the day on\nwhich Israel in the wilderness wept without cause, so that this day\nbecame forever a day of tears. [532]\n\nThe people were not, however, content with tears, they resolved to set\nup as leaders in place of Moses and Aaron, Dathan and Abiram, and under\ntheir guidance to return to Egypt. [533] But worse than this, not only\ndid they renounce their leader, but also their God, for they denied Him\nand wished to set up and idol for their God. [534] Not only the wicked\nones among them such as the mixed multitude demurred against Moses and\nAaron, but those also who had heretofore been pious, saying: \"Would to\nGod that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would to God we had died\nin this wilderness!\" When Joshua and Caleb heard these speeches of the\npeople teeming with blasphemy, they rent their garments and tried to\nrestrain the people from their sinful enterprise, exhorting them\nparticularly to have fear of the Canaanites, because the time was at\nhand when God had promised Abraham to give the land of Canaan to his\ndescendants, and because there were no pious men among the inhabitants\nof the land for whose sake God would have been willing to leave it\nlonger in their possession. They also assured the people that God had\nhurled from heaven the guardian angel of the inhabitants of Palestine,\nso that they were now impotent. [535] The people, however, replied: \"We\ndo not believe you; the other spies have our weal and woe more at heart\nthan you.\" [536] Nor were the admonitions of Moses of more avail, even\nthough he brought them a direct message from God to have no fear of the\nCanaanites. In vain did he say to them, \"He who wrought all those\nmiracles for you in Egypt and during your stay in the wilderness will\nwork miracles for you as well when you will enter the promised land.\nTruly the past ought to inspire you with trust in the future.\" The only\nanswer the people had to this was, \"Had we heard this report of the\nland from strangers, we should not have given it credit, but we have\nheard it from men whose sons are our sons, and whose daughters are our\ndaughters.\" [537] In their bitterness against their leaders they wanted\nto lay hands upon Moses and Aaron, whereupon God sent His cloud of\nglory as a protection to them, under which they sought refuge. But far\nfrom being brought to a realization of their wicked enterprise by this\nDivine apparition, they cast stones at the cloud, hoping in this way to\nkill Moses and Aaron. This outrage on their part completely wore out\nGod's patience, and He determined upon the destruction of the spies,\nand a severe punishment of the people misled by them. [538]\n\n\n\n\nINGRATITUDE PUNISHED\n\n\nGod now appeared to Moses, bidding him convey the following words to\nthe people: \"You kindle My anger on account of the very benefits I\nconferred upon you. When I clove the sea for you that you might pass\nthrough, while the Egyptians stuck in the loam at its bottom, you said\nto one another, 'In Egypt we trod loam, and He led us out of Egypt,\nonly that we might again tread it.' I gave you manna as food, which\nmade you strong and fat, but you, perceiving of it, said: 'How comes it\nto pass that twenty days a human being dies if after four or five days\nhe does not excrete food he had taken. Surely we are doomed to die.'\nWhen the spies came to Palestine, I arranged it so that as soon as they\nentered the city its king or governor dies, in order that the\ninhabitants, occupied with the burial of their ruler, might not take\naccount of the spies' presence and kill them. Instead of being thankful\nfor this, the spies returned and reported, 'The land through which we\nhave gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants\nthereof.' To you I gave the Torah; for your sake I said to the Angel of\nDeath, 'Continue to hold sway over the rest of the world, but not over\nthis nation that I have chosen as My people.' Truly I had hopes that\nafter all this you would sin no more, and like Myself and the angels\nwould live eternally, without ever tasting death. You, however, in\nspite of the great opportunity that I offered you, conducted yourselves\nlike Adam. Upon him also did I lay a commandment, promising him life\neternal on condition he observed it, but he brought ruin upon himself\nby trespassing My commandment and eating of the tree. To him I said,\n'Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.' Similar was My\nexperience with you. I said, 'You are angels,' but you conducted\nyourselves like Adam in your sins, and hence like Adam you must die. I\nhad thought and hoped you would follow example of the Patriarchs, but\nyou act like the inhabitants of Sodom, who in punishment for their sins\nwere consumed by fire.\" [539] \"If,\" continued God, turning to Moses,\n\"they suppose that I have need of swords or spears to destroy them,\nthey are mistaken. As through the word I created the world, so can I\ndestroy the world by it, which would be a proper punishment for them.\nAs through their words and their talk they angered Me, so shall the\nword kill them, and thou shalt be their heir, for 'I will make of thee\na greater nation and mightier than they.'\" [540] Moses said: \"If the\nchair with three legs could not withstand the moment of Thy wrath, how\nthen shall a chair that have but one leg endure? Thou are about to\ndestroy the seed of the three Patriarchs; how then may I hope that my\nseed is to fare better? This is not the only reason for which Thou\nshouldst preserve Israel, as there are other considerations why Thou\nshouldst do so. Were Thou to destroy Israel, the Edomites, Moabites,\nand all the inhabitants of Canaan would say [541] that Thou hadst done\nthis only because Thou wert not able to maintain Thy people, and\ntherefore Thou didst destroy them. These will furthermore declare that\nthe gods of Canaan are mightier than those of Egypt, that Thou hadst\nindeed triumphed over the river gods of Egypt, but that Thou wert not\nthe peer of the rain gods of Canaan. Worse even than this, the nations\nof the world will accuse Thee of continuous cruelty, saying, 'He\ndestroyed the generation of the flood through water; He rased to the\nground the builders of the tower, as well as the inhabitants of Sodom;\nand no better then theirs was the fate of the Egyptians, whom He\ndrowned in the sea. Now He hath also ruined Israel whom He had called,\n'My firstborn son,' like Lilith who, when she can find no strange\nchildren, slays her own. So did He slay His own son.\" [542] Moses\nfurthermore said: \"Every pious man makes a point of cultivating a\nspecial virtue. Do Thou also in this instance bring Thy special virtue\nto bear.\" God: \"And what is My special virtue?\" Moses: \"Long-suffering,\nlove, and mercy, for Thou art wont to be long-suffering with them that\nkindle Thy wrath, and to have mercy for them. In Thy very mercy is Thy\nstrength best shown. Mete out to Thy children, then, justice in small\nmeasure only, but mercy in great measure.\" [543]\n\nMoses well knew that mercy was God's chief virtue. He remembered that\nhe had asked God, when he interceded for Israel after their sin of the\nGolden Calf, \"Pray tell me by what attribute of Thine Thou rulest the\nworld.\" God answered: \"I rule the world with loving-kindness, mercy,\nand long-suffering.\" \"Can it be,\" said Moses, \"that Thy long-suffering\nlets sinners off with impunity?\" To this question Moses had received no\nanswer, hence he felt he might now say to God: \"Act now as Thou didst\nthen assent. [544] Justice, that demands the destruction of Israel, is\non one side of the scales, but it is exactly balance by my prayer on\nthe other side. Let us now see how the scales will balance.\" God\nreplied: \"As truly as thou livest, Moses, thy prayer shall dip the\nscales to the side of mercy. For thy sake must I cancel My decision to\nannihilate the children of Israel, so that the Egyptians will exclaim,\n'Happy the servant to whose wish his master defers.' I shall, however,\ncollect My debt, for although I shall not annihilate Israel all at\nonce, they shall make partial annual payments during the following\nforty years. Say to them, 'Your carcasses shall fall in this\nwilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole\nnumber, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against\nMe. And your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years,\nand shall bear you whoredoms, until your carcasses be consumed in the\nwilderness.'\" [545]\n\nThis punishment was not, however, as severe as it might appear, for\nnone among them died below the ages of sixty, whereas those who had at\nthe time of the exodus from Egypt been either below twenty or above\nsixty were entirely exempt from this punishment. Besides only such were\nsmitten as had followed the counsel of the spies, whereas the others,\nand the Levites and the women were exempt. [546] Death, moreover,\nvisited the transgressors in such fashion that they were aware it was\nmeant as punishment for their sins. Throughout all the year not one\namong them died. On the eighth day of the month of Ab, Moses would have\na herald proclaim throughout the camp, \"Let each prepare his grave.\"\nThey dug their graves, and spent there the following night, the same\nnight on which, following the counsel of the spies, they had revolted\nagainst God and Moses. In the morning a herald would once more appear\nand cry: \"Let the living separate themselves from the dead.\" Those that\nwere still alive arose, but about fifteen thousand of them remained\ndead in their graves. After forty years, however, when the herald\nrepeated his customary call the ninth day of Ab, all arose, and there\nwas not a single dead man among them. At first they thought they had\nmade a miscalculation in their observation of the moon, that is was not\nthe ninth day of Ab at all, and that this was the reason why their\nlives had been spared. Hence they repeated their preparations for death\nuntil the fifteenth day of Ab. Then the sight of the full moon\nconvinced them that the ninth day of Ab had gone by, and that their\npunishment had been done away with. In commemoration of the relief from\nthis punishment, they appointed the fifteenth day of Ab to be a holy\nday. [547]\n\n\n\n\nTHE YEARS OF DISFAVOR\n\n\nAlthough God had now cancelled His resolution to annihilate Israel, He\nwas not yet quite reconciled with them, and they were out of favor\nduring the following years of their march through the desert, as was\nmade evident by several circumstances. During these years of disfavor\nthe north wind did not blow, with the result that the boys who were\nborn in the desert could not be circumcised, as the absence of the wind\nproduced and excessively high temperature, a condition that made it\nvery dangerous for the young boys to have this operation performed upon\nthem. [548] As the law, however, prohibits the offering of the paschal\nlamb unless the boys have been circumcised, Israel could not properly\nobserve the feast of Passover after the incident of the spies. [549]\nMoses also felt the effects of the disfavor, for during this time he\nreceived from God none but the absolutely essential directions, and no\nother revelations. This was because Moses, like all other prophets,\nreceived this distinction only for the sake of Israel, and when Israel\nwas in disgrace, God did not communicate with him affectionately. [550]\nIndeed Moses' fate, to die in the desert without entering the promised\nland, had been decreed simultaneously with the fate of the generation\nled by him out of Egypt. [551]\n\nBut the most terrible punishment of all fell upon the spies who, with\ntheir wicked tongues, had brought about the whole disaster. God repaid\nthem measure for measure. Their tongues stretched to so great a length\nthat they touched the navel; and worms crawled out of their tongues,\nand pierced the navel; in this horrible fashion these men died. [552]\nJoshua and Caleb, however, who had remained true to God and had not\nfollowed the wicked counsel of their colleagues, were not only exempted\nfrom death, but were furthermore rewarded by God, by receiving in the\nHoly Land the property that had been allotted to the other spies. [553]\nCaleb was forty years of age at the time when he was sent out as a spy.\nHe had married early, and at the age of ten had begot a son, still at\nthe age of eighty-five he was sturdy enough to enjoy his possession in\nthe Holy Land. [554]\n\nGod's mercy is also extended to sinners, hence He bade Moses say to the\npeople: \"The Amalekites and the Canaanites are now dwelling in the\nvalley, to-morrow turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way\nof the Red Sea.\" God did this because He had firmly resolved, in the\nevent of a war between Israel and the inhabitants of Palestine, not to\naid the former. Knowing that in this cast their annihilation was sure,\nHe commanded them to make no attempt to enter the land by force. [555]\n\"It had been My intention,\" said God, \"to exalt you, but now if you\nwere to attempt to make war upon the inhabitants of Palestine, you\nwould suffer humiliation.\" The people did not, however, hearken to the\nwords of God that Moses communicated to them, and all at once formed in\nbattle array in order to advance against the Amorites. They thought\nthat after they had confessed their sin of having been misled by the\nspies, God would stand by them in their battles, so they said to Moses:\n\"Surely these few drops have not filled the bucket.\" Their\ntransgression against God seemed to them only a peccadillo that had\nlong since been forgiven. They were, however, mistaken. Like bees the\nenemies swarmed down upon them, and whereas these had in former times\nfallen dead of fright upon hearing the names of the Israelites, now a\nblow from them sufficed to kill the Israelites. Their attempt to wage\nwar without the Holy Ark in their midst proved a miserable failure.\nMany of them, and Zelophehad among these, met their death, and as many\nothers returned to camp covered with wounds. The wailing and weeping of\nthe people was of no avail, God persisted in His resolve, and they\nbrought upon themselves grave punishment for this new proof of\ndisobedience, for God said to Moses: \"If I were to deal with them now\nin accordance with strict justice, they should never enter the land.\nAfter a while, however, I shall let them 'possess the land, which I\nsware unto their fathers to give unto them.'\" [556]\n\nIn order to comfort and encourage Israel in their dejection, Moses\nreceived directions to announce the law of sacrifices, and other\nprecepts laid down for the life in the Holy Land, that the people might\nsee that God did not mean to be angry with them forever. When Moses\nannounced the laws to them, a dispute arose between the Israelites and\nthe proselytes, because the former declared that they alone and not the\nothers were to make offerings to God in His sanctuary. God hereupon\ncalled Moses, and said to him: \"Why do these always quarrel one with\nanother?\" Moses replied: \"Thou knowest why.\" God: \"Have I not said to\nthee, 'One law and one ordinance shall be for you and for the stranger\nthat sojourneth with you?'\" [557]\n\nAlthough the forty years' march through the desert was a punishment for\nthe sin of Israel, still it had one advantage. At the time when Israel\ndeparted from Egypt, Palestine was in poor condition; the trees planted\nin the time of Noah were old and withered. Hence God said: \"What! Shall\nI permit Israel to enter an uninhabitable land? I shall bid them wander\nin the desert for forty years, that the Canaanites may in the meantime\nfell the old trees and plant new ones, so that Israel, upon entering\nthe land, may find it abounding in plenty.\" So did it come to pass, for\nwhen Israel conquered Palestine, they found the land not only newly\ncultivated, [558] but also filled to overflowing with treasures. The\ninhabitants of this land were such misers that they would not indulge\nin a drop of oil for their gruel; if an egg broke, they did not use it,\nbut sold it for cash. The hoardings of these miserly Canaanites God\nlater gave to Israel to enjoy and to use. [559]\n\n\n\n\nTHE REBELLION OF KORAH\n\n\nThe Canaanites were not the only ones who did not enjoy their wealth\nand money, for a similar fate was decreed for Korah. He had been the\ntreasurer of Pharaoh, and possessed treasures so vast that he employed\nthree hundred white mules to carry the keys of his treasures: but \"let\nnot the rich man boast of his riches,\" for Korah through his sin lost\nboth life and property. Korah had obtained possession of his riches in\nthe following way: When Joseph, during the lean years, through the sale\nof grain amassed great treasures, he erected three great buildings, one\nhundred cubits wide, one hundred cubits long, and one hundred cubits\nwide, one hundred high, filled them with money and delivered them to\nPharaoh, being too honest to leave even five silver shekels of this\nmoney to his children. Korah discovered one of these three treasuries.\nOn account of his wealth he became proud, and his pride brought about\nhis fall. [560] He believed Moses had slighted him by appointing his\ncousin Elizaphan as chief of the Levite division of Kohathites. He\nsaid: \"My grandfather had four sons, Amram, Ishar, Hebron, and Uzziel.\nAmram, as the firstborn, had privileges of which his sons availed\nthemselves, for Aaron is high priest and Moses is king; but have not I,\nthe son of Izhar, the second son of Kohath, the rightful claim to be\nprince of the Kohathites? Moses, however, passed me by and appointed\nElizaphan, whose father was Uzziel, the youngest son of my grandfather.\nTherefore will I now stir up rebellion against Moses, and overthrow all\ninstitutions founded by him.\" Korah was far too wise a man to believe\nthat God would permit success to a rebellion against Moses, and stand\nby indifferently, but the very insight that enabled him to look into\nthe future became his doom. He saw with his prophetic eye that Samuel,\na man as great as both Aaron and Moses together, would be one of his\ndescendants; and furthermore that twenty-four descendants of his,\ninspired by the Holy Spirit, would compose psalms and sing them in the\nTemple. This brilliant future of his descendants inspired him with\ngreat confidence in his undertaking, for he thought to himself that God\nwould not permit the father of such pious men to perish. His eye did\nnot, however, look sharply enough into the future, or else he would\nalso have known that his sons would repent of the rebellion against\nMoses, and would for this reason be deemed worthy of becoming the\nfathers of prophets and Temple singers, whereas he was to perish in\nthis rebellion. [561]\n\nThe names of this unfortunate rebel corresponded to his deed and to his\nend. He was called Korah, \"baldness,\" for through the death of his\nhorde he caused a baldness in Israel. He was the son of Izhar, \"the\nheat of the noon,\" because he caused the earth to be made to boil \"like\nthe heat of noon;\" and furthermore he was designated as the son of\nKohath, for Kohath signifies \"bluntness,\" and through his sin he made\n\"his children's teeth be set on edge.\" His description as the son of\nLevi, \"conduct,\" points to his end, for he was conducted to hell. [562]\n\nKorah, however, was not the only one who strove to overthrow Moses.\nWith him were, first of all, the Reubenites, Dathan and Abiram, who\nwell deserve their names, for the one signifies, \"transgressor of the\nDivine law,\" and the other, \"the obdurate.\" There were, furthermore,\ntwo hundred fifty men, who by their rank and influence belonged to the\nmost prominent people in Israel; among them even the princes of the\ntribes. In the union of the Reubenites with Korah was verified the\nproverb, \"Woe to the wicked, woe to his neighbor.\" For Korah, one of\nthe sons of Kohath, had his station to the south of the Tabernacle, and\nas the Reubenites were also encamped there, a friendship was struck up\nbetween them, so that they followed him in his undertaking against\nMoses. [563]\n\nThe hatred Korah felt against Moses was still more kindled by his wife.\nWhen, after the consecration of the Levites, Korah returned home, his\nwife noticed that the hairs of his head and of his body had been\nshaved, and asked him who had done all this to him. He answered,\n\"Moses,\" whereupon his wife remarked: \"Moses hates thee and did this to\ndisgrace thee.\" Korah, however, replied: \"Moses shaved all the hair of\nhis own sons also.\" But she said: \"What did the disgrace of his own\nsons matter to him if he only felt he could disgrace thee? He was quite\nready to make that sacrifice.\" [564] As at home, so also did Korah fare\nwith others, for, hairless as he was, no one at first recognized him,\nand when people at last discovered who was before them, they asked him\nin astonishment who had so disfigured him. In answer to their inquiries\nhe said, \"Moses did this, who besides took hold of my hands and feet to\nlift me, and after he had lifted me, said, 'Thou art clean.' But his\nbrother Aaron he adorned like a bride, and bade him take his place in\nthe Tabernacle.\" Embittered by what they considered as insult offered\nhim by Moses, Korah and his people exclaimed: \"Moses is king, his\nbrother did he appoint as high priest, his nephews as heads of the\npriests, he allots to the priest the heave offering and many other\ntributes.\" [565] Then he tried to make Moses appear ridiculous in the\neyes of the people. Shortly before this Moses had read to the people\nthe law of the fringes in the borders of their garments. Korah now had\ngarments of purple made for the two hundred fifty men that followed\nhim, all of whom were chief justices. Arrayed thus, Korah and his\ncompany appeared before Moses and asked him if they were required to\nattach fringes to the corners of these garments. Moses answered, \"Yea.\"\nKorah then began this argument. \"If,\" said he, \"one fringe of purple\nsuffices to fulfil this commandment, should not a whole garment of\npurple answered the requirements of the law, even if there be no\nspecial fringe of purple in the corners?\" He continued to lay before\nMoses similar artful questions: \"Must a Mezuzah be attached to the\ndoorpost of the house filled with the sacred Books?\" Moses answered,\n\"Yea,\" Then Korah said: \"The two hundred and seventy sections of the\nTorah are not sufficient, whereas the two sections attached to the\ndoor-post suffice!\" Korah put still another question: \"If upon a man's\nskin there show a bright spot, the size of half a bean, is he clean or\nis he unclean?\" Moses: \"Unclean.\" \"And,\" continued Korah, \"if the spot\nspread and cover all the skin of him, is he then clean or unclean?\"\nMoses: \"Clean.\" \"Laws so irrational,\" said Korah, \"cannot possibly\ntrace their origin from God. The Torah that thou didst teach to Israel\nis not therefore God's work, but thy work, hence art thou no prophet\nand Aaron is no high priest!\" [566]\n\n\n\n\n KORAH ABUSES MOSES AND THE TORAH\n\n\nThen Korah betook himself to the people to incite them to rebellion\nagainst Moses, and particularly against the tributes to the priests\nimposes upon the people by him. That the people might now be in a\nposition to form a proper conception of the oppressive burden to these\ntasks, Korah told them the following tale that he had invented: \"There\nlived in my vicinity a widow with two daughters, who owned for their\nsupport a field whose yield was just sufficient for them to keep body\nand soul together. When this woman set out to plow her field, Moses\nappeared and said: 'Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an ass\ntogether.' When she began to sow, Moses appeared and said: 'Thou shalt\nnot sow with divers seeds.' When the first fruits showed in the poor\nwidow's field, Moses appeared and bade her bring it to the priests, for\nto them are due 'the first of all the fruit of the earth'; and when at\nlength the time came for he to cut it down, Moses appeared and ordered\nher 'not wholly to reap the corners of the field, not to gather the\ngleanings of the harvest, but to leave them for the poor.' When she had\ndone all that Moses had bidden her, and was about to thrash the grain,\nMoses appeared once more, and said: 'Give me the heave offerings, the\nfirst and the second tithes to the priest.' When at last the poor woman\nbecame aware of the fact that she could not now possibly maintain\nherself from the yield of the field after the deduction of all the\ntributes that Moses had imposed upon her, she sold the field and with\nthe proceeds purchased ewes, in the hope that she might now undisturbed\nhave the benefit of the wool as well as the younglings of the sheep.\nShe was, however, mistaken. When the firstling of the sheep was born,\nAaron appeared and demanded it, for the firstborn belongs to the\npriest. She had a similar experience with the wool. At shearing time\nAaron reappeared and demanded 'the first of the fleece of the sheep,'\nwhich, according to Moses' law, was his. But not content with this, he\nreappeared later and demanded one sheep out of every ten as a tithe, to\nwhich again, according to the law, he had a claim. This, however, was\ntoo much for the long-suffering woman, and she slaughtered the sheep,\nsupposing that she might now feel herself secure, in full possession of\nthe meat. But wide of the mark! Aaron appeared, and, basing his claim\non the Torah, demanded the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the maw.\n'Alas!' exclaimed the woman, 'The slaughtering of the sheep did not\ndeliver me out of thy hands! Let the meat then be consecrated to the\nsanctuary.' Aaron said, 'Everything devoted in Israel is mine. It shall\nthen be all mine.' He departed, taking with him the meat of the sheep,\nand leaving behind him the widow and her daughters weeping bitterly.\nSuch men,\" said Korah, concluding his tale, \"are Moses and Aaron, who\npass their cruel measures as Divine laws.\" [567]\n\nPricked on by speeches such as these, Korah's horde appeared before\nMoses and Aaron, saying: \"Heavier is the burden that ye lay upon us\nthan was that of the Egyptians; and moreover as, since the incident of\nthe spies, we are forced annually to offer as a tribute to death\nfifteen thousand men, it would have been better for us had we stayed in\nEgypt.\" They also reproached Moses and Aaron with an unjustified love\nof power, saying: \"Upon Sinai all Israel heard the words of God, 'I am\nthy Lord.' Wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation\nof the Lord?\" [568] They knew no bounds in their attacks upon Moses,\nthey accused him of leading an immoral life and even warned their wives\nto keep far from him. [569] They did not, moreover, stop short at\nwords, but tried to stone Moses, [570] when at last he sought\nprotection from God and called to Him for assistance. He said: \"I do\nnot care if they insult me or Aaron, but I insist that the insult of\nthe Torah be avenged. 'If these men die the common death of all men,' I\nshall myself become a disbeliever and declare the Torah was not given\nby God.\" [571]\n\n\n\n\n MOSES PLEADS IN VAIN WITH KORAH\n\n\nMoses took Korah's transgression much to heart, for he thought to\nhimself that perhaps, after the many sins of Israel, he might not\nsucceed in obtaining God's pardon for them. He did not therefore have\nthis matter decided immediately, but admonished the people to wait\nuntil the following day, having a lingering hope that Korah's horde,\ngiven time for calm reflection, might themselves perceive their sin to\nwhich an excess of drink might have carried them away. Hence he said to\nthem: \"I may not now appear before the Lord, for although He partakes\nof neither food nor drink, still He will not judge such actions of ours\nas we have committed after feasting and revelling. But 'to-morrow the\nLord will show who are His.' [572] Know ye now that just as God has set\ndefinite bounds in nature between day and night, between light and\ndarkness, so also has He separated Israel from the other nations, and\nso also has he separated Aaron from the rest of Israel. If you can\nobliterate the boundary between light and darkness, then only you\nremove the boundary of separation between Israel and the rest, but not\notherwise. Other nations have many religions, many priests, and worship\nin many temples, but we have one God, one Torah, one law, one altar,\nand one high priest, whereas ye are two hundred fifty men, each of whom\nis imbued with the desire of becoming the high priest, as I too should\nlike to be high priest, if such a thing were possible. But to prove\nAaron's claim to his dignity, 'this do; take you censers, Korah, and\nall his company; and put fire therein, and put incense upon them before\nthe Lord to-morrow.' The offering of incense is the most pleasant\noffering before the Lord, but for him who hath not been called this\noffering holds a deadly poison, for it consumed Nadab and Abihu. But I\nexhort ye not to burden your souls with a deadly sin, for none but the\nman God will choose as high priest out of the number of you will remain\nalive, all others will pay with their lives at the offering of\nincense.\" These last words of Moses, however, far from restraining\nthem, only strengthened Korah in his resolve to accomplish his\nundertaking, for he felt sure that God would choose him, and none\nother. He had a prophetic presentiment that he was destined to be the\nforefather of prophets and Temple singers, and for this reason thought\nhe was specially favored by God.\n\nWhen Moses perceived that Korah was irreclaimable, he directed the rest\nof his warning to those other Levites, the men of Korah's tribe, who,\nhe feared, would join Korah in his rebellion. He admonished them to be\nsatisfied with the honors God had granted them, and not to strive for\npriestly dignity. He concluded his speech with a last appeal to Korah\nto cause no schism in Israel, saying; \"Had Aaron arbitrarily assumed\nthe priestly dignity, you would do right to withstand his presumption,\nbut it was God, whose attributes are sublimity, strength, and\nsovereignty, who clothed Aaron with this dignity, so that those who are\nagainst Aaron are in reality against God.\" Korah made no answer to all\nthese words, thinking that the best course for him to follow would be\nto avoid picking an argument with so great a sage as Moses, feeling\nsure that in such a dispute he should be worsted and, contrary to his\nown conviction, be forced to yield to Moses.\n\nMoses, seeing that is was useless to reason with Korah, sent a\nmessenger to Dathan and Abiram, [573] summoning them to appear before\nhis court. He did this because the law required that the accused be\nsummoned to appear before the judge, before the judgement may be passed\nupon him, and Moses did not wish these men to be punished without a\nhearing. [574] These, however, made answer to the messenger sent by\nMoses, \"We will not come up!\" This shameless answer held an unconscious\nprophecy. They went not up, but, as their end showed, down, to hell.\nNot only, moreover, did they refuse to comply with Moses' demand, they\nsent the following message in answer to Moses: \"Why dost thou set\nthyself up as master over us? What benefit didst thou bring to us? Thou\ndidst lead us out of Egypt, a land 'like the garden of the Lord,' but\nhast not brought us to Canaan, leaving us in the wilderness where we\nare daily visited by the plague. Even in Egypt didst thou try to assume\nthe leadership, just as thou doest not. Thou didst beguile the people\nin their exodus from Egypt, when thou didst promise to lead them to a\nland of milk and honey; in their delusion they followed thee and were\ndisappointed. Now dost thou attempt to persuade us as thou didst\npersuade them, but thou shalt not succeed, for we will not come and\nobey thy summons.\" [575]\n\nThe shamelessness of these two men, who declined even to talk about\ntheir transgression with Moses, aroused his wrath to the uttermost, for\na man does get a certain amount of satisfaction out of discussing the\ndispute with this opponents, whereas he feels badly if he cannot\ndiscuss the matter. In his anger he said to God: \"O Lord of the world!\nI well know that these sinners participated in the offerings of the\ncongregation that were offered for all Israel, but as they have\nwithdrawn themselves from the community, accept not Thou their share of\nthe offering and let it not be consumed by the heavenly fire. It was I\nwhom they treated so, I who took no money from the people for my\nlabors, even when payment was my due. It is customary for anyone who\nworks for the sanctuary to receive pay for his work, but I traveled to\nEgypt on my own ass, and took none of theirs, although I undertook the\njourney in their interests. It is customary for those that have a\ndispute to go before a judge, but I did not wait for this, and went\nstraight to them to settle their disputes, never declaring the innocent\nguilty, or the guilty innocent.\"\n\nWhen he now perceived that his words had no effect upon Korah and his\nhorde, he concluded his words with a treat to the ring leaders: \"Be\nthou and all thy company before the Lord, thou and they, and Aaron,\nto-morrow.\"\n\nKorah spent the night before the judgement in trying to win over the\npeople to his side, and succeeded in so doing. He went to all the other\ntribes, saying to them: \"Do not think I am seeking a position of honor\nfor myself. No, I wish only that this honor may fall to the lot of each\nin turn, whereas Moses is now king, and his brother high priest.\" On\nthe following morning, all the people, and not Korah's original company\nalone, appeared before the Tabernacle and began to pick quarrels with\nMoses and Aaron. Moses now feared that God would destroy all the people\nbecause they had joined Korah, hence he said to God: \"O Lord of the\nworld! If a nation rebels against a king of flesh and blood because ten\nor twenty men have cursed the king or his ambassadors, then he sends\nhis hosts to massacre the inhabitants of the land, innocent as well as\nguilty, for he is not able with certainty to tell which among them\nhonored the king and which among them cursed him. But Thou knowest the\nthought of man, and what his heart and kidneys counsel him to do, the\nworkings of Thy creatures' minds lie open before Thee, so that Thou\nknowest who had the spirit of each one.' Shall one man sin, and wilt\nthou be wroth with all the congregation?'\" God hereupon said to Moses\n[576] \"I have heard the prayer for the congregation. Say then, to them,\n'Get you up from about the Tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.'\"\n[577]\n\nMoses did not immediately carry out these instructions, for he tried\nonce again to warn Dathan and Abiram of the punishment impending upon\nthem, but they refused to give heed to Moses, and remained within their\ntents. \"Now,\" said Moses, \"I have done all I could, and can do nothing\nmore.\" Hence, turning to the congregation, he said: [578] \"Depart, I\npray you, from the tents of these wicked men, that even in their youth\ndeserved death as a punishment for their actions. In Egypt they\nbetrayed the secret of my slaying an Egyptian: at the Red Sea it was\nthey that angered God by their desire to return to Egypt; in Alush they\nbroke the Sabbath, and now they trooped together to rebel against God.\nThey now well deserve excommunication, and the destruction of all their\nproperty. 'Touch, therefore, nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in\nall their sins.'\" [579]\n\nThe community obeyed the words of Moses and drew back from the\ndwellings of Dathan and Abiram. These, not at all cowed, were not\nrestrained from their wicked intention, but stood at the doors of their\ntents, abusing and calumniating Moses. Moses hereupon said to God: \"If\nthese men die upon their beds like all men, after physicians have\nattended to them and acquaintances have visited them, then shall I\npublicly avow 'that the Lord hath not sent me' to do all these works,\nbut that I have done them of mine own mind.\" God replied: \"What wilt\nthou have Me do?\" Moses: \"If the Lord hath already provided the earth\nwith a mouth to swallow them, it is well, if not, I pray Thee, do so\nnow.\" God said: \"Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established\nunto thee.\" [580]\n\nMoses was not the only one to insist upon exemplary punishment of the\nhorde of Korah. Sun and Moon appeared before God, saying: \"If Thou\ngivest satisfaction to the son of Amram, we shall set out on our course\naround the world, but not otherwise.\" God, however, hurled lightnings\nafter them, that they might go about their duties, saying to them: \"You\nhave never championed My cause, but not you stand up for a creature of\nflesh and blood.\" Since that time Sun and Moon have always to be driven\nto duty, never doing it voluntarily because they do not wish to look\nupon the sins of man upon earth.\n\n\n\n\n KORAH AND HIS HORDE PUNISHED\n\n\nGod did not gainsay satisfaction of His faithful servant. The mouth of\nhell approached the spot upon which Dathan, Abiram, and their families\nstood, [581] and the ground under their feet grew so precipitous that\nthey were not able to stand upright, but rolled to the opening and went\nquickly into the pit. Not these wicked people alone were swallowed by\nthe earth, but their possessions also. Even their linen that was the\nlaunderer's or a pin belonging to them rolled toward the mouth of the\nearth and vanished therein. [582] Nowhere upon earth remained a trace\nof them or of their possessions, and even their names disappeared from\nthe documents upon which they were written. [583] They did not,\nhowever, meet an immediate death, but sank gradually into the earth,\nthe opening of which adjusted itself to the girth of each individual.\nThe lower extremities disappeared first, then the opening widened, and\nthe abdomen followed, until in this way the entire body was swallowed.\nWhile they were sinking thus slowly and painfully, they continued to\ncry: \"Moses is truth and his Torah is truth. We acknowledge that Moses\nis rightful king and true prophet, that Aaron is legitimate high\npriest, and that the Torah has been given by God. Now deliver us, O our\nteacher Moses!\" These words were audible throughout the entire camp, so\nthat all might be convinced of the wickedness of Korah's undertaking.\n[584]\n\nWithout regard to these followers of Korah, who were swallowed up by\nthe earth, the two hundred and fifty men who had offered incense with\nAaron found their death in the heavenly fire that came down upon their\noffering and consumed them. But he who met with the most terrible form\nof death was Korah. Consumed at the incense offering, he then rolled in\nthe shape of a ball of fire to the opening in the earth, and vanished.\nThere was a reason for this double punishment of Korah. Had he received\npunishment by burning alone, then those who had been swallowed by the\nearth, and who had failed to see Korah smitten by the same punishment,\nwould have complained about God's injustice, saying: \"It was Korah who\nplunged us into destruction, yet he himself escaped it.\" Had he, on the\nother hand, been swallowed by the earth without meeting death by fire,\nthen those whom the fire had consumed would have complained about God\ninjustice that permitted the author of their destruction to go\nunpunished. Now, however, both those who perished by fire and those who\nwere swallowed up by the earth witnessed their leader share their\npunishment. [585]\n\nThis terrible death did not, however, suffice to atone for the sins of\nKorah and his company, for their punishment continues in hell. They are\ntortured in hell, and at the end of thirty days, hell again casts them\nup near to the surface of the earth, on the spot where they had been\nswallowed. Whosoever on that day puts his ear to the ground upon that\nspot hears the cry. \"Moses is truth, and his Torah is truth, but we are\nliars.\" Not until after the Resurrection will their punishment cease,\nfor even in spite of their grave sin they were not given over to\neternal damnation.\n\nFor a time Korah and his company believed that they should never know\nrelief from these tortures of hell, but Hannah's words encouraged them\nnot to despair. In reference to them she announced the prophecy, \"The\nLord bringeth low, to Sheol, and lifteth up.\" At first they had no real\nfaith in this prophecy, but when God destroyed the Temple, and sank its\nportals deep into the earth until they reached hell, Korah and his\ncompany clung to the portals, saying: \"If these portals return again\nupward, then through them shall we also return upward.\" God hereupon\nappointed them as keepers of these portals over which they will have to\nstand guard until they return to the upper world. [586]\n\n\n\n\n ON AND THE THREE SONS OF KORAH SAVED\n\n\nGod punished discord severely, for although the decree of Heaven does\nnot otherwise punish any one below twenty years of age, at Korah's\nrebellion the earth swallowed alive even children that were only a day\nold - men, women, and children, all together. [587] Out of all the\ncompany of Korah and their families only four persons escaped ruin, to\nwit: On, the son of Peleth, and Korah's three sons. As it was Korah's\nwife who through her inciting words plunged her husband into\ndestruction, so to his wife does On owe his salvation. Truly to these\ntwo women applies the proverb: \"Every wise woman buildeth her house:\nbut the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.\" On, whose\nabilities had won him distinction far beyond that of his father, had\noriginally joined Korah's rebellion. When he arrived home and spoke of\nit to his wife, she said to him: \"What benefit shalt thou reap from it?\nEither Moses remains master and thou art his disciple, or Korah becomes\nmaster and thou art his disciple.\" On saw the truth of this argument,\nbut declared that he felt it incumbent upon himself to adhere to Korah\nbecause he had given him his oath, which he could not now take back.\nHis wife quieted him, however, entreating him to stay at home. To be\nquite sure of him, however, she gave him wine to drink, whereupon he\nfell into a deep sleep of intoxication. His wife now carried out her\nwork of salvation, saying to herself: \"All the congregation are holy,\nand being such, they will approach no woman whose hair is uncovered.\"\nShe now showed herself at the door of the tent with streaming hair, and\nwhenever one out of the company of Korah, about to go to On, saw the\nwoman in this condition, he started back, and owing to this schemer\nhusband had no part in the rebellion. When the earth opened to swallow\nKorah's company, the bed on which On still slept began to rock, and to\nroll to the opening in the earth. On's wife, however, seized it,\nsaying: \"O Lord of the world! My husband made a solemn vow never again\nto take part in dissensions. Thou that livest and endurest to all\neternity canst punish him hereafter if ever he prove false to his vow.\"\nGod heard her plea, and On was saved. She now requested On to go to\nMoses, but he refused, for he was ashamed to look into Moses' face\nafter he had rebelled against him. His wife then went to Moses in his\nstead. Moses at first evaded her, for he wished to have nothing to do\nwith women, but as she wept and lamented bitterly, she was admitted and\ntold Moses all that had occurred. He now accompanied her to her house,\nat the entrance of which he cried: \"On, the son of Peleth, step forth,\nGod will forgive thee thy sins.\" It is with reference to this\nmiraculous deliverance and to his life spent in doing penance that this\nformer follower of Korah was called On, \"the penitent,\" son of Peleth,\n\"miracle.\" His true name was Nemuel, the son of Eliab, a brother of\nDathan and Abiram. [588]\n\nMore marvelous still than that of On was the salvation of Korah's three\nsons. For when the earth yawned to swallow Korah and his company, these\ncried: \"Help us, Moses!\" The Shekinah hereupon said: \"If these men were\nto repent, they should be saved; repentance do I desire, and naught\nelse.\" Korah's three sons now simultaneously determined to repent their\nsin, but they could not open their mouths, for round about them burned\nthe fire, and below them gaped hell. [589] God was, however, satisfied\nwith their good thought, and in the sight of all Israel, for their\nsalvation, a pillar arose in hell, upon which they seated themselves.\nThere did they sit and sing praises and song to the Lord sweeter than\never mortal ear had heard, so that Moses and all Israel hearkened to\nthem eagerly. They were furthermore distinguished by God in receiving\nfrom Him the prophetic gift, and they then announced in their songs\nevents that were to occur in the future world. They said: \"Fear not the\nday on which the Lord will 'take hold of the ends of the earth, and the\nwicked be shaken out of it,' for the pious will cling to the Throne of\nGlory and will find protection under the wings of the Shekinah. Fear\nnot, ye pious men, the Day of Judgement, for the judgement of sinners\nwill have as little power over you as it had over us when all the\nothers perished and we were saved.\" [590]\n\n\n\n\n ISRAEL CONVINCED OF AARON'S PRIESTHOOD\n\n\nAfter the death of the two hundred and fifty followers of Korah, who\nperished at the offering of incense, Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was\nordered \"to take up the censers out of the burning,\" in which the\nsouls, not the bodies of the sinners were burned, [591] that out of\nthese brasen plates he made a covering for the altar. Eleazar, and not\nhis father, the high priest, received this commission, for God said:\n\"The censer brought death upon two of Aaron's sons, therefore let the\nthird now fetch forth the censer and effect expiation for the sinners.\"\n[592] The covering of the altar fashioned out of the brass of these\ncensers was \"to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end\nthat no stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to burn\nincense before the Lord.\" Such a one was not, however, to be punished\nlike Korah and his company, but in the same way as Moses had once been\npunished by God, with leprosy. This punishment was visited upon king\nUzziah, who tried to burn incense in the Temple, asserting that it was\nthe king's task to perform the service before the King of all. The\nheavens hastened to the scene to consume him, just as the celestial\nfire had once consumed the two hundred and fifty men, who had\nwrongfully assumed the rights of priesthood; the earth strove to\nswallow him as it had once swallowed Korah and his company. But a\ncelestial voice announced: \"Upon none save Korah and his company came\npunishments like these, upon no others. This man's punishment shall be\nleprosy.\" Hence Uzziah became a leper. [593]\n\nPeace was not, however, established with the destruction of Korah and\nhis company, for on the very day that followed the terrible\ncatastrophe, there arose a rebellion against Moses, that was even more\nviolent than the preceding one. For although the people were now\nconvinced that nothing came to pass without the will of God, still they\nthought God was doing all this for Moses' sake. Hence they laid at his\ndoor God's violent anger against them, blaming not the wickedness of\nthose who had been punished, but Moses, who, they said, had excited\nGod's revengefulness against them. They accused Moses of having brought\nabout the death of so many of the noblest among them as a punishment\nfor the people, only that they might not again venture to call him to\naccount, and that he might thereby ensure his brother's possession of\nthe priestly office, since no one would hereafter covet it, seeing that\non its account the noblest among them had met so terrible a fate. The\nkinsmen of those who had perished stirred the flame of resentment and\nspurred on the people to set a limit to Moses' love of power, insisting\nthat the public welfare and the safety of Israel demanded such\nmeasures. [594] These unseemly speeches and their unceasing,\nincorrigible perverseness brought upon them God's wrath to such a\ndegree that He wanted to destroy them all, and bade Moses and Aaron go\naway from the congregation that He might instantly set about their\nruin.\n\nWhen Moses saw that \"there was wrath gone out from the Lord, and the\nplague was begun,\" he called Aaron to him, saying: \"Take thy censer and\nput fire therein from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry\nit quickly unto the congregation, and make atonement for them.\" This\nremedy against death Moses had learned from the Angel of Death himself\nat the time he was staying in heaven to receive the Torah. At that time\nhe had received a gift from each one of the angels, and that of the\nAngel of Death had been the revelation of the secret that incense can\nhold him at bay. [595] Moses, in applying this remedy, had in mind also\nthe purpose of showing the people the injustice of their superstition\nconcerning the offering of incense. They called it death-bearing\nbecause it had brought death upon Nadab and Abihu, as well as upon the\ntwo hundred and fifty followers of Korah. He now wished to convince\nthem that it was this very incense that prevented the plague, and to\nteach them that it is sin that brings death. [596] Aaron, however, did\nnot know why he employed incense, and therefore said to Moses: \"O my\nlord Moses, hast thou perchance my death in view? My sons were burned\nbecause they put strange fires into the censers. Shall I now fetch holy\nfire from the altar and carry it outside? Surely I shall meet death\nthrough this fire!\" Moses replied: \"Go quickly and do as I have bidden\nthee, for while thou dost stand and talk, they die.\" Aaron hastened to\ncarry out the command given to him, saying: \"Even if it be my death, I\nobey gladly if I can only serve Israel thereby.\" [597]\n\nThe Angel of Death had meanwhile wrought terrible havoc among the\npeople, like a reaper mowing down line after line of them, allowing not\none of the line he touched to escape, whereas, on the other hand, not a\nsingle man died before he reached the row in which the man stood.\nAaron, censer in hand, now appeared, and stood up between the ranks of\nthe living and those of the dead, holding the Angel of Death at bay.\nThe latter now addressed Aaron, saying: \"Leave me to my work, for I\nhave been sent to do it by God, whereas thou dost bid me stop in the\nname of a creature that is only of flesh and blood.\" Aaron did not,\nhowever, yield, but said: \"Moses acts only as God commands him, and if\nthou wilt not trust him, behold, God and Moses are both in the\nTabernacle, let us both betake ourselves thither.\" The Angel of Death\nrefused to obey his call, whereupon Aaron seized him by force and,\nthrusting the censer under his face, dragged him to the Tabernacle\nwhere he locked him in, so that death ceased. [598]\n\nIn this way Aaron paid off a debt to Moses. After the worship of the\nGolden Calf, that came to pass not without some guilt on Aaron's part,\nGod had decreed that all four of Aaron's sons were to die, but Moses\nstood up between the living and the dead, and through his prayer\nsucceeded in saving two out of the four. In the same way Aaron now\nstood up between the living and the dead to ward off from Israel the\nAngel of Death. [599]\n\nGod in His kindness now desired the people once and for all to be\nconvinced of the truth that Aaron was the elect, and his house the\nhouse of priesthood, hence he bade Moses convince them in the following\nfashion. Upon God's command, he took a beam of wood, divided it into\ntwelve rods, bade every prince of a tribe in his own hand write his\nname on one of the rods respectively, and laid up the rods over night\nbefore the sanctuary. Then the miracle came to pass that the rod of\nAaron, the prince of the tribe of Levi, bore the Ineffable Name which\ncaused the rod to bloom blossoms over night and to yield ripe almonds.\nWhen the people, who all night had been pondering which tribe should on\nthe morrow be proven by the rod of its prince to be the chosen one,\nbetook themselves early in the morning to the sanctuary, and saw the\nblossoms and almonds upon the rod of Aaron, they were at last convinced\nthat God had destined the priesthood for his house. The almonds, which\nripen more quickly than any other fruit, at the same time informed them\nthat God would quickly bring punishment upon those who should venture\nto usurp the powers of priesthood. Aaron's rod was then laid up before\nthe Holy Ark by Moses. It was this rod, kings used until the time of\nthe destruction of the Temple, when, in miraculous fashion, it\ndisappeared. Elijah will in the future fetch it forth and hand it over\nto the Messiah. [600]\n\n\n\n\n THE WATERS OF MERIBAH\n\n\nKorah's rebellion took place during Israel's sojourn in Kadesh-Barnea,\nwhence, a short time before, the spies had been sent out. They remained\nin this place during nineteen years, and then for as long a time\nwandered ceaselessly from place to place through the desert. [601] When\nat last the time decreed by God for their stay in the wilderness was\nover, and the generation that God had said must die in the desert had\npaid its penalty for its sin, they returned again to Kadesh-Barnea.\nThey took delight in this place endeared to them by long years of\nhabitation, and settled down in the expectation of a cheerful and\nagreeable time. But the prophetess Miriam now dies, and the loss of the\nwoman, who occupied a place as high as that of her brothers, Moses and\nAaron, at once became evident in a way that was perceived by the pious\nas well as by the godless. She was the only woman who died during the\nmarch through the desert, and this occurred for the following reasons.\nShe was a leader of the people together with her brothers, and as these\ntwo were not permitted to lead the people into the promised land, she\nhad to share their fate. The well, furthermore, that had provided\nIsrael with water during the march through the desert, had been a gift\nof God to the people as a reward for the good deeds of this prophetess,\nand as this gift had been limited to the time of the march through the\ndesert, she had to die shortly before the entrance into the promised\nland.\n\nHardly had Miriam died, when the well also disappeared and a dearth of\nwater set in, that all Israel might know that only owing to the merits\nof the pious prophetess had they been spared a lack of water during the\nforty years of the march. [602] While Moses and Aaron were now plunged\nin deep grief for their sister's death, a mob of the people collected\nto wrangle with them on account of the dearth of water. Moses, seeing\nthe multitudes of people approaching from the distance, said to his\nbrother Aaron: \"What may all these multitudes desire?\" The other\nreplied: \"Are not the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob\nkind-hearted people and the descendants of kind-hearted people? They\ncome to express their sympathy.\" Moses, however, said: \"Thou are not\nable to distinguish between a well-ordered procession and this motley\nmultitude; were these people assembled in an orderly procession, they\nwould move under the leadership of the rules of thousands and the\nrulers of hundreds, but behold, they move in disorderly troops. How\nthen can their intentions be to console with us!\" [603]\n\nThe two brothers were not long to remain in doubt concerning the\npurpose of the multitude, for they stepped up to them and began to pick\na quarrel with Moses, saying: \"It was a heavy blow for us when fourteen\nthousand and seven hundred of our men died of the plague; harder still\nto bear was the death of those who were swallowed up by the earth, and\nlost their lives in an unnatural way; the heaviest blow of all,\nhowever, was the death of those who were consumed at the offering of\nincense, whose terrible end is constantly recalled to us by the\ncovering of the altar, fashioned out of the brasen plates that came of\nthe censers used by those unfortunate ones. But we bore all these\nblows, and even wish we had all perished simultaneously with them\ninstead of becoming victims to the tortures of death by thirst.\" [604]\n\nAt first they directed their reproaches against Moses alone, since\nAaron, on account of his extraordinary love of peace and his\nkind-heartedness, was the favorite of the people, but once carried away\nby suffering and rage, they started to hurl their accusations against\nboth of the brothers, saying: \"Formerly your answer to us had always\nbeen that sorrows came upon us and that God did not stand by us because\nthere were sinful and godless men among us. Now that we are 'a\ncongregation of the Lord,' why have ye nevertheless led us to this poor\nplace where there is not water, without which neither man nor beast can\nlive? Why do not ye exhort God to have pity upon us since the well of\nMiriam had vanished with her death?\" [605]\n\n\"A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast,\" and the fact that\nthese people, so near to death, still considered the sufferings of\ntheir beasts shows that they were, notwithstanding their attitude\ntoward Moses and Aaron, really pious men. And, in truth, God did not\ntake amiss their words against Moses and Aaron, \"for God holds no man\naccountable for that which he utters in distress.\" For the same reason\nneither Moses nor Aaron made reply to the accusations hurled against\nthem, but hastened to the sanctuary to implore God's mercy for His\npeople. They also considered that the holy place would shelter them in\ncase the people meant to lay hands upon them. God actually did appear\nat once, and said to them: \"Hasten from this place; My children die of\nthirst, and ye have nothing better to do than to mourn the death of an\nold woman!\" [606] He then bade Moses \"to speak unto the rock that it\nmay give forth water,\" but impressed upon them the command to bring\nforth neither honey nor oil out of the rock, but water only. This was\nto prove God's power, who can pour out of the rock not only such\nliquids as are contained in it, but water too, that never otherwise\nissues from a rock. He also ordered Moses to speak to the rock, but not\nto smite it with his rod. \"For,\" said God, \"the merits of them that\nsleep in the Cave of Machpelah suffice to cause their children to\nreceive water out of the rock.\" [607]\n\nMoses then fetched out of the Tabernacle the holy rod on which was the\nIneffable Name of God, and, accompanied by Aaron, betook himself to the\nrock to bring water out of it. [608] On the way to the rock all Israel\nfollowed him, halting at any rock by the way, fancying that they might\nfetch water out of it. The grumblers now went about inciting the people\nagainst Moses, saying: \"Don't you know that the son of Amram had once\nbeen Jethro's shepherd, and all shepherds have knowledge of the places\nin the wilderness that are rich in water? Moses will now try to lead us\nto such a place where there is water, and then he will cheat us and\ndeclare he had causes the water to flow out of a rock. If he actually\nis able to bring forth water out of rocks, then let him fetch it out of\nany one of the rocks upon which we fix.\" Moses could easily have done\nthis, for God said to him: \"Let them see the water flow out of the rock\nthey have chosen,\" but when, on the way to the rock, he turned around\nand perceived that instead of following him they stood about in groups\naround different rocks, each group around some rock favored by it, he\ncommanded them to follow him to the rock upon which he had fixed. They,\nhowever, said: \"We demand that thou bring us water out of the rock we\nhave chosen, and if thou wilt not, we do not care to fetch water out of\nanother rock.\" [609]\n\n\n\n\n MOSES' ANGER CAUSES HIS DOOM\n\n\nThroughout forty years Moses had striven to refrain from harshly\naddressing the people, knowing that if but a single time he lost\npatience, God would cause him to die in the desert. On this occasion,\nhowever, he was mastered by his rage, and shouted at Israel the words:\n\"O ye madmen, ye stiffnecked ones, that desire to teach their teacher,\nye that shoot upon your leaders with your arrows, do ye think that out\nof this rock that ye have chosen, we shall be able to bring forth\nwater? [610] I vow that I shall let water flow out of that rock only\nthat I have chosen.\" He addressed these harsh words not to a few among\nIsrael, but to all the people, for God had brought the miracle to pass\nthat the small space in front of the rock held all Israel. Carried away\nby anger, Moses still further forgot himself, and instead of speaking\nto the rock as God had commanded him, he struck a rock chosen by\nhimself. [611] As Moses had not acted according to God's command, the\nrock did not at once obey, and sent forth only a few drops of water, so\nthat the mockers cried: \"Son of Amram, is this for the sucklings and\nfor them that are weaned from the milk?\" Moses now waxed angrier still,\nand for a second time smote the rock, from which gushed streams so\nmighty that many of his enemies me their death in the currents, and at\nthe same time water poured out of all the stones and rocks of the\ndesert. [612] God here upon said to Moses: \"Thou and Aaron believed Me\nnot, I forbade you to smite the rock, but thou didst smite it; ye\nsanctified Me not in the eyes of the children of Israel because ye did\nnot fetch water out of any one of the rocks, as the people wished; ye\ntrespassed against Me when ye said, 'Shall we bring forth water out of\nthis rock?' and ye acted contrary to My command because ye did not\nspeak to the rock as I had bidden ye. I vow, therefore, that 'ye shall\nnot bring this assembly into the land which I have given them,' and not\nuntil the Messianic time shall ye two lead Israel to the Holy Land.\"\n[613] God furthermore said to Moses: \"Thou shouldst have learned from\nthe life of Ishmael to have greater faith in Me; I bade the well to\nspring up for him, even though he was only a single human being, on\naccount of the merits of his father Abraham. How much more than hadst\nthou a right to expect, thou who couldst refer to the merits of the\nthree Patriarchs as well as to the people's own, for they accepted the\nTorah and obeyed many commandments. Yea, even from thine own experience\nshouldst thou have drawn greater faith in My will to aid Israel. When\nin Rephidim thou didst say to Me, 'They be almost ready to stone me,'\ndid not I not reply to thee, 'Why dost thou accuse My children? God\nwith thy rod before the people, and thou shalt smite the rock, and\nthere shall come water out of it.' If I wrought for them miracles such\nas these when they had not yet accepted the Torah, and did not yet have\nfaith in Me, shouldst thou not have known how much more I would do for\nthem now?\" [614]\n\nGod \"taketh the wise in their own craftiness.\" He had long before this\ndecreed that Moses die in the desert, and Moses' offense in Kadesh was\nonly a pretext God employed that He might not seem to be unjust. But He\ngave to Moses himself the true reason why He did not permit him to\nenter the promised land, saying: \"Would it perchance redound to thy\nglory if thou wert to lead into the land a new generation after thou\nhadst led out of Egypt the sixty myriads and buried them in the desert?\nPeople would declare that the generation of the desert has no share in\nfuture world, therefore stay with them, that at their head thou mayest\nafter the Resurrection enter the promised land.\" [615] Moses now said\nto God: \"Thou hast decreed that I die in the desert like the generation\nof the desert that angered Thee. I implore Thee, write in Thy Torah\nwherefore I have been thus punished, that future generations may not\nsay I had been like the generations of the desert.\" God granted this\nwish, and in several passages of the Scriptures set forth what had\nreally been the offense on account of which Moses had been prohibited\nfrom entering the promised land. [616] It was due only to the\ntransgression at the rock in Kadesh, where Moses failed to sanctify God\nin the eyes of the children of Israel; and God was sanctified by\nallowing justice to take its course without respect of persons, and\npunishing Moses. Hence this place was called Kadesh, \"sanctity,\" and En\nMishpat, \"fountain of justice,\" because on this spot judgement was\npassed upon Moses, and by this sentence God's name was sanctified.\n[617]\n\nAs water had been the occasion for the punishment of Moses, God did not\nsay that that which He had created on the second day of the creation\n\"was good,\" for on that day He had created water, and that which\nbrought about Moses' death was not good. [618]\n\nIf the death doomed for Moses upon this occasion was a very severe\npunishment, entirely out of proportion to his offense, then still more\nso was the death destined for Aaron at the same time. For he had been\nguilty of no other offense than that of joining Moses at his\ntransgression, and \"who so joins a transgressor, is as bad as the\ntransgressor himself.\" On this occasion, as usual, Aaron showed his\nabsolute devotion and his faith in God's justice. He might have said,\n\"I have not sinned; why am I to be punished?\" but he conquered himself\nand put up no defense, wherefore Moses greatly praised him. [619]\n\n\n\n\n EDOM'S UNBROTHERLY ATTITUDE TOWARD ISRAEL\n\n\nFrom Kadesh Moses sent ambassadors to the king of Edom, requesting him\nto permit Israel to travel through his territory. \"For,\" thought Moses,\n\"When our father Jacob with only a small troop of men planned to return\nto his father's house, which was not situated in Esau's possessions, he\npreviously sent a messenger to him to ask his permission. How much more\nthen does it behoove us, a people of great numbers, to refrain from\nentering Edom's territory before receiving his sanction to do so!\"\n\nMoses' ambassadors had been commissioned to bear the following message\nto the king of Edom: \"From the time of our grandfather Abraham, there\nwas a promissory note to be redeemed, for God had imposed it upon him\nthat in Egypt his seed should be enslaved and tortured. It had been thy\nduty, as well as ours, to redeem this note, and thou knowest that we\nhave done our duty whereas thou wert not willing. God had, as thou\nknowest, promised Abraham that those who had been in bondage in Egypt\nshould receive Canaan for their possession as a reward. That land,\ntherefore, is ours, who were in Egypt, and thou who didst shirk the\nredemption of the debt, hast now claim to our land. Let us then pass\nthrough thy land until we reach ours. [620] Know also that the\nPatriarchs in their grave sympathized with our sufferings in Egypt, and\nwhenever we called out to God He heard us, and sent us one of His\nministering angels to lead us out of Egypt. Consider, then, that all\nthy weapons will avail thee naught if we implore God's aid, who will\nthen at once overthrow thee and thy hosts, for this is our inheritance,\nand 'the voice of Jacob' never proves ineffectual. [621] That thou\nmayest not, however, plead that our passage through thy land will bring\nthee only annoyances and no gain, I promise thee that although we draw\ndrink out of a well that accompanies us on our travels, and are\nprovided with food through the manna, we shall, nevertheless, by water\nand food from thy people, that ye may profit by our passage.\"\n\nThis was no idle promise, for Moses had actually asked the people to be\nliberal with their money, that the Edomites might not take them to be\npoor slaves, but might be convinced that in spite of their stay in\nEgypt, Israel was a wealthy nation. Moses also pledged himself to\nprovide the cattle with muzzles during their passage through Edom, that\nthey might do no damage to the land of the dwellers there. With these\nwords he ended his message to the king of Edom: \"To the right and to\nthe left of thy land may we pillage and slaughter, but in accord with\nGod's words, we may not touch thy possession.\" But all these prayers\nand pleadings of Moses were without avail, for Edom's answer was in the\nform of a threat: \"Ye depend upon your inheritance, upon 'the voice of\nJacob' which God answers, and I too shall depend upon my inheritance,\n'the hand and sword of Esau.'\" Israel now had to give up their attempt\nto reach their land through Edom's territory, not, however, through\nfear, but because God had prohibited them from bringing war upon the\nEdomites, even before they had heard from the embassy that Edom had\nrefused them the right of passage.\n\nThe neighborhood of the godless brings disaster, as Israel was to\nexperience, for they lost the pious Aaron on the boundary of Edom, and\nburied him on Mount Hor. The cloud that used to precede Israel, had\nindeed been accustomed to level all the mountains, that they might move\non upon level ways, but God retained three mountains in the desert:\nSinai, as the place of the revelation; Nebo, as the burial-place of\nMoses; and Hor, consisting of a twin mountain, as a burial-place for\nAaron. Apart from these three mountains, there were none in the desert,\nbut the cloud would leave little elevations on the place where Israel\npitched camp, that the sanctuary might thereupon be set up. [622]\n\n\n\n\n THE THREE SHEPHERDS\n\n\nAaron died four months after the death of his sister Miriam, whereas\nMoses died nearly a year after his sister. Her death took place on the\nfirst day of Nisan, and that of Moses on the seventh day of Adar in the\nsame year. Although the death of these three did not take place in the\nsame month, God spoke of them saying, \"And I cut off the three\nshepherds in one month,\" for He had determined upon their death in one\nmonth. [623] It is God's way to classify people into related groups,\nand the death of these three pious ones was not determined upon\ntogether with hat of the sinful generation of wanderers in the desert,\nbut only after this generations had died, was sealed the doom of the\nthree. [624] Miriam died first, and the same fate was decreed for her\nbrothers as a consequence of her death.\n\nMiriam's death plunged all into deep mourning, Moses and Aaron wept in\ntheir apartments and the people wept in the streets. For six hours\nMoses was ignorant of the disappearance of Miriam's well with Miriam's\ndeath, until the Israelites went to him, saying, \"How long wilt thou\nsit here and weep?\" He answered, \"Shall I not weep for my sister, who\nhad died?\" They replied, \"While thou are weeping for one soul, weep at\nthe same time for us all.\" \"Why?\" asked he. They said, \"We have no\nwater to drink.\" Then he rose up from the ground, went out and saw the\nwell without a drop of water. He now began to quarrel with them,\nsaying, \"Have I not told ye, 'I am not able to bear you myself alone'?\nYe have rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and\nrulers of tens, princes, chiefs, elders, and magnates, let these attend\nto your needs.\" Israel, however, said: \"All rests with thee, for it is\nthou who didst lead us out of Egypt and brought 'us in unto this evil\nplace; it is no place of seed or of figs, or of vines, or of\npomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.' If thou wilt give\nus water, it is well, if not, we shall stone thee.\" When Moses heard\nthis, he fled from them and betook himself to the Tabernacle. There God\nsaid to him: \"What ails thee?\" and Moses replied: \"O Lord of the world!\nThy children want to stone me, and had I not escaped, they would have\nstoned me by now.\" God said: \"Moses, how much longer wilt thou continue\nto calumniate My children? Is it not enough that at Horeb thou didst\nsay, 'They be ready to stone me,' whereupon I answered thee, 'Go up\nbefore them and I will see whether they stone thee or not!' 'Take the\nrod and assemble the congregation, thou and Aaron thy brother, and\nspeak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its\nwater.'\"\n\nMoses now went to seek for the rock, followed by all Israel, for he did\nnot know which was the rock out of which God had said water was to\nflow. [625] For the rock out of which Miriam's well flowed vanished\namong the rest of the rocks in such a way that Moses was not able to\ndistinguish it among the number. [626] On the way they saw a rock that\ndripped, and they took up their places in front of it. When Moses saw\nthat the people stood still, he turned around and they said to him:\n\"How long wilt thou lead us on?\" Moses: \"Until I fetch ye forth water\nout of the rock.\" The people: \"Give us water at once, that we may\ndrink.\" Moses: \"How long do ye quarrel? Is there a creature in all the\nworld that so rebels against its Maker as ye do, when it is certain\nthat God will give ye water out of a rock, even though I do not know\nwhich one that may be!\" The people: \"Thou wert a prophet and our\nshepherd during our march through the desert, and now thou sayest, 'I\nknow not out of which rock God will give ye water.'\"\n\nMoses hereupon assembled them about a rock, saying to himself: \"If I\nnow speak to the rock, bidding it bring forth water, and it bring forth\nnone, I shall subject myself to humiliation in the presence of the\ncommunity, for they will say, 'Where is thy wisdom?'\" Hence he said to\nthe people: \"Ye know that God can perform miracles for ye, but He hath\nhidden from me out of which rock He will let the water flow forth. For\nwhenever the time comes that God wished a man not to know, then his\nwisdom and understanding are of no avail to him.\" Moses then lifted his\nrod and let it quietly slide down upon the rock which he laid it,\nuttering, as if addressing Israel, the words, \"Shall we bring you forth\nwater out of this rock?\" The rock of its own accord now began to give\nforth water, whereupon Moses struck upon it with his rod, but then\nwater no longer flowed forth, but blood. Moses hereupon said to God:\n\"This rock brings forth no water,\" and God instantly turned to the rock\nwith the question: \"Why dost thou bring forth not water, but blood?\"\nThe rock answered: \"O Lord of the world! Why did Moses smite me?\" When\nGod asked Moses why he had smitten the rock, he replied: \"That it might\nbring forth water.\" God, however, said to Moses: \"Had I bidden thee to\nsmite the rock? I had only said, 'Speak to it.'\" Moses tried to defend\nhimself by saying, \"I did speak to it, but it brought forth nothing.\"\n\"Thou,\" God replied, \"hast given Israel the instruction, 'In\nrighteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbor'; why then, didst not thou\njudge the rock 'in righteousness,' the rock that in Egypt supported\nthee when out of it thou didst such honey? Is this the manner in which\nthou repayest it? Not only wert thou unjust to the rock, but thou didst\nalso call My children fools. If then thou are a wise man, it does not\nbecome thee as a wise man to have anything further to do with fools,\nand therefore thou shalt not with them learn to know the land of\nIsrael.\" [627] At the same time God added, \"Neither thou, nor thy\nbrother, nor thy sister, shall set foot upon the land of Israel.\" For\neven in Egypt God had warned Moses and Aaron to refrain from calling\nthe Israelites fools, and as Moses, without evoking a protest from\nAaron, at the water of Kadesh, called them fools, the punishment of\ndeath was decreed for him and his brother. [628] When God had informed\nMoses of the impending punishment due to him and his brother, He turned\nto the rock, saying: \"Turn thy blood into water,\" and so it came to\npass. [629]\n\n\n\n\n PREPARING AARON FOR IMPENDING DEATH\n\n\nAs a sign of especial favor God communicates to the pious the day of\ntheir death, that they may transmit their crowns to their sons. But God\nconsidered it particularly fitting to prepare Moses and Aaron for\nimpending death, saying: \"These two pious men throughout their lifetime\ndid nothing without consulting Me, and I shall not therefore take them\nout of this world without previously informing them.\" [630]\n\nWhen, therefore, Aaron's time approached, God said to Moses: \"My\nservant Moses, who hast been 'faithful in all Mine house,' I have an\nimportant matter to communicate to thee, but it weighs heavily upon\nMe.\" Moses: \"What is it?\" God: \"Aaron shall be gathered unto his\npeople; for he shall not enter into the land which I have given unto\nthe children of Israel, because ye rebelled against My word at the\nwaters of Meribah.\" Moses replied: \"Lord of the world! It is manifest\nand known before the Throne of Thy glory, that Thou art Lord of all the\nworld and of Thy creatures that in this world Thou hast created, so\nthat we are in Thy hand, and in Thy hand it lies to do with us as Thou\nwilt. I am not, however, fit to go to my brother, and repeat to him Thy\ncommission, for he is older than I, and how then shall I presume to go\nup to my older brother and say, 'Go up unto Mount Hor and die there!'\"\nGod answered Moses: \"Not with the lip shalt thou touch this matter, but\n'take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and bring them up unto Mount Hor.'\nAscend thou also with them, and there speak with thy brother sweet and\ngentle words, the burden of which will, however, prepare him for what\nawaits him. Later when ye shall all three be upon the mountain, 'strip\nAaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son, and Aaron\nshall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.' [631] As a\nfavor to Me prepare Aaron for his death, for I am ashamed to tell him\nof it Myself.\" [632]\n\nWhen Moses heard this, there was a tumult in his heart, and he knew not\nwhat to do. He wept so passionately that his grief for the impending\nloss of his brother brought him to the brink of death himself. As a\nfaithful servant of God, however, nothing remained for him to do, but\nto execute his Master's command, hence he betook himself to Aaron to\nthe Tabernacle, to inform him of his death.\n\nNow it had been customary during the forty years' march through the\ndesert for the people daily to gather, first before the seventy elders,\nthen under their guidance before the princes of the tribes, then for\nall of them to appear before Eleazar and Aaron, and with these to go to\nMoses to present to him their morning greeting. On this day, however,\nMoses made a change in this custom, and after having wept through the\nnight, at the cock's crow summoned Eleazar before him and said to him:\n\"Go and call to me the elders and the princes, for I have to convey to\nthem a commission from the Lord.\" Accompanied by these men, Moses not\nbetook himself to Aaron who, seeing Moses when he arose, asked: \"Why\nhast thou made a change in the usual custom?\" Moses: \"God hath bidden\nme to make a communication to thee.\" Aaron: \"Tell it to me.\" Moses:\n\"Wait until we are out of doors.\" Aaron thereupon donned his eight\npriestly garments and both went out.\n\nNow it had always been the custom for Moses whenever he went from his\nhouse to the Tabernacle to walk in the center, with Aaron at his right,\nEleazar at his left, then the elders at both sides, and the people\nfollowing in the rear. Upon arriving within the Tabernacle, Aaron would\nseat himself as the very nearest at Moses' right hand, Eleazar at his\nleft, and the elders and princes in front. On this day, however, Moses\nchanged this order; Aaron walked in the center, Moses at his right\nhand, Eleazar at his left, the elders and princes at both sides, and\nthe rest of the people following.\n\nWhen the Israelites saw this, they rejoiced greatly, saying: \"Aaron now\nhas a higher degree of the Holy Spirit than Moses, and therefore does\nMoses yield to him the place of honor in the center.\" The people loved\nAaron better than Moses. [633] For ever since Aaron had become aware\nthat through the construction of the Golden Calf he had brought about\nthe transgression of Israel, it was his endeavor through the following\ncourse of life to atone for his sin. He would go from house to house,\nand whenever he found one who did not know how to recite his Shema', he\ntaught him the Shema'; if one did not know how to pray he taught him\nhow to pray; and if he found one who was not capable of penetrating\ninto the study of the Torah, he initiated him into it. [634] He did\nnot, however, consider his task restricted 'to establishing peace\nbetween God and man,' but strove to establish peace between the learned\nand the ignorant Israelites, among the scholars themselves, among the\nignorant, and between man and wife. [635] Hence the people loved him\nvery dearly, and rejoiced when they believed he had now attained a\nhigher rank than Moses.\n\nHaving arrived at the Tabernacle, Aaron now wanted to enter, but Moses\nheld him back, saying: \"We shall now go beyond the camp.\" When they\nwere outside the camp, Aaron said to Moses: \"Tell me the commission God\nhath given thee.\" Moses answered: \"Wait until we reach the mountain.\"\nAt the foot of the mountain Moses said to the people: \"Stay here until\nwe return to you; I, Aaron, and Eleazar will go to the top of the\nmount, and shall return when we shall have heard the Divine\nrevelation.\" All three now ascended.\n\n\n\n\nAARON'S DEATH\n\n\nMoses wanted to inform his brother of his impending death, but knew not\nhow to go about it. At length he said to him: \"Aaron, my brother, hath\nGod given anything into thy keeping?\" \"Yes,\" replied Aaron. \"What,\npray?\" asked Moses. Aaron: \"The altar and the table upon which is the\nshewbread hath He given into my charge.\" Moses: \"It may be that He will\nnow demand back from thee all that He hath given into thy keeping.\"\nAaron: \"What, pray?\" Moses: \"Hath He not entrusted a light to thee?\"\nAaron: \"Not one light only but all seven of the candlestick that now\nburn in the sanctuary.\" Moses had, of course, intended to call Aaron's\nattention to the soul, \"the light of the Lord,\" which God had given\ninto his keeping and which He now demanded back. As Aaron, in his\nsimplicity, did not notice the allusion, Moses did not go into further\nparticulars, but remarked to Aaron: \"God hath with justice called thee\nan innocent, simple-hearted man.\"\n\nWhile they were thus conversing, a cave opened up before them,\nwhereupon Moses requested his brother to enter it, and Aaron instantly\nacquiesced. Moses was now in a sad predicament, for, to follow God's\ncommand, he had to strip Aaron of his garments and to put them upon\nEleazar, but he knew not how to broach the subject to his brother. He\nfinally said to Aaron: \"My brother Aaron, it is not proper to enter the\ncave into which we now want to descend, invested in the priestly\ngarments, for they might there become unclean; the cave is very\nbeautiful, and it is therefore possible that there are old graves in\nit.\" Aaron replied, \"Thou art right.\" Moses then stripped his brother\nof his priestly garments, and put them upon Aaron's son, Eleazar. [636]\n\nAs it would have been improper if Aaron had been buried quite naked,\nGod brought about the miracle that, as soon as Moses took off one of\nAaron's garments, a corresponding celestial garment was spread over\nAaron, and when Moses had stripped him of all his priestly garments, he\nfound himself arrayed in eight celestial garments. A second miracle\ncame to pass in the stripping of Aaron's garments, for Moses was\nenabled to take off the undermost garments before the upper. This was\ndone in order to satisfy the law that priests may never use their upper\ngarments as undergarments, a thing Eleazar would have had to do, had\nMoses stripped off Aaron's outer garments first and with these invested\nhis son. [637]\n\nAfter Eleazar had put on the high priest's garments, Moses and Aaron\nsaid to him: \"Wait for us here until we return out of the cave,\" and\nboth entered it. At their entrance they beheld a couch spread, a table\nprepared, and a candle lighted, while ministering angels surrounded the\ncouch. Aaron then said to Moses: \"How long, O my brother, wilt thou\nstill conceal the commission God hath entrusted to thee? Thou knowest\nthat He Himself, when for the first time He addressed thee, with His\nown lips declared of me, 'When he seeth thee, he will be glad in his\nheart.' Why, then, dost thou conceal the commission God hath entrusted\nto thee? Even if it were to refer to my death, I should take it upon\nmyself with a cheerful countenance.\" Moses replied: \"As thou thyself\ndost speak of death, I will acknowledge that God's words to me do\nconcern thy death, but I was afraid to make it known to thee. But look\nnow, thy death is not as that of the other creatures of flesh and\nblood; and not only is thy death a remarkable one, but see! The\nministering angels have come to stand by thee in thy parting hour.\"\n[638]\n\nWhen he spoke of the remarkable death that awaited Aaron, Moses meant\nto allude to the fact that Aaron, like his sister Miriam and later\nMoses, was to die not through the Angel of Death, but by a kiss from\nGod. [639] Aaron, however, said: \"O my brother Moses, why didst not\nthou make this communication to me in the presence of my mother, my\nwife, and my children?\" Moses did not instantly reply to this question,\nbut tried to speak words of comfort and encouragement to Aaron, saying:\n\"Dost thou not know, my brother, that thou didst forty years ago\ndeserve to meet thy death when thou didst fashion the Golden Calf, but\nthen I stood before the Lord in prayer and exhortation, and saved thee\nfrom death. And now I pray that my death were as thine! For when thou\ndiest, I bury thee, but when I shall die, I shall have no brother to\nbury me. When thou diest, thy sons will inherit thy position, but when\nI die, strangers will inherit my place.\" With these and similar words\nMoses encouraged his brother, until he finally looked forward to his\nend with equanimity.\n\nAaron lay down upon the adorned couch, and God received his soul. Moses\nthen left the cave, which immediately vanished, so that none might know\nor understand how it had happened. When Eleazar saw Moses return alone,\nhe said to him: \"O my teacher, where is my father?\" Moses replied: \"He\nhas entered Paradise.\" Then both descended from the mountain into the\ncamp. [640] When the people saw Moses and Eleazar return without Aaron,\nthey were not at all in the mood to lend faith to the communication of\nAaron's death. They could not at all credit that a man who had overcome\nthe Angel of Death was now overcome by him. Three opinions were then\nformed among the people concerning Aaron's absence. Some declared that\nMoses had killed Aaron because he was jealous of his popularity; some\nthought Eleazar had killed his father to become his successor as high\npriest; and there was also some who declared that he had been removed\nfrom earth to be translated to heaven. Satan had so incited the people\nagainst Moses and Eleazar that they wanted to stone them. Moses\nhereupon prayed to God, saying: \"Deliver me and Eleazar from this\nunmerited suspicion, and also show to the people Aaron's bier, that\nthey may not believe him to be still alive, for in their boundless\nadmiration for Aaron they may even make a God of him.\" God then said to\nthe angels: \"Lift up on high the bier upon which lies My friend Aaron,\nso that Israel may know he is dead and my not lay hand upon Moses and\nEleazar.\" The angels did as they were bidden, [641] and Israel then saw\nAaron's bier floating in the air, while God before it and the angels\nbehind intoned a funeral song for Aaron. God lamented in the words, \"He\nentereth into peace; they rest in their beds, each one that walketh in\nhis uprightness,\" whereas the angels said: \"The law of truth was in his\nmouth, and unrighteousness was not found in his lips: he walked with Me\nin peace and uprightness, and did turn many away from iniquity.\"\n\n\n\n\n THE GENERAL MOURNING FOR AARON\n\n\nWhen Israel beheld the funeral rites prepared in honor of Aaron by God\nand by the angels, they also prepared a funeral ceremony of thirty days\nin which all the people, men and women, adults and children, took part.\n[642] This universal mourning had its foundation not only in Israel's\nemulation of the Divine mourning and of the ceremonies arranged by\nMoses and Eleazar, or in their wish to show their reverence for the\ndeceased high priest, but first and foremost in the truth that the\npeople deeply loved Aaron and deeply felt his death. They mourned for\nhim even more than they did later for Moses; for the latter only a part\nof the people shed tears, but for Aaron, everyone. Moses, as a judge,\nwas obliged to mete out justice to the guilty, so that he had enemies\namong the people, men who could not forget that he had pronounced them\nguilty in court. Moses, furthermore, was sometimes severe with Israel\nwhen he held up to them their sins, but never Aaron. The latter \"loved\npeace and pursued peace, loved men and brought them near to the Torah.\nIn his humility, he did not consider his dignity hurt by offering\ngreetings first even to the lowliest, yes, he did not even fail in\noffering his greeting when he was certain that the man before him was\nwicked and godless. The lament of the angels for Aaron as one \"who did\nturn many away from iniquity\" was therefore well justified. This\nkindliness of his led many a sinner to reform, who at the moment when\nhe was about to commit a sin thought to himself: \"How shall I be able\nto lift up my eyes to Aaron's face? I, to whom Aaron was so kind, blush\nto do evil.\" Aaron recognized his especial task as that of the\npeace-maker. If he discovered that two men had fallen out, he hastened\nfirst to the one, then to the other, saying to each: \"My son, dost thou\nnot know what he is doing with whom thou hast quarreled? He beats at\nhis heart, rends his garments in grief, and says, 'Woe is me! How can I\never again lift up my eyes and look upon my companion against whom I\nhave acted so?'\" Aaron would then speak to each separately until both\nthe former enemies would mutually forgive each other, and as soon as\nthey were again face to face salute each other as friends. If Aaron\nheard that husband and wife lived in discord, he would hasten to the\nhusband, saying: \"I come to thee because I hear that thou and thy wife\nlive in discord, wherefore thou must divorce her. Keep in mind,\nhowever, that if thou shouldst in place of thy present wife marry\nanother, it is very questionable if thy second wife will be as good as\nthis one; for at your first quarrel she will throw up to thee that thou\nart a quarrelsome man, as was shown by thy divorce from thy first\nwife.\" Many thousands of unions were saved from impending rupture by\nthe efforts and urgings of Aaron, and the sons born to the couples\nbrought together anew usually received Aaron's name, owing, as they\ndid, their existence to his intercession. Not less than eighty thousand\nyouths bearing his name took part in the mourning for Aaron. [643]\n\nWhen Moses beheld the deep-felt sorrow of the heavenly beings and of\nmen for Aaron, he burst into passionate weeping, and said: \"Woe is me,\nthat am now left all alone! When Miriam died, none came to show her the\nlast marks of honor, and only I, Aaron, and his sons stood about her\nbier, wept for her, mourned her, and buried her. At Aaron's death, I\nand his sons were present at his bier to show him the last marks of\nhonor. But alas! How shall I fare? Who will be present at my death? I\nhave neither father nor mother, neither brother nor sister, - who then\nwill weep for me?\" God, however, said to him: \"Be not afraid, Moses, I\nMyself shall bury thee amid great splendor, and just as the cave in\nwhich Aaron lied has vanished, that none may know the spot where Aaron\nis buried, so too shall no mortal know thy burial place. As the Angel\nof Death had no power over Aaron, who died 'by the kiss,' so shall the\nAngel of Death have no power over thee, and thou shalt die 'by the\nkiss.'\" Moses grew calm at these words, knowing at last that he had his\nplace among the blessed pious. Blessed are thy, for not only does God\nin person gather them to Him, but as soon as they are dead, the angels\ngo joyously to meet them and with beaming faces go to greet them,\nsaying, \"Enter into peace.\" [644]\n\n\n\n\n THE FALSE FRIENDS\n\n\nWhen Moses and Eleazar returned from the mountain without Aaron, Israel\nsaid to Moses: \"We shall not release thee from this spot until thou\nshowest us Aaron, dead or alive.\" Moses prayed to God, and He opened\nthe cave and all Israel saw within it Aaron, lying dead upon a bier.\nThey instantly felt what they had lost in Aaron, for when they turned\nto look at the camp, they saw that the clouds of glory that had covered\nthe site of the camp during their forty years' march had vanished. They\nperceived, therefore, that God had sent these clouds for Aaron's sake\nonly, and hence, with Aaron's death, had caused them to vanish. These\namong Israel who had been born in the desert, having now, owing to the\ndeparture of the clouds of glory, for the first time beheld the sun and\nmoon, wanted to fall down before them and adore them, for the clouds\nhad always hidden the sun and the moon from them, and the sight of them\nmade a most awful impression upon them. But God said to them: \"Have I\nnot commanded you in My Torah: 'Take ye therefore good heed unto\nyourselves\u2026lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou\nseest the sun and the moon and the stars, even all the host of heaven,\nthou be drawn away and worship them, and serve them?' For it is God\nthat led thee out of the furnace of Egypt, that thou mightest be the\npeople of His inheritance.\" [645]\n\nThe disappearance of the clouds of glory inspired Israel with terror,\nfor now they were unaided against the attacks of enemies, whereas none\nhad been able to enter into the camp of Israel while the clouds covered\nthem. This fear was not, indeed, ungrounded, for hardly did Amalek\nlearn that Aaron was dead and that the clouds of glory had vanished,\nwhen he at once set about harassing Israel. [646] Amalek acted in\naccordance with the counsel his grandsire Esau had given him, for his\nwords to his grandson had been: \"In spite of all my pains, I did not\nsucceed in killing Jacob, therefore be thou mindful of avenging me upon\nhis descendants.\" \"But how, alas!\" said Amalek, \"Shall I be able to\ncompete with Israel?\" Esau made answer: \"Look well, and as soon as thou\nseest Israel stumble, leap upon them.\" Amalek looked upon this legacy\nas the guiding star of his actions. When Israel trespassed, saying with\nlittle faith, \"Is the Lord among us, or not?\" Amalek instantly\nappeared. Hardly had Israel been tempted by its spies wickedly to\nexclaim, \"Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt,\" when\nAmalek was upon the scene to battle with Israel. In later times also\nAmalek followed this policy, and when Nebuchadnezzar moved to Jerusalem\nin order to destroy it, Amalek took up his position one mile away from\nthe holy city, saying: \"If Israel should conquer, I should declare that\nI had come to assist them, but should Nebuchadnezzar be victorious,\nthen shall I cut off the flight of the fleeing Israelites.\" His hopes\nwere realized, for Nebuchadnezzar was victorious, and standing at the\ncrossway, he cut down the fleeing Israelites, and added insult to\ninjury by hurling invectives against God and the people, and ridiculing\nthem.\n\nWhen, after Aaron's death, Amalek no longer considered Israel\ndangerous, since the clouds had disappeared, he instantly set about\nmaking war upon them. Amalek did not, however, go in open warfare\nagainst Israel, but tried through craft to attain what he dared not\nhope for in open warfare. Concealing their weapons in their garments,\nthe Amalekites appeared in Israel's camp as if they meant to condole\nwith them for Aaron's death, and the unexpectedly attacked them. Not\ncontent with this, the Amalekites disguised themselves in Canaanite\ncostume and spoke the speech of the latter, so that the Israelites\nmight not be able to tell if they had before them Amalekites, as their\npersonal appearance seemed to show, or Canaanites, as their dress and\nspeech indicated. The reason for this disguise was that Amalek knew\nthat Israel had inherited the legacy from their ancestor Isaac that God\nalways answered their prayer, hence Amalek said: \"If we now appear as\nCanaanites, they will implore God to send them aid against the\nCanaanites, and we shall slay them.\" But all these wiles of Amalek were\nof no avail. Israel couched their prayer to God in these words: \"O Lord\nof the world! We know not with what nation we are now waging war,\nwhether with Amalek or with Canaan, but whichsoever nation it be, pray\nvisit punishment upon it.\" [647] God heard their prayer and, promising\nto stand by them, ordered them totally to annihilate their enemy,\nsaying: \"Although ye are now dealing with Amalek, do not treat him like\nEsau's other sons, against whom ye may not war, but try totally to\ndestroy them, as if they were Canaanites.\" Israel acted according to\nthis command, slaying the Amalekites in battle, and dedicating their\ncities to God. [648] Amalek's only gain in this enterprise was that, at\nthe beginning of the war, they seized a slave woman who had once\nbelonged to them, but who later passed over into the possession of the\nIsraelites. [649]\n\nFor Israel this attack of Amalek had indeed serious consequences, for\nas soon as they perceived the approach of the enemy, they were afraid\nto continue the march to Palestine, being now no longer under the\nprotection of the clouds, that vanished with Aaron's death; hence they\ndetermined to return to Egypt. They actually carried out part of this\nproject by retreating eight stations, but the Levites pursued them, and\nin Moserah there arose a bitter quarrel between those who wanted to\nreturn to Egypt and the Levites who insisted upon the continuance of\nthe march to Palestine. Of the former, eight tribal divisions were\ndestroyed in this quarrel, five Benjamite, and one each of the\nSimeonite, Gadite, and Asherite divisions, while of the Levites one\ndivision was completely extirpated, and three others decimated in such\na way that they did not recover until the days of David. The Levites\nwere finally victorious, for even their opponents recognized that it\nhad been folly on their part to desire to return to Egypt, and that\ntheir loss had been only a punishment because they had not arranged a\nmourning ceremony adequate to honor a man of Aaron's piety. They\nthereupon celebrated a grand mourning ceremony for Aaron in Moserah,\nand it is for this reason that people later spoke of this place as the\nplace where Aaron died, because the great mourning rites took place\nthere. [650]\n\n\n\n\n THE BRAZEN SERPENT\n\n\nOwing to the king of Edom's refusal to permit Israel to pass through\nhis land, they were obliged, at the very point when they believed\nthemselves at the end of their march, to continue it, so as to go\naround the land of Edom. The people, weary of the many years' marches,\nnow became peevish, saying: \"We had already been close to the promised\nland, and now must turn about once more! It was the same with our\nfathers who, close to their goal, had to turn back and roam about for\nthirty-eight years. Thus will it be with us!\" [651] In their dejection\nthey set about murmuring against God and Moses, \"master and servant\nbeing to them as one.\" They complained that they were entirely thrown\nupon manna as a means of sustenance. This last mentioned complaint came\nfrom those in regard to whom God had vowed that they should never see\nthe land which He had sworn unto the Patriarchs. These people could not\nbear the sight of the products of Palestine's soil, dying as soon as\nthey beheld them. Now that they had arrived at the outskirts of the\npromised land, the merchants brought into the camp of the Israelites\nthe native products, but these, unable to partake of them, still had to\ncontinue to gather sustenance exclusively from manna. [652]\n\nThen a voice sounding from the heavens became audible upon earth,\nmaking this announcement: \"Come hither and behold, O ye men! Come\nhither and hearken, ye the serpent with the words, 'Dust shalt thou\neat,' yet it complained not of its food. But ye, My people that I have\nled out of Egypt, for whom I caused manna to rain down from heaven, and\nquails to fly from the sea, and a spring to gush forth from the abyss,\nye do murmur against Me on account of manna, saying, 'Our soul loatheth\nthis light bread.' Let now the serpents come, that complained not, even\nthough whatever food they ate tasted only of the dust, and let them\nbite those who murmur though they have a food that possesses every\nconceivable flavor. [653] The serpent, which was the first creature to\nslander its Maker and was therefore punished, shall now punish this\npeople, which, not profiting by the example of the serpent's\npunishment, blasphemes its Creator by declaring that the heavenly food\nthat He sends them would finally bring them death.\" The very serpents\nthat during the forty years' march had been burned by the cloud of\nglory and lay heaped up high round about the camp, these same serpents\nnow bit the people so terribly that their poison burned the souls of\nthose whom they attacked. [654]\n\nWhen Moses betook himself to those who had been bitten, hearing that\nthey were too ill to come to him, [655] they, conscious of their guilt,\nsaid to him: \"We have sinned, because we have spoken against the Lord\nand against thee; pray unto the Lord, that He take away the serpents\nfrom us.\" Such was the meekness of Moses, that he instantly forgave the\npeople's transgression in regard to himself, and at once implored God's\naid. God also, however, forgave their sin as soon as they had shown\npenitence, and thus set an example to man likewise to grant forgiveness\nwhen it is requested.\n\nAs a healing for those who had been bitten, God now bade Moses to make\na serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, that it might come to pass\nthat every one who was bitten might look upon it and live. Moses did as\nhe was bidden, and made a serpent of brass. As soon as he hurled it on\nhigh, it remained floating in the air, so that all might be able to\nlook upon it. [656] He mad the serpent brass, because in Hebrew Nahash\nsignifies \"snake\" and Nehoshet, \"brass\"; hence Moses made the serpent\nof a substance that had a sound similar to that of the object fashioned\nout of it. [657] It was not, however, the sight of the serpent of brass\nthat brought with it healing and life; but whenever those who had been\nbitten by the serpents raised their eyes upward and subordinated their\nhearts to the will of the heavenly Father, they were healed; if they\ngave no thought to God, they perished. [658]\n\nLooking upon the serpent of brass brought about healing not only to\nthose who had been bitten by serpents, but also to those who had been\nbitten by dogs or other animals. The cure of the latter was effected\neven more quickly than that of the former, for a casual glance sufficed\nfor them, whereas the former were healed only after a long and\ninsistent gaze. [659]\n\n\n\n\n AT ARNON\n\n\nThe murmurs of the people, on account of which God sent upon them the\nserpents, took place in Zalmonah, a place where grew only thorns and\nthistles. Thence they wandered on to Punon, where God's punishment\novertook them. [660] In the following two stations also, in Oboth and\nIye-abarim, they continued their hostile actions against God, who for\nthis reason was full of wrath against them, and did not look upon them\nagain with favor until they reached Arnon. [661] God's favor was\ninstantly shown during Israel's passage through the valley of Arnon,\nwhere He wrought for Israel miracles as great as those of yore at the\npassage through the Red Sea. This valley was formed by two lofty\nmountains that lay so close together that people upon the two summits\nof them could converse with one another. But in passing from one\nmountain to the other, one had to cover a distance of seven miles,\nhaving first to descend into the valley, and then again to ascend the\nother mountain. The Amorits, knowing that Israel should now have to\npass through the valley, assembled in innumerable multitudes, and a\npart of them hid in the caves, of which there were many on the slopes\nof the mountain, while another part of them awaited Israel in the\nvalley below, hoping to attack and destroy them unexpectedly from above\nand from below in their passage through the valley. God, however,\nfrustrated this plan, bringing it to pass that Israel did not descend\ninto the valley at all, but stayed above, through the following\nmiracle. For whereas the mountain on the one side of the valley was\nfull of caves, the other consisted entirely of pointed rocks; and God\nmoved this rocky mountain so close up to the other, that the jutting\nrocks of the one entered into the caves of the other, and all the\nAmorites that were concealed within them were crushed.\n\nIt was the rocky mountain that was moved, and not the other, for this\nsame rocky mountain was the beginning of the promised land, and at the\napproach of Israel from the other mountain, which was Moabite, the land\nleaped to meet them, for it awaited them most longingly.\n\nAn old proverb says: \"If you give a piece of bread to a child, tell its\nmother about it.\" God, likewise, wanted Israel to know the great\nmiracles He had accomplished for their sake, for they had no inkling of\nthe attack the heathens had planned to make upon them. God therefore\nbade the well that had reappeared since their stay in Beeroth to flow\npast the caves and wash out parts of the corpses in great numbers. When\nIsrael not turned to look upon the well, they perceived it in the\nvalley of the Arnon, shining like the moon, and drawing corpses with\nit. Not until then did they discover the miracles that had been wrought\nfor them. Not only did the mountains at first move together to let them\npass, and then again move apart, but God saved them from great peril.\nThey now intoned a song of praise to the well that revealed to them the\ngreat miracle. [662]\n\nWhen, at the passage through the Red Sea, Israel wanted to intone a\nsong of praise, Moses did not let them do it alone, but first sang to\nthem the song they were to sing to the Lord. For then Israel was young,\nand could only repeat what its teacher Moses sang before them, but when\nthe nation reached Arnon, it was fully grown, after its forty years'\nmarch through the desert. Now the Israelites sang their own song,\nsaying: \"O Lord of the world! It behooves Thee to work miracles for us,\nwhereas it is our duty to intone to Thee songs of praise.\" Moses had no\npart in the song of praise to the well, for the well had given occasion\nto his death in the desert, and no man can be expected to sing about\nhis executioner. As Moses wanted have nothing to do with this song, God\ndemanded that His own name also be not mentioned in it, acting in this\ninstances like the king who was invited to a prince's table, but\nrefused the invitation when he learned that his friend was not to be\npresent at the feast. [663] The song to the well was as follows: \"This\nis the well that the Patriarchs of the world, Abraham, Isaac, and\nJacob, have digged, the princes olden times have searched, the heads of\nthe people, the lawgivers of Israel, Moses and Aaron, have made its\nwater to run with their staves. In the desert Israel received it as a\ngift, and after they had received it, it followed Israel upon all their\nwanderings, to lofty mountains and deep valleys. Not until they came to\nthe boundary of Moab did it disappear, because Israel did not observe\nthe words of the Torah.\" [664]\n\nIsrael sang a song to the well alone, and not to manna, because they\nhad on several occasions railed against the heavenly food, and\ntherefore God said: \"I do not wish ye to find fault with manna, nor yet\nto have ye praise it now,\" and He would not permit them to sing a song\nof praise to manna. [665]\n\n\n\n\n SIHON, THE KING OF THE AMORITES\n\n\nThe crushing of those concealed in the caves of the mountain at Arnon\nwas only the beginning of the miracles God wrought for Israel during\ntheir conquest of the land. It was at Arnon, too, that Sihon, the king\nof the Amorites, and his people who, hardly a month after Aaron's\ndeath, rushed upon Israel, were completely destroyed by them. [666]\nThis Amorite king, and likewise Og, the king of Basham, were sons of\nAhiah, whose father Shemhazai was one of the fallen angels. [667] In\naccordance with his celestial origin Sihon was a giant who none could\nwithstand, for he was of enormous stature, taller than any tower in all\nthe world, his thigh-bone alone measuring eighteen cubits, according to\nthe big cubit of that time. [668] In spite of his huge size he was also\nfleet of foot, wherefore he was called Sihon, \"foal,\" to indicate the\ncelerity with which he moved, for his true name was Arad. [669]\n\nMoses was sorely afraid of waging war against this giant, but God put\nSihon's and Og's guardian angels in chains, and then said to Moses:\n\"Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon and his land before thee:\nbegin to possess, that thou mayest inherit his land.\" For indeed after\nthe angels of Sihon and his people had fallen, Moses had nothing more\nto fear, for his enemies were thus delivered into his hands. [670] God\nassured Moses that \"He would begin to put the dread of him and the fear\nof him upon the peoples that are under the whole heaven,\" by bidding\nthe sun to stand still during his war against Sihon, that all the world\nmight see that God battled for Moses. [671]\n\nMoses now asked if he might before waging war send ambassadors to Sihon\nto request him to permit Israel to pass through the land. God replied:\n\"How now! I commanded thee, 'Rise up, contend with him in battle, begin\nto possess his land!' and thou wantest to send him messengers of\npeace?\" Moses, however, replied: \"I desire only to follow Thy example\nwhen Thou didst wish to lead Israel out of Egypt, and yet didst send me\nto Pharaoh with the message to let Israel, Thy people, pass out, even\nthough Thou couldst have consumed all of Egypt with one flash of\nlightning. When Thou didst reveal the Torah, too, Thou didst offer it\nto the heathen nations for acceptance before giving it to Israel.\" God\nsaw the justice of Moses' words, and commanded him never in the future\nto declare war upon a city before previously urging the people to\nsurrender in peace. [672]\n\nMoses hereupon sent a missive to Sihon in which he requested him to\npermit Israel to pass through the land, promising him that he would see\nto it that the people should go along by the king's highway, so that he\nneed have no cause to fear any deeds of violence upon married women, or\nseductions of girls. [673] \"We shall even,\" continued Moses, \"pay for\nthe water that is otherwise given freely, and likewise [674] buy\nfood-stuffs from thee at good prices.\" [675] This letter to Sihon\ncontained at its close, notwithstanding, the communication that the\nIsraelites would bring war upon Sihon in case he did not permit them to\npass through. Moses' assumption, however, that Sihon should permit\nIsrael to pass through sounded in Sihon's ears like a summons to the\nkeeper of a vineyard to permit one to harvest it. Sihon's answer\ntherefore was as follows: \"I and my brother Og receive tribute from all\nthe other Canaanite kings to keep off their enemies from access to the\nland, and now you ask me to give you free access to Canaan!\"\n\nWar between Sihon and Moses ensued, and ended in a brilliant victory\nfor Israel. [676] Sihon and his son, who equaled him in heroic\nstrength, found their death in this fray. [677] God had so brought it\nto pass that Israel had no need of laboriously waging war upon one city\nafter another in Sihon's land, He had brought all the hosts of this\nAmorite king together into Heshbon. When this city therefore and the\nhosts within it were destroyed, all the rest of Sihon's land lay open\nbefore them. Israel's victory was all the more marvelous, because\nHeshbon was an exceptionally well fortified city, so that, had gnats\nbeen its inhabitants, it could not have been captured by mortal means,\nmuch less so when manned by the hero Sihon and his heroic warriors.\n[678] This victory was made possible only by the fact that God visited\nthem with convulsions so terrible that they rolled up and writhed in\npain, unable to stand in the battle lines, so that Israel could cut\nthem down while they were half dead from convulsive pains. [679] God\nalso drew masks over their faces, so that they could not see plainly,\nand taking one another for Israelites, slew their own people. [680]\n\nWith the fall of Heshbon Israel came into possession of all the land of\nSihon, with the exception of Jazer, and Moses therefore sent spies to\nthat city. The men whom he sent there, Caleb and Phinehas, were not\nonly capable warriors, but also pious men. They said: \"Moses once sent\nspies who brought great misfortune upon all their generations, we will\nattack this city, trusting in God, and we are sure we shall not perish,\nbecause Moses has prayed for our welfare.\" They thereupon attacked\nJazer, conquered it, and when upon the day after Moses had sent them\nout they returned to him, they informed him that they had conquered\nJazer and slain its inhabitants. [681]\n\n\n\n\n THE GIANT OG\n\n\nThe war with Sihon took place in the month of Elul. In the following\nmonth of Tishri they rested on account of the holy days, but\nimmediately after these they set out to battle against Og. [682] This\nking did not hasten to his brother's aid, although he was only one\nday's distance from him, for he felt sure Sihon could conquer Israel\nwithout his assistance. [683] He erred in this, however, as in some\nother matters. In the war of the four kings against the five, it was Og\nwho had brought to Abraham news of his nephew Lot's bondage, assuming\nthat Abraham would surely hasten to his kinsman's aid, be killed in\nbattle, and thus enable Og to get possession of the beautiful Sarah.\nGod, however, leaves no man unrewarded or unpunished. To reward him for\nhastening with quick steps to advise Abraham of Lot's captivity, God\ngranted him life for five hundred years, but he was eventually killed\nbecause it was only a wicked motive that had induced him to perform\nthis service for Abraham. He did not, as he had hoped, gain Sarah, but\nwas slain by her descendant Moses. [684]\n\nThe battle against Og took place in Edrei, the outskirts of which\nIsrael reached toward nightfall. On the following morning, however,\nbarely at gray dawn, Moses arose and prepared to attack the city, but\nlooking toward the city wall, he cried in amazement, \"Behold, in the\nnight they have built up a new wall about the city!\" Moses did not see\nclearly in the misty morning, for there was no wall, but only the giant\nOg who sat upon the wall with his feet touching the ground below. [685]\nConsidering Og's enormous stature, Moses' mistake was pardonable, for\nas a grave-digger of later times related, Og's thigh-bone alone\nmeasured more than three parasangs. \"Once,\" so records Abba Saul, \"I\nhunted a stag which fled into the thigh bone of a dead man. I pursued\nit and ran along three parasangs of the thigh-bone, yet had not reached\nits end.\" This thigh-bone, as was later established, was Og's. [686]\n\nThis giant never in all his days made use of a wooden chair or bed, as\nthese would have broken down beneath his weight, but sat upon iron\nchairs and lay upon iron beds. He was not only of gigantic build and\nstrength, but of a breadth also that was completely out of proportion\neven with his height, for his breadth was one half his height, whereas\nthe normal proportion of breadth to height is as one to three. [687] In\nhis youth Og had been a slave to Abraham, who had received him as a\ngift from Nimrod, for Og is none other than Eliezer, Abraham's steward.\nOne day, when Abraham rebuked him and shouted at him, Eliezer was so\nfrightened that one of his teeth fell out, and Abraham fashioned out of\nit a bed in which he always slept. Og daily devoured a thousand oxen or\nan equal number of other animals, and drank correspondingly, requiring\ndaily not less than a thousand measures of liquids. [688] He remained\nin Abraham's service until Isaac's marriage, when Abraham gave him his\nfreedom as a reward for having undertaken the labor of wooing Rebekah\nfor his son, and of fetching her to his house. God also rewarded him in\nthis world, that this wicked wight might not lay claim to a reward in\nthe world to come. He therefore made a king of him. [689] During his\nreign he founded sixty cities, that he surrounded with high walls, the\nlowest of which was not less than sixty miles in height. [690]\n\nMoses now feared to wage war against Og, not only on account of his\ngiant strength and huge size, which Moses had now witnessed with his\nown eyes, but he also thought: \"I am only one hundred and twenty years\nold, whereas he is more than five hundred. Surely he could never have\nattained so great an age, had he not performed meritorious deeds.\"\n[691] Moses also remembered that Og was the only giant that had escaped\nthe hand of Amraphel, and he perceived in this a token of God's special\nfavor toward Og. [692] Moses feared, moreover, that Israel in the\nrecent war against Sihon might have committed sins, so that God would\nnot now stand by them. \"The pious are always afraid of the consequences\nof sin, and therefore do not rely upon the assurances God had made to\nthem;\" hence Moses now feared to advance upon Og even though God had\npromised him aid against his enemies. [693] God, however, said to him:\n\"What is thy hand, [694] his destruction has been decreed since the\nmoment when he looked with evil eyes upon Jacob and his family when\nthey arrived in Egypt.\" For even then God had said to him: \"O thou\nwicked knave, why dost thou look upon them with all evil eye? Verily,\nthine eye shall burst, for thou shalt fall into their hands.\" [695]\n\nOg met his death in the following fashion. When he discovered that\nIsrael's camp was three parasangs in circumference, he said: \"I shall\nnow tear up a mountain of three parasangs, and cast it upon Israel's\ncamp, and crush them.\" He did as he had planned, pulled up a mountain\nof three parasangs, laid it upon his head, and came marching in the\ndirection of the Israelite camp, to hurl it upon them. But what did God\ndo? He caused ants to perforate the mountain, so that is slipped from\nOg's head down upon his neck, and when he attempted to shake it off, he\nteeth pushed out and extended to left and right, and did not let the\nmountain pass, so that he now stood there with the mountain, unable to\nthrow it from him. When Moses saw this, he took an axe twelve cubits\nlong, leaped ten cubits into the air, and dealt a blow to Og's ankle,\nwhich caused the giant's death. [696]\n\nThis was the end of the last of the giants, who was not only last in\ntime, but also in significance, for despite his height and strength, he\nwas the most insignificant of the giants who perished in the flood.\n[697]\n\nWith Og's death all his lands fell to the lot of the Israelites without\nanother sword's stroke, for God has so ordained it that al of Og's\nwarriors were with him at his encounter with Israel, and after Israel\nhad conquered these, only women and children remained in all the land.\nHad Israel been obliged to advance upon every city individually, they\nwould never have finished, on account of the number of the cities and\nthe strength of the hosts of the Amorites. [698]\n\nNot alone Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, were such giants and\nheroes, but all the Amorites. When Hadrian conquered Jerusalem, he\nboasted of his victory, whereupon Rabba Johanan, the son of Zakkai,\nsaid to hi: \"Boast not of thy victory over Jerusalem, for, had not God\nconquered it for thee, thou shouldst never have gained it.\" He\nthereupon led Hadrian to a cave where he showed him the corpses of the\nAmorites, each of which was eighteen cubits, and said: \"When we were\nworthy of victory, these fell into our hands, but now, on account of\nour sins, dost thou rule over us.\" [699]\n\nThe victory over Sihon and his hosts was as great as that over Pharaoh\nand his hosts, and so was the victory over Og and his hosts. Each of\nthese victories was as important as that over the thirty-one kings that\nJoshua later captured, and it would well have behooved Israel to sing\nsongs of praise to their Lord as after Pharaoh's destruction. David\nlater made good this omission, for he intoned a song of praise in\ngratitude for the victory God had lent to Israel over Sihon and Og.\n[700]\n\nWithout direct assistance from God these victories would not have been\npossible, but He sent hornets upon them, and their destruction was\nirrevocable. Two hornets pursued ever Amorite; one bit one eye, the\nsecond the other eye, and the poison of these little creatures consumed\nthose bitten by them. [701] These hornets remained on the east side of\nthe Jordan, and did not pursue Israel's march to the regions west of\nthe Jordan, nevertheless they wrought great havoc among the Canaanites\nof the region west of the Jordan. The hornets stood on the eastern bank\nof the Jordan, and spat their venom across to the opposite bank, so\nthat the Canaanites that were hit became blind and were disarmed. [702]\n\nWhen God promised Moses to send an angel to Israel, he declined the\noffer with the words: \"If Thy presence go not with me, carry us not up\nhence,\" whereupon God replied: \"Thou complainest because I desire to\nsend only an angel to assist thee to conquer the land. As truly as thou\nlivest, I shall now send thee not even an angel, but a hornet to\ndestroy the enemies of Israel. It is, however, for thy sake alone that\nI deliver the enemy into Israel's hands, and not as if Israel deserved\nit through their own good deeds.\" [703]\n\nOg's bed, fashioned out of ivory, that measured nine arms' length,\ntaking the giant's arm as a standard, [704] Og had preserved in the\nAmmonite city Rabbah, for he knew that Israel would penetrate neither\nto the land of the Ammonites nor of the Moabites, because God had\nprohibited them from coming too close to Lot's descendants. [705] He\nlikewise forbade them to wage war with the Edomites; in this way Esau,\na son kind to his father Isaac, was rewarded by not having his\ndescendants, the Edomites, molested by Israel. God said to Israel: \"In\nthis world ye shall have no sway over the mountain Seir, Edom's realm,\nbut in the future world, when ye shall be released, then shall ye\nobtain possession of it. Until then, however, beware of the sons of\nEsau, even when they fear ye, much more so when ye shall dwell\nscattered among them.\" [706]\n\n\n\n\n MOSES' SPEECH OF ADMONITION\n\n\nAs Abraham before his death spoke to his son Isaac, he to his son\nJacob, and Jacob in turn to his sons, words admonishing them to walk in\nthe ways of the Lord, so Moses also did not depart from this world\nwithout previously calling Israel to account for their sins, and\nadmonishing them to observe the commandments of the Lord. Moses' speech\nof admonition had a greater effect than the revelation of the Decalogue\nupon Mount Sinai, for whereas Israel, shortly after they had said on\nSinai, \"We shall do according as we have heard,\" transgressed by\nworshipping the Golden Calf, Moses' words of admonition had left a\npowerful impression upon them, and he restored them to God and the\nTorah. God therefore said, \"As a reward to thee because thy words of\nexhortation have brought Israel to follow Me, I shall designate these\nwords as thine, even though thou didst speak them only in execution of\nMy command.\"\n\nMoses did not, however, make his speech of exhortation to the people\nuntil after the victory of Sihon and Og, for Moses thought: \"Were I to\nhave called them to account before these victories, they would have\nanswered, 'He is trying to recall to us our sins because he is unable\nto lead us into the promised land against Sihon and Og, and he is\nseeking our sins as an excuse.'\" But after Moses had proven what he\ncould do, he could safely venture to recall to the people their sins.\n[707] He now assembled all classes of Israel, the nobles as well as the\ncommon people, saying to them: \"I will now give you a severe rebuke for\nyour sins, and if any one have something to offer as an excuse, let him\nnow advance it.\" In this way he shut off the possibility of their\nsaying later on, \"Had we heard the words of the son of Amram, we should\nhave answered each word fourfold and fivefold.\"\n\nMoses now recounted the ten temptations with which they tempted God:\nhow at the Red Sea they had repented having followed Him, and had even\nturned back three stations on the way to Egypt; how even after the\nmiracle that clove the Red sea for them, they had so little faith in\nGod as to say, \"Just as at this spot we passed unharmed through the Red\nSea, so also did the Egyptians in another part of it.\" At Marah and at\nRephidim they tried God on account of the dearth of water, and as they\ntwice rebelled against God on account of water, so also did they on\naccount of manna. They infringed upon the two laws God had given them\nin regard to manna, storing it from one day to the next, and going to\ngather it on the Sabbath, although God had strictly forbidden both. On\naccount of their lust for flesh also they twice transgressed, murmuring\nfor flesh at the same time as they received manna, although manna\ncompletely satisfied their needs; and after God had granted their wish\nand had sent them quails, they remains content for a short time only,\nand then again demanded quails, until God granted them that wish also.\n\"But the worst of all,\" Moses told them, \"was the worship of the Golden\nCalf. And not only that, but again in Paran, misled by the spies, ye\ntransgressed in desiring to make an idol, and under its guidance to\nreturn to Egypt.\"\n\nMoses then pointed out to them that it was owing to their sin that they\nhad strayed about in the desert for forty years, for otherwise God\nwould have brought them to Palestine on the same day as He had led them\nout of Egypt. He not only reproached Israel with the sins they had\ncommitted against God, but also with the evil they had worked Moses\nhimself, mentioning how they had thrown their infants into his lap,\nsaying, \"What food hast thou for these?\" [708] On this occasion it was\nevident how good and pious a nation was that before Moses, for all the\nsins he enumerated to them had been committed not by them, but by their\nfathers, all of whom had in the meantime died, yet they were silent,\nand made no answer to this severe reprimand their leader gave them.\n[709] Moses did not, however, merely admonish the people to walk in the\nways of the Lord, but he said to Israel: \"I am near to death, Whosoever\nhath learned from me a verse, a chapter, or a law, let him come to me\nand learn it anew,\" whereupon he repeated all the Torah, [710] and\nthat, too, in the seventy languages of the world, that not Israel alone\nbut all the heathen peoples, too, might hear the teachings of God.\n[711]\n\n\n\n\n BALAK, KING OF MOAB\n\n\n\"God allows nothing to stay unrewarded, not even a respectable word\nremains without its reward.\" The older of Lot's two daughters had\ncalled her son that was conceived in guilt, Moab, \"by the father,\"\nwhereas the younger, for the sake of decency, called her son Ammon,\n\"son of my people,\" and she was rewarded for her sense of propriety.\nFor when Moses wanted to overrun the descendants of Lot with war, God\nsaid to him: \"My plans differ from thine. Two doves shall spring from\nthis nation, the Moabite Ruth and the Ammonite Naomi, and for this\nreason must these two nations be spared.\"\n\nThe treatment God bade Israel accord to these two nations was not,\nhowever, uniform. In regard to Moab, God said, \"Vex not Moab, neither\ncontend with them in battle,\" which portended that Israel was not to\nwage war against the Moabites, but that they might rob them or reduce\nthem to servitude. In regard to the sons of Ammon, on the other hand,\nGod forbade Israel to show these descendants of Lot's younger daughter\neven the slightest sign of hostility, or in any way to alarm them, so\nthat Israel did not even show themselves in battle array to the\nAmmonites. [712]\n\nIsrael's hostile, though not warlike, attitude toward Moab inspired\nthese people and their kings with great fear, so much so that they\nseemed to be strangers in their own land, fearing as they did that they\nshould have to fare like the Egyptians; for the Israelites had come to\nEgypt as strangers, but had in time possessed themselves of the land so\nthat the Egyptians had to rent their dwelling-places from them. Their\nfear was still further increased by their belief that Israel would pay\nno attention to God's command to them not to wage war against Lot's\ndescendants. This assumption of theirs was based on the fact the Israel\nhad taken possession of the kingdoms of Sihon and Og, even though these\nhad originally been part of Ammon's and Moab's possessions. [713]\nHeshbon, Sihon's capital city, had formerly belonged to Moab; but the\nAmorites, thanks to Balaam and his father Beor's support, had taken\nfrom Moab these and some other regions. The Amorites had hired these\ntwo sorcerers to curse Moab, with the result that the Moabites were\nmiserably defeated in the war against Sihon. \"Woe to thee, Moab! Thou\nart undone, O people of Chemosh!\" These and similar utterances were the\nominous words that Balaam and his father employed against Moab. [714]\nChemosh was a black stone in the form of a woman, that the Moabites\nworshipped as their god. [715]\n\nAs part of Moab passed into Sihon's possession so did a part of Ammon\nfall into Og's hands, and because Israel had appropriated these land,\nthe Moabites feared they would filch from them all their land. In great\nalarm they therefore gathered together in their fastnesses, in which\nthey knew themselves to be safe from Israel's attacks. [716] Their fear\nwas in reality quite without foundation, for Israel never dreamed of\ntransgressing God's command by waging war upon Lot's descendants. They\nmight without compunction keep the former provinces of Moab and Ammon\nbecause they took them not from these, but from Sihon and Og, who had\ncaptured them. [717]\n\nAt this time the king of Moab was Balak, who was formerly a vassal of\nSihon, and in that capacity was known as Zur. After Sihon's death he\nwas chosen king, though he was not worthy of a rank so high. Favored by\nfortune, he received royal dignity, a position that his father had\nnever filled. [718] Balak was a fitting name for this king, for he set\nabout destroying the people of Israel, wherefore he was also called the\nson of Zippor, because he flew as swiftly as a bird to curse Israel.\n[719] Balak was a great magician, who employed for his sorcery the\nfollowing instrument. He constructed a bird with its feet, trunk, and\nhead of gold, its mouth of silver, and its wings of bronze, and for a\ntongue he supplied it with the tongue of the bird Yadu'a. This bird was\nnow placed by a window where the sun shone by day and the moon by\nnight, and there it remained for seven days, throughout which burnt\nofferings were offered before it, and ceremonies performed. At the end\nof this week, the bird's tongue would begin to move, and if pricked by\na golden needle, would divulge great secrets. It was this bird that had\nimparted to Balak all his occult lore. One day, however, a flame that\nsuddenly leaped up burned the wings of this bird, which greatly alarmed\nBalak, for he thought that Israel's proximity had destroyed his\ninstrument of sorcery. [720]\n\nThe Moabites now perceiving that Israel conquered their enemies by\nsupernatural means said, \"Their leader had been bred in Midian, let us\ntherefore inquire of the Midianites about his characteristics.\" When\nthe elders of Midian were consulted, they replied, \"His strength abides\nin his mouth.\" \"Then,\" said the Moabites, \"we shall oppose to him a man\nwhose strength lies in his mouth as well,\" and the determined to call\nupon Balaam's support. The union of Moab and Midian establishes the\ntruth of the proverb: \"Weasel and Cat had a feast of rejoicing over the\nflesh of the unfortunate Dog.\" For there had always been irreconcilable\nenmity between Moab and Midian, but they united to bring ruin upon\nIsrael, just as Weasel and Cat had united to put an end to their common\nenemy Dog. [721]\n\n\n\n\n BALAAM, THE HEATHEN PROPHET\n\n\nThe man whom the Moabites and Midianites believed to be Moses' peer was\nnone other than Laban, Israel's arch-enemy, who in olden days had\nwanted to root out entirely Jacob and all his family, [722] and who had\nlater on incited Pharaoh and Amalek against the people of Israel to\nbring about their destruction. [723] Hence, too, the name Balaam,\n\"Devourer of Nations,\" for he was determined to devour the nation of\nIsrael. [724] Just at this time Balaam was at the zenith of his power,\nfor his curse had brought upon the Moabites their defeat at the hands\nof Sihon, and his prophecy that his compatriot Balak should wear the\nroyal crown had just been fulfilled, so that all the kings sent\nambassadors to seek advice from him. He had gradually developed from an\ninterpreter of dreams to a sorcerer, and had not attained the still\ngreater dignity of prophet, thus even surpassing his father, who had\nindeed been prophet too, but not so notable a one as his son. [725]\n\nGod would permit the heathens to have no ground for exculpation, for\nsaying in the future world, \"Thou hadst kept us far from Thee.\" To\nthem, as well as to Israel, he gave kings, sages, and prophets; but\nwhereas the former showed themselves worthy of their high trust, the\nlatter proved themselves unworthy of it. Both Solomon and\nNebuchadnezzar were rulers over all the world: the former built the\nTemple and composed many hymns and prayers, the latter destroyed the\nTemple and cursed and blasphemed the Lord, saying, \"I will ascend above\nthe heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.\" Both David\nand Haman received great treasures from God, but the former employed\nthem to secure a site for God's sanctuary, whereas the latter with his\ntried to destroy the whole nation. Moses was Israel's prophet, and\nBalaam was prophet of the heathens: but how great a contrast between\nthese two! Moses exhorted his people to keep from sin, whereas Balaam\ncounseled the nations to give up their moral course of life and to\nbecome addicted to lewdness. Balaam was also different from the\nIsraelite prophet in his cruelty. They had such pity for the nations\nthat misfortune among the heathens caused them suffering and sorrow,\nwhereas Balaam was so cruel that he wanted to destroy an entire nation\nwithout any cause.\n\nBalaam's course of life and his actions show convincingly why God\nwithdrew from the heathen the gift of prophecy. [726] For Balaam was\nthe last of the heathen prophets. Shem had been the first whom God had\ncommissioned to communicate His words to the heathens. This was after\nthe flood, when God said to Shem: 'Shem, had My Torah existed among the\nprevious ten generations, I suppose I should not have destroyed the\nworld by the flood. Go now, announce to the nations of the earth My\nrevelations, ask them if they will not accept My Torah.\" Throughout\nfour hundred years did Shem go about as a prophet, but the nations of\nthe earth did not heed him. The prophets that labored after him among\nthe heathens were Job and his four friends, Eliphaz, Zophar, Bildad,\nand Elihu, as well as Balaam, all of whom were descendants of Nahor,\nAbraham's brother, from his union with Milcah. In order that the\nheathens might not say, \"Had we had a prophet like Moses, we should\nhave received the Torah,\" God gave them Balaam as a prophet, who in no\nway was inferior to Moses either in wisdom or in the gift of prophecy.\nMoses was indeed the greatest prophet among the Israelites, but Balaam\nwas his peer among the heathens. But although Moses excelled the\nheathen prophet in that God called him without any previous\npreparation, whereas the other could obtain Divine revelations only\nthrough sacrifices, still Balaam had one advantage over the Israelite\nprophet. Moses had to pray to God \"to shew him His ways,\" whereas\nBalaam was the man who could declare of himself that he \"knew the\nknowledge of the Most High.\" But because, in spite of his high\nprophetic dignity, Balaam had never done anything good or kind, but\nthrough his evil tongue had almost destroyed all the world, God vowed a\nvow to His people that He would never exchange them for any other\npeople or nation, and that He would never permit them to dwell in any\nland other than Palestine. [727]\n\n\n\n\n BALAK'S MESSENGERS TO BALAAM\n\n\nBalak now sent messengers to Balaam with the following message: \"Think\nnot that I ask thy help against Israel exclusively in my own interests,\nand that thou canst expect from me alone honor and rewards for thy\nservice, but rest assured that all nations will then honor thee, that\nCanaanites as well as Egyptians will cast themselves at thy feet when\nthou shalt have destroyed Israel. This people that hath gone out of\nEgypt hath covered with earth Sihon and Og, the eyes that guarded the\nwhole land, and now they are about to destroy us as well. They are not,\nindeed, greater heroes than we, nor are their host more numerous than\nours, but they conquer as soon as they open their lips in prayer, and\nthat we cannot do. Try now to see if I may not gradually become their\nmaster, so that I may at least lead a certain per cent of them to\ndestruction, be it only a twenty-fourth part of them.\"\n\nBalak himself was even a greater magician and soothsayer than Balaam,\nbut he lacked the gift of properly grasping prophetic observations. He\nknew through his sorcery that he was to be the cause of the death of\ntwenty-four thousand Israelites, but he did not know in what way Israel\nwas to suffer so great a loss, hence he requested Balaam to curse\nIsrael, hoping by this curse to be able to restrain Israel from\nentering the Holy Land.\n\nBalak's messengers to Balaam consisted of the elders of Moab and\nMidian. The latter were themselves great magicians, and by their art\nestablished the truth, that should Balaam obey Balak's summons, their\nmission against Israel would be successful, but should he hesitate even\nfor a moment to follow them, nothing was to be expected from him. When\nthey now reached Balaam and he bade them stay over night to await his\nanswer, the elders of Midian instantly returned, for they knew that\nthey had now nothing to expect from him. [728] They said: \"Is there\nsuch a father as hates his son? God is the father of Israel, He loves\nthem. Shall He now, owing to a curse from Balaam turn His love into\nhatred?\" [729] Indeed, had the matter depended on Balaam's wishes, he\nwould doubtless instantly have acquiesced and followed Balak's summons,\nfor he hated Israel more than Balak, and was much pleased with the\ncommission of the Moabite king. The elders that Balak had sent had\nbesides in their possession all needful instruments of magic, so that\nBalaam might have no excuse for not instantly following them, but\nBalaam had, of course, to bide his time and first find out if God would\npermit him to go to Balak, hence he bade the Moabite messengers stay\nover night, because God never appears to heathen prophets save at\nnight. As Balaam expected, God appeared by night and asked Balaam, \"Who\nare these people with thee?\"\n\nBalaam was one of the three men whom God put to the test and who\nmiserably failed to pass it. When God appeared to Cain and asked,\n\"Where is Abel thy brother?\" he tried to deceive God. He should have\nreplied, \"Lord of the world! What is hidden and what is open, both\nalike are known to Thee. Why then dost Thou inquire after my brother?\"\nBut instead of this he replied, \"I know not. Am I my brother's keeper?\"\nGod therefore said to him: \"Thou hast spoken thin own sentence. The\nvoice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground, and now\ncursed art thou.\" Hezekiah acted like Cain when the messengers from the\nking of Babylon came to him, and Isaiah the prophet asked him, \"What\nsaid these men? And from whence came they unto thee?\" Hezekiah should\nhave answered, \"Thou art a prophet of God, why dost thou ask me?\" But\ninstead of giving this answer, he replied haughtily and boastfully,\n\"They are come from a far country unto me, even from Babylon.\" On\naccount of this haughty answer Isaiah announced to the king this\nprophecy: \"Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house shall\nbe carried to Babylon; and of thy sons that shall issue from thee, they\nshall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.\"\n\nThe scoundrel Balaam, too, should have made answer to God's question,\n\"What men are these with thee?\" by saying, \"Lord of the world!\nEverything lies open before Thee, and nothing is hidden from Thee, why\nthen dost Thou ask me?\" But he, on the other hand, made quite a\ndifferent answer and started to boast, saying to God: \"Although Thou\ndost not distinguish me, and dost not spread my fame over the world,\nstill the kings seek me: Balak, the king of Moab, hath sent to ask me\nto curse Israel.\" Then God said, \"Because thou speakest thus, thou\nshalt not curse the people,\" and added, \"O thou wicked rascal! I said\nof Israel, He that toucheth them, toucheth the apple of My eye,' and\nyet thou wishest to touch them and curse them! Therefore shall thine\neye be blinded.\" [730] Thus Balaam became blind of one eye, as he had\nalready been lame of one foot. [731] Balaam now perceiving that God did\nnot wish him to curse Israel said, \"If it be so, then I shall bless\nthem.\" God: \"They have not need of thy blessing, for they are blessed.\"\nGod said to Balaam as one says to a bee: \"Neither thy honey nor thy\nsting.\"\n\n\n\n\n BALAAM ACCEPTS BALAK'S INVITATION\n\n\nOn the following morning Balaam gave the elders of Moab his answer,\nsaying that he would not follow Balak's call, but not betraying to them\nthe truth, that God hat forbidden him to curse Israel. He said instead,\n\"God said to me, 'Go not with these men, for that would be beneath thy\ndignity, but await nobler ambassadors.'\" [732] Balaam's plan was to\ninsult Balak, so that he should send no further messengers to him, and\nno one might discover that he could accomplish nothing beyond the word\nof God. His expectations, however, were disappointed. The ambassadors\nin their turn, not quite painstaking in their representation of the\ntruth, told their king that Balaam considered it beneath his dignity to\nappear in their escort, making no mention of God, but speaking as if\nthe refusal came simply and exclusively from Balaam. [733]\n\nBalak thereupon sent more honorable ambassadors to Balaam, until he was\nat last obliged to admit that he could undertake nothing against God's\ncommand. Even then, it is true, he did not admit that his acceptance or\nrefusal of Balak's invitation depended entirely upon God, but declared\nthat he could, if he wished, do as he chose, but did not choose to\ntransgress God's prohibition. In his second embassy Balak promised\nBalaam more for his service than he had offered him the first time.\nBalaam's answer was as follows: \"If Balak would give me his house full\nof silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God.\"\nThese words characterize the man, who had three bad qualities: a\njealous eye, a haughty spirit, and a greedy soul. His jealousy was the\nreason why he wanted to curse Israel, whom he envied for their good\nfortune; in his haughtiness, he told the first messengers the falsehood\nthat God would not let him go with them because it would be beneath his\ndignity; and his avarice was expressed in his answer to the second\nembassy in which he not only surreptitiously mentioned Balak's gold and\nsilver, but spoke his mind by explaining to them that their master\ncould not adequately compensate him for his service, saying, \"If Balak\nwere to hire hosts against Israel, his success would still be doubtful,\nwhereas he should be certain of success if he hired me!\"\n\nHe did not, however, give even the second embassy a decisive answer,\nbut said to them also, \"I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God,\nto do less or more. Now therefore I pray you, tarry ye also here this\nnight, that I may know what the Lord will speak unto me more.\" These\nwords of his held unconscious prophecies: \"I cannot go beyond the word\nof the Lord,\" was as much as to say that he could not put the blessings\nof God to Israel to naught. \"Tarry ye also here this night,\" contained\nthe prophecy that this second embassy would be as much disappointed as\nthe first, for although Balaam accompanied the second messengers, still\nhe had no power to curse Israel, but only to bless them. Finally, the\nwords, \"What the Lord will speak unto me more,\" held a prediction that\nGod would bestow even more benedictions upon the Israelites through\nhim.\n\n\"God permits man to go upon the way he chooses to go.\" When God\nappeared to Balaam the first time he said to him, \"Thou shalt not go\nwith them;\" but when Balaam still did not relinquish his desire to go\nto Balak, God would not interfere. Hence, at His second appearance, God\nsaid to Balaam, \"If the men be come to call thee, rise up, go with\nthem; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt thou do.\"\n[734]\n\n\"Audacity prevails even before God.\" Balaam's steadfast insistence upon\nhis wish wrested from God his consent to Balaam's journey to Moab.\n[735] He warned him of its consequences, saying to him: \"I take no\npleasure in the destruction of sinners, but if thou are bound to go to\nthy destruction, do so! Whosoever leads righteous men astray upon an\nevil way, will fall into the ditch of his own digging!\" Balaam was\nmisled by God's behavior toward him, and thus plunged into destruction.\nWhen God first appeared to him and asked him, \"What men are these with\nthee?\" this blasphemer thought: \"God know them not. It seems clear that\nthere are times when He is not aware of what goes on, and I shall now\nbe able to do with His children as I wish.\" Balaam was misled by God\nbecause he had with his words seduced to unchastity people who had up\nto his time lived in purity. [736] God's apparent change of decision,\nthat first prohibited him from going to Balak, and then permitted him\nto do so, completely bewildered him, so that he thought, \"God at first\nsaid to me, 'Go thou not with them,' but the second time He said, 'Go\nwith them.' So too will He change His words, 'Curse them not,' into\n'Curse them.'\" Just as Balaam was confused by God, so too were the\nmagicians that Balak had sent to him. At the first visit these had\nthrough their magic lore established that he would accept Balak's\ninvitation, but God made him decline it; at the second time, on the\nother hand, they established that he would not accept the invitation,\nand God made him obey their summons. [737]\n\n\n\n\nBALAAM'S ASS\n\n\nBalaam could hardly await the morning, rejoicing no less than Balak's\nmessengers at God's consent to his journey to Balak, and still hoping\nthat he might succeed in bringing disaster upon Israel. In his haste to\nset out, he himself saddled his ass although he did not lack servants,\nwhereupon God said: \"O thou villain, their ancestor Abraham forestalled\nthee, for he too rose up early in the morning and in person saddled his\nass to lead Isaac to sacrifice in fulfillment of the command that had\nreached him.\" [738]\n\nThe ass that Balaam took with him had been created on the sixth day of\nthe creation. He had received it as a gift from Jacob, that he might\nnot give evil counsel to Pharaoh concerning Jacob's children. It was\nupon his advice, nevertheless, that Pharaoh forced the Israelites to\nmake bricks. [739] He took his two sons, Jannes and Jambres, [740] for\nit behooves a noble man always to have at least two companions upon any\njourney that he undertakes. [741]\n\nAlthough God had now granted him permission to go on the journey, still\nHis wrath was kindled when he set out. God said, \"Behold, this man! He\nknows that I read each man's heart, and knows also that he departeth\nonly to curse Israel.\" [742] This wickedness on his part had the result\nthat even the Angel of Mercy turned against him as an enemy, standing\nin his way. At first the ass alone perceived the angel, and not Balaam,\nfor God has so arranged it that human beings may not perceive the\nangels that surround them or else they would through terror lose their\nreason. [743] The ass, on the other hand, instantly perceived the\nangel. He at first stood in her way as she was in the middle of the\nroad, so that she could turn aside on both sides; then she perceived\nhim when the road narrowed, and she could turn to one side only; and\nfinally she reached a spot where there was no road at all to which she\ncould turn either on this side or on that. This was to teach Balaam the\nfollowing lesson: if he wished to curse Abraham's children, he should\nhave leeway on both sides, Ishmael's children and Keturah's children;\nif he wanted to curse Isaac's children, one side would still be open to\nhim, Esau's children; but if he wanted to curse Jacob's children, he\nshould never bring it to pass, for they are protected on both sides, on\nthe one hand by Abraham and Isaac, on the other by Jacob and Levi,\nwhile God watches over them from above. \"The wall on this side, and on\nthat side,\" through which place he had to pass, were furthermore to\nindicate to him that he could not become master over Israel, who have\nin their possession the tables of the law, \"that were written on both\ntheir sides.\" When the ass reached the wall that Jacob and Laban had\nerected as a token that they \"would never pass over it for harm,\" she\nthrust her feet against it, to punish him for having broken his\nagreement with Jacob. [744]\n\nBalaam, who had with blows attempted to make the ass walk straight\nahead, flew into a rage when she lay down altogether and would not\nbudge from the spot, so that he smote her all the more. Then the Lord\nopened the mouth of the ass, and permitted her to use speech, a gift\nthat she had possessed ever since her creation, but had not until then\nused. [745] She said, \"What have I done unto thee, that thou has\nsmitten me these three times?\" The first words of the ass were so\nchosen as to call Balaam's attention to the wickedness and uselessness\nof his undertaking against Israel; \"Three times\" was to remind him that\nhe wished to curse a nation that \"three times\" in every year arranged\npilgrimages to the Lord. The ass's speech was altogether to serve as a\nwarning to Balaam to beware of his mouth, and not to curse Israel. The\nass, through her speaking, was to instruct him that the mouth and the\ntongue are in God's hand.\n\nBalaam answered the ass in the language in which she had addressed him,\nin Hebrew, which he did not, however, speak fluently. He said, \"Because\nthou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now I\nhad killed thee.\" The ass thereupon replied, \"Thou canst not kill me\nsave with a sword in thy hand; how then wilt thou destroy an entire\nnation with thy mouth!\" Balaam was silent, knowing no reply. [746] The\nass did not only make him ridiculous in the eyes of the elders of Moab\nthat accompanied him, but she also exposed him as a liar. For when the\nambassadors asked him why he had not chosen a horse rather than an ass\nfor his journey, he answered that his saddle horse was in the pasture.\nThen the ass interrupted him, saying, \"Am not I thine ass upon which\nthou hast ridden all thy life long?\" Balaam: \"I use thee as a beast of\nburden, but not for the saddle.\" The ass: \"Nay, upon me has thou ridden\nsince thine earliest day, and thou hast always treated me with as much\naffection as a man treats his wife.\" Balaam had now to admit that the\nass had spoken the truth. [747]\n\nBalak's princes were much amazed at this extraordinary miracle, but the\nass died the moment she had spoken what she had to say. God did this\nfor two reasons, firstly because He feared that the heathens might\nworship this ass were she to stay alive; and secondly because God\nwanted to spare Balaam the disgrace of having people point to his ass\nand say, \"This is she that worsted Balaam.\" By this action it can be\nseen how highly God prizes the honor or pious men, if He even sought to\nspare the honor of this villain. It is out of consideration to mankind,\nalso, that God has closed the mouth of animals, for were they to speak,\nman could not well use them for his service, since the ass, the most\nstupid of all animals, when she spoke, confounded Balaam, the wisest of\nthe wise.\n\n\n\n\nBALAAM RUNS INTO HIS OWN DESTRUCTION\n\n\nWhile all this was going on, Balaam still did not perceive that God's\nangel stood before him. God meant to show him that in His hand is not\nonly the tongue of man, but his eye as well, so that as long as He\nchooses, man will fail to see what is directly before his nose. But God\nsuddenly permitted Balaam to see the angel with a sword drawn in his\nhand, and Balaam fell flat on his face. [748] For, being uncircumcised,\nBalaam might not listen to the words of God or of an angel, standing\nerect; hence, upon perceiving the angel, who instantly began to address\nhim, Balaam cast himself upon the ground. [749] The sword in the\nangel's hand did not signify that he meant to strike Balaam, for a\nbreath from his mouth would have sufficed to kill myriads, but it was\nto point out the following truth to Balaam: \"The mouth was given to\nJacob, but to Esau and to the other nations, the sword. Thou are about\nto change thy profession, and to go out against Israel with his own\nweapon, and therefore shalt thou find death through the sword that is\nthy own weapon.\" [750]\n\nThe angel now said to Balaam: \"If I have been commissioned to demand\nrestitution from thee for the injustice thou hast offered to the ass,\nthat can show neither meritorious deeds of her own nor of her fathers,\nhow much the more must I stand up as the avenger of an entire nation,\nthat have their own merits and can refer to the merits of their\nfathers. But to return to the ass, why didst thou smite her, that\nturned from the road only because she saw me and was frightened?\"\nBalaam was a shrewd sinner, for he knew that Divine punishment could be\naverted only by penitence, and that the angels have no power to touch a\nman who, after sinning, says, \"I have sinned.\" Hence he said to the\nangel, \"I have sinned,\" but added, \"I did not set out until God said to\nme, 'Rise up, go with them;' and now thou sayest to me, 'Return.' But\nthis is the Lord's way. Did He not also at first tell Abraham to\nsacrifice his son, and then He caused an angel to call out to him, 'Lay\nnot thine hand upon the lad?' It is His custom first to give a command,\nand the through an angel to recall it. So also did He indeed say to me,\n'Go with them;' but if it displeaseth thee, I shall turn back.\" [751]\nThe angel replied: \"All that I have done was to thy advantage, but if\nthou are bound to plunge into destruction, do so, go with these people,\nbut destruction is decreed for all of you. Think not, however, that\nthou shalt do as thou wilt, for thou shalt have to say what I desire\nthee to speak, and to restrain what I wish to remain unuttered.\"\n\nIn spite of the warnings he had received from God and the angel, he was\nnot to be restrained from taking this fatal step, but in his hatred\ntoward Israel still cherished the hope that he should succeed in\nobtaining God's consent to curse Israel, and he continued his journey\nin this happy expectation. [752]\n\n\n\n\nBALAAM WITH BALAK\n\n\nWhensoever God wished to humble an evil-doer, He at first exalts him,\nto fill him with pride. So too He humbled Balaam after exalting him,\nfor at first Balak had sent princes of little distinction to him,\nwhereupon God said to him, \"Thou shalt not go with them.\" When,\nhowever, he sent many renowned princes to him, God said to Balaam, \"Go\nwith them,\" but this journey brought him nothing but humiliation and\nruin, for he fared in accordance with the proverb, \"Pride goeth before\ndestruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.\" God does this so\nthat men might not say, \"Whom hath God destroyed? Surely not that\ninsignificant person,\" hence God exalts sinners before their fall.\n[753]\n\nWhen Balaam approached the Moabite boundaries, he sent messengers to\nBalak to announce his arrival, and Balak went forth to his country's\nborder to meet him. Pointing to the boundary lines, Balak said to\nBalaam: \"These have been fixed since Noah's days, that no nation might\npush into the realm of another, but Israel set out to destroy the\nboundaries, as their attitude toward Sihon and Og shows, into whose\nkingdoms they entered.\" [754] He then greeted him with the words: \"Did\nI not twice sent unto thee to call thee? Wherefore camest not thou unto\nme? Am I not able indeed to promote thee to honor?\" Balak unconsciously\nuttered a prophecy, for in truth Balaam went hence in disgrace and\ndishonor, and not covered with glory, as he could not fulfil the\nother's wish to curse Israel. [755] It should now have been Balaam's\nduty, had he really desired to be of service to the king of Moab, to\nsay to him, \"Why dost thou attempt to do what will bring thee\nmisfortune, and finally utter ruin?\" But he spoke quite differently\ninstead, boastfully bragging with his gift of prophecy, pointing out\nthat he was the last prophet among the heathens. \"And,\" continued he,\n\"I, the last prophet among the heathens, shall thus counsel thee. The\nancestor of that nation erected to God an altar upon which, thrice\nannually, he offered up seven oxen and seven rams; do thou, then, erect\nseven altars, and offer up on each seven oxens and seven rams.\" God\nlaughed when he heard this counsel, saying: \"Every beast of the forest\nis Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of\nthe mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were\nhungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is Mine, and the fullness\nthereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?\"\n[756]\n\nBalak led his guest from the border-line to the interior of the land,\ntaking pains to show him great multitudes of the people, having bazaars\nerected for that purpose. Pointing to these multitudes, among which\nthere were also may children, Balak said, \"Look thou, how Israel plan\nto destroy these multitudes of people that have done them no injury.\"\n\nBalak slew for Balaam's welcome one ox and one sheep, proving the\nproverb, \"The pious promise little and do much, the wicked promise much\nand do little.\" Balak had sent word to Balaam, saying, \"I will promote\nthee unto very great honor;\" yet when he arrived, he offered him for\nfood only one ox and one sheep. Suppressing his rage, Balaam thought,\n\"Is that all that he offers me! He will have to pay for this\nto-morrow,\" for he instantly determined to have him offer up many\nsacrifices on the following day to punish him for having treated him in\nso niggardly a fashion.\n\n\n\n\nBALAAM'S SACRIFICES REFUSED\n\n\nOn the following morning Balak took Balaam and brought him upon into\nthe high places of Baal. For Balak was even a greater magician and\nsoothsayer than Balaam, who allowed himself like a blind man to be led\nby him. He led him to this spot because through his magic lore he knew\nthat Israel was to suffer a great misfortune upon the heights of\nBaalpeor, and he thought it was to be Balaam's curse that would effect\nthis disaster upon them. The relation of these two men to each other\nwas like that between two men, one of whom has a knife in his hand, but\ndoes not know what part of the body to strike for slaughter, and the\nother knows the part of the body, but has no knife. Balak knew the\nplace where disaster awaited Israel, but did not know how it was to be\nbrought about, whereas Balaam knew how evil is conjured up, but did not\nknow the places set for disaster, to which Balak had to lead him. [757]\nBalaam's superiority over Balak and the other magicians lay in this,\nthat he could accurately determine the moment in which God is wrathful,\nand it was for this reason that his curse was always effective because\nhe knew how to curse at the very instant of God's anger. It is true\nthat God is angry for one instant every day, to wit, during the third\nhour of the day, when the kings with crowns upon their head worship the\nsun, but this moment is of infinitesimally short duration. Fully\neighty-five thousand and eighty-eight such moments make an hour, so\nthat no mortal save Balaam had ever been able to fix that moment,\nalthough this point of time has its outward manifestations in nature,\nfor while it lasts, the cock's comb becomes absolutely white, without\neven the smallest stripe of red. God's love for Israel, however, is so\ngreat that during the time that Balaam prepared to curse Israel, He did\nnot wax angry at all, so that Balaam waited in vain for the moment of\nwrath. [758]\n\nBalaam now tried to obtain God's consent for Israel's curse through\nsacrifices, and hence bade Balak erect seven altars upon the high place\nof Baal, corresponding to the seven altars that since Adam had been\nerected by seven pious men, to wit: Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac,\nJacob, and Moses. When the altars had been erected, he said to God:\n\"Why didst Thou favor these people, if not for the sacrificed that they\noffered Thee? Were it not better for Thee to be adored by seventy\nnations than by one?\" But the Holy Spirit answered, \"'Better is a dry\nmorsel and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices and\nstrife.' Dearer to Me is a dry offering of meal than all these many\nflesh offerings by which thou strivest to stir up strife between Me and\nIsrael.\"\n\nNow was Balaam's fate decided, for by his conduct he put himself into\ndirect opposition to God, and hence his destruction was decreed, [759]\nand from that moment the holy spirit of prophecy left him and he was\nnothing more than a magician. For Israel's sake, however, God granted\nhim the honor of His revelation, but He did so grudgingly, as one\nloathes to touch an unclean thing. Hence He would not permit Balaam to\ncome to Him, but rather appeared to Balaam. God's different treatment\nof Balaam and of Moses at the revelation is evident, for whereas the\nlatter betook himself to the sanctuary to hear God's words, the former\nreceived God's revelation at any place whatsoever. It characterizes\nGod's attitude toward them. Two men once knocked at a magnate's door,\nthe one being a friend, who had a request to make, and the other a\nleprous beggar. The magnate said, \"Let my friend enter, but I shall\nsend the beggar's alms to the door, that he may not enter and pollute\nmy palace.\" God called Moses to Him, whereas He did not desire Balaam\nto come to Him, but betook Himself there. [760]\n\nHe found Balaam at the seven altars that he had erected, and said to\nhim, \"What doest thou here?\" whereupon Balaam answered, \"I have erected\nfor Thee as many altars as the three fathers of Israel, and I have\noffered upon them bullocks and rams.\" God, however, said to him:\n\"'Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and\nhatred therewith.' Pleasanter to Me is the meal of unleavened bread and\nherbs that the Israelites took in Egypt, than the bullocks that thou\nofferest out of enmity. O thou knave, if I wished for offerings, I\nshould order Michael and Gabriel to bring them to Me, thou are mistaken\nif thou believest that I should accept offerings from the nations of\nthe world, for I have vowed a vow to accept such from Israel alone.\"\n[761] God thereupon handed him over to an angel who entered and settled\nin his throat, and would not permit Balaam to speak when he wanted to\ncurse Israel. [762]\n\n\n\n\nBALAAM EXTOLS ISRAEL\n\n\nBalaam now turned back to Balak, who awaited him with his princes. He\nnow wanted to begin to curse Israel, but his mouth, far from being able\nto utter the words, was on the contrary compelled to praise and bless\nIsrael. [763] He said: \"I found myself upon the high places, in company\nwith the Patriarchs, and thou, Balak, hast cast me down from the\nheights; through thee did I lose the gift of prophecy. Both of us are\nungrateful men if we wish to undertake evil against Israel, for, had it\nnot been for their father Abraham, for whose sake God saved Lot out of\nthe ruin of the cities, there should not be no Balak, for thou are one\nof Lot's descendants. And had it not been for Jacob, I, Laban's\ndescendant, should not now be on earth, for no sons were born unto\nLaban until after Jacob had come into his house. [764] Thou didst bring\nme out of Aram to curse Israel, but it was this land that their father\nAbraham left, laden with blessings, and it was this land also that\ntheir father Jacob entered, laden with blessings. Shall now a curse\ncome upon them from this land? [765] How can I curse them if he that\ncurseth them bringeth a curse upon himself? Thou, moreover, wishest me\neven to curse Jacob. Hadst thou urged me to curse a nation that were\nonly the descendants of Abraham or of Isaac, I might have been able to\ndo so; but to curse Jacob's descendants is as bad as if a man were to\ncome to a king and say to him, 'The crown that thou wearest upon thy\nhead is worthless.' Would such a man be permitted to live? 'The Lord's\nportion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance.' 'In\nIsrael,' said the Lord, 'will I be glorified.' How now should I curse\nthem? How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? Even when they have\nbeen worthy of a curse, they have not been cursed. When Jacob went in\nto receive the blessings, he went in through craft and said to his\nfather, 'I am Esau, thy firstborn.' Doth not he deserve a curse out of\nwhose mouth issueth a lie? Yet, far from being cursed, he was even\nblessed. Ordinarily a legion that stirs up sedition against their king\nis declared guilty by death, but Israel had denied God, saying, 'These\nbe thy gods, O Israel.' Should they not then have been destroyed? God,\nhowever, did not even at that moment withdraw from them His love, but\nleft to them the clouds of glory, manna, and the well, even after they\nhad adored the Calf. Howsoever often they sinned and God threatened\nthem with a curse, still He did not say that He would bring it upon\nthem, whereas in His promises of blessings He always tells them that He\nHimself would send them upon Israel. How shall I curse when God doth\nnot curse! [766]\n\n\"Israel is a nation of whom God thought even before the creation of the\nworld. It is the rock upon which the world is founded. For, when God\nwas considering the scheme of the creation, He thought, 'How can I\ncreate the world if the idolatrous generation of Enosh and the\ngeneration of the flood will arouse My anger?' He was about to desist\nfrom the creation of the world, when He saw before Him Abraham's form,\nand He said, 'Now I have a rock upon which I can build, one upon which\nI can found the world.' [767] How, too, should I curse this nation that\nare protected and surrounded by the merits of the Patriarchs and the\nwives of the Patriarchs as if by lofty mountains and steep hills, so\nthat if Israel sin, God forgives them as soon as Moses prays to Him to\nbe mindful of the Patriarchs! [768]\n\n\"I was in error when I believed Israel could be easily attacked, but\nnow I know that they have taken deep root in the earth, and cannot be\nuprooted. God forgives them many sins out of consideration for their\nhaving preserved the token of the Abrahamic covenant; and as powerless\nas I am to curse them alone, just as powerless am I to curse them\ntogether with another nation, for 'it is a people that shall dwell\nalone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.' Israel is\ndistinguished from all other nations by their custom, by their food, by\nthe token of the covenant upon their bodies, and by the token upon\ntheir doorposts, wherefore God doth not judge them at the same time\nwith other nations, for He judges the latter in the darkness of the\nnight, but the former in bright daylight. Israel is a separate people,\nalone they enjoy the blessings God gives them, no other nation rejoices\nwith Israel. So too in the Messianic time Israel will quite alone\nrejoice in delights and pleasures, whereas in the present world it may\nalso partake of the universal welfare of the nations. [769]\n\n\"I am not able to accomplish anything against a nation that zealously\nfulfils God's commandments, and that owes its existence to the devotion\nwith which the wives of the Patriarchs obeyed the commandments of God.\n[770] 'Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be\nlike his!'\" Balaam in these words spoke an unconscious prophecy, to\nwit, that he should be entitled to participate in the fate of the\nrighteous, to his share in the future world, if he died the death of\nthe righteous, a natural death, but not otherwise. He died, however, a\nviolent death, and thus lost his share in the future world. [771]\n\n\n\n\nBALAAM'S HOPES DISAPPOINTED\n\n\nWhen Balak saw that Balaam, instead of cursing, praised and exalted\nIsrael, he led him to the top of Pisgah, hoping that he might there\nsucceed in cursing Israel. By means of his sorcery, Balak had\ndiscovered that Pisgah was to be a place of misfortune for Israel,\nhence he thought the Balaam would there utter his curse against Israel.\nHe was, however, mistaken; the disaster that there awaited Israel was\nthe death of their leader Moses, who died there, and God refused to\ngrant Balaam's wish on this spot also.\n\nGod indeed appeared to Balaam, but what He said to him was: \"Go again\nunto Balak, and bless Israel.\" Balaam now did not wish to return to\nBalak at all, to disappoint him a second time, but God compelled him to\nreturn to Balak and communicate to him the blessings of Israel. Balaam\nnow turned back to Balak, whom he found standing by his burnt offering.\nBut whereas on the first occasion the king had awaited Balaam,\nsurrounded by all his princes, Balaam now saw only a few notables\nsurrounding Balak. Most of the princes had deserted their king without\nawaiting Balaam, for they expected nothing further from him after the\nfirst disappointment he had caused them. Balak as well did not now\nreceive him as kindly, but mockingly asked, \"What hath the Lord\nspoken?\" hinting in this way that Balaam was unable to say what he\nwished, but only what God willed.\n\nBalaam replied to these scornful words of Balak: \"Rise up, Balak. Thou\nmayest not be seated when God's words are spoken. God is not like a man\nof flesh and blood, that makes friends and disowns them, as soon as he\nfinds such as are better than they. God is not so, for He doth not\ncancel the vow He had made to the Patriarchs, for He promised to bestow\nCanaan upon their descendants, and He fulfilleth His promise. He always\nfulfils what He hath promised to Israel, but allows the evil with which\nHe threatens them to be unfulfilled as soon as they repent them of\ntheir sins. God sees not their sins, but He seeth their good deeds.\nThou, Balak, sayest to me, 'Come, curse Jacob for me,' but a thief can\nenter a vineyard that hath a keeper only if the keeper sleeps, but 'He\nthat keepeth Israel neither sleepeth nor slumbereth,' and how then can\nI enter their vineyard? If, however, thou dost think that I cannot harm\nIsrael on account of Moses, who is their keeper, know then that his\nsuccessor will be as invincible as he, for through the sound of\ntrumpets he will overthrow the walls of Jericho.\n\n\"Thou, Balak, furthermore sayest, 'A people hath gone forth out of\nEgypt,' but they have not only gone forth, 'God brought them forth out\nof Egypt,' [772] who combines in Himself the powers of the angels and\nof the invisible demons. [773] Swift as the flight of a bird doth\nfortune as well as misfortune come upon Israel; if they sin, God\nsuddenly plunges them down, but if they act well in the sight of the\nLord, God exalts them as quickly as a cloud. Thou, Balak, hast\nrepeatedly tried to discover in what spot thou shouldst be able to work\nthem woe, but they will have nothing to do with sorceries, they baffle\nand put to naught the sorceries and prophecies of other nations by\ntheir pious deeds. When they set forth into battle, they practice no\nmagic, but the high priest, clad in the Urim and Tummin, consults God\nabout the outcome of the battle. There will even be a time when Israel\nwill sit before the Lord like a pupil before his master, and will\nreceive the revelation of the secrets of the Torah from him, so that\neven the angels will consult Israel concerning the secrets revealed to\nthem by God, for the angels are not permitted to approach God as\nclosely as the Israelites in the Messianic time.\n\n\"There is not indeed upon the earth a nation like Israel. The last\nthing they do before going to sleep is to devote themselves to the\nstudy of the Torah and the fulfillment of its laws, and this also is\ntheir first occupation upon awakening. As soon as they arise, they\nrecite the Shema' and adore God, and not until after they have done\nthis, do they go about their business. If evil spirits come to attack\nthem, or if disaster threatens them, they worship their God, and as\nsoon as they utter the words, 'The Lord our God is one Lord,' the\nharmful spirits become powerless against them and whisper after them\nthe words, 'Praised be the Name of the Glory of His Kingdom, for ever\nand ever.' When at night they retire, they against recite the Shema',\nwhereupon the angels of the day pass on the trust of guarding them to\nthe angels of night, and when, upon awakening they again worship their\nLord, the angels of the night again pass them on to be guarded by the\nangels of day.\" [774]\n\nWhen Balak for the second time saw that Balaam, instead of cursing,\nblessed Israel, he brought him to the top of Peor, thinking that\nperadventure it would please God to have him curse them from thence.\nFor by his sorcery Balak had discovered that a great disaster was to\nfall upon Israel on the top of Peor, and thought that this disaster\nmight be their curse from Balaam. He was, however, mistaken in this\nsupposition, for the disaster in that spot was none other than Israel's\nsin with the daughters of Moab, and God's punishment for this. [775]\n\n\n\n\nCURSES TURNED TO BLESSINGS\n\n\nBalaam, on the other hand, made no further attempts to induce God to\ncurse Israel, but thought he might be able to bring misfortune upon\nIsrael by enumerating the sins they had committed in the desert, and in\nthis way to conjure up God's wrath against them. But the desert had\nalso been the place where Israel had accepted the Torah, hence the\nmention of the desert called up God's love instead of His wrath. [776]\nBalaam himself, when he let his eyes wander over the camp of Israel,\nand perceived how their tents were so pitched that no one might see\nwhat was going on in the homes of the others, found himself compelled\nto burst into praises of Israel; [777] and, under the inspiration of\nthe prophetic spirit, the curses he had intended to speak were changed\nin his mouth into blessings, and he spoke of the extent and importance\nof the kingdom of Israel. [778] But whereas Moses blessed his people in\na low, quiet voice, Balaam spoke his words of blessing in a very loud\nvoice, so that all the other nations might hear and out of envy make\nwar upon Israel. Balaam's blessings were therefore accounted to him not\nas blessings, but as curses. God said: \"I have promised Abraham, 'And I\nwill bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I\ncurse,' hence will I account Balaam's blessings as curses.\" [779] And\nindeed all of Balaam's blessing later turned to curses, except his\nblessing that houses of teaching and of prayer should never be missing\namong Israel. [780]\n\nThe words that Balaam announced were heard by all the inhabitants of\nthe earth, such power did God lend to his voice, for He knew that at\nsome future time there would be a man born of woman who would pass\nhimself for a god and would mislead all the world. Hence God permitted\nall the world to hear Balaam's words, that said: \"God is not a man, and\nthe man that passeth himself for God lieth. But he that will mislead\nthe world by declaring that he will disappear for a time and then\nreappear will promise what he can never fulfil. Woe then to that nation\nthat will lend ear to the man who will pass himself for God.\" [781]\nBalaam furthermore announced the events that would come to pass at the\ntime of David's sovereignty; and also what will happen at the end of\ndays, in the time of Messiah, when Rome and all other nations will be\ndestroyed by Israel, excepting only the descendants of Jethro, who will\nparticipate in Israel's joy and sorrows. [782] Yea, the Kenites are to\nbe the ones to announce to Israel the arrival of the Messiah, and the\nsons of the Kenite Jonadab are to be the first at the time of the\nMessiah to bring offerings at the Temple and to announce to Jerusalem\nits deliverance. [783] This was Balaam's last prophecy. After this, the\nprophetic spirit left Balaam, and God in this way granted Moses' wish\nto reserve the gift of prophecy as a special distinction to Israel.\nBalaam was the last prophet of the nations. [784]\n\n\n\n\nBALAAM'S WICKED COUNSEL\n\n\nAlthough Balaam had not been able to fulfil Balak's wish and curse\nIsrael, still he did not leave him before giving him advice as to how\nhe might bring ruin to Israel, saying: \"The God of this people loathes\nunchastity; but they are very eager to possess linen garments. Pitch\ntents, then, and at their entrances have old women offer these articles\nfor sale. Induce them in this way to enter the interior of the tents\nwhere they will be surprised by young harlots, who will seduce them to\nunchastity, so that God may punish them for their sin.\" [785]\n\n\"Throw the stick up in the air it will always return to its original\nplace.\" The Moabite nation that owes its existence to the illegal\nrelations of Lot with his daughter could not deny its origin, and\nfollowed Balaam's counsel to tempt Israel to unchastity. They pitched\ntents, filled them with pretty women, whom they provided with valuable\nthings, and had old women take up their posts at the doors of the\ntents, whose task it was to lure the passing Israelites into the\ninterior. If an Israelite passed to buy something of the Moabites, the\nold women at the entrance to the tent would thus address him, \"Dost\nthou not wish to buy linen garments that were made in Bet-Shan?\" Then\nthey would show him a sample of the goods, and name the price, and\nfinally add, \"Go within, and thou wilt see wares still more beautiful.\"\nIf he went within, he was received by a young woman who was richly\nadorned and perfumed, who would at first set for him a price much lower\nthan the value of the goods, and then invite him to do as if he were at\nhome, and to choose the article he liked best. While he sat there, he\nwas treated with wine, and the young woman invited him to drink with\nthe words: \"Why do we love ye while you hate us? Are we not all\ndescendants of one man? Was not Terah our ancestor as much as yours? If\nthou wilt not eat of our sacrifices or what we have cooked, here are\ncalves and fowl that thou mayest slaughter in accordance with thy law.\"\nBut as soon as the Israelite had allowed himself to be persuaded to\ndrink, he was absolutely in the hands of the shameless woman.\nIntoxicated with wine, his passion for the woman was soon kindled, but\nshe agreed to satisfy his desires only after he had first worshipped\nPeor, the god of the Moabites. Now the worship of this idol consisted\nin nothing else than the complete baring of the body, hence the\nIsraelites, seeing no evil in it, declared themselves willing to follow\nthe summons of the Moabite women; and in this way they were seduced\nboth to unchastity and to idolatry by the Moabite women. At first the\nmen were ashamed and committed this whoredom with the Moabite women in\nsecret, but they soon lost this feeling of shame and betook themselves\ntwo by two to their lewd actions. [786]\n\nIsrael's moral degeneration is to be partly explained by this, that the\nplace where they found themselves was apt to tempt them to lewdness.\nFor there are springs whose waters have various effects upon those who\npartake of them. One kind of water strengthens, another weakens; one\nmakes beautiful, another makes ugly; one makes chaste, another brings\nabout lewdness. Now there was in Shittim, where the Israelites then\ndwelt, the \"Well of Lewdness,\" out of which the inhabitants of Sodom\nhad erstwhile fetched water, but from which, since the destruction of\nthe sinful cities, no one had drunk, and for this reason the people had\nuntil then been chaste. But Israel, as soon as they tasted of this\nwater, gave up their chaste manner of life. This disastrous spring will\nlose its force only in the Messianic time when God will cause it to dry\nup. [787]\n\n\n\n\nPHINEHAS, ZEALOUS FOR GOD\n\n\nWhen the people's shamelessness became more and more widespread, God\ncommanded Moses to appoint judges to punish the sinners, and as it was\ndifficult to discover these through the agency of witnesses, God marked\nthem by causing the cloud of glory that lay spread over the camp of\nIsrael to disappear from the sinners. Those that were not covered by\nthe cloud of glory were thus clearly marked as sinners. [788] God\nappointed as judges and executioners the seven myriads eight thousand\nsix hundred officers of the people, giving them the order that each of\nthem execute two sinners. [789] These carried out Moses' command and\nstoned the sinners, whose corpses then hung upon the gallows for a few\nminutes. This was the legal punishment, for these sinners had not only\ncommitted whoredom with the women of Moab, but had worshipped the\nMoabit idol Peor; and idolatry is punishable with death by stoning.\n[790]\n\nWhile the judges administered their stern offices, the tribe of Simeon\napproached their prince, Zimri, and said to him, \"People are being\nexecuted, and thou sittest still as if nothing were going on.\" He\nthereupon took with him twenty-four thousand men, and betook himself to\nCozbi, Balak's daughter, and without considering God or men, he\nrequested her in the presence of many people to yield herself to him,\nto satisfy his evil desires. Now Balak had ordered his daughter Cozbi\nto employ her beauty only for the sake of enticing Moses, thinking,\n\"Whatever evil may be decreed by God against Israel, Moses will be\nbrought to naught, but if my daughter should succeed in seducing him to\nsin, then all Israel will be in my hand.\" Hence Cozbi said to Zimri:\n\"My father ordered me to be obedient to the wishes of Moses alone, and\nto none other; for he is a king, and so is my father, and a king's\ndaughter is fit for none but a king.\" Zimri, however, replied: \"I am a\ngreater man the Moses, for he is chief only of the third tribe of\nIsrael, whereas I am prince of the tribe of Simeon, the second of the\nIsraelite tribes, and if thou wilt, I will convince thee that I am a\ngreater man than Moses, for I will take thee to myself in his presence,\nwithout paying attention to his prohibition.\"\n\nZimri then seized Cozbi by the locks of her hair, and brought her\nbefore Moses, whom he then addressed as follows: \"Tell me, son of\nAmram, is this woman permitted me, or is she forbidden me?\" Moses said,\n\"She is forbidden to thee.\" Zimri answered: \"Art thou really the\nfaithful expounder of the Torah, whose reliability God praised with the\nwords, 'He is faithful in all Mine house?' How then canst thou assert\nthat she is forbidden me, for then thy wife would be forbidden to thee,\nfor she is a Midianite like this woman, and this one is a noble woman\nof a noble family, whereas thy wife is the daughter of an idolatrous\npriest.\" At those words, Moses, Eleazar, and the elders began to weep,\nfor they knew not how to make answer to Zimri's insolent words, nor\nwhat they could do to restrain this sinner from the accomplishment of\nhis sin. God said to Moses: \"Where is thy wisdom? Thou didst need to\nutter only one word, and Korah and all his company were swallowed by\nthe earth. Canst thou now do nothing better than to weep?\" The Holy\nSpirit exclaimed at Moses' perplexity and silence, \"The stouthearted\nare spoiled, they have slept their sleep.\" [791]\n\nGod, who calls the pious to strict account, punished Moses for the lack\nof decision that he displayed on this occasion, by leaving his\nburial-place unknown to mankind. [792] While Moses and other pious men\nwere irresolute and deliberated whether or not Zimri deserved death,\nPhinehas said to Moses: \"O my great-uncle, didst thou not teach me,\nwhen thou didst return from Mount Sinai, that is was the zealot's task\nfor the sake of God's law to slay those who commit unchastity with\nnon-Jewish women?\" Phinehas took the liberty of pointing out the law to\nhis teacher Moses who had forgotten it, because, \"when God's name is\nprofaned, no man should consider the respect due to a teacher,\"\nwherefore Phinehas thought now only of establishing God's law, and in\ndoing this it was necessary to recall it to Moses' mind. Moses indeed\ndid not take it all amiss, but said to Phinehas, \"Let the reader of the\nletter be its bearer also,\" words by which he called upon Phinehas\nhimself to visit punishment upon the sinners. [793]\n\nPhinehas was now for a time in doubt whether he should dare to punish\nthe sinners, for it was to be expected that he would eventually meet\nhis death in this way, being one against two, Zimri and his mistress\nCozbi. When, however, the plague that God had sent upon Israel on\naccount of their sins spread more and more rapidly, Phinehas determined\nto risk his life in trying to kill the sinners. \"For,\" said he to\nhimself, \"the horse goes willingly into battle, and is ready to be\nslain only to be of service to its master. How much more does it\nbehoove me to expose myself to death in order to sanctify God's name!\"\n[794] He found himself all the more impelled to act thus because he\ncould not well leave the punishment of the sinners to others. He said:\n\"The tribe of Reuben can effect nothing in this instance, because their\ngrandsire Reuben was himself suspected of an unchaste action; nothing\nis to be expected from the tribe of Simeon, for it follows the sinful\nexample of its prince Zimri; the tribe of Judah cannot well be of use\nin this matter, because their grandsire Judah committed unchastity with\nhis daughter-in-law Tamar; Moses himself is doomed to impotence because\nhis wife Zipporah is a Midianite woman. Hence there remains nothing but\nfor me to interpose.\" [795]\n\n\n\n\nTWELVE MIRACLES\n\n\nPhinehas now, prepared at the risk of his own life to punish Zimri for\nhis sin, left the house of teaching where he had until now debated the\ncase of Zimri with Moses and all other pious men, and had himself\nprovided with a lance, having none with him because no armed man may\nenter a house of teaching. That his weapon might not betray him, he\ndetached the upper iron part of the lance and hid it in his bosom, and\nleaned upon the wooden shaft as if it were a staff. [796] When he\nreached the house where Zimri and Cozbi were giving extravagant play to\ntheir passions, the people said to him, \"Whence, Phinehas, and\nwhither?\" He replied, \"Do ye not know that the tribe of Levi is always\nto be found where the tribe of Simeon is?\" Then they permitted him to\nenter the house, but said, \"It seems that even the Pharisees now permit\nintercourse with the heathen women.\" When Phinehas had entered, he drew\nhis lance, \"and thrust both of them through, the man of Israel, and the\nwoman through her belly.\" [797]\n\nPhinehas's fear that these two might attack him was not realized, for\nGod performed no less than twelve miracles for Phinehas, which not only\nmade it impossible for the sinners to attack him, but also showed the\npeople that his action found favor in the sight of the Lord. The first\nmiracle was that an angel would not allow the sinful couple to separate\nwhen Phinehas surprised them; the second miracle was that the angel\nstopped their mouths so that they could not cry out for help; the third\nmiracle was that Phinehas's lance struck the man's and the woman's\npudenda; the fourth miracle was that the upper, iron part of the lance\nextended, so that Phinehas could at one thrust pierce the man as well\nas the woman; the fifth miracle was that Phinehas's arm was\nsufficiently strong to lift both upon the point of his lance; the sixth\nmiracle was that the wooden shaft of the lance sustained the weight of\ntwo persons; the seventh miracle was that the two bodies remained\npoised upon the lance and did not fall off; the eighth miracle was that\nthe angel turned the shameless pair around, so that all might see that\nPhinehas had surprised them in flagranti; the ninth miracle was that no\nblood flowed from them although they had been thrust through, or else\nPhinehas would have been polluted; the tenth miracle was that the\nshameless couple did not give up the ghost so long as Phinehas bore\nthem upon the point of his lance, as he would otherwise have been\npolluted by their corpses; the eleventh miracle was that the angel\nraised the doorposts of the room so that Phinehas might pass through\nwith the sinners upon the point of his lance, and the twelfth miracle\nwas that when the tribe of Simeon prepared to avenge Prince Zimri's\ndeath upon Phinehas, the angel sent a plague upon them, so that they\nwere impotent against him. [798]\n\nPhinehas was not, however, content with having punished the sinners,\nbut tried also to reconcile God with Israel. He threw the two dead\nbodies upon the ground, saying to God, \"Why, alas! Hast Thou on account\nof the sins of these two slain twenty-four thousand Israelites!\" For\nthis was the number that had been snatched away by the plague that God\nhad sent upon Israel for their sins. The angels now wanted to plunge\nPhinehas into death for his bold words, but God bade them desist,\nsaying, \"Leave him in peace, he is a zealot, the son of a zealot, and\nan appeaser of wrath, the son of an appeaser of wrath.\" [799]\n\n\n\n\nPHINEHAS REWARDED\n\n\nWhile God expressed His entire satisfaction with Phinehas's act, if\nfound many adversaries among Israel, who would scornfully call after\nhim, \"Behold, this man, the grandson of one who fattened calves to\noffer them up to an idol, daring to slay a prince among Israel!\" This\nspiteful remark referred to the fact that Phinehas was descended on his\nmother's side not only from Joseph, but from Jethro also who, before\nhis conversion to Judaism, had been a priest of idols. God therefore\nsaid to Moses, \"Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the\npriest, hast turned My wrath away from the children of Israel, hence I\noffer him My greeting of peace, for it was he who, zealous for My sake,\npreserved the seed of Abraham.\" The reason God designated Phinehas as\nthe son of Eleazar and the grandson of Aaron was that He wanted to stop\nthe mouths of Phinehas's detractors, who pretended that he was nothing\nbut a grandson of the heathen priest Jethro, ignoring the fact that he\nwas at the same time the grandson of Aaron, the high priest before the\nLord. [800] God was not content with the greeting of peace, but bade\nMoses tell Phinehas: \"With thy mouth hast thou defended Israel,\ntherefore as thy priest's portion shalt thou receive the jawbone of\nanimals; with thy lance didst thou aim at the bellies of the shameless\ncouple, hence shalt thou receive the bellies of the animals; and as\nwith thy arm thou didst labor to slay the sinners, so for thy portion\nshalt thou receive the shoulder of the animals. As, moreover, thou\ndidst strive to make peace among mankind, so shalt thou bestow the\npriestly blessing upon My children, and bless them with peace.\" [801]\nAs a reward for his pious deed Phinehas was appointed by God as a\npriest with all the rights of priesthood, that enabled him to lay claim\nto the twenty-four tributes to priests. [802]\n\nBut the highest reward to Phinehas was that God granted him everlasting\npriesthood. For Phinehas is none other than the prophet of Elijah. His\ntask it is to make atonement for Israel, and without tasting of death,\nhe constantly discharges the duties of his everlasting priesthood until\nthe resurrection of the dead, offering up daily two sacrifices for the\nchildren of Israel, and upon the skins of these animals recording the\nevents of each day. [803] God furthermore said to Phinehas: \"Thou hast\nin this world established peace between Me and Israel; in the future\nworld also shalt thou establish peace between Me and them.\" He was\ntherefore destined to be the forerunner of the Messiah to establish\nbefore his coming peace on earth. [804]\n\nWhen Israel addicted themselves to an immoral life at shittim, the\nnations of the world rejoiced greatly, for they knew that God had\ndistinguished Israel before all other nations, and had given them the\nTorah, only because their life had been moral. \"Now,\" said they, \"the\ncrown has been taken from Israel's head, their pride is departed, for\nnow they are no better then we.\" God, however, raised up Israel from\ntheir fall by sending the plague upon the sinners at Shittim, and thus\npurified Israel from them, so that they could again, as of yore, be\nproud of their family purity, through which they had been distinguished\nfrom all other nations.\n\nGod therefore ordered them to take a census, to show in this way that\nIsrael remained true to the traditions of their ancestor Abraham by\nkeeping their family life pure. [805] This census showed that several\ntribes had lost entire divisions since the time that passed between the\nentrance of Israel into Egypt, and their entrance into the promised\nland. Among the tribes that had perished were such as had already lost\ntheir lives in Egypt, those, namely, who had died during the days of\ndarkness because they were such sinners that they did not want to leave\nEgypt. But heaviest of all were the losses in the tribes of Benjamin\nand of Simeon, for in the battle between the Levites and the other\ntribes after Aaron's death, when the latter, for fear of the\nCanaanites, wanted to return to Egypt, the Benjamites lost no less than\nseven divisions. All of the twenty-four thousand men that died from the\nplague at Shittim belonged, however, to the tribe of Simeon which, at\nthe end of the march through the desert, had dwindles down to less than\nhalf its number. The tribe of Dan, on the other hand, had turned out to\nbe very fruitful, for whereas at the entrance of Egypt it had consisted\nof only one division, it later exceeded in number all the other tribes,\nexcept the tribe of Judah. [806]\n\n\n\n\nTHE DAUGHTERS OF ZELOPHEHAD\n\n\nBut there was another purpose beside that of establishing Israel's\nfamily purity in taking the census at Arbot-Moab. For when God at the\nexodus from Egypt put his people into Moses' hands, He entrusted them\nto him after having counted them, and not when Moses was about to\ndepart from this world, he wanted to return the flock that God had\nentrusted to him, truly numbered, into God's hand. [807]\n\nAfter the number of the nation had been determined, God ordered Moses\nto divide the promised land among them according to their numbers.\n[808] Jacob had indeed upon his death-bed determined what parts of the\nland were to fall to the lot of each tribe, but in order that the\ntribes might not quarrel among themselves, God decreed that the\nassignments be made by lot. [809] After the conquest of the land Joshua\nand Eleazar saw to the drawing of lots. On this occasion the miracle\ncame to pass that whenever Eleazar drew a lot from the urn, the lot\nitself announced the words, \"I am the lot of Thus-and-So.\" In this way\nwas avoided the possibility of having the malcontents declare that\nEleazar had, at the drawing of lots, been partial to his friends and\nhad assigned to them the lots they wished for. [810]\n\nWhen Zelophehad's daughters, that had lived piously and wisely like\ntheir father and their ancestors, heard that the land was being divided\namong the male members of the tribe, but not among the female, they\ntook counsel together, discussing what they could do, so that they\nmight not find themselves come out empty-handed. They said: \"God's love\nis not like the love of a mortal father; the latter prefers his sons to\nhis daughters, but He that created the world extends His love to women\nas well as to men, 'His tender mercies are over all His works.'\" They\nnow hoped that God would take pity on them and give them their share of\nthe promised land, which they loved with as great devotion as their\ngrandsire Joseph, who had upon his death-bed exhorted his children to\ntransfer his body to the Holy Land. [811]\n\nBeing wise and learned, they waited for a propitious time to lay their\ncase before Moses, and opportunity which they found when Moses in house\nof teaching recited the law concerning the levirate marriage. They now\nadvanced and said: \"If we are as good as our brothers, then do we lay\nclaim to our father's inheritance, and to his share of the land; but if\nwe are not to be considered as sons, then should our mother have to\nmarry her brother-in-law, as our father has left no issue, since we do\nnot count.\" [812] They furthermore pointed out that their father had\nbeen neither one of the spies nor one of Korah's followers, who had,\nowing to their sins, lost claim to their share of the land, [813] but\nthat he had found his death when a number of men, in spite of Moses'\nwarnings, had presumed to storm the mountain occupied by the Amalekites\nand the Canaanites. [814] \"Had our father,\" continued they, \"left\nbehind him a son, and the latter were now also dead, then should we lay\nno claim to inheritance if this son had left a living child, were it\neven a daughter; but as we are our father's only descendants, give us,\nwe pray, 'a possession among the brethren of our father.'\"\n\nThe fervent longing of these women to have a share in the Holy Land\nshows how much better and more pious were the women of this generation\nthan the men. The latter said, \"Let us make a captain, and let us\nreturn to Egypt,\" whereas the women said, \"Give us a possession among\nthe brethren of our father.\" [815] But not only during the rebellion\nthat was kindled by the spies did the women remain true to Moses and to\ntheir God, but on other occasions also it was they who tried to build\nup what the men had torn down. at the worship of the Golden Calf, too,\nthey tried to restrain the men from sin, hence it was the men only that\nhad to die in the desert because they had been tempted to rebellion by\nthe spies, whereas the women entered into the promised land. [816]\nAmong them also there was even to be found a woman as old as Jochebed -\nthe daughter of Levi by his union with Otah - who survived her sons\nMoses and Aaron, as well as her daughter Miriam, and who was permitted\nto enter the promised land at the age of two hundred and fifty years.\n[817]\n\nThe daughters of Zelophehad did not bring their request directly to\nMoses, but at first urged their plea before the lowest officers, the\ncaptains of tens. These, however, said: \"This is an important matter\nsince it touches upon laws of inheritance, hence it does not become us\nto decide this matter; greater men than we must settle it.\" Hence they\nsent them to the captains of fifties. When these saw that out of\nconsideration for them the captains of tens would not pass judgement,\nthey sent the daughters of Zelophehad on to the captains of hundreds,\nthat were their superiors. But these too, out of consideration for the\nhigher judges, would not settle this matter, and so the daughters of\nZelophehad came to the captains of thousands, who sent them to the\nprinces of the tribes, until they came at last to the highest\nauthority, to Moses. Now Moses might well have decided this case\nwithout further ado, but in his meekness he thought, \"There is still a\nhigher authority than I, to wit, God,\" and he bade them await God's\njudgement. [818] The answer that he received from God was as follows:\n\"The daughters of Zelophehad have the law on their side, for what they\ndesire is in accordance with the law that was written in heaven by Me;\ngive them therefore their father's inheritance, and also two parts of\ntheir grandfather Hepher's possessions, for their father Zelophehad was\nhis firstborn and was therefore entitled to a double share.\" [819]\n\nThe daughters of Zelophehad, who in spite of their years - the youngest\nof them had attained forty - had not yet been married, now entered into\nwedlock, and according to God's bidding that Moses communicated to\nthem, they married their uncle's sons, although they were free to marry\nwhomsoever they chose. [820]\n\n\"God works good through the good, and evil through the evil.\" The\nchapter of the laws of God that was published by Moses as an addition\nto the incident of Zelophehad's daughters would have been given without\nthem also, but God rewarded these women for their piety by making them\nthe direct occasion of this chapter of the law. [821] At the same time\nthis case of these women was to teach several lessons to Moses. He who,\nsince he had been made God's messenger to the people, had lived apart\nfrom his wife was not to grow too conceited on account of the sacrifice\nhe had made to his sacred calling; hence in the last year of his life\nthere appeared before him the daughters of Zelophehad, who of their own\naccord had not married because they had not found mates that they\nconsidered suitable. Then, too, Moses could not answer the legal\nquestion that the daughters of Zelophehad had presented to him, and had\nto ask God's counsel, which was a second lesson to Moses. At the\nappointment of the elders, Moses earnestly told them, \"The cause that\nis too hard for ye, bring to me, and I will hear it,\" and in punishment\nof these boastful words God so brought it to pass that he could give no\nanswer to this request of the women, whereupon God said to him, \"Didst\nnot thou say, 'the cause that is too hard for ye, bring it to me?' and\nnow thou canst not properly settle this legal question of the women.\"\n\nA similar punishment for a similar offense was visited upon David who,\nwell aware of his erudition, said, \"The laws of the Torah do I grasp as\neasily and as quickly as songs.\" God then said, \"As truly as thou\nlivest, thou shalt hereafter forget a Biblical law that even the school\nchildren know.\" So, too, it came to pass that when he had the Holy Ark\nfetched from Gibeah to Zion, he forgot the Biblical instruction that\nthe Ark may be carried only upon the shoulder, and had it lifted upon a\nwagon. Then occurred the miracle that the Ark leaped of itself into the\nair, whereas the oxen that pulled the wagon fell down, whereupon Uzzah,\nto whom the transportation of the Ark had been entrusted, stretched out\nhis hand to prevent the Ark from falling and himself fell dead upon the\nground, for \"a sin that is committed is ignorance of the law is\naccounted as if it had been intentional.\" Uzzah should have been\nmindful of the law that the Ark was not to be lifted upon a cart, hence\nhis punishment. God thereupon said to David, \"Didst thou not say, 'Thy\nstatutes have been my songs?' and thou hast not even mastered the words\nof the Bible, 'Unto the sons of Kohath he gave none: because the\nservice of the sanctuary belonged unto them; they bare it upon their\nshoulders.'\"\n\n\n\n\nTHE APPOINTMENT OF JOSHUA\n\n\nWhen Moses heard God's decision in the case of the daughters of\nZelophehad, which turned out in their favor so that they inherited\ntheir father's property, he thought, \"This s a propitious time to urge\na plea before the Lord, for if daughters are to inherit their father,\nthen must my sons inherit my office.\" [822] He then began to pray to\nGod that his successors, who, he hoped, were also to be his\ndescendants, might be worthy leaders of their people. He said: \"O my\nLord, before whom come the spirits of all human beings, so that Thou\nknowest the spirit of each - whose spirit is proud, and whose spirit is\nmeek; whose spirit is patient and whose spirit is restive; mayest Thou\nset over Thy community a man who is gifted with strength, with wisdom,\nwith beauty, and with decorum, so that his conduct may not give offense\nto the people. [823] O Lord of the world! Thou knowest each man's\nviews, and knowest that each man has a view of his own, hence, as I am\nabout to depart from this world, I pray Thee, appoint a leader over\nthem that will know how to deal with each man according to his views.\"\n[824]\n\nMoses, being a truly pious man, thought when he saw his end approach,\nnot of himself, but of the welfare of the community, for whom he\nimplored a good and worthy leader. [825] Hence he furthermore said to\nGod: \"Let not my successor share my fate, for although I accepted the\nguidance of the people only after long hesitation, owing to Thy urgings\nand requests, still I shall not be permitted to lead them into the\npromised land. Mayest Thou then deal differently with my successor than\nThou hast dealt with me, and permit him not only to lead the people in\nthe desert, but to take them into the promised land. [826] He, however,\nshall be a man 'which may go out before them,' who, unlike the kings of\nthe heathens, that sent their legions to war but themselves remain at\nhome, shall himself lead Israel to war. But he shall also be a man\n'which may come in before them;' may it be granted him to see the\nnumber of those returning from war no less than that of those going\ninto war. O Lord of the world!\" continued Moses, \"Thou hast led Israel\nout of Egypt, not to punish them for their sins, but to forgive them,\nand Thou hast not led them out of Egypt that they may be without\nleaders, but that they may indeed have leaders. I insist, therefore,\nthat Thou shouldst tell me whether or not Thou wilt grant them a\nleader.\"\n\nThis is one of the five occasions upon which Moses implored God to give\nhim an answer to his question. When he saw that his appearance before\nPharaoh only occasioned him to bring greater and greater cruelties upon\nIsrael, he said to God, \"Tell me if Thou wilt now deliver them, or\nnot.\" He also demanded God's answer to the question, \"Shall I now fall\ninto their hands or not?\" when at Rephindim, on account of the dearth\nof water, he was threatened by the people. The third occasion was when\nhe prayed to God for Miriam's recovery, and said, \"Tell me, wilt Thou\nheal her or not?\" And lastly when, after long and fervent prayer, he\nasked God whether he should be permitted to enter into the Holy Land,\nhe said, \"Let me know if I am to enter the Holy Land or not.\" [827]\n\nGod fulfilled this wish of Moses, saying: \"Thou hast now requested to\nbe informed concerning thy immediate successor. I shall do more than\nthis, and show thee all the judges and prophets that I will allow to\narise for My children from not on to the resurrection of the dead.\"\nThen He showed Moses his successor Joshua, his successor's successor,\nOthniel, and all the other judges and prophets. Then God added these\nwords: \"Of all these that I have shown thee, each will have his\nindividual spirit and his individual knowledge, but such a man as thou\nnow wishest for thy successor, whose spirit is to embrace in itself the\nspirits of sixty myriads of Israel, so that he may speak to each one of\nthem according to his understanding, such a man as this will not arise\nuntil the end of time. The Messiah will be inspired with a spirit that\nin itself will embrace the spirits of all mankind.\n\nBut now, concerning thy immediate successor, know then that he that\nwatcheth the fig tree shall eat of its fruits, and he that waiteth upon\nhis master will be promoted to honor, and thy sons shall not inherit\nthe leadership because they concerned themselves little with the Torah.\nJoshua shall be thy successor, who served thee with devotion and showed\nthee great veneration, for at morn and eve he put up the benches in thy\nhouse of teaching and spread the carpets over them; he served thee as\nfar as he was able, and Israel shall now know that he will therefore\nreceive his reward. [828] Take then Joshua, a man such as thou didst\nwish as a successor, whom thou hast proven, and who knows how to deal\nwith people of every tendency, 'and lay thy hand upon him.' Give him an\nopportunity, while thou art still alive, to speak in public and to\npronounce the law, so that Israel may not after thy death\ncontemptuously say of thy successor, 'As long as his teacher was alive,\nhe dared not pronounce judgement, and now he wishes to do so!' [829]\nAlthough Joshua, who is not of thy kin, is to be thy successor, I shall\nnevertheless be mindful of the law that 'no inheritance shall remove\nfrom one tribe to another tribe,' for the dignity of leadership is to\nbe reserved for thy family; Joshua 'shall stand even before Eleazar the\npriest, thy brother's son, who shall ask counsel for him according to\nthe judgement of the Urim.'\" [830]\n\nAfter Moses in kindly words had induced Joshua to accept the leadership\nafter his death, pointing out to him the great rewards that in the\nfuture world await the leaders of Israel, 'he took Joshua, and set him\nbefore Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation,' that all\nmight thereafter acknowledge him as his successor. [831] He then bade\nJoshua, who had been sitting on the floor like all the rest, rise and\nset himself upon a bench beside him. Joshua seated himself with the\nwords, \"Blessed be the Lord that hath through Moses bestowed the Torah\nupon Israel.\" [832] Moses honored Joshua furthermore by interrupting\nhis discourse as soon as Joshua enter the house of teaching, and\nresuming it only when he had taken his seat. [833] Moses also bade a\nherald proclaim throughout the camp, \"This man Joshua is worthy of\nbeing appointed by God as His shepherd.\" [834]\n\nMoses distinguished Joshua not because God had ordered him to do so,\nbut because he was sincerely glad to pass his dignity on to him, just\nas a father is glad to leave his possessions to his son. So, too,\nwhereas God had bidden Moses to lay only one hand upon Joshua's head\nand in this way put his honor upon him, Moses fulfilled God's command\nby laying both his hands upon Joshua, and by this action bestowed upon\nhim not only insight and understanding, but also a radiant countenance\nlike that of Moses, from whose face issued rays like those of the sun.\nIn giving all these qualities to Joshua, Moses lost nothing. Moses'\nwisdom was like a torch, whereas Joshua's may be compared to a candle\nonly, and just as a torch loses none of its intensity if a candle is\nlighted therefrom, so little was Moses' wisdom diminished by the wisdom\nhe gave to Joshua. [835] The rays, too, that emanated from Joshua's\ncountenance were weaker than those from Moses', and not until the\ncrossing of the Jordan did they attain their full intensity, so that\nupon beholding them, \"the people feared him as they feared Moses.\"\n[836]\n\nJoshua's appointment by God as Moses' successor had been Moses' most\ncherished wish, but he had not ventured to give expression to it, for\nhe was mindful of the punishment God had sent over him when he had\nentreated Him to sent Aaron instead of himself to deliver Israel out of\nEgypt, and from that time he feared to make any proposals whatsoever to\nGod. He was like the child who had once been burned by a coal, and the\nseeing a brightly sparkling jewel, took it to be a burning coal, and\ndared not touch it. [837]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES' LEGACY TO JOSHUA\n\n\nAfter Moses had announced Joshua as his successor before all the\ncongregation, he disclosed to him that the course of his own life was\nrun, and that he would now depart to his fathers. At his inheritance he\ngave to Joshua a book of prophecy, which Joshua was to anoint with\ncedar-oil, and in an earthen vessel to lay upon the spot that from the\ncreation of the world God had created for it, so that His name might\nthere be invoked. This book contained in brief outline the history of\nIsrael from the entrance into the promised land to the establishment of\nGod's kingdom upon earth, when, in wrath and indignation on account of\nHis children, the Lord will rise from His Throne of power and proceed\nfrom His holy dwelling.\n\nWhen Joshua heard the words of Moses as they are written in his Holy\nScriptures, he rent his garments and fell at Moses' feet, who, himself\nin tears, yet comforted him. Joshua, however, said: \"How canst thou\ncomfort me concerning the bitter word that thou hast spoken, which\nabound in sobs and tears, that thou are to depart from thy people? What\nplace will receive thee? What monument will point to thy grave? Or who\nwill dare to remove thy corpse from one place to another as if it were\nan ordinary mortal's? All dying men receive a grave upon earth\naccording to their rank, but thy grave extends from sunrise to sunset,\nfrom South to North; all the world is thy tomb. Thou goest. Who not, O\nmaster, shall care for this people? Who shall take pity upon them and\nbe a guide upon their way? Who shall pray for them incessantly, that I\nmay lead them into the land of their fathers? How shall I provide food\nfor them according to their wish, or drink according to their desire?\nFrom the beginning they numbered sixty myriads, and now, thanks to thy\nprayers, they have greatly multiplied. Whence shall I draw insight and\nunderstanding to give them judgement and counsel? Even the kings of the\nAmorites, hearing that we desire to attack them, will say, 'Let us not\nset out against them, for there is now no longer among them the\nmany-sided, incomprehensible and sacred spirit, worthy of the Lord, the\never-faithful master of the word, the Divine prophet of all the world,\nthe most consummate master of this age. If now our enemies once more\ntransgress before the Lord, they will have no defender to offer up\nprayers for them before God, as Moses had done, the great messenger who\nat all hours of the day kneeled down and prayed, lifting up his eyes to\nHim who rules all the world, and constantly reminding Him of His\ncovenant with the Patriarchs, and appeasing Him with invocation.' For\nthus will the Amorites speak saying, 'He is no longer among them; arise\nthen and let us wipe them from the face of the earth.' But what then, O\nmy lord Moses, will become of this people?\"\n\nWhen Joshua has spoken these words, he cast himself once more at Moses'\nfeet. Moses seized his hand, raised him to a seat before them, and\nanswered him, saying: \"Do not underestimate thyself, O Joshua, but be\nlight of heart, and pay heed to my words. All the nations that dwell in\nthe universe hath God created, and us also. Them and us did He foresee\nfrom the beginning of the creation of the universe even unto the end of\nthe world, and He overlooked nothing, even down to the smallest, but He\nat the same time foresaw and foredoomed everything. All that was to\nhappen in this universe did God foresee and foredoom, and lo! it cometh\nto pass. He appointed me for them and for their sins, that for them I\nmight make prayer and exhortation. Not for my fitness or my strength\nwas I chosen, but only through the grace of His mercy and His\nlong-suffering. For I assure thee, Joshua, not on account of the\nexcellence of this people wilt thou destroy the heathens; all the\nfastnesses of heaven and the foundations of the universe were created\nand approved by God, and are beneath the ring of His right hand. Those,\ntherefore, that maintain and fulfil God's commandments thrive and\nprosper, but those who sin and neglect the commandments will now\nreceive the promised possessions, and will be punished by the heathens\nwith many plagues. But that He should wholly destroy or abandon them is\nimpossible, for God will step forth, who foresaw everything even to\neternity, and whose covenant is firmly founded, in accordance with the\noath which He swore to the Patriarchs. Then the hands of the angel will\nbe filled and he will be appointed chief, and he will forthwith avenge\nthem of their enemies.\" [838]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES' LAST CAMPAIGN\n\n\nBalaam's prophecy, \"He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and\ndrink the blood of the slain,\" was very quickly fulfilled. Shortly\nbefore his death, before he lay down to everlasting sleep, it was\ngranted Moses to rejoice in the death of Balaam and the five Midianite\nkings allied to him. [839] Israel's sinful profanation at Shittim,\noccasioned by Balaam's wicked advice, sorely smote Moses' heart. God\nhad appointed Moses as lord of the angels, who through fire and cloud\nhad to step aside to make room for him and let him pass, yea, at his\nappearance they rose from their seats to do him honor. As he had power\nover the angels, so too did he rule the sea, which he clove at will and\nthen commanded to resume its former guise, and the treasures of hail,\nwhich he employed to sent hail over the Egyptians. Now this man, who\nwas sovereign over the angels and over the forces of nature, could only\nweep when Israel committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab and\nMidian. To comfort Moses, God now said: \"As truly as thou livest, thou\nshalt not depart out of this world until thou shalt have avenged those\nwho tempted Israel to sin. 'Avenge the children of Israel of the\nMidianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy people.'\" [840]\nGod at the same time reproached Moses for his despair and lack of\nenergy at Shittim, saying: \"When all the tribes of Israel, save the\ntribe of Levi, were against thee, thou didst not then lack courage to\nstand up against all the people on account of the worship of the Golden\nCalf; how much more then at Shittim, when all Israel save only one\ntribe, the tribe of Simeon, were on thy side, shouldst thou have proven\nthyself sufficiently strong to keep back the sinners from their sin!\"\n[841] When Moses received the command to wage war upon the people that\nhad tempted Israel to sin, he said to God: \"Yesterday didst Thou say to\nme, 'Vex not Moab,' and now Thou sayest, 'Avenge the children of\nIsrael.'\" God, however, replied: \"When I said, 'Vex not Moab,' I named\nthese people after their grandsire, the son of Lot, but not that\nthrough their own fault they have lost the claim to kind treatment from\nIsrael, I shall no longer think of their grandsire Abraham's kinsman,\nbut shall call them Midianim, 'they that lost their claim.'\" [842]\n\nLot's descendants now not only had no further claims to exemption, but\na command was given to Moses to treat them with still greater hostility\nthan the other nations. Until then it had been Israel's duty not to\nfight against a city of the heathens unless they had first proclaimed\npeace to it and the heathens had refused to accept it, but now they\nwere instantly to proceed to hostility; and whereas they had formerly\nbeen prohibited from destroying the trees that surrounded a city, they\nwere now ruthlessly to destroy all that lay in their path. This wrath\nof God against those who had tempted Israel to sin was justified, for\n\"the tempter to sin is him of this world alone, but he that tempts\nanother deprives him of this world and the world beyond.\" Two nations,\nthe Egyptians and the Edomites, attacked Israel with the sword, but God\nnevertheless said, \" Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite; thou shalt not\nabhor an Egyptian.\" The Moabites and Ammonites, on the other hand,\ntempted Israel to sin, hence God's word concerning them was as follows:\n\"An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of the Lord,\neven to the tenth generation.\" [843]\n\nIsrael received the command to make war upon the Midianites at the same\ntime as that to fight the Moabites, but whereas Moses at once waged war\nagainst Midian, it was not until David's time that a relentless war was\nwaged against Moab. There was several reasons why the Midianites were\nto receive their punishment before the Moabites. Firstly, Moab's hatred\nagainst Israel was not quite without foundation, for although the\nIsraelites had not attacked them in war, still they had inspired them\nwith great fear by pillaging the Moabite region, hence the Moabites\ntried by every means to be rid of Israel. Midian, on the other hand,\nhad no cause for undertaking hostilities against Israel, and yet they\nnot only joined the Moabites, but outdid them in their hatred against\nIsrael. Furthermore Moab wanted to kill Israel, but Midian wanted to\ntempt them to sin, which is worse than death. [844] The delay in\npunishing Moab also corresponded in other ways to God's plan, for the\nMoabite Ruth was destined to become the mother of the dynasty of David,\nhence God said to Israel: \"Wait yet a while in this matter of the war\nagainst the Moabites: I have lost something valuable among them. As\nsoon as I have found it, ye shall avenge yourselves of them.\" [845]\n\nGod indicated that the war against Midian would be Moses' last in these\nwords, \"Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites: afterward\nshalt thou be gathered unto thy people.\" The connection between the war\nand Moses' death is as follows. When God announced to Moses that he was\nto die on this side of the Jordan, Moses implored God with the words:\n\"O Lord of the world! Is it right that death should so soon overtake\nme, that have seen Thy ways, Thy actions, and Thy path?\" God replied,\nsaying: \"Moses, if a long life were better for men, surely I should not\nthen have permitted thy ancestors to taste of death; but it is better\nfor thee if thou are taken from this world than if thou wert to remain\nin it.\" Moses was not, however, satisfied with this answer from God,\nwhereupon God said: \"Well then, thou mayest live many years longer,\nyea, thou shalt live even to a thousand years, but know thou that\nIsrael will not then conquer their foes, and that Midian will not be\nbrought under their yoke.\" In this way was Moses made to yield by God,\nfor he thought, \"Whether I die to-day or to-morrow matters little, for\ndeath will come to me at last. I would rather see Israel conquer their\nfoes and bring Midian under their yoke than that I should live longer.\"\nGod therefore bade Moses avenge Israel of the Midianites, if he was\nthereupon ready to die. [846]\n\nMoses then thought: \"I know that if I were now to go into battle\nagainst the Midianites, the people would declare that I wished for my\nown death, since God made it dependent upon the punishing of the\nMidianites, and my life is assured me as long as ever I wish to put it\noff.\" This consideration did not, however, determine him, for, fully\naware that his enterprise of war would hasten his death, he\nnevertheless set about the execution of this war as soon as God\ncommanded him. Wherever the execution of a Divine command, or the\npossibility of furthering Israel's cause was concerned, Moses gave no\nthought to himself, even though it touched his life. Not so Joshua.\nWhen he came to Canaan, he thought: \"If I wage an incessant war upon\nthe Canaanites, I shall certainly die as soon as I shall have conquered\nthem, for Moses also died immediately after his conquest of Midian.\" He\ntherefore proceeded very slowly in his conquest of the Holy Land, so\nthat he might be sure of a long life. But, \"however many thought there\nmay be in man's heart, God's words prevails,\" and whereas Joshua hoped\nto become very aged, he died ten years before the time God had\noriginally allotted to him, for, although he would otherwise have\nattained his master's age, he now died at the age of a hundred and ten.\n[847]\n\n\n\n\nTHE COMPLETE ANNIHILATION OF MIDIAN\n\n\nWhereas Moses, disregarding the expected consequences of the war upon\nhimself, gladly went into battle, Israel did not want to obey his\nsummons to war. The people of whom Moses had on one occasion said,\n\"They be almost ready to stone me,\" when they now learned that their\nleader Moses was to die at the end of this war, tried to evade it,\nsaying that they preferred to forego impending victory rather than to\nlose their leader, and each one hid himself, so as not to be picked out\nfor this war. God therefore bade Moses cast lots to decide their going\ninto battle, and those whose lots were drawn had to follow the call to\narms even against their will. Moses' summons to battle was as follows:\n\"Arm ye men from among you for the war, to execute the Lord's vengeance\non Midain.\" Moses spoke of the Lord's revenge, whereas God designated\nthis war against Midian as Israel's revenge. For Moses said to God:\n\"Lord of the world! If we had worshipped the stars and planets, the\nMidianites should not have hated us, they hate us only on account of\nthe Torah and the commandments that Thou hast given us, hence must Thou\navenge Thyself of them.\" [848]\n\nMoses did not in person lead the war against Midian, for he was mindful\nof the proverb, \"Cast no stone into the well from which thou hast drawn\nwater,\" and he who as a fugitive from Egypt had sought refuge in\nMidian, did not wish to make war upon that land. He relinquished the\nleadership of the people to Phinehas, for \"he that beginneth a good\ndeed shall also complete it,\" and it was Phinehas who had begun God's\nwar against the Midianites by slaying the princess Cozbi, Zimri's\nmistress, hence the task of completing this war fell to his lot.\nPhinehas, as a descendant of Joseph, had, moreover, a special reason\nfor wishing to take revenge upon the Midianites, as those had been\nMidianites who had sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt. [849]\n\nThe forces under Phinehas's command consisted of thirty-six thousand\nmen, one third to take active part in battle, one third to guard the\nbaggage, and one third to pray, whose duty it was in the course of\nbattle to implore God to lend victory to the warriors of Israel. Moses\npassed on to Phinehas not only the Holy Ark, which Israel always takes\ninto battle, but also the Urim and Tummim, that he might, if necessary,\nconsult God. [850] Outside of this Phinehas also received the gold\nplate of the mitre from the high priest's forehead, for Moses said to\nhim: \"The knave Balaam will by means of his sorceries fly into the air,\nand will even enable the five Midianite kings to fly with him,\ntherefore shall ye hold up to them the plate of pure gold upon which is\nengraved God's name, and they will fall to earth.\" They did as Moses\ncommanded, and truly Balaam and the five kings fell to earth. They then\nexecuted Balaam according to the four forms prescribed by the Jewish\nlaws. They hanged him, kindled a fire beneath the gallows, struck off\nhis head with a sword, and then dropped him from the gallows into the\nfire below. [851] Although Israel undertook the war against Midian upon\nGod's bidding, to take vengeance for the wrong that had been done them,\nstill their method of warfare was most humane. They attacked the cities\nof the Midianites from three sides only, so as not entirely to cut off\nflight. Victory was on the side of Israel, into whose possession fell\nthe cities with all their temples, idols, and palaces. The same fate\novertook all the five kings of Midian. All were slain alike just as all\nhad made a common cause of the wish to destroy Israel. Balaam who had\ncome to Midian from his home in Mesopotamia in order to receive his\nreward for his counsel not to fight Israel, but to tempt them to sin,\ninstead of a reward, met with death at the hands of the Jews. [852]\n\n\n\n\nTHE GRUESOME END OF BALAAM\n\n\nThis arch-magician at first tried to escape Israel's power by sorcery.\nFor when he saw Phinehas and the leaders of the hosts of Israel, he\nflew into the air, [853] a feat which he accomplished by magic arts,\nbut particularly through the assistance of his wizard sons, Jannes and\nJambres. At the sight of Balaam flying high in the air, Phinehas\nshouted to his army, \"Is there any one among us who is able to fly\nafter this villain?\" The Danite Zaliah, a past master in the art of\nsorcery, followed this summons, and flew high into the air. Balaam,\nhowever, surpassed him, and took a path in the air on which Zaliah\ncould not follow, and after the former had soared through five\ndifferent layers of air, he had quite vanished from Zaliah's ken, who\nknew not what to do. Phinehas, however, came to his aid. By means of a\nmagical invocation he dispelled the clouds that covered Balaam, and\nthen Zaliah forced Balaam to descend to earth and appear before\nPhinehas. [854] He began to implore Phinehas to spare his life,\npromising never again to try to curse Israel, but Phinehas replied:\n\"Art not thou the Aramean Laban who tried to destroy our father Jacob?\nThen thou didst pass on to Egypt to destroy Jacob's seed, and when they\nremoved from Egypt thou didst incite the wicked Amalek to harass us,\nand not thou didst attempt to curse Israel. But when thou sawest that\nthy endeavor to curse them was without avail, since God would not hear\nthee, thou gavest Balak the despicable advice to deliver up the\ndaughters of his land to prostitution, and thereby to tempt Israel to\nsin, and wert in part successful, for twenty-four thousand Israelites\ndied in consequence of their sin with the daughters of Moab. In vain\ntherefore dost thou plead that thy life by spared.\" He then ordered\nZaliah to kill Balaam, admonishing him, however, to be sure not to kill\nhim through the holy name of God, as it does not befit so great a\nsinner to meet his death in such a way. Zaliah now tried in vain to\nkill Balaam, for through his magic wiles he was proof against every\nweapon, until Phinehas at last gave Zaliah a sword on both sides of\nwhich was engraved a serpent, with the words, \"Kill him with that to\nwhich he belongs - through this he will die,\" and with this sword\nBalaam was killed. [855]\n\nHis corpse was not buried, but his bones rotted, and from then arose\nseveral species of harmful snakes, that bring disaster to human beings;\nand even the worms that devoured his flesh were turned into snakes. The\nmagicians made use of these snakes for three different types of\nenchantment, for the heads, the bodies, and the tails, had each a\ndifferent effect. One of the questions that the Queen of Sheba put to\nSolomon was how to withstand these three different kinds of\nenchantment, and the wise king knew even this secret, which he then\nimparted to her. [856]\n\n\n\n\nTHE VICTORIOUS RETURN FROM THE WAR\n\n\nAfter the close of the campaign against Midian, the warriors returned\nwith rich spoils to the camp of Israel, but they were such pious and\nhonorable men that they did not lay claim to the booty, but rendered it\nall up, so that it might be impartially divided among all. [857] As\nthere were honest and conscientious in their relations between man and\nman, so likewise were they very strict in their observance of religious\nstatutes. Throughout the time of war not a single one of them neglected\neven the slightest religious ceremony, were it only to put on the\nphylactery of the forehead before that of the arm. [858] But they were\nespecially careful never again to be tempted by the Midianite women. If\nthey entered a house to take its treasures from it, they did so in\npairs, one blackening the faces of the women, and the other seizing\ntheir ornaments. In vain would the Midianite women cry, \"Are we not\ncreatures of God, that ye treat us thus?\" whereupon the Israelites\nwould say, \"Were not ye the cause that so many of us found their\ndeath?\" Justly therefore could these pious men say to Moses: \"Thy\nservants have taken the sum of the men of war which are under our\ncharge, and not one among us had committed a sin or an unchaste action.\nWe have therefore brought the Lord's oblation to make atonement for our\nsouls.\" Moses thereupon said in surprise, \"Ye contradict yourselves,\nwhat need of atonement is there if no man among you is guilty of sin?\"\nThey replied: \"It is true, our teacher Moses, two by two did we\napproach the women, one blackening their faces, and the other taking\noff their ear-rings, but even though we committed no sin with the\nMidianite women, still the heat of passion was kindled in us when we\ntook hold of the women, and therefore by an offering do we seek to make\natonement.\" Moses thereupon set out to praise them, saying: \"Even the\ncommon men among you are filled with good and pious deeds, for a man\nthat was under conditions that enabled him to sin, but controlled\nhimself, had done a pious deed, not to speak of the pious and chaste\nmen among you whose pious deeds are legion.\" [859]\n\nAs among those who had been slain in Midian there was a Jewish\napostate, the warriors were polluted, and hence might not enter the\ncamp, but had to stay without. Moses in his meekness did not, however,\nwait for them to come to him, but hastened to them. When, however, he\nheard that they had killed only the men but not the women, his wrath\nwas kindled against the leaders of the army, for, \"Upon the leaders\nfalls the blame for the faults of the people.\" He reproached them,\npointing out to them that it had been the women who really had brought\ndisaster upon Israel at Shittim. But Phinehas replied: \"Our teacher\nMoses, we acted according to thy instructions, thou didst bid us only\n'avenge ourselves of the Midianites,' but madest not mention of the\nwomen of Midian.\" [860] Moses then ordered them to execute all the\nwomen of the Midianites that were ripe for marriage, but to spare the\nyoung girls. In order to determine the difference in age, all were led\npast the gold plate of the mitre on the high priest's forehead, and\nthis had the effect of making those who had been doomed to death grow\npale. [861]\n\nIn punishment for Moses' outburst of anger God caused him to forget to\ncommunicate to the soldiers outside the camp the laws of purification.\nThese were then announced by Eleazar, Aaron's son. It was not, however,\nproper for him to pronounce a law in the presence of his teacher Moses,\nand he was accordingly punished for his lack of reverence to his\nteacher Moses. God had previously said that whenever Joshua wanted to\ninquire of God, he was \"to stand before Eleazar the priest, and inquire\nof him by judgement of the Urim and Tummin.\" But this did not come\nabout. In all his long career, Joshua had no need of asking Eleazar's\ncounsel, so that the latter lost the honor that had been intended from\nhim. [862]\n\nThe occasion that led to the war against Midian had been Israel's\nseduction by the Midianite women, but these had succeeded only by\nhaving first intoxicated the sinners with wine. Phinehas, to make sure\nthat this might not be repeated in the future, put the earthly as well\nas the heavenly ban upon all those who should drink the wine of the\nheathens, for the latter used it only as libations to their idols and\nfor immoral purposes. In pronouncing this ban, he called upon the\nIneffable Name and upon the holy writing of the two tables against its\ntransgressors. [863]\n\n\n\n\nWEALTH THAT BRINGETH DESTRUCTION\n\n\nGod gave three gifts to the world, wisdom, strength and wealth. If they\ncome from God, they are a blessing, otherwise they bring ruin. The\nworld had two great sages, Balaam among the Gentiles, and Ahithophel\namong the Jews, but both of these, on account of their wisdom, lost\nthis world as well as the world beyond. There were two great heroes in\nthe world, Samson in Israel, and Goliath among the Gentiles, but both\nmet death on account of their strength. There were two wealthy men in\nthe world, Korah among the Jews, and Haman among the Gentiles, and both\nperished on account of their wealth. A similar fate overtook the two\nand a half tribes that stayed on the hither side of the Jordan. These\nhad grown very rich in cattle through the spoils of the Midianites, and\ntherefore preferred the pasture land on the hither side of the Jordan\nas their inheritance. But later on their wealth brought them\ndestruction, because, choosing on their brethren, they were afterwards\nthe first that were driven from their dwelling place into exile. [864]\n\nHow intent these people were upon their possessions is shown in the\nwords with which they presented their wish to Moses, saying, \"We will\nbuild sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones,\"\nshowing that they rated the cattle higher than their children, for they\nthought of the animals before they considered their children. Moses did\nnot indeed call them to account for this, but showed them in\nunmistakable words that it was their duty first to consider men and\nthen animals, by saying in his reply to these tribes, \"Build you cities\nfor your little ones, and folds for your sheep.\" [865]\n\nThe land which these tribes had selected was indeed of great\nexcellence, as even the names of the cities indicate. One was called\nAtaroth, \"garlanded with fruits;\" a second, Dibon, \"flowing with\nhoney;\" a third, Jazer, \"help,\" for its possession was a great help to\nthose who owned it. These other cities in this region that were names\non account of the excellence of the soil were: Nimrah, \"gaily colored,\"\nfor the ground of this city was gaily colored with fruits; Sebam,\n\"perfume,\" whose fruits scattered a fragrance like perfume; and Nebo,\n\"produce,\" because it was distinguished for its excellent product.\n[866] This last mentioned city, like Baalmeon, did not retain its name\nwhen it passed into Israel's possession, for they wanted to have not\ncities that bore the names of idols, and therefore gave them new names.\n[867] Many another town as well received a new name from the\nIsraelites, just as Nobah gave his own name to the city of Kenath that\nhe had gained by arms, hoping in this way to immortalize his name, for\nhe had no children. His name was, however, not preserved in this way,\nfor after the death of the conqueror, the old name of Kenath returned\nagain. [868]\n\nIt was among the possessions of these two and a half tribes also that\nMoses shortly before his death founded the cities of refuge. Moses in\nthis instance illustrates the proverb, \"Whosoever loves pious deeds,\nnever has enough of them.\" Although God had told Moses that he would\nnever cross to the other side of the Jordan, he still insisted upon at\nleast determining the site for the asylum in the region of the East\nJordan. God gave Moses the law concerning the cities of refuge in\naccordance with Israel's wish. For the people said to God: \"Lord of the\nworld! Thou didst promise us a long course of life as a reward for\nfulfilling the commandments, but supposing now that a man hath slain\nanother unintentionally, and the avenger of the blood slays him, he\nwill die before his time.\" God then said to Moses: \"As truly as thou\nlivest, they speak wisely. Appoint therefore several cities for cities\nof refuge, 'that the manslayer might flee thither, which slayeth his\nneighbor unawares.'\" Moses rejoiced greatly at this statute, and\ninstantly set about its execution, for \"he that hath tasted of a food\nknoweth its flavor,\" and Moses who had erstwhile been obliged to flee\non account of having slain an Egyptian, knew the feelings of the man\nwho is pursued on account of a manslaughter that he had committed\nunawares. [869]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES' DEATH IRREVOCABLY DOOMED\n\n\nWhen God in wrath against Moses and Aaron vowed, \"Therefore ye shall\nnot bring this assembly into the land which I have given them,\" Moses\nforbore to implore God to do away with this sentence, acting in\naccordance with the percept, \"Do not attempt to dissolve thy neighbor's\nvow in the moment he hath made it.\" Moses waited forty years before he\napproached God with the request to permit him to enter the promised\nland with Israel. [870] This occurred when he had received God's\ncommand to appoint Joshua as his successor, for he now perceived that\nGod had actually resolved to execute His sentence. [871] For although\nGod had ten times decreed that Moses was to die in the desert, still\nMoses had not troubled much about it, even when the resolution had been\nsealed in the heavenly court. He thought: \"How often did Israel sin,\nand yet, when I prayed for them, He annulled the punishment He had\ndecreed; surely God should accept my prayer, if I - a man who never\nsinned - should pray to Him.\" [872] Moses had also a special reason for\nassuming that God had changed His determination concerning him, and\nwould not permit him to enter the promised land, for he had been\npermitted to enter the part of Palestine lying on this side of the\nJordan, the land of Sihon and of Og, and from this he reasoned that God\nhad not irrevocably decreed punishment for him, and that it might\ntherefore now be recalled [873] He was strengthened in this assumption\nby the fact that after the conquest of the east-Jordanic region God\nrevealed to him the instructions as to how the land was to be divided,\nand it seemed to him as if he were in person to carry out these\ninstructions. He was, however, mistaken, for shortly after these laws\nhad been revealed to him, God informed him that he was to look upon the\npromised land from Mount Abarin, as he should never enter it. [874]\n\nWhen God saw that Moses was not much concerned about the impending\npunishment, He sealed the command He had issued against him, and swore\nby His Ineffable Name that Moses should not march into the land. Moses\nthereupon put on sackcloth, threw himself upon the ashes, and prayed\nnot less than fifteen hundred prayers for the annulment of the Divine\nresolve against him. He drew a circle about himself, stood in the\ncenter of it, and said, \"I will not move from this spot until judgement\nshall have been suspended.\" Heaven and earth, as well as all the forms\nof creation, trembled and said, \"Perhaps it is God's wish to destroy\nthis world, to create a new universe.\" But a voice sounded from heaven\nand said: \"God's wish to destroy the world has not yet come, the\ncommotion in nature is due to this that 'in God's hand is the soul of\nall living things and the spirit of all flesh,' even the spirit of the\nman Moses, whose end is not at hand.\"\n\nGod then bade them proclaim in heaven, and in all the celestial courts\nof justice, that they should not accept Moses' prayers, and that no\nangel was to carry Moses' prayer to Him, because Moses' doom of death\nhad been sealed by Him. God quickly called before Him the Angel\nAkraziel, who is the celestial herald, and bade him proclaim the\nfollowing in heaven: \"Descend at once and lock every single gate in\nheaven, that Moses' prayer may not ascend into it.\" Then, at Moses'\nprayer, trembled heaven and earth, all the foundations thereof and the\ncreatures therein, for his prayer was like a sword that slashed and\nrends, and can in no wise be parried, for in it was the power of the\nIneffable Name that Moses had learned from his teacher Zagzagel, the\nteacher and scribe of the celestial beings. But when the Galgalim and\nSeraphim saw that God did not accept Moses' prayer, and without taking\nconsideration of him did not grant his prayer for longer life, they all\nopened their mouths, saying: \"Praised be the glory of the Lord from its\nplace, for there is no injustice before Him, no forgetfulness, no\nrespect of persons toward the small or the great.\" [875]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES' PRAYER FOR SUSPENSION OF JUDGMENT\n\n\nMoses began his long but fruitless prayer by saying: \"Lord of the\nworld! Consider how much I had to bear for the sake of Israel until\nthey became the people of Thy claim and of Thy possession. I suffered\nwith them, shall I not then take part in their rejoicing? Look Thou, by\nforbidding me to enter the promised land, Thou givest the lie to Thy\nTorah, for it says, 'In his day thou shalt give the laborer his hire.'\nWhere, then, is my hire for the forty years during which I labored for\nthe sake of Thy children, and for their sake suffered much sorrow in\nEgypt, in the desert, and at the giving of the Torah and the\ncommandments? With them I suffered pain, shall not I behold their good\nfortune as well? But Thou tellest me that I may not cross the Jordan!\nAll the time that we were in the desert I could not sit quietly in the\nacademy, teaching and pronouncing judgement, but not that I should be\nable to do so, Thou tellest me that I may not.\" [876]\n\nHe continued: \"May the mercy in Thee precede Thy justice, so that my\nprayer may be answered, for I well know that 'there is no mercy in\njustice,' [877] Thou Thyself didst tell me when I asked Thee how Thou\ndidst conduct the world, 'I owe nothing to any creature, and what I do\nfor them is a free gift on My part,' therefore as a free gift, grant\nnow my prayer to me. [878] Thou Thyself didst point out to me that it\nis Thy desire that people should pray to Thee to cancel punishment that\nwas laid upon them. When Israel committed that terrible sin, the\nworship of the Golden Calf, Thou didst say to me, 'Let Me alone, that I\nmay destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven.' I then\nthought, 'Who can restrain God, that He should say, \"Let Me?\" It is\nplain that He desires me to pray for His children;' and I prayed, and\nwas answered. The prayer of the individual for the community was\nanswered, but not so the prayer of the community for the one\nindividual! Is it because I called Israel, 'rebels?' But in this I only\nfollowed Thy example, for Thou too didst call them, 'the sons of\nrebellion.' [879]\n\n\"Thou didst call me, as well as Leviathan, thy servant; I sent up\nprayers to Thee, and Leviathan likewise, and him didst Thou answer, for\nThou madest a covenant with him that Thou keepest, but the covenant\nthat Thou madest with me Thou breakest, for Thou didst say, 'Die in the\nmount whither thou goest up.' In the Torah Thy words are: 'If the\nservant shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my children;\nI will not go out free: then his master shall bring him unto the\njudges; and he shall serve him for ever.' I implore Thee now, 'hear my\ncry, O God; attend unto my prayer.' [880] Thou are not in the position\nof a judge of flesh and blood who, when granting a prayer, has to\nconsider that he may be compelled by his superior to repeal his answer,\nThou canst do what Thou wilt, for where on earth or in heaven is there\none so mighty that he can do such deed as Thine in Egypt, or who can\nperform such mighty deeds as Thou didst at the Red Sea? [881] I pray\nThee, therefore, let me behold the land that, in spite of the slander\nof the spies, I praised, and Jerusalem and the Temple also. [882]\n\n\"When, in answer to the proposition Thou madest me to go into Egypt and\ndeliver Israel, I said, 'I can not do it, for I made a vow to Jethro\nnever to leave him,' Thou didst release me from that vow. O Lord of the\nworld! As then Thou didst absolve me of my vow, saying, 'Go, return\ninto Egypt,' so do Thou now absolve Thyself from Thy vow, and permit me\nto enter the land of Israel.\" Then God answered: \"Thou hast a master to\nabsolve thee from thy vow, but I have no master.\" [883] Moses then\nsaid: \"Thy judgement against me reads that I shall not as king enter\nthe promised land, for to me and to Aaron Thou didst say, \"Ye shall not\nbring this assembly into the land which I have given them.' Permit me\nthen, at least, to enter it as a common citizen.\" \"That,\" said the\nLord, \"is impossible. The king shall not enter it degraded to the rank\nof a common citizen.\" \"Well, then,\" said Moses, \"if I may not even go\ninto the land as a common citizen, let me at least enter into the\npromised land by the Paneas Grotto, that runs from the east bank to the\nwest bank of the Jordan.\" But this request, too, God denied him,\nsaying, \"Thou shalt not go from this bank of the Jordan to the other.\"\n\"If this request also is to be denied me,\" begged Moses, \"grant me at\nleast that after my death my bones may be carried to the other side of\nthe Jordan.\" But God said, \"Nay, not even thy bones shall cross the\nJordan.\" [884] \"O Lord of the world!\" exclaimed Moses, \"If Joseph's\nbones were permitted to be carried into the promised land, why not\nmine?\" God replied, \"Whosoever acknowledges his country shall be buried\ntherein, but whosoever does not acknowledge his country shall not be\nburied therein. Joseph pledged allegiance to his country when he said,\n'For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews,' and\ntherefore also does he deserve to have his bones brought to the land of\nIsrael, but thou didst in silence hear the daughters of Jethro say to\ntheir father, 'An Egyptian delivered us out of the hands of the\nshepherds,' without correcting them by saying, 'I am a Hebrew;' and\ntherefore shall not even thy bones be brought into the land of Israel.\"\n[885]\n\nMoses furthermore said to God: \"O Lord of the world! With the word,\n'Behold' did I begin Thy praise, saying, 'Behold, the heaven and the\nheaven of heavens is the Lord's' and with that very world, 'Behold,'\ndost thou seal my death, saying, 'Behold, thy days approach that thou\nmust die.'\" God replied to this: \"A wicked man in his envy sees only\nthe profits, but not the expenditures of his neighbor. Dost thou not\nrecall that when I wanted to send thee to Egypt, thou didst also\ndecline My request with the word, 'Behold,' saying, 'Behold, they will\nnot believe me.' Therefore did I say, 'Behold, thy days approach that\nthou must die.'\" [886] \"As furthermore,\" continued God, \"thou didst say\nto the sons of Levi when they asked thy forgiveness, 'Enough, ye take\ntoo much upon ye, ye sons of Levi,' so too shall I answer thy prayer\nfor forgiveness, 'Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto Me of this\nmatter.'\"\n\n\"O Lord of the world!\" again pleaded Moses, \"Wilt not Thou recall the\ntime when thou didst say to me, 'Come now, therefore, and I will send\nthee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children\nof Israel out of Egypt.' Let them be led by me into their land as I led\nthem out of the land of bondage.\" But to this also God found a reply:\n\"Moses, wilt not thou recall the time when thou didst say to Me, 'O my\nLord, send, I pray Thee by the hand of him whom Thou wild send?' 'With\nthe measure that a man uses, shall measure be given him.' [887] I\nannounce death to thee with the word, 'Behold,' saying 'Behold, thy\ndays approach that thou must die,' because I wanted to point out to\nthee that thou diest only because thou are a descendant of Adam, upon\nwhose sons I had pronounced death with the word, 'Behold,' saying to\nthe angels: 'Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and\nevil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of\nlife, and eat, and live forever.'\" [888]\n\nMoses then said, \"O Lord of the world! To the first man didst Thou give\na command that could easily be obeyed, and yet he disobeyed it, and\nthereby merited death; but I have not transgressed any of Thy\ncommandments.\" God: \"Behold, Abraham also, who sanctified My name in\nthe world, died.\" Moses: \"Yea, but from Abraham issued Ishmael, whose\ndescendants arouse thy anger.\" God: \"Isaac, also, who laid his neck\nupon the altar to be offered as a sacrifice to Me, died.\" Moses: \"But\nfrom Isaac issued Esau who will destroy the Temple and burn Thy house.\"\nGod: \"From Jacob issued twelve tribes that did not anger Me, and ye he\ndied.\" Moses: \"But he did not ascend into heaven, his feet did not\ntread the clouds, Thou didst not speak with him face to face, and he\ndid not receive the Torah out of Thy hand.\" God: \"'Let it suffice thee;\nspeak no more unto Me of this matter,' speak not many words, for only\n'a fool multiplieth words.'\" Moses: \"O Lord of the world! Future\ngenerations will perchance say, 'Had not God found evil in Moses, He\nwould not have taking him out of the world.'\" God: \"I have already\nwritten in My Torah, 'And there hath not arisen since a prophet in\nIsrael like unto Moses.'\" Moses: \"Future generations will perhaps say\nthat I had probably acted in accordance with Thy will in my youth,\nwhile I was active as a prophet, but that in my old age, when my\nprophetic activities ceased, I no longer did Thy will.\"\n\nMoses: \"Lord of the world! Let me, I pray, enter into the Land, live\nthere two or three years, and then die.\" God: \"I have resolved that\nthou shalt not go there.\" Moses: \"If I may not enter it in my lifetime,\nlet me reach it after my death.\" God: \"Nay, neither dead nor alive\nshalt thou go into the land.\" Moses: \"Why this wrath against me?\" God:\n\"Because ye sanctified Me not in the midst of the children of Israel.\"\nMoses: \"With all Thy creatures dost Thou deal according to Thy quality\nof mercy, forgiving them their sins, once, twice, and thrice, but me\nThou wilt not forgive even one single sin!\" God: \"Outside of this sin\nof which thou are aware, thou hast committed six other sins with which\nI have not until now reproached thee. At the very first, when I\nappeared to thee, thou didst say, 'O my Lord, send I pray Thee, by the\nhand of him whom Thou wilt send,' and didst refuse to obey My command\nto go to Egypt. Secondly thou didst say, 'For since I came to Pharaoh\nto speak in Thy name, he hath evil entreated this people; neither hast\nThou delivered Thy people at all,' accusing Me thereby of having only\nharmed Israel, instead of aiding them. Thirdly didst thou say, 'If\nthese men die the common death of all men, then the Lord hath not sent\nme,' so that thou didst arouse doubts among Israel if thou wert really\nMy ambassador. Fourthly didst thou say, 'But if the Lord make a new\nthing,' doubting if God could do so. Fifthly didst thou say to Israel,\n'Hear now, ye rebels,' and in this way didst insult My children.\nSixthly didst thou say, 'And behold, ye are risen up in your fathers'\nstead, an increase of sinful men.' Were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,\nIsrael's fathers, perchance sinful men, that thou didst thus address\ntheir children?\" Moses: \"I only followed Thy example, for Thou, too,\ndidst say, 'The censers of these sinners.'\" God: \"But I did not\ncharacterize their fathers as sinners.\"\n\nMoses: \"O Lord of the world! How often did Israel sin before Thee, and\nwhen I begged and implored mercy for them, Thou forgavest them, but me\nThou wilt not forgive! For my sake Thou forgavest the sins of sixty\nmyriads, and not thou wilt not forgive my sin?\" God: \"The punishment\nthat is laid upon the community is different from the punishment that\nis laid upon the individual, for I am not so severe in my treatment of\nthe community as I am in dealing with an individual. But know,\nfurthermore, that until now fate had been in thy power, but now fate is\nno longer in thy power.\"[889] Moses: \"O Lord of the world! Rise up from\nthe Throne of Justice, and seat Thyself upon the Throne of Mercy, so\nthat in Thy mercy, Thou mayest grant me life, during which I may atone\nfor my sins by suffering that Thou shalt bring upon me. Hand me not\nover to the sword of the Angel of Death. If Thou wild grant my prayer,\nthen shall I sound Thy praises to all the inhabitants of the earth; I\ndo not wish to die, 'but live and declare the works of the Lord.'\" God\nreplied: \"'This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter into\nit,' this is the gate into which the righteous must enter as well as\nother creatures, for death had been decreed for man since the beginning\nof the world.\" [890]\n\nMoses, however, continued to importune God, saying: \"With justice and\nwith mercy hast Thou created the world and mankind, may mercy now\nconquer justice. In my youth Thou didst begin by showing me Thy power\nin the bush of thorns, and now, in my old age, I beseech Thee, treat me\nnot as an earthly king treats his servant. When a king of flesh and\nblood had a servant, he loves him as long as he is young and strong,\nbut casts him off when he is grown old. But Thou, 'cast me not off in\nthe time of old age.' Thou didst show Thy power at the revelation of\nthe Ten Commandments, and thy strong hand in the ten plagues that Thou\ndidst bring upon Egypt. Thou didst create everything, and in Thy hand\ndoth it lie to kill and to give life, there is none who can do these\nworks, nor is there strength like Thine in the future world. Let me\nthen proclaim Thy majesty to the coming generations, and tell them that\nthrough me Thou didst cleave the Red Sea, and give the Torah to Israel,\nthat throughout forty years Thou didst cause manna to rain from heaven\nfor Israel, and water to rise from the well.\" For Moses thought that if\nhis life were spared, he should be able everlastingly to restrain\nIsrael from sin and to hold them forever in faith to the one God. But\nGod said: \"' Let it suffice thee.' If thy life were to be spared, men\nshould mistake thee, and make a god of thee, and worship thee.\" \"Lord\nof the world!\" replied Moses, \"Thou didst already test me at the time\nwhen the Golden Calf was made and I destroyed it. Why then should I\ndie?\" God: \"Whose son art thou?\" Moses: \"Amram's son.\" God: \"And whose\nson was Amram?\" Moses: \"Izhar's son.\" God: \"And whose son was he?\"\nMoses: \"Kohath's son.\" God: \"And whose son was he?\" Moses: \"Levi's\nson.\" God: \"And from whom did all of these descend?\" Moses: \"From\nAdam.\" God: \"Was the life of any one of these spared?\" Moses: \"They all\ndied.\" God: \"And thou wishest to live on?\" Moses: \"Lord of the world!\nAdam stole the forbidden fruit and ate of it, and it was on this\naccount that Thou didst punish him with death, but did I ever steal\naught from Thee? Thou Thyself didst write of me, 'My servant Moses, who\nis faithful in all Mine house.'\" God: \"Art thou worthier than Noah?\"\nMoses: \"Yes; when Thou sentest the flood over his generation he did not\nbeg Thy mercy for them, but I did say to Thee, 'Yet now, if Thou wilt\nforgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book\nwhich Thou hast written.'\"\n\nGod: \"Was it I perchance, that counseled thee to slay the Egyptian?\"\nMoses: \"Thou didst slay all the firstborn of Egypt, and shall I die on\naccount of one single Egyptian that I slew?\" God: \"Art thou perchance\nMy equal? I slay and restore to life, but canst thou perchance revive\nthe dead?\" [891]\n\n\n\n\nGOD TRIES TO COMFORT MOSES CONCERNING HIS DEATH\n\n\nThat Moses might not take his approaching end too much to heart, God\ntried to comfort him by pointing out to him that in his lifetime he had\nreceived such distinctions from his Creator as no man before him, and\nthat still greater distinctions awaited him in the future world. God\nsaid: \"Dost not thou remember the great honor I showed thee? Thou didst\nsay to Me, 'Arise,' and I arose; thou saidst, 'Turn about,' and I\nturned about; for thy sake too did I invert the order of heaven and\nearth, for the order of heaven it is to send down dew and rain, and\nearth's order is it to produce bread, but thou didst say to Me, 'I do\nnot wish it so, but bid heaven to send down bread, and earth to bring\nforth water,' and I acted in accordance with thy wish; I caused bread\nto rain from heaven, and the well 'sprung up.' Thou didst say, 'If the\nLord make a new thing, and the ground open her mouth, and swallow them\nup, then ye shall understand that the Lord hath sent me,' and I\nfulfilled thy wish, and it swallowed them. I had also spoken, 'He that\nsacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, shall be utterly\ndestroyed,' but when Israel sinned with the Golden Calf and I meant to\ndeal with them according to My words, thou wouldst not let Me, saying:\n'Pardon, I pray Thee, the iniquity of this people,' and I forgave them\nas thou didst ask Me. More than this, the Torah is named after Me, it\nis the Torah of the Lord, but I named it after Thy name, saying, 'It is\nthe Torah of My servant Moses.' The children of Israel also are named\nafter Me, 'for unto Me the children of Israel are servants; they are My\nservants,' but I called them after thy name. I distinguished thee still\nmore, for just as there is neither food nor drink for Me, so also didst\nthou stay in heaven forty days and forty nights, and in all that time,\n'didst neither eat bread, nor drink water.' I am God, and see, 'I made\nthee a god to Pharaoh;' I have prophets, and thou hast a prophet, for I\nsaid to thee, 'and Aaron, thy brother, shall be thy prophet.' Again, no\nbeing may see Me, and thee too did I make so that 'the people were\nafraid to come nigh thee,' and as I said to thee, 'thou shalt see My\nback: but My face shall not be seen,' so too did the people see the\nback of thee. I glorified the Torah with twenty-two letters, and with\nall these letters did I glorify thee. I sent thee to Pharaoh, and thou\ndidst lead Israel out of Egypt; through thee did I bestow the Sabbath\nupon Israel, and the law of circumcision; I gave thee the Ten\nCommandments, I covered thee with the cloud, I gave thee the two tables\nof stone, which thou didst break; I made thee unique in the world; I\ngave thee the Torah as an inheritance, and honored thee more than all\nthe seventy elders.\"\n\nMoses had to acknowledge that extraordinary marks of honor had been\nhis. He said: \"Lord of the world! Thou didst set me on high, and didst\nbestow upon me so many benefits that I cannot enumerate one of a\nthousand, and all the world knows how Thou didst exalt me and honor me,\nand all the world knows as well that Thou art the One God, the only One\nin Thy world, that there is none beside Thee, and that there is nothing\nlike Thee. Thou didst create those above and those below, Thou art the\nbeginning and the end. Who can enumerate Thy deeds of glory? Do one of\nthese, I beseech Thee, that I may pass over the Jordan.\" God said:\n\"'Let it suffice, speak no more unto Me of this matter.' [892] It is\nbetter for thee to die here, than that thou shouldst cross the Jordan\nand die in the land of Israel. There in a tomb fashioned by men, on a\nbier made by men, and by the hands of men wouldst thou be buried; but\nnow shalt thou be buried in a tomb fashioned by God, on a bier made by\nGod, and shalt be buried by the hands of God. [893] O My son Moses,\nmuch honor had been stored up for thee in the future world, for thou\nwilt take part in all the delights of Paradise, where are prepared\nthree hundred and ten worlds, which I have created for every pious man\nthat through love of Me devoted himself to the Torah. And as in this\nworld I appointed thee over the sixty myriads of Israel, so in the\nfuture world shall I appoint thee over the fifty-five myriads of pious\nmen. Thy days, O Moses, will pass, when thou art dead, but thy light\nwill not fade, for thou wilt never have need of the light of sun or\nmoon or stars, nor wilt thou require raiment or shelter, or oil for thy\nhead, or shoes for thy feet, for My majesty will shine before thee, My\nradiance will make thy face beam, My sweetness will delight thy palate,\nthe carriages of My equipage shall serve as vehicles for thee, and one\nof My many scepters upon which is engraved the Ineffable Name, one that\nI had employed in the creation of the world, shall I give to thee, the\nimage of which I had already given thee in this world.\" [894]\n\n\n\n\nTHE INTERCESSIONS FOR MOSES\n\n\nWhen Moses saw that God lent no ear to his prayers, he sought to invoke\nGod's mercy through the pleadings of others. \"To everything there is a\nseason, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.\" So long as the\ncourse of Moses' days had not yet been run, everything was in his\npower, but when his time was over, he sought for some one to appeal to\nGod's mercy for him. He now betook himself to Earth and said: \"O Earth,\nI pray thee, implore God's mercy for me. Perhaps for thy sake will He\ntake pity upon me and let me enter into the land of Israel.\" Earth,\nhowever, replied: \"I am 'without form and void,' and then too I shall\nson 'wax old like a garment.' How then should I venture to appear\nbefore the King of kings? Nay, thy fate is like mine, for 'dust thou\nart, and unto dust shalt thou return.'\"\n\nMoses hastened to Sun and Moon, and implored them to intercede for him\nwith God, but they replied: \"Before we pray to God for thee, we must\npray for ourselves, for 'the moon shall be confounded, and the sun\nashamed.'\"\n\nMoses then took his request to the Stars and the Planets, but these,\ntoo, replied: \"Before we venture to plead for thee, we must plead for\nourselves, for 'all the host of heaven shall be dissolved.'\"\n\nMoses then went to the Hills and the Mountains, beseeching them, \"Pray\nappeal to God's mercy for me,\" and they, too, replied: \"We too have to\nimplore God's mercy for ourselves, for He said, 'The mountains shall\ndepart, and the hills be removed.'\"\n\nHe then laid his plea before Mount Sinai, but the latter said: \"Didst\nthou not see with thine eyes and record in the Torah that, 'Mount Sinai\nwas altogether in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in a fire?'\nHow then shall I approach the Lord?\"\n\nHe then went to the Rivers, and sought their intercession before the\nLord, but they replied: \"'The Lord made a way in the sea, and a path in\nthe mighty waters.' We cannot save ourselves out of His hand, and how\nthen should we aid thee?\"\n\nThen he went to the Deserts, and to all the Elements of Nature, but in\nvain sought to secure their aid. Their answer was : \"All go unto one\nplace; all are of the dust, and turn to dust again.\"\n\nThe Great Sea was the last to which he brought his request, but it\nreplied: \"Son of Amram, what ails thee today? Art not thou the son of\nAmram that erstwhile came to me with a staff, beat me, and clove me\ninto twelve parts, while I was powerless against thee, because the\nShekinah accompanied thee at thy right hand? What has happened, then,\nthat thou comest before me now pleading?\" Upon being reminded of the\nmiracles that he had accomplished in his youth, Moses burst into tears\nand said, \"Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God\npreserved me!\" And turning to the sea, he made answer: \"In those days,\nwhen I stood beside thee, I was king of the world, and I commanded, but\nnot I am a suppliant, whose prayers are unanswered.\" [895]\n\nWhen Moses perceived the Heaven and Earth, Sun and Moon, Stars and\nPlanets, Mountains and Rivers turned a deaf ear to his prayers, he\ntried to implore mankind to intercede for him before God. He went first\nto his disciple Joshua, saying: \"O my son, be mindful of the love with\nwhich I treated thee by day and by night, teaching thee mishnah and\nhalakah, and all arts and sciences, and implore now for my sake God's\nmercy, for perhaps through thee He may take pity upon me, and permit me\nto enter the land of Israel.\" Joshua began to weep bitterly, and beat\nhis palms in sorrow, but when he wanted to begin to pray, Samael\nappeared and stopped his mouth, saying, \"Why dost thou seek to oppose\nthe command of God, who is 'the Rock, whose work is perfect, and all\nwhose ways are judgement?'\" Joshua then went to Moses and said,\n\"Master, Samael will not let me pray.\" At these words Moses burst into\nloud sobs, and Joshua, too, wept bitterly.\n\nMoses then went to his brother's son, Eleazar, to whom he said: \"O my\nson, be mindful of the days when God was angry with thy father on\naccount of the making of the Golden Calf, and I save him through my\nprayer. Pray now thou to God for me, and perhaps God will take pity\nupon me, and let me enter into the land of Israel.\" But when Eleazar,\nin accordance with Moses' wish, began to pray, Samael appeared and\nstopped his mouth, saying to him, \"How canst thou think of disregarding\nGod's command?\" Then Eleazar reported to Moses that he could not pray\nfor him.\n\nHe now tried to invoke Caleb's aid, but him, too, Samael prevented from\npraying to God. Moses then went to the seventy elders and the other\nleaders of the people, he even implored every single man among Israel\nto pray for him, saying: \"Remember the wrath which the Lord nursed\nagainst your fathers, but I brought it to pass that God relinquished\nHis plan to destroy Israel, and forgave Israel their sins. Now, I pray\nye, betake yourselves to the sanctuary of God and exhort His pity for\nme, that He may permit me to enter into the land of Israel, for 'God\nnever rejects the prayer of the multitude.'\"\n\nWhen the people and their leaders heard these words of Moses, they\nbroke out into mournful weeping, and in the Tabernacle with bitter\ntears they entreated God to answer Moses' prayer, so that their cries\nrose even to the Throne of Glory. But then one hundred and eighty four\nmyriads of angels under the leadership of the great angels Zakun and\nLahash descended and snatched away the words of the suppliants, that\nthey might not reach God. The angel Lahash indeed tried to restore to\ntheir place the words which the other angels had snatched away, so that\nthey might reach God, but when Samael learned of this, he fettered\nLahash with chains of fire and brought him before God, where he\nreceived sixty blows of fire and was expelled from the inner chamber of\nGod because, contrary to God's wish, he had attempted to aid Moses in\nthe fulfillment of his desire. When Israel now saw how the angels dealt\nwith their prayers, they went to Moses and said, \"The angels will not\nlet us pray for thee.\" [896]\n\nWhen Moses saw that neither the world nor mankind could aid him, he\nbetook himself to the Angel of the Face, to whom he said, \"Pray for me,\nthat God may take pity upon me, and that I may not die.\" But the angel\nreplied: \"Why, Moses, dost thou exert thyself in vain? Standing behind\nthe curtain that is drawn before the Lord, I heard that thy prayer in\nthis instance is not to be answered.\" Moses now laid his hand upon his\nhead and wept bitterly, saying, \"To whom shall I now go, that he might\nimplore God's mercy for me?\"\n\nGod was now very angry with Moses because he would not resign himself\nto the doom that had been sealed, but His wrath vanished as soon as\nMoses spoke the words: \"The Lord, the Lord, a God full of compassion\nand gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy and truth; keeping\nmercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.\" God\nnow said kindly to Moses: \"I have registered two vows, one that thou\nare to die, and the second that Israel is to perish. I cannot cancel\nboth vows, if therefore thou choosest to live, Israel must be ruined.\"\n\"Lord of the world!\" replied Moses, \"Thou approachest me artfully; Thou\nseizest the rope at both ends, so that I myself must now say, 'Rather\nshall Moses and a thousand of his kind perish, than a single soul out\nof Israel!' But will not all men exclaim, 'Alas! The feet that trod the\nheavens, the face that beheld the Face of the Shekinah, and the hands\nthat received the Torah, shall not be covered with dust!'\" God replied:\n\"Nay, the people will say: ' If a man like Moses, who ascended into\nheaven, who was peer of the angels, with whom God spoke face to face,\nand to whom He gave the Torah - if such a man cannot justify himself\nbefore God, how much less can an ordinary mortal of flesh and blood,\nwho appears before God without having done good deeds or studied the\nTorah, justify himself?' I want to know,\" He added, \"why thou are so\nmuch aggrieved at thy impending death.\" Moses: \"I am afraid of the\nsword of the Angel of Death.\" God: \"If this is the reason then speak no\nmore in this matter, for I will not deliver thee into his hand.\" Moses,\nhowever, would not yield, but furthermore said, \"Shall my mother\nJochebed, to whom my life brought so much grief, suffer sorrow after my\ndeath also?\" God: \"So was it in My mind even before I created the\nworld, and so is the course of the world; every generation has its\nlearned men, every generation has its leaders, every generation has its\nguides. Up to now it was thy duty to guide the people, but not the time\nit ripe for thy disciple Joshua to relieve thee of the office destined\nfor him.\" [897]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES SERVES JOSHUA\n\n\nMoses now said to himself: \"If God has determined that I may not enter\nthe land of Israel, and I am thus to lose the reward for the many\nprecepts that may be observed only in the Holy Land, for no other\nreason than because the time has come for my disciple Joshua to go to\nthe front of Israel and lead them into the land, then were it better\nfor me to remain alive, to enter the land, and relinquish to Joshua the\nleadership of the people.\" What now did Moses do? From the first day of\nShebat to the sixth of Adar, the day before his death, he went and\nserved Joshua from morning until evening, as a disciple his mater.\nThese thirty-six days during which Moses served his former disciple\ncorresponded to the equal number of years during which he had been\nserved by Joshua.\n\nThe way in which Moses ministered to Joshua was as follows. During the\nperiod he arose at midnight, went to Joshua's door, opened it with a\nkey, and taking a shirt from which he shook out the dust, laid it near\nto Joshua's pillow. He then cleaned Joshua's shoes and placed them\nbeside the bed. Then he took his undergarment, his cloak, his turban,\nhis golden helmet, and his crown of pearls, examined them to see if\nthey were in good condition, cleaned and polished them, arranged them\naright, and laid them on a golden chair. He then fetched a pitcher of\nwater and a golden basin and placed them before the golden chair, so to\nwash himself. He then caused Joshua's rooms, which he furnished like\nhis own, to be swept and put into order, the ordered the golden throne\nto be brought in, which he covered with a linen and a woolen cloth, and\nwith other beautiful and costly garments, as in the custom with kings.\nAfter all these preparations had been made, he bade the herald\nproclaim: \"Moses stands at Joshua's gate and announces that whosoever\nwishes to hear God's word should betake himself to Joshua, for he,\naccording to God's word, is the leader of Israel.\"\n\nWhen the people heard the herald, they trembled and shook, and\npretended to have a headache, so that they might not have to go to\nJoshua. Every one of them said, in tears, \"Woe to thee, O land, when\nthy king is a child!\" But a voice from heaven resounded, crying, \"When\nIsrael was a child, then I loved him,\" and Earth, too, opened her\nmouth, and said, \"I have been young, and now am old, yet have I not\nseen the righteous forsaken.\" While the people refused to lend ear to\nthe herald's summons, the elders of Israel, the leaders of the troops,\nthe princes of the tribes, and the captains of thousands, of hundreds,\nand of tens appeared at Joshua's tent, and Moses assigned to each his\nplace according to his rank.\n\nIn the meantime approached the hour when Joshua was wont to arise,\nwhereupon Moses entered his room and extended his hand to him. When\nJoshua saw that Moses served him, he was ashamed to have his master\nminister to him, and taking the shirt out of Moses' hand, and dressing\nhimself, trembling, he cast himself to Moses' feet and said: \"O my\nmaster, be not the cause wherefore I should die before half my time is\ndone, owing to the sovereignty God has imposed upon me.\" But Moses\nreplied: \"Fear not, my son, thou sinnest not if thou are served by me.\nWith the measure wherewith thou didst mete out to me, do I mete out to\nthee; as with a pleasant face thou didst serve me, so shall I serve\nthee. It was I that taught thee, 'Love thy neighbor as thyself,' and\nalso, 'Let thy pupil's honor be as dear to thee as thine own.'\" Moses\ndid not rest until Joshua seated himself upon the golden chair, and\nthen Moses served Joshua, who still resisted, in every needful way.\nAfter he was through with all this, he laid upon Joshua, who still\nresisted, his rays of majesty, which he had received from his celestial\nteacher Zagzagel, scribe of the angels, at the close of his instruction\nin all the secrets of the Torah.\n\nWhen Joshua was completely dressed and ready to go out, they reported\nto him and to Moses that all Israel awaited them. Moses thereupon laid\nhis hand upon Joshua to lead him out of the tent, and quite against\nJoshua's wish insisted upon giving precedence to him as they stepped\nforth. When Israel saw Joshua precede Moses, they all trembled, arose,\nand made room for these two to proceed to the place of the great, where\nstood the golden throne, upon which Moses seated Joshua against his\nwill. All Israel burst into tears when they saw Joshua upon the golden\nthrone, and he said amid tears, \"why all this greatness and honor to\nme?\" [898]\n\nIn this way did Moses spend the time from the first day of Shebat to\nthe sixth of Adar, during which time he expounded the Torah to the\nsixty myriads of Israel in seventy languages.\n\n\n\n\nTHE LAST DAY OF MOSES' LIFE\n\n\nOn the seventh day of Adar, Moses knew that on this day he should have\nto die, for a heavenly voice resounded, saying, \"Take heed to thyself,\nO Moses, for thou hast only one more day to live.\" [899] What did Moses\nnow do? On this day he wrote thirteen scrolls of the Torah, twelve for\nthe twelve tribes, and one he put into the Holy Ark, so that, if they\nwished to falsify the Torah, the one in the Ark might remain untouched.\nMoses thought, \"If I occupy myself with the Torah, which is the tree of\nlife, this day will draw to a close, and the impending doom will be as\nnaught.\" God, however, beckoned to the sun, which firmly opposed itself\nto Moses, saying, \"I will not set, so long as Moses lives.\" [900] When\nMoses had completed writing the scrolls of the Torah, not even half the\nday was over. He then bade the tribes come to him, and from his hand\nreceive the scrolls of the Torah, admonishing the men and women\nseparately to obey the Torah and its commands. The most excellent among\nthe thirteen scrolls was fetched by Gabriel, who brought it to the\nhighest heavenly court to show the piety of Moses, who had fulfilled\nall that is written in the Torah. Gabriel passed with it through all\nthe heavens, so that all might witness Moses' piety. It is this scroll\nof the Torah out of which the souls of the pious read on Monday and\nThursday, as well as on the Sabbath and holy days.\n\nMoses on this day showed great honor and distinction to his disciple\nJoshua in the sight of all Israel. A herald passed before Joshua\nthrough all the camp, proclaiming, \"Come and hear the words of the new\nprophet that hath arisen for us to-day!\" All Israel approached to honor\nJoshua. Moses then gave the command to fetch hither a golden throne, a\ncrown of pearls, a royal helmet, and a robe of purple. He himself set\nup the rows of benches for the Sanhedrin, for the heads of the army,\nand for the priests. Then Moses betook himself to Joshua, dressed him,\nput the crown on his head, and bade him be seated upon the golden\nthrone to deliver from it a speech to the people. Joshua then spoke the\nfollowing words which he first whispered to Caleb, who then announced\nit in a loud voice to the people. He said: \"Awaken, rejoice, heavens of\nheavens, ye above; sound joyously, foundations of earth, ye below.\nAwaken and proclaim aloud, ye orders of creation; awaken and sing, ye\nmountains everlasting. Exult and shout in joy, ye hills of earth,\nawaken and burst into songs of triumph, ye hosts of heaven. Sing and\nrelate, ye tents of Jacob, sing, ye dwelling place of Israel. Sing and\nhearken to all the words that come from your King, incline you heart to\nall His words, and gladly take upon yourselves and your souls the\ncommandments of your God. Open your mouth, let your tongue speak, and\ngive honor to the Lord that is your Helper, give thanks to your Lord\nand put your trust in Him. For He is One, and hath no second, there is\nnone like Him among the gods, not one among the angels is like Him, and\nbeside Him is there none that is your Lord. To His praise there are no\nbounds; to His fame no limit, no end; to His miracles no fathoming; to\nHis works no number. He kept the oath that He swore to the Patriarchs,\nthrough our teacher Moses. He fulfilled the covenant with them, and the\nlove and the vow He had made them, for He delivered us through many\nmiracles, led us from bondage to freedom, clove for us the sea, and\nbestowed upon us six hundred and thirteen commandments.\"\n\nWhen Joshua had completed his discourse, a voice resounded from heaven,\nand said to Moses, \"Thou hast only five hours more of life.\" Moses\ncalled out to Joshua, \"Stay seated like a king before the people!\" Then\nboth began to speak before all Israel; Moses read out the text and\nJoshua expounded. There was no difference of opinion between them, and\nthe words of the two matched like the pearls in a royal crown. But\nMoses' countenance shone like the sun, and Joshua's like the moon.\n\nWhile Joshua and all Israel still sat before Moses, a voice from heaven\nbecame audible and said, \"Moses, thou hast now only four hours of\nlife.\" Now Moses began to implore God anew: \"O Lord of the world! If I\nmust die only for my disciple's sake, consider that I am willing to\nconduct myself as if I were his pupil; let it be as if he were high\npriest, and I a common priest; he is king, and I his servant.\" God\nreplied: \"I have sworn by My great name, which ' the heaven and heaven\nof heavens cannot contain,' that thou shalt not cross the Jordan.\"\nMoses: \"Lord of the world! Let me at least, by the power of the\nIneffable Name, fly like a bird in the air; or make me like a fish\ntransform my two arms to fins and my hair to scales, that like a fish I\nmay leap over the Jordan and see the land of Israel.\" God: \"If I comply\nwith thy wish, I shall break My vow.\" Moses: \"Lord of the world! Lead\nme upon the pinions of the clouds about three parasangs high beyond the\nJordan, so that the clouds be below me, and I from above may see the\nland.\" God replied: \"This, too, seems to Me like a breaking of My vow.\"\nMoses: \"Lord of the world! Cut me up, limb by limb, throw me over the\nJordan, and then revive me, so that I may see the land.\" God: \"That,\ntoo, would be as if I had broken My vow.\" Moses: \"Let me skim the land\nwith my glance.\" God: \"In this point will I comply with thy wish. 'Thou\nshalt see the land before thee; but thou shalt not go thither.'\" God\nthereupon showed him all the land of Israel, and although it was a\nsquare of four hundred parasangs, still God imparted such strength to\nMoses' eyes that he could oversee all the land. What lay in the deep\nappeared to him above, the hidden was plainly in view, the distant was\nclose at hand, and he saw everything. [901]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES BEHOLDS THE FUTURE\n\n\nPointing to the land, God said: \"'This is the land which I sware unto\nAbraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy\nseed;' to them did I promise it, but to thee do I show it.\" But he saw\nnot only the land. God pointed with His finger to every part of the\nHoly Land, and accurately described it to Moses, saying, \"This is\nJudah's share, this Ephraim's,\" and in this way instructed him about\nthe division of the land. Moses learned from God the history of the\nwhole land, and the history of every part of it. God showed it to him\nas it would appear in its glory, and how it would appear under the rule\nof strangers. God revealed to him not only the complete history of\nIsrael that was to take place in the Holy Land, but also revealed to\nhim all its creation to the Day of Judgement, when the resurrection of\nthe dead will take place. Joshua's war with the Canaanites, Israel's\ndeliverance from the Philistines through Samson, the glory of Israel in\nDavid's reign, the building of the Temple under Solomon, and its\ndestruction, the line of kings from the house of David, and the line of\nprophets from the house of Rahab, the destruction of Gog and Magog on\nthe plain of Jericho, all this and much more, was it given Moses to\nsee. And as God showed him the events in the world, so too did he show\nhim Paradise with its dwellers of piety, and hell with the wicked men\nthat fill it. [902]\n\nThe place whence Moses looked upon the Holy Land was a mountain that\nbore four names: Nebo, Abarim, Hor, and Pisgah. The different\nappellations are due to the fact that the kingdoms accounted it as a\nspecial honor to themselves if they had possessions in the Holy Land.\nThis mountain was divided among four kingdoms, and each kingdom had a\nspecial name for its parts. [903] The most appropriate name seems to be\nNebo, for upon it died three sinless nebi'im, \"prophets,\" Moses, Aaron\nand Miriam.\n\nTo this mountain, upon God's command, Moses betook himself at noon of\nthe day on which he died. On this occasion, as upon two others, God had\nHis commands executed at noon to show mankind that they could not\nhinder the execution of God's orders, even if they chose to do so. Had\nMoses gone to die on Mount Nebo at night, Israel would have said: \"He\ncould well do so in the night when we knew of nothing. Had we known\nthat he should go to Nebo to his death, we should not have let him go.\nVerily, we should not have permitted him to die, who led us out of\nEgypt, who clove the sea for us, who caused manna to rain down and the\nwell to spring up, who bade the quails to fly to us, and performed many\nother great miracles.\" God therefore bade Moses go to his grave on\nmount Nebo in bright daylight, at noon hour, saying, \"Let him who\nwishes to prevent it try to do so.\"\n\nFor a similar reason did Israel's exodus from Egypt take place in the\nnoon hour, for, had they departed at night, the Egyptians would have\nsaid: \"They were able to do this in the darkness of the night because\nwe knew nothing of it. Had we known, we should not have permitted them\nto depart, but should have compelled them by force of arms to stay in\nEgypt.\" God therefore said: \"I shall lead out Israel to the noon hour.\nLet him who wishes to prevent it try to do so.\"\n\nNoah, too, entered the ark at the noon hour for a similar reason. God\nsaid: \"If Noah enters the ark at night, his generation will declare:\n'He could do so because we were not aware of it, or we should not have\npermitted him to enter the ark alone, but should have taken our hammers\nand axes, and crushed the ark.' Therefore,\" said God, \"do I wish him to\nenter the ark at the noon hour. Let him who wishes to prevent it try to\ndo so.\"\n\nGod's command to Moses to betake himself to Mount Nebo, and there to\ndie, was couched in the following words: means not destruction, but\nelevation. 'Die in the mount whither thou goest up;' go up all alone,\nand let no one accompany thee. Aaron's son Eleazar accompanied him to\nhis tomb, but no man shall witness the distinction and reward that\nawait thee at thy death. There shalt thou be gather to thy people, to\nthe fathers of Israel, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to thy fathers,\nKohath and Amram, as well as to thy brother Aaron and thy sister\nMiriam, just as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered\nunto his people.\" For when Aaron was to die, Moses drew off one by one\nhis garments, with which he invested Aaron's son Eleazar, and after he\nhad taken off all his garments, he clothed him in his death robe. Then\nhe said to Aaron: \"Aaron, my brother, enter the cave,\" and he entered.\n\"Get upon the couch,\" said Moses, and Aaron did so. \"Close thine eyes,\"\nand he closed them. \"Stretch out thy feet,\" and Aaron did so, and\nexpired. At sight of this painless and peaceful death, Moses said:\n\"Blessed is the man that dies such a death!\" When therefore Moses' end\ndrew nigh, God said: \"Thou shalt die the death that thou didst wish, as\npeacefully and with as little pain as thy brother Aaron.\" [904]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES MEETS THE MESSIAH IN HEAVEN\n\n\nMoses received still another special distinction on the day of his\ndeath, for on that day God permitted him to ascend to the lofty place\nof heaven, and showed him the reward that awaited him in heaven, and\nthe future. The Divine attribute of Mercy appeared there before him and\nsaid to him: \"I bring glad tidings to thee, at which thou wilt rejoice.\nTurn to the Throne of Mercy and behold!\" Moses turned to the Throne of\nMercy and saw God build the Temple of jewels and pearls, while between\nthe separate gems and pearls shimmered the radiance of the Shekinah,\nbrighter than all jewels. And in this Temple he beheld the Messiah,\nDavid's son, and his own brother Aaron, standing erect, and dressed in\nthe robe of the high priest. Aaron then said to Moses: \"Do not draw\nnear, for this is the place where the Shekinah dwells, and know that no\none may enter here before he have tasted of death and his soul have\nbeen delivered to the Angel of Death.\"\n\nMoses now fell upon his face before God, saying, \"Permit me to speak to\nThy Messiah before I die.\" God then said to Moses: \"Come, I shall teach\nthee My great name, that the flames of the Shekinah consume thee not.\"\nWhen the Messiah, David's son, and Aaron beheld Moses approach them,\nthey knew that God had taught him the great name, so they went to meet\nhim and saluted him with the greeting: \"Blessed be he that cometh in\nthe name of the Lord.\" Moses thereupon said to Messiah: \"God told me\nthat Israel was to erect a Temple to Him upon earth, and I now see Him\nbuild His own Temple, and that, too, in heaven!\" The Messiah replied:\n\"Thy father Jacob saw the Temple that will be erected on earth, and\nalso the Temple that God rears with His own hand in heaven, and he\nclearly understood that it was the Temple God constructed with His own\nhand in heaven as house of jewels, of pearls, and of the light of the\nShekinah, that was to be preserved for Israel to all eternity, to the\nend of all generations. This was in the night when Jacob slept upon a\nstone, and in his dream beheld one Jerusalem upon earth, and another in\nheaven. God then said to Jacob, 'My son Jacob, to-day I stand above\nthee as in the future thy children will stand before Me.' At the sight\nof these two Jerusalems, the earthly and the heavenly, Jacob said: 'The\nJerusalem on earth is nothing, this is not the house that will be\npreserved for my children in all generations, but in truth that other\nhouse of God, that He builds with His own hands.' But if thou sayest,\"\ncontinued the Messiah, \"that God with His own hands builds Himself a\nTemple in heaven, know then that with His hands also He will build the\nTemple upon earth.\"\n\nWhen Moses heard these words from the mouth of the Messiah, he rejoiced\ngreatly, and lifting up his face to God, he said, \"O Lord of the world!\nWhen will this Temple built here in heaven come down to earth below?\"\nGod replied: \"I have made known the time of the event to no creature,\neither to the earlier ones or to the later, how then should I tell\nthee?\" Moses said: \"Give me a sign, so that out of the happenings in\nthe world I may gather when that time will approach,\" God: \"I shall\nfirst scatter Israel as with a shovel over all the earth, so that they\nmay be scattered among all nations in the four corners of the earth,\nand then shall I \"set My hand again the second time,' and gather them\nin that migrated with Jonah, the son of Amittai, to the land of\nPathros, and those that dwell in the land of Shinar, Hamath, Elam, and\nthe islands of the sea.\"\n\nWhen Moses had heard this, he departed from heaven with a joyous\nspirit. The Angel of Death followed him to earth, but could not possess\nhimself of Moses' soul, for he refused to give it up to him, delivering\nit to none but God Himself. [905]\n\n\n\n\nTHE LAST HOURS OF MOSES\n\n\nWhen Moses had finished looking upon the land and the future, he was\none hour nearer to death. A voice sounded from heaven and said, \"Make\nno fruitless endeavors to live.\" Moses, however, did not desist from\nprayer, saying to God: \"Lord of the world! Let me stay on this side of\nthe Jordan with the sons of Reuben and the sons of God, that I may be\nas one of them, while Joshua as king at the head of Israel shall enter\ninto the land beyond the Jordan.\" God replied: \"Dost thou wish Me to\nmake as naught the words in the Torah that read, 'Three times in the\nyear all thy males shall appear before the Lord God?' If Israel sees\nthat thou dost not make a pilgrimage to the sanctuary, they will say,\n'If Moses, through whom the Torah and the laws were given to us, does\nnot make the pilgrimage to the sanctuary, how much less do we need to\ndo so!' Thou wouldst then cause nonobservance of My commandments. I\nhave, furthermore, written in the Torah through thee, 'At the end of\nevery seven years, in the set time of the year of release, when all\nIsrael is come to appear before the Lord thy God, in the place which He\nshall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their\nhearing.' If thou wert to live thou shouldst put Joshua's authority in\nthe eyes of all Israel to naught, for they would say, 'Instead of\nlearning the Torah and hearing it from the mouth of the disciple, let\nus rather go to the teacher and learn from him.' Israel will then\nabandon Joshua and go to thee, so that thou wouldst cause rebellion\nagainst My Torah, in which is written that the king shall read before\nall Israel the Torah in the set time of the year of release.\" [906]\n\nIn the meanwhile still another hour had passed, and a voice sounded\nfrom heaven and said: \"How long wilt thou endeavor in vain to avert the\nsentence? Thou has not only two hours more of life.\" The wicked Samael,\nhead of evil spirits, had eagerly awaited the moment of Moses' death,\nfor he hoped to take his soul like that of all other mortals, and he\nsaid continually, \"When will the moment be at hand when Michael shall\nweep and I shall triumph?\" When now only two hours remained before\nMoses' death, Michael, Israel's guardian angel, began to weep, and\nSamael was jubilant, for now the moment he had awaited so long was very\nclose. But Michael said to Samael: \"'Rejoice not against me, mine\nenemy: when I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord\nshall be a light unto me.' Even if I fell on account of Moses's death,\nI shall arise again through Joshua when he will conquer the one and\nthirty kings of Palestine. Even if I sit in darkness owing to the\ndestruction of the first and second Temples, the Lord shall be my light\non the day of the Messiah.\"\n\nIn the meanwhile still another hour had passed, and a voice resounded\nfrom heaven and said, \"Moses, thou hast only one hour more of life!\"\nMoses thereupon said: \"O Lord of the world! Even if Thou wilt not let\nme enter into the land of Israel, leave me at least in this world, that\nI may live, and not die.\" God replied, \"If I should not let thee die in\nthis world, how then can I revive thee hereafter for the future world?\nThou wouldst, moreover, then give the lie to the Torah, for through\nthee I wrote therein, 'neither is there any that can deliver out of My\nhand.'\" Moses continued to pray: \"O Lord of the world! If thou dost not\npermit me to enter into the land of Israel, let me live like the beasts\nof the field, and feed on herbs, and drink water, let me live and see\nthe world: let me be as one of these.\" But God said, \"Let it suffice\nthee!\" Still Moses continued: \"If Thou wilt not grant me this, let me\nat least live in this world like a bird that flies in the four\ndirections of the world, and each day gathers its food from the ground,\ndrinks water out of the streams, and at eve returns to its nest.\" But\neven this last prayer of his was denied, for God said, \"Thou hast\nalready made too many words.\" [907]\n\nMoses now raised up his voice in weeping, and said, \"To whom shall I go\nthat will now implore mercy to me?\" He went to every work of creation\nand said, \"Implore mercy for me.\" But all replied: \"We cannot even\nimplore mercy for ourselves, for God 'hath made everything beautiful in\nits time,' but afterward, 'all go unto one place, all are of the dust,\nand all turn to dust again,' 'for the heaven shall vanish away like\nsmoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment.'\"\n\nWhen Moses saw that none of the works of creation could aid him, he\nsaid: \"He is 'the Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are\njudgement: A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right\nis He.'\"\n\nWhen Moses saw that he could not escape death, he called Joshua, and in\nthe presence of all Israel addressed him as follows: \"Behold, my son,\nthe people that I deliver into thy hands, is the people of the Lord. It\nis still in its youth, and hence is inexperienced in the observance of\nits commandments; beware, therefore, lest thou speak harshly to them,\nfor they are the children of the Holy One, who called them, 'My\nfirstborn son, Israel'; and He loved them before all other nations.\"\nBut God, on the other hand, at once said to Joshua: \"Joshua, thy\nteacher Moses has transferred his office to thee. Follow now in his\nfootsteps, take a rod and hit upon the head, 'Israel is a child, hence\nI love him,' and 'withhold not correction from the child.'\" [908]\n\nJoshua now said to Moses: \"O my teacher Moses, what will become of me?\nIf I give to the one a share upon a mountain, he will be sure to want\none in the valley, and he to whom I give his share in the valley will\nwish it to be upon a mountain.\" Moses, however, quieted him, saying,\n\"Be not afraid, for God hath assured me that there will be peace at the\ndistribution of the land.\" Then Moses said: \"Question me regarding all\nthe laws that are not quite clear to thee, for I shall be taken from\nthee, and thou shalt see me no more.\" Joshua replied, \"When, O my\nmaster, by night or by day, have I ever left thee, that I should be in\ndoubt concerning anything that thou hast taught me?\" Moses said, \"Even\nif thou hast no questions to ask to me, come hither, that I may kiss\nthee.\" Joshua went to Moses, who kissed him and wept upon his neck, and\na second time blessed him, saying, \"Mayest thou be at peace, and Israel\nbe at peace with thee.\" [909]\n\n\n\n\nTHE BLESSING OF MOSES\n\n\nThe people now came to Moses and said, \"The hour of thy death is at\nhand,\" and he replied: \"Wait until I have blessed Israel. All my life\nlong they had no pleasant experiences with me, for I constantly rebuked\nthem and admonished them to fear God and fulfil the commandments,\ntherefore do I not now wish to depart out of this world before I have\nblessed them.\" [910] Moses had indeed always cherished the desire of\nblessing Israel, but the Angel of Death had never permitted him to\nsatisfy his wish, so shortly before dying, he enchained the Angel of\nDeath, cast him beneath his feet, and blessed Israel in spite of their\nenemy, saying, \"Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance: feed them\nalso, and bear them up for ever.\" [911]\n\nMoses was not the first to bestow blessings, as former generations had\nalso done so, but no blessing was as effective as his. Noah blessed his\nsons, but it was a divided blessing, being intended for Shem, whereas\nHam, instead of being blessed, was cursed. Isaac blessed his sons, but\nhis blessings led to a dispute, for Esau envied Jacob his blessings.\nJacob blessed his sons, but even his blessing was not without a\nblemish, for in blessing he rebuked Reuben and called him to account\nfor the sins he had committed. Even the number of Moses' blessings\nexcelled that of his predecessors. For when God created the world, He\nblessed Adam and Eve, and this blessing remained upon the world until\nthe flood, when it ceased. When Noah left the ark, God appeared before\nhim and bestowed upon him anew the blessing that had vanished during\nthe flood, and this blessing rested upon the world until Abraham came\ninto the world and received a second blessing from God, who said, \"And\nI will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless them that bless\nthee, and curse him that curseth thee.\" God then said to Abraham:\n\"Henceforth it no longer behooves Me to bless My creatures in person,\nbut I shall leave the blessings to thee: he whom thou blessest, shall\nbe blessed by Me.\" Abraham did not, however, bless his own son Isaac,\nin order that the villain Esau might not have a share in that blessing.\nJacob, however, received not only two blessings from his father, but\none other besides from the angel with whom he wrestled, and one from\nGod; and the blessing also that had been Abraham's to bestow upon his\nhouse went to Jacob. When Jacob blessed his sons, he passed on to them\nthe five blessings he had received, and added one other. Balaam should\nreally have blessed Israel with seven benedictions, corresponding to\nthe seven altars he had erected, but he envied Israel greatly, and\nblessed them with only three blessings. God thereupon said: \"Thou\nvillain that begrudgest Israel their blessings! I shall not permit thee\nto bestow upon Israel all the blessing that are their due. Moses, who\nhad 'a benevolent eye,' shall bless Israel.\" And so, too, it came to\npass. Moses added a seventh blessing to the six benedictions with which\nJacob had blessed his twelve sons. This was not, however, the first\ntime that Moses blessed the people. He blessed them at the erection of\nthe Tabernacle, then at its consecration, a third time at the\ninstallation of the judges, and a fourth time on the day of his death.\n[912]\n\nBefore bestowing his blessing upon Israel, however, Moses intoned a\nsong in God's praise, for it is fitting to glorify God's name before\nasking a favor of Him, and as Moses was about to ask God to bless\nIsrael, he first proclaimed His grandeur and His majesty. [913]\n\nHe said: \"When God first revealed Himself to Israel to bestow the Torah\nupon them, He appeared to them not from one direction, but from all\nfour at once. He 'came from Sinai,' which is in the South, 'and rose\nfrom Seir unto them,' that is in the East; 'He shined forth from mount\nParan,' that is in the North, 'and he came from the ten thousands of\nholy' angels that dwell in the West. [914] He proclaimed the Torah not\nonly in the language of Sinai, that is Hebrew, but also in the tongue\nof Seir, that is Roman, as well as in Paran's speech, that is Arabic,\nand in the speech of Kadesh, that is Aramaic, for He offered the Torah\nnot to Israel alone, but to all the nations of the earth. These,\nhowever, did not want to accept it, hence His wrath against them, and\nHis especial love for Israel who, despite their awed fear and trembling\nupon God's appearance on Sinai, still accepted the Torah. [915] Lord of\nthe World!\" continued Moses, \"When Israel shall have been driven out of\ntheir land, be mindful still of the merits of their Patriarchs and\nstand by them, deliver them in Thy mercy from 'the yoke of the\nnations,' and from death, and guide them in the future world as Thou\ndidst lead them in the desert.\" [916]\n\nAt these words Israel exclaimed, \"The Torah that Moses brought to us at\nthe risk of his life is our bride, and no other nation may lay claim to\nit. [917] Moses was our king when the seventy elders assembled, and in\nthe future the Messiah will be our king, surrounded by seven shepherds,\nand he will gather together once more the scattered tribes of Israel.\"\n[918] Then Moses said: \"God first appeared in Egypt to deliver His\npeople, then at Sinai to give them the Torah, and He will appear a\nthird time to take vengeance at Edom, and will finally appear to\ndestroy Gog.\" [919]\n\nAfter Moses had praised and glorified God, he began to implore His\nblessing for the tribes. His first prayer to God concerned Reuben, for\nwhom he implored forgiveness for his sin with Bilhah. He said: \"May\nReuben come to life again in the future world for his good deed in\nsaving Joseph, and may he not remain forever dead on account of his sin\nwith Bilhah. May Reuben's descendants also be heroes in war, and heroes\nin their knowledge of the Torah.\" God granted this prayer and forgave\nReuben's sin in accordance with the wish of the other tribes, who\nbegged God to grant forgiveness to their eldest brother. [920] Moses at\nonce perceived that God had granted his prayer, for all the twelve\nstones in the high priest's breastplate began to gleam forth, whereas\nformerly Reuben's stone had given forth no light. [921] When Moses saw\nthat God had forgiven Reuben's sin, he at once set about trying to\nobtain God's pardon for Judah, saying, \"Was it not Judah that through\nhis penitent confession of his sin with his daughter-in-law Tamar\ninduced Reuben, too, to seek atonement and repentance!\" The sin for\nwhich Moses asked God to forgive Judah was that he had never redeemed\nhis promise to bring Benjamin back to his father. Owing to this sin,\nhis corpse fell to pieces, so that its bones rolled about in their\ncoffin during the forty years' march in the desert. But as soon as\nMoses prayed to God, saying, \"Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah,\" the\nbones joined together once more, but his sin was not quite forgiven,\nfor he was not yet admitted to the heavenly academy. Therefore Moses\ncontinued to pray: \"Bring him in unto his people,\" and he was admitted.\nIt did not, indeed, benefit him, for in punishment of his sin, God\nbrought it to pass that he could not follow the discussion of the\nscholars in heaven, much less take part in them, whereupon Moses\nprayed: \"Let his hands be sufficient for him,\" and them he no longer\nsat as one dumb in the heavenly academy. But still his sin was not\nquite forgiven, for Judah could not succeed in being victorious in the\ndisputes of the learned, hence Moses prayed, \"And Thou shalt be an help\nagainst his adversaries.\" It was only then that Judah's sin was quite\nforgiven, and that he succeeded in disputes with his antagonists in the\nheavenly academy. [922]\n\nAs Moses prayed for Judah, so too did he pray for his seed, and\nespecially for David and the royal dynasty of David. He said: \"When\nDavid, king of Israel, shall be in need, and shall pray to Thee, then,\n'Hear, Lord, his voice, and Thou shalt be an help against his\nadversaries,' 'bring him' then back 'to his people' in peace; and when\nalone he shall set out into battle against Goliath, 'let his hands be\nsufficient for him, and Thou shalt be an help against his\nadversaries.'\" Moses at the same time prayed God to stand by the tribe\nof Judah, whose chief weapon in war was the bow, that their 'hands\nmight be sufficient,' that they might vigorously and with good aim\nspeed the arrow.\n\nAs Moses had never forgiven Simeon their sin with the daughters of\nMoab, he bestowed upon them no blessing, but this tribe also was not\nquite forgotten, for he included this tribe in his blessing for Judah,\npraying to God, that He might hear Judah's voice whenever he should\npray for the tribe of Simeon when they should be in distress, and that\nfurthermore He should give them their possession in the Holy Land\nbeside Judah's. [923]\n\nSimeon and Levi \"drank out of the same cup,\" for both together in their\nwrath slew the inhabitants of Shechem, but whereas Levi made amends for\nhis sin, Simeon added another new one. It was the Levites who, in their\nzeal for God, slew those that worshipped the Golden Calf; it was a\nLevite, Phinehas, moreover, who in his zeal for God slew the wicked\nprince of the tribe of Simeon, and his mistress. Hence Moses praised\nand blessed the tribe of Levi, whereas he did not even consider Simeon\nwith a word.\n\nHis words first referred to Aaron, prince of the tribe of Levi. He\nsaid: \"Well may Thy Urim and Tummim belong to Aaron, who ministered\nservices of love to Thy children, who stood every test that Thou didst\nput upon him, and who at the 'waters of rebellion' became the victim of\na wrong accusation.\" God had then decreed against Aaron that he was to\ndie in the desert, although not he, but Moses had trespassed against\nHim, saying to Israel, \"Hear now, ye rebels.\" As Aaron, prince of the\ntribe of Levi, when Israel was still in Egypt, declaimed passionately\nagainst the people because they worshipped idols, so too all the tribe\nof Levi stood up by God's standard when Israel worshipped the Golden\nCalf in the desert, and slew the idolaters, even if they were their\nhalf-brothers or their daughters sons. The Levites also were the only\nones who, in Egypt as in the desert, remained true to God and His\nteachings, did not abandon the token of the covenant, and were not\ntempted to rebellion by the spies. \"Hence,\" continued Moses, \"shall the\nLevites be the only ones from whose mouth shall issue judgement and\ninstruction for Israel. 'Thy shall put incense' in the Holy of Holies,\n'and whole burnt offerings upon His altar.' Their sacrifices shall\nreconcile Israel with God, and they themselves shall be blessed with\nearthly goods. Thou, Lord, 'smitest through the loins of them that rise\nup against them' that dispute the priestly rights of this tribe, Thou\ndidst destroy Korah, and they 'that hated them' like king Uzziah,\n'shall not rise again.' [924] 'Bless, Lord, the substance of the\nLevites who give from the tithes that they receive one-tenth to the\npriests. Mayest Thou accept sacrifice from the hands of the priest\nElijah upon mount Carmel, 'smite the loins' of his enemy Ahab, break\nthe neck of the latter's false prophets, and may the enemies of the\nhigh priest Johanan rise not again.\" [925]\n\n\"Benjamin,\" said Moses, \"is the beloved of the Lord, whom he will\nalways shield, and in whose possession the sanctuary shall stand, in\nthis world as well as in the time of the Messiah, and in the future\nworld.\" [926]\n\nMoses blessed Joseph's tribe with the blessing that their possession\nmight be the most fruitful and blessed land on earth; dew shall ever be\nthere, and many wells spring up. It shall constantly be exposed to the\ngentle influences of sun and moon, that the fruits may ripen early. \"I\nwish him,\" said Moses, \"that the blessings given him by the Patriarchs\nand the wives of the Patriarchs may be fulfilled.\" And so, too, it came\nto pass, for the land of the tribe of Joseph possessed everything, and\nnothing within it was lacking. This was the reward to Joseph for having\nfulfilled the will of God that was revealed to Moses in the bush of\nthorns; and also because as king of Egypt he treated his brothers with\nhigh honors although they had thrust him from their midst. Moses\nfurthermore blessed Joseph by promising him that, as he had been the\nfirst of Jacob's sons to come to Egypt, he was also to be the first in\nthe future world to appear in the Holy Land. Moses proclaimed the\nheroism of Joseph's seed in the words: \"As it is a vain thing to try to\nforce the firstling bullock to labor, so little shall Joseph's sons be\nyoked into service by the empires; as the unicorn with his horns pushes\naway all other animals, so, too, shall Joseph's sons rule the nations,\neven to the ends of the earth. The Ephraimite Joshua shall destroy\nmyriads of heathens, and the Manassite Gideon thousands of them.\" [927]\n\nZebulun was the tribe that before all the other tribes devoted itself\nto commerce, and in this way acted as the agent between Israel and the\nother nations, selling the products of Palestine to the latter, and\nforeign wares to the former. Hence the blessing that Moses bestowed\nupon them. \"'Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out' on commercial\nenterprises; at thy instance shall many nations pray upon the sacred\nmountain of the Temple and offer their sacrifices.\" For the people that\ncame into Zebulun's realms on matters of business used to go from\nthence to Jerusalem to look upon the sanctuary of the Jews, and many of\nthem were converted through the grand impression that the life in the\nholy city made upon them. Moses furthermore blessed this tribe by\ngiving them an estate by the sea, which might yield them costly fish\nand the purple shell, and the sand of whose shores might furnish them\nthe material for glass. The other tribes were therefore dependent upon\nZebulun for these articles, which they could not obtain from any one\nelse, for whosoever attempted to rob Zebulun of them, was doomed to bad\nluck in business. It is the \"Sea of Chaifa\" also, within Zebulun's\nterritory, where all the treasures of the ocean were brought to shore;\nfor whenever a ship is wrecked at sea, the ocean sends it and its\ntreasures to the sea of Chaifa, where it is hoarded for the pious until\nthe Judgement Day. [928] One other blessing of Zebulun was that it\nwould always be victorious in battle, whereas the tribe of Issachar,\nclosely bound up with it, was blessed by its distinction in the \"tents\nof learning.\" For Issachar was \"the tribe of scholars and of judges,\"\nwherefore Moses blessed them, saying that in \"the future time,\"\nIsrael's great house of instruction as well as the great Sanhedrin\nwould be located in this tribe. [929]\n\nThe tribe of Gad, dwelling on the boundary of the land of Israel,\nreceived the benediction that in \"the future time\" it would be as\nstrong in battle as it had been at the first conquest of Palestine, and\nwould hereafter stand at the head of Israel on their return to the Holy\nLand, as it had done on their first entrance into the land. Moses\npraised this tribe for choosing its site on this side the Jordan\nbecause that place had been chosen to hold Moses' tomb. Moses indeed\ndied on mount Nebo, which is Reuben's possession, but his body was\ntaken from Nebo by the pinions of the Shekinah, and brought to Gad's\nterritory, a distance of four miles, amid the lamentations of the\nangels, who said, \"He shall enter into peace and rest in his bed.\"\n[930]\n\nDan, who like Gad had his territory on the boundary of the land, was\nalso blessed with strength and might, that he might ward off the\nattacks of Israel's enemies. He was also blessed in receiving his\nterritory in the Holy Land in two different sections of it. [931]\n\nNaphtali's blessing read: \"O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full\nwith the blessing of the Lord: possess thou the west and the south.\"\nThis blessing was verified, for the tribe of Naphtali had in its\npossession an abundance of fish and mushrooms, so that they could\nmaintain themselves without much labor; and the valley of Gennesaret\nfurthermore was their possession, whose fruits were renowned for their\nextraordinary sweetness. But Naphtali was blessed not with material\nblessings only, but also with spiritual; for it was the great house of\ninstruction at Tiberias to which Moses alluded when he said of\nNaphtali, \"he is 'full with the blessings of the Lord.'\" [932]\n\nMoses called Asher the favorite of his brethren, for it was this tribe\nthat in the years of release provided nourishment for all Israel, as\nits soil was so productive that what grew of its own accord sufficed to\nsustain all. But Moses blessed Asher in particular with a land rich in\nolives, so that oil flowed in streams through Asher's land. Hence Moses\nblessed him the words: \"The treasures of all lands shall flow to thee,\nfor the nations shall give thee gold and silver for thine oil.\" He\nblessed Asher moreover with many sons, [933] and with daughters that\npreserved the charms of youth in their old age. [934]\n\nAs Moses uttered eleven benedictions, so likewise did he compose eleven\npsalms, corresponding to the eleven tribes blessed by him. [935] These\npsalms of Moses were later received into David's Psalter, where the\npsalms of Adam, Melchizedek, Abraham, Solomon, Asaph, and the three\nsons of Korah also found their place. [936] Moses' first psalms says,\n\"'Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of\nmen,' and forgivest the forefather of the tribe of Reuben who sinned,\nbut returned again to God.\" Another one of Moses' psalms reads, \"He\nthat dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under\nthe shadow of the Almighty,\" which corresponds to the tribe of Levi\nthat dwelled in the sanctuary, the shadow of the Almighty. To the tribe\nof Judah, whose name signifies, \"Praise the Lord,\" belongs the psalm,\n\"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.\" The psalm: \"The Lord\nis apparelled with majesty,\" is Benjamin's, for the sanctuary stood in\nhis possession, hence this psalm closes with the words, \"Holiness\nbecometh Thine house, O Lord, forevermore.\" The psalm: \"O Lord, Thou\nGod to whom vengeance belongeth; Thou God to whom vengeance belongeth,\nshine forth,\" was composed by Moses for the tribe of Gad; for Elijah, a\nmember of this tribe, was to destroy the foundations of the heathens,\nand to wreak upon them the vengeance of the Lord. To the tribe of\nlearned men, Issachar, goes the psalm: \"O come, let us sing unto the\nLord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation,\" for it\nis this tribe that occupy themselves with the Torah, the book of\npraise. [937]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES PRAYS FOR DEATH\n\n\nMoses still had many other blessings for every single tribe, but when\nhe perceived that his time had drawn to a close, he included them all\nin one blessing, saying, [938] \"Happy art thou, O Israel: Who is like\nunto thee, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and that\nis the sword of thy excellency!\" With these words he at the same time\nanswered a question that Israel had put to him, saying, \"O tell us, our\nteacher Moses, what is the blessing that God will bestow upon us in the\nfuture world?\" He replied: \"I cannot describe it to you, but all I can\nsay is, happy ye that such is decreed for ye!\" Moses at the same time\nbegged God that in the future world He might restore to Israel the\nheavenly weapon that He had taken from them after the worship of the\nGolden Calf. God said, \"I swear that I shall restore it to them.\" [939]\n\nWhen Moses had finished his blessing, he asked Israel to forgive his\nsternness toward them, saying: \"Ye have had much to bear from me in\nregard to the fulfillment of the Torah and its commandments, but\nforgive me now.\" They replied: \"Our teacher, our lord, it is forgiven.\"\nIt was not their turn to ask his forgiveness, which they did in these\nwords: \"We have often kindled thine anger and have laid many burdens\nupon thee, but forgive us now.\" He said, \"It is forgiven.\"\n\nIn the meanwhile people came to him and said, \"The hour has come in\nwhich thou departest from the world.\" Moses said, \"Blessed be His name\nthat liveth and endureth in all eternity!\" Turning to Israel, he then\nsaid, \"I pray ye, when ye shall have entered into the land of Israel,\nremember me still, and my bones, and say, 'Woe to the son of Amram that\nran before us like a horse, but whose bones remained in the desert.'\"\nIsrael said to Moses: \"O our teacher, what will become of us when thou\nart gone?\" He replied: \"While I was with ye, God was with ye; yet think\nnot that all the signs and miracles that He wrought through me were\nperformed for my sake, for much rather were they done for your sake,\nand for His love and mercy, and if ye have faith in Him, He will work\nyour desires. [940] 'Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of\nman, in whom there is no help,' for how could ye expect help from a\nman, a creature of flesh and blood, that cannot shield himself from\ndeath? Put, therefore, your trust in Him through whose word arose the\nworld, for He liveth and endureth in all eternity. Whether ye be laden\nwith sin, or not, 'pour your heart before Him,' and turn to Him.\"\nIsrael said: \"'The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.' God is our\nstrength and our refuge.\" [941]\n\nThen a voice sounded from heaven and said, \"Why, Moses, dost thou\nstrive in vain? Thou had but one-half hour more of life in the world.\"\nMoses, to whom God had now shown the reward of the pious in the future\nworld, and the gates of salvation and of consolation that He would\nhereafter open to Israel, now said: \"Happy art thou, O Israel: who is\nlike unto thee, a people saved by the Lord!\" He then bade farewell to\nthe people, weeping aloud. He said: \"Dwell in peace, I shall see ye\nagain at the Resurrection,\" and so he went forth from them, weeping\naloud. Israel, too, broke into loud lamentations, so that their weeping\nascended to the highest heavens.\n\nMoses took off his outer garment, rent his shirt, strewed dust upon his\nhead, covered it like a mourner, and in this condition betook himself\nto his tent amid tears and lamentations, saying: \"Woe to my feet that\nmay not enter the land of Israel, woe to my hands that may not pluck of\nits fruits! Woe to my palate that may not taste the fruits of the land\nthat flows with milk and honey!\" [942]\n\nMoses then took a scroll, wrote upon it the Ineffable Name, and the\nbook of the song, and betook himself to Joshua's tent to deliver it to\nhim. [943] When he arrived at Joshua's tent, Joshua was seated, and\nMoses remained standing before him in a bowed attitude without being\nnoticed by Joshua. For God brought this to pass in order that Moses, on\naccount of this disrespectful treatment, might himself wish for death.\nFor when Moses had prayed to God to let him live, were it only as a\nprivate citizen, God granted his prayer, saying to him, \"If thou hast\nno objection to subordinating thyself to Joshua, then mayest thou\nlive,\" and in accordance with this agreement, Moses had betaken himself\nto hear Joshua's discourse.\n\nThe people who had gathered as usual before Moses' tent to hear from\nhim the word of God, failed to find him there, and hearing that he had\ngone to Joshua, went there likewise, where they found Moses standing\nand Joshua seated. \"What art thou thinking of,\" they called out to\nJoshua, \"that thou art seated, while thy teacher Moses stands before\nthee in a bowed attitude and with folded hands?\" In their anger and\nindignation against Joshua, they would instantly have slain him, had\nnot a cloud descended and interposed itself between the people and\nJoshua. When Joshua noticed that Moses stood before him, he instantly\narose, and cried in tears: \"O my father and teacher Moses, that like a\nfather didst rear me from my youth, and that didst instruct me in\nwisdom, why dost thou do such a thing as will bring upon me Divine\npunishment?\" The people now besought Moses as usual to instruct them in\nthe Torah, but he replied, \"I have no permission to do so.\" They did\nnot, however, cease importuning him, until a voice sounded from heaven\nand said, \"Learn from Joshua.\" The people now consented to acknowledge\nJoshua as their teacher, and seated themselves before him to hear his\ndiscourse. Joshua now began his discourse with Moses sitting at his\nright, and Aaron's sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, at this left. But hardly\nhad Joshua begun his lecture with the words, \"Praised be God that\ntaketh delight in the pious and their teachings,\" when the treasures of\nwisdom vanished from Moses and passed over into Joshua's possession, so\nthat Moses was not even able to follow his disciple Joshua's discourse.\nWhen Joshua had finished his lecture, Israel requested Moses to review\nwith them what Joshua had taught, but he said, \"I know not how to reply\nto your request!\" He began to expound Joshua's lecture to them, but\ncould not, for he had not understood it. He now said to God: \"Lord of\nthe world! Until not I wished for life, but now I long to die. Rather a\nhundred deaths, than one jealousy.\" [944]\n\n\n\n\nSAMAEL CHASTISED BY MOSES\n\n\nWhen God perceived that Moses was prepared to die, He said to the angel\nGabriel, \"Go, fetch Me Moses' soul.\" But he replied, \"How should I\npresume to approach and take the soul of him that outweighs sixty\nmyriads of mortals!\" God then commissioned the angel Michael to fetch\nMoses' soul, but he amid tears refused on the same grounds as Gabriel.\nGod then said to the angel Zagzagel, \"Fetch Me Moses' soul!\" He\nreplied, \"Lord of the world! I was his teacher and he my disciple, how\nthen should I take his soul!\" [945] Then Samael appeared before God and\nsaid: \"Lord of the world! Is Moses, Israel's teacher, indeed greater\nthan Adam whom thou didst create in Thine image and Thy likeness? Is\nMoses greater, perchance, than Thy friend Abraham, who to glorify Thy\nname cast himself into the fiery furnace? Is Moses greater, perchance,\nthan Isaac, who permitted himself to be bound upon the altar as a\nsacrifice to Thee? Or is he greater than Thy firstborn Jacob, or than\nhis twelve sons, Thy saplings? Not one of them escaped me, give me\ntherefore permission to fetch Moses' soul.\" God replied: \"Not one of\nall these equals him. How, too, wouldst thou take his soul? From his\nface? How couldst thou approach his face that had looked upon My Face!\nFrom his hands? Those hands received the Torah, how then shouldst thou\nbe able to approach them! From his feet? His feet touched My clouds,\nhow then shouldst thou be able to approach them! Nay, thou canst not\napproach him at all.\" But Samael said, \"However it be, I pray Thee,\npermit me to fetch his soul! \" God said, \"Thou had My consent.\" [946]\n\nSamael now went forth from God in great glee, took his sword, girded\nhimself with cruelty, wrapped himself in wrath, and in a great rage\nbetook himself to Moses. When Samael perceived Moses, he was occupied\nin writing the Ineffable Name. Dart of fire shot from his mouth, the\nradiance of his face and of his eyes shone like the sun, so that he\nseemed like an angel of the hosts of the Lord, and Samael in fear and\ntrembling thought, \"It was true when the other angels declared that\nthey could not seize Moses' soul!\"\n\nMoses who had known that Samael would come, even before his arrival,\nnow lifted his eyes and looked upon Samael, whereupon Samael's eyes\ngrew dim before the radiance of Moses' countenance. He fell upon his\nface, and was seized with the woes of a woman giving birth, so that in\nhis terror he could not open his mouth. Moses therefore addressed him,\nsaying: \"Samael, Samael! 'There is no peace, saith my God, to the\nwicked!' Why dost thou stand before me? Get thee hence at once, or I\nshall cut off thy head.\" In fear and trembling Samael replied: \"Why art\nthou angry with me, my master, give me thy soul, for thy time to depart\nfrom the world is at hand.\" Moses: \"Who sent thee to me?\" Samael: \"He\nthat created the world and the souls.\" Moses: \"I will not give thee my\nsoul.\" Samael: \"All souls since the creation of the world were\ndelivered into my hands.\" Moses: \"I am greater than all others that\ncame into the world, I have had a greater communion with the spirit of\nGod than thee and thou together.\" Samael: \"Wherein lies thy\npreeminence?\" Moses: \"Dost thou not know that I am the son of Amram,\nthat came circumcised out of my mother's womb, that at the age of three\ndays not only walked, but even talked with my parents, that took no\nmilk from my mother until she received her pay from Pharaoh's daughter?\nWhen I was three months old, my wisdom was so great that I made\nprophecies and said, 'I shall hereafter from God's right hand receive\nthe Torah.' At the age of six months I entered Pharaoh's palace and\ntook off the crown from his head. When I was eighty years old, I\nbrought the ten plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians, slew their\nguardian angel, and led the sixty myriads of Israel out of Egypt. I\nthen clove the sea into twelve parts, led Israel through the midst of\nthem, and drowned the Egyptians in the same, and it was not thou that\ntook their souls, but I. It was I, too, that turned the bitter water\ninto sweet, that mounted into heaven, and there spoke face to face with\nGod! I hewed out two tables of stone, upon which God at my request\nwrote the Torah. One hundred and twenty days and as many nights did I\ndwell in heaven, where I dwelled under the Throne of Glory; like an\nangel during all this time I ate no bread and drank no water. I\nconquered the inhabitants of heaven, made known there secrets to\nmankind, received the Torah from God's right hand, and at His command\nwrote six hundred and thirteen commandments, which I then taught to\nIsrael. I furthermore waged war against the heroes of Sihon and Og,\nthat had been created before the flood and were so tall that the waters\nof the flood did not even reach their ankles. In battle with them I\nbade sun and moon to stand still, and with my staff slew the two\nheroes. Where, perchance, is there in the world a mortal who could do\nall this? How darest thou, wicked one, presume to wish to seize my pure\nsoul that was given me in holiness and purity by the Lord of holiness\nand purity? Thou hast no power to sit where I sit, or to stand where I\nstand. Get thee hence, I will not give thee my soul.\"\n\nSamael now in terror returned to God and reported Moses' words to Him.\nGod's wrath against Samael was now kindled, and He said to him: \"Go,\nfetch Me Moses soul, for if thou dost not do so, I shall discharge thee\nfrom thine office of taking men's souls, and shall invest another with\nit.\" Samael implored God, saying: \"O Lord of the world, whose deed are\nterrible, bid me go to Gehenna and there turn uppermost to undermost,\nand undermost to uppermost, and I shall at once do so without a\nmoment's hesitation, but I cannot appear before Moses.\" God: \"Why not,\npray?\" Samael: \"I cannot do it because he is like the princes in thy\ngreat chariot. Lightning-flashes and fiery darts issue from his mouth\nwhen he speaks with me, just as it is with the Seraphim when they laud,\npraise and glorify Thee. I pray Thee, therefore, send me not to him,\nfor I cannot appear before him.\" But God in wrath said to Samael: \"Go,\nfetch Me Moses' soul,\" and while he set about to execute God's command,\nthe Lord furthermore said: \"Wicked one! Out of the fire of Hell was\nthou created, and to the fire of Hell shalt thou eventually return.\nFirst in great joy didst thou set out to kill Moses, but when thou\ndidst perceive his grandeur and his greatness, thou didst say, 'I\ncannot undertake anything against him.' It is clear and manifest before\nMe that thou wilt now return from him a second time in shame and\nhumiliation.\"\n\nSamael now drew his sword out of its sheath and in a towering fury\nbetook himself to Moses, saying, \"Either I shall kill him or he shall\nkill me.\" When Moses perceived him he arose in anger, and with his\nstaff in his hand, upon which was engraved the Ineffable Name, set\nabout to drive Samael away. Samael fled in fear, but Moses pursued him,\nand when he reached him, he struck him with his staff, blinded him with\nthe radiance of his face, and then let him run on, covered with shame\nand confusion. He was not far from killing him, but a voice resounded\nfrom heaven and said, \"Let him live, Moses, for the world is in need of\nhim,\" so Moses had to content himself with Samael's chastisement. [947]\n\n\n\n\nGOD KISSES MOSES' SOUL\n\n\nIn the meanwhile Moses' time was at an end. A voice from heaven\nresounded, saying: \"Why, Moses, dost thou strive in vain? Thy last\nsecond is at hand.\" Moses instantly stood up for prayer, and said:\n\"Lord of the world! Be mindful of the day on which Thou didst reveal\nThyself to me in the bush of thorns, and be mindful also of the day\nwhen I ascended into heaven and during forty days partook of neither\nfood nor drink. Thou, Gracious and Merciful, deliver me not into the\nhand of Samael.\" God replied: \"I have heard thy prayer. I Myself shall\nattend to thee and bury thee.\" Moses now sanctified himself as do the\nSeraphim that surround the Divine Majesty, whereupon God from the\nhighest heavens revealed Himself to receive Moses' soul. When Moses\nbeheld the Holy One, blessed he His Name, he fell upon his face and\nsaid: \"Lord of the world! In love didst Thou create the world, and in\nlove Thou guidest it. Treat me also with love, and deliver me not into\nthe hands of the Angel of Death.\" A heavenly voice sounded and said:\n\"Moses, be not afraid. 'Thy righteousness shall go before thee; the\nglory of the Lord shall be thy reward.'\"\n\nWith God descended from heaven three angels, Michael, Gabriel, and\nZagzagel. Gabriel arranged Moses' couch, Michael spread upon it a\npurple garment, and Zagzagel laid down a woolen pillow. God stationed\nHimself over Moses' head, Michael to his right, Gabriel to his left,\nand Zagzagel at his feet, whereupon God addressed Moses: \"Cross thy\nfeet,\" and Moses did so. He then said, \"Fold thy hands and lay them\nupon thy breast,\" and Moses did so. Then God said, \"Close thine eyes,\"\nand Moses did so. Then God spake to Moses' soul: \"My daughter, one\nhundred and twenty years had I decreed that thou shouldst dwell in this\nrighteous man's body, but hesitate not now to leave it, for thy time is\nrun.\" The soul replied: \"I know that Thou art the God of spirits and of\nsouls, and that in Thy hand are the souls of the living and of the\ndead. Thou didst create me and put me into the body of this righteous\nman. Is there anywhere in the world a body so pure and holy as this it?\nNever a fly rested upon it, never did leprosy show itself upon it.\nTherefore do I love it, and do not wish to leave it.\" God replied:\n\"Hesitate not, my daughter! Thine end hath come. I Myself shall take\nthee to the highest heavens and let thee dwell under the Throne of My\nGlory, like the Seraphim, Ofannim, Cherubim, and other angels.\" But the\nsoul replied: \"Lord of the world! I desire to remain with this\nrighteous man; for whereas the two angels Azza and Azazel when they\ndescended from heaven to earth, corrupted their way of life and loved\nthe daughters of the earth, so that in punishment Thou didst suspend\nthem between heaven and earth, the son of Amram, a creature of flesh\nand blood, from the day upon which Thou didst reveal Thyself from the\nbush of thorns, has lived apart from his wife. Let me therefore remain\nwhere I am.\" [948] When Moses saw that his soul refused to leave him,\nhe said to her: \"Is this because the Angel of Death wished to show his\npower over thee?\" The soul replied: \"Nay, God doth not wish to deliver\nme into the hands of death.\" Moses: \"Wilt thou, perchance, weep when\nthe others will weep at my departure?\" The soul: \"The Lord 'hath\ndelivered mine eyes from tears.'\" Moses: \"Wilt thou, perchance, go into\nHell when I am dead?\" The soul: \"I will walk before the Lord in the\nland of the living.\" When Moses heard these words, he permitted his\nsoul to leave him, saying to her: \"Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for\nthe Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.\" [949] God thereupon took\nMoses' soul by kissing him upon the mouth. [950]\n\nMoses activity did not, however, cease with his death, for in heaven he\nis one of the servants of the Lord. [951] God buried Moses' body in a\nspot that remained unknown even to Moses himself. Only this is know\nconcerning it, that a subterranean passage connects it with the graves\nof the Patriarchs. [952] Although Moses' body lies dead in its grave,\nit is still as fresh as when he was alive. [953]\n\n\n\n\nTHE MOURNING FOR MOSES\n\n\nWhen Moses died, a voice resounded from heaven throughout all the camp\nof Israel, which measured twelve miles in length by twelve in width,\nand said, \"Woe! Moses is dead. Woe! Moses is dead.\" All Israel who,\nthroughout thirty days before Moses' decease, had wept his impending\ndeath now arranged a three months' time of mourning for him. [954] But\nIsrael were not the only mourners for Moses, God himself wept for\nMoses, saying, \"Who will rise up for Me against the evil-doers? Who\nwill stand up for Me against the workers of iniquity?\" Metatron\nappeared before God and said: \"Moses was thine when he lived, and he is\nThine in his death.\" God replied: \"I weep not for Moses' sake, but for\nthe loss Israel suffered through his death. How often had they angered\nMe, but he prayed for them and appeased My wrath.\" The angels wept with\nGod, saying, \"But where shall wisdom be found?\" The heavens lamented:\n\"The godly man is perished out of the earth.\" The earth wept: \"And\nthere is none upright among men.\" Stars, planets, sun, and moon wailed:\n\"The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart,\" and God\npraised Moses' excellence in the words: \"Thou hast said of Me, 'The\nLord He is God: there is none else,' and therefore shall I say of thee,\n'And there arose not a prophet in Israel like unto Moses.'\" [955]\n\nAmong mortals, it was particularly Jochebed, Moses' mother, and Joshua,\nhis disciple, that deeply mourned Moses' death. They were not indeed\ncertain if Moses were dead, hence they sought him everywhere. Jochebed\nwent first to Egypt and said to that land, \"Mizraim, Mizraim, hast thou\nperchance seen Moses?\" But Mizraim replied, \"As truly as thou livest,\nJochebed, I have not seen him since the day when he slew all the\nfirstborn here.\" Jochebed then betook herself to the Nile, saying,\n\"Nile, Nile, hast thou perchance seen Moses?\" But Nile replied, \"As\ntruly as thou livest, Jochebed, I have not seen Moses since the day\nwhen he turned my water to blood.\" Then Jochebed went to the sea and\nsaid, \"Sea, sea, hast thou perchance seen Moses?\" The sea replied, \"As\ntruly as thou livest, Jochebed, I have not seen him since the day when\nhe led the twelve tribes through me.\" Jochebed thereupon went to the\ndesert and said, \"Desert, desert, hast thou perchance seen Moses?\" The\ndesert replied, \"As truly as thou livest, Jochebed, I have not seen him\nsince the day whereupon he caused manna to rain down upon me.\" Then\nJochebed went to Sinai, and said, \"Sinai, Sinai, hast thou perchance\nseen Moses?\" Sinai said, \"As truly as thou livest, Jochebed, I have not\nseen him since the day whereon he descended from me with the two tables\nof the law.\" Jochebed finally went to the rock and said, \"Rock, rock,\nhast thou perchance seen Moses?\" The rock replied, \"As truly as thou\nlivest, I have not seen him since the day when with his staff he twice\nsmote me.\" [956]\n\nJoshua, too, sought his teacher Moses in vain, and in his grief for\nMoses' disappearance he rent his garments, and crying aloud, called\nceaselessly, \"'My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and the\nhorsemen thereof.' 'But where shall wisdom be found?'\" But God said to\nJoshua: \"How long wilt thou continue to seek Moses in vain? He is dead,\nbut indeed it is I that have lost him, and not thou.\" [957]\n\n\n\n\nSAMAEL'S VAIN SEARCH\n\n\nSamael, the Angel of Death, had not heard that God had taken Moses'\nsoul from his body and received it under the Throne of Glory. Believing\nthat Moses was still among the living, he betook himself to Moses'\nhouse in order to seize his soul, for he feared to return before God\nwithout having executed His command to take Moses' soul. He did not,\nhowever, find Moses in his accustomed place, so he hastened into the\nland of Israel, thinking, \"Long did Moses pray to be permitted to enter\nthis land, and perhaps he is there.\" He said to the land of Israel, \"Is\nMoses perchance with thee?\" But the land replied, \"Nay, he is not found\nin the land of the living.\"\n\nSamael then thought: \"I know that God once said to Moses, 'Lift up thy\nrod and divide the sea,' so perhaps he is by the sea.\" He hastened to\nthe sea and said, \"Is Moses here?\" The sea replied: \"He is not here,\nand I have not seen him since the day when he clove me into twelve\nparts, and with the twelve tribes passed through me.\"\n\nSamael then betook himself to Gehenna asking, \"Hast thou seen Moses,\nthe son of Amram?\" Gehenna replied, \"With mine ears have I heard the\ncry, but I have not seen him.\"\n\nHe betook himself to Sheol, Abaddon, and Tit-ha-Yawen, to whom he said,\n\"Have ye seen the son of Amram?\" They replied: \"Through Pharaoh, king\nof Egypt, have we heard his call, but we have not seen him.\"\n\nHe betook himself to the Abyss and asked, \"Hast thou seen the son of\nAmram?\" The answer arose, \"I have not seen him, but heard indeed his\ncall.\"\n\nHe asked Korah's sons, that dwell with the Abyss, \"Have ye seen the son\nof Amram?\" They replied. \"We have not seen him since the day upon which\nat Moses' bidding the earth opened its mouth and swallowed us.\"\n\nHe betook himself to the clouds of glory and asked, \"Is Moses perchance\nwith you?\" They answered, \"He is his from the eyes of all living.\"\n\nHe went to the heavens and asked, \"Have ye seen the son of Amram?\" The\nanswer was, \"We have not seen him since at God command he mounted to us\nto receive the Torah.\"\n\nHe hastened to Paradise, but when the angels that guard its gates\nbeheld Samael, they drove him away and said, \"Wicked one! Wicked one!\n'This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter into it.'\"\nSamael thereupon flew over the gates of Paradise and asked Paradise,\n\"Hast thou perchance seen Moses?\" Paradise answered, \"Since in\nGabriel's company he visited me to look upon the reward of the pious, I\nhave not seen him.\"\n\nHe went to the tree of life, but even at the distance of three hundred\nparasangs, it cried out to him: \"Approach me not.\" He therefore asked\nfrom afar, \"Hast thou seen the son of Amram?\" The tree replied, \"Since\nthe day on which he came to me to cut him a staff, I have not seen\nhim.\"\n\nHe betook himself to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and\nsaid, \"Hast thou seen the son of Amram?\" The tree replied, \"Since the\nday on which he came to me to get a writing reed, wherewith to write\nthe Torah, I have not seen him.\"\n\nHe betook himself to the mountains with his query. These replied,\n\"Since he hewed the two tables out of us, we have not seen him.\"\n\nHe went to the deserts and asked, \"Have ye seen the son of Amram?\"\nThese replied, \"Since he has ceased to lead Israel to pasture upon us,\nwe have not seen him.\"\n\nHe betook himself to mount Sinai, for he thought God had formerly\ncommanded Moses to ascend it, and that he might now be there. He asked\nSinai, \"Hast thou seen the son of Amram?\" Sinai said, \"Since the day on\nwhich out of God's right hand he received the Torah upon me, I have not\nseen him.\"\n\nHe betook himself to the birds and said, \"Have ye seen Moses?\" They\nreplied, \"Since the say whereupon he separated the birds into clean and\nunclean we have not seen him.\" He went to the quadrupeds and asked:\n\"Have ye seen Moses?\" They answered: \"Since the day on which he\ndetermined which beasts might be eaten, and which might not, we have\nnot seen him.\" [958] The answer of the birds and beasts referred to the\nday on which God assembled all the species of animals, led them before\nMoses, and instructed him which of these were clean and which were not,\nwhich might, and which might not be eaten. [959]\n\nSamael then betook himself to the \"Court of the Dead,\" where the angel\nDumah guards the souls of the deceased, and asked the angel, \"Hast thou\nseen the son of Amram?\" He replied: \"I heard the words of lamentation\nfor him in heaven, but I have not seen him.\"\n\nHe betook himself to the angels and asked, \"Have ye seen the son of\nAmram?\" These made the same reply as Dumah, and advised him to go to\nthe mortals, who might possibly give him information concerning Moses'\nwhereabouts.\n\nHe betook himself to the mortals and asked, \"Where is Moses?\" These\nreplied: \"Our teacher Moses is not like human beings. He is the peer of\nthe angels of ministry, for he ascended into heaven and dwelt in heaven\nlike the angels, 'he hath gathered the wind in his fists' like an\nangel, and God took his soul to Himself in the place of His sanctity.\nWhat connection then hast thou with the son of Amram?\" [960]\n\n\n\n\nMOSES EXCELS ALL PIOUS MEN\n\n\nThe special distinction that God granted to Moses at his death was well\nmerited, for Moses outweighed all other pious men. [961] When Moses\ndied, Adam appeared and said, \"I am greater than thou, for I was\ncreated in God's image.\" But Moses replied: \"I am nevertheless superior\nto thee, for the glory that thou didst receive from God was taken from\nthee, whereas I retained the radiance of my face forever.\"\n\nNoah then said to Moses: \"I am greater than thou, for I was preserved\nout of the generation of the flood.\" Moses replied: \"I am superior to\nthee, for thou didst save thyself alone, and hadst not the power to\nsave thy generations, but I saved myself and also saved my generation\nat the time when they transgressed with the Golden Calf.\"\n\nAbraham said to Moses, \"I am greater than thou, for I fed the\nwanderers.\" Moses: \"I am superior to thee, for thou didst feed the\nuncircumcised whereas I fed the circumcised; and thou, moreover, didst\nfeed them in a land of habitations, whereas I fed Israel in the\ndesert.\"\n\nIsaac said to Moses: \"I am greater than thou, for I bared my neck upon\nthe altar and beheld the Face of the Shekinah.\" Moses replied: \"Still\nam I superior to thee, for thou didst indeed behold the Face of the\nShekihah, but thine eyes grew dim, whereas I talked with the Shekinah\nface to face, and yet neither did mine eyes grow dim nor my strength\nwane.\"\n\nJacob said, \"I am greater than thou, for I wrestled with the angel and\nconquered him.\" Moses replied: \"Thou didst wrestle with the angel upon\nthy territory, but I mounted to the angels into their own territory,\nand still they feared me.\" [962]\n\nJoseph said to Moses, \"I am greater than thou, for my master's wife\ncould not tempt me to sin.\" Moses replied: \"Still am I superior to\nthee, for thou didst restrain thyself from a strange woman, whereas I\nabstained from intercourse with my own wife.\" [963]\n\nThe degreed of Moses' superiority over the other pious men can be seen\nby following. Adam died because he has been seduced by the serpent,\nwhereas Moses fashioned a serpent out of brass at sight of which\neveryone that had been bitten by a snake recovered. Noah offered a\nsacrifice to God that was accepted, but he himself was not admitted to\nGod's presence. When Moses, on the other hand, offered a sacrifice in\nIsrael's name, God said to him, \"Know that twice daily I shall dwell\nwith ye.\" Abraham had been the cause for Israel's bondage in Egypt, for\nthat was the punishment for his words, \"'Whereby shall I know that I\nshall inherit 'the land?\" Moses, on the other hand, it was that\ndelivered Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Jacob indeed conquered in his\nstruggle with the angel, but the blow that the angel dealt him put\nJacob's thigh out of joint forever, whereas Moses inspired the angels\nwith such fear that as soon as they beheld him in heaven, they fled.\n\nBut Moses not only surpassed all other human beings, he surpassed also\nthe entire creation that God had brought forth in six days. On the\nfirst day God created light, but Moses mounted into heaven and seized\nthe spiritual light, the Torah. On the second day God created the\nfirmament, whereby He decreed that the earth was not to enter the realm\nof the firmament, nor the firmament the realm of the earth, but Moses\nscaled the firmament even though he belonged to earth. On the third day\nGod created the sea, but as soon as the sea caught sight of Moses, it\nretreated before him affrighted. On the fourth day God created the sun\nand the moon to illuminate the earth, but Moses said to God: \"I do not\nwish sun and moon to give light to Israel, Thou Thyself shalt do so,\"\nand God granted his prayer. On the fifth day God created the animals,\nbut Moses slaughtered whatever animals he wanted for Israel's needs.\nWhen, therefore, God laid all the objects of creation on one side of\nthe scales, and Moses upon the other, Moses outweighed them. [964]\nMoses was justly called, \"the man of God,\" for he was half man and half\nGod. [965]\n\nBut not in this world alone was Moses the great leader and teacher of\nhis people, he shall be the same in the future world, in accordance\nwith the promise God made him shortly before his death. God said: \"Thou\nthat didst lead My children in this world, shalt also lead them in the\nfuture world. [966]","title":"The Legends of the Jews \u2014 Volume 3","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":146646}