The Legends of the Jews

To
MY MOTHER
ON THE OCCASION OF
HER SEVENTIETH BIRTHDAY

PREFACE

“When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a People of strange
language, Jacob was His sanctuary and Israel His dominion. Jewish legend
attempts to describe how God’s sanctuary, the religion of Israel and His
dominion, the beginnings of Israel as a nation, arose in the time between the
Exodus from Egypt and the entrance into the Holy Land.

Moses is regarded not only as the greatest religious guide of Israel, but also
as its first national leader; he is “the wisest (If the wise, the father of the
prophets,” as well as ” king in Jeshiurun, when the heads of the people and the
tribes of Israel gathered together.” hence his unique position in Jewish
legend, neither Abraham, the friend of God, nor Solomon, the wisest of all men,
nor Elijah, the helper in time of need. can lay claim to such a position.

Great religious and national institutions like the Sabbath, the sanctuary, and
many other ” commandments of God revealed to Moses ” stand in a special
relation to his life and work. The sanctification of the Sabbath became quite a
living thing to him through the miracle of the Manna, and the first sanctuary
was actually erected by Moses. The life of Moses ceased, therefore, to be a
thing of the past and became closely interwoven with the every-day life of the
nation.

The most natural way for the popular mind to connect existing conditions with
the past is the symbolic method. The present volume contains, therefore, a
number of symbolic explanations of certain laws, as, for instance, the
symbolical significance of the Tabernacle, which, properly speaking, do not
belong to the domain of legend. The life of Moses, as conceived by Jewish
legend, would, however, have been in complete if the lines between Legend and
Symbolism had been kept too strictly. With this exception the arrangement and
presentation of the material in the third volume is the same as that in the two
preceding ones.

LOUIS G1NZBERG.
NEW YORK, March 2, 1911

CONTENTS

MOSES IN THE WILDERNESS

THE LONG ROUTE

The exodus would have been impossible if Joseph’s bones had remained behind.
Therefore Moses made it his concern to seek their resting-place, while the
people had but the one thought of gathering in the treasures of the Egyptians.
[1] But it was not an easy matter to find Joseph’s body. Moses knew that he had
been interred in the mausoleum of the Egyptian kings, but there were so many
other bodies there that it was impossible to identify it. Moses’ mother
Jochebed came to his aid. She led him to the very spot where Joseph’s bones
lay. As soon as he came near them, he knew them to be what he was seeking, by
the fragrance they exhaled and spread around. [2] But his difficulties were not
at an end. The question arose, how he was to secure possession of the remains.
Joseph’s coffin had been sunk far down into the ground, and he knew not how to
raise it from the depths. Standing at the edge of the grave, he spoke these
words. “Joseph, the time hath come whereof thou didst say, ‘God will surely
visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.'” No sooner had this
reminder dropped from his lips than the coffin stirred and rose to the surface.

And even yet the difficulties in Moses’ way were not removed wholly. The
Egyptian magicians had stationed two golden dogs at Joseph’s coffin, to keep
watch,. and they barked vehemently if anyone ventured close to it. The noise
they made was so loud it could be heard throughout the land, from end to end, a
distance equal to a forty day’s journey. When Moses came near the coffin, the
dogs emitted their warning sound, but he silenced them at once with words,
“Come, ye people, and behold the miracle! The real, live dogs did not bark, and
these counterfeit dogs produced by magic attempt it!” [3] What he said about
real, live dogs and their refraining from barking had reference to the fact
that the dogs of the Egyptians did not move their tongues against any of the
children of Israel, through they had barked all the time the people were
engaged in burying the bodies of their smitten first-born. As a reward God gave
the Israelites the law, to cast to the dogs the flesh they themselves are
forbidden to eat, for the Lord withholds due recompense from none of His
creatures. [4] Indeed, the dogs received a double reward, for their excrements
are used in tanning the hides from which the Torah scrolls are made, as well as
the Mezuzot and the phylacteries. [5]

Joseph’s coffin in the possession of Moses, the march of the Israelites could
begin. The Egyptians put no manner of obstacle in their way. Pharaoh himself
accompanied them, to make sure that they were actually leaving the land, [6]
and now he was so angry at his counselors for having advised against letting
the Israelites depart that he slew them. [7]

For several reasons God did not permit the Israelites to travel along the
straight route to the promised land. He desired them to go to Sinai first and
take the law upon themselves there, and, besides, the time divinely appointed
for the occupation of the land by the Gentiles had not yet elapsed. Over and
above all this, the long sojourn in the wilderness was fraught with profit for
the Israelites, spiritually and materially. If they had reached Palestine
directly after leaving Egypt, they would have devoted themselves entirely each
to the cultivation of his allotted parcel of ground, and no time would have
been left for the study of the Torah. In the wilderness they were relieved of
the necessity of providing for their daily wants, and they would give all their
efforts to acquiring the law. On the whole, it would not have been advantageous
to process at once to the Holy Land and take possession thereof, for when the
Canaanites heard that the Israelites were making for Palestine, they burnt the
crops, felled the trees, destroyed the buildings, and choked the water springs,
all in order to render the land uninhabitable. Hereupon God spake, and said: “I
did not promise their fathers to give a devastated land unto their see, but a
land full of all good things. I will lead them about in the wilderness for
forty years, and meanwhile the Canaanites will have time to repair the damage
they have done.” [8] Moreover, the many miracles preformed for the Israelites
during the journey through the wilderness had made their terror to fall upon
the other nations, and their hearts melted, and there remained no more spirit
in any man. They did not venture to attack the Israelites, and the conquest of
the land was all the easier. [9]

Nor does this exhaust the list of reasons for preferring the longer route
through the desert. Abraham had sworn a solemn oath to live at peace with the
Philistines during a certain period, and the end of the term had not yet
arrived. Besides, there was the fear that the sight of the land of the
Philistines would awaken sad recollections in the Israelites, and drive them
back into Egypt speedily, for once upon a time it had been the scene of a
bitter disappointment to them. they had spent one hundred and eighty years in
Egypt, in peace and prosperity, not in the least molested by the people.
Suddenly Ganon came, a descendant of Joseph, of the tribe of Ephraim, and he
spake, “The Lord hat appeared unto me, and He bade me lead you forth out of
Egypt.” The Ephraimites were the only ones to heed his words. Proud of their
royal lineage as direct descendants of Joseph, and confident to their valor in
war, for they were great heroes, they left the land and betook themselves to
Palestine. [10] They Carried only weapons and gold and silver. They had taken
no provisions, because they expected to buy food and drink on the way or
capture them by force if the owners would not part with them for money.

After a day’s march they found themselves in the neighborhood of Gath, at the
place where the shepherds employed by the residents of the city gathered with
the flocks. the Ephraimites asked them to sell them some sheep, which they
expected to slaughter in order to satisfy their hunger with them, but the
shepherds refused to have business dealings with them, saying, “Are the sheep
ours, or does the cattle belong to us, that we could part with them for money?”
Seeing that they could not gain their point by kindness, the Ephraimites used
force. The outcries of the shepherds brought the people of Gath to their aid. A
violent encounter, lasting a whole day, took place between the Israelites and
the Philistines. The people of Gath realized that alone they would not be able
to offer successful resistance to the Ephraimites, and they summoned the people
of the other Philistine cities to join them. The following day an army of forty
thousand stood ready to oppose the Ephraimites. Reduced in strength, as they
were, by their three days’ fast, they were exterminated root and branch. Only
ten of them escaped with their bare life, and returned to Egypt, to bring
Ephraim word of the disaster that had overtaken his posterity, and he mourned
many days.

This abortive attempt of the Ephraimites to leave Egypt was the first occasion
for oppressing Israel. Thereafter the Egyptians exercised force and vigilance
to keep them in their land. As for the disaster of the Ephraimites, it was
well-merited punishment, because they had paid no heed to the wish of the
father Joseph, who had adjured his descendants solemnly on his deathbed not to
think of quitting the land until the redeemer should appear. Their death was
followed by disgrace, for their bodies lay unburied for many years on the
battlefield near Gath, and the purpose of God in directing the Israelites to
choose the longer route from Egypt to Canaan, was to spare them the sight of
those dishonored corpses. Their courage might have deserted them, and out of
apprehension of sharing the fate of their brethren they might have hastened
back to the land of slavery. [11]

PHARAOH PURSUES THE HEBREWS

When Pharaoh permitted Israel to depart, he was under the impression that they
were going only a three days’ journey into the wilderness for the purpose of
offering sacrifices. He sent officers with them, whose duty was to bring them
back at the appointed time. The exodus took place on a Thursday. On the
following Sunday the king’s watchers noticed that the Israelites, so far from
preparing for a return, were making arrangements looking to a long sojourn in
the desert. They remonstrated and urged them to go back. The Israelites
maintained that Pharaoh had dismissed them for good, but the officers would not
be put off with their mere assertions. They said, “Willy-nilly, you will have
to do as the powers that be command.” To such arrogance the Israelites would
not submit, and they fell upon the officers, slaying some and wounding others.
The maimed survivors went back to Egypt, and report the contumacy of the
Israelites to Pharaoh. Meantime Moses, who did not desire the departure of his
people to have the appearance of flight before the Egyptians, gave the signal
to turn back to Pi-hahiroth. Those of little faith among the Israelites tore
their hair and their garments in desperation, though Moses assured them that by
the word of God they were free men, and no longer slaves to Pharaoh. [12]
Accordingly, they retraced their steps to Pi-hahiroth, where two rectangular
rocks form an opening, within which the great sanctuary of Baal-zephon was
situated. The rocks are shaped like human figures, the one a man and the other
a woman, and they were not chiseled by human hands, but by the Creator Himself.
The place had been called Pithom in earlier times, but later, on account of the
idols set up there, it received the name Hahiroth. Of set purpose God had left
Baal-zephon uninjured, alone of all the Egyptian idols. He wanted the Egyptian
people to think that this idol was possessed of exceeding might, which it
exercised to prevent the Israelites from journeying on. To confirm them in
their illusory belief, God caused wild beasts to obstruct the road to the
wilderness, and they took it for granted that their idol Baal-zephon had
ordained their appearance. [13]

Pi-hahiroth was famous, besides, on account of the treasures heaped up there.
The wealth of the world which Joseph had acquired through the sale of corn he
had stored up during the seven years of plenty, he had divided into three
parts. The first part he surrendered to Pharaoh. The second part he concealed
in the wilderness, where it was found by Korah, though it disappeared again,
not to come to view until the Messianic time, and then it will be for the
benefit of the pious. The third part Joseph hid in the sanctuary of
Baal-zephon, whence the Hebrews carried it off as booty. [14]

When Amalek and the magicians brought the information to Pharaoh, that the
Israelites had resolved not to return to Egypt, his heart and the heart of his
whole people turned against them. The very counselors that had persuaded him to
dismiss the children of Israel spake now as follows: ” If we had only been
smitten with the plaques, we could have resigned ourselves to our fate. Or if,
besides being smitten with the plagues, we had been compelled to let the
Hebrews depart from the land, that, too, we could have been borne with
patience. But to be smitten with the plagues, to be compelled to let our slaves
depart from us, and to sit by and see them go off with our riches, that is more
than we can endure.”

Now that the children of Israel had gone from them the Egyptians recognized how
valuable an element they had been in their country. In general, the time of the
exodus of Israel was disastrous for their former masters. In addition to losing
their dominion over the Israelites, the Egyptians had to deal with mutinies
that broke out among many other nations tributary to them, for hitherto Pharaoh
had been the ruler of the whole world. The king resorted to blandishments and
promises, to induce the people to make war against the Israelites, saying, “As
a rule the army marches forth first, and the king follows in security, but I
will precede you; and as a rule the king has the first choice of the booty, and
as much of it as he desires, but I will take no more than any one of you, and
on my return from the war I will divide my treasures of silver, gold, and
precious stones among you.”

In his zeal Pharaoh did not wait to have his chariot made ready for him he did
it with his own hands, and his nobles followed his example. [15] Samael granted
Pharaoh assistance, putting six hundred chariots manned with his own hosts at
his disposal. [16] These formed the vanguard, and they were joined by all the
Egyptians, with their vast assemblages of chariots and warriors, no less than
three hundred of their men to one of the children of Israel, each equipped with
their different sorts of weapons. The general custom was for two charioteers to
take turns at driving a car, but to overtake the Israelites more surely and
speedily, Pharaoh ordered three to be assigned to each. The result was that
they covered in one day the ground which it had taken the Israelites three to
traverse.

The mind of the Egyptians was in no wise directed toward spoil and plunder in
this expedition. Their sole and determined purpose was to exterminate Israel,
kith and kin. As the heathen lay great stress upon omens when they are about to
start out on a campaign, God caused all their preparations to proceed smoothly,
without the slightest untoward circumstance. Everything pointed to a happy
issue. [17] Pharaoh, himself an adept in magic, had a presentiment that dire
misfortune would befall the children of Israel in the wilderness, that they
would lose Moses there, and there the whole generation that had departed from
Egypt would find its grave. Therefore he spoke to Dathan and Abiram, who
remained behind in Egypt, saying: “Moses is leading them, but he himself knows
not whither. Verily, the congregation of Israel will lift up their voice in the
wilderness, and cry, and there they will be destroyed.” He thought naturally
that these visions had reference to an imminent future, to the time of his
meeting with his dismissed slaves. But his error was profound – he was hurrying
forward to his own destruction. [18]

When he reached the sanctuary of Baal-zephon, Pharaoh, in his joy at finding
him spared while all the other idols in Egypt had been annihilated, lost no
time, but hastened to offer sacrifices to him, and he was comforted, “for,” he
said, “Baal-zephon approves my purpose of drowning the children of Israel in
the sea.” [19]

When the Israelites beheld the huge detachments of the Egyptian army moving
upon them, and when they considered that in Migdol there were other troops
stationed, besides, more, indeed, than their own numbers, men, women, and
children all told, great terror overwhelmed them. [20] What affrighted them
most, was the sight of the Angel of Egypt darting through the air as he flew to
the assistance of the people under his tutelage. They turned to Moses, saying:
“What has thou done to us? Now they will requite us for all that hath happened
– that their first-born were smitten, and that we ran off with their money,
which was thy fault, for thou didst bid up borrow gold and silver from our
Egyptian neighbors and depart with their property.”

The situation of the Israelites was desperate. Before them was the sea, behind
them the Egyptians, on both sides the wild beasts of the desert. [21] The
wicked among them spoke to Moses, saying, “While we were in Egypt, we said to
thee and to Aaron, ‘The Lord look upon you, and judge, because ye have made our
savor to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of his servants, to
put a sword in their hand to slay us.’ Then there died many of our brethren
during the days of darkness, which was worse than the bondage in which the
Egyptians kept us. Nevertheless our fate in the desert will be sadder than
theirs. They at least were mourned, and their bodies ere buried, but our
corpses will lie exposed, consumed in the day by drought and by frost in the
night.”

Moses in his wisdom knew how to pacify the thousands and myriads under his
leadership. He impressed them with the words, “Fear ye not, stand still, and
see the salvation of the Lord.” “When will His salvation come?” questioned the
people, and he told them it would appear the following day, but they protested,
“We cannot wait until to-morrow.” Then Moses prayed to God, and the Lord showed
him the angel hosts standing ready to hasten to the assistance of the people.
[22]

They were not agreed as to what they were to do. There were four contending
parties. The opinion of the first party was that they seek death by drowning in
the sea; of the second, that they return to Egypt; the third was in favor of a
pitched battle with the enemy, and the fourth thought it would be a good plan
to intimidate the Egyptians by noise and a great hubbub. To the first Moses
said, “Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord;” to the second, “The
Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more forever;”
to the third, “The Lord shall fight for you;” and to the fourth, “Ye shall hold
your peace.” “What, then, shall we do?” these asked their leader, and Moses
answered them, saying, “Ye shall bless, praise, extol, adore and glorify Him
that is the Lord of war!” Instead of the sword and the five sorts of arms which
they bore, they mad use of their mouth, and it was of greater avail than all
possible weapons of war. The Lord hearkened unto their prayer, for which He had
but been waiting. [23]

Moses also addressed himself to God, saying: “O Lord of the world! I am like
the shepherd who, having undertaken to pasture a flock, has been heedless
enough to drive his sheep to the edge of a precipice, and then is in a despair
how to get them down again. Pharaoh is behind my flock Israel, in the south is
Baal-zephon, in the north Midgol, and before us the sea lies spread out. [24]
Thou knowest, O Lord, that it is beyond human strength and human contrivance to
surmount the difficulties standing in our way. Thine alone is the work of
procuring deliverance for this army, which left Egypt at Thy appointment. We
despair of all other assistance or device, and we have recourse only to our
hope in Thee. If there be any escape possible, we look up to Thy providence to
accomplish it for us.” [25] With such words Moses continued to make fervent
supplication to God to succor Israel in their need. But God cut short his
prayer, saying: “Moses, My children are in distress – the sea blocks the way
before them, the enemy is in hot pursuit after them, and thou standest here and
prayest. Sometimes long prayer is good, but sometimes it is better to be brief.
If I gathered the waters together unto one place, and let the dry land appear
for Adam, a single human being, should I not do the same for this holy
congregation? I will save them if only for the sake of the merits of Abraham,
who stood ready to sacrifice his son Isaac unto Me, and for the sake of My
promise to Jacob. The sun and the moon are witnesses that I will cleave the sea
for the seed of the children of Israel, who deserve My help for going after Me
in the wilderness unquestioningly. Do thou but see to it that they abandon
their evil thought of returning to Egypt, and then it will not be necessary to
turn to Me and entreat My help.” [26]

Moses, however, was still very much troubled in mind, on account of Samael, who
had not left off lodging accusations before God against Israel since the exodus
from Egypt. The Lord adopted the same procedure in dealing with the accuser as
the experienced shepherd, who, at the moment of transferring his sheep across a
stream, was faced by a ravening wolf. The shepherd threw a strong ram to the
wolf, and while the two engaged in combat, the rest of the flock was carried
across the water, and then the shepherd returned and snatch the wolf’s supposed
prey away from him. Samael said to the Lord: “Up to this time the children of
Israel were idol worshippers, and now Thou proposest so great a thing as
dividing the sea for them?” What did the Lord do? He surrendered Job to Samael,
saying, “While he busies himself with Job, Israel will pass through the sea
unscathed, and as soon as they are in safety, I will rescue Job from the hands
of Samael.” [27]

Israel had other angel adversaries, besides. Uzza, the tutelary Angel of the
Egyptians, appeared before God, and said, “O Lord of the world! I have a suit
with this nation which Thou hast brought forth out to Egypt. If it seemeth well
to Thee, let their angel Michael appear, and contend with me before Thee.” The
Lord summoned Michael, and Uzza stated his charges against Israel: “O Lord of
the world! Thou didst decree concerning this people of Israel that is hall be
held in bondage by my people, the Egyptians, for a period of four hundred
years. But they had dominion over them only eighty-six years, therefore the
time of their going forth hath not yet arrived. If it be Thy will, give me
permission to take them back to Egypt, that they may continue in slavery for
the three hundred and fourteen years that are left, and Thy word be fulfilled.
As Thou are immutable, so let Thy decree be immutable!”

Michael was silent, for he knew not how to controvert these words, and it
seemed as if Uzza had won his suit. But the Lord Himself espoused the cause of
Israel, and He said to Uzza: “The duty of serving thy nation was laid upon My
children only on account of an unseemly word uttered by Abraham. When I spoke
to him, saying, ‘I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to
give thee this land to inherit it,’ he made answer, ‘Whereby shall I know that
I shall inherit it?’ Therefore did I say to him, ‘Thy seed shall be a
stranger.’ But it is well-known and manifest before Me that they were
‘strangers’ from the day of Isaac’s birth, and. reckoning thence, the period of
four hundred years has elapsed, and thou hast no right to keep My children in
bondage any longer.” [28]

THE SEA DIVIDED

God spake to Moses, saying, “Why dost thou stand here praying? My children’s
prayer has anticipated thine. For thee there is naught to do but lift up thy
rod and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it.” Moses replied:
“Thou commandest me to divide the sea, and lay bare the dry ground in the midst
of it, and yet Thou didst Thyself make it a perpetual decree, that the sand
shall be placed for the bound of the sea.” And again God spake to Moses: “Thou
has not read the beginning of the Torah. I, yea, I, did speak, ‘Let the waters
under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land
appear,’ and at that time I made the condition that the waters shall divide
before Israel. [29] Take the rod that I gave unto thee, and go to the sea upon
Mine errand, and speak thus: ‘I am the messenger sent by the Creator of the
world! Uncover thy paths, O sea, for My children, that they may go through the
midst of thee on dry ground.'”

Moses spoke to the sea as God had bidden him, but it replied, “I will not do
according to thy words, for thou are only a man born of woman, and, besides, I
am three days older than thou, O man, for I was brought forth on the third day
of creation, and thou on the sixth.” Moses lost no time, but carried back to
God the words the sea has spoken, and the Lord said” “Moses, what does a master
do with an intractable servant?” “He beats him with a rod,” said Moses. “Do
thus!” ordered God. “Lift up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea
and divide it.” [30]

Thereupon Moses raised up his rod – the rod that had been created at the very
beginning of the world, on which were graven in plain letters the great and
exalted Name, the names of the ten plagues inflicted upon the Egyptians, and
the names of the three Fathers, the six Mothers, and the twelve tribes of
Jacob. This rod he lifted up, and stretched it out over the sea. [31]

The sea, however, continued in its perverseness, and Moses entreated God to
give His command direct to it. But God refused, saying: “Were I to command the
sea to divide, it would never again return to its former estate. Therefore, do
thou convey My order to it, that it be not drained dry forever. But I will let
a semblance of My strength accompany thee, and that will compel its obedience.”
When the sea saw the Strength of God at the right hand of Moses, it spoke to
the earth saying, “Make hollow places for me, that I may hide myself therein
before the Lord of all created things, blessed be He.” Noticing the terror of
the sea, Moses said to it: “For a whole day I spoke to thee at the bidding of
the Holy One, who desired thee to divide, but thou didst refuse to pay heed to
my words; even when I showed thee my rod, thou didst remain obdurate. What hath
happened now that thou skippest hence?” The sea replied, “I am fleeing, not
before thee, but before the Lord of all created things, that His Name be
magnified in all the earth.” [32] And the waters of the Red Sea divided, and
not they alone, but all the waters in heaven and on earth, in whatever vessel
it was, in cisterns, in wells, in caves, in casks, in pitchers, in drinking
cups, and in glasses, and none of these waters returned to their former estate
until Israel has passed through the sea on dry land. [ 33]

The angel Gabriel was eager to drown the Egyptians during the same night, but
God bade him wait until early the next day, until the hour of the morning
watch, when Abraham had made himself ready to set out for the sacrifice of his
son. Gabriel succeeded, however, in holding back the turbulent water about to
sweep over Israel. To the wall of water on the right, he called, “Beware of
Israel, who will receive the law in time to come from the right hand of the
Lord,” and turning to the wall of water on the left, he said, “Beware of
Israel, who will wind the phylacteries about their left hand in time to come.”
The water behind he admonished, “Beware of Israel, who will let the Zizit drop
down upon their back in time to come,” and to the water towering in front of
them, he called, “Beware of Israel, who bear the sign of the covenant upon
their bodies.” [34]

God caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind, the wind He always makes
use of when He chastises the nations. The same east wind had brought the
deluge; it had laid the tower of Babel in ruins; it was to cause the
destruction of Samaria, Jerusalem, and Tyre; and it will, in future, be the
instrument for castigating Rome drunken with pleasure; and likewise the sinners
in Gehenna are punished by means of the east wind. All night long God made it
to blow over the sea. To prevent the enemy from inflicting harm upon the
Israelites, He enveloped the Egyptians in profound darkness, so impenetrable it
could be felt, and none could move or change his posture. He that sat when it
fell could not arise from his place, and he that stood could not sit down.
Nevertheless, the Egyptians could see that the Israelites were surrounded by
bright light, and were enjoying a banquet where they stood, and when they tried
to speed darts and arrows against them, the missiles were caught up by the
cloud and by the angels hovering between the two camps, and no harm came to
Israel. [35]

THE PASSAGE THROUGH THE RED SEA

On the morning after the eventful night, though the sea was not yet made dry
land, the Israelites, full of trust in God, were ready to cast themselves into
its waters. The tribes contended with one another for the honor of being the
first to jump. Without awaiting the outcome of the wordy strife, the tribe of
Benjamin sprang in, and the princes of Judah were so incensed at having been
deprived of pre-eminence in danger that they pelted the Benjamites with stones.
God knew that the Judaeans and the Benjamites were animated by a praiseworthy
purpose. The ones like the others desired but to magnify the Name of God, and
He rewarded both tribes: in Benjamin’s allotment the Shekinah took up her
residence, and the royalty of Israel was conferred upon Judah.

When God saw the two tribes in the waves of the sea, He called upon Moses, and
said: “My beloved are in danger of drowning, and thou standest by and prayest.
Bid Israel go forward, and thou lift up thy rod over the sea, and divide it.”
Thus it happened, and Israel passed through the sea with its water cleft in
twain.

The dividing of the sea was but the first of ten miracles connected with the
passage of the Israelites through it. The others were that the waters united in
a vault above their heads; twelve paths opened up, one for each of the tribes;
the water became transparent as glass, and each tribe could see the others; the
soil underfoot was dry, but it changed into clay when the Egyptians stepped
upon it; the walls of water transformed into rocks, against which the Egyptians
were thrown and dashed to death, while before the Israelites could slake their
thirst; and, finally, the tenth wonder was, that this drinking water was
congealed in the heart of the sea as soon as they had satisfied their need.
[36]

And there were other miracles, besides. The sea yielded the Israelites whatever
their hearts desired. If a child cried as it lay in the arms of its mother, she
needed but to stretch out her hand and pluck and apple or some fruit and quiet
it. [37] The waters were piled up to the height of sixteen hundred miles, and
they could be seen by all the nations of the earth. [38]

The great wonder of Israel’s passage through the sea took place in the presence
of the three Fathers and the six Mothers, for God had fetched them out of their
graves to the shores of the Red Sea, to be witnesses of the marvelous deeds
wrought in behalf of their children. [39]

Wonderful as were the miracles connected with the rescue of the Israelites from
the waters of the sea, those performed when the Egyptians were drowned were no
less remarkable. First of all God felt called upon to defend Israel’s cause
before Uzza, the Angel of the Egyptians, who would not allow his people to
perish in the waters of the sea. He appeared on the spot at the very moment
when God wanted to drown the Egyptians, and he spake: “O Lord of the world!
Thou are called just and upright, and before Thee there is no wrong, no
forgetting, no respecting of persons. Why, then, dost Thou desire to make my
children perish in the sea? Canst Thou say that my children drowned or slew a
single one of Thine? If it be on account of the rigorous slavery that my
children imposed upon Israel, then consider that Thy children have received
their wages, in that they took their silver and golden vessels from them.”

Then God convoked all the members of His celestial family, and He spake to the
angel hosts: “Judge ye in truth between Me and yonder Uzza, the Angel of the
Egyptians. At the first I brought a famine upon his people, and I appointed My
friend Joseph over them, who saved them through his sagacity, and they all
became his slaves. Then My children went down into their land as strangers, in
consequence of the famine, and they made the children of Israel to serve with
rigor in all manner of hard work there is in the world. They groaned on account
of their bitter service, and their cry rose up to Me, and I sent Moses and
Aaron, My faithful messengers, to Pharaoh. When they came before the king of
Egypt, they spake to him, ‘Thus said the Lord, the God of Israel, Let My people
go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.’ In the presence of
the kings of the East and of the West, the sinner began to boast, saying: ‘Who
is the Lord, that I should hearken unto His voice, to let Israel go? Why comes
He not before me, like all the kings of the world, and why doth He not bring me
a present like the others? This God of whom you speak, I know Him not at all.
Wait and let me search my lists, and see whether I can find His Name.’ But his
servants said, ‘We have heard that He is the son of the wise, the son of
ancient kings.’ Then Pharaoh asked My messengers, ‘What are the works of this
God?’ and they replied, ‘He is the God of gods, the Lord of lords, who created
the heaven and the earth.’ But Pharaoh doubted their words, and said, ‘There is
no God in all the world that can accomplish such works besides me, for I made
myself, and I made the Nile river.’ Because he denied Me thus, I sent ten
plagues upon him, and he was compelled to let My children go. Yet, in spite of
all, he did not leave off from his wicked ways, and he tried to bring them back
under his bondage. Now, seeing all that hath happened to him, and that he will
not acknowledge Me as God and Lord, does he not deserve to be drowned in the
sea with his host?”

The Celestial family called out when the Lord had ended His defense, “Thou hast
every right to drown him in the sea!”

Uzza heard their verdict, and he said: “O Lord of all the worlds! I know that
my people deserve the punishment Thou has decreed, but may it please Thee to
deal with them according to Thy attribute of mercy, and take pity upon the work
of Thy hands, for Thy tender mercies are over all Thy works!”

Almost the Lord had yielded to Uzza’s entreaties, when Michael gave a sign to
Gabriel that mad him fly to Egypt swiftly and fetch thence a brick for which a
Hebrew child had been used as a mortar. Holding this incriminating object in
his had, Gabriel stepped into the presence of God, and said: “O Lord of the
world! Wilt Thou have compassion with the accursed nation that has slaughtered
Thy children so cruelly?” Then the Lord turned Himself away from His attribute
of mercy, and seating Himself upon His throne of justice He resolved to drown
the Egyptians in the sea. [40]

The first upon whom judgement was executed was the Angel of Egypt – Uzza was
thrown into the sea. [41] A similar fate overtook Rahab, the Angel of the Sea,
with his hosts. Rahab had made intercession before God in behalf of the
Egyptians. He had said: “Why shouldst Thou drown the Egyptians? Let is suffice
the Israelites that Thou hast saved them out of the hand of their masters.” At
that God dealt Rahab and his army a blow, under which they staggered and fell
dead, and then He cast their corpses in the sea, whence its unpleasant odor.
[42]

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE EGYPTIANS

At the moment when the last of the Israelites stepped out of the bed of the
sea, the first of the Egyptians set foot into it, but in the same instant the
waters surged back into their wonted place, and all the Egyptians perished.
[43]

But drowning was not the only punishment decreed upon them by God. He undertook
a thoroughgoing campaign against them. When Pharaoh was preparing to persecute
the Israelites, he asked his army which of the saddle beasts was the swiftest
runner, that one he would use, and they said: “There is none swifter than thy
piebald mare, whose like is to be found nowhere in the world.” Accordingly,
Pharaoh mounted the mare, and pursued after the Israelites seaward. And while
Pharaoh was inquiring of his army as to the swiftest animal to mount, God was
questioning the angels as to the swiftest creature to use to the detriment of
Pharaoh. And the angels answered: “O Lord of the world! All thing are Thine,
and all are Thine handiwork. Thou knowest well, and it is manifest before Thee,
that among all Thy creatures there is none so quick as the wind that comes from
under the throne of Thy glory,” and the Lord flew swiftly upon the wings of the
wind. [44]

The angels now advanced to support the Lord in His war against the Egyptians.
Some brought swords, some arrows, and some spears. But God warded them off,
saying, “Away! I need no help!” [45] The arrows sped by Pharaoh against the
children of Israel were answered by the Lord with fiery darts directed against
the Egyptians. Pharaoh’s army advanced with gleaming swords, and the Lord sent
out lightnings that discomfited the Egyptians. Pharaoh hurled missiles, and the
Lord discharged hailstones and coals of fire against him. With trumpets,
sackbuts, and horns the Egyptians made their assault, and the Lord thundered in
the heavens, and the Most High uttered His voice. In vain the Egyptians marched
forward in orderly battle array; the Lord deprived them of their standards, and
they were thrown into wild confusion. [46] To lure them into the water, the
Lord caused fiery steeds to swim out upon the sea, and the horses of the
Egyptians followed them, each with a rider upon his back. [47]

Now the Egyptians tried to flee to their land in their chariots drawn by
she-mules. As they had treated the children of Israel in a way contrary to
nature, so the Lord treated them now. Not the she-mules pulled the chariots but
the chariots, though fire from heaven had consumed their wheels, dragged the
men and the beasts into the water. The chariots were laden with silver, gold,
and all sorts of costly things, which the river Pishon, as it flows forth from
Paradise, carries down into the Gihon. Thence the treasures float into the Red
Sea, and by its waters they were tossed into the chariots of the Egyptians. It
was the wish of Israel, and for this reason He caused the chariots to roll down
into the sea, and the sea in turn to cast them out upon the opposite shore, at
the feet of the Israelites. [48]

And the Lord fought against the Egyptians also with the pillar of cloud and the
pillar of fire. The former made the soil miry, and the mire was heated to the
boiling point by the latter, so that the hoofs of the horses dropped from their
feet, and they could not budge from the spot. [49]

The anguish and the torture that God brought upon the Egyptians at the Red Sea
caused them by far more excruciating pain than the plagues they had endured in
Egypt, for at the sea He delivered them into the hands of the Angels of
Destruction, who tormented them pitilessly. Had God not endowed the Egyptians
with a double portion of strength, they could not have stood the pain a single
moment. [50]

The last judgement executed upon the Egyptians corresponded to the wicked
designs harbored against Israel by the three different parties among them when
they set out in pursuit of their liberated slaves. The first party had said,
“We will bring Israel back to Egypt;” the second had said, “We will strip them
bare,” and the third had said, “We will slay them all.” The Lord blew upon the
first with His breath, and the sea covered them; the second party He shook into
the sea, and the third He pitched into the depths of the abyss. [51] He tossed
them about as lentils are shaken up and down in a saucepan; the upper ones are
made to fall to the bottom, the lower ones fly to the top. This was the
experience of the Egyptians. And worse still, first the rider and his beast
were whisked high up in the air, and then the two together, the rider sitting
upon the back of the beast, were hurled to the bottom of the sea. [52]

The Egyptians endeavored to save themselves from the sea by conjuring charms,
for they were great magicians. Of the ten measures of magic allotted to the
world, they had taken nine for themselves. And, indeed, they succeeded for the
moment; they escaped out of the sea. But immediately the sea said to itself,
“How can I allow the pledge entrusted to me by God to be taken from me?” And
the water rushed after the Egyptians, and dragged back every man of them.

Among the Egyptians were the two arch-magicians Jannes and Jambres. They made
wings for themselves, with which they flew up to heaven. They also said to
Pharaoh: “If God Himself hath done this thing, we can effect naught. But if
this work has been put into the hands of His angel, then we will shake his
lieutenants into the sea.” They proceeded at once to use their magic
contrivances, whereby they dragged the angels down. These cried up to God:
“Save us, O God, for the waters are come in unto our soul! Speak Thy word that
will cause the magicians to drown in the mighty waters.” And Gabriel cried to
God, “By the greatness of Thy glory dash Thy adversaries to pieces.” Hereupon
God bade Michael go and execute judgement upon the two magicians. The archangel
seized hold of Jannes and Jambres by the locks of their hair, and he shattered
them against the surface of the water. [53]

Thus all the Egyptians were drowned. Only one was spared – Pharaoh himself.
When the children of Israel raised their voices to sing a song of praise to God
at the shores of the Red Sea, Pharaoh heard it as he was jostled hither and
thither by the billows, and he pointed his finger heavenward, and called out:
“I believe in Thee, O God! Thou art righteous, and I and My people are wicked,
and I acknowledge now that there is no god in the world beside Thee.” Without a
moments delay, Gabriel descended and laid and iron chain about Pharaoh’s neck,
and holding him securely, he addressed him thus: “Villain! Yesterday thou didst
say, ‘Who is the Lord that I should hearken to His voice?’ and now thou sayest,
‘The Lord is righteous.'” With that he let him drop into the depths of the sea,
and there he tortured him for fifty days, to make the power of God known to
him. At the end of the time he installed him as king of the great city of
Nineveh, and after the lapse of many centuries, when Jonah came to Nineveh, and
prophesied the overthrow of the city on account of the evil done by the people,
it was Pharaoh who, seized by fear and terror, covered himself with sackcloth,
and sat in ashes, and with his own mouth made proclamation and published this
decree through Nineveh: “Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste
anything; let them not feed nor drink water; for I know there is no god beside
Him in all the world, all His words are truth, and all His judgements are true
and faithful.”

Pharaoh never died, and never will die. He always stands at the portal of hell,
and when the kings of the nations enter, he makes the power of God known to
them at once, in these words: “O ye fools! Why have ye not learnt knowledge
from me? I am denied the Lord God, and He brought ten plagues upon me, sent me
to the bottom of the sea, kept me there for fifty days, released me then, and
brought me up. Thus I could not but believe in Him.” [54]

God caused the Egyptians to be washed ashore in their death struggle. There
were four reasons for this. The Israelites were not to say that as they
themselves had escaped, so also the Egyptians had passed through the sea
dryshod, only the latter had gone in another direction, and therefore had
vanished from sight. The Egyptians, on the other hand, were not to think that
the children of Israel had been drowned in the sea like themselves. In the
third place, the Israelites were to have, as their booty, the silver, gold, and
other precious things with which the Egyptians were decked; and, finally, the
Israelites were to enjoy the satisfaction of seeing their enemies suffer. With
their finger thy could point them out one by one, saying, “This one way my
taskmaster, who beat me with those fists of his at which the dogs are now
gnawing, and yonder Egyptian, the dogs are chewing the feet with which he
kicked me.”

As they lay on the shore in their last agony, they had to witness their own
destruction and the victory of the Israelites, and they also beheld the
suffering of their brethren that had remained behind in Egypt, for God poured
out His punishment over the whole people, whether in Egypt or at the Red Sea.
[55] As for the corpses by the shores of the sea, they did not remain unburied,
the earth swallowed them, by way of reward for Pharaoh’s having acknowledged
the justice of the chastisement that had been inflicted upon king and people.
Before their corpses had been disposed of in this way, there had been a quarrel
between the earth and the sea. The sea said to the earth, “Take thy children
unto thyself,” and the earth retorted, “Keep those whom thou hast slain.” The
sea hesitated to do as the earth bade, for fear that God would demand them back
on the day of judgement; and the earth hesitated, because it remembered with
terror the curse that had been pronounced upon it for having sucked up Abel’s
blood. Only after God swore and oath, not to punish it for receiving the
corpses of the Egyptians, would the earth swallow them. [56]

THE SONG AT THE SEA

Mighty is faith, for the spirit of God came upon the Israelites as a reward for
their trust in God, and in His servant Moses; and it was in this exaltation
that they sang to the Lord a song [57] that moved Him to grant forgiveness for
all their sins. [58] This song was the second of the nine songs that in the
course of history of Israel sang to their God. They assembled to sing the first
in Egypt, on the night when they were freed from captivity; their second was
the song of triumph by the Red Sea; their third, when the well sprang up in the
wilderness; Moses sang the fourth before his death; the fifth was Joshua’s song
after his victory over the five Amorite Kings; Deborah and Barak sang the sixth
when they conquered Sisera; the seventh was David’s psalm of thanksgiving to
God for his deliverance out of the hand of all his enemies; the eighth was
Solomon’s song at the dedication of the Temple; the ninth Jehoshaphat sang as,
trusting in God, he went to battle against the Moabites and the Ammonites. The
tenth and last song, however, will be that grand and mighty song, when Israel
will raise their voice in triumph at their future deliverance, for that will be
the final release of Israel for all time. [59]

When Israel prepared to sound their praises to God for delivering them from
destruction in the Red Sea, God, to show His recognition of Israel’s
fulfillment of the token of the Abrahamic covenant, bade the angels who came to
intone their song, wait: “Let My children sing first,” He said. This incident
with the angels is like the story of the king who, upon returning from a
victorious campaign, was told that his son and his servant were waiting with
wreaths in their hands, and were asking who should first crown him. The king
said, “O ye fools, to question if my servant should walk before my son! No, let
my son come first!”

This was the second time the angels were obliged to retire before Israel. When
Israel stood by the Red Sea, before them the rolling waters, and behind them
the hosts of Egypt, then, too, the angels appeared, to sing their daily song of
praise to the Lord, but God called to them, “Forbear! My children are in
distress, and you would sing!”

But even after the men had completed their song, it was not yet given to the
angels to raise their voices, for after the men followed the women of Israel,
and only then came the turn of the angels. Then they began to murmur, and said,
“Is it not enough that the men have preceded us? Shall the women come before us
also?” But God replied, “As surely as ye live, so it is.” [60]

At first Israel requested their leader Moses to begin the song, but he
declined, saying, “No, ye shall begin it, for it is a greater mark of honor to
be praised by the multitude than by a single one.” At once the people sang: “We
will glorify the Eternal, for He has shown us signs and tokens. When the
Egyptians passed the decree against us, and said, ‘Every son that is born ye
shall cast into the river,’ our mothers went into the field, and Thou didst bid
a sleep to fall upon them, and they bore us without any pain; and the angels
descended from Heaven, washed and anointed us, and robed us in many-colored
silken garments, and placed in our hands two lumps, one of butter and one of
honey. When our mothers awoke and saw us washed, anointed, and clothed in silk,
then they praised Thee, and said, ‘Praise be God who has not turned His grace
and His lasting love from the seed of our father Abraham; and now behold! they
are in Thy hand, do with them as Thou wilt.’ And they departed. When the
Egyptians saw us, they approached to kill us, but Thou in Thy great mercy didst
bid the earth swallow us and set us in another place, where we were not seen by
the Egyptians, and lo! in this way didst Thou save us from their hand. When we
grew up, we wandered in troops to Egypt, where each recognized his parents and
his family. All this hast Thou done for us, therefore will we sing of Thee.”

Thereupon Moses said: “Ye have given thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He, and
not I will praise His name, for to me also has He shown signs and tokens. The
Lord is my strength and my song, and He is become my salvation; He is my God,
and I will prepare Him and habitation; my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”
[61]

The song by the Red Sea was as much the song of Moses as of all Israel, for the
great leader counted as not less than all the other Israelites together, and,
besides, [62] he had composed a large portion of the song. In virtue of the
spirit of God that possessed them while they sang, Moses and the people
mutually supplemented each other, so that, as soon as Moses spoke half the
verse, the people repeated it, and linked the second complementary part to it.
So Moses began with the half verse, “I will sing unto the Lord, for He hath
triumphed gloriously,” whereupon the people answered, “The horse and his rider
hath He thrown into the sea.” And in this wise developed the whole song. [63]

But not alone the adults took part in this song, even the sucklings dropped
their mothers’ breasts to join in singing; yea, even the embryos in the womb
joined the melody, and the angels’ voices swelled the song. [64] God so
distinguished Israel during the passage through the Red Sea, that even the
children beheld His glory, yea, even the woman slave saw more of the presence
of God by the Red Sea than the Prophet Ezekiel was ever permitted to behold.
[65]

They closed the song with the words: “Let us set the crown of glory upon the
head of our Deliverer, who suffers all things to perish, but does not Himself
decay, who changes all things, but is Himself unchanged. His is the diadem of
sovereignty, for He is the King of kings in this world, and His is the
sovereignty of the world to come; it is His and will be His in all eternity.”
[66] Thereupon Moses spake to Israel, “Ye have seen all the signs, all miracles
and works of glory that the Holy One, blessed be He, hath wrought for you, but
even more will He do for you in the world to come; for not like unto this world
is the world of the hereafter; for in this world war and suffering, evil
inclination, Satan, and the Angel of Death hold sway; but in the future would,
there will be neither suffering nor enmity, neither Satan nor the Angel of
Death, neither groans nor oppression, nor evil inclination.” [67]

As Moses and the race that wandered from Egypt with him sang a song to the Lord
by the Red Sea, so shall they sing again in the world to come. In the world to
come, all generations will pass before the Lord and will ask Him who should
first intone the song of praise, whereupon He will reply: “In the past it was
the generation of Moses that offered up to me a song of praise. Let them do it
now once more, and as Moses conducted the song by the Red Sea, so shall he do
in the world of the hereafter.” [68]

In other respects, too, it shall be in the world to come as it was at the time
of the song by the sea. For when Israel intoned the song of praise, God put on
a festive robe, on which were embroidered all the promises for a happy future
to Israel. Among them were written: “Then shall thy light break forth as the
morning”; “Then said they among the heathen. ‘The Lord hath done great things
for them,'” and many similar promises. But when Israel sinned, God rent the
festive robe, and He will not restore it, or put it on until the coming of the
future world. [69]

After the men had completed the song, the women under the guidance of Miriam
sang the same song to the accompaniment of music and dancing. The Israelites
had had perfect faith, that God would perform for them miracles and deeds of
glory, hence they had provided themselves with timbrels and with flutes, that
they might have them at hand to glorify the anticipated miracles. [70] Then
Miriam said to the women, “Let us sing unto the Lord, for strength and
sublimity are His; He lords it over the lordly, and He resents presumption. He
hurled Pharaoh’s horses and chariots into the sea, and drowned them, because
wicked Pharaoh in his presumption pursued God’s people, Israel.” [71]

THE AWFUL DESERT

Just as Israel had displayed sullenness and lack of faith upon approaching the
sea, so did they upon leaving it. Hardly had they seen that the Egyptians met
death in the waters of the sea, when they spoke to Moses, and said: “God had
led us from Egypt only to grant us five tokens: To give us the wealth of Egypt,
to let us walk in clouds of glory, to cleave the sea for us, to take vengeance
on the Egyptians, and to let us sing Him a song of praise. Now that all this
has taken place, let us return to Egypt.” Moses answered: “The Eternal said,
‘The Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, yes shall see them again no more
forever.'” But the people were not yet content, and said, “Now the Egyptians
are all dead, and therefore we can return to Egypt.” Then Moses said, “You must
now redeem your pledge, for God said, ‘When thou hast brought forth the people
out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.'” Still the people
remained headstrong, and without giving heed to Moses, they set out on the road
to Egypt, under the guidance of an idol that they had brought with them out of
Egypt, and had even retained during their passage through the sea. Only through
sheer force was Moses able to restrain them from their sinful transgression.
[72] This was the second of the ten temptations with which Israel tempted God
during their wanderings through the desert. [73]

There was one other difficulty with the people that Moses had to overcome: The
sea cast up many jewels, pearls and other treasures that had belonged to the
Egyptians, drowned in its waves, and Israel found it hard to tear themselves
away from the spot that brought them such riches. Moses, however, said, “Do you
really believe that the sea will continue to yield you pearls and jewels?” [74]

From the sea they passed to the desert Shur, a horrible and dreadful
wilderness, full of snakes, lizards, and scorpions, extending over hundreds of
miles. So deadly is the nature of the snakes that dwell in the desert, that if
one of them merely glides over the shadow of a flying bird, the bird falls into
pieces. [75] It was in this desert that the following happened to King Shapor:
A cohort that he sent through this desert was swallowed by a snake, and the
same fate overtook a second and a third cohort. Upon the advice of his sages,
he then filled the hides of animals with hot coals wrapped in straw, and had
these cast before the snake until it expired. [76]

It was then a proof of Israel’s great faith in their God, that they obeyed
Moses, and without murmur or delay followed him into this frightful wilderness.
[77] Therefore did God reward them for their trust in Him, for not only were
they not harmed by the snakes and scorpions during their many years stay in the
desert, but they were even relieved of the fear of the reptiles, for as soon as
the snakes saw the Israelites, they meekly lay down upon the sand. [78] For
three days they marched through the desert, uncomplaining, but when their
supply of water gave out, the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What
shall we drink?” While crossing through the Red Sea they had provided
themselves with water, for, miraculously, the sea flowed sweet for them; and
now when the supply was becoming exhausted, they began to give expression to
their dissatisfaction. On this occasion they again betrayed their
faintheartedness, for instead of seeking advice from their leader Moses, they
began to murmur against him and against God, even though at present they had
not yet suffered from lack of water. So poorly did they stand the test to which
God has put them, for in fact the very ground upon which they trod had running
water beneath it, but they were not aware of this. God had desired to see how
they would act under these conditions. [79]

The people were all the more exasperated because their joy, when they sighted
the springs and hastened to draw from the, turned to keenest disappointment
when they tasted of the water and found it bitter. These deluded hopes cast
them down spiritually as well as physically, and grieved them, not so much for
their own sakes as for those of their young children, to whose pleas for water
they could not listen without tears. Some of the thoughtless and fickle of
faith among them uttered the accusation that even the former kindness had been
granted them so much as a benefit, but rather with a view to the present and
much greater privation. These said that death by the hand of the enemy is to be
thrice preferred to perishing by thirst; for by the wise man, speedy and
painless departure from life is in no way to be distinguished from immortality;
the only real death, however, is slow and painful dying, for the dread lies not
in being dead, but in dying.

While they indulged in these lamentations, Moses prayed to God to forgive the
faint of heart their unseemly words, and, furthermore, to supply the general
want. [80] Mindful of the distress of the people, Moses did not pray long, but
uttered his request in a few words; and quickly, as he had prayed, was his
prayer answered. God bade him take a piece of a laurel tree, write upon it the
great and glorious name of God, and throw it into the water, whereupon the
water would become drinkable and sweet. [81]

The ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, differ from the ways of man: Man turns
bitter to sweet by the agency of some sweet stuff, but God transformed the
bitter water through the bitter laurel tree. When Israel beheld this miracle,
they asked forgiveness of their heavenly Father, and said: “O Lord of the
world! We sinned against Thee when we murmured about the water.” [82] Not
through this miracle alone, however, has Marah become a significant spot for
Israel, but, especially, because there God gave to Israel important percepts,
like the Sabbath rest, marriage and civil laws, and said to the people: “If you
will observe these statutes, you will receive many more, the Ten Commandments,
the Halakot, and the Haggadot; the Torah, however, will bring you happiness and
life. If you will diligently endeavor to walk through life uprightly, so that
you will be virtuous in your dealing with men, I will value it as if you had
fulfilled all commandments, and will put upon you none of those diseases that I
brought Egypt. If, however, you will not be mindful of My laws, and will be
visited by diseases, then will I be you physician and will make you well, for
as soon as you will observe the laws, shall the diseases vanish.” [83]

The cause for the want of water at Marah had been that for three days the
people had neglected the study of the Torah, and it was for this reason that
the prophets and elders of Israel instituted the custom of reading from the
Torah on Saturday, Monday and Thursday, at the public service, so that three
days might never again pass without a reading from the Torah. [84]

From Marah they moved on to Elim. From a distance palm trees made the place
look inviting enough, but when the people came close, they were again
disappointed; there were not more than three score and ten palm tress, and
there were of stunted growth owing to a lack of water, for in spite of the
presence of twelve wells of water, the soil was so barren and sandy that the
wells were not sufficient to water it. [85] Here again the marvelous
intercession of God in favor of the fate of Israel is shown, for the scant
supply of water at Elim, which had hardly sufficed for seventy palm trees,
satisfied sixty myriads of the wandering people that stayed there for several
days. [86]

The men of understanding could at this place see a clear allusion to the
fortune of the people; for there are twelve tribes of the people, each of
which, if it prove God-fearing, will be a well of water, inasmuch as its piety
will constantly and continually bring forth beautiful deeds; the leaders of the
people, however, are seventy, and they recall the noble palm tree, for in
outward appearance as well as in its fruits, it is the most beautiful of trees,
whose seat of life does not lie buried deep in the roots, as with other plants,
but soars high, set like the heart in the midst of its branches, by which it is
surrounded as a queen under the protection of her bodyguard. The soul of him
who has tasted piety possesses a similar spirit; it has learned to look up and
ascend, and itself ever busy with spiritual things and the investigation of
Divine beauty, disdains earthly things, and considers them only a childish
play, whereas that aspiration alone seems serious. [87]

It was at Elim, where, at the creation of the world, God had made the twelve
wells of water, and the seventy palm trees, to correspond to the twelve tribes
and the seventy elders of Israel, that Israel first took up the study of the
law, for there they studied the laws given them at Marah. [88]

THE HEAVENLY FOOD

The bread which Israel had taken along out of Egypt sufficed for thirty-one
days, and when they had consumed it, the whole congregation of the children of
Israel murmured against their leader Moses. It was not only immediate want that
oppressed them, but despair of a food supply for the future; for when they saw
the vast, extensive, utterly barren wilderness before them, their courage gave
way, and they said: “We migrated, expecting freedom, and now we are not even
free from the cares of subsistence; we are not, as out leader promised, the
happiest, but in truth the most unfortunate of men. After our leader’s words
had keyed us to the highest pitch of expectation, and had filled out ears with
vain hopes, he tortures us with famine and does not provide even the necessary
food. With the name of a new settlement he has deceived this great multitude;
after he had succeeded in leading us from a well-known to an uninhabited land,
he now plans to send us to the underworld, the last road of life. [89] ‘Would
to God we had died by the hand of the Lord during the three days of darkness in
the land of Egypt when we sat by the flesh-pots, and when we did eat bread to
the full.'” In their exasperation they spoke untruths, for in reality they had
suffered from want of food in Egypt, too, as the Egyptians had not given them
enough to eat. [90]

In spite of the railings against him, Moses was not so much indignant about
their words as about the fickleness of the people. After those many quite
extraordinary experiences they had no right to expect merely the natural and
the probable, but should cheerfully have trusted him; for, truly, in the sight
of all, they had been shown the most tangible proofs of his reliability. When,
on the other hand, Moses considered their distress, he forgave them; for he
told himself that a multitude is by nature fickle, and allows itself to be
easily influenced by impressions of the moment, which cast the past into
oblivion, and engender despair of the future. [91]

God also forgave the unworthy conduct of Israel, and instead of being angry
with them because they murmured against Him, when it should have been their
duty to pray to Him, He was ready to grant them aid, saying to Moses, “They act
according to their lights, and I will act according to Mine; not later than
to-morrow morning manna will descend from heaven.”

As a reward for Abraham’s readiness, in answer to the summons to sacrifice
Isaac, when he said, “Here am I,” God promised manna to the descendants of
Abraham with the same words, “Here I am.” In the same way, during their
wanderings through the wilderness, God repaid the descendants of Abraham for
what their ancestor had done by the angels who visited him. He himself had
fetched bread for them, and likewise God Himself caused bread to rain from
heaven; he himself ran before them on their way, and likewise God moved before
Israel; he had water fetched for them, and likewise God, through Moses, caused
water to flow from the rock; he bade them seek shade under the tree, and
likewise God had a cloud spread over Israel. [92] Then God spoke to Moses: “I
will immediately reveal Myself without Jacob, ‘I will rain bread from My
treasure in heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain
rate every day.'”

There were good reasons for not exceeding a day’s ration in the daily downpour
of manna. First, that they might be spared the need of carrying it on their
wanderings; secondly, that they might daily receive it hot; and, lastly, that
they might day by day depend upon God’s aid, and in this way exercise
themselves in faith. [93]

While the people were still abed, God fulfilled their desire, and rained down
manna for them. For this food had been created on the second day of creation,
[94] and ground by the angels, it later descended for the wanderers in the
wilderness. [95] The mills are stationed in the third heaven, where manna is
constantly being ground for the future use of the pious; [96] for in the future
world manna will be set before them. [97] Manna deserves its name, “bread of
the angels,” not only because it is prepared by them, but because those who
partake of it become equal to the angels in strength, and, furthermore, like
them, have no need of easing themselves, as manna is entirely dissolved in the
body. Not until they sinned, did they have to ease themselves like ordinary
mortals. [98]

Manna also showed its heavenly origin in the miraculous flavor it possessed.
There was no need of cooking or baking it, nor did it require any other
preparation, and still it contained the flavor of every conceivable dish. One
had only to desire a certain dish, and no sooner had he thought of it, than
manna had the flavor of the dish desire. The same food had a different taste to
every one who partook of it, according to his age; to the little children it
tasted like milk, to the strong youths like bread, to the old men like honey,
to the sick like barley steeped in oil and honey. [99]

As miraculous as the taste of manna was it descent from heaven. First came a
north wind to sweep the floor of the desert; then a rain to wash it quite
clean; then dew descended upon it, which was congealed into a solid substance
by the wind, that it might serve as a table for the heaven-descending gold.
[100] But, that no insects or vermin might settle on the manna, the frozen dew
formed not only a tablecloth, but also a cover for the manna, so that it lay
enclosed there as in a casket, protected from soiling or pollution above and
below.

THE GATHERING OF THE MANNA

With an easy mind every individual might perform his morning prayer in his
house and recite the Shema’, then betake himself to the entrance of his tent,
and gather manna for himself and all his family. [101] The gathering of manna
caused little trouble, and those among the people who were too lazy to perform
even the slightest work, went out while manna fell, so that it fell straight
into their hands. [102] The manna lasted until the fourth hour of the day, when
it melted; but even the melted manna was not wasted, for out of it formed the
rivers, from which the pious will drink in the hereafter. The heathen even then
attempted to drink out of these streams, but the manna that tasted so
deliciously to the Jews, had a quite bitter taste in the mouth of the heathen.
Only indirectly could they partake of the enjoyment of manna: They used to
catch the animals that drank the melted manna, and even it this form it was so
delicious that the heathen cried, “Happy is the people that is in such a case.”
[103] For the descent of manna was not a secret to the heathen, as it settled
at such enormous heights that the kings of the East and of the West could see
how Israel received its miraculous food. [104]

The mass of the manna was in proportion to its height, for as much descended
day by day, as might have satisfied the wants of sixty myriads of people,
through two thousand years. [105] Such profusion of manna fell over the body of
Joshua alone, as might have sufficed for the maintenance of the whole
congregation. [106] Manna, indeed, had the peculiarity of falling to every
individual in the same measure; and when, after gathering, they measured it,
they found that there was an omer for every man.

Many lawsuits were amicably decided through the fall of manna. If a married
couple came before Moses, each accusing the other of inconstancy, Moses would
say to them, “To-morrow morning judgement will be given.” If, then, manna
descended for the wife before the house of her husband, it was known that he
was in the right; but if her share descended before the house of her own
parents, she was in the right. [107]

The only days on which manna did not descend were the Sabbaths and the holy
days, but then a double portion fell on the preceding day. These days had the
further distinction that, while they lasted, the color of the manna sparkled
more than usual, and it tasted better than usual. The people, however, were
fainthearted, and on the very first Sabbath, they wanted to go out as usual to
gather manna in the morning, although announcement had been made that God would
send them no food on that day. Moses, however, restrained them. They attempted
to do it again toward evening, and again Moses restrained them with the words,
“To-day ye shall not find it in the field.” At these words they were greatly
alarmed, for they feared that they might not receive it any more at all, but
their leader quieted them with the words, “To-day ye shall not find any of it,
but assuredly to-morrow; in this world ye shall not receive manna on the
Sabbath, but assuredly in the future world.”

The unbelieving among them did not hearken to the words of God, and went out on
the Sabbath to find manna. Here-upon God said to Moses: “Announce these words
to Israel: I have led you out of Egypt, have cleft the sea for you, have sent
you manna, have caused the well of water to spring up for you, have sent the
quails to come up to you, have battled for you against Amalek, and wrought
other miracles for you, and still you do not obey My statutes and commandments.
You have not even the excuse that I imposed full many commandments upon you,
for all that I bade you do at Marah, was to observe the Sabbath, but you have
violated it.” “If,” continues Moses, “you will observe the Sabbath, God will
give you three festivals in the months of Nisan, Siwan, and Tishri; and as a
reward for the observance of the Sabbath, you will receive six gifts from God:
the land of Israel, the future world, the new world, the sovereignty of the
dynasty of David, the institution of the priests and the Levites; and,
furthermore, as a reward for the observance of the Sabbath, you shall be freed
from the three great afflictions: from the sufferings of the times of Gog and
Magog, from the travails of the Messianic time, and from the day of the great
Judgement.”

When Israel heard these exhortations and promises, they determined to observe
the Sabbath, and did so. [108] They did not know, to be sure, what they had
lost through their violation of the first Sabbath. Had Israel then observed the
Sabbath, no nation would ever have been able to exercise any authority over
them. [109]

This, moreover, was not the only sin that Israel committed during this time,
for some among them also broke the other commandment in regard to manna, that
it, not to store it away from day to day. These sinners were none other than
the infamous pair, Dathan and Abiram, who did not hearken to the word of God,
but saved the manna for the following day. But if they fancied they could
conceal their sinful deed, they were mistaken, for great swarms of worms bred
from the manna, and these moved in a long train from their tents to the other
tents, so that everyone perceived what these two had done. [110]

To serve future generations as a tangible proof of the infinite power of God,
the Lord bade Moses lay an earthen vessel full of manna before the Holy Ark,
and this command was carried out by Aaron in the second year of the wanderings
through the desert. When, many centuries later, the prophet Jeremiah exhorted
his contemporaries to study the Torah, and they answered his exhortations,
saying, “How shall we then maintain ourselves?” the prophet brought forth the
vessel with manna, and spoke to them, saying: “O generation, see ye the word of
the Lord; see what it was that served your fathers as food when they applied
themselves to the study of the Torah. You, too, will God support in the same
way, if you will but devote yourselves to the study of the Torah. [111]

When the imminent destruction of the Temple was announced to King Josiah, he
concealed the Holy Ark, and with it also the vessel with manna, as well as the
jug filled with sacred oil, which was used by Moses for anointing the sacred
implements, and other sacred objects. In the Messianic time the prophet Elijah
will restore all these concealed objects. [112]

Israel received three gifts during their wanderings through the desert: the
well, the clouds of glory, and the manna; the first for the merits of Miriam,
the second for those of Aaron, and the third for those of Moses. When Miriam
died, the well disappeared for a time, but it reappeared as a reward for the
merits of Aaron and Moses; when Aaron dies, the clouds of glory disappeared for
a time, but reappeared owing to the merits of Moses. But when the last-named
died, the well, the clouds of glory, and the manna disappeared forever. [113]
Throughout forty years, however, manna served them not only as food, but also
as provender for their cattle, for the dew that preceded the fall of manna
during the night brought grain for their cattle. [114] Manna also replaced
perfume for them, for it shed and excellent fragrance upon those who ate of it.
[115]

In spite of all the excellent qualities of manna, they were not satisfied with
it, and demanded that Moses and Aaron give them flesh to eat. These replied:
“We might put up with you if you murmured only against us, but you murmur
against the Eternal. Come forward, that you may hear the judgment of God.” At
once God appeared to Moses, and said to him: “It is revealed to Me what the
congregation of Israel have said, and what they will say, but tell them this:
You have demanded two things; you have desired bread, and I gave it to you,
because man cannot exist without it; but now, filled to satiety, you demand
flesh; this also will I give you, so that you might not say if your wish were
denied. ‘God cannot grant it,’ but at some future time you shall make atonement
for it; I am a judge and shall assign punishment for this.”

In the meantime, however, God granted their wish, and toward evening thick
swarms of quails came up from the sea, and covered the whole camp, taking their
flight quite low, not two ells above the ground, so that they might be easily
caught. Contrary to the manna, which fell in the morning, the quails did not
come before evenfall; with a radiant countenance God gave them the former, as
their desire for bread was justified, but with a darkened mien, under cover of
night, He sent quails. [116] Now, because the one food came in the morning and
the second in the evening, Moses instituted the custom among his people of
taking two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening; and he set
the meal with the use of meat for the evening. [117] At the same time he taught
them the prayer in which they were to offer thanks after eating manna, which
read: “Blessed be Thou, O God our Lord, King of the world, who in Thy bounty,
dost provide for all the world; who, in Thy grace, goodwill, and mercy, dost
grant food to every creature, for Thy grace is everlasting. Thanks to Thy
bounty we have never lacked food, nor ever shall lack it, for Thy great name’s
sake. For Thou suppliest and providest for all; Thou are bountiful, and
nourishest all Thy creatures which Thou has made. Blessed be Thou, O God, that
dost provide for all.” [118]

MIRIAM’S WELL

Relieved as they were of all the cares of subsistence through the gift of
manna, it was plainly the duty of the Israelites to devote themselves
exclusively to the study of the Torah. [119] When, therefore, they slackened in
the performance of this duty, punishment in the form of lack of water
immediately overtook them. This was the first time that they actually
experienced this want, for at Marah nothing more than alarm that this need
might come upon them, had caused them to murmur and complain. In their distress
they once more unreasonably cast reproaches upon their leader, and disputed
with him, saying: “Wherefore is this, children, that thou hast brought us up
out of Egypt, to kill us, and our children, and our cattle with thirst?” Moses
replied: “As often as you quarrel with me, you tempt God, but God performeth
wonders and excellent deeds for you, as often as you dispute with me, that His
name may sound in glory throughout the world.”

In spite of the injury they had done him, Moses prayed to God that He might aid
them in their distress and also stand by him. “O Lord of the world!” said he,
“I am surely doomed to die. Thou biddest me not to be offended with them, but
if I obey Thy words, I shall certainly be killed by them.” God, however,
replied: “Try thou to act like Me; as I return good for evil, so do thou return
to them good for evil, and forgive their trespass; go on before the people, and
We shall see who dares touch thee.” [120] Hardly had Moses shown himself to the
people, when all of them rose reverently from their seats, whereupon God said
to Moses: “How often have I told thee not to be angry with them, but to lead
them, as a shepherd leads his flock; it is for their sake that I have set thee
on this height, and only for their sake wilt thou find grace, goodwill, and
mercy in My sight.” [121]

Then God bade him go with some elders to the rock on Horeb, and fetch water out
of it. The elders were to accompany him there, that they might be convinced
that he was not bringing water from a well, but smiting it from a rock. To
accomplish this miracle, God bade him smite the rock with his rod, as the
people labored under the impression that this rod could only bring destruction,
for through its agency Moses had brought the ten plagues upon the Egyptians in
Egypt, and at the Red Sea; now they were to see that it could work good also.
[122] Upon God’s bidding, Moses told the people to choose from which rock they
wished water to flow, [123] and hardly had Moses touched with his sapphire rod
the rock which they had chosen, when plenteous water flowed from it. The spot
where this occurred, God called Massah, and Meribah, because Israel had there
tried their God, saying, “If God is Lord over all, as over us; if He satisfies
our needs, and will further show us that He knows our thoughts, then will we
serve Him, but not otherwise.” [124]

The water that flowed for them on this spot served not only as a relief for
their present need, but on this occasion there was revealed to them a well of
water, which did not abandon them in all their forty years’ wandering, but
accompanied them on all their marches. [125] God wrought this great miracle for
the merits of the prophetess Miriam, wherefore also it was called “Miriam’s
Well.” [126] But his well dates back to the beginning of the world, for God
created it on the second day of the creation, [127] and at one time it was in
the possession of Abraham. It was this same well that Abraham demanded back
from Abimelech, king of the Philistines, after the king’s servants had
violently taken it away. But when Abimelech pretended not to know anything
about it, saying, “I wot not who hath done this thing,” Abraham said: “Thou and
I will send sheep to the well, and he shall be declared the rightful owner of
the well, for whose sheep the water will spout forth to water them. And,”
continued Abraham, “from that same well shall the seventh generation after me,
the wanderers in the desert, draw their supply.” [128]

This well was in the shape of a sieve-like rock, out of which water gushes
forth as from a spout. It followed them on all their wanderings, up hill and
down dale, and wherever they halted, it halted, too, and it settled opposite
the Tabernacle. Thereupon the leaders of the twelve tribes would appear, each
with his staff and chant these words to the well, “Spring up, O well, sing ye
unto it; nobles of the people digged it by the direction of the lawgiver with
their staves.” Then the water would gush forth from the depths of the well, and
shoot up high as pillars, then discharge itself into great streams that were
navigable, and on these rivers the Jews sailed to the ocean, and hauled all the
treasures of the world therefrom. [129]

The different parts of the camp were separated by these rivers, so that women,
visiting each other, were obliged to make use of ships. Then the water
discharged itself beyond the encampment, where it surrounded a great plain, in
which grew every conceivable kind of plant and tree; [130] and these trees,
owing to the miraculous water, daily bore fresh fruits. [131] This well brought
fragrant herbs with it, so that the women had no need of perfumes on the march,
for the herbs they gathered served this purpose. [132] This well furthermore
threw down soft, fragrant kinds of grass that served as pleasant couches for
the poor, who had no pillows or bedclothes. [133] Upon the entrance to the Holy
Land this well disappeared and was hidden in a certain spot of the Sea of
Tiberias. Standing upon Carmel, and looking over the sea, one can notice there
a sieve-like rock, and that is the well of Miriam. [134] Once upon a time it
happened that a leper bathed at this place of the Sea of Tiberias, and hardly
had he come in contact with the waters of Miriam’s well when he was instantly
healed. [135]

AMALEK’S WAR AGAINST ISRAEL

As a punishment because they had not had sufficient faith in God, and had
doubted whether He could fulfill all their wishes, and had grown negligent in
the study of the Torah and in the observance of the laws, God turned Amalek
against them during their sojourn in Rephidim, where they had committed these
sins. God dealt with them as did that man with his son, whom he bore through
the river on his shoulders. Whenever the child saw something desirable, he
said, “Father, buy it for me,” and he fulfilled the child’s wish. After the son
had in this way received many beautiful things from his father, he called to a
passing stranger with these words, “Hast thou perhaps seen my father?” Then,
indignantly, the father said to his son: “O thou fool, that sittest on my
shoulder! All that thou didst desire, did I procure for thee, and now dost thou
ask of that man, ‘Hast thou seen my father?'” Thereupon the father threw the
child off his shoulder, and a dog came and bit him. So did Israel fare. When
they moved out of Egypt, God enveloped them in seven clouds of glory; they
wished for bread, and He gave them manna; they wished for flesh, and He gave
them quails. After all their wishes had been granted, they began to doubt,
saying, “Is the Lord among us, or not?” Then God answered, “You doubt My power;
so surely as you live shall you discover it; the dog will soon bite you.” Then
came Amalek. [136]

This enemy of Israel bore the name Amalek to denote the rapidity with which he
moved against Israel, for like a swarm of locusts he flew upon them; and the
name furthermore designates the purpose of this enemy, who came to suck the
blood of Israel. [137] This Amalek was a son of Eliphaz, the first-born son of
Esau, and although the descendants of Jacob had been weaker and more
insignificant in earlier times, Amalek had left them in peace, for he had
excellent reasons to delay his attack. God had revealed to Abraham that his
seed would have to serve in the land of the Egyptians, and had put the payment
of this debt upon Isaac, and after his death, upon Jacob and his descendants.
The wicked Amalek now said to himself, “If I destroy Jacob and his descendants,
God will impose the Egyptians bondage upon, me, grandson of Esau, descendant of
Abraham.” Therefore he kept himself in restraint as long as Israel dwelt in
Egypt, but only after the bondage predicted to the seed of Abraham had been
served in full, did he set out to accomplish the war of annihilation against
Israel, which his grandfather Esau had enjoined upon him. [138]

No sooner had he heard of Israel’s departure from Egypt, then he set out
against them and met them by the Red Sea. There, indeed, he could work them no
ill, for Moses uttered against him the Ineffable Name; and so great was his
confusion, that he was forced to retreat without having effected his object.
[139] Then, for some time, he tried lying hidden in ambush, and in this wise
molesting Israel, but as length he gave up this game of hide-and-seek, and with
a bold front revealed himself as the open enemy of Israel. Not alone, however,
did he himself declare war upon Israel, but he also seduced all the heathen
nations to assist him in his enterprise against Israel. Although these declined
to war upon Israel, fearing that they might have to fare like the Egyptians,
they agreed to the following plan of Amalek. He said: “Follow my expedition.
Should Israel conquer me, there will still be plenty of time for you to flee,
but should success crown my attempt, join your fate to mine, in my undertaking
against Israel.” So Amalek now marched from his settlement in Seir, which was
no less than four hundred parasangs away from the encampment of the Jews; and
although five nations, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Jebusites, the Amorites,
and the Canaanites, had their dwellings between his home and the camp of the
Jews, he insisted upon being the first to declare war upon Israel.

God punished Israel, who had shown themselves an ungrateful people, by sending
against them an enemy that was ungrateful, too, never recalling that he owed
his life to the sons of Jacob, who had had him in their power after their
brilliant victory over Esau and his followers. [140]

In his expedition against Israel he made use of his kinsman. Before going over
to open attack, he lured many unsuspecting Jews to death by his kindly words.
He had fetched from Egypt the table of descent of the Jews; for every Jew had
there to mark his name on the bricks produced by him, and these lists lay in
the Egyptian archives. Familiar with the names of the different Jewish
families, Amalek appeared before the Jewish camp, and calling the people by
name, he invited them to leave the camp, and come out to him. “Reuben! Simeon!
Levi! etc.,” he would call, “come out to me, your brother, and transact
business with me.”

Those who answered the enticing call, found certain death at his hands; and not
only did Amalek kill them, but he also mutilated their corpses, following the
example of his grandsire Esau, by cutting off a certain part of the body, and
throwing it toward heaven with the mocking words, “Here shalt Thou have what
Thou desirest.” In this way did he jeer at the token of the Abrahamic covenant.

So long as the Jews remained within the encampment, he could, of course, do
them no harm, for the cloud enveloped them, and under its shelter they were as
well fortified as a city that is surrounded by a solid wall. The cloud,
however, covered those only who were pure, but the unclean had to stay beyond
it, until they were cleansed by a ritual bath, and these Amalek caught and
killed. The sinners, too, particularly the tribe of Dan, who were all
worshippers of idols, were not protected by the cloud, and therefore exposed to
the attacks of Amalek. [141]

Moses did not himself set out to battle against this dangerous foe of Israel,
but he sent his servant Joshua, and for good reasons. Moses knew that only a
descendant of Rachel, like the Ephraimite Joshua, could conquer the descendant
of Esau. All the sons of Jacob had taken part in the unbrotherly act of selling
Joseph as a slave, hence none of their descendants might stand up in battle
against the descendant of Esau; for they who had themselves acted unnaturally
to a brother, could hardly hope for God’s assistance in a struggle with the
unbrotherly Edomites. Only the descendants of Joseph, the man who had been
generous and good to his brothers, might hope that God would grant them aid
against the unbrotherly descendants of Esau. In many other respects, too,
Joseph was the opposite of Esau, and his services stood his descendants in good
stead in their battles against the descendants of Esau. Esau was the firstborn
of his father, but through his evil deeds he lost his birthright; Joseph, on
the other hand, was the youngest of his father’s sons, and through his good
deeds was he found worthy of enjoying the rights of a firstborn son. Joseph had
faith in the resurrection, while Esau denied it; hence God said, “Joseph, the
devout, shall be the one to visit merited punishment on Esau, the unbelieving.”
Joseph associated with two wicked men, Potiphar and Pharaoh, yet he did not
follow their example; Esau associated with two pious men, his father and his
brother, yet he did not follow their example. “Hence,” said God, “Joseph, who
did not follow example of wicked men, shall visit punishment upon him who did
not follow the example of pious men.” Esau soiled his life with lewdness and
murder; Joseph was chaste and shunned bloodshed, hence God delivered Esau’s
descendants into the hands of Joseph’s descendants. And, as in the course of
history only the descendants of Joseph were victorious over the descendants of
Esau, so will it be in the future, at the final reckoning between the angel of
Esau and the angels of the Jews. The angel of Reuben will be rebuffed by the
angel of Esau with these words, “you represent on who had illegal relations
with his father’s wife”; the angels of Simeon and Levi will have the listen to
this reproof, “You represent people who slew the inhabitants of Shechem”; the
angel of Judah will be repulsed with the words, “Judah had illicit relations
with his daughter-in-law.” And the angels of the other tribes will be repulsed
by Esau’s angel, when he points out to them that they all took part in selling
Joseph. The only one whom he will not be able to repulse will be Joseph’s
angel, to whom he will be delivered and by whom he will be destroyed; Joseph
will b the flame and Esau the straw burned in the flame. [142]

AMALEK DEFEATED

Moses now instructed Joshua in regard to his campaign against Amalek, saying,
“Choose us out men and go out, fight with Amalek.” The words “choose us”
characterize the modesty of Moses, who treated his disciple Joshua as an equal;
in these words he has taught us that the honor of our disciples should stand as
high as our own. Joshua did not at first want to expose himself to danger and
leave the protection of the cloud, but Moses said to him, “Abandon the cloud
and set forth against Amalek, if ever thou dost hope to set the crown upon thy
head.” He commanded him to choose his warriors from among the pious and
God-fearing, and promised him that he would set a fast day for the following
day, and implore God, in behalf of the good deeds of the Patriarchs and the
wives of the Patriarchs, to stand by Israel in this war.

Joshua acted in accordance with these commands [143] and set out against
Amalek, to conquer whom required not only skillful strategy, but also adeptness
in the art of magic. For Amalek was a great magician and knew that propitious
and the unpropitious hour of each individual, and in this way regulated his
attacks against Israel; he attacked that one at night, whose death had been
predicted for a night, and him whose death had been preordained for a day did
he attack by day.

But in this art, too, Joshua was his match, for he, too, knew how to time
properly the attack upon [144] individuals, and he destroyed Amalek, his sons,
the armies he himself commanded, and those under the leadership of his sons.
But in the very heat of battle, Joshua treated his enemies humanely, he did not
repay like with like. Far was it from him to follow Amalek’s example in
mutilating the corpses of the enemy. Instead with a sharp sword he cut off the
enemies’ heads, an execution that does not dishonor.

But only through the aid of Moses, did Joshua with his victory. Moses did not
go out into battle, but through his prayer and through his influence upon the
people in inspiring them with faith, the battle was won. While the battle raged
between Israel and Amalek, Moses was stationed on a height, where, supported by
the Levite Aaron and the Judean Hur, the representatives of the two noble
tribes Levi and Judah, he fervently implored God’s aid. He said: “O Lord of the
world! Through me has Thou brought Israel out of Egypt, through me hast Thou
cleft the sea, and through me has Thou wrought miracles; so do Thou now work
miracles for me, and lend me victory to Israel, for I well know that while all
other nations fight only to the sixth hour of the day, this sinful nation stand
in battle ranks till sunset.” Moses did not consider it sufficient to pray
alone to God, but he raised his hands toward heaven as a signal for the whole
nation to follow his example and trust in God. As often as he then raised his
hands to heaven and the people prayed with him, trusting that God would lend
them victory, they were indeed victorious; as often, however, as Moses let down
his hands and the people ceased prayer, weakening in their faith in God, Amalek
conquered. But it was hard for Moses constantly to raise his hands. This was
God’s way of punishing him for being somewhat negligent in the preparations for
the war against Amalek. Hence Aaron and Hur were obliged to hold up his arms
and assist him in his prayer. As, furthermore, he was unable to stand all that
time, he seated himself on a stone, disdaining a soft and comfortable seat,
saying, “So long as Israel is in distress, I shall share it with them.” [145]

At evenfall, the battle was not yet decided, therefore Moses prayed to God that
He might stay the setting of the sun and thus enable Israel to draw the battle
to a close. God granted this prayer, for the sun did not set until Israel had
completely destroyed their enemy. Thereupon Moses blessed Joshua with the
words, “Some day the sun shall stand still for thy sake, as it did to-day for
mine,” and this blessing was later fulfilled at Gibeon, when the sun stood
still to help Joshua in his battle against the Amorites. [146]

Although Amalek had not received the merited punishment from the hands of
Joshua, still his enterprise against Israel had not been entirely unavailing.
The miraculous exodus of Israel out of Egypt, and especially the cleaving of
the sea, had created such alarm among the heathens, that none among them had
dared to approach Israel. But this fear vanished as soon as Amalek attempted to
compete in battle with Israel. Although he was terrible beaten, still the fear
of the inaccessibility of Israel was gone. It was with Amalek as with that
foolhardy wight who plunged into a scalding-hot tub. He scalded himself
terribly, yet the tub became cold through his plunge into it. Hence God was not
content with the punishment Amalek received in the time of Moses, but swore by
His throne and by His right hand that He would never forget Amalek’s misdeeds,
that in this world as well as in the time of the Messiah He would visit
punishment upon him, and would completely exterminate him in the future world.
So long as the seed of Amalek exist, the face of God is, as it were, covered,
and will only then come to view, when the seed of Amalek shall have been
entirely exterminated.

God had at first left the war against Amalek in the hands of His people,
therefore He bade Joshua, the future leader of the people, never to forget the
war against Amalek; and if Moses had listened intently, he would have perceived
from this command of God that Joshua was destined to lead the people into the
promised land. But later, when Amalek took part in the destruction of
Jerusalem, God Himself took up the war against Amalek, saying, “By My throne I
vow not to leave a single descendant of Amalek under the heavens, yea, no one
shall even be able to say that this sheep or that wether belonged to an
Amalekite.” [147]

God bade Moses impress upon the Jews to repulse no heathen should he desire
conversion, but never to accept an Amalekite as a proselyte. It was in
consideration of this word of God that David slew the Amalekite, who announced
to him the death of Saul and Jonathan; for he saw in him only a heathen,
although he appeared in the guise of a Jew. [148]

Part of the blame for the destruction of Amalek falls upon his father,
Eliphaz. He used to say to Amalek: “My son, dost thou indeed know who will
posses this world and the future world?” Amalek paid no attention to his
allusion to the future fortune of Israel, and his father urged it no more
strongly upon him, although it would have been his duty to instruct his son
clearly and fully. He should have said to him: “My son, Israel will posses this
world as well as the future world; dig wells then for their use and build road
for them, so that thou mayest be judged worthy to share in the future world.”
But as Amalek had not been sufficiently instructed by his father, in his
wantonness he undertook to destroy the whole world. God, who tries the reins
and the heart, said to him: “O thou fool, I created thee after all the seventy
nations, but for thy sins thou shalt be the first to descend into hell.”
[149]

To glorify the victory over Amalek, Moses built an altar, which God called “My
Miracle,” for the miracle God wrought against Amalek in the war of Israel was,
as it were, a miracle for God. For so long as the Israelites dwell in sorrow,
God feels with them, and a joy for Israel is a joy for God, hence, too, the
miraculous victory over Israel’s foe was a victory for God. [150]

JETHRO

“Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware.” The destruction of Amalek
brought Jethro to his senses. Jethro was originally in the same plot with
Amalek, both having incited Pharaoh against Israel, but when he saw that Amalek
lost this world and the other, he repented of his sinful ways, saying: “There
is nothing left to me but to go over to the God of Israel”; [151] and although
he dwelt in the greatest wealth and honor, he determined to set out for the
desert, to Moses and his God. [152] Arrived at the camp of Israel, he could not
enter it, for it was enveloped by a cloud that none could pierce, hence he
wrote a letter to Moses and shot it off with an arrow, so that it fell into the
camp. [153] The letter read: “I adjure thee, by thy two sons and by thy God, to
come to meet me and receive me kindly. If thou wilt not do if for my sake, do
it for thy wife’s sake; and if thou wilt not do it for her sake, do it for thy
sons’ sake.” For Jethro brought with him his daughter Zipporah, from whom Moses
had been divorced, as well as her two sons, her only children, for after her
separation from Moses, she had wed no other man.

At first Moses was inclined to give no ear to this letter, but God said to him:
“I, through whose word the world came into being, I bring men to Me and do not
thrust them back. I permitted Jethro to approach Me, and did not push him from
Me. So do thou, too, receive this man, who desires to betake himself under the
wings of the Shekinah, let him approach, and do not repulse him.” God herewith
taught Moses that one should repulse with the left hand, and beckon with the
right. [154]

Moses, Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, together with the seventy elders of Israel,
carrying with them the sacred Ark, hastened to welcome Jethro kindly; and Moses
so honored his father-in-law as to make an obeisance before him and kiss him.
Before Moses told his father-in-law of the great miracles God had wrought for
Egypt, such as the exodus from Egypt, the cleaving of the sea, the rain of
manna, and the rest, he offered him the greeting of peace; for great is peace,
that precedes event he praise of God. [155] After the peace-greeting, Moses, to
draw his father-in-law nearer to true faith in God and His revelation, began to
relate to him the miracles that God had wrought for them at the exodus from
Egypt, during the passing through the Red Sea, and during the war with Amalek.
He said, moreover, “In the manna that God gives us we perceive the taste of
bread, of meat, of fish, in short, of all the dishes there are. Out of the well
that God gives us we draw a drink that possesses the taste of old wine as well
as new, of milk and of honey, in short, of all the beverages that exist.” “We
shall,” Moses continued, “receive six other gifts from God, the land of Israel,
the future world, the new world, the sovereignty of David, the institution of
priests, and of Levites.”

When Jethro heard all this, he determined to become a Jew and to believe in the
only God, and although he felt a pang at heart upon hearing that the Egyptians
had perished – for no one should scoff at a heathen before a proselyte who is
not a Jew of ten generation’s standing – still he burst into a song of praise
to God for the deeds He had one for His people. In truth, it reflects shame
upon Moses and the sixty myriads of Jews that they had not given thanks to God
for the release from Egypt, until Jethro came and did so. He said: “Praised be
God who delivered Moses and Aaron, as well as the whole nation of Israel, from
the bondage of Pharaoh, that great dragon, and of the Egyptians. Truly, great
is the Lord before all gods, for whereas formerly not a single slave succeeded
in escaping from Egypt, He led sixty myriads out of Egypt. There is no god whom
I had not, at some time in my life, worshipped, but not I must admit that none
is like the God of Israel. This God had not been unbeknown to me heretofore,
but now I know Him better, for His fame will sound throughout the world,
because He visited upon the Egyptians exactly what they had planned to
undertake against Israel. They wanted to destroy Israel by water, and by water
were they destroyed.” [156]

With sacrifices and a feast was the arrival of Jethro celebrated, for after he
had made the burnt offering not far from the bush of thorns that had been
unscathed by fire, Jethro prepared a feast of rejoicing for the whole people,
[157] at which Moses did not consider it below the dignity to wait on the
guests in person. In this he followed the example of Abraham, who in person
waited on the three angels, though they appeared in the guise of idolatrous
Arabs.

Abraham like Moses sought to follow in the ways of the Lord, to provide each
according to his wants, and to grant to everybody what he lacks, whether he be
a righteous man, or an idolater, who through his sins conjures up God’s wrath.
[158]

To this feast the people sat down according to their tribes. They ate, drank
and were merry, while Aaron and Jethro with their relatives sang songs of
thanksgiving to God, and praised Him as the Creator and Donor of their lives
and their liberty. At the same time they gave due appreciation to Moses,
through whose courage everything had happily come to pass. In his words of
gratitude to Moses, Jethro also gave expression to many glorious eulogies on
the people of Israel, but he especially extolled Moses, who through
difficulties and dangers had shown so much courage in the salvation of his
friends. [159]

THE INSTALLATION OF ELDERS

Jethro, who had come to Moses shortly before the revelation on Mount Sinai,
stayed with his son-in-law for more than a year. In the first months, however,
he had no opportunity of observing Moses in the capacity of judge, for Moses
spent the time from the day of the revelation to the tenth day of Tishri almost
entirely in heaven. Hence Jethro could not be present at a court proceeding of
his before the eleventh day of Tishri, the first day after Moses’ return from
heaven. Jethro now perceived how Moses sat like a king upon his throne, while
the people, who brought their lawsuits before him, stood around him. This so
displeased him that he said to his son-in-law: “Why sittest thou thyself alone,
and all the people stand by thee from morning until even?” Moses answered:
“Because the people come unto me to enquire of God. It is not in my honor that
they stand, but in honor of God, whose judgement they would know. When they are
in doubt over a case of clean or unclean, or when there is a dispute between
two parties, which they desire to have settled exactly according to the law, or
in conformity with a compromise, they come to me; and when the parties at
dispute leave me, they part as friends and no longer enemies. I expound to the
people, besides, the words of God and His decisions.”

On the day that Moses again took up his activity as a judge, and Jethro had for
the first time the chance of observing him, came the mixed multitude with the
pleas that they, like the other Israelites, wanted their share in the Egyptians
booty. Moses’ method, first seen by him in practice, [160] struck Jethro as
most absurd, and he therefore said: “The thing that thou doest is not good,”
through delicacy softening his real opinion, “It is bad” to “It is not good.”
[161] “The people,” he continued, “will surely unbraid thee and Aaron, his two
sons Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders, if thou continuest in this
fashion. But if thou hearkenest now to my voice, thou wilt fare well, provided
God approves of my plan. This is, that thou shalt be ‘the vessel of the
revelations of God,’ and shalt lay the revelations of God before the people, as
often as thou receivest them; so that they may understand the exposition of the
Torah, as well as its decisions. And thou shalt instruct them how to pray in
the synagogues, how to tend the sick, how to bury their dead, how to render the
services of friendship to one another, how to practice justice, and how, in
some cases, not to insist on strict justice. But as for trying the people as a
judge, thou shouldst, in accordance with thy prophetic insight, choose men that
are possessed of wisdom, fear of God, modesty, hate of covetousness, love of
truth, love of humanity, and a good name, and these shall devote all their time
to trials, and to the study of the study of the Torah. If God approve my plan,
then wilt thou and Aaron, his sons and the seventy elders, and all the people
dwell in peace.” [162]

This counsel of Jethro’s found great favor in Moses’ eyes, for he had been only
too well aware of the difficulties and annoyances with which he had had to
contend. The people were very disputatious, being willing to spend seventy
silverlings in litigation costs for the sake of gaining one silverling, and did
their utmost to lengthen their disputes at law. When on say that Moses was
about to cast a decision against him, he demanded that his lawsuit be
adjourned, declaring that had witnesses and other proofs, which he would bring
forward on the next occasion. But they were not merely litigious and
disputations, they were also spiteful, and vented their temper on Moses. If
Moses went out early, they would say: “Behold the son of Amram, who betakes
himself early to the gathering of manna, that he may get the largest grains.”
If he went out late, they would say: “Behold the son of Amram, he goes through
the multitude, to gather in marks of hone.” But if he chose a path aside from
the crowd, they said: “Behold the son of Amram, who makes it impossible for us
to follow the simple commandment, to hone a sage.” Then Moses said: “If I did
this you were not content, and if I did that you were not content! I can no
longer bear you alone. ‘The Eternal, your God, hath multiplied you, and behold,
ye are this day as the stars of heaven for multitude. The Lord, God of you
fathers, make you a thousand times so many as ye are, and bless you, as he hath
promised you!”

The Israelites were not content with this blessing of Moses, and said to him:
“O our teacher Moses, we do not desire thee to bless us, we have had much
greater blessings given to us. God spoke to our father Abraham: ‘I will bless
thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven,
and as the sand which is upon the sea shore,’ and thou dost limit our
blessings.” Moses cried: “I am only a creature of flesh and blood, limited in
my powers, hence is my blessing limited. I give you my blessing, but the
blessing of God remains preserved for ye, and He will bless you unlimitedly,
and multiply you as the fish of the sea and the sands on the seashore, as the
star in the sky and the plants on the earth.” [163]

After he had bestowed his blessing upon them, he asked them to propose capable
pious men, that he might appoint them as judges and leaders over them. He said:
“If a man were to present himself to me as a candidate for this position of
honor, I alone should not be able to decide to what tribe he belonged, and
whence he came; but you know them, and hence it is advisable for you to propose
them. Do not think, however, that I feel I must abide by your choice, for it
depends solely upon me, whether or not I shall appoint them.”

The people were very eager to carry this plan of Moses into execution, and
requested him to settle the matter as quickly as possible. But their motive was
self-interested, for every one among them said: “Moses will now appoint about
eighty thousand officials. If I myself should not be among them, surely my son
will be, and if not he, my grandson, and with a gift of some kind it will be an
easy matter to induce such a judge to look after my interests at court.” Moses,
of course, was not deceived about their true sentiments; still, he paid no
further attention to them, and picked out the best men among the people, though
they were not possessed of nearly all the good qualities Jethro had thought
essential for judges and leaders of people. With kindly words he invited them
to assume their offices, and said: “Blessed are ye that are judged worthy of
being leader of the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of a people whom God
called His friends, His brothers, His flock, and other titles of love.” He
impressed upon them that they must possess much patience, and must not become
impatient if a lawsuit is brought before them more than once. “Heretofore,” he
said, “you belonged to yourselves, but from now you belong to the people; for
you judge between every man, and his brother and his neighbor. If ye are to
appoint judges, do so without respect of persons. Do not say ‘I will appoint
that man because he is a handsome man or a strong man, because he is my
kinsman, or because he is a linguist.’ Such judges will declare the innocent
guilty and the guilty innocent, not through wickedness, but through ignorance;
and God will reckon the appointment of such judges against you, as a perversion
of justice, on account of your respect of persons. If a wealthy man and a poor
man come before you to court, do not say: ‘Why should I insult the rich man for
so small a matter? I will rather give judgement in his favor, and then, outside
the court, tell him to give the poor man what he demands, as he is in the
right.’ But do not, on the other hand, if the poor man is in the wrong, say:
‘The rich man is obliged to assist the poor anyhow, I will now decide in favor
of the poor, that in a decent way he may, without begging, obtain money from
his rich fellow-man.’ Do not, moreover, say: ‘I fear to pronounce judgement,
lest that man kill my son, burn my barn, or destroy my plants,’ for the
judgement is God’s.”

After these admonitions, Moses instructed the new judges in legal procedure, in
both civil and criminal cases, and at the same time urged the people no to deny
the judges the veneration due him. [164] For great is the importance of
justice. For him who hates it, there is no remedy; but the judge who decides
conscientiously is the true peacemaker, for the weal of Israel, of the
commonwealth, and indeed of all living creatures. [165]

JETHRO REWARDED

Although the installation of elders on Moses’ part came to pass in accordance
with the command of God, still it was Jethro upon whose advice Moses besought
God to lighten his burden, and to permit him partly to transfer the leadership
of the people to others. [166] Hence he did not conceal the name of the
adviser, but announced it to all the people, and immortalized him as such in
the Holy Scriptures; for he deemed it praiseworthy to appreciate duly the
merits of others. [167] It had, however, been part of God’s scheme to reward
Jethro for the love he bore the Torah; and for this reason did He allow it to
come to pass that Moses had to have his attention called to the plan of
installing the elders through his father-in-law, that the Holy Scriptures might
devote a whole chapter to the plan of Jethro. [168]

This, however, is not the only reward for Jethro’s piety, who, in his love for
the Torah, excelled all proselytes. A miracle occurred on the very first day of
his arrival in camp for manna in his honor descended at the noon hour, the hour
of his arrival; and, moreover, in as great quantities as was wont to rain down
for sixty myriads of Israelites. He did not have to exert himself to gather the
food, for it came over his body, so all he had to do was to carry his hand to
his mouth to partake of it. [169] Jethro, nevertheless, did not remain with
Moses, but returned to his native land. Moses, of course, tried to persuade his
father-in-law to stay. He said to him: “Do not think that we shall continue to
move thus slowly through the desert, nay, we shall now move directly to the
promised land.” Only to urge Jethro to stay longer with them did Moses use the
words “we move,” so that his father-in-law might believe that Moses too would
enter the promised land, for otherwise he would hardly have allowed himself to
be persuaded to join the march to Palestine. Moses continued: “I do not want to
mislead thee, hence I will tell thee that the land will be divided only among
the twelve tribes, and that thou has no claim to possession of lands; but God
bade us be kind to the proselytes, and to thee we shall be kinder than to all
other proselytes.” Jethro, however, was not to be persuaded by his son-in-law,
considering himself in duty bound to return to his native land. For the
inhabitants of his city had for many years made a habit of having him store
their valuable, as none possessed their confidence in such a measure as he. If
he had stayed still longer with Moses, people would have declared that he had
absconded with all these things and fled to Moses to share it with him, and
that would have been a blot on his fair name and that of Moses. Jethro had
furthermore made many debts during the year in which he came to Moses, for,
owing to the hail God had sent upon Egypt before the exodus of Israel, a great
famine had arisen in Jethro’s home too, and he had found himself obliged to
lend money for the support of the poor. If he were not now to return to his
home, people would say that he had run away in order to evade his creditors,
and such talk concerning a man of piety would have been desecration of the
Divine Name. So he said to Moses: “There are people who have a fatherland, but
no property there; there are also property-holders who have no family; but I
have a fatherland, and have property there as well as a family; hence I desire
to return to my fatherland, my property, and my family.” But Moses would not
yield so soon, and said to his father-in-law: “If thou dost not accompany us as
a favor, I will command thee to do so, that the Israelites might not say thou
hadst been converted to our religion only in the expectation of receiving a
share in the promised land, but hadst returned to thy home when thou didst
discover that proselytes have no claim on property in the Holy Land. Through
thy refusal to move with us, thou wilt give the heathens an opportunity to say
that the Jews do not accept proselytes, since they did not accept even their
own king’s father-in-law, but allowed him to return to his own land. Thy
refusal will injure the glory of God, for the heathens will keep away from the
true faith. But if thou wilt wander with us, I assure thee that they seed shall
share with us the Temple, the Torah, and the future reward of the pious. How
canst thou, moreover, who hast seen all the miracles of God wrought for us
during the march through the desert; who wert a witness of the way in which
even the Egyptians became fond of us – how canst thou now depart from us? It is
a sufficient motive for thee to remain with us, in order to officiate as a
member of the Sanhedrin, and teach the Torah. We, on our part, want to retain
thee, only that thou mightest in difficult cases enlighten our eyes; for thou
wert the man who gave us good and fair counsel, to which God Himself could not
refuse His assent.” Jethro replied: “A candle may glow in the dark, but not
when the sun and the moon; of what avail would my candle-light be? I had,
therefore, better return to my home city that I may make proselytes of its
inhabitants, instruct them in the Torah, and lead them under the wings of the
Shekinah.” Amid great marks of honor, and provided with rich gifts, Jethro
returned to his home, where he converted his kinsmen and his compatriots to the
belief in the true God, as he had intended. [170]

The descendants of Jethro later settled in Palestine, where the fruitful land
of Jericho was allotted to them as a dwelling place. After the capture of
Palestine, the tribes, by mutual consent, agreed that the fertile strip of land
at Jericho should fall to the share of the tribe on whose land the Temple was
to be erected. But when its erection was postponed for a long time, they agreed
to allot this piece of land to Jethro’s sons, because they, being proselytes,
had no other possession in the Holy Land. Four hundred and eighty years did the
descendants of Jethro dwell in Jericho, when, upon the erection of the Temple
at Jerusalem, they relinquished it to the tribe of Judah, who claimed it as an
indemnity for the site of the Temple. [171]

Jethro’s descendants inherited his devotion to the Torah, like him dedicating
their lives entirely to its study. So long as Joshua lived, they sat at this
master’s feet, but when he died, they said: “We left our fatherland and came
here only for the sake of studying the Torah; if we were now to spend our time
in cultivating the soil, when should we study the Torah?” They therefore gave
up their dwelling-place in Jericho, and moved to the cold barren wilderness, to
Jabez, who there had his house of instruction. But when they there beheld the
priests, the Levites, and the noblest of the Jews, they said, “How can we,
proselytes, presume to sit beside these?” Instead of sitting within the house
of instruction, they remained at the entrance of it, where they listened to the
lectures, and in this manner made further progress in the study of the Torah.
[172] They were rewarded for their piety, their prayer was heard by God, and
their good deeds served as a protection to Israel; and on account of their
pious actions they were called “the families of the scribes,” the Tirathites,
the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites, names designating their piety and
devotion to the Torah.

One of the descendants of Jethro was Jonadab, son of Rechab, who, when he heard
from a prophet that God would destroy the Temple, bade all his children, as a
toke of mourning, to drink no wine, use no oil for anointing themselves, nor
cut their hair, nor dwell in houses. The Rechabites obeyed this command of
their sire, and as a reward for this, God made a covenant with them that their
descendants should always be members of the Sanhedrin, and teachers of Israel.
The covenant with the Rechabites was even stronger than that with David, for to
the house of the latter God promised to keep the covenant only if his
descendants were pious, but He made an unconditional covenant with the
Rechabites. God rewarded them for their devotion to Him in this way, although
they did not belong to the Jewish nation. From this one can gather how great
would have been their reward if they had been Israelites. [173]

THE TIME IS AT HAND

Moses sent his father-in-law Jethro back to his home, shortly before the
revelation on Mount Sinai. He thought: “When God gave us a single commandment
of the Torah in Egypt, the Passover, He said, ‘There shall no stranger eat
thereof.’ Surely Jethro may not look on when God bestows on us the whole
Torah.” Moses was right: God did not want Jethro to be present at the
revelation. He said: “Israel was in Egypt, bound to work with clay and bricks,
at the same time as Jethro was sitting at home in peace and quiet. He who
suffers with the community shall share their future joys, but he who does not
share the sufferings of the community shall not take part in their rejoicing.”
[174]

God had not only good cause to delay the giving of the Torah until after the
departure of Jethro, but the time He chose to bestowing it was also chosen for
a good reason. Just as a female proselyte, or a woman freed from captivity, or
an emancipated slave, may not enter wedlock before she has for three months
lived as a free Jewess, so God also waited three months after the deliverance
of Israel from the bondage and the slavery of Egypt, before His union with
Israel on Mount Sinai. [175] God furthermore treated His bride as did that king
who went to the marriage ceremony only after he had overwhelmed his chosen
bride with many gifts. So did Israel first receive manna, the well, and the
quails, and not till then was the Torah granted them. Moses, who had received
this promise when God had first appeared to him, viz., “When thou has brought
forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain” – waited
most longingly for the promised time, saying, “When will this time come to
pass?” When the time drew near, God said to Moses, “The time is at hand when I
shall bring about something entirely new.”

This new miracle of which God spoke was the healing of all the sick among the
Jews. God had wanted to give the Torah to the Jews immediately after the exodus
from Egypt, but among them were found many that were lame, halt, or deaf;
wherefore God said: “The Torah is without a blemish, hence would I not bestow
it on a nation that has in it such as are burdened with defects. Nor do I want
to wait until their children shall have grown to manhood, for I do not desire
any longer to delay the delight of the Torah.” For these reasons nothing was
left Him to do, but to heal those afflicted with disease. In the time between
the exodus from Egypt and the revelation on Mount Sinai, all the blind among
the Israelites regained their sight, all the halt became whole, so that the
Torah might be given to a sound and healthy people. God wrought for that
generation the same miracle which He will hereafter bring about in the future
world, when “the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf shall
be unstopped, the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongues of the dumb sing.”
[176] Not only physically was this generation free from blemishes, but
spiritually, too, it stood on a high plane, and it was the combined merits of
such a people that made them worthy of their high calling. Never before or
after lived a generation as worthy as this of receiving the Torah. Had there
been but one missing, God would not have given them the Torah: “for He layeth
up wisdom for the righteous; He is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.”
[177]

For one other reason did God delay the revelation of the Torah. He had intended
giving them the Torah immediately after their exodus from Egypt, but at the
beginning of the march through the desert, great discord reigned among them.
Nor was harmony established until the new moon of the third month, when they
arrived at Mount Sinai; whereupon God said: “The ways of the Torah are ways of
loveliness, and all its paths are paths of peace; I will yield the Torah to a
nation that dwells in peace and amity.” [178] This decision of God, now to give
them the Torah, also shows how mighty is the influence of penance. For they had
been sinful upon their arrival at Mount Sinai, continuing to tempt God and
doubting His omnipotence. After a short time, however, they changed in spirit;
and hardly had they reformed, when God found them worthy of revealing to them
the Torah.

The third month was chosen for the revelation, because everything that is
closely connected with the Torah and with Israel is triple in number. The Torah
consists of three parts, the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa;
similarly the oral law consists of Midrash, Halakah, and Haggadah. The
communications between God and Israel were carried on by three, Moses, Aaron,
and Miriam. Israel also is divided into three divisions, priests, Levites, and
laymen; and they are, furthermore, the descendants of the three Patriarchs,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. For God has a preference for “the third”: It was the
third of Adam’s sons, Seth, who became the ancestor of humanity, and so too it
was the third among Noah’s sons, Shem, who attained high station. Among the
Jewish kings, too, it was the third, Solomon, whom God distinguished before all
others. The number three plays a particularly important part in the life of
Moses. He belonged to the tribe of Levi, which is not only the third of the
tribes, but has a name consisting of three letters. He himself was the third of
the children of the family; his own name consists of three letters; in his
infancy he had been concealed by his mother throughout three months; and in the
third month of the year, after a preparation of three days, did he receive the
Torah on a mountain, the name of which consists of three letters. [179]

THE GENTILES REFUSE THE TORAH

The mountain on which God made his revelation bears six names: It is called the
Desert Sin, because God there announced His commandments; it is called the
Desert Kadesh, because Israel was sanctified there; the Desert Kadmut because
the pre-existing Torah was there revealed; the Desert Paran because Israel
there was greatly multiplied; the Desert Sinai because the hatred of God
against the heathens began there, for the reason that they would not accept the
Torah; and for this same reason is it called Horeh, because the annihilation of
the heathens was there decreed by God. [180] For the wrath of God against the
heathens dates from their refusal to accept the Torah offered them.

Before God gave Israel the Torah, He approached every tribe and nation, and
offered them the Torah, that hereafter they might have no excuse to say, “Had
the Holy one, blessed be He, desired to give us the Torah, we should have
accepted it.” He went to the children of Esau and said, “Will ye accept the
Torah?” They answered Him, saying, “What is written therein?” He answered them,
“Thou shalt not kill.” Then they all said: “Wilt Thou perchance take from us
the blessing with which our father Esau was blessed? For he was blessed with
the words, ‘By thy sword shalt thou live.” We do not want to accept the Torah.”
Thereupon He went to the children of Lot and said to them, “Will ye accept the
Torah?” They said, “What is written therein?” He answered, “Thou shalt not
commit unchastity.” They said: “From unchastity do we spring; we do no want to
accept the Torah.” Then He went to the children of Ishmael and said to them,
“Do ye want to accept the Torah?” They said to Him, “What is written therein?”
He answered, “Thou shalt not steal.” They said: “Wilt Thou take from us the
blessing with which our father was blessed? God promised him: ‘His hand will be
against every man.’ We do not want to accept the Thy Torah.” Thence He went to
all the other nations, who likewise rejected the Torah, saying: “We cannot give
up the law of our fathers, we do not want Thy Torah, give it to Thy people
Israel.” Upon this He came to Israel and spoke to them, “Will ye accept the
Torah?” They said to Him, “What is written therein?” He answered, “Six hundred
and thirteen commandments.” They said: “All that the Lord has spoken will we do
and be obedient.” [181] “O Lord of the world!” they continued, “We acted in
accordance with Thy commandments before they were revealed to us. Jacob
fulfilled the first of the Ten Commandments by bidding his sons put away
strange gods that were among them. Abraham obeyed the commandment not to take
the name of the Lord in vain, for he said: ‘I have lifted up mine hand unto the
Lord, the most high God.’ Joseph fulfilled the commandment to remember the
Sabbath and keep it holy; and when his brothers came to him, he had everything
for their welcome prepared on Friday. Isaac observed the law to honor his
father and his mother, when he allowed Abraham to bind him on the altar as a
sacrifice. Judah observed the commandment not to kill when he said to his
brothers, ‘What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?’
Joseph observed the law: ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery,’ when he repulsed the
desire of the wife of Potiphar. The other sons of Jacob observed the
commandment: ‘Thou shalt not steal,’ saying: ‘How then should we steal out of
thy lord’s house silver and gold?’ Abraham observed the commandment: ‘Thou
shalt not bear false witness,’ for he was a true witness, and bore witness
before all the world that Thou art the Lord of all creation. It was Abraham,
also, who observed the last of the Ten Commandments ‘Thou shalt not covet,’
saying: ‘I will not take from a thread even to a shoe-latchet.'” [182]

THE CONTEST OF THE MOUNTAINS

While the nations and peoples were refusing to accept the Torah, the mountains
among themselves were fighting for the honor of being chosen as the spot for
the revelation. One said: “Upon me shall the Shekinah of God rest, and mine
shall be this glory,” whereupon the other mountain replied: “Upon me shall the
Shekinah rest, and mine shall be this glory.” The mountain of Tabor said to the
mountain of Hermon: “Upon me shall the Shekinah rest, mine shall be this glory,
for in times of old, when in the days of Noah the flood came over the earth,
all the mountains that are under the heavens were covered with water, whereas
it did not reach my head, nay, not even my shoulder. All the earth was sunk
under water, but I, the highest of the mountains, towered high above the
waters, hence I am called upon to bear the Shekinah.” Mount Hermon replied to
Mount Tabor: “Upon me shall the Shekinah rest, I am the destined one, for when
Israel wished to pass through the Red Sea, it was I who enabled them to do so,
for I settled down between the two shores of the sea, and they moved from one
side to the other, through my aid, so that not even their clothes became wet.”
Mount Carmel was quite silent, but settled down on the shore of the sea,
thinking: “If the Shekinah is to repose on the sea, it will rest upon me, and
if it is to repose on the mainland, it will rest upon me.” Then a voice out of
the high heavens rang out and said: “The Shekinah shall not rest upon these
high mountains that are so proud, for it is not God’s will that the Shekinah
should rest upon high mountains that quarrel among themselves and look upon one
another with disdain. He prefers the low mountains, and Sinai among these,
because it is the smallest and most insignificant of all. Upon it will He let
the Shekinah rest.” [183] The other mountains hereupon said to God, “Is it
possible that Thou are partial, and wilt give us no reward for our good
intention?” God replied: “Because ye have striven in My honor will I reward ye.
Upon Tabor will I grant aid to Israel at the time of Deborah, and upon Carmel
will I give aid to Elijah.” [184]

Mount Sinai was given the preference not for its humility alone, but also
because upon it there had been no worshipping of idols; whereas the other
mountains, owing to their height, had been employed as sanctuaries by the
idolaters. [185] Mount Sinai has a further significance, too, for it had been
originally a part of Mount Moriah, on which Isaac was to have been sacrificed;
but Sinai separated itself from it, and came to the desert. Then God said:
“Because their father Isaac lay upon this mountain, bound as a sacrifice, it is
fitting that upon it his children receive the Torah.” Hence God now chose this
mountain for a brief stay during the revelation, for after the Torah had been
bestowed, He withdrew again to heaven. In the future world, Sinai will return
to its original place, Mount Moriah, when “the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above
the hills.” [186]

Just as Sinai was chosen as the spot for the revelation owing to its humility,
so likewise was Moses. When God said to Moses, “Go, deliver Israel,” he in his
great humility, said: “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the
children of Israel out of Egypt? There are nobler and wealthier than I.” But
God replied: “Thou are a great man, thee have I chosen out of all Israel. Of
thee shall the prophet of the future say, ‘I have laid help upon one that is
mighty; I have exalted on chosen out of the people.'” Moses in his humility,
however, still stood apart and would not accept the office offered him, until
God said to him “Why dost thou stand apart? If they are not to be delivered by
thee, by none other will they be delivered.” When, likewise, at God’s command
Moses had erected the Tabernacle, he did not enter it, out of great humility,
until God said to him, “Why dost thou stand outside? Thou are worthy to serve
Me.” [187]

THE TORAH OFFERED TO ISRAEL

On the second day of the third month, Moses received word form God to betake
himself to Mount Sinai, for without this direct summons he would not have gone
there. This time, as at all times, when God desired to speak with Moses, He
twice called him by name, and after he had answered, “Here I am,” God’s
revelation to him followed. [188] When Moses had been carried to God in a
cloud, which was always ready to bear him to God and the restore him to men,
God said to him: “Go and acquaint the women of Israel with the principles of
Judaism, and try with kindly words to persuade them to accept the Torah; but
expound the full contents of the Torah to the men, and with them speak solemn
words concerning it.”

There were several reasons for his going to the women first. God said: “When I
created the world, I gave My commandment concerning the forbidden fruit to Adam
only, and not to his wife Eve, and this omission had the effect that she
tempted Adam to sin. Hence it appears advisable that the women first hear My
commandments, and the men will then follow their counsel.” [189] God,
furthermore, knew that women are more scrupulous in their observance of
religious percepts, and hence He first addressed Himself to them. Then, too,
God expected the women to instruct their children in the ways of the Torah,
wherefore He sent His messenger first to them. [190]

The words that Moses was to address to the women as well as to the men, to the
Sanhedrin as well as to the people, were as follows: “You yourselves have seen
– for it is not from writings, or through tradition, or from the mouths of
others that ye learn it – what I did for you in Egypt; for although they were
idolaters, slayers of men, and men of lewd living, still I punished them not
for these sins, but only for the wrong done to you. But ye will I carry on the
wings of eagles, on the day of the revelation at Sinai, and ye will I bring to
Me when the Temple shall be erected. Since I have wrought for you so many
miracles, even before you had received the Torah and observed the laws, how
many more miracles will I work for you, when you will have received the Torah
and observed the laws! The beginning of all things is hard, but as soon as you
will have grown accustomed to obedience, all else will be easy to you. If you
will now observe the Abrahamic covenant, the Sabbath, and the commandment
against idolatry, then will you be My possession; for although everything
belongs to Me, Israel will be My especial possession, because I led them out of
Egypt, and freed them from bondage. With respect to Israel, God is like one who
receive many fields as an heritage, but one he purchased himself, and the one
he earned was dearest to his heart. I will reign alone over you, as My
possession, I and none other, so long as you keep yourselves aloof from other
peoples. If not, other peoples shall reign over you. But if you obey Me, you
shall be a nation, not only free from care, but also a nation of priests, and a
holy nation.”

If Israel had not sinned through worshipping the Golden Calf, there would be
among them no caste of priests, the nation would have been a nation of priests,
and it was only after their sin that the greater part of the people lost the
right to priesthood.

God now instructed Moses to transmit to the people His words without adding to
them or diminishing from them, in the precise order and in the same tongue, the
Hebrew. Moses hereupon betook himself to the people to deliver his message,
without first seeing his family. He first addressed the word of God to the
elders, for he never forgot the honor due the elders. Then, in simple and well
arranged form, he repeated it to all the people, including the women. Joyfully
and of his own impulse, every Israelite declared himself willing to accept the
Torah, whereupon Moses returned to God to inform Him of the decision of the
people. For although God, being omniscient, had no need of hearing from Moses
the answer of the people, still propriety demands that one who is sent on a
message return to make a report of his success to him who sent him. God
hereupon said to Moses: “I will come to thee in a thick cloud and repeat to
thee the commandments that I gave thee on Marah, so that what thou tellest them
may seem to the people as important as what they hear from Me. But not only in
thee shall they have faith, but also in the prophets and sages that will come
after thee.”

Moses then returned to the people once more, and explained to them the serious
effects that disregard of the law would have upon them. The first time he spoke
to them about the Torah, he expounded its excellencies to them, so as to induce
them to accept it; but now he spoke to them of the terrible punishments they
would bring upon themselves, if they did not observe the laws. The people did
not, however, alter their resolution, but were full of joy in the expectation
of receiving the Torah. They only wished Moses to voice to God their desire to
hear Him impart His words directly to them, so they said to Moses, “We want to
hear the words of our King from Himself.” They were not even content with this,
but wanted to see the Divine presence, for “hearing is not like seeing.” God
granted both their wishes, and commanded Moses to tell them to prepare
themselves during the next two days for receiving the Torah. [191]

ISRAEL PREPARES FOR THE REVELATION

Just as one who is to be admitted to Judaism must first submit to the three
ceremonies of circumcision, baptism, and sacrifice, so Israel did not receive
the Torah until they had performed these three ceremonies. They had already
undergone circumcision in Egypt. Baptism was imposed upon them two days before
the revelation on Mount Sinai. On the day preceding the revelation Moses
recorded in a book the covenant between Israel and their God, and on the
morning of the day of the revelation, sacrifices were offered as a
strengthening of the covenant. [192]

As there were no priests at that time, the service was performed by the elders
of Israel, who in spite of their age performed their duty with youthful vigor.
[193] Moses erected an altar on Mount Sinai, as well as twelve memorial
pillars, one for each tribe, and then bade them bring bulls, as a burnt
offering and a peace offering. [194] The blood of these animals was then
separated exactly into two halves. This was attended to by the angel Michael,
who guided Moses’ hand, and so conducted the separation of the blood that there
might be not a drop more in one half than in the other. God upon this said to
Moses: “Sprinkle the one half of the blood upon the people, as a token that
they will not barter My glory for the idols of other peoples; and sprinkle the
other half on the altar, as a token that I will not exchange them for any other
nation.” Moses did as he was bidden, and lo! the miracle came to pass that the
blood of a few animals sufficed to sprinkle every single Israelite.

Before this covenant between God and Israel had been made, Moses read aloud to
the people all of the Torah, that they might know exactly what they were taking
upon themselves. This covenant was made a second time in the desert of Moab by
Moses, and a third time by Joshua after the entrance into the promised land, on
the mountains of Gerizim and Ebal. [195]

Although the people had now clearly expressed their desire to accept the Torah,
still God hesitated to give it to them, saying: “Shall I without further ado
give you the Torah? Nay, bring Me bondsmen, that you will observe it, and I
will give you the Torah.” Israel: “O Lord of the world! Our fathers are
bondsmen for us.” God: “Your fathers are My debtors, and therefore not good
bondsmen. Abraham said, ‘Whereby shall I know it?’ and thus proved himself
lacking in faith. Isaac loved Esau, whom I hated, and Jacob did not immediately
upon his return from Padan-Aram keep his vow that he had made upon his way
there. Bring Me good bondsmen and I will give you the Torah.” Israel: “Our
prophets shall be our bondsmen.” God: “I have claims against them, for ‘like
foxes in the deserts became your prophets.’ Bring Me good bondsmen and I will
give you the Torah.” Israel: “We will give Thee our children as bondsmen.” God:
“Well, then, these are good bondmen, on whose bond I will give you the Torah.”
Hereupon the Israelites brought their wives with their babes at their breasts,
and their pregnant wives, and God made the bodies of the pregnant women
transparent as glass, and He addressed the children in the womb with these
words: “Behold, I will give your fathers the Torah. Will you be surety for them
that they will observe it?” They answered: “Yea.” He furthermore said: “I am
your God.” They answered: “Yea.” “Ye shall have no other gods.” They said:
“Nay.” In this wise the children in the womb answered every commandment with
“Yea,” and every prohibition with “Nay.” As it was the little children upon
whose bond God gave His people the Torah, it comes to pass that many little
children die when Israel does not observe the Torah. [196]

THE REVELATION ON MOUNT SINAI

From the first day of the third month, the day on which Israel arrived at Mount
Sinai, a heavy cloud rested upon them, and every one except Moses was forbidden
to ascend the mountain, yea, they durst not even stay near it, lest God smite
those who pushed forward, with hail or fiery arrows. [197] The day of the
revelation announced itself as an ominous day even in the morning, for diverse
rumblings sounded from Mount Sinai. Flashes of lightning, accompanied by an
ever swelling peal of horns, moved the people with mighty fear and trembling.
God bent the heavens, moved the earth, and shook the bounds of the world, so
that the depths trembled, and the heavens grew frightened. His splendor passed
through the four portals of fire, earthquake, storm and hail. The kings of the
earth trembled in their palaces, and they all came to the villain Balaam, and
asked him if God intended the same fate for them as for the generation of the
flood. But Balaam said to them: “O ye fools! The Holy One, blessed be He, has
long since promised Noah never again to punish the world with a flood.” The
kings of the heathen, however, were not quieted, and furthermore said: “God has
indeed promised never again to bring a flood upon the world, but perhaps He now
means to destroy it by means of fire.” Balaam said: “Nay, God will not destroy
the world either through fire or through water. The commotion throughout nature
was caused through this only, that He is not about to bestow the Torah upon His
people. ‘The Eternal will give strength unto His people.'” At this all the
kings shouted, “May the Eternal bless His people with peace,” and each one,
quieted in spirit, went to his house. [198]

Just as the inhabitants of the earth were alarmed at the revelation, and
believed the end of all time had arrived, so too did the earth. She thought the
resurrection of the dead was about to take place, and she would have to account
for the blood of the slain that she had absorbed, and for the bodies of the
murdered whom she covered. The earth was not calmed until she heard the first
words of the Decalogue. [199]

Although phenomena were perceptible on Mount Sinai in the morning, still God
did not reveal Himself to the people until noon. For owing to the brevity of
the summer nights, and the pleasantness of the morning sleep in summer, the
people were still asleep when God had descended upon Mount Sinai. Moses betook
himself to the encampment and awakened them with these words: “Arise from your
sleep, the bridegroom is at hand, and is waiting to lead his bride under the
marriage-canopy.” Moses, at the head of the procession, hereupon brought the
nation to its bridegroom, God, to Sinai, himself going up the mountain. [200]
He said to God: “Announce Thy words, Thy children are ready to obey them.”
These words of Moses rang out near and far, for on the occasion, his voice,
when he repeated the words of God to the people, had as much power as the
Divine voice that he heard. [201]

It was not indeed quite of their own free will that Israel declared themselves
ready to accept the Torah, for when the whole nation, in two divisions, men and
women, approached Sinai, God lifted up this mountain and held it over the heads
of the people like a basket, saying to them: “If you accept the Torah, it is
well, otherwise you will find you grave under this mountain.” They all burst
into tears and poured out their heart in contrition before God, and then said:
“All that the Lord hath said, will we do, and be obedient.” [202] Hardly had
they uttered these words of submission to God, when a hundred and twenty
myriads of angels descended, an provided every Israelite with a crown and a
girdle of glory – Divine gifts, which they did not lose until they worshipped
the Golden Calf, when the angels came and took the gifts away from them. [203]
At the same time with these crowns and girdles of glory, a heavenly radiance
was shed over their faces, but this also they later lost through their sins.
Only Moses retained it, whose face shone so brightly, that if even to-day a
crack were made in his tomb, the light emanating from his corpse would be so
powerful that it could not but destroy all the world. [204]

After God had bestowed upon Israel these wonderful gifts, He wanted to proceed
to the announcement of the Torah, but did not desire to do so while Moses was
with Him, that the people might not say it was Moses who had spoken out of the
cloud. Hence He sought an excuse to be rid of him. He therefore said to Moses:
“Go down, warn the people, that they shall not press forward to see, for if
even one of them were to be destroyed, the loss to Me would be as great as if
all creation had been destroyed. Bid Nadab and Abihu also, as well as the first
born that are to perform priestly duties, beware that they do not press
forward.” Moses, however, desirous of remaining with God, replied: “I have
already warned the people and set the bounds beyond which they may not
venture.” God hereupon said to Moses: “Go, descend and call upon Aaron to come
up with thee, but let him keep behind thee, while the people do not move beyond
the positions thou hadst assigned them.” Hardly had Moses left the mountain,
when God revealed the Torah to the people. [205]

This was the sixth revelation of God upon earth since the creation of the
world. The tenth and last is to take place on the Day of Judgement.

The heavens opened and Mount Sinai, freed from the earth, rose into the air, so
that its summit towered into the heavens, while a thick cloud covered the sides
of it, and touched the feet of the Divine Throne. [206] Accompanying God on one
side, appeared twenty-two thousand angels with crowns for the Levites, the only
tribe that remained true to God while the rest worshipped the Golden Calf. On
the second side were sixty myriads, three thousand five hundred and fifty
angels, each bearing a crown of fire for each individual Israelite. Double this
number of angels was on the third side, whereas on the fourth side they were
simply innumerable. For God did not appear from one direction, but from all
four simultaneously, which, however, did not prevent His glory from filling the
heaven as well as all the earth. [207] In spite of these innumerable hosts of
angels there was no crowding on Mount Sinai, no mob, there was room for all the
angels that had appeared in honor of Israel and the Torah. They had, however,
at the same time received the order to destroy Israel in case they intended to
reject the Torah. [208]

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

The first word of God on Sinai was Anoki, “It is I.” It was not a Hebrew word,
but and Egyptian word that Israel first heard from God. He treated them as did
that king his home-coming son, whom, returning from a long stay over sea, he
addressed in the language the son had acquired in a foreign land. So God
addressed Israel in Egyptian, because it was the language they spoke. At the
same time Israel recognized in this word “Anoki,” that is was God who addressed
them. For when Jacob had assembled his children around his death-bed, he warned
them to be mindful of the glory of God, and confided to them the secrets that
God would hereafter reveal to them with the word “Anoki.” He said: “With the
word ‘Anoki’ He addressed my grandfather Abraham; with the word ‘Anoki’ He
addressed my father Isaac, and with the word ‘Anoki’ He addressed me. Know,
then, that when He will come to you, and will so address, you, it will be He,
but not otherwise.” [209]

When the first commandment had come out of the mouth of God thunder and
lightning proceeded from His mouth, a torch was at His right, and a torch at
His left, and His voice flew through the air, saying: “My people, My people,
House of Israel! I am the Eternal, you God, who brought you out of the land of
Egypt.” When Israel heard the awful voice, they flew back in their horror
twelve miles, until their souls fled from them. Upon this the Torah turned to
God, saying: “Lord of the world! Hast Thou given me to the living, or to the
dead?” God said: “To the living.” The Torah: “But they are all dead.” God: “For
thy sake will I restore them to life.” Hereupon He let fall upon them the dew
that will hereafter revive the dead, and they returned to life.

The trembling of heaven and earth that set in upon the perception of the Divine
voice, alarmed Israel so greatly that they could hardly stand on their feet.
God hereupon sent to every one of them two angels; on lay his hand upon the
heart of each, that his soul might not depart, and on to lift the head of each,
that he might behold his Maker’s splendor. They beheld the glory of God as well
as the otherwise invisible word when it emanated from the Divine vision, and
rolled forward to their ears, whereupon they perceived these words: “Wilt thou
accept the Torah, which contains two hundred and forty-eight commandments,
corresponding to the number of the members of they body?” They answered: “Yea,
yea.” Then the word passed from the ear to the mouth; it kissed the mouth, then
rolled again to the ear again to the ear, and called to it: “Wilt thou accept
the Torah, which contains three hundred and sixty-five prohibitions,
corresponding to the days of the year?” And when they replied, “Yea, yea,”
again the word turned from the ear to the mouth and kissed it. After the
Israelites had in this wise taken upon themselves the commandments and the
prohibitions, God opened the seven heavens and the seven earths, and said:
“Behold, these are My witnesses that there is none like Me in the heights or on
earth! See that I am the Only One, and that I have revealed Myself in My
splendor and My radiance! If anyone should say to you, ‘Go, serve other gods,’
then say: ‘Can one who has seen his Maker, face to face, in His splendor, in
His glory and His strength, leave Him and become an idolater?’ See, it is I
that have delivered you out of the house of bondage; it is I that cleaved the
seas before you and led you on dry land, while I submerged you enemies in the
depths. [210] I am the God of the dry land as well as the sea, of the past as
well as of the future, the God of this world as well as of the future worlds.
[211] I am the God of all nations, but only with Israel is My name allied. If
they fulfil My wishes, I, the Eternal, am merciful, gracious and long
suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth; but if you are disobedient, then
will I be a stern judge. If you had not accepted the Torah, no punishment could
have fallen upon you were you not to fulfil it, but now that you have accepted
it, you must obey it.” [212]

In order to convince Israel of the unity and uniqueness of God, He bade all
nature stand still, that all might see that there is nothing beside Him. When
God bestowed the Torah, no bird sang, no ox lowed, the Ofannim did not fly, the
Seraphim uttered not their “Holy, holy, holy,” the sea did not roar, no
creature uttered a sound – all listened in breathless silence to the words
announced by an echoless voice, “I am the Lord you God.” [213]

These words as well as the others, made know by God on Mount Sinai, were not
heard by Israel alone, but by the inhabitants of all the earth. The Divine
voice divided itself into the seventy tongues of men, so that all might
understand it; but whereas Israel could listen to the voice without suffering
harm, the souls of the heathens almost fled from them when they heard it. [214]
When the Divine voice sounded, all the dead in Sheol were revived, and betook
themselves to Sinai; for the revelation took place in the presence of the
living as well as of the dead, yea, even the souls of those who were not yet
born were present. Every prophet, every sage, received at Sinai his share of
the revelation, which in the course of history was announced by them to
mankind. [215] All heard indeed the same words, but the same voice,
corresponding to the individuality of each, was God’s way of speaking with
them. And as the same voice sounded differently to each one, so did the Divine
vision appear differently to each, wherefore God warned them not to ascribe the
various forms to various beings, saying: “Do not believe that because you have
seen Me in various forms, there are various gods, I am the same that appeared
to you at the Red Sea as a God of war, and at Sinai as a teacher.” [216]

THE OTHER COMMANDMENTS REVEALED ON SINAI

After Israel had accepted the first commandment with a “Yea,” God said: “As you
have now acknowledged Me as you sovereign, I can now give you commands: Thou
shalt not acknowledge the gods of other nations as such, for they bring no
advantage to those who adore them; this thou shalt not do while I exist. I have
given you my Torah in order to lend sovereignty to you, hence you must not
kindle My wrath by breaking My covenant through idolatry. You shall not worship
dead idols, but Him who kills and restores to life, and in whose hand are all
living things. Do not learn the works of other nations, for their works are
vanity. I, the Eternal, you God, rule over zeal and am not ruled by it; I wait
until the fourth generation to visit punishment. But those who love Me, or fear
Me, will I reward even unto the thousandth generation.”

When Moses heard these words, according to which God would visit upon the
descendants the sins of their fathers only if the consecutive generations were
one after another sinful, he cast himself upon the ground and thanked God for
it; for he knew it never occurred among Israel that three consecutive
generations were sinful. [217]

The third commandment read: “O My people of Israel, none among you shall call
the name of the Lord in vain, for he who swears falsely by the name of the Lord
shall not go unpunished on the great Judgement Day.” [218] Swearing falsely has
terrible consequences not only for the one who does it, but it endangers all
the world. For when God created the world, He laid over the abyss a shard, on
which is engraved the Ineffable Name, that the abyss may not burst forth and
destroy the world. But as often as on swears falsely in God’s name, the letters
of the Ineffable Name fly away, and as there is then nothing to restrain the
abyss, the waters burst forth from it to destroy the world. This would surely
come to pass, if God did not sent the angel Ya’asriel, who has charge of the
seventy pencils, to engrave anew the Ineffable Name on the shard. [219]

God said then to Israel, “If you accept My Torah and observe My laws, I will
give you for all eternity a thing most precious that I have in My possession.”
“And what,” replied Israel, “is that precious thing which Thou wilt give us if
we obey Thy Torah?” God: “The future world.” Israel: “But even in this world
should we have a foretaste of that other.” God: “The Sabbath will give you this
foretaste. [220] Be mindful of the Sabbath on the seventh day of the creation
of the world.” For when the world was created, the seventh day came before God,
and said to Him: “All that Thou has created is in couples, why not I?”
Whereupon God replied, “The community of Israel shall be thy spouse.” Of this
promise that God had made to the seventy day, He reminded the people on Mount
Sinai, when he gave them the fourth commandment, to keep the Sabbath holy.
[221]

When the nations of the earth heard the first commandment, they said: “There is
no king that does not like to see himself acknowledged as sovereign, and just
so does God desire His people to pledge unto Him their allegiance.” At the
second commandment they said: “No king suffers a king beside himself, nor does
the God of Israel.” At the third commandment they said: “Is there a king that
would like to have people swear false oaths by his name?” At the fourth
commandment they said: “No King dislikes to see his birthday celebrated.” But
when the people heard the fifth commandment, “Honor thy father and thy mother,”
they said: “According to our laws, if a man enrolls himself as a servant of the
king, he thereby disowns his parents. God, however, makes it a duty to honor
father and mother; truly, for this is honor due to Him.” [222]

It was with these words that the fifth commandment was emphasized: “Honor thy
parents to whom thou owest existence, as thou honorest Me. Honor the body that
bore thee, and the breasts that gave thee suck, maintain thy parents, for thy
parents took part in thy creation.” [223] For man owes his existence to God, to
his father, and to his mother, in that he receives from each of his parents
five of the parts of his body, and ten from God. The bones, the veins, the
nails, the brain, and the white of the eye come from the father. The mother
gives him skin, flesh, blood, hair, and the pupil of the eye. God gives him the
following: breath, soul, light of countenance, sight, hearing, speech, touch,
sense, insight, and understanding. [224] When a human being honors his parents,
God says: “I consider it as if I had dwelled among men and they had honored
Me,” but if people do not honor their parents, God say: “It is good that I do
not dwell among men, or they would have treated Me superciliously, too.” [225]

God not only commanded to love and fear parents as Himself, but in some
respects He places the honor due to parents even higher than that due Him. A
man is only then obliged to support the poor or to perform certain religious
ceremonies, if he has the wherewithal, but it is the duty of each one even to
go begging at men’ doors, if he cannot otherwise maintain his parents. [226]

The sixth commandment said: “O My people Israel, be no slayers of men, do not
associate with murderers, and shun their companionship, that your children may
not learn the craft of murder.” As a penalty for deeds of murder, God will send
a devastating war over mankind. [227] There are two divisions in Sheol, an
inner and an outer. In the latter are all those who were slain before their
time. There they stay until the course of the time predestined them is run; and
every time a murder has been committed, God says: “Who has slain this person
and has forced Me to keep him in the outer Sheol, so that I must appear
unmerciful to have removed him from earth before his time?” [228] On the
Judgement Day the slain will appear before God, and will implore Him: “O Lord
of the world! Thou hast formed me, Thou hast developed me, Thou hast been
gracious unto me while I was in the womb, so that I left it unharmed. Thou in
Thy great mercy hast provided for me. O Lord of all worlds! Grant me
satisfaction from this villain that knew no pity for me.” Then God’s wrath will
be kindled against the murderer, into Gehenna will he throw him and damn him
for all eternity, while the slain will see satisfaction given him, and be glad.
[229]

The seventh commandment says: “O My people of Israel, be not adulterers, nor
the accomplices or companions of adulterers, that your children after you may
not be adulterers. Commit no unchaste deeds, with your hands, feet, eyes, or
ears, for as a punishment therefore the plague will come over the world.” [230]

This is the eighth commandment: “Be not thief, nor the accomplice or companion
of thieves, that your children may not become thieves.” As a penalty for
robbery and theft famine will come upon the world. [231] God may forgive
idolatry, but never theft, and He is always ready to listen to complaints
against forgers and robbers. [232]

The ninth commandment reads: “O My people of Israel, bear not false witness
against your companions, for in punishment for this the clouds will scatter, so
that there may be no rain, and famine will ensue owing to drought.” God is
particularly severe with a false witness because falsehood is the one quality
that God did not create, but is something that men themselves produces. [233]

The content of the tenth commandment is: “O My people Israel, covet not the
possessions of your neighbors, for owing to this sin will the government take
their possessions from the people, so that even the wealthiest will become poor
and will have to go into exile.” [234] The tenth commandment is directed
against a sin that sometimes leads to a trespassing of all the Ten
Commandments. If a man covets his neighbor’s wife and commits adultery, he
neglects the first commandment: “I am the Eternal, thy God,” for he commits his
crime in the dark and thinks that none sees him, not even the Lord, whose eyes
float over all the world, and see good as well as evil. He oversteps the second
commandment: “Thou shalt not have strange gods besides Me…, I am a jealous
God,” who is wroth against faithlessness, whether toward Me, or toward men. He
breaks the third commandment: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in
vain,” for he swears he has not committed adultery, but he did so. He is the
cause of profanation of the Sabbath, the consecration of which God commands in
the fourth commandment, because in his illegal relation he generates
descendants who will perform priestly duties in the Temple on the Sabbath,
which, being bastards, they have no right to do. The fifth commandment will be
broken by the children of the adulterer, who will honor as a father a strange
man, and will not even know their true father. He breaks the sixth commandment:
“Thou shalt not kill,” if he is surprised by the rightful husband, for every
time a man goes to a strange woman, he does so with the consciousness that this
may lead to his death or the death of his neighbor. The trespassing of the
seventh commandment: “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” is the direct outcome of
a forbidden coveting. The eighth commandment: “Thou shalt not steal,” is broken
by the adulterer, for he steals another man’s fountain of happiness. The ninth
commandment” “Thou shalt not bear false witness,” is broken by the adulterous
woman, who pretends that the fruit of her criminal relations is the child of
her husband. In this way, the breaking of the tenth commandment has not only
led to all the other sins, but has also the evil effect that the deceived
husband leaves his whole property to one who is not his son, so that the
adulterer robs him of his possessions as well as of his wife. [235]

THE UNITY OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

The Ten Commandments are so closely interwoven, that the breaking of one leads
to the breaking of another. But there is a particularly strong bond of union
between the first five commandments, which are written on one table, and the
last five, which were on the other table. The first commandment: “I am the
Lord, thy God,” corresponds to the sixth: “Thou shalt not kill,” for the
murderer slays the image of God. The second: “Thou shalt have no strange gods
before me,” corresponds to the seventh: “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” for
conjugal faithlessness is as grave a sin as idolatry, which is faithlessness to
God. The third commandment: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord in vain,”
corresponds to the eighth: “Thou shalt not steal,” for theft leads to false
oath. The fourth commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,”
corresponds to the ninth: “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy
neighbor,” for he who bears false witness against his neighbor commits as grave
a sin as if he had borne false witness against God, saying that He had not
created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, the Sabbath. The fifth
commandment: “Honor thy father and thy mother,” corresponds to the tenth:
“Covet not thy neighbor’s wife,” for one who indulges this lust produces
children who will not honor their true father, but will consider a stranger
their father. [236]

The Ten Commandments, which God first revealed on Mount Sinai, correspond in
their character to the ten words of which He had made use at the creation of
the world. The first commandment: “I am the Lord, thy God,” corresponds to the
first word at the creation: “Let there be light,” for God is the eternal light.
The second commandment: “Thou shalt have no strange gods before me,”
corresponds to the second word: “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the
waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” For God said: “Choose
between Me and the idols; between Me, the fountain of living waters, and the
idols, the stagnant waters.” The third commandment: “Thou shalt not take the
name of thy God in vain” corresponds to the word: “Let the waters be gathered
together,” for as little as water can be gathered in a cracked vessel, so can a
man maintain his possession which he has obtained through false oaths. The
fourth commandment: “Remember to keep the Sabbath holy,” corresponds to the
word: “Let the earth bring forth grass,” for he who truly observes the Sabbath
will receive good things from God without having to labor for them, just as the
earth produces grass that need not be sown. For at the creation of man it was
God’s intention that he be free from sin, immortal, and capable of supporting
himself by the products of the soil without toil. The fifth commandment: “Honor
thy father and thy mother,” corresponds to the word: “Let there be lights in
the firmament of the heaven,” for God said to man: “I gave thee two lights, thy
father and thy mother, treat them with care.” The sixth commandment: “Thou
shalt not kill,” corresponds to the word: “Let the waters bring forth
abundantly the moving creature,” for God said: “Be not like the fish, among
whom the great swallow the small.” The seventh commandment: “Thou shalt not
commit adultery,” corresponds to the word: “Let the earth bring forth the
living creature after his kind,” for God said: “I chose for thee a spouse,
abide with her.” The eighth commandment: “Thou shalt not steal,” corresponds to
the word: “Behold, I have given you every herb-bearing seed,” for none, said
God, should touch his neighbor’s goods, but only that which grows free as the
grass, which is the common property of all. The ninth commandment: “Thou shalt
not bear false witness against thy neighbor,” corresponds to the word: “Let us
make man in our image.” Thou, like thy neighbor, art made in My image, hence
bear not false witness against thy neighbor. The tenth commandment: “Thou shalt
not covet the wife of thy neighbor,” corresponds to the tenth word of the
creation: “It is not good for man to be alone,” for God said: “I created thee a
spouse, and let not one among ye covet his neighbor’s wife.” [237]

MOSES CHOSEN AS INTERMEDIATOR

After Israel had heard the Ten Commandments, they supposed that God would on
this occasion reveal to them all the rest of the Torah. But the awful vision on
Mount Sinai, where they heard the visible and saw the audible – the privilege
was granted them that even the slave women among them saw more than the
greatest prophet of later times – this vision has so exhausted them that they
would surely have perished, had they heard another word from God. They
therefore went to Moses and implored him to be the intermediator between them
and God. God found their wish right, so that He not only employed Moses as His
intermediator, but determined in all future times to send prophets to Israel as
messengers of His words. Turning to Moses, God said: “All that they have spoken
is good. If it were possible, I would even now dismiss the Angel of Death, but
death against humanity has already been decreed by Me, hence it must remain.
[238] Go, say unto them: ‘Return to your tents,’ but stay thou with Me.” In
these words God indicated to Israel that they might again enter upon conjugal
relations, from which they has abstained throughout three days, while Moses
should forever have to deny himself all earthly indulgences. [239]

Moses in his great wisdom now knew how, in a few words, to calm the great
excitement of the myriads of men, saying to them: “God gave you the Torah and
wrought marvels for you, in order, through this and through the observances of
the laws which He imposed upon you, to distinguish you before all other nations
on earth. Consider, however, that whereas up to this time you have been
ignorant, and your ignorance served as your excuse, you now know exactly what
to do and what not to do. Until now you did not know that the righteous are to
be rewarded and the godless to be punished in the future world, but now you
know it. But as long as you will have a feeling of shame, you will not lightly
commit sins.” Hereupon the people withdrew twelve miles from Mount Sinai, while
Moses stepped quite close before the Lord. [240]

In the immediate proximity of God are the souls of the pious, a little farther
Mercy and Justice, and close to these was the position Moses was allowed to
occupy. [241] The vision of Moses, owing to his nearness to God, was clear and
distinct, unlike that of the other prophets, who saw but dimly. He is
furthermore distinguished from all the other prophets, that he was conscious of
his prophetic revelations, while they were unconscious in the moments of
prophecy. A third distinction of Moses, which he indeed shared with Aaron and
Samuel, was that God revealed Himself to him in a pillar of cloud. [242]

In spite of these great marks of favor to Moses, the people still perceived the
difference between the first two commandments, which they heard directly from
God, and those that they learned through Moses’ intercession. For when they
heard the words, “I am the Eternal, thy Lord,” the understanding of the Torah
became deep-rooted in their hearts, so that they never forgot what they thus
learned. But they forgot some of the things Moses taught, for as man is a being
of flesh and blood, and hence ephemeral, so are his teachings ephemeral. They
hereupon came to Moses, saying: “O, if He would only reveal Himself once more!
O that once more He would kiss us with the kisses of His mouth! O that
understanding of the Torah might remain firm in our hearts as before!” Moses
answered: “It is no longer possible now, but it will come to pass in the future
world, when He will put His law in their inward parts, and write it in their
hearts.”

Israel had another reason for regretting the choice of an intermediator between
themselves and God. When they heard the second commandment: “Thou shalt have no
strange gods beside Me,” the evil impulse was torn out from their hearts. But
as soon as they requested Moses to intercede for them, the evil impulse set in
once more in its old place. In vain, however, did they plead with Moses to
restore the former direct communication between them and God, so that the evil
impulse might be taken from them. For he said: “It is no longer possible now,
but in the future world He will ‘take out of your flesh the stony heart.'”
[243]

Although Israel had now heard only the first two commandments directly from
God, still the Divine apparition had and enormous influence upon this
generation. Never in the course of their lives was any physical impurity heard
of among them, nor did any vermin succeed in infesting their bodies, and when
they died, their corpses remained free from worms and insects. [244]

MOSES AND THE ANGELS STRIVE FOR THE TORAH

The day on which God revealed Himself on Mount Sinai was twice as long as
ordinary days. For on that day the sun did not set, a miracle that was four
times more repeated for Moses’ sake. [245] When this long day had drawn to its
close, Moses ascended the holy mountain, where he spent a week to rid himself
of all mortal impurity, so that he might betake himself to God into heaven. At
the end of his preparations, God called him to come to Him. [246] Then a cloud
appeared and lay down before him, but he knew not whether to ride upon it or
merely to hold fast to it. Then suddenly the mouth of the cloud flew open, and
he entered into it, and walked about in the firmament as a man walks about on
earth. Then he met Kemuel, the porter, the angel who is in charge of twelve
thousand angels of destruction, who are posted at the portals of the firmament.
He spoke harshly to Moses, saying: “What dost thou here, son of Amram, on this
spot, belonging to the angels of fire?” Moses answered: “Not of my own impulse
do I come here, but with the permission of the Holy One, to receive the Torah
and bear it down to Israel.” As Kemuel did not want to let him pass, Moses
struck him and destroyed him out of the world, whereupon he went on his way
until the angel Hadarniel came along.

This angel is sixty myriads of parasangs taller than his fellows, and at every
word that passes out of his mouth, issue twelve thousand fiery lightning
flashes. When he beheld Moses he roared at him: “What dost thou here, son of
Amram, here on the spot of the Holy and High?” When Moses heard his voice, he
grew exceedingly frightened, his eyes shed tears, and soon he would have fallen
from the cloud. But instantly the pity of God for Moses was awakened, and He
said to Hadarniel: “You angels have been quarrelsome since the day I created
you. In the beginning, when I wanted to create Adam, you raised complaint
before Me and said, ‘What is man that Thou are mindful of him!’ and My wrath
was kindled against you and I burned scores of you with My little finger. Now
again ye commence strife with the faithful one of My house, whom I have bidden
to come up here to receive the Torah and carry it down to My chosen children
Israel, although you know that if Israel did not receive the Torah, you would
no longer be permitted to dwell in heaven.” When Hadarniel heard this, he said
quickly to the Lord: “O Lord of the world! It is manifest and clear to Thee,
that I was not aware he came hither with Thy permission, but since I now know
it, I will be his messenger and go before him as a disciple before his master.”
Hadarniel hereupon, in a humble attitude, ran before Moses as a disciple before
his master, until he reached the fire of Sandalfon, when he spoke to Moses,
saying: “Go, turn about, for I may not stay in this spot, or the fire of
Sandalfon will scorch me.”

This angel towers above his fellows by so great height, that it would take five
hundred years to cross over it. He stands behind the Divine Throne and binds
garlands for his Lord. Sandalfon does not know the abiding spot of the Lord
either, so that he might set the crown on His head, but he charms the crown, so
that it rises of its own accord until it reposes on the head of the Lord. As
soon as Sandalfon bids the crown rise, the hosts on high tremble and shake, the
holy animals burst into paeans, the holy Seraphim roar like lions and say:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.”
When the crown has reached the Throne of Glory, the wheels of the Throne are
instantly set in motion, the foundations of its footstool tremble, and all the
heavens are seized with trembling and horror. As soon as the crown now passes
the Throne of Glory, to settle upon its place, all the heavenly hosts open
their mouths, saying: “Praised be the glory of the Eternal from His place.” And
when the crown has reached its destination, all the holy animals, the Seraphim,
the wheels of the Throne, and the hosts on high, the Cherubim and the Hashmalim
speak with one accord: “The Eternal is King, the Eternal was King, the Eternal
will be King in all eternity.”

Now when Moses beheld Sandalfon, he was frightened, and in his alarm came near
to falling out of the cloud. In tears he imploringly begged God for mercy, and
was answered. In His bountiful love of Israel, He Himself descended from the
Throne of His glory and stood before Moses, until he had passed the flames of
Sandalfon.

After Moses had passed Sandalfon, he ran across Rigyon, the stream of fire, the
coals of which burn the angels, who dip into them every morning, are burned,
and then arise anew. This stream with the coals of fire is generated beneath
the Throne of Glory out of the perspiration of the holy Hayyot, who perspire
fire out of fear of God. God, however, quickly drew Moses past Rigyon without
his suffering any injury.

As he passed on he met the angel Gallizur, also called Raziel. He it is who
reveals the teachings to his Maker, and makes known in the world what is
decreed by God. For he stands behind the curtains that are drawn before the
Throne of God, and sees and hears everything. Elijah on Horeb hears that which
Raziel calls down into the world, and passes his knowledge on. This angel
performs other functions in heaven. He stands before the Throne with outspread
wings, and in this way arrests the breath of the Hayyot, the heat of which
would otherwise scorch all the angels. He furthermore puts the coals of Rigyon
into a glowing brazier, which he holds up to kings, lords, and princes, and
from which their faces receive a radiance that makes men fear them. When Moses
beheld him, he trembled, but God led him past unhurt.

He then came to a host of Angels of Terror that surround the Throne of Glory,
and are the strongest and mightiest among the angels. These now wished to
scorch Moses with their fiery breath, but God spread His radiance of splendor
over Moses, and said to him: “Hold on tight to the Throne of My Glory, and
answer them.” [247] For as soon as the angels became aware of Moses in heaven,
they said to God: “What does he who is born of woman here?” And God’s answer
was as follows: “He has come to receive the Torah.” They furthermore said: “O
Lord, content Thyself with the celestial beings, let them have the Torah, what
wouldst Thou with the dwellers of the dust?” Moses hereupon answered the
angels: “It is written in the Torah: ‘I am the Eternal, thy Lord, that have led
thee out of the land of Egypt and out of the house of bondage.’ Were ye
perchance enslaved in Egypt and then delivered, that ye are in need of the
Torah? It is further written in the Torah: ‘Thou shalt have no other gods.’ Are
there perchance idolaters among ye, that ye are in need of the Torah? It is
written: ‘Thou shalt not utter the name of the Eternal, thy God, in vain,’ Are
there perchance business negotiations among ye, that ye are in need of the
Torah to teach you the proper form of invocation? It is written: ‘Remember to
keep the Sabbath holy.’ Is there perchance any work among you, that ye are in
need of the Torah? It is written: ‘Honor thy father and thy mother.’ Have ye
perchance parents, that ye are in need of the Torah? It is written: ‘Thou shalt
not kill.’ Are there perchance murderers among ye, that ye are in need of the
Torah? It is written: ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery.’ Are there perchance
women among ye, that ye are in need of the Torah? It is written: ‘Thou shalt
not steal.’ Is there perchance money in heaven, that ye are need of the Torah?
It is written: ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.’ Is
there perchance any false witness among ye, that ye are in need of the Torah?
It is written: ‘Covet not the house of thy neighbor.’ Are there perchance
houses, fields, or vineyards among ye, that ye are in need of the Torah?” The
angels hereupon relinquished their opposition to the delivering of the Torah
into the hands of Israel, and acknowledged that God was right to reveal it to
mankind, saying: “Eternal, our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the
earth! Who hast set Thy glory upon the heavens.”

Moses now stayed forty days in heaven to learn the Torah from God. But when he
started to descend and beheld the hosts of the angels of terror, angels of
trembling, angels of quaking, and angels of horror, then through his fear he
forgot all he had learned. For this reason God called the angel Yefefiyah, the
prince of the Torah, who handed over to Moses the Torah, “ordered in all things
and sure.” All the other angels, too, became his friends, and each bestowed
upon him a remedy as well as the secret of the Holy Names, as they are
contained in the Torah, and as they are applied. Even the Angel of Death gave
him a remedy against death. The applications of the Holy Names, which the
angels through Yefefiyah, the prince of the Torah, and Metatron, the prince of
the Face, taught him, Moses passed on to the high-priest Eleazar, who passed
them to his son Phinehas, also known as Elijah. [248]

MOSES RECEIVES THE TORAH

When Moses reached heaven, he found God occupied ornamenting the letters in
which the Torah was written, with little crown-like decorations, and he looked
on without saying a word. God then said to him: “In thy home, do not people
know the greeting of peace?” Moses: “Does it behoove a servant to address his
Master?” God: “Thou mightest at least have wished Me success in My labors.”
Moses hereupon said: “Let the power of my Lord be great according as Thou hast
spoken.” [249] Then Moses inquired as the significance of the crowns upon the
letter, and was answered: “Hereafter there shall live a man called Akiba, son
of Joseph, who will base in interpretation a gigantic mountain of Halakot upon
every dot of these letters.” Moses said to God: “Show me this man.” God: “Go
back eighteen ranks.” Moses went where he was bidden, and could hear the
discussions of the teacher sitting with his disciples in the eighteenth rank,
but was not able to follow these discussions, which greatly grieved him. But
just then he heard the disciples questioning their master in regard to a
certain subject: “Whence dost thou know this?” And he answered, “This is a
Halakah given to Moses on Mount Sinai,” and not Moses was content. Moses
returned to God and said to Him: “Thou has a man like Akiba, and yet dost Thou
give the Torah to Israel through me!” But God answered: “Be silent, so has it
been decreed by Me.” Moses then said: “O Lord of the world! Thou has permitted
me to behold this man’s learning, let see also the reward which will be meted
out to him.” God said: “Go, return and see.” Moses saw them sell the flesh of
the martyr Akiba at the meat market. He said to God: “Is this the reward for
such erudition?” But God replied: “Be silent, thus have I decreed.” [250]

Moses then saw how God wrote the word “long-suffering” in the Torah, and asked:
“Does this mean that Thou hast patience with the pious?” But God answered:
“Nay, with sinners also am I long-suffering.” “What!” exclaimed Moses, “Let the
sinners perish!” God said no more, but when Moses implored God’s mercy, begging
Him to forgive the sin of the people of Israel, God answered him: “Thou thyself
didst advice Me to have no patience with sinners and to destroy them.” “Yea,”
said Moses, “but Thou didst declare that Thou art long-suffering with sinners
also, let now the patience of the Lord be great according as Thou has spoken.”
[251]

The forty days that Moses spent in heaven were entirely devoted to the study of
the Torah, he learned the written as well as the oral teaching, yea, even the
doctrines that an able scholar would some day propound were revealed to him.
[252] He took an especial delight in hearing the teachings of the Tanna Rabbi
Eliezer, and received the joyful message that this great scholar would be one
of his descendants. [253]

The study of Moses was so planned for the forty days, that by day God studied
with him the written teachings, and by night the oral. In this way was he
enabled to distinguish between night and day, for in heaven “the night shineth
as the day.” There were other signs also by which he could distinguish night
from day; for if he heard the angels praise God with “Holy, holy, holy, is the
Lord of hosts,” he knew that it was day; but if they praised Him with “Blessed
be the Lord to whom blessing is due,” he knew it was night. Then, too, if he
saw the sun appear before God and cast itself down before Him, he knew that it
was night; if, however, the moon and the stars cast themselves at His feet, he
knew that it was day. He could also tell time by the occupation of the angels,
for by day they prepared manna for Israel, and by night they sent it down to
earth. The prayers he heard in heaven served him as another token whereby he
might know the time, for if he heard the recitation of the Shema’ precede
prayer, he knew that it was day, but if the prayer preceded the recitation of
the Shema’, then it was night. [254]

During his stay with Him, God showed Moses all the seven heavens, and the
celestial temple, and the four colors that he was to employ to fit up the
tabernacle. Moses found it difficult to retain the color, whereupon God said to
him: “Turn to the right,” and as he turned, he saw a host of angels in garments
that had the color of the sea. “This,” said God, “is violet.” Then He bade
Moses turn to the left, and there he saw angels dressed in red, and God said:
“This is royal purple.” Moses hereupon turned around to the rear, and saw
angels robed in a color that was neither purple nor violet, and God said to
him: “This color is crimson.” Moses then turned about and saw angels robed in
white, and God said to him: “This is the color of twisted linen.” [255]

Although Moses now devoted both night and day to the study of the Torah, he
still learned nothing, for hardly had he learned something from God when he
forgot it again. Moses thereupon said to God: “O Lord of the world! Forty days
have I devoted to studying the Torah, without having profited anything by it.”
God therefore bestowed the Torah upon Moses, and now he could descend to
Israel, for now he remembered all that he had learned. [256]

Hardly had Moses descended from heaven with the Torah, when Satan appeared
before the Lord and said: “Where, forsooth, is the place where the Torah is
kept?” For Satan knew nothing of the revelation of God on Sinai, as God had
employed him elsewhere on purposes, that he might not appear before him as an
accuser, saying: “Wilt Thou give the Torah to a people that forty days later
will worship the Golden Calf?” In answer to Satan’s question regarding the
whereabouts of the Torah, God said: “I gave the Torah to Earth.” To earth,
then, Satan betook himself with his query: “Where is the Torah?” Earth said:
“God knows of its course, He knoweth its abiding-place, for ‘He looketh to the
ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven.'” Satan now passed on to
the sea to seek for the Torah, but the sea also said: “It is not with me,” and
the abyss said: “It is not in me.” Destruction and death said: “We have heard
the fame thereof with our ears.” Satan now returned to God and said: “O Lord of
the world! Everywhere have I sought the Torah, but I found it not.” God
replied: “Go, seek the son of Amram.” Satan now hastened to Moses and asked
him: “Where is the Torah that God hath given thee?” Whereupon Moses answered:
“Who am I, that the Holy One, blessed be He, should have given me the Torah?”
God hereupon spoke to Moses: “O Moses, thou utterest a falsehood.” But Moses
answered: “O Lord of the world! Thou hast in Thy possession a hidden treasure
that daily delights Thee. Dare I presume to declare it my possession?” Then God
said: “As a reward for thy humility, the Torah shall be named for thee, and it
shall henceforth be known as the Torah of Moses.” [257]

Moses departed from the heavens with the two tables on which the Ten
Commandments were engraved, and just the words of it are by nature Divine, so
too are the tables on which they are engraved. These were created by God’s own
hand in the dusk of the first Sabbath at the close of the creation, and were
made of a sapphire-like stone. On each of the two tables are the Ten
Commandments, four times repeated, and in such wise were they engraved that the
letters were legible on both sides, for, like the tables, the writing and the
pencils for inscription, too, were of heavenly origin. Between the separate
commandments were noted down all the precepts of the Torah in all their
particulars, although the tables were not more than six hands in length and as
much in width. [258] It is another of the attributes of the tables, that
although they are fashioned out of the hardest stone, they can still be rolled
up like a scroll. [259] When God handed the tables to Moses, He seized them by
the top third, whereas Moses took hold of the bottom third, but on third
remained open, and it was in this way that the Divine radiance was shed upon
Moses’ face. [260]

THE GOLDEN CALF

When God revealed Himself upon Mount Sinai, all Israel sang a song of
jubilation to the Lord, for their faith in God was on this occasion without
bounds and unexampled, except possibly at the time of the Messiah, when they
likewise will cherish this firm faith. The angels, too, rejoiced with Israel,
only God was down-cast on this day and sent His voice “out of thickest
darkness,” in token of His sorrow. The angels hereupon said to God: “Is not the
joy that Thou hast created Thine?” But God replied: “You do not know what the
future will bring.” He knew that forty days later Israel would give the lie to
the words of God: “Thou shalt have no other gods before Me,” and would adore
the Golden Calf. [261] And truly, God had sufficient cause to grow sad at this
thought, for the worship of the Golden Calf had more disastrous consequences
for Israel than any other of their sins. God had resolved to give life
everlasting to the nation that would accept the Torah, hence Israel upon
accepting the Torah gained supremacy over the Angel of Death. But they lost
this power when they worshipped the Golden Calf. As a punishment for this,
their sin, they were doomed to study the Torah in suffering and bondage, in
exile and unrest, amid cares of life and burdens, until, in the Messianic time
and in the future world, God will compensate them for all their sufferings.
[262] But until that time there is no sorrow that falls to Israel’s lot that is
not in part a punishment for their worship of the Golden Calf. [263]

Strange as it may seem that Israel should set out to worship this idol at the
very time when God was busied with the preparation of the two tables of the
law, still the following circumstances are to be considered. When Moses
departed from the people to hasten to God to receive the Torah, he said to
them: “Forty days from to-day I will bring you the Torah.” But at noon on the
fortieth day Satan came, and with a wizard’s trick conjured up for the people a
vision of Moses lying stretched out dead on a bier that floated midway between
earth and heaven. Pointing to it with their fingers, they cried: “This is the
man Moses that bought us up out of the land of Egypt.” [264] Under the
leadership of the magicians Jannes and Jambres, they appeared before Aaron,
saying: “The Egyptians were wont to carry their gods about with them, to dance
and play before them, that each might be able to behold his gods; and now we
desire that thou shouldst make us a god such as the Egyptians had.” When Hur,
the son of Miriam, whom Moses during his absence had appointed joint leader of
the people with Aaron, owing to his birth which placed him among the notables
of highest rank, beheld this, he said to them: “O ye frivolous ones, you are no
longer mindful of the many miracles God wrought for you.” In their wrath, the
people slew this pious and noble man; and, pointing out his dead body to Aaron,
they said to him threateningly: “If thou wilt make us a god, it is well, if not
we will dispose of thee as of him.” Aaron had no fear for his life, but he
thought: “If Israel were to commit so terrible a sin as to slay their priest
and prophet, God would never forgive them.” He was willing rather to take a sin
upon himself than to cast the burden of so wicked a deed upon the people. He
therefore granted them their wish to make them a god, but he did it in such a
way that he still cherished the hope that this thing might not come to pass.
Hence he demanded from them not their own ornaments for the fashioning of the
idol, but the ornaments of their wives, their sons, and their daughters,
thinking: “If I were to tell them to bring me gold and silver, they would
immediately do so, hence I will demand the earrings of their wives, their sons,
and their daughters, that through their refusal to give up their ornaments, the
matter might come to nought.” But Aaron’s assumption was only in part true; the
women indeed did firmly refuse to give up their jewels for the making of a
monster that is of no assistance to his worshippers. As a reward for this, God
gave the new moons as holidays to women, and in the future world too they will
be rewarded for their firm faith in God, in that, like the new moons, they too,
may monthly be rejuvenated. But when the men saw that no gold or silver for the
idol was forthcoming from the women, they drew off their own earrings that they
wore in Arab fashion, and brought these to Aaron. [265]

No living calf would have shaped itself out of the gold of these earrings, if a
disaster had not occurred through an oversight of Aaron. For when Moses at the
exodus of Israel from Egypt set himself to lifting the coffin of Joseph out of
the depths of the Nile, he employed the following means: He took four leaves of
silver, and engraved on each the image of one of the beings represented at the
Celestial Throne, – the lion, the man, the eagle, and the bull. He then cast on
the river the leaf with the image of the lion, and the waters of the river
became tumultuous, and roared like a lion. He then threw down the leaf with the
image of man, and the scattered bones of Joseph united themselves into an
entire body; and when he cast in the third leaf with the image of the eagle,
the coffin floated up to the top. As he had no use for the fourth leaf of
silver with the image of the bull, he asked a woman to store it away for him,
while he was occupied with the transportation of the coffin, and later forgot
to reclaim the leaf of silver. This was now among the ornaments that the people
brought to Aaron, and it was exclusively owing to this bull’s image of magical
virtues, that a golden bull arose out of the fire into which Aaron put the gold
and silver. [266]

When the mixed multitude that had joined Israel in their exodus from Egypt saw
this idol conducting itself like a living being, they said to Israel: “This is
thy God, O Israel.” [267] The people then betook themselves to the seventy
members of the Sanhedrin and demanded that they worship the bull that had led
Israel out of Egypt. “God,” said they, “had not delivered us out of Egypt, but
only Himself, who had in Egypt been in captivity.” The members of the Sanhedrin
remained loyal to their God, and were hence cut down by the rabble. [268] The
twelve heads of the tribes did not answer the summons of the people any more
than the members of the Sanhedrin, and were therefore rewarded by being found
worthy of beholding the Divine vision. [269]

But the people worshipped not only the Golden Calf, they made thirteen such
idols, one each for the twelve tribes, and one for all Israel. More than this,
they employed manna, which God in His kindness did not deny them even on this
day, as an offering to their idols. [270] The devotion of Israel to this
worship of the bull is in part explained by the circumstance that while passing
through the Red Sea, they beheld the Celestial Throne, and most distinctly of
the four creatures about the Throne, they saw the ox. It was for this reason
that they hit upon the notion that the ox had helped God in the exodus from
Egypt, and for this reason did they wish to worship the ox beside God. [271]

The people then wanted to erect an altar for their idol, but Aaron tried to
prevent this by saying to the people: “It will be more reverential to your god
if I build the altar in person,” for he hoped that Moses might appear in the
meantime. His expectation, however, was disappointed, for on the morning of the
following day, when Aaron had at length completed the altar, Moses was not yet
at hand, and the people began to offer sacrifices to their idol, and to indulge
in lewdness. [272]

MOSES BLAMED FOR ISRAEL’S SIN

When the people turned from their God, He said to Moses, who was still in
heaven: “‘Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the
land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.'” Moses, who until then had been
superior to the angels, now, owing to the sins of Israel, feared them greatly.
The angels, hearing that God meant to send him from His presence, wanted to
kill him, and only by clinging to the Throne of God, who covered him with His
mantle, did he escape from the hands of the angels, that they might do him no
harm. [273] He had particularly hard struggle with the five Angels of
Destruction: Kezef, Af, Hemah, Mashhit, and Haron, whom God had sent to
annihilate Israel. Moses then hastened to the three Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, and said to them: “If ye are men who are participators of the future
life, stand by me in this hour, for your children are as a sheep that is led to
the slaughter.” The three Patriarchs united their prayers with those of Moses,
who said to God; “Hast Thou not made a vow to these three to multiply their
seed as the stars, and are they now to be destroyed?” In recognition of the
merits of these three pious men, God called away three of the Angels of
Destruction, leaving only two: whereupon Moses further importuned God: “For the
vow Thou madest to Israel, take from them the angel Mashhit;” and God granted
his prayer. Moses continued: “For the vow Thou madest me, take from them also
the angel Haron.” God now stood by Moses, so that he was able to conquer this
angel, and he thrust him down deep into the earth in a spot that is possession
of the tribe of Gad, and there held him captive.

So long as Moses lived this angel was held in check by him, and if he tried,
even when Israel sinned, to rise out of the depths, open wide his mouth, and
destroy Israel with his panting, all Moses had to do was to utter the name of
God, and Haron, or as he is sometimes called, Peor, was drawn once more into
the depths of the earth. At Moses’ death, God buried him opposite the spot
where Peor is bound. For should Peor, if Israel sinned, reach the upper world
and open his mouth to destroy Israel with his panting, he would, upon seeing
Moses’ grave, be so terror-stricken, that he would fall back into the depths
once more. [274]

Moses did indeed manage the Angels of Destruction, but it was a more difficult
matter to appease God in His wrath. He addressed Moses harshly, crying: “The
grievous sins of men had once caused Me to go down from heaven to see their
doings. Do thou likewise go down from heaven now. It is fitting that the
servant be treated as his master. Do thou now go down. Only for Israel’s sake
have I caused this honor to fall to thy lot, but now that Israel has become
disloyal to Me, I have not further reason thus to distinguish thee.” Moses
hereupon answered: “O Lord of the world! Not long since didst Thou say to me:
‘Come now, therefore, and I will send thee that thou mayest bring forth My
people out of Egypt;’ and now Thou callest them my people. Nay, whether pious
or sinful, they are Thy people still.” Moses continued: “What wilt Thou now do
with them?” God answered: “I will consume them, and I will make of thee a great
nation.” “O Lord of the world!” replied Moses, “If the three-legged bench has
no stability, how then shall the one-legged stand? Fulfil not, I implore Thee,
the prophecies of the Egyptian magicians, who predicted to their king that the
star ‘Ra’ah’ would move as a harbinger of blood and death before the
Israelites.” [275] Then he began to implore mercy for Israel: “Consider their
readiness to accept the Torah, whereas the sons of Esau rejected it.” God: “But
they transgressed the precepts of the Torah; one day were they loyal to Me,
then instantly set to work to make themselves the Golden Calf.” Moses:
“Consider that when in Thy name I came to Egypt and announced to them Thy name,
they at once believed in me, and bowed down their heads and worshipped Thee.”
God: “But they now bow down their heads before their idol.” Moses: “Consider
that they sent Thee their young men to offer Thee burnt offerings.” God: “They
now offered sacrifices to the Golden Calf.” Moses: “Consider that on Sinai they
acknowledged that Thou are their God.” God: “They now acknowledge that the idol
is their god.”

All these arguments with God did not help Moses; he even had to put up with
having the blame for the Golden Calf laid on his shoulders. “Moses,” said God,
“when Israel was still in Egypt, I gave thee the commission to lead them out of
the land, but not take with thee the mixed multitude that wanted to join them.
But thou in thy clemency and humility didst persuade Me to accept the penitent
that do penance, and didst take with thee the mixed multitude. I did as thou
didst beg me, although I knew what the consequences would be, and it is now
these people, ‘thy people,’ that have seduced Israel to idolatry.” Moses now
thought it would be useless to try to secure God’s forgiveness for Israel, and
was ready to give up his intercession, when God, who in reality meant to
preserve Israel, but only like to hear Moses pray, now spoke kindly to Moses to
let him see that He was not quite inaccessible to his exhortations, saying:
“Even in Egypt did I foresee what this people would do after their deliverance.
Thou foresawest only the receiving of the Torah on Sinai, but I foresaw the
worship of the Calf as well.” With these words, God let Moses perceive that the
defection of Israel was no surprise to Him, as He had considered it even before
the exodus from Egypt; hence Moses now gathered new courage to intercede for
Israel. He said: “O Lord of the world! Israel has indeed created a rival for
Thee in their idol, that Thou are angry with them. The Calf, I supposed, shall
bid stars and moon to appear, while Thou makest the sun to rise; Thou shalt
send the dew and he will cause the wind to blow; Thou shalt send down the rain,
and he shall bid the plants to grow.” God: “Moses, thou are mistaken, like
them, and knowest not that the idol is absolutely nothing.” “If so,” said
Moses, “why art Thou angry with Thy people for that which is nothing?”
“Besides,” he continued, “Thou didst say Thyself that it was chiefly my people,
the mixed multitude, that was to blame for this sin, why then are Thou angry
with Thy people? If Thou are angry with them only because they have not
observed the Torah, then let me vouch for the observance of it on the part of
my companions, such as Aaron and his sons, Joshua and Caleb, Jair and Machir,
as well as many pious men among them, and myself.” But God said: “I have vowed
that ‘He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the Lord only, he shall be
utterly destroyed,’ and a vow that has once passe My lips, I can not retract.”
Moses replied: “O Lord of the world! Has not Thou given us the law of
absolution from a vow, whereby power is given to a learned man to absolve any
one from his vows? But every judge who desires to have his decisions accounted
valid, must subject himself to the law, and Thou who has prescribed the law of
absolution from vows through a learned man, must subject Thyself to this law,
and through me be absolved from Thy vow.” Moses thereupon wrapped his robe
about him, seated himself, and bade God let him absolve Him from his vow,
bidding Him say: “I repent of the evil that I had determined to bring upon My
people.” Moses then cried out to Him: “Thou are absolved from Thine oath and
vow.” [276]

THE PUNISHMENT OF THE SINNERS

When Moses descended from Sinai, he there found his true servant Joshua, who
had awaited him on the slope of the mountain throughout all the forty days
during which Moses stayed in heaven, [277] and together they repaired to the
encampment. On approaching it, they heard cries of the people, and Joshua
remarked to Moses: “There is a noise of war in the camp,” but Moses replied:
“Is it possible that thou, Joshua, who art one day destined to be the leader of
sixty myriads of people, canst not distinguish among the different kinds of
dins? This is no cry of Israel conquering, nor of their defeated foe, but their
adoration of an idol.” [278] When Moses had now come close enough to the camp
to see what was going on there, he thought to himself: “How now shall I give to
them the tables and enjoin upon them the prohibition of idolatry, for the very
trespassing of which, Heaven will inflict capital punishment upon them?” Hence,
instead of delivering to them the tables, he tried to turn back, but the
seventy elders pursued him and tried to wrest the tables from Moses. But his
strength excelled that of the seventy others, and he kept the tables in his
hands, although these were seventy Seah in weight. All at once, however, he saw
the writing vanish from the tables, and at the same time became aware of their
enormous weight; for while the celestial writing was upon them, they carried
their own weight and did not burden Moses, but with the disappearance of the
writing all this changes. Now all the more did Moses feel loath to give the
tables without their contents to Israel, and besides he thought: “If God
prohibited one idolatrous Israelite from partaking of the Passover feast, how
much more would He be angry if I were now to give all the Torah to an
idolatrous people?” Hence, without consulting God, he broke the tables. God,
however, thanked Moses for breaking the tables. [279]

Hardly had Moses broken the tables, when the ocean wanted to leave its bed to
flood the world. Moses now “took the Calf which they had made, and burnt it in
the fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water,” saying to
the waters: “What would ye upon the dry land?” And the waters said: “The world
stands only through the observance of the Torah, but Israel has not been
faithful to it.” Moses hereupon said to the water” “All that have committed
idolatry shall be yours. Are you now satisfied with these thousands?” But the
waters were not to be appeased by the sinners that Moses cast into them, and
the ocean would not retreat to its bed until Moses made the children of Israel
drink of it. [280]

The drinking of these waters was one of the forms of capital punishment that he
inflicted upon the sinners. When, in answer to Moses’ call: “Who is on the
Lord’s side? Let him come unto me,” all the sons of Levi gathered themselves
together unto him – they who had not taken part in the adoration of the Golden
Calf, – Moses appointed these Levites as judges, whose immediate duty it was to
inflict the lawful punishment of decapitation upon all those who had been seen
by witnesses to be seduced to idolatry after they had been warned not to do so.
Moses gave the command as though he had been commissioned to do so by God. This
was not actually so, but he did it in order to enable the judges appointed by
him to punish all the guilty in the course of one day, which otherwise, owing
to the procedure of Jewish jurisprudence, could not well have been possible.
Those who, according to the testimony of witnesses, had been seduced to
idolatry, but who could not be proven to have been warned beforehand, were not
punished by temporal justice, they died of the water that Moses forced them to
drink; for this water had upon them the same effect as the curse-bringing water
upon the adulterous woman. But those sinners, too, against whom no witnesses
appeared, did not escape their fate, for upon them God sent the plague to carry
them off. [281]

MOSES INTERCEDES FOR THE PEOPLE

Those who were executed by these judgements numbered three thousand, so that
Moses said to God: “O Lord of the world! Just and merciful art Thou, and all
Thy deeds are deeds of integrity. Shall six hundred thousand people – not to
mention all who are below twenty years of age, and all the many proselytes and
slaves – perish for the sake of three thousand sinners?” God could no longer
withhold His mercy, and determined to forgive Israel their sins. [282] It was
only after long and fervent prayers that Moses succeeded in quite propitiating
God, and hardly had he returned from heaven, when he again repaired thither to
advance before God his intercession for Israel. He was ready to sacrifice
himself for the sake of Israel, and as soon as punishment had been visited on
the sinners, he turned to God with the words: “O Lord of the world! I have now
destroyed both the Golden Calf and its idolaters, what cause for ill feeling
against Israel can now remain? The sins these committed came to pass because
Thou hadst heaped gold and silver upon them, so that the blames is not wholly
theirs. ‘Yet now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray
Thee, out of Thy book which Thou has written.'” [283]

These bold words of Moses were not without consequences for him, for although
God thereupon replied: “Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out
of My blood,” still it was on account of this that his name was omitted from
one section of the Pentateuch. [284] But for Israel his words created an
instant revulsion of feeling in God, who now addressed him kindly, and promised
that he would send His angel, who would lead the people into the promised land.
These words indicated to Moses that God was not yet entirely appeased, and he
could further see this in the punishment that fell upon Israel on that day.
Their weapons, which every man among them had received at the revelation on
Sinai, and which had miraculous virtues, having the name of God engraved upon
them, were taken from them by the angels, and their robes of purple likewise.
When Moses saw from this that God’s wrath was still upon Israel, and that He
desired to have nothing further to do with them, he removed his tent a mile
away from the camp, saying to himself: “The disciple may not have intercourse
with people whom the master has excommunicated.”

Not only the people went out o this tent whenever they sought the Lord, but the
angels also, the Seraphim, and the heavenly hosts repaired thither, the sun,
the moon, and the other heavenly bodies, all of whom knew that God was to be
found there, and that the tent of Moses was the spot where they were to appear
before their Creator. God, however, was not at all pleased to see Moses keep
himself aloof from the people, and said to him: “According to our agreement, I
was to propitiate thee every time thou wert angry with the people, and thou
wert to propitiate Me when My wrath was kindled against them. What is now to
become of these poor people, if we be both angry with them? Return, therefore,
into the camp to the people. But if thou wilt not obey, remember that Joshua is
in the camp at the sanctuary, and he can well fill thy place.” Moses replied:
“It is for Thy sake that I am angry with them, and now I see that still Thou
canst not forsake them.” “I have,” said God, “already told thee, that I shall
send and angel before them.” But Moses, by no means content with this
assurance, continued to importune God not to entrust Israel to an angel, but to
conduct and guide them in person. [285]

Forty days and forty nights, from the eighteenth day of Tammus to the
twenty-eight day of Ab, did Moses stay in heaven, [286] beseeching and
imploring God to restore Israel once more entirely into His favor. But all his
prayers and exhortations were in vain, until at the end of forty days he
implored God to set the pious deeds of the three Patriarchs and of the twelve
sons of Jacob to the account of their descendants; and only then was his prayer
answered. H said: “If Thou art angry with Israel because they transgressed the
Ten Commandments, be mindful for their sake of the ten tests to which Thou
didst subject Abraham, and through which he nobly passed. If Israel deserves at
Thy hands punishment by fire for their sin, remember the fire of the limekiln
into which Abraham let himself be cast for the glory of Thy name. If Israel
deserves death by sword, remember the readiness with which Isaac laid down his
neck upon the altar to be sacrificed to Thee. If they deserve punishment by
exile, remember for their sake how their father Jacob wandered into exile from
his paternal home to Haran.” Moses furthermore said to God: “Will the dead ever
be restored to life?” God in surprise retorted: “Hast thou become a heretic,
Moses, that thou dost doubt the resurrection?” “If,” said Moses, “the dead
never awaken to life, then truly Thou art right to wreak vengeance upon Israel;
but if the dead are to be restored to life hereafter, what wilt Thou then say
to the fathers of this nation, if they ask Thee what has become of the promise
Thou hadst made to them? I demand nothing more for Israel,” Moses continued,
“than what Thou were willing to grant Abraham when he pleaded for Sodom. Thou
wert willing to let Sodom survive if there were only ten just men therein, and
I am now about to enumerate to Thee ten just men among the Israelites: myself,
Aaron, Eleazar, Ithamar, Phinehas, Joshua, and Caleb.” “But that is only
seven,” objected God. Moses, not at all abashed, replied: “But Thou hast said
that the dead will hereafter be restored to life, so count with these the three
Patriarchs to make the number ten complete.” Moses’ mention of the names of the
three Patriarchs was of more avail than all else, and God granted his prayer,
forgave Israel their transgression, and promised to lead the people in person.
[287]

THE INSCRUTABLE WAYS OF THE LORD

Moses still cherished three other wishes: that the Shekinah might dwell with
Israel; that the Shekinah might not dwell with other nations; and lastly, that
he might learn to know the ways of the Lord whereby He ordained good and evil
in the world, sometimes causing suffering to the just and letting the unjust
enjoy happiness, whereas at other times both were happy, or both were destined
to suffer. Moses laid these wishes before God in the moment of His wrath, hence
God bade Moses wait until His wrath should have blown over, and then He granted
him his first two wishes in full, but his third in part only. [288] God showed
him the great treasure troves in which are stored up the various rewards for
the pious and the just, explaining each separated one to him in detail: in this
one were the rewards of those who give alms; in that one, of those who bring up
orphans. In this way He showed him the destination of each one of the
treasures, until at length they came to one of gigantic size. “For whom is this
treasure?” asked Moses, and God answered: “Out of the treasures that I have
shown thee I give rewards to those who have deserved them by their deeds; but
out of this treasure do I give to those who are not deserving, for I am
gracious to those also who may lay no claim to My graciousness, and I am
bountiful to those who are not deserving of My bounty.”

Moses now had to content himself with the certainty that the pious were sure of
their deserts; without, however, learning from God, how it sometimes comes to
pass that evil doers, too, are happy. For God merely stated that He also shows
Himself kind to those who do not deserve it, but without further assigning the
why and the wherefore. But the reward to the pious, too, was only in part
revealed to him, for he beheld the joys of Paradise of which they were to
partake, but not the real reward that is to follow the feast in Paradise; for
truly “eye hath not seen, beside the Lord, what He hath prepared for him that
waiteth for Him.” [289]

By means of the following incident God showed Moses how little man is able to
fathom the inscrutable ways of the Lord. When Moses was on Sinai, he saw from
that station a man who betook himself to a river, stooped down to drink, lost
his purse, and without noticing it went his way. Shortly after, another man
cam, found the money, pocketed it, and took to his heels. When the owner of the
purse became aware of his loss, he returned to the river, where he did not find
his money, but saw a man, who came there by chance to fetch water. To him he
said: “Restore to me the money that a little while ago I left here, for none
can have taken it if not thou.” When the man declared that he had found none of
the money nor seen any of it, the owner slew him. Looking with horror and
amazement on this injustice on earth, Moses said to God: “I beseech Thee, show
my Thy ways. Why has this man, who was quite innocent, been slain, and why hath
the true thief gone unpunished?” God replied: “The man who found the money and
kept it merely recovered his own possession, for he who had lost the purse by
the river, had formerly stolen it from him; but the one who seemed to be
innocently slain is only making atonement for having at one time murdered the
father of his slayer.” [290] In this way, God granted the request of Moses, “to
show him His ways,” in part only. He let him look into the future, and let him
see every generation and it sages, every generation and its prophets, every
generation and its expounders of the Scriptures, every generation and its
leaders, ever generation and its pious men. But when Moses said: “O Lord of the
world! Let me see by what law Thou dost govern the world; for I see that many a
just man is lucky, but many a one is not; many a wicked man is lucky, but many
a one is not; many a rich man is happy, but many a one is not; many a poor man
is happy, but many a one is not;” then God answered: “Thou canst not grasp all
the principles which I apply to the government of the world, but some of them
shall I impart to thee. When I see human beings who have no claim to
expectations from Me either for their own deeds or for those of their fathers,
but who pray to Me and implore Me, then do I grant their prayers and give them
what they require from subsistence.” [291]

Although God had now granted all of his wishes, still Moses received the
following answer to his prayer, “I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory”: “Thou
mayest not behold My glory, or else thou wouldst perish, but in consideration
of My vow to grant thee all thy wishes, and in view of the fact that thou are
in possession of the secret of My name, I will meet thee so far as to satisfy
thy desire in part. Lift the opening of the cave, and I will bid all the angels
that serve Me pass in review before thee; but as soon as thou hearest the Name,
which I have revealed to thee, know then that I am there, and bear thyself
bravely and without fear.’ [292]

God has a reason for not showing His glory to Moses. He said to him: “When I
revealed Myself to thee in the burning bush, thou didst not want to look upon
Me; now thou are willing, but I am not.” [293]

THE THIRTEEN ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

The cave in which Moses concealed himself while God passed in review before him
with His celestial retinue, was the same in which Elijah lodged when God
revealed Himself to him on Horeb. If there had been in it an opening even as
tiny as a needle’s point, both Moses and Elijah would have been consumed by the
passing Divine light, [294] which was of an intensity so great that Moses,
although quite shut off in the cave, nevertheless caught the reflection of it,
so that from its radiance his face began to shine. [295] Not without great
danger, however, did Moses earn this distinction; for as soon as the angels
heard Moses request God to show him His glory, they were greatly incensed
against him, and said to God: “We, who serve Thee night and day, may not see
Thy glory, and he, who is born of woman, asks to see it!” In their anger they
made ready to kill Moses, who would certainly have perished, had not God’s hand
protected him from the angels. Then God appeared in the cloud.

It was the seventh time that He appeared on earth, [296] and taking the guise
of a precentor of a congregation, He said to Moses: “Whenever Israel hath
sinned, and calleth Me by the following thirteen attributes, I will forgive
them their sins. I am the Almighty God who provides for all creatures. I am the
Merciful One who restrains evil from human kind. I am the Gracious One who
helps in time of need. I am the Long-Suffering to the upright as well as to the
wicked. I am Bountiful to those whose own deed do not entitle them to lay claim
to rewards. I am Faithful to those who have a right to expect good from Me; and
preserve graciousness unto the two-thousandth generation. I forgive misdeeds
and even atrocious actions, in forgiving those who repent.” [297] When Moses
heard this, and particularly that God is long-suffering with sinners, [298] he
prayed: “O forgive, then, Israel’s sin which they committed in worshipping the
Golden Calf.” Had Moses now prayed, “Forgive the sins of Israel unto the end of
all time,” God would have granted that too, as it was a time of mercy; but as
Moses asked forgiveness for this one sin only, this one only was pardoned, and
God said: “I have pardoned according to thy word.” [298]

The day on which God showed Himself merciful to Moses and to His people, was
the tenth day of Tishri, the day on which Moses was to receive the tables of
the law from God for the second time, and all Israel spent it amid prayer and
fasting, that the evil spirit might not again lead them astray. Their ardent
tears and exhortations, joined with those of Moses, reached heaven, so that God
took pity upon them and said to them: “My children, I swear by my lofty Name
that these your tears shall be tears of rejoicing for you; that this day shall
be a day of pardon, of forgiveness, and of the canceling of sins for you, for
your children, and your children’s children to the end of all generations.”
[300]

This day was not set for the annual Day of Atonement, without which the world
could not exist, and which will continue even in the future world when all
other holy days will cease to be. The Day of Atonement, however, is not only a
reminiscence of the day on which God was reconciled to Israel and forgave them
their sins, but it is also the day on which Israel finally received the Torah.
[301] For after Moses has spent forty days in prayer, until God finally forgave
Israel their sins, he began to reproach himself for having broken the tables of
the law, saying” “Israel asked me to intercede for them before God, but who
will, on account of my sin, intercede before God for my sake?” Then God said to
him: “Grieve not for the loss of the first two tables, which contained only the
Ten Commandments. The second tables that I am now ready to give thee, shall
contain Halakot, Midrash, and Haggadot.” [302]

At the new moon of the month Elul, Moses had the trumpet sounded throughout the
camp, announcing to the people that he would once more betake himself to God
for forty days to receive the second tables from Him, so that they might be
alarmed by his absence; and he stayed in heaven until the tenth day of Tishri,
on which day he returned with the Torah and delivered it to Israel. [303]

THE SECOND TABLES

Whereas the first tables had been given on Mount Sinai amid great ceremonies,
the presentation of the second tables took place quietly, for God said: “There
is nothing lovelier than quiet humility. The great ceremonies on the occasion
of presenting the first tables had the evil effect of directing an evil eye
toward them, so that they were finally broken.” [304] In this also were the
second tables differentiated from the first, that the former were the work of
God, and the latter, the work of man. God dealt with Israel like the king who
took to himself to wife and drew up the marriage contract with his own hand.
One day the king noticed his wife engaged in very intimate conversation with a
slave; and enraged at her unworthy conduct, he turned here out of his house.
Then he who had given the bride away at the wedding came before the king and
said to him: “O sire, dost thou not know whence thou didst take thy bride? She
had been brought up among the slaves, and hence is intimate with them.” The
king allowed himself to be appeased, saying to the other: “Take paper and let a
scribe draw up a new marriage contract, and here take my authorization, signed
in my own hand.” Just so did Israel fare with their God when Moses offered the
following excuse for their worship of the Golden Calf: “O Lord, dost Thou not
know whence Thou hast brought Israel, out of a land of idolaters?” God replied:
“Thou desirest Me to forgive them. Well, then, I shall do so, now fetch Me
hither tables on which I may write the words that were written on the first.
But to reward thee for offering up thy life for their sake, I shall in the
future send thee along with Elijah, that both of you together may prepare
Israel for the final deliverance.” [305]

Moses fetched the tables out of a diamond quarry which God pointed out to him,
and the chips that fell, during the hewing, from the precious stone made a rich
man of Moses, so that he now possessed all the qualifications of a prophet –
wealth, strength, humility, and wisdom. In regard to the last-named be it said,
that God given in Moses’ charge all the fifty gates of wisdom except one.

As the chips falling from the precious stone were designed for Moses alone, so
too had originally the Torah, written on these tables, been intended only Moses
and his descendants; but he was benevolent of spirit, and imparted the Torah to
Israel. [306] The wealth that Moses procured for himself in fashioning the
Torah, was a reward for having taken charge of the corpse of Joseph while all
the people were appropriating to themselves the treasures of Egyptians. God now
said: “Moses deserves the chips from the tables. Israel, who did not occupy
themselves with labors of piety, carried off the best of Egypt at the time of
their exodus. Shall Moses, who saw to the corpse of Joseph, remain poor?
Therefore will I make him rich through these chips.” [307]

During the forty days he spent in heaven, Moses received beside the two tables
all the Torah – the Bible, Mishnah, Talmud, and Haggadah, yea, even all that
ever clever scholars would ask their teacher was revealed to him. When he now
received the command from God to teach all this to Israel, he requested God to
write down all the Torah and to give it to Israel in that way. But God said:
“Gladly would I give them the whole in writing, but it is revealed before Me
that the nations of the world will hereafter read the Torah translated into
Greek, and will say: ‘We are the true Israel, we are the children of God.’ Then
I shall say to the nations: ‘Ye claim to be MY children, do ye not know that
those only are My children to whom I have confided My secret, the oral
teaching?'” This was the reason why the Pentateuch only was given to Moses in
writing, and the other parts of the Torah by word of mouth. Hence the covenant
God made with Israel reads: “I gave ye a written and an oral Torah. My covenant
with you says that ye shall study the written Torah as a written thing, and the
oral as an oral; but in case you confound the one with the other you will not
be rewarded. For the Torah’s sake alone have I made a covenant with you; had ye
not accepted the Torah, I should not have acknowledged you before all other
nations. Before you accepted the Torah, you were just like all other nations,
and for the Torah’s sake alone have I lifted you above the others. Even your
king, Moses, owes the distinction he enjoys in this world and in the world
hereafter to the Torah alone. Had you not accepted the Torah, then should I
have dissolved the upper and the under worlds into chaos.” [308]

Forty days and forty nights Moses now devoted to the study of the Torah, and in
all the time he ate no bread and drank no water, acting in accordance with the
proverb, “If thou enterest a city, observe its laws.” The angels followed this
maxim when they visited Abraham, for they there ate like men; and so did Moses,
who being among angels, like the angels partook of no food. He received
nourishment from radiance of the Shekinah, which also sustains the holy Hayyot
that bear the Throne. Moses spent the day in learning the Torah from God, and
the night in repeating what he had learned. In this way he set an example for
Israel, that they might occupy themselves with the Torah by night and by day.

During this time Moses also wrote down the Torah, although the angels found it
strange that God should have given him the commission to write down the Torah,
and gave expression to their astonishment in the following words, that they
addressed to God: “How is it that Thou givest Moses permission to write, so
that he may write whatever he will, and say to Israel, ‘I gave you the Torah, I
myself wrote it, and then gave it to you?'” But God answered: “Far be it from
Moses to do such a thing, he is a faithful servant!”

When Moses had complete the writing of the Torah, he wiped his pen on the hair
of his forehead, and from this heavenly ink that cleaved to his forehead
originated the beams of light that radiated from it. [309] In this way God
fulfilled to Moses the promise: “Before all thy people I will do marvels, such
as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation.” [310] On Moses’
return from heaven, the people were greatly amazed to see his face shining, and
there was fear, too, in their amazement. This fear was a consequence of their
sin, for formerly they had been able to bear without fear the sight of “the
glory of the Lord that was like devouring fire,” although it consisted of seven
sheaths of fire, laid one over another; but after their transgression they
could not even bear to look upon the countenance of the man who had been the
intermediator between themselves and God. [311] But Moses quieted them, and
instantly set about imparting to the people the Torah he had received from God.

His method of instruction was as follows: first came Aaron, to whom he imparted
the word of God, and as soon as he had finished with Aaron, came the sons of
Aaron, Eleazar and Ithamar, and he instructed them, while Aaron sat at his
right hand, listening. When he had finished with the sons of Aaron, the elders
appeared to receive instruction, while Eleazar sat at the right hand of his
father, and Ithamar at the left hand of Moses, and listened; and when he had
finished with the elders, the people came and received instruction, whereupon
Moses withdrew. Then Aaron went over what had been taught, and his sons
likewise, and the elders, until every one, from Aaron down to every man out of
the people, had four times repeated what he had learned, for in this way had
God bidden Moses impress the Torah four times upon Israel. [312]

THE CENSUS OF THE PEOPLE

At sight of the rays that emanated from Moses’ face, the people said to him:
“We were humbled by God owing to that sin we had committed. God, thou sayest,
had forgiven us, and is reconciled to us. Thou, Moses, were include in our
humiliation, and we see that He has once more exalted thee, whereas, in spite
of the reconciliation with God, we remain humbled.” Hereupon Moses betook
himself to God and said; “When Thou didst humble them, Thou didst humble me
also, hence shouldst Thou now raise them too, if Thou has raised me.” God
replied: “Truly, as I have exalted thee, so will I exalt them also; record
their number, and through this show the world how near to My heart is the
nation that before all others acknowledged Me as their king, singing by the Red
Sea: ‘This is my God, and I will exalt Him.'” Moses then said to God: “O Lord
of the world! Thou hast so many nation in Thy world, but Thou carest nothing
about recording their numbers, and only Israel dost Thou bid me count.” God
replied: “All these multitudes do not belong to Me, they are doomed to the
destruction of Gehenna, but Israel is My possession, and as a man most prizes
the possession he paid for most dearly, so is Israel most dear to Me, because I
have with great exertions made it My own.” [313] Moses further said to God: “O
Lord of the world! To our father Abraham Thou made the following promises: ‘And
I will make thy seed as the stars in the heavens,’ but now Thou biddest me
number Israel. If their forefather Abraham could not count them, how, then,
should I?” But God quieted Moses, saying: “Thou needest not actually count
them, but if thou wouldst determine their number, add together the numerical
value of the names of the tribes, and the result will be their number.” And
truly in this way did Moses procure the sum total of the Jews, which amounted
to sixty myriads less three thousand, the three thousand having been swept away
by the plague in punishment for their worship of the Golden Calf. Hence the
difference between the number at the exodus from Egypt, when Moses had counted
them for the first time, and the number at the second census, after the losses
incurred by the plague. God treated Israel as did that king his herd, who
ordered the shepherds tell the tale of the sheep when he heard that wolves had
been among them and had killed some, having this reckoning made in order to
determine the amount of his loss.

The occasions on which, in the course of history, Israel were numbered, are as
follows: Jacob counted his household upon entering Egypt; Moses counted Israel
upon the exodus from Egypt; after the worship of the Golden Calf; at the
arrangement into camp divisions; and at the distribution of the promised land.
Saul twice instituted a census of the people, the first time when he set out
against Nahash, the Ammonite, and the second time when he set out in war upon
Amalek. It is significant of the enormous turn in the prosperity of the Jews
during Saul’s reign, that at the first census every man put down a pebble, so
that the pebbles might be counted, but at the second census the people were so
prosperous that instead of putting down a pebble, every man brought a lamb.
There was a census in the reign of David, which, however, not having been
ordered by God, had unfortunate consequences both for the king and for the
people. Ezra instituted the last census when the people returned from Babylon
to the Holy Land. Apart from these nine censuses, God will Himself count His
people in the future time when their number will be so great that no mortal
will be able to count them. [314]

There was an offering to the sanctuary connected with the second census in
Moses’ time, when every one above twenty years of age had to offer up half a
shekel. For God said to Moses: “They indeed deserve death for having made the
Golden Calf, but let each one offer up to the Eternal atonement money for his
soul, and in this way redeem himself from capital punishment.” When the people
heard this, they grieved greatly, for they thought: “In vain did we exert
ourselves in taking booty from the Egyptians, if we are not to yield up our
hard-earned possessions as atonement money. The law prescribes that a man pay
fifty shekels of silver for dishonoring a woman, and we who have dishonored the
word of God, should have to pay at least an equal amount. The law furthermore
decrees that if an ox kill a servant, his owner shall pay thirty shekels of
silver, hence every Israelite should have to discharge such a sum, for ‘we
changed our glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.’ But these
two fines would not suffice, for we slandered God, He who brought us out of
Egypt, by calling out to the Calf, ‘This is thy God, that brought thee up out
of Egypt,’ and slander is punishable by law with one hundred shekels of
silver.” God who knew their thoughts, said to Moses: “Ask them why they are
afraid. I do not ask of them to pay as high a fine as he who dishonors or
seduces a woman, nor the penalty of a slanderer, nor that of the owner of a
goring ox, all that I ask of them is this,” and hereupon he showed Moses at the
fire a small coin that represented the value of half a shekel. This coin each
one of those who had passed through the Red Sea was to give as an offering.

There were several reasons why God asked particularly for the value of half a
shekel as a penalty. As they committed their sin, the worship of the Golden
Calf, in the middle, that is the half of the day, so they were to pay half of a
shekel; and, furthermore, as they committed their sin in the sixth hour of the
day, so were they to pay half a shekel, which is six grains of silver. This
half shekel, furthermore, contains ten gerahs, and is hence the corresponding
fine for those who trespassed the Ten Commandments. The half shekel was also to
be an atonement for the sin committed by the ten sons of Jacob, who sold their
brother Joseph as a slave, for whom each had received half a shekel as his
share. [315]

THE ERECTION OF THE TABERNACLE COMMANDED

When, on that memorable Day of Atonement, God indicated His forgiveness to
Israel with the words, “I have forgiven them according as I have spoken,” Moses
said: “I now feel convinced that Thou hast forgiven Israel, but I wish Thou
wouldst show the nations also that Thou are reconciled with Israel.” For these
were saying: “How can a nation that heard God’s word on Sinai, ‘Thou shalt have
no other gods before Me,’ and that forty days later called out to the Calf,
‘This is thy god, O Israel,’ expect that God would ever be reconciled to them?”
God therefore said to Moses: “As truly as thou livest, I will let My Shekinah
dwell among them, so that all my know that I have forgiven Israel. My sanctuary
in their midst will be a testimony of My forgiveness of their sins, and hence
it may well be called a ‘Tabernacle of Testimony.'” [316]

The erection of a sanctuary among Israel was begun in answer to a direct appeal
from the people, who said to God: “O Lord of the world! The kings of the
nations have palaces in which are set a table, candlesticks, and other royal
insignia, that their king may be recognized as such. Shalt not Thou, too, our
King, Redeemer, and Helper, employ royal insignia, that all the dwellers of the
earth may recognize that Thou are their King?” God replied: “My children, the
kings of the flesh and blood need all these things, but I do not, for I need
neither food nor drink; nor is light necessary to Me, as can well be seen by
this, that My servants, the sun and the moon, illuminate all the world with the
light they receive from Me; hence ye need do none of these things for Me, for
without these signs of honor will I let all good things fall to your lot in
recognition of the merits of your fathers.” But Israel answered: “O Lord of the
world! We do not want to depend on our fathers. ‘Doubtless Thou are our Father,
though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not.” God hereupon
said: “If you now insist upon carrying out your wish, do so, but do it in the
way I command you. It is customary in the world that whosoever had a little
son, cares for him, anoints him, washes him, feeds him, and carries him, but as
soon as the son is come of age, he provides for his father a beautiful
dwelling, a table, and a candlestick. So long as you were young, did I provide
for you, washed you, fed you with bread and meat, gave you water to drink, and
bore you on eagles’ wings; but now that you are come of age, I wish you to
build a house for Me, set therein a table and a candlestick, and make an altar
of incense within it.” [317] God then gave them detailed instruction for
furnishing the Tabernacle, saying to Moses; “Tell Israel that I order them to
build Me a tabernacle not because I lack a dwelling, for, even before the world
had been created, I had erected My temple in the heavens; but only as a token
of My affection for you will I leave My heavenly temple and dwell among you,
‘they shall make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.'”

At these last words Moses seized by a great fear, such as had taken possession
of him only on two other occasions. Once, when God said to him, “Let each give
a ransom for his soul,” when, much alarmed, he said: “If a man were to give all
that he hath for his soul, it would not suffice.” God quieted him with the
words, “I do not ask what is due Me, but only what they can fulfil, half a
shekel will suffice.” Then again, fear stirred Moses when God said to him:
“Speak to Israel concerning My offering, and My bread for My sacrifices made by
fire,” and he said trembling, “Who can bring sufficient offerings to Thee?
‘Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beast thereof sufficient for a
burnt offering.'” Then again God quieted him with the words, “I demand not
according to what is due Me, but only that which they can fulfil, one sheep as
a morning sacrifice, and one sheep as an evening sacrifice.” The third time,
God was in the midst of giving Moses instructions concerning the building of
the sanctuary, when Moses exclaimed in fear: “Behold, the heaven and heaven of
heavens cannot contain Thee, how much less this sanctuary that we are to build
Thee?” And this time also God quieted him with the words, “I do not ask what is
due Me, but only that which they can fulfil; twenty boards to the north, as
many to the south, eight in the west, and I shall then so draw My Shekinah
together that it may find room under them.” [318] God was indeed anxious to
have a sanctuary erected to Him, it was the condition on which He led them out
of Egypt, [319] yea, in a certain sense the existence of all the world depended
on the construction of the sanctuary, for when the sanctuary had been erected,
the world stood firmly founded, whereas until then it had always been swaying
hither and thither. [320] Hence the Tabernacle in its separate parts also
corresponded to the heaven and the earth, that had been created on the first
day. As the firmament had been created on the second day to divide the waters
which were under the firmament from the waters which were above, so there was a
curtain in the Tabernacle to divide between the holy and the most holy. As God
created the great sea on the third say, so did He appoint the laver in the
sanctuary to symbolize it, and as He had on that day destined the plant kingdom
as nourishment for man, so did He now require a table with bread in the
Tabernacle. The candlestick in the Tabernacle corresponded to the two luminous
bodies, the sun and the moon, created on the fourth day; and the seven branches
of the candlestick corresponded to the seven planets, the Sun, Venus, Mercury,
the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. Corresponding to the birds created on the
fifth day, the Tabernacle contained the Cherubim, that had wings like birds. On
the sixth, the last day of creation, man had been created in the image of God
to glorify his Creator, and likewise was the high priest anointed to minister
in the Tabernacle before the Lord and Creator. [321]

THE MATERIALS FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TABERNACLE

When, on the Day of Atonement, God said to Moses, “Let them make Me a
sanctuary, that I may dwell among them,” that the nations of the world might
see that He has forgiven Israel their sin, the worship of the Golden Calf, it
was gold He bade them bring for the adornment of the sanctuary. God said: “The
gold of the Tabernacle shall serve as an expiation for the gold they employed
in the construction of the Golden Calf. Besides gold, let them bring Me twelve
other materials for the construction of the Tabernacle: ‘silver, brass, and
blue, and purple, and scarlet, fine linen, and goats’ hair, and rams’ skins
dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, oil for the light, spices for
anointing-oil, and for sweet incense, onyx stones and stones to be set in the
ephod and in the breastplate.'” To these instructions, God added these words:
“But do not suppose that you are giving Me these thirteen objects as gifts, for
thirteen deed did I perform for you in Egypt, which these thirteen objects now
repay. For ‘I clothed you with broidered work, and shod you with badgers’
skins, and girded you about with fine linen, and I covered you with silk. I
decked you also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon your arms, and chains
about your necks. And I put jewels on your foreheads, and earrings in your
ears, and a beautiful crown upon your heads.’ But in the future world, in
return for these thirteen offerings to the Tabernacle, you shall receive
thirteen gifts from Me, when ‘I shall create upon every dwelling place of Mount
Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a
flaming fire by night, for upon all the glory shall be a defence. And there
shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a
place of refuge, and for a covert, from storms and from rain.'” God continued:
“Give your contributions to the sanctuary with a willing heart. Do not think
that you need give anything out of your pockets, for all you have belongs to
Me, through whom you received it in you passage through the Red Sea, when you
took their wealth from the Egyptians. [322] I demand nothing from the other
nations, but from you I do so, because it was I that led you out of Egypt. But
you shall erect a sanctuary to Me not in this world only, but in the future
world also. At first the Torah dwelt with Me, but now that it is in your
possession, you must let Me dwell among you with the Torah.”

Through the various objects God bade them dedicate to the sanctuary, the course
of their history was indicated. The gold signified their yoke under Babylon,
“the head of golds;” the silver pointed toward the sovereignty of Persia and
Media, who through silver tried to bring about the destruction of Israel; brass
stood for the Greek Empire, that like this metal is of inferior quality, its
rule also was less significant than that of its predecessors in the sovereignty
over the world; the ram’s skins dyed red indicate the sovereignty of “red
Rome.” God now said to Israel: “Although you now behold the four nations that
will hold sway over you, still shall I send you help out of your bondage, ‘oil
for the light,’ the Messiah, who will enlighten the eyes of Israel, and who
will make use of ‘spices for anointing-oil,’ for he will anoint the high
priest, that once again ‘I may accept you with your sweet savour.'” [323]

When Moses was in heaven, God showed him the Tabernacle, as well as models for
all the holy vessels therein, hence Moses naturally supposed that he was
destined to be the builder of the Tabernacle. But he was mistaken, for when he
was about to leave heaven, God said to Moses: “Thee have I appointed king, and
it does not behoove a king to execute works in person, but to give people
directions. Therefore thou are not to execute the building of the Tabernacle in
person, but thou art to give them thy directions to be executed.” Moses now
asked God whom he should select as the man to carry out his orders, whereupon
God fetched out the book of Adam and laid it before Moses. In this book he
found recorded all the generations, from the creation of the world to the
resurrection of the dead, and the kings, leaders, and prophets set down beside
every generation. Then God said to Moses: “In that hour did I decree every
man’s calling, and Bezalel was then appointed to his task.” [324]

BEZALEL

Bezalel was, first of all, of a noble line. His father Hur was a son of Caleb
from his union with Miriam, Moses’ sister, that Hur who gave his life to
restrain Israel from the worship of the Golden Calf. As a reward for his
martyrdom, his son Bezalel was to build the Tabernacle, and one of his later
descendants, King Solomon, was to build the Temple at Jerusalem. Bezalel was
not only of a distinguished family, he was himself a man of distinction,
possessed of wisdom, insight, and understanding. By means of these three God
created the world; Bezalel erected the Tabernacle. Through their aid was the
Temple complete, and even in the future world will it be wisdom, insight, and
understanding, these three that God will employ to set up the new Temple.
Bezalel, furthermore, had wisdom in the Torah, insight into the Halakah, and
understanding in the Talmud, [325] but more than this, he was well versed in
secret lore, knowing as he did the combination of letters by means of which God
created heaven and earth. The name Bezalel, “in the shadow of God,” was most
appropriate for this man whose wisdom made clear to him what none could know
save one who dwelt “in the shadow of God.”

Moses had an instant opportunity of testing the wisdom of this builder
appointed by God. God had bidden Moses first to erect the Tabernacle, then the
Holy Ark, and lastly to prepare the furnishings of the Tabernacle; but Moses,
to put Bezalel’s wisdom to the test, ordered him to construct first the Holy
Ark, then the furnishings of the Tabernacle, and only then the sanctuary.
Hereupon wise Bezalel said to Moses: “O our teacher Moses, it is the way of man
first to build his house, and only then to provide its furnishings. Thou
biddest me first provide furnishings and then build a sanctuary. What shall I
do with the furnishings when there is no sanctuary ready to receive them?”
Moses, delighted with Bezalel’s wisdom, replied: “Now truly, the command was
given just as thou sayest. Wert thou, perchance, ‘in the shadow of God,’ that
thou knewest it?”

Although God knew that Bezalel was the right man for the erection of the
Tabernacle, still He asked Moses, “Dost thou consider Bezalel suited to this
task?” Moses replied: “O Lord of the world! If Thou considerest him suitable,
then surely do I!” But God said: “Go, nevertheless, and ask Israel if they
approve My choice of Bezalel.” Moses did as he was bidden, and the people
assented in these words: “If Bezalel is judged good enough by God and by thee,
assuredly he is approved by us.” [326] As the builder of the Tabernacle, God
gave Bezalel five other names to bear. He called him Reaiah, “to behold,” for
Bezalel was beheld by God, by Moses, and by Israel, as the one who had been
decreed for his activity since the beginning of the world. He called him “the
son of Shobal,” because he had erected the Tabernacle that towered high, like a
dove-cote. He called him Jahath, “the Trembler,” because he made the sanctuary,
the seat of the fear of God. He called him Ahamai, because, through his work,
the sanctuary, Israel, and God were united; and finally Lahad, as the one who
brought splendor and loftiness it Israel, for the sanctuary is the pride and
splendor of Israel.

At the side of Bezalel, the noble Judean, worked Oholiab, of the insignificant
tribe of Dan, to show that “before God, the great and the lowly are equal.” And
as the Tabernacle rose, thanks to the combined efforts of a Judean and a
Danite, so too did the Temple of Jerusalem, which was built at the command of
the Judean Solomon by the Danite Hiram. [327] As the head-workers of the
Tabernacle were filled with the holy spirit of God in order to accomplish their
task aright, so too were all who aided in its construction, yes, even the
beasts that were employed on this occasion possessed wisdom, insight, and
understanding. [328]

THE ARK WITH THE CHERUBIM

The very first thing that Bezalel constructed was the Ark of the Covenant,
contrary to Moses’ order, first to erect the Tabernacle and then to supply its
separate furnishings. He succeeded in convincing Moses that it was the proper
thing to begin with the Ark, saying: “What is the purpose of this Tabernacle?”
Moses: “That God may let His Shekinah rest therein, and so teach the Torah to
His people Israel.” Bezalel: “And where dost thou keep the Torah?” Moses: “As
soon as the Tabernacle shall have been complete, we shall make the Ark for
keeping the Torah.” Bezalel: “O our teacher Moses, it does not become the
dignity of the Torah that in the meanwhile it should lie around like this, let
us rather first make the Ark, put the Torah into it, and then continue with the
erection of the Tabernacle, for the Tabernacle exists only for the sake of the
Torah.” Moses saw the justice of this argument, and Bezalel began his work with
the construction of the Ark. In this he followed the example of God, who
created light before all the rest of the creation. So Bezalel first constructed
the Ark that contains the Torah, the light that illuminates this world and the
other world; and only then followed the rest. [329] The Ark consisted of three
caskets, a gold one, the length of then spans and a fractional part; within
this a wooden one, nine spans long, and within this wooden one, one of gold,
eight spans long, so that within and without the wooden was overlaid with the
golden caskets. The Ark contained the two tables of the Ten Commandments as
well as the Ineffable Name, and all His other epithets. The Ark was an image of
the celestial Throne, and was therefore the most essential part of the
Tabernacle, so that even during the march it was spread over with a cloth
wholly of blue, because this color is similar to the color of the celestial
Throne. It was through the Ark, also, that all the miracles on the way through
the desert had been wrought. Two sparks issued from the Cherubim that shaded
the Ark, and these killed all the serpents and scorpions that crossed the path
of the Israelites, and furthermore burned all thorns that threatened to injure
the wanderers on their march through the desert. The smoke rising from these
scorched thorns, moreover, rose straight as a column, and shed a fragrance that
perfumed all the world, so that the nations exclaimed: “Who is this that cometh
out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and
frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?” [330]

Apart from this Ark, which was kept in the Tabernacle, they had another ark, in
which were contained the tables broken by Moses, which they carried with them
whenever they went to war. [331] The Ark that Bezalel constructed was also used
again in Solomon’s Temple, for he retained the Ark used by Moses in the
Tabernacle, even though all the other furnishings of the Temple were fashioned
anew. It remained there up to the time of the destruction of the Temple by
Nebuchadnezzar, when it was concealed under the pavement of the wood-house,
that it might not fall into the hands of the enemy. This place remained a
secret for all time. Once a priest, noticing about the wood-house that
something lay hidden under it, called out to his colleagues, but was suddenly
stricken dead before divulging the secret. [332]

On the Ark were the Cherubim with their faces of boys and their wings. Their
number was two, corresponding to the two tables, and to the two sacred names of
God, Adonai and Elohim, which characterized Him as benevolent and as powerful.
The face of each Cherub measured one span, and the wings extended each ten
spans, making twenty-two spans in all, corresponding to the twenty-two letters
of the Hebrew alphabet. [333] It was “from between the two Cherubim” that God
communed with Moses, for the Shekinah never wholly descended to earth any more
than any mortal ever quite mounted into the heaven, even Moses and Elijah stood
a slight distance from heaven; for, “The heaven, even the heavens, are the
Lord’s: but the earth hath He given to the children of men.” Therefore God
chose the Cherubim that were ten spans above the earth as the place where the
Shekinah betook itself to commune with Moses. [334] The heads of the Cherubim
were slightly turned back, like that of a scholar bidding his master farewell;
but as a token of God’s delight in His people Israel, the faces of the
Cherubim, by a miracle, “looked one to another” whenever Israel were devoted to
their Lord, yea, even clasped one another like a loving couple. During the
festivals of the pilgrimage the priest used to raise the curtain from the Holy
of Holies to show the pilgrims how much their God loved them as they could see
in the embrace of the two Cherubim. [335]

A tow-fold miracle came to pass when the Cherubim were brought into the Temple
by Solomon: the two staves that were attached to the Ark extended until they
touched the curtain, so that two protuberances like a woman’s breasts became
visible at the back of it, and the wings of the Cherubim furthermore extended
until they reached the ceiling of the Holy of Holies. [336]

THE TABLE AND THE CANDLESTICK

While the number of Cherubim was the same in the Temple as in the Tabernacle,
Solomon had, on the other hand, ten tables set up in the Temple in place of the
one fashioned by Moses. This was because the one table sufficed to bring
sustenance to Israel so long as they were maintained by manna in the desert;
but as the demand for food was greater after they settled in the promised land,
Solomon had ten tables set up. But in the Temple also did the table of Moses
retain its ancient significance, for only upon it was the shewbread placed, and
it stood in the center, whereas the tables fashioned by Solomon stood five to
the south and five to the north. For from the south come “the dews of blessing
and the rains of plenty,” while all evil comes from the north; hence Solomon
said: “The tables on the south side shall cause the rains of plenty and the
dews of blessing to come upon the earth, while the tables on the north side
shall keep off all evil from Israel.” [337]

Moses had great difficulty with the construction of the candlestick, for
although God had given him instructions about it, he completely forgot these
when he descended from heaven. He hereupon betook himself to God once more to
be shown, but in vain, for hardly had he reached earth, when he again forgot.
When he betook himself to God the third time, God took a candlestick of fire
and plainly showed him every single detail of it, that he might now be able to
reconstruct the candlestick for the Tabernacle. When he found it still hard to
form a clear conception of the nature of the candlestick, God quieted him with
these words” “Go to Bezalel, he will do it aright.” And indeed, Bezalel had no
difficulty in doing so, and instantly executed Moses’ commission. Moses cried
in amazement: “God showed me repeatedly how to make the candlestick, yet I
could not properly seize the idea; but thou, without having had it shown thee
by God, couldst fashion it out of thy own fund of knowledge. Truly dost thou
deserve thy name Bezalel, ‘in the shadow of God,’ for thou dost act as if thou
hadst been ‘in the shadow of God’ while He was showing me the candlestick.”
[338]

The candlestick was later set up in the Temple of Solomon, and although he set
up ten other candlesticks, still this one was the first to be lighted. Solomon
chose the number ten because it corresponds to the number of Words revealed on
Sinai; and each of these candlesticks had seven lamps, seventy in all, to
correspond to the seventy nations. For while these lamps burned the power of
these nations was held in check, but on the day on which these lamps are
extinguished the power of the nations is increased. [339] The candlestick stood
toward the south, and the table to the north of the sanctuary, the table to
indicate the delights of which the pious would partake in Paradise, which lies
to the north; the light of the candlestick to symbolize the light of the
Shekinah, for in the future world there will be but one delight, to gaze at the
light of the Shekinah. [340] On account of its sacredness the candlestick was
one of the five sacred objects that God concealed at the destruction of the
Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, and that He will restore when in His loving-kindness
He will erect His house and Temple. These sacred objects are: the Ark, the
candlestick, the fire of the altar, the Holy Spirit of prophecy, and the
Cherubim. [341]

THE ALTAR

One of the most miraculous parts of the Tabernacle was the altar. For when God
bade Moses make an altar of shittim wood and overlay it with brass, Moses said
to God: “O Lord of the world! Thou badest me make the altar of wood and overlay
it with brass, but Thou didst also bid me have ‘a fire kept burning upon the
altar continually.’ Will not the fire destroy the overlay of brass, and then
consume the wood of the altar?” God replied: “Moses, thou judgest by the laws
that apply to men, but will these also apply to Me? Behold, the angels that are
of burning flame. Beside them are My store-houses of snow and My store-houses
of hail. Doth the water quench their fire, or doth their fire consume the
water? Behold, also, the Hayyot that are of fire. Above their heads extends a
terrible sea of ice that no mortal can traverse in less than five hundred
years. Yet doth the water quench their fire, or doth their fire consume the
water? For, ‘I am the Lord who maketh peace between these elements in My high
places.’ But thou, because I have bidden thee to have ‘a fire kept burning upon
the altar continually,’ art afraid that the wood might be consumed by the fire.
Dead things come before Me, and leave Me imbued with life, and thou are afraid
the wood of the altar might be consumed! Thine own experience should by now
have taught thee better; thou didst pierce the fiery chambers of heaven, thou
didst enter among the fiery hosts on high, yea, thou didst even approach Me,
that ‘am a consuming fire.’ Surely thou shouldst then have been consumed by
fire, but thou wert unscathed because thou didst go into the fire at My
command; no more shall the brass overlay of the altar be injured by fire, even
though it be no thicker than a denarium.”

In the words, “Dead things come before Me and leave Me imbued with life,” God
alluded to the three following incidents. The rod of Aaron, after it had lain
for a night in the sanctuary, “brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and
even yielded almonds.” The cedars that Hiram, king of Tyre, sent to Solomon for
the building of the Temple, as soon as the incense of the sanctuary reached
them, thrilled green anew, and throughout centuries bore fruits, by means of
which the young priests sustained themselves. Not until Manasseh brought the
idol into the Holy of Holies, did these cedars wither and cease to bear fruit.
The third incident to which God alludes was the stretching of the staves of the
Ark when Solomon set them in the Holy of Holies, and the staves, after having
been apart of the Ark for four hundred and eighty years, suddenly extended
until they touched the curtain.

Solomon erected a new altar for offerings, but knowing how dear to God was the
altar erected by Moses, the brazen altar, he at least retained the same name
for his altar. But in the following words it is evident how much God prized the
altar erected by Moses, for He said: “To reward Israel for having had ‘a fire
kept burning upon the altar continually,’ I shall punish ‘the kingdom laden
with crime’ by fire ‘that shall not be quenched night or day; the smoke thereof
shall go up forever.'” [342]

Beside the brazen altar there was also one of gold, which corresponded to the
human soul, while the former corresponded to the body; and as gold is more
valuable than brass, so also is the soul greater than the body. But both altars
were used daily, as man must also serve his Maker with both body and soul. On
the brazen altar sacrifices were offered, as the body of man, likewise, is
nourished by food; but on the golden altar, spices and sweet incense, for the
soul takes delight in perfumes only. [343]

The materials employed for the constructions of the Tabernacle, the skins and
the wood, were not of the common order. God created the animal Tahash
exclusively for the needs of the Tabernacle, for it was so enormous that out of
one skin could be made a curtain, thirty cubits long. This species of animal
disappeared as soon as the demands of the Tabernacle for skins were satisfied.
The cedars for the Tabernacle, also, were obtained in no common way, for whence
should they have gotten cedars in the desert? They owed these to their ancestor
Jacob. When he reached Egypt, he planted a cedar-grove and admonished his sons
to do the same, saying: “You will in the future be released from bondage in
Egypt, and God will then demand that you erect Him a sanctuary to thank Him for
having delivered you. Plant cedar trees, then, that when God will bid you build
Him a sanctuary, you may have in your possession the cedars required for its
construction.” His sons acted in accordance with the bidding of their father,
and upon leaving Egypt took along the cedars for the anticipated erection of
the sanctuary. Among these cedars was also that wonderful cedar out of which
was wrought “the middle bar in the midst of the boards, that reached from end
to end,” and which Jacob took with him from Palestine when he emigrated to
Egypt, and then left to remain among his descendants. When the cedars were
selected for the construction of the Tabernacle, they intoned a song of praise
to God for this distinction.

But not all the twenty-four species of cedar might be used for the Tabernacle,
nay, not even the seven most excellent among them were found worthy, but only
the species shittim might be used. For God, who foresees all, knew that Israel
would in the future commit a great sin at Shittim, and therefore ordained that
shittim wood be used for the Tabernacle to serve as atonement for the sin
committed at Shittim. Shittim furthermore signifies “follies,” hence Israel
were to construct the place of penance for their folly in adoring the Golden
Calf, out of shittim wood, to atone for this “folly.” And finally, the letters
of which the wood “Shittim” is composed, stand for Shalom, “peace,” Tobah,
“good,” Yesh’uah. “salvation,” and Mehillah, “forgiveness.” [344] The boards
that were made for the Tabernacle out of shittim wood never decayed, but endure
in all eternity. [345]

THE SYMBOLICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TABERNACLE

The separate parts of the Tabernacle had each a symbolical significance, for to
all that is above there is something corresponding below. There are stars
above, but likewise below, where “a star shall come out of Jacob;” God has His
hosts above, and likewise below, His people Israel, “the hosts of the Lord;”
above there are Ofannim, and on earth likewise there is an Ofan; above, God has
Cherubim, and likewise below in the sanctuary of Israel; God hath His dwelling
above, but likewise below; and, lastly, God hath stretched out the heavens
above like a curtain, and below, in the sanctuary, were curtains of goats’
hair. [346]

The number of curtains, also, corresponds to those in heaven, for just as there
are eleven upper heavens, so also were there eleven curtains of goats’ hair.
[347] The size of the Tabernacle was seventy cubits, corresponding to the
seventy holy days celebrated annually by the Jews, to wit: fifty-two Sabbaths,
seven days of Passover, eight of Tabernacles, and a day each for Pentecost, the
Day of Atonement, and New Year’s Day. The number of vessels amounted to seventy
also; as likewise God, Israel, and Jerusalem bear seventy names; and as,
correspondingly, in the time between the building of the first and of the
second Temple, there were seventy consecutive Sanhedrin. [348]

Like the Tabernacle, so the altar, too had its symbolical significance. Its
length and its breadth were five cubits each, corresponding respectively to the
five Commandments on the two tables of the law. Its height was three cubits,
corresponding to the three deliverers God sent to deliver Israel from Egypt, –
Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. It had four horns in the corners thereof, to atone
for the sins of the people that on Sinai receive four horns, “the horn of the
Torah,” “the horn of the Shekinah,” “the horn of Priesthood,” and “the horn of
the Kingdom.” [349]

In the Tabernacle, as later in the Temple, gold, silver, and brass were
employed, but not iron. God meant to indicate by the exclusion of iron that “in
the future time,” “the golden Babylon, the silver Media, and the brazen
Greece,” would be permitted to bestow the gifts on the new Temple, but not “the
iron Rome.” It is true that Babylon also destroyed the sanctuary of God, like
Rome, but not with such fury and such thorough-going wrath as Rome, whose sons
cried: “Raze it, raze it, even to the foundations thereof,” and for this reason
Rome may not contribute to the Messianic Temple. And as God will reject the
gifts of Rome, so also will the Messiah, to whom all the nations of the earth
will have to offer gifts. Egypt will come with her gifts, and although the
Messiah will at first refuse to accept anything from the former taskmaster of
Israel, God will say to him: “The Egyptians granted My children an abode in
their land, do not repulse them.” Then the Messiah will accept their gift.
After Egypt will follow her neighbor, Ethiopia, with her gifts, thinking that
if the Messiah accepted gifts from the former taskmaster of Israel, he will
also accept gifts from her. Then the Messiah will also accept Ethiopia’s gifts.
After these two kingdoms will follow all others with their gifts, and all will
be accepted save those from Rome. This kingdom will be sorely disappointed,
for, depending upon their kinship with Israel, they will expect kind treatment
from the Messiah, who had graciously received the other nations not connected
with Israel. But God will call out to the Messiah: “Roar at this monster that
devours the fat of nations, that justifies its claims for recognition through
being a descendant of Abraham by his grandson Esau, the nation that forgives
all for the sake of money, that kept Israel back from the study of the Torah,
and tempted them to deeps that are in accord with the wishes of Satan.” [350]

THE PRIESTLY ROBES

Simultaneously with the construction of the Tabernacle and its vessels, were
fashioned the priestly robes for Aaron and his sons. It was at this time that
God made known Aaron’s appointment to the office of high priest, saying: “Go
and appoint a high priest.” Moses: “Out of which tribe?” God: “Of the tribe of
Levi.” Moses was most happy upon hearing that the high priest was to be chosen
out of his tribe, and his joy was increased when God added: “Appoint thy
brother Aaron as high priest.” This choice of Aaron was, of course, also a
disappointment to Moses, who had hoped God would appoint him as His high
priest, but God had designed this dignity for Aaron to reward him for his pious
deeds when Israel worshipped the Golden Calf. For when Moses returned from
Sinai and saw the Calf fashioned by Aaron, he thought his brother was no better
than the rest of the people, and had, like them, devoted himself to idolatry.
But God knew that Aaron’s participation in the construction of the Calf was
merely due to the pious motive of delaying the people until Moses should
return, hence He even then said to Aaron: “I am fully aware of they motive,
and, as truly as thou livest, I shall appoint thee as warden over the
sacrifices that My children offer Me.” In consideration of Moses’ feelings, God
gave into his hands the appointment of Aaron, saying to him: “I might have
installed thy brother as high priest without having informed thee of it, but I
relinquish his appointment to thee, that thou mayest have an opportunity of
showing the people thy humility, in that thou dost not seek this high office
for thyself.” [351] At God’s bidding, Aaron and his two sons were now chosen as
priest, and, moreover, not for a limited period, but Aaron and his house were
invested with the priesthood for all eternity. As soon as these were installed
as priests, Moses set to work to instruct them thoroughly in the priestly laws.
[352]

God ordered the following eight garments as Aaron’s garb: coat, breeches,
mitre, girdle, breastplate, ephod, robe, and golden plate; but his sons needed
only the first four garments. All these garments had expiatory virtues, and
each expiated a definite sin. The coat atoned for murder, the breeches for
unchastity, the mitre for pride, the girdle for theft, the breastplate for
partial verdicts, the ephod for idolatry, the bells on the robe for slander,
and the golden plate for effrontery. [353]

The breastplate and the ephod were set with precious stones, which were the
gifts of the noble to the sanctuary, though, to be exact, they were in reality
a gift from God. For precious stones and pearls had rained down with the manna,
which the noble among Israel had gathered up and laid away until the Tabernacle
was erected, when they offered them as gifts. [354]

The ephod had only two precious stones, one on each shoulder, and on each of
these stones were engraved the names of the six tribes in the following order:
Reuben, Levi, Issachar, Naphtali, Gad, Jehoseph, on the right shoulder-piece;
Simeon, Judah, Zebulun, Dan, Asher, Benjamin, on the left shoulder. The name
Joseph was spelled Jehoseph, a device by which the two stones had exactly the
same number of letters engraved upon them. [355] On the breast plate were
twelve precious stones, on which the names of the three Patriarchs preceded
those of the twelve tribes, and at the end were engraved the words, “All these
are the twelve tribes of Israel.” [356]

THE STONES IN THE BREASTPLATE

The twelve stones differed not only in color, but also in certain qualities
peculiar to each, and both quality and color had especial reference to the
tribe whose name it bore. Reuben’s stone was the ruby, that has the property,
when grated by a woman and tasted by her, of promoting pregnancy, for it was
Reuben who found the mandrakes which induce pregnancy.

Simeon’s stone was the smaragd, that has the property of breaking as soon as an
unchaste woman looks at it, a fitting stone for the tribe whose sire, Simeon,
was kindles to wrath by the unchaste action of Shechem. It was at the same time
a warning to the tribe of Simeon, that committed whoredom at Shittim with the
daughters of Moab, to be mindful of chastity, and like its stone, to suffer no
prostitution.

Levi’s stone was the carbuncle, that beams like lightning, as, likewise, the
faces of that tribe beamed with piety and erudition. This stone has the virtue
of making him who wears it wise; but true wisdom is the fear of God, and it was
this tribe alone that did not join in the worship of the Golden Calf.

Judah’s stone was the green emerald, that has the power of making its owner
victorious in battle, a fitting stone for this tribe from which springs the
Jewish dynasty of kings, that routed its enemies. The color green alludes to
the shame that turned Judah’s countenance green when he publicly confessed his
crime with Tamar.

Issachar’s stone was the sapphire, for this tribe devoted themselves completely
to the study of the Torah, and it is this very stone, the sapphire, out of
which the two tables of the law were hewn. This stone increases strength of
vision and heals many diseases, as the Torah, likewise, to which this tribe was
so devoted, enlightens the eye and makes the body well.

The white pearl is the stone of Zebulun, for with his merchant ships he sailed
the sea and drew his sustenance from the ocean from which the pearl, too, is
drawn. The pearl has also the quality of bringing its owner sleep, and it is
all the more to the credit of this tribe that they nevertheless spent their
nights on commercial ventures to maintain their brother-tribe Issachar, that
lived only for the study of the Torah. The pearl is, furthermore, round, like
the fortune of the rich, that turns like a wheel, and in this way the wealthy
tribe of Zebulun were kept in mind of the fickleness of fortune.

Dan’s stone was a species of topaz, in which was visible the inverted face of a
man, for the Danites were sinful, turning good to evil, hence the inverted face
in their stone.

The turquoise was Naphtali’s stone, for it gives its owner speed in riding, and
Naphtali was “a hind let loose.”

Gad’s stone was the crystal, that endows its owner with courage in battle, and
hence served this warlike tribe that battled for the Lord as an admonition to
fear none and build on God.

The chrysolite was Asher’s stone, and as this stone aids digestion and makes
its owner sturdy and fat, so were the agricultural products of Asher’s tribe of
such excellent quality that they made fat those who ate of them.

Joseph’s stone was the onyx, that has the virtue of endowing him who wears it
with grace, and truly, by his grace, did Joseph find favor in the eyes of all.

Jasper was Benjamin’s stone, and as this stone turns color, being now red, now
green, now even black, so did Benjamin’s feelings vary to his brothers.
Sometimes he was angry with them for having sold into slavery Joseph, the only
other brother by his mother Rachel, and in this mood he came near betraying
their deed to his father; but, that he might not disgrace his brothers, he did
not divulge their secret. To this discretion on his part alludes the Hebrew
name of his stone, Yashpeh, which signifies, “There is a mouth,” for Benjamin,
though he had a mouth, did not utter the words that would have covered his
brothers with disgrace. [357]

The twelve stones in the breastplate, with their bright colors, were of great
importance in the oracular sentences of the high priest, who by means of these
stones made the Urim and Tummim exercise their functions. For whenever the king
or the head of the Sanhedrin wished to get directions from the Urim and Tummim
he betook himself to the high priest. The latter, robed in his breastplate and
ephod, bade him look into his face and submit his inquiry. The high priest,
looking down on his breastplate, then looked to see which of the letters
engraved on the stones shone out most brightly, and then constructed the answer
out of these letters. Thus, for example, when David inquired of the Urim and
Tummim if Saul would pursue him, the high priest Abiathar beheld gleaming forth
the letter Yod in Judah’s name, Resh in Reuben’s name, and Dalet in Dan’s name,
hence the answer read as follows: Yered, “He will pursue.”

The information of this oracle was always trustworthy, for the meaning of the
name Urim and Tummim is in the fact that “these answers spread light and
truth,” but not every high priest succeeded in obtaining them. Only a high
priest who was permeated with the Holy Spirit, and over whom rested the
Shekinah, might obtain an answer, for in other cases the stones withheld their
power. But if the high priest was worthy, he received an answer to every
inquiry, for on these stones were engraved all the letters of the alphabet, so
that all conceivable words could be constructed from them. [358]

THE COMPLETION OF THE TABERNACLE

On the eleventh day of Tishri Moses assembled the people, and informed them
that it was God’s wish to have a sanctuary among them, and each man was bidden
to bring to the sanctuary any offering he pleased. At the same time he
impressed upon them that, however pious a deed participation in the
construction of the Tabernacle might be, still they might under no
circumstances break the Sabbath to hasten to building of the sanctuary. Moses
thereupon expounded to them the kind of work that was permissible on the
Sabbath, and the king that was prohibited, for there were not less then
thirty-nine occupations the pursuit of which on the Sabbath was punishable by
death. [359] Owing to the importance of keeping the Sabbath, Moses imparted the
precepts concerning it directly to the great masses of the people that he had
gathered together, and not to the elders alone. In this he acted according to
God’s command, who said to him: “Go, Moses, call together great assemblages and
announce the Sabbath laws to them, that the future generations may follow thy
example, and on Sabbath days assemble the people in the synagogues and instruct
them in the Torah, that they may know what is prohibited and what is permitted,
that My name may be glorified among My children.” In the spirit of this command
did Moses institute that on every holy day there might be preaching in the
synagogues, and instruction concerning the significance of the special holy
day. He summoned the people to these teachings with the words: “If you will
follow my example, God will count it for you as if you had acknowledged God as
your king throughout the world.” [360]

The stress laid on the observance of the Sabbath laws was quite necessary, for
the people were so eager to deliver up their contributions, that on the Sabbath
Moses had to have an announcement proclaimed that they were to take nothing out
of their houses, as the carrying of things on the Sabbath is prohibited. [361]
For Israel is a peculiar people, that answered the summons to fetch gold for
the Golden Calf, and with no less zeal answered the summons of Moses to give
contributions for the Tabernacle. They were not content to bring things out of
their houses and treasuries, but forcibly snatched ornaments from their wives,
their daughters, and their sons, and brought them to Moses for the construction
of the Tabernacle. In this way they thought they could cancel their sin in
having fashioned the Golden Calf; then had they used their ornaments in the
construction of the idol, and now they employed them for the sanctuary of God.
[362]

The women, however, were no less eager to contribute their mite, and were
especially active in producing the woolen hangings. They did this in no
miraculous a way, that they spun the wool while it was still upon the goats.
[363] Moses did not at first want to accept contributions from the women, but
these brought their cloaks and their mirrors, saying: “Why dost thou reject our
gifts? If thou doest so because thou wantest in the sanctuary nothing that
women use to enhance their charms, behold, here are our cloaks that we use to
conceal ourselves from the eyes of the men. But if thou are afraid to accept
from us anything that might be not our property, but our husbands’, behold,
here are our mirrors that belong to us alone, and not to our husbands.” When
Moses beheld the mirrors, he waxed very angry, and bade the women to be driven
from him, exclaiming: “What right in the sanctuary have these mirrors that
exist only to arouse sensual desires?” But God said to Moses: “Truly dearer to
Me than all other gifts are these mirrors, for it was these mirrors that
yielded Me My hosts. When in Egypt the men were exhausted from their heavy
labors, the women were wont to come to them with food and drink, take out their
mirrors, and caressingly say to their husbands: ‘Look into the mirror, I am
much more beautiful than thou,’ and in this way passion seized the men so that
they forgot their cares and united themselves with their wives, who thereupon
brought many children into the world. Take now these mirrors and fashion out of
them the laver that contains the water for the sanctifying of the priests.”
Furthermore out of this laver was fetched the water that a woman suspected of
adultery had to drink to prove her innocence. As formerly the mirrors had been
used to kindle conjugal affection, so out of them was made the vessel for the
water that was to restore broken peace between husband and wife.

When Moses upon God’s command made known to the people that whosoever was of a
willing heart, man or woman, might bring an offering, the zeal of the women was
so great, that they thrust away the men and crowded forward with their gifts,
[364] so that in two days all that was needful for the construction of the
Tabernacle was in Moses’ hands. The princes of the tribes came almost too late
with their contributions, and at the last moment they brought the precious
stones for the garments of Aaron, that they might not be entirely unrepresented
in the sanctuary. But God took their delay amiss, and for this reason they
later sought to be the first to offer up sacrifices in the sanctuary. [365]

After everything had been provided for the construction of the Tabernacle,
Bezalel set to work with the devotion of his whole soul, and as a reward for
this, the Holy Scriptures speak of him only as the constructor of the
sanctuary, although many others stood by him in this labor. He began his work
by fashioning the boards, then attended to the overlaying of them, and when he
had completed these things, he set to work to prepare the curtains, then
completed the Ark with the penance-cover belonging to it, and finally the table
for the shewbread, and the candlestick. [366]

THE SETTING UP OF THE TABERNACLE

The work on the Tabernacle progressed rapidly, for everything was ready in the
month of Kislew, but it was not set up until three months later. The people
were indeed eager to set up the sanctuary at once and to dedicate it, but God
bade Moses wait until the first day of the month of Nisan, because that was
Isaac’s birthday, and God wished the joy of dedication to take place on this
day of joy. The mockers among Israel, of course, to whom this was not known,
made fun of Moses, saying: “Of course, is it possible that the Shekinah should
rest over the work of Amram’s sons?” [357]

In regard to the Tabernacle, Moses had to suffer much besides from the
fault-finders and wicked tongues. If he showed himself upon the street, they
called out to one another: “See what a well-fed neck, what sturdy legs the son
of Amram has, who eats and drinks from our money!” The other would answer:
“Dost thou believe that one who has construction of the Tabernacle in his hands
will remain a poor man?” Moses said nothing, but resolved, as soon as the
Tabernacle should have been completed, to lay an exact account before the
people, which he did. But when it came to giving his account, he forgot one
item of seven hundred seventy-five shekels which he had expended for hooks upon
which to hang the curtains of the Tabernacle. Then, as he suddenly raised his
eyes, he saw the Shekinah resting on the hooks and was reminded of his omission
of this expenditure. Thereafter all Israel became convinced that Moses was a
faithful and reliable administrator. [358]

As the people had brought much more material than was necessary for the
Tabernacle, Moses erected a second Tabernacle outside the encampment on the
spot where God had been accustomed to reveal Himself to him, and this
“Tabernacle of revelation” was in all details like the original sanctuary in
the camp. [359]

When everything was ready, the people were very much disappointed that the
Shekinah did not rest upon their work, and the betook themselves to the wise
men who had worked on the erection of the Tabernacle, and said to them: “Why do
ye sit thus idle, set up the Tabernacle, that the Shekinah may dwell among us.”
These now attempted to put up the Tabernacle, but did not succeed, for hardly
did they believe it was up, when it fell down again. Now all went to Bezalel
and his assistant Oholiab, saying to them: “Do you now set up the Tabernacle,
you who constructed it, and perhaps it will then stand.” But when even these
two master-builders did not succeed in setting up the Tabernacle, the people
began to find fault, and say: “See now what the son of Amram has brought upon
us. We spent our money and went through a great deal of trouble, all because he
assured us that the Holy One, blessed be He, would descend from His place with
the angels and dwell among us under ‘the hangings of goats’ hair,’ but it has
all been in vain.” The people now went to Moses, saying: “O our teacher Moses,
we have done all thou has bidden us do, we gave all thou didst ask of us. Look
now upon this completed work, and tell us if we have omitted aught, or have
done aught we should have refrained from doing, examine it with care and answer
us.” Moses had to admit that all had been done according to his instructions.
“But if it be so,” continued the people, “why then cannot the Tabernacle stand?
Bezalel and Oholiab failed to set it up, and all the wise men as well!” This
communication sorely grieved Moses, who could not understand why the Tabernacle
could not be set up. But God said to him: “Thou wert sorry to have had no share
in the erection of the Tabernacle, which the people supplied with material, and
on which Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other wise men labored with the work of
their hands. For this reason did it come to pass that none could set up the
Tabernacle, for I want all Israel to see that it cannot stand if thou dost not
set it up.” Moses replied: “O Lord of the world! I do not know how to put it
up.” But God answered: “Go, get busy with its setting-up, and while thou art
busy at it, it will rise of its own accord.” And so it came to pass. Hardly had
Moses put his hand upon the Tabernacle, when it stood erect, and the rumors
among the people that Moses had arbitrarily put up the Tabernacle without the
command of God ceased forevermore. [370]

THE CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTS

Before the sanctuary and its vessels were dedicated for service, they were
anointed with holy oil. On this occasion the miracle came to pass that twelve
lugs of oil sufficed not only to anoint the sanctuary and its vessels, and
Aaron and his two sons throughout the seven days of their consecration, but
with this same oil were anointed all the successors of Aaron in the office of
high priest, and several kings until the days of Josiah.

An especial miracle occurred when Aaron was anointed and on his pointed beard
two drops of holy oil hung pendant like two pearls. These drops did not even
disappear when he trimmed his beard, but rose to the roots of the hair. Moses
at first feared that the useless waste of these drops of holy oil on Aaron’s
beard might be considered sacrilege, but a Divine voice quieted him. A Divine
voice quieted Aaron, also, who likewise feared the accident that had turned the
holy oil to his personal use. [371]

The anointing of Aaron and his two sons was not the only ceremony that
consecrated them as priests, for during a whole week did they have to live near
the Tabernacle, secluded from the outer world. During this time Moses performed
all priestly duties, even bringing sacrifices for Aaron and his sons, and
sprinkling them with the blood of these sacrifices. [372] It was on the
twenty-third day of Adar that God bade Moses consecrate Aaron and his sons as
priests, saying to him: “Go, persuade Aaron to accept his priestly office, for
he is a man whom shuns distinctions. But effect his appointment before all
Israel, that he may be honored in this way, and at the same time warn the
people that after the choice of Aaron none may assume priestly rights. Gather
thou all the congregation together unto the door of the Tabernacle.” At these
last words Moses exclaimed: “O Lord of the world! How shall I be able to
assemble before the door of the Tabernacle, a space that measures only two
seah, sixty myriads of adult men and as many youths?” But God answered: “Dost
thou marvel at this? Greater miracles than this have I accomplished. The heaven
was originally as thin and as small as the retina of the eye, still I caused it
to stretch over all the world from one end to the other. In the future world,
too, when all men from Adam to the time of the Resurrection will be assembled
in Zion, and the multitude will be so great that one shall call to the other,
‘The place is too strait for me, give place to me that I may dwell,’ on that
day will I so extend the holy city that all will conveniently find room there.”
[373]

Moses did as he was bidden, and in presence of all the people took place the
election of Aaron and his sons as priests, whereupon these retired for a week
to the door of the Tabernacle. During this week, in preparing the burnt
offering and the sin offering, Moses showed his brother Aaron and Aaron’s sons
how to perform the different priestly functions in the sanctuary. Moses made a
sin offering because he feared that among the gifts out of which the sanctuary
had been constructed, there might have been ill-gotten gains, and God loves
justice and hates loot as an offering, Moses through a sin offering sought to
obtain forgiveness for a possible wrong. During this week, however, the
sanctuary was only temporarily used. Moses would set it up mornings and
evenings, then fold it together again, and it was not until this week had
passed that the sanctuary was committed to the general use. After that it was
not folded together except when they moved from on encampment to another. [374]

These seven days of retirement were assigned to Aaron and his sons not only as
a preparation for their regular service, they had another significance also.
God, before bringing the flood upon the earth, observed the seven days
preceding as a week of mourning, and in the same way He bade Aaron and his sons
live in absolute retirement for a week, as is the duty of mourners, for a heavy
loss awaited them – the death of Nadab and Abihu, which took place on the
joyous day of their dedication. [375]

THE DAY OF THE TEN CROWNS

The first day of Nisan was an eventful day, “a day that was distinguished by
ten crowns.” It was the day on which the princes of the tribes began to bring
their offerings; it was the first day on which Shekinah came to dwell among
Israel; the first day on which sacrifice on any but the appointed place was
forbidden; the first day on which priests bestowed their blessing upon Israel;
the first day for regular sacrificial service; the first day on which the
priests partook of certain portions of the offering; the first day on which the
heavenly fire was seen on the altar; it was besides the first day of the week,
a Sunday, the first day of the first month of the year. [376]

It was on this day after “the week of training” for Aaron and his sons that God
said to Moses: “Thinkest thou that thou are to be high priest because thou hast
been attending to priestly duties during this week? Not so, call Aaron and
announce to him that he has been appointed high priest, and at the same time
call the elders and in their presence announce his elevation to this dignity,
that none may say Aaron himself assumed this dignity.” [377] Following the
example of God, who on Sinai distinguished Aaron before all others, saying,
“And thou shalt come up, thou and Aaron with thee, but let not the priests and
the people break through,” Moses went first to Aaron, then to Aaron’s sons, and
only then to the elders, to discuss with them the preparations for the
installation of Aaron into office. [378]

When Moses approached Aaron with the news of God’s commission to appoint him as
high priest, Aaron said: “What! Thou hadst all the labor of erecting the
Tabernacle, and I am now to be its high priest!” But Moses replied: “As truly
as thou livest, although thou art to be high priest, I am as happy as if I had
been chosen myself. As thou didst rejoice in my elevation, so do I now rejoice
in thine.” [379] Moses continued: “My brother Aaron, although God had become
reconciled to Israel and has forgiven them their sin, still, through thy
offering must thou close the mouth of Satan, that he may not hate thee when
thou enterest the sanctuary. Take then a young calf as a sin-offering, for as
thou didst nearly lose thy claim to the dignity of high priest through a calf,
so shalt thou now through the sacrifice of a calf be established in thy
dignity.” Then Moses turned to the people, saying: “You have two sins to atone
for: the selling of Joseph, whose coat you fathers smeared with the blood of a
kid to convince their father that its owner had been torn to pieces by a wild
beast, and the sin you committed through the worship of the Golden Calf. Take,
then, a kid to atone for the guilt you brought upon yourselves with a kid, and
take a calf to atone for the sin you committed through a calf. But to make sure
that God had become reconciled to you, offer up a bull also, and thereby
acknowledge that you are slaughtering before God your idol, the bull that you
had erstwhile worshipped.” The people, however, said to Moses: “What avails it
this nation to do homage to its king, who is invisible?” Moses replied: “For
this very reason did God command you to offer these sacrifices, so that He may
show Himself to you.” At these words they rejoiced greatly, for through them
they knew that God was now completely reconciled to them, and they hastened to
bring the offerings to the sanctuary. Moses admonished them with the words:
“See to it now that you drive evil impulse from your hearts, that you now have
but one thought and one resolution, to serve God; and that your undivided
services are devoted singly and solely to the one God, for He is the God of
gods and the Lord of lords. If you will act according to my words, ‘the glory
of the Lord shall appear unto you.'”

But Aaron in his humility still did not dare to enter on his priestly
activities. The aspect of the horned altar filled him with fear, for it
reminded him of the worship of the bull by Israel, an incident in which he felt
he had not been altogether without blame. Moses had to encourage him to step up
to the altar and offer the sacrifices. After Aaron had offered up the
prescribed sacrifices, he bestowed his blessing upon the people with lifted
hands, saying: “The Eternal bless thee and keep thee: The Eternal make His face
shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee: The Eternal lift up His countenance
upon thee and give thee peace.”

In spite of the offerings and the blessings, there was still no sign of the
Shekinah, so that Aaron, with a heavy heart, thought, “God is angry with me,
and it is my fault that the Shekinah had not descended among Israel, I merely
owe it to my brother Moses that to my confusion I entered the sanctuary, for my
service did not suffice to bring down the Shekinah.” Upon this Moses went with
his brother into the sanctuary a second time, and their united prayers had the
desired effect, there came “a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon
the altar well-neigh one hundred and sixteen years, and neither was the wood of
the altar consumed, nor its brazen overlay molten.

When the people saw the heavenly fire, the evident token of God’s grace and His
reconciliation with them, they shouted, and fell on their faces, and praised
God, intoning in His honor a song of praise. Joy reigned not only on earth, but
in heaven also, for on this day God’s joy over the erection of the sanctuary
was as great as had been His joy on the first day of creation over His works,
heaven and earth. [380] For, in a certain sense, the erection of the Tabernacle
was the finishing touch to the creation of the world. For the world exists for
the sake of three things, the Torah, Divine service, and works of love. From
the creation of the world to the revelation on Sinai the world owed its
existence to the love and grave of God; from the revelation to the erection of
the sanctuary, the world owed its existence to the Torah and to love, but only
with the erection of the Tabernacle did the world secure its firm basis, for
now it had three feet whereupon to rest, the Torah, Divine service, and love.
From another point of view, too, is the day of consecration of the sanctuary to
be reckoned with the days of creation, for at the creation of the world God
dwelt with mortals and withdrew the Shekinah to heaven only on account of the
sin of the first two human beings. But on the day of consecration of the
Tabernacle the Shekinah returned to its former abode, the earth. The angels
therefore lamented on this day, saying: “Now God will leave the celestial hosts
and will dwell among mortals.” God indeed quieted them with the words, “As
truly as ye live, My true dwelling will remain on high,” but He was not quite
in earnest when He said so, for truly earth is His chief abode. Only after the
Tabernacle on earth had been erected did God command the angels to build one
like it in heaven, and it is this Tabernacle in which Metatron offers the souls
of the pious before God as an expiation for Israel, at the time of the exile
when His earthly sanctuary is destroyed.

This day marks an important change in the intercourse between God and Moses.
Before this, the voice of God would strike Moses’ ear as if conducted through a
tube, and on such an occasion the outer would recognized only through Moses’
reddened face that he was receiving a revelation; now, at the consecration of
the sanctuary, this was changed. For when, on this day, he entered the
sanctuary, a sweet, pleasant and lovely voice rang out toward him, whereupon he
said: “I will hear what God the Lord will speak.” Then he heard the words:
“Formerly there reigned enmity between Me and My children, formerly there
reigned anger between Me and My children, formerly there reigned hatred between
Me and My children; but now love reigns between Me and My children, friendship
reigns between Me and My children, peace reigns between Me and My children.”

It was evident that peace reigned, for on this day the undisturbed freedom of
movement over the world, which had until then been accorded the demons, was
taken from them. Until then these were so frequently met with, that Moses
regularly recited a special prayer whenever going to Mount Sinai, entreating
God to protect him from the demons. But as soon as the Tabernacle had been
erected, they vanished. Not entirely, it is true, for even now these pernicious
creatures may kill a person, especially within the period from the seventeenth
day of Tammuz to the ninth day of Ab, when the demons exercise their power. The
most dangerous one among them is Keteb, the sight of whom kill men as well as
animals. He rolls like a ball and had the head of a calf with a single horn on
his forehead.

Just as God destroyed the power of these demons through the Tabernacle, so too,
through the priestly blessing that He bestowed upon His people before the
consecration of the sanctuary, did He break the spell of the evil eye, which
might otherwise have harmed them now as it had done at the revelation on Sinai.
The great ceremonies on that occasion had turned the eyes of all the world upon
Israel, and the evil eye of the nations brought about the circumstance of the
breaking of the two tables. As God blessed His people on this occasion, so too
did Moses, who upon the completion of the Tabernacle blessed Israel with the
words: “The Eternal God of you fathers make you a thousand times so many more
as ye are, and bless you, as He hath promised you!” The people made answer to
this blessing, saying: “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and
establish Thou the work of our hands upon us; yea the work of our hands
establish Thou it.” [381]

THE INTERRUPTED JOY

The happiest of women on this day was Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, for
beside the general rejoicing at the dedication of the sanctuary, five
particular joys fell to her lot: her husband, Aaron, was high priest; her
brother-in-law, Moses, king; her son, Eleazar, head of the priests; her
grandson, Phinehas, priest of war; and her brother, Nahshon, prince of his
tribe. But how soon was her joy turned to grief! Her two sons, Nadab and Abihu,
carried away by the universal rejoicing at the heavenly fire, approached the
sanctuary with the censers in their hands, to increase God’s love for Israel
through this act of sacrifice, but paid with their lives for this offering.
From the Holy of Holies issued two flames of fire, as thin as threads, then
parted into four, and two each pierced the nostrils of Nadab and Abihu, whose
souls were burnt, although no external injury was visible. [382]

The death of these priests was not, however, unmerited, for in spite of their
piety they had committed many a sin. Even at Sinai they had not conducted
themselves properly, for instead of following the example of Moses, who had
turned his face away from the Divine vision in the burning bush, they basked in
the Divine vision of Mount Sinai. Their fate had even been decreed, but God did
not want to darken the joy of the Torah by their death, hence He waited for the
dedication of the Tabernacle. On this occasion God acted like the king who,
discovering on the day of his daughter’s wedding that the best-man was guilty
of a deadly sin, said: “If I cause the best-man to be executed on the spot, I
shall cast a shadow on my daughter’s joy. I will rather have him executed on my
day of gladness than on hers.” God inflicted the penalty upon Nadab and Abihu
“in the day of gladness of His heart,” and not on the day on which the Torah
espoused Israel.

Among the sins for which they had to atone was their great pride, which was
expressed in several ways. They did not marry, because they considered no woman
good enough for them, saying: “Our father’s brother is king, our father is high
priest, our mother’s brother is prince of his tribe, and we are heads of the
priests. What woman is worthy of us?” And many a woman remained unwed, waiting
for these youths to woo her. In their pride they even went so far in sinful
thoughts as to wish for the time when Moses and Aaron should die and they would
have the guidance of the people in their hands. But God said: “‘Boast not
thyself of to-morrow;’ many a colt has died and his hide had been used as cover
for his mother’s back.” Even in the performance of the act that brought death
upon them, did they show their pride, for they asked permission of neither
Moses nor Aaron whether they might take part in the sacrificial service. What
is more, Nadab and Abihu did not even consult with each other before starting
out on this fatal deed, they performed it independently of each other. Had they
previously taken counsel together, or had they asked their father and their
uncle, very likely they would never have offered the disastrous sacrifice. For
they were neither in a proper condition for making an offering, nor was their
offering appropriate. They partook of wine before entering the sanctuary, which
if forbidden to priests; they did not wear the prescribed priestly robes, and,
furthermore, they had not sanctified themselves with water out of the laver for
washing. They made their offering, moreover, in the Holy of Holies, to which
admittance had been prohibited, and used “strange fire,” and the offering was
all in all out of place because they had had no command from God to offer up
incense at that time. Apart from this lists of sins, however, they were very
pious men, and their death grieved God more than their father Aaron, not alone
because it grieves God to see a pious father lose his sons, but because they
actually were worthy and pious youths. [383]

When Aaron heard of the death of his sons, he said: “All Israel saw Thee at the
Red Sea as well as at Sinai without suffering injury thereafter; but my sons,
whom Thou didst order to dwell in the Tabernacle, a place that a layman may not
enter without being punished by death – my sons entered the Tabernacle to
behold Thy strength and Thy might, and they died!” God hereupon said to Moses:
“Tell Aaron the following: ‘I have shown thee great favor and have granted thee
great honor through this, that thy sons have been burnt. I assigned to thee and
thy sons a place nearer to the sanctuary, before all others, even before thy
brother Moses. But I have also decreed that whosoever enters the Tabernacle
without having been commanded, he shall be stricken with leprosy. Wouldst thou
have wished thy sons, to whom the innermost places had been assigned, to sit as
lepers outside the encampment as a penalty for having entered the Holy of
Holies?” When Moses imparted these words to his brother, Aaron said: “I thank
Thee, O God, for that which Thou hast shown me in causing my sons to die rather
then having them waste their lives as lepers. It behooves me to thank Thee and
praise Thee, ‘because Thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall
praise Thee.'” [384]

Moses endeavored to comfort his brother in still another way, saying: “Thy sons
died to glorify the name of the Lord, blessed be His name, for on Sinai God
said to me: ‘And there will I meet with the children of Israel, the Tabernacle
shall be sanctified by those that glorify Me.’ I knew that this sanctuary of
God was to be sanctified by the death of those that stood near it, but I
thought either thou or I was destined for this, but now I perceive that thy
sons were nearer to God than we.” These last words sufficed to induce Aaron to
control his grief over the loss of his sons, and like the true wise man he
silently bore the heavy blow of fate without murmur or lament. God rewarded him
for his silence by addressing him directly, and imparting an important priestly
law to him.

Aaron could not take part in the burial of Nadab and Abihu, for a high priest
is not permitted to take part in a funeral procession, even if the deceased be
a near kinsman. Eleazar and Ithamar, also, the surviving sons of Aaron, were
not permitted to mourn or attend the funeral on the day of their dedication as
priests, so that Aaron’s cousins, the Levites Mishael and Elzaphan, the next of
kin after these had to attend to the funeral. These two Levites were the sons
of a very worthy father, who was not only by descent a near kinsman of Aaron,
but who was also closely akin to Aaron in character. As Aaron pursued peace, so
too did his uncle Uzziel, father to Mishael and Elzaphan. Being Levites they
might not enter the place where the heavenly fire had met their cousins, hence
an angel had thrust Nadab and Abihu out of the priestly room, and they did not
die until they were outside it, so that Mishael and Elzaphan might approach
them. [385]

Whereas the whole house of Israel was bidden to bewail the death of Nadab and
Abihu, for “the death of a pious man is greater misfortune to Israel than the
Temple’s burning to ashes,” [386] – Aaron and his sons, on the other hand, were
permitted to take no share in the mourning, and Moses bade them eat of the
parts of the offering due them, as if nothing had happened. Now when Moses saw
that Aaron had burnt to ashes one of the three sin offerings that were offered
on that day, without himself or his sons having partaken of it, his wrath was
kindled against his brother, but in consideration of Aaron’s age and his office
Moses addressed his violent words not to Aaron himself, but to his sons. He
reproached them with having offended against God’s commandment in burning one
sin offering and eating of the other two. He asked them, besides, if they were
not wise enough to profit by the example of their deceased brothers, who paid
for their arbitrary actions with their lives, particularly since they also had
been doomed to death, and owed their lived only to his prayer, which had power
to preserve for their father half the number of sons. Moses’ reproof, however,
was unjustified, for Aaron and his sons had done what the statutes required,
but Moses had on this occasion, as on two others, owing to his wrath, forgotten
the laws which he himself had taught Israel. Hence Aaron opposed him decidedly
and pointed out his error to him. Moses, far from taking Aaron’s reprimand
amiss, caused a herald to make an announcement throughout the camp: “I have
falsely interpreted the law, and Aaron, my brother, has corrected me. Eleazar
and Ithaman also knew the law, but were silent out of consideration for me.” As
a reward for their considerateness, God thereupon revealed important laws to
Moses with a special injunction to tell them to Aaron as well as to Eleazar and
Ithamar. [387]

THE GIFTS OF THE PRINCES

When Moses called on the people to make their offerings for the erection of the
sanctuary, it sorely vexed the princes of the tribes that he had not summoned
them particularly. Hence they withheld their contributions, waiting for the
people to give according to their powers, so that they might step in and make
up the deficiency, and all should observe that without them the Tabernacle
could not have been completed. But they were mistaken, for in their ready
devotion the people provided all needful things for the sanctuary, and when the
princes of the tribes perceived their mistake and brought their contributions,
it was too late. All that they could do was to provide the jewels for the robes
of the high priest, but they could no longer take a hand in the erection of the
Tabernacle. On the day of the dedication they tried to make partial amends for
letting slip their opportunity, by following the advice of the tribe of
Issachar, renowned for wisdom and erudition, to bring wagons for the
transportation of the Tabernacle. These princes of the tribes were no upstarts
or men newly risen to honor, they were men who even in Egypt had been in office
and exposed to the anger of the Egyptians; they had also stood at Moses’ side
when he undertook the census of the people. They now brought as an offering to
Moses six covered wagons, fully equipped, and even painted blue, the color of
the sky, and also twelve oxen to draw the wagons. The number of wagons as well
as of oxen had been set with purpose. The six wagons corresponded to the six
days of creation; to the six Mothers, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, Billhah,
and Zilpah; to the six laws that the Torah prescribes exclusively for the king;
to the six orders of the Mishnah, and to the six heavens. The number of the
oxen corresponded to the twelve constellations, and to the twelve tribes. Moses
did not at first want to accept the teams, but God not only bade him accept
them, He also ordered him to address the princes kindly, and to thank them for
their gifts. Moses now even thought the Shekinah had deserted him and would
rest on the princes of the tribes, assuming that they had received direct
communication from God to make this offering to the sanctuary. But God said to
Moses: “If it had been a direct command from Me, then I should have ordered
thee to tell them, but they did this on their own initiative, which indeed
meets with My wish.” Moses now accepted the gifts, not without misgivings,
fearing lest a wagon should break, or an ox die, leaving the tribe or that
unrepresented by a gift. But God assured him that no accident should occur to
either wagon or ox, — yes, a great miracle came to pass in regard to these
wagons and oxen, for the animals live forever without ailing or growing old,
and the wagons likewise endure to all eternity.

Moses then distributed the wagons among the Levites so that the division of the
sons of Gershon received two wagons, with the transportation of the heavy
portions of the Tabernacle, boards, bars, and similar things, whereas the
former, having the lighter portions, had enough with two wagons. The third
division of Levites, the sons of Kohath, received no wagons, for they were
entrusted with the transportation of the Holy Ark, which might not be lifted
upon a wagon, but was to be borne upon their shoulders. David, who forgot to
observe this law and had the Ark lifted upon a wagon, paid heavily for his
negligence, for the priests who tried to carry the Ark to the wagon were flung
down upon the ground. Ahithophel then called David’s attention to the need of
following the example of Kohath’s sons, who bore the Ark on their shoulders
through the desert, and David ordered them to do the same.

But the princes of the tribes were not content with having provided the means
for transporting the sanctuary, they wanted to be the first, on the day of
dedication, to present offerings. As with the wagons, Moses was doubtful
whether or not to permit them to bring their offerings, for theses were of an
unusual kind that were not ordinarily permissible. But God bade him accept the
dedication offerings of the princes, though Moses was still in doubt whether to
let all the twelve princes make their offerings on the same day, or to set a
special day for each, and if so, in what order they should make their
offerings. God thereupon revealed to him that each one of the princes of the
tribes were to sacrifice on a special day, and that Nahshon, the prince of
Judah, was to make the start. He was rewarded in this way for the devotion he
had shown God during the passage through the Red Sea. When Israel, beset by the
Egyptians, reached the sea, the tribes among themselves started quarreling who
should first go into the sea. Then suddenly Nahshon, the prince of Judah,
plunged into the sea, firmly trusting that God would stand by Israel in their
need. [388]

Nahshon’s offering was one silver changer that had been fashioned for the
sanctuary, the weight whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels; on bowl of
equal size, but of lighter weight, of seventy shekels; both of them full of
fine flour mingles with oil for a meat offering. Furthermore, one spoon of ten
shekels of gold, full of incense; on young bullock, the picked of his herd; one
excellent ram, and one lamb a year old, these three for a burnt offering; and a
kid of the goats for a sin offering, to atone for a possible uncleanness in the
sanctuary. These sacrifices and gifts Nahshon offered out of his own
possessions, not out of those of his tribe. God’s acceptance of the offerings
of the princes of the tribes shows how dear they were to God; for at no other
time was and individual allowed to offer up incense, as Nahshon and his fellows
did. They also brought sin offerings, which is ordinarily not permitted unless
on is conscious of having committed a sin. Finally the prince of the tribe of
Ephraim brought his offering on the seventh day of the dedication, which was on
a Sabbath, though ordinarily none but the daily sacrificed may be offered on
the Sabbath. [389]

The offerings of all the princes of the tribes were identical, but they had a
different significance for each tribe. From the time of Jacob, who foretold it
to them, every tribe knew his future history to the time of the Messiah, hence
at the dedication every prince brought such offerings as symbolized the history
of his tribe.

Nahshon, the prince of Judah, brought a silver charger and a silver bowl, the
one to stand for the sea, the other for the mainland, indicating that out of
his tribe would spring such men as Solomon and the Messiah, who would rule over
all the world, both land and sea. The golden spoon of ten shekels signified the
ten generations from Perez, son of Judah, to David, first of Judean kings, all
whose actions were sweet as the incense contained in the spoon. The three burnt
offerings, the bullock, the ram, and the lamb, corresponded to the three
Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, whereas the kid of the goats was to
atone for the sin of Judah, who sought to deceive his father with the blood of
a kid. The two oxen of the peace offering pointed to David and Solomon, and the
three small cattle of the peace offering, the rams, the goats, and the lambs,
corresponded to the descendants and successors of these two Judean kings, who
may also be classified in three groups, the very pious, the very wicked, and
those who were neither pious nor wicked.

On the second day of the dedication appeared the prince of the tribe of Reuben
and wanted to present his offering, saying: “Tis enough that Judah was
permitted to offer sacrifice before me, surely it is not time for our tribe to
present our offerings.” But Moses informed him that God had ordained that the
tribes should present offerings in the order in which they moved through the
desert, so that the tribe of Issachar followed Judah. This tribe had altogether
good claims to be among the first to offer sacrifices, for, in the first place,
this tribe devoted itself completely to the study of the Torah, so that the
great scholars in Israel were among them; and then, too, it was this tribe that
had proposed to the others that bringing of the dedication offerings. As this
was the tribe of erudition, its gifts symbolized things appertaining to the
Torah. The silver charger and the silver bowl corresponded to the written and
to the oral Torah; and both vessels alike are filled with fine flour, for the
two laws are not antagonistic, but form a unity and contain the loftiest
teachings. The fine flour was mingled with oil, just as knowledge of the Torah
should be added to good deeds; for he who occupies himself with the Torah, who
works good deeds, and keeps himself aloof from sin, fills his Creator with
delight. The golden spoon of ten shekels symbolizes the two tables on which God
with His palm wrote the Ten Commandments, and which contained between the
commandments all the particulars of the Torah, just as the spoon was filled
with incense. The three burnt offerings, the bullock, the ram, and the lamb
corresponded to the three groups of priests, Levites and Israelites, whereas
the kid of the goats alluded to the proselytes, for the Torah was revealed not
only for Israel but for all the world; and “a proselyte who studies the Torah
is no less than a high priest.” The two oxen of the peace offering corresponded
to the oral and the written Torah, the study of which brings peace on earth and
peace in heaven. [390]

After Nahshon, the temporal king, and Nethanel the spiritual king, came the
turn of Eliab, the prince of the tribe of Zebulun. This tribe owed its
distinction to the circumstance that it followed commerce and through the
profits thereof was enabled to maintain the tribe of Issachar, which, entirely
devoted to study, could not support itself. The charger and bowl that he
presented to the sanctuary symbolize the food and drink with which Zebulun
provide the scholar-tribe Issachar. The spoon indicated the border of the sea,
which Jacob in his blessing had bestowed on Zebulun as his possession, and the
ten shekels of its weight corresponded to the ten words of which this blessing
consisted. The tow oxen point to the two blessings which Moses bestowed upon
Zebulun, as the three small cattle, the ram, the goat, and the lamb,
corresponded to the three things which gave Zebulun’s possessions distinction
before all others, the tunny, the purple snail, and white glass. [391]

After the tribes that belonged to Judah’s camp division had brought their
offerings, followed Reuben and the tribes belonging to his division. The gifts
of the tribe of Reuben symbolized the events in the life of their forefather
Reuben. The silver charger recalled Reuben’s words when he saved Joseph’s life,
whom the other brothers wanted to kill, for “the tongue of the just is as
choice silver.” The silver bowl, from which was sprinkled the sacrificial
blood, recalled the same incident, for it was Reuben who advised his brothers
to throw Joseph into the pit rather than to kill him. The spoon of ten shekels
of gold symbolized the deed of Reuben, who restrained Jacob’s sons from
bloodshed, hence the gold out of which the spoon was fashioned had a blood-red
color. The spoon was filled with incense, and so too did Reuben fill his days
with fasting and prayer until God forgave his sin with Billhah, and “his prayer
was set forth before God as incense.” As penance for this crime, Reuben offered
the kid of goats as a sin offering, whereas the two oxen of the peace offering
corresponded to the two great deeds of Reuben, the deliverance of Joseph, and
the long penance for his sin. [392]

Just as Reuben interceded to save his brother Joseph’s life so did Simeon rise
up for his sister Dinah when he took vengeance upon the inhabitants of Shechem
for the wrong they had done her. Hence the prince of the tribe of Simeon
followed the prince of the tribe of Reuben. As the sanctuary was destined to
punish unchastity among Israel, so were the gifts of the tribe whose sire
figured as the avenger of unchastity symbolical of the different parts of the
Tabernacle. The charger corresponded to the court that surrounded the
Tabernacle, and therefore weighed one hundred and thirty shekels, to correspond
to the size of the court that measured one hundred cubits, of which the
Tabernacle occupied thirty. The bowl of seventy shekels corresponded to the
empty space of the Tabernacle. These two, the charger and the bowl, were filled
with fine flour mingled with oil, because in the court of the Tabernacle were
offered up meat offerings, mingled with oil, whereas in the Tabernacle was the
shewbread of fine flour, and the candlestick filled with oil. The spoon of ten
shekels of gold corresponded to the scroll of the Torah and the tables with the
Ten Commandments that rested in the Ark. The sacrificial animals, the bullock,
the ram, the lamb, and the kid corresponded to the four different kinds of
curtains and hangings that were used in the sanctuary, and that were fashioned
our of the hides of these animals. The two oxen of the peace offering pointed
to the two curtains, the one in front of the Tabernacle, the other in front of
the court, whereas the three kinds of small cattle that were used as offerings
corresponded to the three curtains of the court, one to the north, one to the
south, one to the west of it; and as each of these was five cubits long, so
were five of each kind presented as offerings. [393]

As Simeon, sword in hand, battled for his sister, so, by force of arms, did the
tribe of Gad set out to gain the land beyond the Jordan for their brethren.
Therefore did their prince follow Shelumiel, prince of Simeon, with his
offerings. This tribe, so active in gaining the promised land, symbolized in
its gifts the exodus from Egypt, which alone made possible the march of
Palestine. The charger of the weight of a hundred and thirty shekels alluded to
Jochebed, who at the age of one hundred and thirty years bore Moses, who had
symbolical connection with the bowl, for he was thrown into the Nile. This bowl
weighed seventy shekels, as Moses extended his prophetic spirit over the
seventy elders; and as the bowl was filled with fine flour, so did Moses’
prophetic spirit in no way diminish because the seventy elders shared in
prophecy. The three burnt offerings recalled the three virtues Israel possessed
in Egypt, which were instrumental in their deliverance – they did not alter
their Hebrew names, they did not alter their Hebrew language, and they lived a
live of chastity. The sin offerings were to atone for the idolatry to which
they were addicted in Egypt, so that God did not permit their deliverance until
they had renounced idolatry. The two oxen of the peace offering corresponded to
Jacob and Joseph, for whose sake God had delivered Israel out of Egypt. They
brought, besides, fifteen heads of small cattle as sacrifice, because God was
mindful of His vow to the three Patriarchs and the twelve fathers of the
tribes, and released Israel out of bondage. [394]

A special distinction was granted to the tribe of Ephraim, for God allowed
their prince to make his offering on the Sabbath, a day on which otherwise none
but the daily offerings were allowed to be offered. This distinction the tribe
of Ephraim owed to its ancestor Joseph in recognition of his strict observance
of the Sabbath as governor of Egypt. The gifts of this tribe represent the
history of Jacob and of Joseph, for the descendants of the latter owed much to
Jacob’s love for his son Joseph. The charger alluded to Jacob, the bowl to
Joseph, and as both these vessels were filled with fine flour mingled with oil,
so too were both Jacob and Joseph very pious men, and the course of their lives
ran evenly. The spoon symbolized Jacob’s right hand, which he laid on the head
of Ephraim to bless him; the spoon was filled with incense; Jacob laid his
right hand upon Ephraim and not upon his elder brother Manasseh because he knew
that the former was worthy of the distinction. The three burnt offerings
corresponded to the three Patriarchs, whereas the kid of goats stood for
Joseph, whose coat had been smeared with a kid’s blood. The two oxen of the
peace offering indicated the two blessings that the sons of Joseph had received
from their grandfather, Jacob, and the three kinds of small cattle that were
offered as peace offerings corresponded to the three generations of Ephraim
that Joseph was permitted to see before his death. [395]

Joseph not only observed the Sabbath, he was also chaste, not to be tempted by
Potiphar’s wife, and he was faithful in the service of his master. God
therefore said to Joseph: “Thou hast kept the seventh commandment, ‘Thou shalt
not commit adultery,’ and has not committed adultery with Potiphar’s wife; and
thou hast also kept the following commandment, the eighth, ‘Thou shalt not
steal,’ for thou didst still neither Potiphar’s money nor his conjugal
happiness, hence there will come a time when I shall give thee the reward due
thee. When, hereafter, the princes of the tribes will offer their offerings at
the dedication of the altar, the two princes among thy descendants shall one
after the other offer their offerings, the one on the seventh, the other on the
eighth day of the dedication, as a reward because thou didst observe the
seventh and the eighth commandments.” The prince of the tribe of Manasseh now
followed that of Ephraim, trying like the preceding, symbolically to represent
Jacob’s and Joseph’s lives. The charger, one hundred and thirty shekels in
weight, indicated that Jacob at the age of one hundred and thirty years
migrated to Egypt for the sake of Joseph. The bowl of seventy shekels
corresponded to Joseph who caused seventy souls of the Hebrews to migrated to
Egypt. The spoon of ten shekels of gold indicated the ten portions of land that
fell to Manasseh. The three burnt offerings corresponded to the three
generations of Manasseh that Joseph was permitted to see before his death,
whereas the kid of the goats recalled Jair, son of Manasseh, who died
childless. The two oxen of the peace offering indicated that the possessions of
the tribe of Manasseh were to be divided into two parts, one on this side the
Jordan, and one beyond it. The three kinds of small cattle for peace offerings
corresponded to the triple attempt of Joseph to influence his father in favor
of Manasseh, whereas the five head of each indicated the five daughters of
Zelophehad, the only women who, like men, received their shares in the
distribution of the promised land. [396]

As the sanctuary stood first in Shiloh, Joseph’s possession, then in Jerusalem,
Benjamin’s possession, so did this tribe with its sacrifices follow Joseph’s
tribes. The charger signified Rachel, the mother of Benjamin, who bore him to
Jacob when he was a hundred years old, and in memory of this, as well as of
Benjamin’s attainment of thirty years when he came to Egypt, the weight of the
charger amounted to one hundred and thirty shekels. The bowl indicated the cup
Joseph employed to discover his brothers’ sentiments toward Benjamin, and both
vessels, charger and cup, were filled with fine flour, for both Joseph’s and
Benjamin’s lands were found worthy being sited for God’s sanctuary. The spoon
of then shekels of gold full of incense corresponded to the ten sons of
Benjamin, all of whom were pious men. The three burnt offering corresponded to
the three temples erected in Jerusalem, Benjamin’s property, the Temple of
Solomon, the Temple of the exiles returned from Babylon, and the Temple to be
erected by the Messiah. The sin offering, the kid of the goats, points to the
building of the Temple by the wicked king Herod, who atoned for his execution
of the learned men by the erection of the santuary. The two oxen of the peace
offering corresponded to the two deliverers of the Jews that sprang from the
tribe of Benjamin, Mordecai, and Esther. The five heads each of the three kinds
of small cattle for a peace offering symbolized the triple distinction of
Benjamin and his tribe by five gifts. The gift of honor that Joseph gave his
brother Benjamin five times exceeded that of all his other brothers; when
Joseph made himself known to his brothers, he gave Benjamin five changes of
raiment, and so too did the Benjamite Mordecai receive from Ahasuerus five
garments of state. [397]

In his blessing Jacob likened Dan to Judah, hence the tribe of Dan stood at the
head of the fourth camp of Israel, and their prince offered his gifts before
those of Asher and Naphtali. Jacob in his blessing to Dan thought principally
of the great hero, Samson, hence the gifts of this tribe allude chiefly to the
history of this Danite judge. Samson was a Nazirite, and to this alluded the
silver charger for storing bread, for it is the duty of a Nazirite, at the
expiration of the period of his vow, to present bread as an offering. To
Samson, too, alluded the bowl, in Hebrew called Mizrak, “creeping,” for he was
lame of both feet, and hence could only creep and crawl. The spoon of ten
shekels of gold recalled the ten laws that are imposed upon Nazirites, and that
Samson had to obey. The three burnt offerings had a similar significance, for
Samson’s mother received three injunctions from the angel, who said to her
husband, Manoah: “She may not eat of anything that cometh of the vine, neither
let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing.” The sin
offering, which consisted of a kid, called in Hebrew, Sa’ir, corresponded to
the admonition given to Samson’s mother, not to shave his hair, in Hebrew
Se’ar. The two oxen corresponded to the two pillars of which Samson took hold
to demolish the house of the Philistines; whereas the three kinds of small
cattle that were presented as offerings symbolized the three battles that
Samson undertook against the Philistines. [398]

The judge must pronounce judgement before it be executed, hence, too, the tribe
of Asher, “the executors of justice,” followed Dan, the judges. The name Asher
also signifies “good fortune,” referring to the good fortune of Israel that was
chosen to the God’s people, and in accordance with this name also do the gifts
of the prince of the tribe of Asher allude to the distinction of Israel. The
charger, one hundred and thirty shekels of silver in weight, corresponds to the
nations of the world, whom, however, God repudiated, choosing Israel in their
stead. The bowl of seventy shekels corresponds to the seventy pious souls of
whom Israel consisted when they moved to Egypt. Both vessels were filled with
fine flour. God sent His prophets to the other nations as well as to Israel,
but Israel alone declared itself willing to accept the Torah. This nation
accepted “the spoon of then shekels of gold filled with incense,” every man
among them being willing to accept the Ten Commandments and the Torah. The
three burnt offerings corresponded to the three crowns that Israel received
from their God, the crown of the Torah, the crown of the Priesthood, and the
crown of the Kingdom, for which reason also golden crowns were fashioned on the
Ark in which the Torah was kept, on the altar on which the priests offered
sacrifices, and on the table that symbolized the kingdom. But the highest of
all is the crown of a good name, which a man earns through good deeds, for the
crucial test is not the study of the Torah, but the life conforming to it. For
this reason also there was a sin offering among the offerings, corresponding to
the crown of good deeds, for these alone can serve as an expiation. The two
oxen indicate the two Torot that God gave His people, the written and the oral,
whereas the fifteen peace offerings of small cattle correspond to the three
Patriarchs and the twelve fathers of the tribes, for these fifteen God had
chosen. [399]

As Jacob blessed after Asher and the Naphtali, so too did these two tribes
succeed each other in the offerings at the dedication of the Tabernacle.
Naphtali, Jacob’s son, was a very affectionate son, who was ever ready to
execute his father’s every command. The prince of the tribe of Naphtali
followed his ancestor’s example, and by his gifts to the sanctuary sought to
recall the three Patriarchs and their wives. “One silver charger, the weight
whereof was an hundred and thirty shekels,” symbolized Sarah, who was unique
among her sex in her piety, and who almost attained the age of hundred and
thirty years. A silver bowl for sprinkling blood recalled Abraham, who was
thrown far away form his home. The weight of the bowl was seventy shekels, as
Abraham also was seventy years old when God made with him the covenant between
the pieces. The charger and the bowl were both filled with fine flour mingled
with oil, as also Abraham and Sarah were imbued with a love for good and pious
deeds. The spoon of ten shekels of gold alludes to Abraham as well, for Abraham
conquered the evil inclination and resisted the ten temptations, whereas the
three burnt offerings and the sin offering corresponded to the offerings made
by Abraham at the covenant between the pieces. The two oxen for the peace
offering indicate Isaac and Rebekah, whereas the three kinds of small cattle
allude to Jacob, Leah, and Rachel, but the sum total of the offerings of these
three species was fifteen, corresponding to these three and the twelve fathers
of the tribes. [400]

Apart from the significance that the offerings of the tribal princes had for
each individual tribe respectively, they also symbolized the history of the
world from the time of Adam to the erection of the Tabernacle. The silver
charger indicated Adam, who lived nine hundred and thirty years, and the
numerical equivalent of the letters of Kaarat Kesef, “silver charger,” amounts
to the same. Corresponding to the weight of “an hundred and thirty shekels,”
Adam begat his son Seth, the actual father of the future generations, at the
age of a hundred and thirty years. The silver bowl alludes to Noah, for, as it
weighed seventy shekels, so too did seventy nations spring from Noah. Both
these vessels were filled with fine flour, as Adam and Noah were both full of
good deeds. The spoon “of ten shekels of gold” corresponded to the ten words of
God by which the world was created, to the ten Sefirot, to the ten lists of
generations in the Scriptures, to the ten essential constituent parts of the
human body, to the ten miracles God wrought for Israel in Egypt, to the ten
miracles Israel experienced by the Red Sea. The three burnt offerings were
meant to recall the three Patriarchs. The kid of goats indicated Joseph; the
two oxen corresponded to Moses and Aaron; the five rams to the five
distinguished sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara; whereas the
five goats and the five lambs symbolized the five senses of mankind by means of
which the existence of things is determined.

The sum total of the gifts of the twelve princes of the tribes had also a
symbolical significance. The twelve chargers correspond to the twelve
constellations; the twelve bowls of the twelve months; the twelve spoons to the
twelve guides of men, which are: the heart, that bestows understanding and
insight; the kidneys, that give counsels, good as well as evil; the mouth, that
cuts all kinds of food; the tongue, that renders speech impossible; the palate,
that tastes the flavors of food; the windpipe, that renders possible breathing
and the utterance of sounds; the esophagus, that swallows food and drink; the
lungs, that absorbs fluids; the liver, that promotes laughter; the crop, that
grinds all food; and the stomach, that affords pleasant sleep. “All the silver
of the vessels that weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels” corresponded
to the years that had passed from the creation of the world to the advent of
Moses in the fortieth year of his life. All the gold of the spoons, the weight
of which was an hundred and twenty shekels, corresponds to the years of Moses’
life, for he died at the age of a hundred and twenty. [401]

The different species of animals offered as sacrifices corresponded to the
different ranks of the leaders of Israel. The twelve bullocks to the kings, the
twelve rams to the princes of the tribes, the twelve kids of the goats to the
governors, and the twelve sheep to the government officials. The twenty-four
oxen for a peace offering corresponded to the books of the Scriptures, and the
divisions of the priests, and were also meant to serve as atonement for the
twenty-four thousand men, who, owing to their worship of Peor, died of the
plague. The sixty rams of the peace offering corresponded to the sixty myriads
of Israel’s fighting hosts; the sixty he-goats to the sixty empires; and the
sixty he-lambs to the building of the second Temple that measured sixty cubits
in height and sixty in width. [402]

The gifts of the twelve princes of the tribes were not only equal in number,
but also in the size and width of the objects bestowed, every tribe making
exactly the same offering to the sanctuary. None among them wished to outrival
the others, but such harmony reigned among them and such unity of spirit that
God valued the service of each as if he had brought not only his own gifts but
also those of his companions. As a reward for this mutual regard and
friendship, God granted them the distinction of permitting them to present
their offerings even on the Sabbath day. [403]

THE REVELATIONS IN THE TABERNACLE

“Honor pursues him who tries to escape it.” Moses in his humility felt that his
mission as leader of the people ended with the erection of the Tabernacle, as
Israel could now satisfy all their spiritual needs without his aid. But God
said: “As truly as thou livest, I have for thee a far greater task than any
thou hast yet accomplished, for thou shalt instruct My children about ‘clean
and unclean,’ and shalt teach them how to offer up offerings to Me.” God
hereupon called Moses to the Tabernacle, to reveal to him there the laws and
teachings. [404] Moses in his humility did not dare to enter the Tabernacle, so
that God had to summon him to enter. Moses, however, could not enter the
sanctuary while a cloud was upon it, this being a sign “that the demons held
sway,” but waited until the cloud had moved on. The voice that called Moses
came from heaven in the form of a tube of fire and rested over the two
Cherubim, whence Moses perceived its sound. This voice was a powerful as at the
revelation at Sinai when the souls of all Israel escaped in terror, still it
was audible to none but Moses. Not even the angels heard it, for the words of
God were destined exclusively for Moses. Aaron, too, with the exception of
three cases in which God revealed Himself to him, never received His commands
except through the communications of Moses. God would call Moses twice
caressingly words by name, and when he had answered, “Here am I,” God’s words
were revealed to him, and every commandment as a special revelation. God always
allowed a pause to take place between the different laws to be imparted, that
Moses might have time rightly to grasp what was told him. [405]

On the first day of the dedication of the Tabernacle, not lest than eight
important sections of laws were communicated to Moses by God. [406] As a reward
for his piety, Aaron and his descendants to all eternity received the laws of
sanctity, which are a special distinction of the priests, [407] and these laws
were revealed on this day. It was on this day, also, that Aaron and his sons
received the gifts of the priests, for although even at the revelation on Sinai
Israel had set them aside, still they were not given to Aaron and his sons
until this day when the sanctuary was anointed. [408]

The second law revealed on this day was the separation of the Levites from
among the children of Israel, that they might be dedicated to the sanctuary.
“For God elevated no man to an office unless He has tried him and found him
worthy of his calling.” He did not say, “and the Levites shall be Mine,” before
He had tried this tribe, and found them worthy. In Egypt none but the tribe of
Levi observed the Torah and clung to the token of the Abrahamic covenant, while
the others tribes, abandoning both Torah and token of covenant, like the
Egyptians, practiced idolatry. In the desert, also, it was this tribe alone
that did not take part in the worship of the Golden Calf. Justly, therefore,
did God’s choice fall upon this godly tribe, who on this day were consecrated
as the servants of God and His sanctuary. [409]

The ceremonies connected with the consecration of the Levites had much in
common with the regulations for cleansing of lepers. Originally, the firstborn
had been the servants of the sanctuary, but, owing to the worship of the Golden
Calf, they lost this prerogative, and the Levites replaced them. It was for
this reason that the Levites were obliged to observe regulations similar to
those for the cleansing of lepers, because they took the place of men who by
their sins had defiled themselves. The offerings that the Levites brought on
this occasion consisted of two bullocks, on for a burnt offering whenever the
congregation, seduced by others, commits idolatry; and Israel would not have
worshipped the Golden Calf had not the mixed multitude misled them. “But
whosoever worships an idol, by this act renounces the whole Torah,” hence did
the Levites have to offer up another bullock for a sin offering, in accordance
with the law that “if the whole congregation of Israel have done somewhat
against any of the commandments of the Lord concerning things which should not
be done, and are guilty, then they shall offer up a young bullock for the sin.”
As the Levites had been chosen “to do the service of the children of Israel in
the Tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children
of Israel,” God ordered all the congregation of Israel to be present at the
consecration of the Levites, for whosoever had a sin offering up for himself
must in person bring it to the Tabernacle. Therefore, too, did the elders of
Israel have to put their hands upon the Levites, according to the prescription
that the elders must put their hands upon the sin of the congregation. Aaron,
like the elders, participated in the ceremony of the consecration, lifting up
every single Levite as a token that he was now dedicated to the sanctuary.
[410] Aaron’s extraordinary strength is proven by the fact that he was able to
lift up twenty-tow thousand men in one day. [411]

THE CLEANSING OF THE CAMP

The third law revealed on this day was the command that the children of Israel
put out of the camp every leper and every unclean person. When Israel moved out
of Egypt, the majority of the people were afflicted with physical defects and
diseases, contracted during their work on the structures they had been
compelled to erect in Egypt. One had his hand crushed by a falling stone,
another’s eye blinded by splashing of loam. It was a battered and crippled host
that reached Sinai, eager to receive the Torah, but God said: “Does it become
the glory of the Torah that I should bestow it on a race of cripples? Nor do I
want to await the coming of another, sound generation, for I desire no further
delay of the revelation of the Torah.” Hereupon God sent angels to heal all
among Israel that were diseased or afflicted with defects, so that all the
children of Israel were sound and whole when they received the Torah. They
remained in this condition until they worshipped the Golden Calf, when all
their diseases returned as a punishment for their defection from God. Only the
women, during their stay in the desert, were exempt from the customary ailments
to which women are subject, as a reward for being the first who declared
themselves ready to accept the Torah. When the Tabernacle had been consecrated,
God now said to Moses: “So long as you had not yet erected the Tabernacle, I
did not object to having the unclean and the lepers mingle with the rest of the
people, but now that the sanctuary is erected, and that My Shekinah dwells
among you, I insist upon your separating all these from among you, that they
may not defile the camp in the midst of which I dwell.”

The law in regard to lepers was particularly severe, for they were denied the
right of staying within the camp, whereas the unclean were prohibited merely
from staying near the sanctuary. [412] The lepers were the very ones who had
worshipped the Golden Calf, and had as a consequence been smitten with this
disease, and it was for this reason that God separated them from the community.
Thirteen sins are punished with leprosy by God: blasphemy, unchastity, murder,
false suspicion, pride, illegal appropriation of the rights of others, slander,
theft, perjury, profanation of the Divine Name, idolatry, envy, and contempt of
the Torah. Goliath was stricken with leprosy because he reviled God; the
daughters of Zion became leprous in punishment of their unchastity; leprosy was
Cain’s punishment for the murder of Abel. When Moses said to God, “But behold,
they will not believe me,” God replied: “O Moses, art thou sure that they will
not believe thee? They are believers and the sons of believers. Thou who didst
suspect them wrongly, put not they hand into thy bosom,…..and he put his hand
into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow.
” Uzziah presumed upon the rights of the priesthood, and went into the Temple
to burn incense upon the altar of incense. He was just about to commit the
offence, when “the leprosy brake forth in his forehead.” Leprosy fell upon
Naaman, who had grown arrogant because of his heroic deeds. For slandering
Moses Miriam became leprous as snow; and Gehazi was punished by leprosy because
he frustrated the purpose of Elisha, who desired to accept nothing from Naaman
in order that the cure might redound to the glory of God. [413]

Another important law revealed on this day referred to the celebration of “the
second Passover feast.” Mishael and Elzaphan, who had attended to the burial of
Nadab and Abihu, were godly men, anxious to fulfil the commandments of God,
hence they went to the house where Moses and Aaron instructed the people, and
said to them: “We are defiled by the dead body of a man; wherefore are we kept
back that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in His appointed season
among the children of Israel?” Moses at first answered that they might not keep
the Passover owing to their condition of uncleanness, but they argued with him,
asking that even if, owing to their condition, they might not partake of the
sacrificial meat, they might, at least, be permitted to participate in the
offering of the paschal lamb by having the blood of the offering sprinkled for
them. Moses admitted that he could not pass judgement on this case before
receiving instruction concerning it from God. For Moses had the rare privilege
of being certain of receiving revelations from God whenever he applied to Him.
He therefore bade Mishael and Elzaphan await God’s judgement concerning their
case, and sentence was indeed revealed immediately. [414]

It was on this day also that God said to Moses: “A heavy blow of fate had
fallen upon Aaron to-day, but instead of murmuring he thanked Me for the death
that robbed him of his two sons, which proves his trust in My justice toward
them, who had deserved punishment more severe. Go then, and comfort him; and at
the same time tell him ‘that he come not at all times into the holy place
within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the Ark.'” These last
words greatly aggrieved Moses, who not thought: “Woe is me! For it seems as if
Aaron had lost his rank, since he may not at all times enter the sanctuary. The
statement of the periods for his admission into the sanctuary is also so
indeterminate that I am not at all sure whether they are to recur hourly, or
daily, or annually, every twelve years, perhaps even seventy, or not at all.”
But God replied: “Thou art mistaken, I was not thinking of fixing a certain
time. Whether hour, or day or year, for Aaron may enter the sanctuary at any
time, but when he does so, he must observe certain ceremonies.” The ceremonies
that Aaron, as well as every other high priest, had to perform on the Day of
Atonement before his entrance into the Holy of Holies were symbolical of the
three Patriarchs, of the four wives of the Patriarchs, and of the twelve
tribes. Only by depending upon the merits of these pious men and women might
the high priest venture to enter the Holy of Holies without having to fear the
angels that filled this space. These were obliged to retreat upon the entrance
of the high priest, and even Satan had to flee whenever he beheld the high
priest, and did not dare to accuse Israel before God. [415]

Aaron’s grief about the death of his sons was turned to joy when God, on the
day of their death, granted him the distinction of receiving a direct
revelation from the Lord, which prohibited both him and his sons from drinking
wine or strong drink when they went into the Tabernacle. [416]

On this day, also, Moses received the revelation concerning the red heifer,
whose significance was never vouchsafed to any other human being beside
himself. On the following day, under the supervision of Eleazar, Aaron’s son,
it was slaughtered and burned. Although, beside this one, a number of other red
heifers were provided in future generations, this one was distinguished by
having its ashes kept forever, which, mingled with the ashes of other red
heifers, were always used for the purification of Israel. But it is in this
world alone that the priest can purify the unclean by sprinkling with this
water of purification, whereas in the future world God will sprinkle clean
water upon Israel, “that thy may be cleansed from all their filthiness, and
from all their idols.” [417]

THE LIGHTING OF THE CANDLESTICK

The eighth law revealed on this day was the lighting of the candlestick. After
all the princes of the tribes had brought their gifts to the sanctuary, and God
had bidden Moses to let them offer each his offering, one a day, throughout
twelve days, Aaron, profoundly agitated, thought: “Woe is me! It seems as if,
owing to my sin, my tribe has been excluded by God from participating in the
dedication of the sanctuary.” Hereupon God said to Moses: “Go to Aaron and say
to him, ‘Do not fear that thou art slighted, and art deemed inferior to the
other princes of the tribes. Thou, on the contrary, shalt enjoy a greater glory
than all of these, for thou art to light the lamps of the candlestick in the
sanctuary.'” When Israel heard God’s command that the lights of the sanctuary
be lighted, they said: “O Lord of the world! Thou biddest us make a light for
Thee that are the light of the world, and with whom light dwelleth.” But God
replied: “Not because I need your light do I bid you burn lamps before Me, but
only the I might thereby distinguish you in the eyes of the nations that will
say, ‘Behold the people of Israel, that hold up a light before Him who
bestoweth light upon the world.’ By your own eye-sight can you see how little
need I have of your light. You have the white of the eye and the black of the
eye, and it is by means of this dark part of the eye that you are enabled to
see, and not through the light part of the white of the eye. How should I, that
am all light, have need of your light!” God furthermore said: “A mortal of
flesh and blood lights one light by means of another that is burning, I have
brought forth light out of darkness: ‘In the beginning darkness was upon the
face of the deep,’ whereupon I spake, ‘Let there be light: and there was
light.’ Shall I now be in need of your illumination? Nay, I commanded you to
light the candles in the sanctuary that I might distinguish you and give you
another opportunity of doing a pious deed, the execution of which I will reward
in the future world by letting a great light shine before you; and,
furthermore, if you will let the candles shine before Me in My sanctuary, I
shall protect from all evil your spirit, ‘the candle of the Lord.'” [418]

Simultaneously with the command to light the sanctuary, Moses received the
instruction to celebrate the Sabbath by the lighting of candles, for God said
to him: “Speak unto the children of Israel; if you will observe My command to
light the Sabbath candles, I shall permit you to live to see Zion illuminated,
when you will no longer require the light of the sun, but My glory will shine
before you so that the nations will follow your light.” [419]

Aaron was distinguished not only by being selected to dedicate the sanctuary
through the lighting of the candles, God ordered Moses to communicate to his
brother the following revelation: “The sanctuary will on another occasion also
be dedicated by the lighting of the candles, and then it will be done by the
descendants, the Hasmoneans, for whom I will perform miracles and to whom I
will grant grace. Hence there is greater glory destined for thee than for all
the other princes of the tribes, for their offerings to the sanctuary shall be
employed only so long as it endures, but the lights of the Hanukkah festival
will shine forever; and, moreover, thy descendants shall bestow the priestly
blessing upon Israel even after the destruction of the Temple.” [420]

The candlestick that Aaron lighted in the sanctuary, was not the common work of
mortal hands, but was wrought by a miracle. When God bade Moses fashion a
candlestick, he found it difficult to execute the command, not knowing how to
set to work to construct it in all its complicated details. God therefore said
to Moses: “I shall show thee a model.” He then took white fire, red fire, and
green fire, and black fire, and out these four kinds of fires He fashioned a
candlestick with its bowls, its knops, and its flowers. Even then Moses was not
able to copy the candlestick, whereupon God drew its design upon his palm,
saying to him: “look at this, and imitate the design I have drawn on thy palm.”
But even that did not suffice to teach Moses how to execute the commission,
whereupon God bade him cast a talent of gold into the fire. Moses did as he was
bidden, and the candlestick shaped itself out of the fire. As on this occasion,
so upon other occasions also did God have to present the things tangibly before
Moses in order to make certain laws intelligible to him. In this way, for
example, at the revelation concerning clean and unclean animals, God showed one
specimen of each to Moses, saying: “This ye shall eat, and this ye shall not
eat.” [421]

THE TWELVE PRINCES OF THE TRIBES

God in His love for Israel had frequent censuses taken of them, so that He
might accurately estimate His possession. In scarcely half a year they were
twice counted, once shortly before the erection of the Tabernacle, and the
second time a month after its dedication. [422] On the first day of the month
of Iyyar, Moses received instructions to take a census of all men over twenty
who were physically fit to go to war. He was ordered to take Aaron as his
assistant, so that in case he should overlook some of the men Aaron might
remind him of them, for “two are better than one.” They were also to take as
their subordinate assistants Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons, and a man each
from the several tribes. These twelve men were appointed not only to conduct
the census, but also to look after the spiritual welfare of their respective
tribes, the sins of which would be upon their heads unless, with all their
powers, they strove to prevent them. Moses and Aaron nevertheless adjured the
princes of the tribes, in spite of their high rank, not to tyrannize over the
people, whereas, on the other hand, they admonished the people to pay all due
respect to their superiors. [423]

The names of these twelve princes of the tribes indicated the history of the
tribes they represented. The prince of the tribe Reuben was called Elizur, “my
God is a rock,” referring to the ancestor of this tribe, Reuben, Jacob’s son,
who sinned, but, owing to his penance, was forgiven by God, who bore his sin as
a rock bears the house built upon it. The name of Elizur’s father was Shedeur,
“cast into the fire,” because Reuben was converted to repentance and atonement
through Judah, who confessed his sin when his daughter-in-law Tamar was about
to be cast into the fire.

The prince of the tribe of Simeon was named Shelumiel, “my God is peace,” to
indicate that in spite of the sin of Zimri, head of this tribe, through whom
four and twenty thousand men among Israel died, God nevertheless made peace
with this tribe.

The prince of the tribe of Judah bore the name Nahshon, “wave of the sea,” the
son of Amminadab, “prince of My people,” because the prince received this
dignity as a reward for having plunged into the waves of the Red Sea to glorify
God’s name.

The tribe of Issachar had for its prince Nethanel, “God gave,” for this tribe
devoted its life to the Torah given by God to Moses. Accordingly Nethanel was
called the son of Zuar, “burden,” for Issachar assumed the burden of passing
judgement on the lawsuits of the other tribes.

Corresponding to the occupation of the tribe of Zebulun, its prince was called
Eliab, “the ship,” son of Helon, “the sand,” for this tribe spent its life on
ships, seeking “treasures hidden in the sand.”

Elishama, son of Ammihud, the name of the prince of the tribe of Ephraim,
points to the history of Joseph, their forefather. God said: “Elishama, ‘he
obeyed Me,’ who bade him be chaste and not covet his master’s wife that wanted
to tempt him to sin, and Ammihud, ‘Me he honored,’ and none other.”

The other tribe of Joseph, Manasseh, also named their prince in reference to
their forefather, calling him Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur, which signifies, “God
rewarded Joseph for his piety by releasing him from bondage and making him
ruler over Egypt.”

The prince of the tribe of Benjamin was named Abidan, “my father decreed,” son
of Gideoni, “mighty hosts,” referring to the following incident. When Rachel
perceived that she would die at the birth of her son, she called him “son of
faintness,” supposing that a similar fate would overtake him, and that he was
doomed through weakness to die young. But Jacob, the child’s father, decreed
otherwise, and called him Benjamin, “son of might and of many years.”

The prince of the tribe of Dan bore the name Ahiezer, “brother of help,” son of
Ammishaddai, “My people’s judge,” because he was allied with the helpful tribe
of Judah at the erection of the Tabernacle, and like this ruling tribe brought
forth a mighty judge in the person of Samson.

The tribe of Asher was distinguished by the beauty of its women, which was so
excellent that even the old among them were fairer and stronger than the young
girls of the other tribes. For this reason kings chose the daughters of this
tribe to be their wives, and these, through their intercession before the
kings, saved the lives of many who had been doomed to death. Hence the name of
the prince of the tribe of Asher, Pagiel, “the interceder,” son of Ochran, “the
afflicted,” for the women of the tribe of Asher, through their intercession,
obtained grace for the afflicted.

The prince of the tribe of Gad bore the name Eliasaph, “God multiplied;” son of
Deuel, “God is a witness.” To reward them for passing over the Jordan and not
returning to their property on this side of the river until the promised land
was won, their wealth was multiplied by God; for when, upon returning, they
found the enemy at home, God aided them and they gained all their enemies
possessions. God was furthermore witness that this tribe had no wicked motive
when they erected an altar on their land.

The prince of the tribe of Naphtali was called Ahira, “desirable meadow,” son
of Enan, “clouds;” for the land of this tribe was distinguished by its
extraordinary excellence. Its products were exactly what their owners
“desired,” and all this owing to the plenty of water, for the “clouds” poured
plentiful rain over their land.

At the census of the people the tribes were set down in the order in which they
put up their camp and moved in their marches. The tribes of Judah, Issachar,
and Zebulun formed the first group, the royal tribe of Judah being associated
with the tribe of learned men, Issachar, and with Zebulun, which through its
generosity enabled Issachar to devote itself to the study of the Torah. The
second group consisted of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad. The sinful tribe of Simeon
was supported on the right by the penance of Reuben and on the left by the
strength of Gad. The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin formed a group
by themselves, for these before all the other tribes were destined to appear
gloriously against Amalek. The Ephraimite Joshua was the first who was
victorious against Amalek, the Benjamite Saul followed his example in his war
against Agag, king of Amalek, and, under the leadership of men out of the tribe
of Manasseh, the tribe of Simeon at the time of king Jehoshaphat succeeded in
destroying the rest of the Amalekites, and to take possession formed the last
group, and for the following reason were united in this way. The tribe of Dan
had already at the time of the exodus from Egypt been possessed of the sinful
thought to fashion an idol. To counteract this “dark thought” Asher was made
its comrade, from whose soil came “the oil for lighting;” and that Dan might
participate in the blessing, Naphtali, “full with the blessing of the Lord,”
became its second companion. [424]

At this third census the number of men who were able to go to war proved to be
exactly the same as the second census, taken in the same year. Not one among
Israel had died during this period, from the beginning of the erection of the
Tabernacle to its dedication, when the third census took place. [425] But no
conclusive evidence concerning the sum total of the separate tribes can be
drawn from this number of men able to go to war, because the ration of the two
sexes varied among the different tribes, as, for example, the female sex in the
tribe of Naphtali greatly outnumbered the male. [426]

THE CENSUS OF THE LEVITES

Moses at the census did not take into consideration the tribe of Levi, because
God had not commanded him to select a prince for this tribe as for all others,
hence he drew the conclusion that they were not to be counted. Naturally he was
not sure of his decision in this matter, and wavered whether or not to include
the Levites in the number, when God said to him: “Do not muster the tribe of
Levi, nor number them among the children of Israel.” At these words Moses was
frightened, for he feared that his tribe was considered unworthy of being
counted with the rest, and was therefore excluded by God. But God quieted him,
saying: “Do not number the Levites among the children of Israel, number them
separately.” There was several reasons for numbering the Levites separately.
God foresaw that, owing to the sin of the spies who were sent to search the
land, all men who were able to go to war would perish in the wilderness, “all
that were numbered of them, according to their whole number, from twenty years
old and upward.” Now had the Levites been included in the sum total of Israel,
the Angel of Death would have held sway over them also, wherefore God excluded
them from the census of all the tribes, that they might in the future be exempt
from the punishment visited upon the others, and might enter the promised land.
The Levites were, furthermore, the body-guard of God, to whose care the
sanctuary was entrusted – another reason for counting them separately. God in
this instance conducted Himself like the king who ordered one of his officers
to number his legions, but added: “Number all the legions excepting only the
legion that is about me.” [427]

The extent of God’s love for Levi is evident through the command given to
Moses, to number in the tribe of Levi “all males from a month old and upward,”
whereas in the other tribes none were numbered save men able to go to war, from
twenty years and upward. Upon other occasions God had even the embryos among
the Levites numbered. This occurred upon Jacob’s entrance into Egypt, when the
number seventy for his family was attained only by including Jochebed who was
still in the womb; and similarly at a future time upon the return of the exiles
from Babylon. For at that time only twenty-three of the priestly sections
returned, hence to complete their number they had to include Bigvai, who
belonged to the missing section, even though he was still in the womb. [428]

When Moses was ordered to number among the Levites all children from a month
old and upward, he said to God: “Thou biddest me count them from a month old
and upward. Shall I now wander about their courts and houses and count each
child, seeing that Thou givest me such a command?” But God replied: “Do thou
what thou canst do, and I will do what I can do.” It now came to pass that
whenever Moses betook himself to a Levite tent he found the Shekinah awaiting
him, tell him exactly the number of children without his having to count them.
[429]

In the choice of this tribe God showed His preference for the seventh, for Levi
was the seventh pious man, starting from Adam, to wit: Adam, Noah, Enoch,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Levi. As in this instance, so in many others did God
indicate His love for the seventh. He sits enthroned in the seventh heaven; of
the seven worlds the seventh alone is inhabited by human beings; of the early
generations the seventh was the most excellent, for it produces Enoch. Moses,
seventh among the Patriarch, was judged worthy of receiving the Torah. David,
seventh son of Jesse, was chosen as king. In periods of time, also, the seventh
was the favorite. The seventh day is the Sabbath; the seventh month, Tishri, is
the month of the holy days; the seventh year is the Sabbatical year of rest,
and every seventh Sabbatical year of rest is the year of jubilee. [430]

Another reason for numbering even the youngest boys among the Levites was that
the tribe of Levi as a whole had the responsibility of atoning for the sin of
the first-born among the children of Israel. For it was these who until the
time of the worship of the Golden Calf performed the services of the
priesthood, and their privilege was taken from them owing to this, their sin.
This prerogative was then conferred upon the tribe of Levi, who, moreover,
dedicating themselves, man for man, to the service of the Lord, served as an
atonement for the first-born of Israel, that they might not be destroyed as
they deserved. [431]

The exchange of Levites in place of the first-born did, however, present a
difficulty. For God had communicated the number of Levites to Moses in the
following way: “Their number amounts to as many as the number of My legion.”
For, when God came down upon Sinai, twenty-two thousand angels surrounded Him,
and just as many men did the Levites number. Outside of these there were three
hundred first-born among the Levites that could not well be offered in exchange
for the first-born among the other tribes, because their standing was the same
as theirs. As the number of first-born among the other tribes exceeded the
number of Levites by two hundred seventy-three, this surplus remained without
actual atonement. Hence God ordered Moses to take from them five shekels apiece
by the poll as redemption money, and give it to the priests. The sum was fixed
upon by God, who said: “Ye sold the first-born of Rachel for five shekels, and
for this reason shall ye give as redemption money for every first-born among ye
five shekels.”

To avoid quarrels among the first-born, as otherwise each one would try to lay
the payment of redemption money upon his neighbor, Moses wrote upon twenty-two
thousand slips of paper the word “Levi,” and upon two hundred seventy-three the
words “five shekels,” all of which were then thrown into an urn and mixed. Then
every first-born had to draw one of the slips. If he drew a slip with “Levi” he
was not obliged to remit any payment, but if he drew “five shekels,” he had to
pay that sum to the priests. [432]

THE FOUR DIVISIONS OF THE LEVITES

Apart from the census of all male Levites, Moses now took another census of the
men from the ages of thirty to fifty, for only at this age were the Levites
permitted to perform service in the Tabernacle throughout their march through
the desert, a law that indeed ceased to hold good when Israel settled in the
Holy Land. [433] These officiating Levites, as well as the priests, were
divided by Moses into eight sections, a number that was not doubled until the
prophet Samuel increased it to sixteen, to which David again added eight, so
that there were later twenty-four divisions among the Levites and priests.
[434]

The most distinguished among the Levites were the sons of Kohath, whose charge
during the march through the desert was the Holy of Holies, and among the
vessels particularly the Holy Ark. This latter was a dangerous trust, for out
of the staves attached to it would issue sparks that consumed Israel’s enemies,
but now and then this fire wrought havoc among the bearers of the Ark. It
therefore became a customary thing, when the camp was about to be moved, for
Kohath’s sons to hasten into the sanctuary and seek to pack up the different
portions of it, each one planning cautiously to shift the carrying of the Ark
upon another. But this even more kindled God’s anger against them, and He slew
many of the Kohathites because they ministered to the Ark with an unwilling
heart. To avert the danger that threatened them, God ordered Aaron and his sons
to enter first into the sanctuary, and “to appoint to the Kohathites, every
one, his service and his burden, that they might not go in to see when the holy
things are covered, lest they die.” This was done because previous to this
command the sons of Kohath had been accustomed to feast their eyes on the sight
of the Ark, which brought them instantaneous death. But, according to this
order, Aaron and his sons first took apart the different portions of the
sanctuary, covered the Ark, and not till then called the sons of Kohath to bear
the burden.

During the march the Levites might wear no shoes, but had to walk barefoot
because they carried and ministered to holy objects. The Kohathites had,
moreover, to walk backwards, for they might not turn their backs to the Holy
Ark. They were, furthermore, owing to their offices as bearers of the Ark,
distinguished by being the first of the Levites to be numbered in the census,
although in other respects the sons of Gershon led, for Gershon was the
first-born of Levi. [435]

When giving the commission to count the sons of Kohath, God explicitly
mentioned that Moses should undertake the census with Aaron, but He did not do
so when He ordered the numbering of the sons of Gershon. Moses now thought that
God had done this intentionally because the former were directly under Aaron’s
supervision while the Gershonites were not. Nevertheless, out of respect to his
brother, he bade his brother, as well as, out of courtesy, the princes of the
tribes to be present at the numbering of the Levites, but he did not tell Aaron
that he did so in the name of God. In this Moses erred, for God wished Aaron to
be present at the numbering of the Levites. For this reason, when He ordered
the census of the third division, Merari’s sons, to be taken, He expressly
mentioned Aaron’s name. At the apportionment of the service among the
individual Levites, however, Aaron paid attention only to the sons of Kohath,
each of whom had his special task allotted to him, whereas Moses appointed
their tasks to the sons of Gershon and Merari. [436] The highest chief of the
Levites, however, was Eleazar, who was “to have the oversight of them that keep
the charge of the santuary.” But despite his high position, Eleazar was modest
enough to participate in the service in person. During their marches from place
to place, he himself would carry all needful things for the daily offering. In
his right hand he carried the oil for the candlestick, in his left hand the
incense, on his are the things that were made in the pans, and, attached to his
girdle, the phial with the oil for ointment. [437] Ithamar, Eleazar’s brother,
also had a duty in the sanctuary, for it was he to whom the guidance of the
service of Gershon’s and Merari’s sons was assigned. For these must perform
none but the service God had specially assigned to them, as no Gershonite might
perform the duty of a Merarite, and vice versa, and each individual, too, had
his special duty, that no quarrel might arise among them. [438]

THE FOUR STANDARDS

When God appeared upon Sinai, He was surrounded by twenty-two thousand angels,
all in full array and divided into groups, each of which had its own standard.
Looking upon these angel hosts, Israel wished like them to be divided into
groups with standards, and God fulfilled their wish. After Moses had completed
the census of the people, God said to Him: “Fulfill their wish and provide them
with standards as they desire. ‘Every man of the children of Israel shall pitch
by his own standard, with the ensign of their father’s house; far off about the
Tabernacle of the congregation shall they pitch.'” This commission greatly
agitated Moses, who thought: “Now will there be much strife among the tribes.
If I bid the tribe of Judah pitch in the East, it will surely state its
preference for the South, and every tribe will likewise choose any direction
but the one assigned to it.” But God said to Moses: “Do not concern thyself
with the position of the standards of the tribes, for they have no need of thy
direction. Their father Jacob before his death ordered them to group themselves
about the Tabernacle just as his sons were to be grouped about his bier at the
funeral procession.” When Moses now told the people to divide themselves in
groups round about the Tabernacle, they did it in the manner Jacob had bidden
them. [439]

“The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath He
established the heavens.” The division of the tribes of Israel according to
four standards, as well as their subdivision at each standard, is not arbitrary
and accidental, it corresponds to the same plan and direction as that of which
God made use in heaven. The celestial Throne is surrounded by four angels: to
the right Michael, in front Gabriel, to the left Uriel, and to the rear
Raphael. To these four angels corresponded the four tribes of Reuben, Judah,
Dan, and Ephraim, the standard bearers. Michael earned his name, “Who is like
unto God,” by exclaiming during the passage of Israel through the Red Sea, “Who
is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods?” and he made a similar statement
when Moses completed the Torah, saying: “There is none like unto the God of
Jeshurun.” In the same way Reuben bore upon his standard the words, “Hear, O
Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord,” hence Reuben’s position with his
standard to the right of the sanctuary corresponded exactly to Michael’s post
at the right of the celestial Throne. Gabriel, “God is mighty,” stands in front
of the Throne, as Judah, “mightiest among his brethren,” was the standard
bearer in front of the camp. Dan, the tribe “from which emanated dark sin,”
stood at the left side of the camp with his standard, corresponding to the
angel Uriel, “God is my light,” for God illuminated the darkness of sin by the
revelation of the Torah, in the study of which this angel instructed Moses, and
devotion to which is penance for sin. The tribe of Ephraim was the standard
bearer to the rear of the camp, occupying the same position as Raphael, “God
heals,” holds the celestial Throne; for this tribe, from which sprang Jeroboam,
was in need of God’s healing for the wound that this wicked king dealt Israel.
[440]

God had other reasons for the divisions of the tribes that He decreed, for He
said to Moses: “In the East whence comes the light shall the tribe of Judah,
whence arises the light of sovereignty, pitch its camp, and with them the tribe
of Issachar, with whom dwells the light of the Torah, and Zebulum, shining
through the wealth. From the South come the dews of blessing and the rains of
plenty, hence shall Reuben pitch on this side, for this tribe owes its
existence to the penitent deeds of its forefather, penance being that which
causes God to send His blessing upon the world. Beside Reuben shall stand the
warlike tribe of Gad, and between these two Simeon, in order that this tribe,
made weak by its sins, might be protected on either side by the piety of Reuben
and the heroism of Gad. In the West are storehouses of snow, the storehouses of
hail, of cold, and of heat, and as powerless as are mortals against these
forces of nature, so ineffectual shall be the enemies of the tribes of Ephraim,
Manasseh, and Benjamin, for which reason their post was to the West of the
camp. From the North comes the darkness of sin, for this tribe alone will
declare itself willing to accept the idols of Jeroboam, hence its place is to
the North of the camp. To illuminate its darkness, put beside it shining Asher,
and Naphtali, filled with God’s plenty.” [441]

The four standards were distinguished from one another by their different
colors, and by the inscriptions and figures worked upon each. The color of
Judah’s standard corresponded to the color of the three stones in the
breastplate of the high priest, on which were engraved the names of Judah,
Issachar, and Zebulun, and was composed of red, green, and fiery red. Judah’s
name, as well as Issachar’s and Zebulun’s, was inscribed on the banner, and
beside the names was this inscription: “Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be
scattered; and let them that hate Thee flee before Thee.” The standard of
Reuben, about which gathered also the tribes of Simeon and Gad, was the color
of the emerald, the sapphire, and the sabhalom, for on these three stones were
the names of these tribes engraved on the breastplate of the high priest.
Besides the names of Reuben, Simeon, and Gad the following device was wrought
on the second standard, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord.” The
third standard, around which rallied the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and
Benjamin, bore the color of the diamond, the turquoise, and the amethyst, for
on these three stones in the high priest’s breastplate were engrave the names
of these three tribes. On this standard beside the names of these three tribes
was the motto, “And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went
out of camp.” As on the breastplate of the high priest the stones chrysolite,
beryl and panther-stone bore the names of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali, so too did
the fourth standard, round which these three tribes gathered, bear a color
resembling these three stones. This standard contained the names of Dan, Asher,
and Naphtali, and the device: “Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of
Israel.” [442]

The standards had also other distinguishing characteristics. Judah’s standard
bore in its upper part the figure of a lion, for its forefather had been
characterized by Jacob as “a lion’s whelp,” and also sword-like hooks of gold.
On these hooks God permitted a strip of the seventh cloud of glory to rest, in
which were visible the initials of the names of the three Patriarchs, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, the letters being radiations from the Shekinah. Reuben’s
standard had in its upper part the figure of a man, corresponding to the
mandrakes that Reuben, forefather of this tribe, found, for this plant had the
form of a manikin. The hooks on this standard were like those on the standard
of Judah, but the second letters of the names of the three Patriarchs, Bet,
Zade, and ‘Ayyin were seen above them in the cloud. In the standard of Ephraim
was fashioned the form of a fish, for Jacob had blessed the forefather of this
tribe by telling him to multiply like a fish; in all other respects it was like
the other two standards, save the above the sword-like hooks of gold were seen
the third letters in the names of the Patriarchs, Resh, Het, and Kof. Dan’s
standard contained the form of a serpent, for “Dan shall be a serpent by the
way,” was Jacob’s blessing for this tribe; and the gleaming letters over the
hooks were: Mem for Abraham, Kof for Isaac, and Bet for Jacob. The letter He of
Abraham’s name was not indeed visible over the standards, but was reserved by
God for a still greater honor. For, over the Holy Ark, God let a pillar of
cloud rest, and in this were visible the letter Yod and He, spelling the name
Yah, by means of which God had created the world. This pillar of cloud shed
sunlight by day and moonlight by night, so that Israel, who were surrounded by
clouds, might distinguish between night and day. These two sacred letters, Yod,
He, would on week-days fly about in the air over the four standards, hovering
now upon this, now upon that. But as soon as Friday was over and the Sabbath
began, these letters stood immovable on the spot where they chanced to be at
that moment, and remained in this rigid position from the first moment of the
Sabbath to the last.

Whenever God wanted Israel to break up camp and move on, He would send on from
its place over the Ark the cloud in which beamed the two sacred letters Yod and
He in the direction in which Israel was to march, and the four strips of cloud
over the standards would follow. As soon as the priests saw the clouds in
motion, they blew the trumpets as a signal for starting, and the winds
thereupon from all sides breathed myrrh and frankincense. [443]

Although it was the clouds that gave the signal for taking down and pitching
tents, still they always awaited the word of Moses. Before starting the pillar
of cloud would contract and stand still before Moses, waiting for him to say:
“Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee
flee before Thee,” whereupon the pillar of cloud would be set in motion. It was
the same when they pitched camp. The pillar of cloud would contract and stand
still before Moses, waiting for him to say: “Return, O Lord, unto the many
thousands of Israel,” whereupon it would expand first over the tribes that
belonged to the standard of Judah, and then over the sanctuary, within and
without. [444]

THE CAMP

The camp was in the form of a square, twelve thousand cubits on each side, and
in the middle was the space, four thousand cubits in size, for the sanctuary,
and the dwelling place of priests and Levites. In the East of the sanctuary
lived Moses, Aaron, and Aaron’s sons; the Levites of the family of Kohath lived
in the South, the sons of Gershon in the West, and the sons of Merari in the
North. Each of theses divisions had for its dwelling place a space of a hundred
cubits, while each group of three tribes that joined under one standard had a
space of four thousand cubits. This was only for the dwelling place of the
people, the cattle were outside the encampment, and the cloud of glory
separated the dwelling places of the human beings from those of the animals.
Rivers surrounded the camp from without, and so also were the different groups
separated one from the other by rivers. But in order that on the Sabbath, when
riding was prohibited, intercourse among the different parts of the camp might
not be rendered impossible, there were bridges of boards over the rivers. The
purple color of the cloud of glory was reflected in the waters of the rivers,
so that it spread afar a radiance like that of the sun and the stars. The
heathens, whenever they beheld these wondrous radiant waters, were frightened
and feared Israel, but at the same time praised God for the miracles He wrought
for Israel. [445]

These were miracles that were visible to the outer world as well, but there
were others that were known to Israel alone. During their forty years’ march
they had no need of change of raiment. The robe of purple which the angels
clothed each one among them at their exodus from Egypt remained ever new; and
as a snail’s shell grows with it, so did their garments grow with them. Fire
could not injure these garments, and though they wore the same things
throughout forty years, still they were not annoyed by vermin, yes, even the
corpses of this generation were spared by worms. [446]

During their marches, as well as in their stay at a certain place, they had not
only the four standards that divided them into four groups of three tribes
each, each individual tribe had furthermore its own special spot and its
special ensign. Reuben’s flag was red, and on it were pictured mandrakes.
Simeon’s flag was green, with a picture of the city of Shechem upon it, for the
forefather of the tribe had conquered this city. Judah’s flag was azure, and
bore the form of a lion. Issachar’s flag was black, and had two figures, the
sun and the moon, for from this tribe sprung the learned men who busied
themselves with astronomy and the science of the calendar. Zebulun’s flag was
white, with the form of a ship, for this tribe devoted to navigation. Dan’s
flag had a color like a sapphire, with the figure of a serpent. Naphtali’s flag
was a dull red, the color of wine, and on it was the figure of a hind, in
memory of its forefather, who was like “a hind let loose.” Ashere’s flag was
red like fire, and had the token of an olive tree, because this tribe had much
olive oil of excellent quality. The two tribes descended from Joseph, –
Ephraim, and Manasseh – both flags of the same deep black color with a
representation of Egypt, but they had other forms besides. Ephraim’s had the
picture of a bull, to symbolize Joshua, sprung of this tribe, whose glory was
like “the firstling of his bullock, that pusheth the people together to the
ends of the earth;” whereas Manasseh’s was that of a unicorn, symbolizing the
judge Gideon that sprang from this tribe, “who with his horns of unicorns
pushed the people.” Benjamin’s flag had a color composed of all the other
eleven colors, and a wolf for his token, Jacob having described this tribe a “a
wolf that ravineth.” The different colors of the flags corresponded to the
colors of the stones set in the breastplate of the high priest, on which were
engraved the names of the twelve tribes. Reuben’s stone had a red color like
his flag, Simeon’s flag was green like the color of his stone, and in this way
with all the tribes the color of stones and of flags harmonized. [447]

THE BLASPHEMER AND THE SABBATH-BREAKER

When Israel received the Torah from God, all the other nations envied them and
said: “Why were these choosen by God out of all the nations?” But God stopped
their mouths, replying: “Bring Me your family records, and My children shall
bring their family records.” The nations could not prove the purity of their
families, but Israel stood without a blemish, every man among them ready to
prove his pure descent, so that the nations burst into praise at Israel’s
family purity, which was rewarded by God with the Torah for this its
excellence. [448]

How truly chastity and purity reigned among Israel was shown by the division of
the people into groups and tribes. Among all these thousands was found only a
single man who was not of pure descent, and who therefore at the pitching of
the standards could attach himself to none of the groups. This man was the son
of Shelomith, a Danite woman, and the Egyptian, [449] whom Moses, when a youth
of eighteen, had slain for having offered violence to Shelomith, the incident
that had necessitated Moses’ flight from Egypt. It had happened as follows:
When Moses came to Goshen to visit his parents, he witnessed how an Egyptian
struck an Israelite, and the latter, knowing that Moses was in high favor at
Pharaoh’s court, sought his assistance, appealing to him with these words: “O,
my lord, this Egyptian by night forced his way into my house, bound me with
chains, and in my presence offered violence to my wife. Now he wants to kill me
besides.” Indignant at this infamous action of the Egyptian, Moses slew him, so
that the tormented Israelite might go home. The latter, on reaching his house,
informed his wife that he intended getting a divorce from her, as it was not
proper for a member of the house of Jacob to live together with a woman that
had been defiled. When the wife told her brothers of her husband’s intentions,
they wanted to kill their brother-in-law, who eluded them only by timely
flight. [450]

The Egyptian’s violence was not without issue, for Shelomith gave birth to a
son whom she reared as a Jew, even though his father had been and Egyptian.
When the division of the people according to the four standard took place, this
son of Shelomith appeared among the Danites into whose division he meant to be
admitted, pointing out to them that his mother was a woman of the tribe of Dan.
The Danites, however, rejected him, saying: “The commandment of God says, ‘each
man by his own standard, with the ensign of his father’s house.’ Paternal, not
maternal descent decides a man’s admission to a tribe.” As this man was not
content with this answer, his case was brought to Moses’ court, who also passed
judgement against him. This so embittered him the he blasphemed the Ineffable
Name which he had heard on Mount Sinai, and cursed Moses. He at the same time
ridiculed the recently announced law concerning the shewbread that was to be
set on the table in the sanctuary every Sabbath, saying: “It behooves a king to
eat fresh bread daily, and no stale bread.” [451]

At the same time as the crime blasphemy was committed by the son of Shelomith,
Zelophehad committed another capital crime. On a Sabbath day he tore trees out
of the ground although he had been warned by witnesses not to break the
Sabbath. The overseers whom Moses had appointed to enforce the observance of
the Sabbath rest seized him and brought him to the school, where Moses, Aaron,
and other leaders of the people studied the Torah.

In both these cases Moses was uncertain how to pass judgement, for, although he
knew that capital punishment must follow the breaking of the Sabbath, still the
manner of capital punishment in this case had not yet been revealed to him.
Zelophehad was in the meantime kept in prison until Moses should learn the
details of the case, for the laws says that a man accused of a capital charge
may not be given liberty of person. The sentence that Moses received from God
was to execute Zelophehad in the presence of all the community by stoning him.
This was accordingly done, and after the execution his corps was for a short
time suspended from the gallows. [452]

The sin of the Sabbath-breaker was the occasion that gave rise to God’s
commandment of Zizit to Israel. For He said to Moses, “dost thou know how it
came to pass that this man broke the Sabbath?” Moses: “I do not know.” God: “On
week days he wore phylacteries on his head and phylacteries on his arm to
remind him of his duties, but on the Sabbath day, on which no phylacteries may
be worn, he had nothing to call his duties to his mind, and he broke the
Sabbath. God now, Moses, and find for Israel a commandment the observance of
which is not limited to week days only, but which will influence them on
Sabbath days and on holy days as well.” Moses selected the commandment of
Zizit, the sight of which will recall to the Israelites all the other
commandments of God. [453]

Whereas in the case of the Sabbath breaker Moses had been certain that the sin
was punishable by death, and had been certain that the sin was punishable by
death, and had been in doubt only concerning the manner of execution, in the
case of the blasphemer matters were different. Here Moses was in doubt
concerning the nature of the crime, for he was not even sure if it was at all a
capital offence. Hence he did not have these two men imprisoned together,
because one of them was clearly a criminal, whereas the status of the other was
undetermined. But God instructed Moses that the blasphemer was also to be
stoned to death, and that this was to be the punishment for blasphemers in the
future. [454]

There were two other cases beside these two in Moses’ career on which he could
not pass judgement without appealing to God. These were the claims of
Zelophehad’s daughters to the inheritance of their father, and the case of the
unclean that might not participate in the offering of the paschal lamb. Moses
hastened in his appeal to God concerning the two last mentioned cases, but took
his time with the two former, for on these depended human lives. In this Moses
set the precedent to the judges among Israel to dispatch civil cases with all
celerity, but to proceed slowly in criminal cases. In all these cases, however,
he openly confessed that he did not at the time know the proper decision,
thereby teaching the judges of Israel to consider it no disgrace, when
necessary, to consult others in cases when they were not sure of true
judgement. [455]

THE UNGRATEFUL MULTITUDE

When God commanded Israel to set out from Sinai and continue their march, the
Israelites were glad, for during their stay in that place they had throughout
eleven days received new laws daily, and they hoped that after having departed
from the holy mountain they would receive no further laws. Hence, instead of
making a day’s march from Sinai, as God had commanded them, they marched
incessantly for three days, in order to be as far as possible from the holy
spot. They behaved like a boy who runs quickly away after dismissal from
school, that his teacher might not call him back. Although this antipathy to
His laws vexed God, He did not therefore forsake them, but let the Ark move
before them as long as they desired to continue the march. For it was by this
token that the Israelites knew that the Shekinah was among them, as God had
promised them. As often as they broke camp or pitched camp Moses would say to
them: “Do what the Shekinah within the Ark bids you do.” But they would not
believe Moses that the Shekinah dwelt among them unless he spoke the words:
“Rise up, Lord, and let Thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate Thee
flee before Thee,” whereupon the Ark would begin to move, and they were
convinced of the presence of the Shekinah. The Ark furthermore gave the signal
for breaking camp by soaring up high, [456] and then swiftly moving before the
camp at a distance of three days’ march, until it found a suitable spot upon
which Israel might encamp. [457]

Hardly had they departed from Sinai when they once more began to lead the
wicked course of life that they had for a time abandoned. They began to seek a
pretext to renounce God and again to be addicted to idolatry. [458] They
complained about the forced marches which at God’s command they had been
obliged to make after their departure from Sinai, and in this way showed their
ingratitude to God who wanted them as quickly as possible to reach the Holy
Land, and for this reason allowed them to cover an eleven days’ distance in
three days. [459] Their murmurs and complaints, however, were not silent, but
quite loud, for they were anxious that God should hear their wicked words. In
punishment for their defamation of the Divine glory, God sent upon them a fire
emanating from the very glory. [460]

Upon twelve occasions did God send a Divine fire upon earth, six times as a
token of honor and distinction, but as many times as a punishment. To the first
class belong the fire at the consecration of the Tabernacle, at the offering of
Gideon as at that of Manoah and of David; at the dedication of Solomon’s
Temple, and at the offering of Elijah upon Mount Carmel. The six fatal fires
are the following: the fire that consumed Nadab and Abihu; that which wrought
havoc among the murmuring and complaining multitude; the fire that consumed the
company of Korah; the fire that destroyed Job’s sheep, and the two fires that
burned the first and second troops which Ahaziah sent against Elijah. [461]

This celestial fire wrought the greatest havoc among the idolatrous tribe of
Dan, and among the mixed multitude that had joined the Israelites upon their
exodus from Egypt. [462] The elders of the people turned to Moses, saying:
“Rather deliver us as a sheep to the slaughter, but not to a celestial fire
that consumes earthly fire.” [463] They should by right have prayed to God
themselves, but in this instance they were like the king’s son who had kindled
his father’s anger against him, and who not hastened to his father’s friend,
begging him to intercede for him. So did Israel say to Moses: “Go thou to God
and pray for us.” Moses instantly granted their wish, and God without delay
heard Moses’ prayer and halted the destroying fire. [464] But God did not
simply take the fire away from Israel and put it elsewhere, for it was of such
a nature that it would gradually have spread on all sides and finally have
destroyed everything. It had in this way caused the destruction in Israel, for,
beginning at one end of the camp, it spread so rapidly that one could at not
time tell how far it had gone. That the presence of this Divine fire might
continue to restrain Israel from sin, God did not allow it to rise back to
heaven, but it found its place on the altar of the Tabernacle, where it
consumed all the offerings that were brought during Israel’s stay in Egypt.
This is the same fire that destroyed Aaron’s sons as well as Korah’s company,
and it is the Divine fire that every mortal beholds in the moment of his death.
[465]

On this occasion also it was evident that pious men are greater than the
angels, for Moses took bundles of wool and laid them upon the Divine fire,
which thereupon went out. [466] He then said to the people: “If you repent of
your sin, then the fire will go out, but otherwise it will burst forth and
consume you.” [467]

THE FLESH-POTS OF EGYPT

Not mindful of the punishment by fire, Israel still did not mend their ways,
but soon again began to murmur against God. As so often before, it was again
the mixed multitude that rebelled against God and Moses, saying: “Who shall
give up flesh to eat? We remember the fish that we did eat in Egypt freely; the
cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic. But
now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna before
our eyes.” But all this murmuring and these complaints were only a pretext to
sever themselves from God, for first of all, they actually possessed many herds
and much cattle, enough plentifully to satisfy their lusting after flesh if
they had really felt it; and manna, furthermore, had the flavor of every
conceivable kind of food, so all they had to do while eating it was to wish for
a certain dish and they instantly perceived in manna the taste of the desired
food. It is true that manna never gave them the flavor of the five vegetables
they mentioned, but they should have been grateful to God for sparing them the
taste of these vegetables injurious to health. Here they showed their
perversity in being dissatisfied with measures for which they should have been
grateful to God. Manna displeased them because it did not contain the flavor
injurious to health, and they also objected to it because it remained in their
bodies, wherefore they said: “The manna will swell in our stomachs, for can
there be a human being that takes food without excreting it!” God had, as a
special mark of distinction, given them this food of the angels, which is
completely dissolved in the body, and of which they could always partake
without injury to their health. It is a clear proof of the excellent taste of
manna that a later time, when the last manna fell on the day of Moses’ death,
they ate of it for forty days, and would not make use of other food until the
manna had been exhausted to the last grain, clearly showing that the taking of
any different food was disagreeable. But while manna was at hand in abundance,
they complained about seeing before them, morning and evening, no other food
than manna. [468]

The true state of affairs was that they had a lurking dissatisfaction with the
yoke of the law. It is certain that they had not had in Egypt better food for
which they now longed, for their taskmasters, far from giving them dainties,
gave them not even straw for making bricks. But in Egypt they had lived
undisturbed by laws, and it was this unrestrained life that they desired back.
Especially hard for them were the new laws on marriage, for in Egypt they had
been accustomed to marry those closely related by blood, from whom they were
now obliged to separate. They now trooped together in families, and awaiting
the moment when Moses, about to leave the house of study, would have to pass
them, they began to murmur publicly, [469] accusing him of being to blame for
all the sufferings they had been obliged to bear. Upon his advice, they said,
had they abandoned a most fruitful land, and instead of enjoying the great
fortune promised to them, they were now wandering about in misery, suffering
thirst from lack of water, and were apprehensive of dying of starvation in case
the supply of manna should cease. When these and similar abuses were uttered
against Moses, one out of the people stepped forth and exhorted them not so
soon to forget the many benefactions they had known from Moses, and not to
despair of God’s aid and support. But the multitude upon this became even more
excited, and raged and shouted more violently than ever against Moses. [470]
This conduct of Israel called forth God’s wrath, but Moses, instead of
interceding for the people, began to complain of their treatment of him, and
announced to God that he could not now execute the commission he had undertaken
in Egypt, namely, to lead Israel in spite of all reverses, until he had reached
the promised land. He now begged God to relieve him of the leadership of the
people in some way, and at the same time to stand by him in his present
predicament, that he might satisfy the people’s desire for flesh. [471]

THE APPOINTMENT OF THE SEVENTY ELDERS

The sad predicament of Moses on this occasion is partly traceable to the fact
that he had to face alone the murmurs and complaints of the people without the
accustomed assistance of the seventy elders. Since the exodus from Egypt the
seventy elders of the people had always been at his side, but these had
recently been killed by the fire from heaven at Taberah, so that he now stood
all alone. This death overtook the elders because like Nadab and Abihu they had
not shown sufficient reverence in ascending Mount Sinai on the day of the
revelation, when, in view of the Divine vision, they conducted themselves in an
unseemly manner. Like Nadab and Abihu the elder would have received
instantaneous punishment for their offense, had not God been unwilling to spoil
the joyful day of the revelation by their death. But they had to pay the
penalty nevertheless: Nadab and Abihu, by being burned at the consecration of
the Tabernacle, and the elders similarly, at Taberah. [472]

As Moses now utterly refused to bear the burden of the people alone, God said
to him: “I gave thee sufficient understanding and wisdom to guide My children
alone, that thou mightest be distinguished by this honor. Thou, however,
wishest to share this guidance with others. Go, then, and expect no help from
Me, ‘but I will take of the spirit that is upon thee and will put it upon them;
and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not
thyself alone'” [473]

God bade Moses choose as his helpers in the guidance of the people such men as
had already been active leaders and officers in Egypt. In the days of Egyptian
bondage it frequently happened that the officers of the children of Israel were
beaten if the people had not fulfilled their task in making bricks, but “he
that is willing to sacrifice himself for the benefit of Israel shall be
rewarded with honor, dignity, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The officers
suffered in Egypt for Israel, and were now found worthy of having the Holy
Spirit come upon them. [474] God moreover said to Moses: “With kindly words
welcome the elders to their new dignity, saying, ‘Hail to you that are deemed
worthy by God of being fit for this office.’ At the same time, however, speak
seriously with them also, saying, ‘Know ye that the Israelites are a
troublesome and stiff-necked people, and that you must ever be prepared to have
them curse you or cast stones at you'”

God commanded the selection of the elders to take place at the Tabernacle, that
Israel might reverence them, saying, “Surely these are worthy men,” but they
were not permitted with Moses to enter the Tabernacle and hear God’s word. The
people were however mistaken in assuming that God’s word reached the ears of
the elders, for He spoke with Moses alone, even though the prophetic spirit
came upon them also. [475]

Now when Moses wished to proceed to the selection of the seventy elders, he was
in a sore predicament because he could not evenly divide the number seventy
among the twelve tribes, and was anxious to show no partiality to one tribe
over another, which would lead to dissatisfaction among Israel. Bezalel, son of
Uri, however, gave Moses good advice. He took seventy slips of paper on which
was written “elder,” and with them two blank slips, and mixed all these in an
urn. Seventy-two elders, six to each tribe, now advance and each drew a slip.
Those whose slips were marked “elder” were elected, while those who had drawn
blank slips were rejected, but in such a wise that they could not well accuse
Moses of partiality. [476]

By this method of appointment, it came to pass that there were six elders for
each tribe except the tribe of Levi. The names of those chosen were: from the
tribe of Reuben, – Hanoch, Carmi, Pallu, Zaccur, Eliab, Nemuel; from the tribe
of Simeon, – Jamin, Jachin, Zohar, Ohad, Shaul, Zimri; from the tribe of Levi,
– Amram, Hananiah, Nethanel, Sithri; from the tribe of Judah, – Zerah, Dan,
Jonadab, Bezalel, Shephatiah, Nahshon; from the tribe of Issachar, – Zuar,
Uzza, Igal, Palti, Othniel, Haggi; from the tribe of Zebulun, – Sered, Elon,
Sodi, Oholiab, Elijah, Nimshi; from the tribe of Benjamin, – Senaah, Kislon,
Elidad, Ahitub, Jediael, Mattaniah; from the tribe of Joseph, – Jair, Joezer,
Malchiel, Adoniram, Abiram, Sethur; from the tribe of Dan, – Gedaliah, Jogli,
Ahinoam, Ahiezer, Daniel, Seraiah; from the tribe of Naphtali, – Elhanan,
Eliakim, Elishama, Semachiah, Zabdi, Johanan; from the tribe of Gad, – Haggai,
Zarhi, Keni, Mattathiah, Zechariah, Shuni; from the tribe of Asher, – Pashhur,
Shelomi, Samuel, Shalom, Shecaniah, Abihu. [477]

Moses gathered these seventy elders of novel extraction and of lofty and pious
character round about the tent in which God used to reveal Himself, bidding
thirty of them take their stand on the south side, thirty on the northern, and
ten on the eastern, whereas he himself stood on the western side. For this tent
was thirty cubits long and ten cubits wide, so that a cubit each was
apportioned to the elders. [478] God was so pleased with the appointment of the
elders that, just as on the day of the revelation, He descended from heaven and
permitted the spirit of prophecy to come upon the elders, so that they received
the prophetic gift to the end of their days, as God had put upon them of the
spirit of Moses. But Moses’ spirit was not diminished by this, he was like a
burning candle from which many others are lighted, but which is not therefore
diminished; and so likewise was the wisdom of Moses unimpaired. Even after the
appointment of the elders did Moses remain the leader of the people, for he was
the head of this Sanhedrin of seventy members which he guided and directed.
[479]

The position of the elders was not of the same rank as that of Moses, for he
was the king of Israel, and it was for this reason that God had bidden him to
secure trumpets, to use them for the calling of the assembly, that this
instrument might be blown before him as before a king. Hence shortly before
Moses’ death these trumpets were recalled from use, for his successor Joshua
did not inherit from him either his kingly dignity or these royal insignia. Not
until David’s time were the trumpets used again which Moses had fashioned in
the desert. [480]

ELDAD AND MEDAD

When Moses had completed the appointment of the elders and had asked them to
accompany him to the Tabernacle, there to receive the Holy Spirit, Eldad and
Medad, two of these elders, in their humility, did not obey his summons, but
hid themselves, deeming themselves unworthy of this distinction. God rewarded
them for their humility by distinguishing them five-fold above the other
elders. These prophesied what would take place on the following day, announcing
the appearance of the quails, but Eldad and Medad prophesied what was still
veiled in the distant future. The elders prophesied only on this one day, but
Eldad and Medad retained the gift for life. The elders died in the desert,
whereas Eldad and Medad were the leaders of the people after the death of
Joshua. The elders are not mentioned by name in the Scriptures, whereas theses
two are called by name. The elders, furthermore, had received the prophetic
gift from Moses, whereas Eldad and Medad received it directly from God. [481]

Eldad now began to make prophecies, saying: “Moses will die, and Joshua the son
of Nun will be his successor as leader of the people, whom he will lead into
the land of Canaan, and to whom he will give it as a possession.” Medad’s
prophecy was as follows: “Quails will come from the sea and will cover the camp
of Israel, but they will bring evil to the people.” Besides these prophecies,
both together announced the following revelation: “At the end of days there
will come up out of the land of Magog a king to whom all nations will do
homage. Crowned kings, princes, and warriors with shields will gather to make
war upon those returned from exile in the land of Israel. But God, the Lord,
will stand by Israel in their need and will slay all their enemies by hurling a
flame from under His glorious Throne. This will consume the souls in the hosts
of the king of Magog, so that their bodies will drop lifeless upon the
mountains of the land of Israel, and will become a prey to the beasts of the
field and the fowls of the air. Then will all the dead among Israel arise and
rejoice in the good that at the beginning of the world was laid up for them,
and will receive the reward for their good deeds.” [482]

When Gershon, Moses’ son, heard these prophecies of Eldad and Medad, he hurried
to his father and told him of them. Joshua was now greatly agitated about the
prophecy that Moses was to die in the desert and that he as to be his
successor, and said to Moses: “O lord, destroy these people that prophesy such
evil news!” But Moses replied: “O Joshua, canst thou believe that I begrudge
thee thy splendid future? It is my wish that thou mayest be honored as much as
I have been and that all Israel be honored like thee.” [483]

Eldad and Medad were distinguished not only by their prophetic gift, but also
by their noble birth, being half-brothers of Moses and Aaron. When the marriage
laws were revealed, all those who had been married to relatives by blood had to
be divorced from them, so that Amram, too, had to be separated from his wife
Jochebed, who was his aunt, and he married another woman. From this union
sprang Eldad, “not of an aunt,” and Medad, “in place of an aunt,” so called by
Amram to explain by these names why he had divorced his first wife, his aunt.
[484]

THE QUAILS

The prophecy of these men concerning the quails turned out as they had
predicted, the quails being, as God had foretold to Moses, no blessing for the
people. For God said to Moses: “Tell the people to be prepared for impending
punishment, they shall eat flesh to satiety, but then they shall loathe it more
than they now lust for it. I know, however, how they came to have such desires.
Because My Shekinah is among them they believe that they may presume anything.
Had I removed My Shekinah from their midst they would never have cherished so
foolish a desire.” Moses, knowing that the granting of the people’s wish would
be disastrous to them, said to God: “O Lord, why, pray, dost Thou first give
them flesh, and then, in punishment for their sin, slay them? Who ever heard
any one say to an ass, ‘Here is a measure of wheat; eat it, for we want to cut
off they head?’ Or to a man, ‘Here is a loaf of bread for thee; take it, and go
to hell with it?'” God replied: “Well, then, what wouldst thou do?” Moses: “I
will go to them and reason with them that they may desist from their lusting
after flesh.” God: “I can tell thee beforehand that thy endeavors in this
matter will be fruitless.” Moses betook himself to the people, saying to them:
“Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? Behold, He smote the rock, that the waters
gushed out, and the streams overflowed; He can give bread also; can He not
provide flesh for His people?” The people, however, said: “Thou are only trying
to soothe us; God cannot grant our wish.” [485] But they erred vastly, for
hardly had the pious among them retired to their tents, when upon the godless,
who had remained in the open, came down quails in masses as thick as
snowflakes, so that many more were kill by the descent of the quails than later
by the tasting of them. The quails came in such masses that they completely
filled the space between heaven and earth, so that they even covered the sun’s
disk, and settled down on the north side and the south side of the camp, as it
were a day’s journey, lying, however, not directly upon the ground but two
cubits above it, that people might not have to stoop to gather them up.
Considering this abundance, it is not surprising that even the halt that could
not go far, and the lazy the would not, gathered each a hundred kor. These vast
quantities of flesh did not, however, benefit them, for hardly had they tasted
of it, when they gave up the ghost. This was the punishment for the grave
sinners, while the better ones among them enjoyed the taste of the flesh for a
month before they died, whereas the pious without suffering harm caught the
quails, slaughtered them, and ate of them. This was the heaviest blow that had
fallen upon Israel since their exodus from Egypt, and in memory of the many men
who had died because of their forbidden lusting after flesh, they changed the
name of the place where this misfortune occurred to Kibroth-hattaavah, “Graves
of those who lusted.” [486] The winds that went forth to bring the quails was
so powerful a storm that it could have destroyed the world, so great was God’s
anger against the ungrateful people, and it was only due to the merits of Moses
and Aaron that this wind finally left the world upon its hinges. [487]

AARON AND MIRIAM SLANDER MOSES

When the seventy elders were appointed, and the spirit of the Lord came upon
them, all the women lighted the candles of joy, to celebrate by this
illumination the elevation of these men to the dignity of prophets. Zipporah,
Moses’ wife, saw the illumination, and asked Miriam to explain it. She told her
the reason, and added, “Blessed are the women who behold with their eyes how
their husbands are raised to dignity.” Zipporah answered, “It would be more
proper to say, ‘Woe to the wives of these men who must now abstain from all
conjugal happiness!'” Miriam: “How does thou know this?” Zipporah: “I judge so
from the conduct of thy brother, for ever since he was chosen to receive Divine
revelations, he no longer knows his wife.” [488] Miriam hereupon went to Aaron,
and said to him: “I also received Divine revelations, but without being obliged
to separated myself from my husband,” whereupon Aaron agreed, saying” “I, too,
received Divine revelations, without, however, being obliged to separated
myself from my wife.” Then both said: “Our fathers also received revelations,
but without discontinuing their conjugal life. Moses abstains from conjugal
joys only out of pride, to show how holy a man he is.” Not only did they speak
evil of Moses to each other, but hastened to him and told him to his face their
opinion of his conduct. [489] But he, who could be self-assured and stern when
it touched a matter concerning God’s glory, was silent to the undeserved
reproached they heaped upon him, knowing that upon God’s bidding he had
foresworn earthly pleasures. God therefore said: “Moses is very meek and pays
no attention to the injustice meted out to him, as he did when My glory was
detracted from, and boldly stepped forth and exclaimed, ‘Who is on the Lord’s
side? Let him come unto me.’ I will therefore now stand by him.”

It is quite true that this was not the only occasion on which Moses proved
himself humble and gentle, for it was part of his character. Never among
mortals, counting even the three Patriarchs, was there more meek a man than he.
The angels alone excelled him in humility, but no human being; for the angels
are so humble and meek, that when the assemble to praise God, each angel calls
to the other and asks him to precede him, saying among themselves: “Be thou the
first, thou are worthier than I.” [490]

God carried out His intention to uphold Moses’ honor, for just as Aaron was
with his wife and Miriam with her husband, a Divine call suddenly reached
Amram’s three children, one voice that simultaneously called, “Aaron!” “Moses!”
and “Miriam!” – a miracle that God’s voice alone can perform. The call went to
Moses also, that the people might not think that Aaron and Miriam had been
chosen to take Moses’ place. He was ready to hearken to God’s words, but not so
his brother and his sister, who had been surprised in the state of uncleanness,
and who therefore, upon hearing God’s call, cried, “Water, water,” that they
might purify themselves before appearing before God. [491] They then left their
tents and followed the voice until God appeared in a pillar of cloud, a
distinction that was conferred also upon Samuel. The pillar of cloud did not,
however, appear in the Tabernacle, where it always rested whenever God revealed
Himself to Moses, and this was due to the following reasons. First of all, God
did not want to create the impression of having removed Moses from his dignity,
and of giving it to his brother and sister, hence He did not appear to them in
the holy place. At the same time, moreover, Aaron was spared the disgrace of
being reproached by God in his brother’s presence, for Moses did not follow his
brother and sister, but awaited God’s word in the sanctuary. But there was
still another reason why God did not want Moses to be present during His
conference with Aaron and Miriam – “Never praise a man to his face.” As God
wanted to praise Moses before Aaron and Miriam, He preferred to do so in his
absence. [492]

Hardly had God addressed Aaron and Miriam, when they began to interrupt Him,
whereupon He said to them: “Pray, contain yourselves until I have spoken.” In
these words He taught people the rule of politeness, never to interrupt. He
then said: “Since the creation of the world hath the word of God ever appeared
to any prophet otherwise than in a dream? Not so with Moses, to whom I have
shown what is above and what is below; what it before and what it behind; what
was and what will be. To him have I revealed all that is in the water and all
that is upon the dry land; to him did I confide the sanctuary and set him above
the angels. I Myself ordered him to abstain from conjugal life, and the word he
received was revealed to him clearly and not in dark speeches, he saw the
Divine presence from behind when It passed by him. Wherefore then were ye not
afraid to speak against a man like Moses, who is, moreover, My servant? Your
censure is directed to Me, rather than to him, for ‘the receiver is no better
than the thief,’ and if Moses is not worthy of his calling, I, his Master,
deserve censure.” [493]

MIRIAM’S PUNISHMENT

God now gently rebuked Aaron and Miriam for their transgression, and did not
give vent to His wrath until He had shown them their sin. This was an example
to man never to show anger to his neighbor before giving his reason for his
anger. The effects of God’s wrath were shown as soon as He had departed from
them, for while He was with them, His mercy exceeded His anger, and nothing
happened to them, but when He was not long with them, punishment set in. Both
Aaron and Miriam became leprous, for this is the punishment ordained for those
who speak ill of their neighbors. [494] Aaron’s leprosy, however, lasted for a
moment only, for his sin had not been as great as that of his sister, who
started the talk against Moses. His disease vanished as soon as he looked upon
his leprosy. Not so with Miriam. Aaron in vain tried to direct his eyes upon
her leprosy and in this way to heal her, for in her case the effect was the
reverse; as soon as he looked upon her the leprosy increased, and nothing
remained but to call for Moses’ assistance, who was ready to give it before
being called upon. [495] Aaron thereupon turned to his brother with the
following words: “Think not that the leprosy is on Miriam’s body only, it is as
if it were on the body of our father Amram, of whose flesh and blood she is.”
Aaron did not, however, try to extenuate their sin, saying to Moses: “Have we,
Miriam and I, ever done harm to a human being?” Moses: “No.” Aaron: “If we have
done evil to no strange people, how then canst thou believe that we wished to
harm thee? For a moment only did we forget ourselves and acted in an unnatural
way toward our brother. Shall we therefore lose our sister? If Miriam’s leprosy
doth not now vanish, she must pass all her life as a leper, for only a priest
who is not a relative by blood of the leper may under certain conditions
declare her clean, but all the priests, my sons and I, are her relatives by
blood. The life of a leper is as of one dead, for as a corpse makes unclean all
that comes in contact with it, so too the leper. Alas!” so Aaron closed his
intercession, “Shall our sister, who was with us in Egypt, who with us intoned
the song at the Red Sea, who took upon herself the instruction of the women
while we instructed the men, shall she now, while we are about to leave the
desert and enter the promised land, sit shut out from the camp?”

These words of Aaron, however, were quite superfluous, for Moses had
determined, as soon as his sister became diseased, to intercede for her with
God, saying to himself: “It is not right that my sister should suffer and I
dwell in contentment.” [496] He now drew a circle about himself, stood up, and
said a short prayer to God, which he closed with the words: “I will not go from
this spot until Thou shalt have healed my sister. But if Thou do not heal her,
I myself shall do so, for Thou hast already revealed to me, how leprosy arises
and how it disappears.” This prayer was fervent, spoken with his whole heart
and soul, though very brief. Had he spoken long, some would have said: “His
sister is suffering terribly and he, without heeding her, spends his time in
prayer.” Others again would have said: “He prayeth long for his sister, but for
us he prayeth briefly.” God said to Moses: “Why dost thou shout so?” Moses: “I
know what suffering my sister is enduring. I remember the chain which my hand
was chained, for I myself once suffered from this disease.” God: “If a king, or
if her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days?
I, the King of kings, have spit in her face, and she should be ashamed at least
twice seven days. For thy sake shall seven days be pardoned her, but the other
seven days let her be shut out from the camp.” For want of priest who,
according to the tenets of the law, must declare a leper clean after the
healing, God Himself assumed this part, declaring Miriam unclean for a week,
and clean after the passing of that period. [497]

Although leprosy came to Miriam as a punishment for her sin, still this
occasion served to show how eminent a personage she was. For the people were
breaking camp and starting on the march when, after having saddled their beasts
of burden for the march, upon turning to see the pillar of cloud moving before
them, they missed the sight of it. They looked again to see if Moses and Aaron
were in the line of procession, but they were missing, nor was there anywhere
to be seen a trace of the well that accompanied them on their marches. Hence
they were obliged to return again to camp, where they remained until Miriam was
healed. The clouds and the well, the sanctuary and the sixty myriads of the
people, all had to wait a week in this spot until Miriam recovered. Then the
pillar of cloud moved on once more and the people knew that they had not been
permitted to proceed on their march only because of this pious prophetess. This
was a reward for the kind deed Miriam had done when the child Moses was thrown
into the water. Then Miriam for some time walked up and down along the shore to
wait the child’s fate, and for this reason did the people wait for her, nor
could they move on until she had recovered. [498]

THE SENDING OF THE SPIES

The punishment that God brought upon Miriam was meant as a lesson of the
severity with which God punishes slander. For Miriam spoke no evil of Moses in
the presence of any one except her brother Aaron. She had moreover no evil
motive, but a kindly intention, wishing only to induce Moses to resume his
conjugal life. She did not even dare to rebuke Moses to his face, and still,
even in spite of her great piety, Miriam was not spared this heavy punishment.
[499] Her experience, nevertheless, did not awe the wicked man who, shortly
after this incident, made an evil report of the promised land, and by their
wicked tongues stirred up the whole people in rebellion against God, so that
they desired rather to return to Egypt than to enter Palestine. The punishment
that God inflicted upon the spies as well as upon the people they had seduced
was well deserved, for had they not been warned of slander by Miriam’s example,
there might still have been some excuse. In that case they might have been
ignorant of the gravity of the sin of slander, but now they had no excuse to
offer. [500]

When Israel approached the boundaries of Palestine, they appeared before Moses,
saying: “We will send men before us, and they shall search out the land, and
bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall
come.” This desire caused God to exclaim: “What! When you went through a land
of deserts and of pits, you had no desire for scouts, but now that you are
about to enter a land full of good things, now you wish to send out scouts. Not
only was the desire in itself unseemly, but also the way in which they
presented their request to Moses; for instead of approaching as they had been
accustomed, letting the older men be the spokesmen of the younger they appeared
on this occasion without guidance or order, the young crowding out the old, and
these pushing away their leaders. [501] Their bad conscience after making this
request – for they knew that their true motive was lack of faith in God –
caused them to invent all sorts of pretexts for their plans. They said to
Moses: “So long as we are in the wilderness, the clouds act as scouts for us,
for they move before us and show us the way, but as these will not proceed with
us into the promised land, we want men to search out the land for us.” Another
plea that they urged for their desire was this. They said: “The Canaanites fear
an attack from us and therefore hid their treasures. This is the reason why we
want to sent spies there in time, to discover for us where they are hiding
their treasures.” They sought in other ways to give Moses the impression that
their one wish was exactly to carry out the law. They said: “Hast not thou
taught us that an idol to which homage is no longer paid may be used, but
otherwise it must be destroyed? If we now enter Palestine and find idols, we
shall not know which of them were adored by the Canaanites and must be
destroyed, and which of them were no longer adored, so that we might use them.”
Finally they said the following to Moses: “Thou, our teacher, hast taught us
that God ‘would little by little drive the Canaanites before us.’ If this be
so, we must send out spies to find out which cities we must attack first.”
[502] Moses allowed himself to be influenced by their talk, and he also liked
the idea of sending out spies, but not wishing to act arbitrarily he submitted
to God the desire of the people. God answered: “It is not the first time that
they disbelieve My promises. Even in Egypt they ridiculed Me, it is now become
a habit with them, and I know what their motive in sending spies is. If thou
wishest to send spies do so, but do not pretend that I have ordered thee.”

Moses hereupon chose one man from every tribe with the exception of Levi, and
sent these men to spy out the land. These twelve men were the most
distinguished and most pious of their respective tribes, so that even God gave
His assent to the choice of every man among them. [503] But hardly had these
men been appointed to their office when they made the wicked resolve to bring
up an evil report of the land, and dissuade the people from moving to
Palestine. Their motive was a purely personal one, for they thought to
themselves that they would retain their offices at the head of the tribes so
long as they remained in the wilderness, but would be deprived of them when
they entered Palestine. [504]

SIGNIFICANT NAMES

Significant of the wickedness of these men are their names, all of which point
to their godless action. The representative of the tribe of Reuben was called
Shammua, the son of Zaccur, because he did not obey God, which was counted
against him just as if he had pursued sorcery. Shaphat, the son of Hori, was
Simeon’s representative. His name signifies, “He did not conquer his evil
inclination, and hence went out empty-handed, without having received a
possession in the land of Israel.” The tribe of Issachar was represented by
Igal, the son of Joseph. He bore this name because he soiled the reputation of
the Holy Land, and therefore died before his time. Benjamin’s representative
was Palti, the son of Raphu, so called because “he spat out the good qualities
that had previously been his, and therefore wasted away.” The name of Gaddiel,
the son of Sodi, Zebulun’s representative, signifies, “He spoke infamous things
against God in executing the secret plan of the spies.” Manasseh’s
representative, Gaddi, the son of Susi, was so called because he blasphemed God
and aroused His wrath; for it was he who said of the land, “it eateth up its
inhabitants.” But the worst one among them was Ammiel, the son of Gemalli, the
representative of Dan, for it was he who said, “The land is so strong that not
even God could go up against it,” hence his name, which means, “He cast a
shadow upon God’s strength,” and he was punished according to his wicked words,
for he did not enter the promised land. Asher’s representative was Sethur, the
son of Michael, who had resolved to act against God and instead of saying, “Who
is like unto God?” he said, “Who is God?” Naphtali’s representative was named
Nahbi, the son of Vophsi, for he suppressed the truth, and faith found no room
in his mouth, for he brought forth lies against God. The last of these spies,
Gad’s representative, bore the name Geuel, the son of Machi, for he was humbled
because he urged untruths against God.

As the ten sinners were name in accordance with their actions, so too did the
names of the two pious spies among them correspond to their pious actions.
Judah’s representative was name Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, because “he spoke
what he felt in his heart and turned aside from the advice of the rest of the
spies.” The pious representative of Ephraim was Hoshea, the son of Nun, a
fitting name for him, for he was full of understanding and was not caught like
a fish by the spies. Moses who perceived, even when he sent out the spies, the
evil intentions they harbored, changed Hoshea’s name to Joshua, saying: “May
God stand by thee, that thou mayest not follow the counsel of the spies.” [505]

This change of name that was brought about by the prefixing of the letter Yod
at last silenced the lamentations of this letter. For ever since God had
changed Sarai’s name to Sarah, the letter Yod used to fit about the celestial
Throne and lament: “Is it perchance because I am the smallest among the letters
that Thou has taken me away from the name of the pious Sarah?” God quieted this
letter, saying: “Formerly thou wert in a woman’s name, and, moreover, at the
end. I will not affix thee to a man’s name, and, moreover, at the beginning.”
This promise was redeemed when Hoshea’s name was changed to Joshua. [506]

When the spies set out on their way, they received instructions from Moses how
to conduct themselves, and what in particular, they were to note. He ordered
them not to walk on the highways, but to go along private pathways, for
although the Shekinah would follow them, they were still to incur no needless
danger. If they entered a city, however, they were not to slink like thieves in
alleyways, but to show themselves in public and answer those who asked what
they wanted by saying: “We came only to buy some pomegranates and grapes.” They
were emphatically to deny that they had any intention of destroying the idols
or of felling the sacred trees. Moses furthermore said: “Look about carefully
what manner of land it is, for some lands produce strong people and some weak,
some lands produce many people and some few. If you find the inhabitants
dwelling in open places, then know that they are mighty warriors, and depending
upon their strength have no fear of hostile attack. If, however, they live in a
fortified place, they are weaklings, and in their fear of strangers seek
shelter within their walls. Examine also the nature of the soil. If it be hard,
know then that it it fat; but if it be soft, it is lean.” [507] Finally he bade
them inquire whether Job was still alive, for if he was dead, then they
assuredly needed not to fear the Canaanites, as there was not a single pious
man among them whose merits might be able to shield them. [508] And truly when
the spies reached Palestine, Job died, and they found the inhabitants of the
land at his grave, partaking of the funeral feast. [509]

THE SPIES IN PALESTINE

On the twenty-seventh day of Siwan Moses sent out the spies from Kadesh-Barnea
in the wilderness of Paran, [510] and following his directions they went first
to the south of Palestine, the poorest part of the Holy Land. Moses did like
the merchants, who first show the poorer wares, and then the better kind; so
Moses wished the spies to see better parts of the land the farther they
advanced into it. When they reached Hebron, they could judge what a blessed
land this was that had been promised them, for although Hebron was the poorest
tract in all Palestine, it was still much better than Zoan, the most excellent
part of Egypt. When, therefore, the sons of Ham built cities in several lands,
it was Hebron that they erected first, owing to its excellence, and not Zoan,
which they built in Egypt fully seven years later.

Their progress through the land was on the whole easy, for God had wished it
so, that as soon as the spies entered a city, the plague struck it, and the
inhabitants, busied with the burial of their dead, had neither time nor
inclination to concern themselves with the strangers. [511] Although they met
with no evil on the part of the inhabitants, still the sight of the three
giants, Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai inspired them with terror. These were so
immensely tall that the sun reached only to their ankles, and they received
their names in accordance with their size and strength. The strongest among
them was Ahiman, beholding whom one fancied oneself standing at the foot of a
mountain that was about to fall, and exclaimed involuntarily, “What is this
that is coming upon me?” Hence the name Ahiman. Strong as marble was the second
brother, wherefore he was called Sheshai, “marble.” The mighty strides of the
third brother threw up plots from the ground when he walked, hence he was
called Talmi, “plots.” [512] Not only the sons of Anak were of such strength
and size, but his daughters also, whom the spies chanced to see. For when these
reached the city inhabited by Anak, that was called Kiriath-Arba, “City of
Four,” because the giant Anak and his three sons dwelt there, they were struck
with such terror by them that they sought a hiding place. But what they had
believed to be a cave was only the rind of a huge pomegranate that the giant’s
daughter had thrown away, as they later, to their horror, discovered. For this
girl, after having eaten the fruit, remembered that she must not anger her
father by letting the rind lie there, so she picked it up with the twelve men
in it as one picks up an egg shell, and threw it into the garden, never
noticing that she had thrown with it twelve men, each measuring sixty cubits in
height. When they left their hiding place, they said to one another: “Behold
the strength of these women and judge by their standard the men!” [513]

They soon had an opportunity of testing the strength of the men, for as soon as
the three giants heard of the presence of the Israelite men, they pursued them,
but the Israelites found out with what manner of men they were dealing even
before the giants had caught up with them. One of the giants shouted, and the
spies fell down as men dead, so that it took a long time for the Canaanites to
restore them to life by the aid of friction and fresh air. The Canaanites
hereupon said to them: “Why do you come here? Is not the whole world your
God’s, and did not He parcel it out according to His wish? Came ye here with
the purpose of felling the sacred trees?” The spied declared their innocence,
whereupon the Canaanites permitted them to go their ways unmolested. As a
reward for this kind deed, the nation to which these giants belonged has been
preserved even to this day. [514]

They would certainly not have escaped from the hands of the giants, had not
Moses given them two weapons against them, his staff and the secret of the
Divine Name. These two brought them salvation whenever they felt they were in
danger from the giants. For these were none other than the seed of the angels
fallen in the antediluvian era. Sprung from their union with the daughters of
men, and being half angels, half men, these giants were only half mortal. They
lived very long, and then half their body withered away. Threatened by an
eternal continuance of this condition, half life, and half death, they
preferred either to plunge into the sea, or by magic herb which they knew to
put an end to their existence. [515] They were furthermore of such enormous
size that the spies, listening one day while the giants discussed them, heard
them say, pointing to the Israelites: “There are grasshoppers by the trees that
have the semblance of men,” for “so they were in their sight.” [516]

The spies, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, had resolved from the start
to warn the people against Palestine, and so great was their influence that
Caleb feared he would yield to it. He therefore hastened to Hebron where the
three Patriarchs lie, and, standing at their graves, said: “Joshua is proof
against the pernicious influence of the spies, for Moses had prayed to God for
him. Send up prayers now, my fathers, for me, that God in His mercy may keep me
far from the counsel of the spies.” [517]

There had always been a clash between Caleb and his comrades during their
crossing through Palestine. For whereas he insisted upon taking along the
fruits of the land to show their excellence to the people, they strongly
opposed this suggestion, wishing as they did to keep the people from gaining an
impression of the excellence of the land. Hence they yielded only when Caleb
drew his sword, saying: “If you will not take of the fruits, either I shall
slay you, or you will slay me.” They hereupon cut down a vine, which was so
heavy that eight of them had to carry it, putting upon each the burden of one
hundred and twenty seah. The ninth spy carried a pomegranate, and the tenth a
fig, which they brought from a place that had once belonged to Eshcol, one of
Abraham’s friends, but Joshua and Caleb carried nothing at all, because it was
not consistent with their dignity to carry a burden. [518] This vine was of
such gigantic size that the wine pressed from its grapes sufficed for all the
sacrificial libations of Israel during the forty years’ march. [519]

After the lapse of forty days they returned to Moses and the people, after
having crossed through Palestine from end to end. By natural means it would
not, of course, have been possible to traverse all the land in so short a time,
by God made it possible by “bidding the soil to leap for them,” and they
covered a great distance in a short time. God knew that Israel would have to
wander in the wilderness forty years, a year for every day the spies had spent
in Palestine, hence He hastened their progress through the land, that Israel
might not have to stay too long in the wilderness. [520]

THE SLANDEROUS REPORT

When Moses heard that the spies had returned from their enterprise, he went to
his great house of study, where all Israel too assembled, for it was a square
of twelve miles, affording room to all. [521] There too the spies betook
themselves and were requested to give their report. Pursuing the tactics of
slanderers, they began by extolling the land, so that they might not by too
unfavorable a report arouse the suspicion of the community. They said: “We came
unto the land whither thou sentest us, and surely it floweth with milk and
honey.” This was not an exaggeration, for honey flowed from the trees under
which the goats grazed, out of whose udders poured mile, so that both mile and
honey moistened the ground. But they used these words only as an introduction,
and the passed on to their actual report, which they had elaborated during
those forty days, and by means of which they hoped to be able to induce the
people to desist from their plan of entering Palestine. [522] “Nevertheless,”
they continued, “the people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities
are walled, and very great: and moreover we saw children of Anak there.”
Concerning the latter they spoke an untruth with the intention of inspiring
Israel with fear, for the sons of Anak dwelt in Hebron, whither Caleb alone had
gone to pray at the graves of the Patriarchs, [523] at the same time as the
Shekinah went there to announce to the Patriarch that their children were now
on the way to take possession of the land which had been promised to them of
yore. [524] To intensify to the uttermost their fear of the inhabitants of
Palestine, they furthermore said: “The Amalekites dwell in the land of the
South.” They threatened Israel with Amalek as one threatens a child with a
strap that had once been employed to chastise him, for they had had bitter
experiences with Amalek. The statement concerning Amalek was founded on fact,
for although southern Palestine had not originally been their home, still they
had recently settled there in obedience to the last wish of their forefather
Esau, who had bidden them cut off Israel from their entrance into the promised
land. “If, however,” continued the spies in their report, “you are planning to
enter the land from the mountain region in order to evade Amalek, let us inform
you that the Hittites, and the Jebussites, and the Amorites dwell in the
mountains; and if you plan to go there by sea, let us inform you that the
Canaanites dwell by the sea, and along the Jordan.” [525]

As soon as the spies had completed their report, Joshua arose to contradict
them, but they gave him no chance to speak, calling out to him: “By what right
dost thou, foolish man, presume to speak? Thou hast neither sons nor daughters,
so what dost thou care if we perish in our attempt to conquer the land? We, on
the other hand, have to look out for our children and wives.” Joshua,
therefore, very much against his will, had to be silent. Caleb now considered
in what way he could manage to get a hearing without being shouted down as
Joshua had been.

Caleb had given his comrades an entirely false impression concerning his
sentiments, for when these formed the plan to try to make Israel desist from
entering Palestine, they drew him into their council, and he pretended to agree
with them, whereas he even then resolved to intercede for Palestine. Hence,
when Caleb arose, the spies were silent, supposing he would corroborate their
statements, a supposition which his introductory words tended to strengthen. He
began: “Be silent, I will reveal the truth. This is not all for which we have
to thank the son of Amram.” But to the amazement of the spies, his next words
praised, not blamed, Moses. He said: “Moses – it is he who drew us up out of
Egypt, who clove the sea for us, who gave us manna as food.” In this way he
continued his eulogy on Moses, closing with the words: “We should have to obey
him even if he bade us ascend to heaven upon ladders!” [526] These words of
Caleb were heard by all the people, for his words were so mighty that they
could be heard twelve miles off. It was this same powerful voice that had saved
the life of the spies. For when the Canaanites first took note of them and
suspected them of being spies, the three giants, Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai
pursued them and caught up with them in the plain of Judea. When Caleb, hidden
behind a fence, saw that the giants were at their heels, he uttered such a
shout that the giants fell down in a swoon because of the frightful din. When
they had recovered, the giants declared that they had pursued the Israelites
not because of the fruits, but because they had suspected them of the wish to
burn their cities. [527]

Caleb’s mighty voice did not, however, in the least impress the people or the
spies, for the latter, far from retracting their previous statements, went so
far as to say: “We be not able to go up against the people; for they are
stronger than we, they are so strong that even God can not get at them. The
land through which we had gone to search it is a land that eateth up the
inhabitants thereof through disease; and all the people that we saw in it are
men of wicked traits. And here we saw men upon sight of whom we almost swooned
in fright, the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of giants: and we were in
our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.” [528] At these
last words, God said: “I have not objection to your saying, ‘We were in our own
sight as grasshoppers,’ but I take it amiss if you say, ‘And so we were in
their sight,’ for how can you tell how I made you appear in their sight? How do
you know if you did not appear to them to be angels?” [529]

THE NIGHT OF TEARS

The words of the spies were heard by willing ears. The people believed them
implicitly, and when called to task by Moses, replied: “O our teacher Moses, if
there had been only two spies or three, we should have had to give credence to
their words, for the law tells us to consider the testimony of even two as
sufficient, whereas in this case there are fully ten! [530] Our brethren have
made us faint of heart. Because the Lord hated us, He hath brought us forth out
of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy
us.” By these words the Israelites revealed that they hated God, and for this
reason did they believe that they were hated by Him, for “whatever a man
wisheth his neighbor, doth he believe that his neighbor wisheth him.” They even
tried to convince Moses that God hated them. They said: “If an earthly king has
two sons and two fields, on watered by a river, and the other dependent upon
rains, will he not five the one that is watered by the river to his favorite
son, and give the other, less excellent field to his other son? God led us out
of Egypt, a land that is not dependent upon rain, only to give us the land of
Canaan, which produces abundantly only if the rains fall.” [531]

Not only did the spies in the presence of Moses and Aaron voice their opinion
that is was not advisable to attempt conquering Palestine, but they employed
every means of inciting the people into rebellion against Moses and God. On the
following evening every one of them betook himself to his house, donned his
mourning cloths, and began to weep bitterly and to lament. Their housemates
quickly ran toward them and in astonishment asked their reason for these tears
and lamentations. Without interrupting their wailings, they answered” “Woe is
me for ye, my sons, and woe is me for ye, my daughters and daughters-in-law,
that are doomed to be dishonored by the uncircumcised and to be given as a prey
to their lusts. These men that we have beheld are not like unto mortals. Strong
and mighty as angels are they; one of them might well slay a thousand of us.
How dare we look into the iron faces of men so powerful that a nail of theirs
is sufficient to stop up a spring of water!” At these words all the household,
sons, daughters, and daughters-in-law, burst into tears and loud lamentations.
Their neighbors came running to them and joined in the wails and sobs until
they spread throughout all the camp, and all the sixty myriads of people were
weeping. When the sound of their weeping reached heaven, God said: “Ye weep
to-day without a cause, I shall see to it that in the future ye shall have a
cause to weep on this day.” It was then that God decreed to destroy the Temple
on the ninth day of Ab, the day on which Israel in the wilderness wept without
cause, so that this day became forever a day of tears. [532]

The people were not, however, content with tears, they resolved to set up as
leaders in place of Moses and Aaron, Dathan and Abiram, and under their
guidance to return to Egypt. [533] But worse than this, not only did they
renounce their leader, but also their God, for they denied Him and wished to
set up and idol for their God. [534] Not only the wicked ones among them such
as the mixed multitude demurred against Moses and Aaron, but those also who had
heretofore been pious, saying: “Would to God that we had died in the land of
Egypt! Or would to God we had died in this wilderness!” When Joshua and Caleb
heard these speeches of the people teeming with blasphemy, they rent their
garments and tried to restrain the people from their sinful enterprise,
exhorting them particularly to have fear of the Canaanites, because the time
was at hand when God had promised Abraham to give the land of Canaan to his
descendants, and because there were no pious men among the inhabitants of the
land for whose sake God would have been willing to leave it longer in their
possession. They also assured the people that God had hurled from heaven the
guardian angel of the inhabitants of Palestine, so that they were now impotent.
[535] The people, however, replied: “We do not believe you; the other spies
have our weal and woe more at heart than you.” [536] Nor were the admonitions
of Moses of more avail, even though he brought them a direct message from God
to have no fear of the Canaanites. In vain did he say to them, “He who wrought
all those miracles for you in Egypt and during your stay in the wilderness will
work miracles for you as well when you will enter the promised land. Truly the
past ought to inspire you with trust in the future.” The only answer the people
had to this was, “Had we heard this report of the land from strangers, we
should not have given it credit, but we have heard it from men whose sons are
our sons, and whose daughters are our daughters.” [537] In their bitterness
against their leaders they wanted to lay hands upon Moses and Aaron, whereupon
God sent His cloud of glory as a protection to them, under which they sought
refuge. But far from being brought to a realization of their wicked enterprise
by this Divine apparition, they cast stones at the cloud, hoping in this way to
kill Moses and Aaron. This outrage on their part completely wore out God’s
patience, and He determined upon the destruction of the spies, and a severe
punishment of the people misled by them. [538]

INGRATITUDE PUNISHED

God now appeared to Moses, bidding him convey the following words to the
people: “You kindle My anger on account of the very benefits I conferred upon
you. When I clove the sea for you that you might pass through, while the
Egyptians stuck in the loam at its bottom, you said to one another, ‘In Egypt
we trod loam, and He led us out of Egypt, only that we might again tread it.’ I
gave you manna as food, which made you strong and fat, but you, perceiving of
it, said: ‘How comes it to pass that twenty days a human being dies if after
four or five days he does not excrete food he had taken. Surely we are doomed
to die.’ When the spies came to Palestine, I arranged it so that as soon as
they entered the city its king or governor dies, in order that the inhabitants,
occupied with the burial of their ruler, might not take account of the spies’
presence and kill them. Instead of being thankful for this, the spies returned
and reported, ‘The land through which we have gone to search it, is a land that
eateth up the inhabitants thereof.’ To you I gave the Torah; for your sake I
said to the Angel of Death, ‘Continue to hold sway over the rest of the world,
but not over this nation that I have chosen as My people.’ Truly I had hopes
that after all this you would sin no more, and like Myself and the angels would
live eternally, without ever tasting death. You, however, in spite of the great
opportunity that I offered you, conducted yourselves like Adam. Upon him also
did I lay a commandment, promising him life eternal on condition he observed
it, but he brought ruin upon himself by trespassing My commandment and eating
of the tree. To him I said, ‘Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’
Similar was My experience with you. I said, ‘You are angels,’ but you conducted
yourselves like Adam in your sins, and hence like Adam you must die. I had
thought and hoped you would follow example of the Patriarchs, but you act like
the inhabitants of Sodom, who in punishment for their sins were consumed by
fire.” [539] “If,” continued God, turning to Moses, “they suppose that I have
need of swords or spears to destroy them, they are mistaken. As through the
word I created the world, so can I destroy the world by it, which would be a
proper punishment for them. As through their words and their talk they angered
Me, so shall the word kill them, and thou shalt be their heir, for ‘I will make
of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.'” [540] Moses said: “If the
chair with three legs could not withstand the moment of Thy wrath, how then
shall a chair that have but one leg endure? Thou are about to destroy the seed
of the three Patriarchs; how then may I hope that my seed is to fare better?
This is not the only reason for which Thou shouldst preserve Israel, as there
are other considerations why Thou shouldst do so. Were Thou to destroy Israel,
the Edomites, Moabites, and all the inhabitants of Canaan would say [541] that
Thou hadst done this only because Thou wert not able to maintain Thy people,
and therefore Thou didst destroy them. These will furthermore declare that the
gods of Canaan are mightier than those of Egypt, that Thou hadst indeed
triumphed over the river gods of Egypt, but that Thou wert not the peer of the
rain gods of Canaan. Worse even than this, the nations of the world will accuse
Thee of continuous cruelty, saying, ‘He destroyed the generation of the flood
through water; He rased to the ground the builders of the tower, as well as the
inhabitants of Sodom; and no better then theirs was the fate of the Egyptians,
whom He drowned in the sea. Now He hath also ruined Israel whom He had called,
‘My firstborn son,’ like Lilith who, when she can find no strange children,
slays her own. So did He slay His own son.” [542] Moses furthermore said:
“Every pious man makes a point of cultivating a special virtue. Do Thou also in
this instance bring Thy special virtue to bear.” God: “And what is My special
virtue?” Moses: “Long-suffering, love, and mercy, for Thou art wont to be
long-suffering with them that kindle Thy wrath, and to have mercy for them. In
Thy very mercy is Thy strength best shown. Mete out to Thy children, then,
justice in small measure only, but mercy in great measure.” [543]

Moses well knew that mercy was God’s chief virtue. He remembered that he had
asked God, when he interceded for Israel after their sin of the Golden Calf,
“Pray tell me by what attribute of Thine Thou rulest the world.” God answered:
“I rule the world with loving-kindness, mercy, and long-suffering.” “Can it
be,” said Moses, “that Thy long-suffering lets sinners off with impunity?” To
this question Moses had received no answer, hence he felt he might now say to
God: “Act now as Thou didst then assent. [544] Justice, that demands the
destruction of Israel, is on one side of the scales, but it is exactly balance
by my prayer on the other side. Let us now see how the scales will balance.”
God replied: “As truly as thou livest, Moses, thy prayer shall dip the scales
to the side of mercy. For thy sake must I cancel My decision to annihilate the
children of Israel, so that the Egyptians will exclaim, ‘Happy the servant to
whose wish his master defers.’ I shall, however, collect My debt, for although
I shall not annihilate Israel all at once, they shall make partial annual
payments during the following forty years. Say to them, ‘Your carcasses shall
fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your
whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against Me.
And your children shall be wanderers in the wilderness forty years, and shall
bear you whoredoms, until your carcasses be consumed in the wilderness.'” [545]

This punishment was not, however, as severe as it might appear, for none among
them died below the ages of sixty, whereas those who had at the time of the
exodus from Egypt been either below twenty or above sixty were entirely exempt
from this punishment. Besides only such were smitten as had followed the
counsel of the spies, whereas the others, and the Levites and the women were
exempt. [546] Death, moreover, visited the transgressors in such fashion that
they were aware it was meant as punishment for their sins. Throughout all the
year not one among them died. On the eighth day of the month of Ab, Moses would
have a herald proclaim throughout the camp, “Let each prepare his grave.” They
dug their graves, and spent there the following night, the same night on which,
following the counsel of the spies, they had revolted against God and Moses. In
the morning a herald would once more appear and cry: “Let the living separate
themselves from the dead.” Those that were still alive arose, but about fifteen
thousand of them remained dead in their graves. After forty years, however,
when the herald repeated his customary call the ninth day of Ab, all arose, and
there was not a single dead man among them. At first they thought they had made
a miscalculation in their observation of the moon, that is was not the ninth
day of Ab at all, and that this was the reason why their lives had been spared.
Hence they repeated their preparations for death until the fifteenth day of Ab.
Then the sight of the full moon convinced them that the ninth day of Ab had
gone by, and that their punishment had been done away with. In commemoration of
the relief from this punishment, they appointed the fifteenth day of Ab to be a
holy day. [547]

THE YEARS OF DISFAVOR

Although God had now cancelled His resolution to annihilate Israel, He was not
yet quite reconciled with them, and they were out of favor during the following
years of their march through the desert, as was made evident by several
circumstances. During these years of disfavor the north wind did not blow, with
the result that the boys who were born in the desert could not be circumcised,
as the absence of the wind produced and excessively high temperature, a
condition that made it very dangerous for the young boys to have this operation
performed upon them. [548] As the law, however, prohibits the offering of the
paschal lamb unless the boys have been circumcised, Israel could not properly
observe the feast of Passover after the incident of the spies. [549] Moses also
felt the effects of the disfavor, for during this time he received from God
none but the absolutely essential directions, and no other revelations. This
was because Moses, like all other prophets, received this distinction only for
the sake of Israel, and when Israel was in disgrace, God did not communicate
with him affectionately. [550] Indeed Moses’ fate, to die in the desert without
entering the promised land, had been decreed simultaneously with the fate of
the generation led by him out of Egypt. [551]

But the most terrible punishment of all fell upon the spies who, with their
wicked tongues, had brought about the whole disaster. God repaid them measure
for measure. Their tongues stretched to so great a length that they touched the
navel; and worms crawled out of their tongues, and pierced the navel; in this
horrible fashion these men died. [552] Joshua and Caleb, however, who had
remained true to God and had not followed the wicked counsel of their
colleagues, were not only exempted from death, but were furthermore rewarded by
God, by receiving in the Holy Land the property that had been allotted to the
other spies. [553] Caleb was forty years of age at the time when he was sent
out as a spy. He had married early, and at the age of ten had begot a son,
still at the age of eighty-five he was sturdy enough to enjoy his possession in
the Holy Land. [554]

God’s mercy is also extended to sinners, hence He bade Moses say to the people:
“The Amalekites and the Canaanites are now dwelling in the valley, to-morrow
turn you, and get you into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea.” God did
this because He had firmly resolved, in the event of a war between Israel and
the inhabitants of Palestine, not to aid the former. Knowing that in this cast
their annihilation was sure, He commanded them to make no attempt to enter the
land by force. [555] “It had been My intention,” said God, “to exalt you, but
now if you were to attempt to make war upon the inhabitants of Palestine, you
would suffer humiliation.” The people did not, however, hearken to the words of
God that Moses communicated to them, and all at once formed in battle array in
order to advance against the Amorites. They thought that after they had
confessed their sin of having been misled by the spies, God would stand by them
in their battles, so they said to Moses: “Surely these few drops have not
filled the bucket.” Their transgression against God seemed to them only a
peccadillo that had long since been forgiven. They were, however, mistaken.
Like bees the enemies swarmed down upon them, and whereas these had in former
times fallen dead of fright upon hearing the names of the Israelites, now a
blow from them sufficed to kill the Israelites. Their attempt to wage war
without the Holy Ark in their midst proved a miserable failure. Many of them,
and Zelophehad among these, met their death, and as many others returned to
camp covered with wounds. The wailing and weeping of the people was of no
avail, God persisted in His resolve, and they brought upon themselves grave
punishment for this new proof of disobedience, for God said to Moses: “If I
were to deal with them now in accordance with strict justice, they should never
enter the land. After a while, however, I shall let them ‘possess the land,
which I sware unto their fathers to give unto them.'” [556]

In order to comfort and encourage Israel in their dejection, Moses received
directions to announce the law of sacrifices, and other precepts laid down for
the life in the Holy Land, that the people might see that God did not mean to
be angry with them forever. When Moses announced the laws to them, a dispute
arose between the Israelites and the proselytes, because the former declared
that they alone and not the others were to make offerings to God in His
sanctuary. God hereupon called Moses, and said to him: “Why do these always
quarrel one with another?” Moses replied: “Thou knowest why.” God: “Have I not
said to thee, ‘One law and one ordinance shall be for you and for the stranger
that sojourneth with you?'” [557]

Although the forty years’ march through the desert was a punishment for the sin
of Israel, still it had one advantage. At the time when Israel departed from
Egypt, Palestine was in poor condition; the trees planted in the time of Noah
were old and withered. Hence God said: “What! Shall I permit Israel to enter an
uninhabitable land? I shall bid them wander in the desert for forty years, that
the Canaanites may in the meantime fell the old trees and plant new ones, so
that Israel, upon entering the land, may find it abounding in plenty.” So did
it come to pass, for when Israel conquered Palestine, they found the land not
only newly cultivated, [558] but also filled to overflowing with treasures. The
inhabitants of this land were such misers that they would not indulge in a drop
of oil for their gruel; if an egg broke, they did not use it, but sold it for
cash. The hoardings of these miserly Canaanites God later gave to Israel to
enjoy and to use. [559]

THE REBELLION OF KORAH

The Canaanites were not the only ones who did not enjoy their wealth and money,
for a similar fate was decreed for Korah. He had been the treasurer of Pharaoh,
and possessed treasures so vast that he employed three hundred white mules to
carry the keys of his treasures: but “let not the rich man boast of his
riches,” for Korah through his sin lost both life and property. Korah had
obtained possession of his riches in the following way: When Joseph, during the
lean years, through the sale of grain amassed great treasures, he erected three
great buildings, one hundred cubits wide, one hundred cubits long, and one
hundred cubits wide, one hundred high, filled them with money and delivered
them to Pharaoh, being too honest to leave even five silver shekels of this
money to his children. Korah discovered one of these three treasuries. On
account of his wealth he became proud, and his pride brought about his fall.
[560] He believed Moses had slighted him by appointing his cousin Elizaphan as
chief of the Levite division of Kohathites. He said: “My grandfather had four
sons, Amram, Ishar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Amram, as the firstborn, had privileges
of which his sons availed themselves, for Aaron is high priest and Moses is
king; but have not I, the son of Izhar, the second son of Kohath, the rightful
claim to be prince of the Kohathites? Moses, however, passed me by and
appointed Elizaphan, whose father was Uzziel, the youngest son of my
grandfather. Therefore will I now stir up rebellion against Moses, and
overthrow all institutions founded by him.” Korah was far too wise a man to
believe that God would permit success to a rebellion against Moses, and stand
by indifferently, but the very insight that enabled him to look into the future
became his doom. He saw with his prophetic eye that Samuel, a man as great as
both Aaron and Moses together, would be one of his descendants; and furthermore
that twenty-four descendants of his, inspired by the Holy Spirit, would compose
psalms and sing them in the Temple. This brilliant future of his descendants
inspired him with great confidence in his undertaking, for he thought to
himself that God would not permit the father of such pious men to perish. His
eye did not, however, look sharply enough into the future, or else he would
also have known that his sons would repent of the rebellion against Moses, and
would for this reason be deemed worthy of becoming the fathers of prophets and
Temple singers, whereas he was to perish in this rebellion. [561]

The names of this unfortunate rebel corresponded to his deed and to his end. He
was called Korah, “baldness,” for through the death of his horde he caused a
baldness in Israel. He was the son of Izhar, “the heat of the noon,” because he
caused the earth to be made to boil “like the heat of noon;” and furthermore he
was designated as the son of Kohath, for Kohath signifies “bluntness,” and
through his sin he made “his children’s teeth be set on edge.” His description
as the son of Levi, “conduct,” points to his end, for he was conducted to hell.
[562]

Korah, however, was not the only one who strove to overthrow Moses. With him
were, first of all, the Reubenites, Dathan and Abiram, who well deserve their
names, for the one signifies, “transgressor of the Divine law,” and the other,
“the obdurate.” There were, furthermore, two hundred fifty men, who by their
rank and influence belonged to the most prominent people in Israel; among them
even the princes of the tribes. In the union of the Reubenites with Korah was
verified the proverb, “Woe to the wicked, woe to his neighbor.” For Korah, one
of the sons of Kohath, had his station to the south of the Tabernacle, and as
the Reubenites were also encamped there, a friendship was struck up between
them, so that they followed him in his undertaking against Moses. [563]

The hatred Korah felt against Moses was still more kindled by his wife. When,
after the consecration of the Levites, Korah returned home, his wife noticed
that the hairs of his head and of his body had been shaved, and asked him who
had done all this to him. He answered, “Moses,” whereupon his wife remarked:
“Moses hates thee and did this to disgrace thee.” Korah, however, replied:
“Moses shaved all the hair of his own sons also.” But she said: “What did the
disgrace of his own sons matter to him if he only felt he could disgrace thee?
He was quite ready to make that sacrifice.” [564] As at home, so also did Korah
fare with others, for, hairless as he was, no one at first recognized him, and
when people at last discovered who was before them, they asked him in
astonishment who had so disfigured him. In answer to their inquiries he said,
“Moses did this, who besides took hold of my hands and feet to lift me, and
after he had lifted me, said, ‘Thou art clean.’ But his brother Aaron he
adorned like a bride, and bade him take his place in the Tabernacle.”
Embittered by what they considered as insult offered him by Moses, Korah and
his people exclaimed: “Moses is king, his brother did he appoint as high
priest, his nephews as heads of the priests, he allots to the priest the heave
offering and many other tributes.” [565] Then he tried to make Moses appear
ridiculous in the eyes of the people. Shortly before this Moses had read to the
people the law of the fringes in the borders of their garments. Korah now had
garments of purple made for the two hundred fifty men that followed him, all of
whom were chief justices. Arrayed thus, Korah and his company appeared before
Moses and asked him if they were required to attach fringes to the corners of
these garments. Moses answered, “Yea.” Korah then began this argument. “If,”
said he, “one fringe of purple suffices to fulfil this commandment, should not
a whole garment of purple answered the requirements of the law, even if there
be no special fringe of purple in the corners?” He continued to lay before
Moses similar artful questions: “Must a Mezuzah be attached to the doorpost of
the house filled with the sacred Books?” Moses answered, “Yea,” Then Korah
said: “The two hundred and seventy sections of the Torah are not sufficient,
whereas the two sections attached to the door-post suffice!” Korah put still
another question: “If upon a man’s skin there show a bright spot, the size of
half a bean, is he clean or is he unclean?” Moses: “Unclean.” “And,” continued
Korah, “if the spot spread and cover all the skin of him, is he then clean or
unclean?” Moses: “Clean.” “Laws so irrational,” said Korah, “cannot possibly
trace their origin from God. The Torah that thou didst teach to Israel is not
therefore God’s work, but thy work, hence art thou no prophet and Aaron is no
high priest!” [566]

KORAH ABUSES MOSES AND THE TORAH

Then Korah betook himself to the people to incite them to rebellion against
Moses, and particularly against the tributes to the priests imposes upon the
people by him. That the people might now be in a position to form a proper
conception of the oppressive burden to these tasks, Korah told them the
following tale that he had invented: “There lived in my vicinity a widow with
two daughters, who owned for their support a field whose yield was just
sufficient for them to keep body and soul together. When this woman set out to
plow her field, Moses appeared and said: ‘Thou shalt not plow with an ox and an
ass together.’ When she began to sow, Moses appeared and said: ‘Thou shalt not
sow with divers seeds.’ When the first fruits showed in the poor widow’s field,
Moses appeared and bade her bring it to the priests, for to them are due ‘the
first of all the fruit of the earth’; and when at length the time came for he
to cut it down, Moses appeared and ordered her ‘not wholly to reap the corners
of the field, not to gather the gleanings of the harvest, but to leave them for
the poor.’ When she had done all that Moses had bidden her, and was about to
thrash the grain, Moses appeared once more, and said: ‘Give me the heave
offerings, the first and the second tithes to the priest.’ When at last the
poor woman became aware of the fact that she could not now possibly maintain
herself from the yield of the field after the deduction of all the tributes
that Moses had imposed upon her, she sold the field and with the proceeds
purchased ewes, in the hope that she might now undisturbed have the benefit of
the wool as well as the younglings of the sheep. She was, however, mistaken.
When the firstling of the sheep was born, Aaron appeared and demanded it, for
the firstborn belongs to the priest. She had a similar experience with the
wool. At shearing time Aaron reappeared and demanded ‘the first of the fleece
of the sheep,’ which, according to Moses’ law, was his. But not content with
this, he reappeared later and demanded one sheep out of every ten as a tithe,
to which again, according to the law, he had a claim. This, however, was too
much for the long-suffering woman, and she slaughtered the sheep, supposing
that she might now feel herself secure, in full possession of the meat. But
wide of the mark! Aaron appeared, and, basing his claim on the Torah, demanded
the shoulder, the two cheeks, and the maw. ‘Alas!’ exclaimed the woman, ‘The
slaughtering of the sheep did not deliver me out of thy hands! Let the meat
then be consecrated to the sanctuary.’ Aaron said, ‘Everything devoted in
Israel is mine. It shall then be all mine.’ He departed, taking with him the
meat of the sheep, and leaving behind him the widow and her daughters weeping
bitterly. Such men,” said Korah, concluding his tale, “are Moses and Aaron, who
pass their cruel measures as Divine laws.” [567]

Pricked on by speeches such as these, Korah’s horde appeared before Moses and
Aaron, saying: “Heavier is the burden that ye lay upon us than was that of the
Egyptians; and moreover as, since the incident of the spies, we are forced
annually to offer as a tribute to death fifteen thousand men, it would have
been better for us had we stayed in Egypt.” They also reproached Moses and
Aaron with an unjustified love of power, saying: “Upon Sinai all Israel heard
the words of God, ‘I am thy Lord.’ Wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above
the congregation of the Lord?” [568] They knew no bounds in their attacks upon
Moses, they accused him of leading an immoral life and even warned their wives
to keep far from him. [569] They did not, moreover, stop short at words, but
tried to stone Moses, [570] when at last he sought protection from God and
called to Him for assistance. He said: “I do not care if they insult me or
Aaron, but I insist that the insult of the Torah be avenged. ‘If these men die
the common death of all men,’ I shall myself become a disbeliever and declare
the Torah was not given by God.” [571]

MOSES PLEADS IN VAIN WITH KORAH

Moses took Korah’s transgression much to heart, for he thought to himself that
perhaps, after the many sins of Israel, he might not succeed in obtaining God’s
pardon for them. He did not therefore have this matter decided immediately, but
admonished the people to wait until the following day, having a lingering hope
that Korah’s horde, given time for calm reflection, might themselves perceive
their sin to which an excess of drink might have carried them away. Hence he
said to them: “I may not now appear before the Lord, for although He partakes
of neither food nor drink, still He will not judge such actions of ours as we
have committed after feasting and revelling. But ‘to-morrow the Lord will show
who are His.’ [572] Know ye now that just as God has set definite bounds in
nature between day and night, between light and darkness, so also has He
separated Israel from the other nations, and so also has he separated Aaron
from the rest of Israel. If you can obliterate the boundary between light and
darkness, then only you remove the boundary of separation between Israel and
the rest, but not otherwise. Other nations have many religions, many priests,
and worship in many temples, but we have one God, one Torah, one law, one
altar, and one high priest, whereas ye are two hundred fifty men, each of whom
is imbued with the desire of becoming the high priest, as I too should like to
be high priest, if such a thing were possible. But to prove Aaron’s claim to
his dignity, ‘this do; take you censers, Korah, and all his company; and put
fire therein, and put incense upon them before the Lord to-morrow.’ The
offering of incense is the most pleasant offering before the Lord, but for him
who hath not been called this offering holds a deadly poison, for it consumed
Nadab and Abihu. But I exhort ye not to burden your souls with a deadly sin,
for none but the man God will choose as high priest out of the number of you
will remain alive, all others will pay with their lives at the offering of
incense.” These last words of Moses, however, far from restraining them, only
strengthened Korah in his resolve to accomplish his undertaking, for he felt
sure that God would choose him, and none other. He had a prophetic presentiment
that he was destined to be the forefather of prophets and Temple singers, and
for this reason thought he was specially favored by God.

When Moses perceived that Korah was irreclaimable, he directed the rest of his
warning to those other Levites, the men of Korah’s tribe, who, he feared, would
join Korah in his rebellion. He admonished them to be satisfied with the honors
God had granted them, and not to strive for priestly dignity. He concluded his
speech with a last appeal to Korah to cause no schism in Israel, saying; “Had
Aaron arbitrarily assumed the priestly dignity, you would do right to withstand
his presumption, but it was God, whose attributes are sublimity, strength, and
sovereignty, who clothed Aaron with this dignity, so that those who are against
Aaron are in reality against God.” Korah made no answer to all these words,
thinking that the best course for him to follow would be to avoid picking an
argument with so great a sage as Moses, feeling sure that in such a dispute he
should be worsted and, contrary to his own conviction, be forced to yield to
Moses.

Moses, seeing that is was useless to reason with Korah, sent a messenger to
Dathan and Abiram, [573] summoning them to appear before his court. He did this
because the law required that the accused be summoned to appear before the
judge, before the judgement may be passed upon him, and Moses did not wish
these men to be punished without a hearing. [574] These, however, made answer
to the messenger sent by Moses, “We will not come up!” This shameless answer
held an unconscious prophecy. They went not up, but, as their end showed, down,
to hell. Not only, moreover, did they refuse to comply with Moses’ demand, they
sent the following message in answer to Moses: “Why dost thou set thyself up as
master over us? What benefit didst thou bring to us? Thou didst lead us out of
Egypt, a land ‘like the garden of the Lord,’ but hast not brought us to Canaan,
leaving us in the wilderness where we are daily visited by the plague. Even in
Egypt didst thou try to assume the leadership, just as thou doest not. Thou
didst beguile the people in their exodus from Egypt, when thou didst promise to
lead them to a land of milk and honey; in their delusion they followed thee and
were disappointed. Now dost thou attempt to persuade us as thou didst persuade
them, but thou shalt not succeed, for we will not come and obey thy summons.”
[575]

The shamelessness of these two men, who declined even to talk about their
transgression with Moses, aroused his wrath to the uttermost, for a man does
get a certain amount of satisfaction out of discussing the dispute with this
opponents, whereas he feels badly if he cannot discuss the matter. In his anger
he said to God: “O Lord of the world! I well know that these sinners
participated in the offerings of the congregation that were offered for all
Israel, but as they have withdrawn themselves from the community, accept not
Thou their share of the offering and let it not be consumed by the heavenly
fire. It was I whom they treated so, I who took no money from the people for my
labors, even when payment was my due. It is customary for anyone who works for
the sanctuary to receive pay for his work, but I traveled to Egypt on my own
ass, and took none of theirs, although I undertook the journey in their
interests. It is customary for those that have a dispute to go before a judge,
but I did not wait for this, and went straight to them to settle their
disputes, never declaring the innocent guilty, or the guilty innocent.”

When he now perceived that his words had no effect upon Korah and his horde, he
concluded his words with a treat to the ring leaders: “Be thou and all thy
company before the Lord, thou and they, and Aaron, to-morrow.”

Korah spent the night before the judgement in trying to win over the people to
his side, and succeeded in so doing. He went to all the other tribes, saying to
them: “Do not think I am seeking a position of honor for myself. No, I wish
only that this honor may fall to the lot of each in turn, whereas Moses is now
king, and his brother high priest.” On the following morning, all the people,
and not Korah’s original company alone, appeared before the Tabernacle and
began to pick quarrels with Moses and Aaron. Moses now feared that God would
destroy all the people because they had joined Korah, hence he said to God: “O
Lord of the world! If a nation rebels against a king of flesh and blood because
ten or twenty men have cursed the king or his ambassadors, then he sends his
hosts to massacre the inhabitants of the land, innocent as well as guilty, for
he is not able with certainty to tell which among them honored the king and
which among them cursed him. But Thou knowest the thought of man, and what his
heart and kidneys counsel him to do, the workings of Thy creatures’ minds lie
open before Thee, so that Thou knowest who had the spirit of each one.’ Shall
one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?'” God hereupon
said to Moses [576] “I have heard the prayer for the congregation. Say then, to
them, ‘Get you up from about the Tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.'”
[577]

Moses did not immediately carry out these instructions, for he tried once again
to warn Dathan and Abiram of the punishment impending upon them, but they
refused to give heed to Moses, and remained within their tents. “Now,” said
Moses, “I have done all I could, and can do nothing more.” Hence, turning to
the congregation, he said: [578] “Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these
wicked men, that even in their youth deserved death as a punishment for their
actions. In Egypt they betrayed the secret of my slaying an Egyptian: at the
Red Sea it was they that angered God by their desire to return to Egypt; in
Alush they broke the Sabbath, and now they trooped together to rebel against
God. They now well deserve excommunication, and the destruction of all their
property. ‘Touch, therefore, nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all
their sins.'” [579]

The community obeyed the words of Moses and drew back from the dwellings of
Dathan and Abiram. These, not at all cowed, were not restrained from their
wicked intention, but stood at the doors of their tents, abusing and
calumniating Moses. Moses hereupon said to God: “If these men die upon their
beds like all men, after physicians have attended to them and acquaintances
have visited them, then shall I publicly avow ‘that the Lord hath not sent me’
to do all these works, but that I have done them of mine own mind.” God
replied: “What wilt thou have Me do?” Moses: “If the Lord hath already provided
the earth with a mouth to swallow them, it is well, if not, I pray Thee, do so
now.” God said: “Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto
thee.” [580]

Moses was not the only one to insist upon exemplary punishment of the horde of
Korah. Sun and Moon appeared before God, saying: “If Thou givest satisfaction
to the son of Amram, we shall set out on our course around the world, but not
otherwise.” God, however, hurled lightnings after them, that they might go
about their duties, saying to them: “You have never championed My cause, but
not you stand up for a creature of flesh and blood.” Since that time Sun and
Moon have always to be driven to duty, never doing it voluntarily because they
do not wish to look upon the sins of man upon earth.

KORAH AND HIS HORDE PUNISHED

God did not gainsay satisfaction of His faithful servant. The mouth of hell
approached the spot upon which Dathan, Abiram, and their families stood, [581]
and the ground under their feet grew so precipitous that they were not able to
stand upright, but rolled to the opening and went quickly into the pit. Not
these wicked people alone were swallowed by the earth, but their possessions
also. Even their linen that was the launderer’s or a pin belonging to them
rolled toward the mouth of the earth and vanished therein. [582] Nowhere upon
earth remained a trace of them or of their possessions, and even their names
disappeared from the documents upon which they were written. [583] They did
not, however, meet an immediate death, but sank gradually into the earth, the
opening of which adjusted itself to the girth of each individual. The lower
extremities disappeared first, then the opening widened, and the abdomen
followed, until in this way the entire body was swallowed. While they were
sinking thus slowly and painfully, they continued to cry: “Moses is truth and
his Torah is truth. We acknowledge that Moses is rightful king and true
prophet, that Aaron is legitimate high priest, and that the Torah has been
given by God. Now deliver us, O our teacher Moses!” These words were audible
throughout the entire camp, so that all might be convinced of the wickedness of
Korah’s undertaking. [584]

Without regard to these followers of Korah, who were swallowed up by the earth,
the two hundred and fifty men who had offered incense with Aaron found their
death in the heavenly fire that came down upon their offering and consumed
them. But he who met with the most terrible form of death was Korah. Consumed
at the incense offering, he then rolled in the shape of a ball of fire to the
opening in the earth, and vanished. There was a reason for this double
punishment of Korah. Had he received punishment by burning alone, then those
who had been swallowed by the earth, and who had failed to see Korah smitten by
the same punishment, would have complained about God’s injustice, saying: “It
was Korah who plunged us into destruction, yet he himself escaped it.” Had he,
on the other hand, been swallowed by the earth without meeting death by fire,
then those whom the fire had consumed would have complained about God injustice
that permitted the author of their destruction to go unpunished. Now, however,
both those who perished by fire and those who were swallowed up by the earth
witnessed their leader share their punishment. [585]

This terrible death did not, however, suffice to atone for the sins of Korah
and his company, for their punishment continues in hell. They are tortured in
hell, and at the end of thirty days, hell again casts them up near to the
surface of the earth, on the spot where they had been swallowed. Whosoever on
that day puts his ear to the ground upon that spot hears the cry. “Moses is
truth, and his Torah is truth, but we are liars.” Not until after the
Resurrection will their punishment cease, for even in spite of their grave sin
they were not given over to eternal damnation.

For a time Korah and his company believed that they should never know relief
from these tortures of hell, but Hannah’s words encouraged them not to despair.
In reference to them she announced the prophecy, “The Lord bringeth low, to
Sheol, and lifteth up.” At first they had no real faith in this prophecy, but
when God destroyed the Temple, and sank its portals deep into the earth until
they reached hell, Korah and his company clung to the portals, saying: “If
these portals return again upward, then through them shall we also return
upward.” God hereupon appointed them as keepers of these portals over which
they will have to stand guard until they return to the upper world. [586]

ON AND THE THREE SONS OF KORAH SAVED

God punished discord severely, for although the decree of Heaven does not
otherwise punish any one below twenty years of age, at Korah’s rebellion the
earth swallowed alive even children that were only a day old – men, women, and
children, all together. [587] Out of all the company of Korah and their
families only four persons escaped ruin, to wit: On, the son of Peleth, and
Korah’s three sons. As it was Korah’s wife who through her inciting words
plunged her husband into destruction, so to his wife does On owe his salvation.
Truly to these two women applies the proverb: “Every wise woman buildeth her
house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her own hands.” On, whose
abilities had won him distinction far beyond that of his father, had originally
joined Korah’s rebellion. When he arrived home and spoke of it to his wife, she
said to him: “What benefit shalt thou reap from it? Either Moses remains master
and thou art his disciple, or Korah becomes master and thou art his disciple.”
On saw the truth of this argument, but declared that he felt it incumbent upon
himself to adhere to Korah because he had given him his oath, which he could
not now take back. His wife quieted him, however, entreating him to stay at
home. To be quite sure of him, however, she gave him wine to drink, whereupon
he fell into a deep sleep of intoxication. His wife now carried out her work of
salvation, saying to herself: “All the congregation are holy, and being such,
they will approach no woman whose hair is uncovered.” She now showed herself at
the door of the tent with streaming hair, and whenever one out of the company
of Korah, about to go to On, saw the woman in this condition, he started back,
and owing to this schemer husband had no part in the rebellion. When the earth
opened to swallow Korah’s company, the bed on which On still slept began to
rock, and to roll to the opening in the earth. On’s wife, however, seized it,
saying: “O Lord of the world! My husband made a solemn vow never again to take
part in dissensions. Thou that livest and endurest to all eternity canst punish
him hereafter if ever he prove false to his vow.” God heard her plea, and On
was saved. She now requested On to go to Moses, but he refused, for he was
ashamed to look into Moses’ face after he had rebelled against him. His wife
then went to Moses in his stead. Moses at first evaded her, for he wished to
have nothing to do with women, but as she wept and lamented bitterly, she was
admitted and told Moses all that had occurred. He now accompanied her to her
house, at the entrance of which he cried: “On, the son of Peleth, step forth,
God will forgive thee thy sins.” It is with reference to this miraculous
deliverance and to his life spent in doing penance that this former follower of
Korah was called On, “the penitent,” son of Peleth, “miracle.” His true name
was Nemuel, the son of Eliab, a brother of Dathan and Abiram. [588]

More marvelous still than that of On was the salvation of Korah’s three sons.
For when the earth yawned to swallow Korah and his company, these cried: “Help
us, Moses!” The Shekinah hereupon said: “If these men were to repent, they
should be saved; repentance do I desire, and naught else.” Korah’s three sons
now simultaneously determined to repent their sin, but they could not open
their mouths, for round about them burned the fire, and below them gaped hell.
[589] God was, however, satisfied with their good thought, and in the sight of
all Israel, for their salvation, a pillar arose in hell, upon which they seated
themselves. There did they sit and sing praises and song to the Lord sweeter
than ever mortal ear had heard, so that Moses and all Israel hearkened to them
eagerly. They were furthermore distinguished by God in receiving from Him the
prophetic gift, and they then announced in their songs events that were to
occur in the future world. They said: “Fear not the day on which the Lord will
‘take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it,’ for
the pious will cling to the Throne of Glory and will find protection under the
wings of the Shekinah. Fear not, ye pious men, the Day of Judgement, for the
judgement of sinners will have as little power over you as it had over us when
all the others perished and we were saved.” [590]

ISRAEL CONVINCED OF AARON’S PRIESTHOOD

After the death of the two hundred and fifty followers of Korah, who perished
at the offering of incense, Eleazar, the son of Aaron, was ordered “to take up
the censers out of the burning,” in which the souls, not the bodies of the
sinners were burned, [591] that out of these brasen plates he made a covering
for the altar. Eleazar, and not his father, the high priest, received this
commission, for God said: “The censer brought death upon two of Aaron’s sons,
therefore let the third now fetch forth the censer and effect expiation for the
sinners.” [592] The covering of the altar fashioned out of the brass of these
censers was “to be a memorial unto the children of Israel, to the end that no
stranger, which is not of the seed of Aaron, come near to burn incense before
the Lord.” Such a one was not, however, to be punished like Korah and his
company, but in the same way as Moses had once been punished by God, with
leprosy. This punishment was visited upon king Uzziah, who tried to burn
incense in the Temple, asserting that it was the king’s task to perform the
service before the King of all. The heavens hastened to the scene to consume
him, just as the celestial fire had once consumed the two hundred and fifty
men, who had wrongfully assumed the rights of priesthood; the earth strove to
swallow him as it had once swallowed Korah and his company. But a celestial
voice announced: “Upon none save Korah and his company came punishments like
these, upon no others. This man’s punishment shall be leprosy.” Hence Uzziah
became a leper. [593]

Peace was not, however, established with the destruction of Korah and his
company, for on the very day that followed the terrible catastrophe, there
arose a rebellion against Moses, that was even more violent than the preceding
one. For although the people were now convinced that nothing came to pass
without the will of God, still they thought God was doing all this for Moses’
sake. Hence they laid at his door God’s violent anger against them, blaming not
the wickedness of those who had been punished, but Moses, who, they said, had
excited God’s revengefulness against them. They accused Moses of having brought
about the death of so many of the noblest among them as a punishment for the
people, only that they might not again venture to call him to account, and that
he might thereby ensure his brother’s possession of the priestly office, since
no one would hereafter covet it, seeing that on its account the noblest among
them had met so terrible a fate. The kinsmen of those who had perished stirred
the flame of resentment and spurred on the people to set a limit to Moses’ love
of power, insisting that the public welfare and the safety of Israel demanded
such measures. [594] These unseemly speeches and their unceasing, incorrigible
perverseness brought upon them God’s wrath to such a degree that He wanted to
destroy them all, and bade Moses and Aaron go away from the congregation that
He might instantly set about their ruin.

When Moses saw that “there was wrath gone out from the Lord, and the plague was
begun,” he called Aaron to him, saying: “Take thy censer and put fire therein
from off the altar, and lay incense thereon, and carry it quickly unto the
congregation, and make atonement for them.” This remedy against death Moses had
learned from the Angel of Death himself at the time he was staying in heaven to
receive the Torah. At that time he had received a gift from each one of the
angels, and that of the Angel of Death had been the revelation of the secret
that incense can hold him at bay. [595] Moses, in applying this remedy, had in
mind also the purpose of showing the people the injustice of their superstition
concerning the offering of incense. They called it death-bearing because it had
brought death upon Nadab and Abihu, as well as upon the two hundred and fifty
followers of Korah. He now wished to convince them that it was this very
incense that prevented the plague, and to teach them that it is sin that brings
death. [596] Aaron, however, did not know why he employed incense, and
therefore said to Moses: “O my lord Moses, hast thou perchance my death in
view? My sons were burned because they put strange fires into the censers.
Shall I now fetch holy fire from the altar and carry it outside? Surely I shall
meet death through this fire!” Moses replied: “Go quickly and do as I have
bidden thee, for while thou dost stand and talk, they die.” Aaron hastened to
carry out the command given to him, saying: “Even if it be my death, I obey
gladly if I can only serve Israel thereby.” [597]

The Angel of Death had meanwhile wrought terrible havoc among the people, like
a reaper mowing down line after line of them, allowing not one of the line he
touched to escape, whereas, on the other hand, not a single man died before he
reached the row in which the man stood. Aaron, censer in hand, now appeared,
and stood up between the ranks of the living and those of the dead, holding the
Angel of Death at bay. The latter now addressed Aaron, saying: “Leave me to my
work, for I have been sent to do it by God, whereas thou dost bid me stop in
the name of a creature that is only of flesh and blood.” Aaron did not,
however, yield, but said: “Moses acts only as God commands him, and if thou
wilt not trust him, behold, God and Moses are both in the Tabernacle, let us
both betake ourselves thither.” The Angel of Death refused to obey his call,
whereupon Aaron seized him by force and, thrusting the censer under his face,
dragged him to the Tabernacle where he locked him in, so that death ceased.
[598]

In this way Aaron paid off a debt to Moses. After the worship of the Golden
Calf, that came to pass not without some guilt on Aaron’s part, God had decreed
that all four of Aaron’s sons were to die, but Moses stood up between the
living and the dead, and through his prayer succeeded in saving two out of the
four. In the same way Aaron now stood up between the living and the dead to
ward off from Israel the Angel of Death. [599]

God in His kindness now desired the people once and for all to be convinced of
the truth that Aaron was the elect, and his house the house of priesthood,
hence he bade Moses convince them in the following fashion. Upon God’s command,
he took a beam of wood, divided it into twelve rods, bade every prince of a
tribe in his own hand write his name on one of the rods respectively, and laid
up the rods over night before the sanctuary. Then the miracle came to pass that
the rod of Aaron, the prince of the tribe of Levi, bore the Ineffable Name
which caused the rod to bloom blossoms over night and to yield ripe almonds.
When the people, who all night had been pondering which tribe should on the
morrow be proven by the rod of its prince to be the chosen one, betook
themselves early in the morning to the sanctuary, and saw the blossoms and
almonds upon the rod of Aaron, they were at last convinced that God had
destined the priesthood for his house. The almonds, which ripen more quickly
than any other fruit, at the same time informed them that God would quickly
bring punishment upon those who should venture to usurp the powers of
priesthood. Aaron’s rod was then laid up before the Holy Ark by Moses. It was
this rod, kings used until the time of the destruction of the Temple, when, in
miraculous fashion, it disappeared. Elijah will in the future fetch it forth
and hand it over to the Messiah. [600]

THE WATERS OF MERIBAH

Korah’s rebellion took place during Israel’s sojourn in Kadesh-Barnea, whence,
a short time before, the spies had been sent out. They remained in this place
during nineteen years, and then for as long a time wandered ceaselessly from
place to place through the desert. [601] When at last the time decreed by God
for their stay in the wilderness was over, and the generation that God had said
must die in the desert had paid its penalty for its sin, they returned again to
Kadesh-Barnea. They took delight in this place endeared to them by long years
of habitation, and settled down in the expectation of a cheerful and agreeable
time. But the prophetess Miriam now dies, and the loss of the woman, who
occupied a place as high as that of her brothers, Moses and Aaron, at once
became evident in a way that was perceived by the pious as well as by the
godless. She was the only woman who died during the march through the desert,
and this occurred for the following reasons. She was a leader of the people
together with her brothers, and as these two were not permitted to lead the
people into the promised land, she had to share their fate. The well,
furthermore, that had provided Israel with water during the march through the
desert, had been a gift of God to the people as a reward for the good deeds of
this prophetess, and as this gift had been limited to the time of the march
through the desert, she had to die shortly before the entrance into the
promised land.

Hardly had Miriam died, when the well also disappeared and a dearth of water
set in, that all Israel might know that only owing to the merits of the pious
prophetess had they been spared a lack of water during the forty years of the
march. [602] While Moses and Aaron were now plunged in deep grief for their
sister’s death, a mob of the people collected to wrangle with them on account
of the dearth of water. Moses, seeing the multitudes of people approaching from
the distance, said to his brother Aaron: “What may all these multitudes
desire?” The other replied: “Are not the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
kind-hearted people and the descendants of kind-hearted people? They come to
express their sympathy.” Moses, however, said: “Thou are not able to
distinguish between a well-ordered procession and this motley multitude; were
these people assembled in an orderly procession, they would move under the
leadership of the rules of thousands and the rulers of hundreds, but behold,
they move in disorderly troops. How then can their intentions be to console
with us!” [603]

The two brothers were not long to remain in doubt concerning the purpose of the
multitude, for they stepped up to them and began to pick a quarrel with Moses,
saying: “It was a heavy blow for us when fourteen thousand and seven hundred of
our men died of the plague; harder still to bear was the death of those who
were swallowed up by the earth, and lost their lives in an unnatural way; the
heaviest blow of all, however, was the death of those who were consumed at the
offering of incense, whose terrible end is constantly recalled to us by the
covering of the altar, fashioned out of the brasen plates that came of the
censers used by those unfortunate ones. But we bore all these blows, and even
wish we had all perished simultaneously with them instead of becoming victims
to the tortures of death by thirst.” [604]

At first they directed their reproaches against Moses alone, since Aaron, on
account of his extraordinary love of peace and his kind-heartedness, was the
favorite of the people, but once carried away by suffering and rage, they
started to hurl their accusations against both of the brothers, saying:
“Formerly your answer to us had always been that sorrows came upon us and that
God did not stand by us because there were sinful and godless men among us. Now
that we are ‘a congregation of the Lord,’ why have ye nevertheless led us to
this poor place where there is not water, without which neither man nor beast
can live? Why do not ye exhort God to have pity upon us since the well of
Miriam had vanished with her death?” [605]

“A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast,” and the fact that these
people, so near to death, still considered the sufferings of their beasts shows
that they were, notwithstanding their attitude toward Moses and Aaron, really
pious men. And, in truth, God did not take amiss their words against Moses and
Aaron, “for God holds no man accountable for that which he utters in distress.”
For the same reason neither Moses nor Aaron made reply to the accusations
hurled against them, but hastened to the sanctuary to implore God’s mercy for
His people. They also considered that the holy place would shelter them in case
the people meant to lay hands upon them. God actually did appear at once, and
said to them: “Hasten from this place; My children die of thirst, and ye have
nothing better to do than to mourn the death of an old woman!” [606] He then
bade Moses “to speak unto the rock that it may give forth water,” but impressed
upon them the command to bring forth neither honey nor oil out of the rock, but
water only. This was to prove God’s power, who can pour out of the rock not
only such liquids as are contained in it, but water too, that never otherwise
issues from a rock. He also ordered Moses to speak to the rock, but not to
smite it with his rod. “For,” said God, “the merits of them that sleep in the
Cave of Machpelah suffice to cause their children to receive water out of the
rock.” [607]

Moses then fetched out of the Tabernacle the holy rod on which was the
Ineffable Name of God, and, accompanied by Aaron, betook himself to the rock to
bring water out of it. [608] On the way to the rock all Israel followed him,
halting at any rock by the way, fancying that they might fetch water out of it.
The grumblers now went about inciting the people against Moses, saying: “Don’t
you know that the son of Amram had once been Jethro’s shepherd, and all
shepherds have knowledge of the places in the wilderness that are rich in
water? Moses will now try to lead us to such a place where there is water, and
then he will cheat us and declare he had causes the water to flow out of a
rock. If he actually is able to bring forth water out of rocks, then let him
fetch it out of any one of the rocks upon which we fix.” Moses could easily
have done this, for God said to him: “Let them see the water flow out of the
rock they have chosen,” but when, on the way to the rock, he turned around and
perceived that instead of following him they stood about in groups around
different rocks, each group around some rock favored by it, he commanded them
to follow him to the rock upon which he had fixed. They, however, said: “We
demand that thou bring us water out of the rock we have chosen, and if thou
wilt not, we do not care to fetch water out of another rock.” [609]

MOSES’ ANGER CAUSES HIS DOOM

Throughout forty years Moses had striven to refrain from harshly addressing the
people, knowing that if but a single time he lost patience, God would cause him
to die in the desert. On this occasion, however, he was mastered by his rage,
and shouted at Israel the words: “O ye madmen, ye stiffnecked ones, that desire
to teach their teacher, ye that shoot upon your leaders with your arrows, do ye
think that out of this rock that ye have chosen, we shall be able to bring
forth water? [610] I vow that I shall let water flow out of that rock only that
I have chosen.” He addressed these harsh words not to a few among Israel, but
to all the people, for God had brought the miracle to pass that the small space
in front of the rock held all Israel. Carried away by anger, Moses still
further forgot himself, and instead of speaking to the rock as God had
commanded him, he struck a rock chosen by himself. [611] As Moses had not acted
according to God’s command, the rock did not at once obey, and sent forth only
a few drops of water, so that the mockers cried: “Son of Amram, is this for the
sucklings and for them that are weaned from the milk?” Moses now waxed angrier
still, and for a second time smote the rock, from which gushed streams so
mighty that many of his enemies me their death in the currents, and at the same
time water poured out of all the stones and rocks of the desert. [612] God here
upon said to Moses: “Thou and Aaron believed Me not, I forbade you to smite the
rock, but thou didst smite it; ye sanctified Me not in the eyes of the children
of Israel because ye did not fetch water out of any one of the rocks, as the
people wished; ye trespassed against Me when ye said, ‘Shall we bring forth
water out of this rock?’ and ye acted contrary to My command because ye did not
speak to the rock as I had bidden ye. I vow, therefore, that ‘ye shall not
bring this assembly into the land which I have given them,’ and not until the
Messianic time shall ye two lead Israel to the Holy Land.” [613] God
furthermore said to Moses: “Thou shouldst have learned from the life of Ishmael
to have greater faith in Me; I bade the well to spring up for him, even though
he was only a single human being, on account of the merits of his father
Abraham. How much more than hadst thou a right to expect, thou who couldst
refer to the merits of the three Patriarchs as well as to the people’s own, for
they accepted the Torah and obeyed many commandments. Yea, even from thine own
experience shouldst thou have drawn greater faith in My will to aid Israel.
When in Rephidim thou didst say to Me, ‘They be almost ready to stone me,’ did
not I not reply to thee, ‘Why dost thou accuse My children? God with thy rod
before the people, and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water
out of it.’ If I wrought for them miracles such as these when they had not yet
accepted the Torah, and did not yet have faith in Me, shouldst thou not have
known how much more I would do for them now?” [614]

God “taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” He had long before this decreed
that Moses die in the desert, and Moses’ offense in Kadesh was only a pretext
God employed that He might not seem to be unjust. But He gave to Moses himself
the true reason why He did not permit him to enter the promised land, saying:
“Would it perchance redound to thy glory if thou wert to lead into the land a
new generation after thou hadst led out of Egypt the sixty myriads and buried
them in the desert? People would declare that the generation of the desert has
no share in future world, therefore stay with them, that at their head thou
mayest after the Resurrection enter the promised land.” [615] Moses now said to
God: “Thou hast decreed that I die in the desert like the generation of the
desert that angered Thee. I implore Thee, write in Thy Torah wherefore I have
been thus punished, that future generations may not say I had been like the
generations of the desert.” God granted this wish, and in several passages of
the Scriptures set forth what had really been the offense on account of which
Moses had been prohibited from entering the promised land. [616] It was due
only to the transgression at the rock in Kadesh, where Moses failed to sanctify
God in the eyes of the children of Israel; and God was sanctified by allowing
justice to take its course without respect of persons, and punishing Moses.
Hence this place was called Kadesh, “sanctity,” and En Mishpat, “fountain of
justice,” because on this spot judgement was passed upon Moses, and by this
sentence God’s name was sanctified. [617]

As water had been the occasion for the punishment of Moses, God did not say
that that which He had created on the second day of the creation “was good,”
for on that day He had created water, and that which brought about Moses’ death
was not good. [618]

If the death doomed for Moses upon this occasion was a very severe punishment,
entirely out of proportion to his offense, then still more so was the death
destined for Aaron at the same time. For he had been guilty of no other offense
than that of joining Moses at his transgression, and “who so joins a
transgressor, is as bad as the transgressor himself.” On this occasion, as
usual, Aaron showed his absolute devotion and his faith in God’s justice. He
might have said, “I have not sinned; why am I to be punished?” but he conquered
himself and put up no defense, wherefore Moses greatly praised him. [619]

EDOM’S UNBROTHERLY ATTITUDE TOWARD ISRAEL

From Kadesh Moses sent ambassadors to the king of Edom, requesting him to
permit Israel to travel through his territory. “For,” thought Moses, “When our
father Jacob with only a small troop of men planned to return to his father’s
house, which was not situated in Esau’s possessions, he previously sent a
messenger to him to ask his permission. How much more then does it behoove us,
a people of great numbers, to refrain from entering Edom’s territory before
receiving his sanction to do so!”

Moses’ ambassadors had been commissioned to bear the following message to the
king of Edom: “From the time of our grandfather Abraham, there was a promissory
note to be redeemed, for God had imposed it upon him that in Egypt his seed
should be enslaved and tortured. It had been thy duty, as well as ours, to
redeem this note, and thou knowest that we have done our duty whereas thou wert
not willing. God had, as thou knowest, promised Abraham that those who had been
in bondage in Egypt should receive Canaan for their possession as a reward.
That land, therefore, is ours, who were in Egypt, and thou who didst shirk the
redemption of the debt, hast now claim to our land. Let us then pass through
thy land until we reach ours. [620] Know also that the Patriarchs in their
grave sympathized with our sufferings in Egypt, and whenever we called out to
God He heard us, and sent us one of His ministering angels to lead us out of
Egypt. Consider, then, that all thy weapons will avail thee naught if we
implore God’s aid, who will then at once overthrow thee and thy hosts, for this
is our inheritance, and ‘the voice of Jacob’ never proves ineffectual. [621]
That thou mayest not, however, plead that our passage through thy land will
bring thee only annoyances and no gain, I promise thee that although we draw
drink out of a well that accompanies us on our travels, and are provided with
food through the manna, we shall, nevertheless, by water and food from thy
people, that ye may profit by our passage.”

This was no idle promise, for Moses had actually asked the people to be liberal
with their money, that the Edomites might not take them to be poor slaves, but
might be convinced that in spite of their stay in Egypt, Israel was a wealthy
nation. Moses also pledged himself to provide the cattle with muzzles during
their passage through Edom, that they might do no damage to the land of the
dwellers there. With these words he ended his message to the king of Edom: “To
the right and to the left of thy land may we pillage and slaughter, but in
accord with God’s words, we may not touch thy possession.” But all these
prayers and pleadings of Moses were without avail, for Edom’s answer was in the
form of a threat: “Ye depend upon your inheritance, upon ‘the voice of Jacob’
which God answers, and I too shall depend upon my inheritance, ‘the hand and
sword of Esau.'” Israel now had to give up their attempt to reach their land
through Edom’s territory, not, however, through fear, but because God had
prohibited them from bringing war upon the Edomites, even before they had heard
from the embassy that Edom had refused them the right of passage.

The neighborhood of the godless brings disaster, as Israel was to experience,
for they lost the pious Aaron on the boundary of Edom, and buried him on Mount
Hor. The cloud that used to precede Israel, had indeed been accustomed to level
all the mountains, that they might move on upon level ways, but God retained
three mountains in the desert: Sinai, as the place of the revelation; Nebo, as
the burial-place of Moses; and Hor, consisting of a twin mountain, as a
burial-place for Aaron. Apart from these three mountains, there were none in
the desert, but the cloud would leave little elevations on the place where
Israel pitched camp, that the sanctuary might thereupon be set up. [622]

THE THREE SHEPHERDS

Aaron died four months after the death of his sister Miriam, whereas Moses died
nearly a year after his sister. Her death took place on the first day of Nisan,
and that of Moses on the seventh day of Adar in the same year. Although the
death of these three did not take place in the same month, God spoke of them
saying, “And I cut off the three shepherds in one month,” for He had determined
upon their death in one month. [623] It is God’s way to classify people into
related groups, and the death of these three pious ones was not determined upon
together with hat of the sinful generation of wanderers in the desert, but only
after this generations had died, was sealed the doom of the three. [624] Miriam
died first, and the same fate was decreed for her brothers as a consequence of
her death.

Miriam’s death plunged all into deep mourning, Moses and Aaron wept in their
apartments and the people wept in the streets. For six hours Moses was ignorant
of the disappearance of Miriam’s well with Miriam’s death, until the Israelites
went to him, saying, “How long wilt thou sit here and weep?” He answered,
“Shall I not weep for my sister, who had died?” They replied, “While thou are
weeping for one soul, weep at the same time for us all.” “Why?” asked he. They
said, “We have no water to drink.” Then he rose up from the ground, went out
and saw the well without a drop of water. He now began to quarrel with them,
saying, “Have I not told ye, ‘I am not able to bear you myself alone’? Ye have
rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens,
princes, chiefs, elders, and magnates, let these attend to your needs.” Israel,
however, said: “All rests with thee, for it is thou who didst lead us out of
Egypt and brought ‘us in unto this evil place; it is no place of seed or of
figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink.’ If
thou wilt give us water, it is well, if not, we shall stone thee.” When Moses
heard this, he fled from them and betook himself to the Tabernacle. There God
said to him: “What ails thee?” and Moses replied: “O Lord of the world! Thy
children want to stone me, and had I not escaped, they would have stoned me by
now.” God said: “Moses, how much longer wilt thou continue to calumniate My
children? Is it not enough that at Horeb thou didst say, ‘They be ready to
stone me,’ whereupon I answered thee, ‘Go up before them and I will see whether
they stone thee or not!’ ‘Take the rod and assemble the congregation, thou and
Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that it give
forth its water.'”

Moses now went to seek for the rock, followed by all Israel, for he did not
know which was the rock out of which God had said water was to flow. [625] For
the rock out of which Miriam’s well flowed vanished among the rest of the rocks
in such a way that Moses was not able to distinguish it among the number. [626]
On the way they saw a rock that dripped, and they took up their places in front
of it. When Moses saw that the people stood still, he turned around and they
said to him: “How long wilt thou lead us on?” Moses: “Until I fetch ye forth
water out of the rock.” The people: “Give us water at once, that we may drink.”
Moses: “How long do ye quarrel? Is there a creature in all the world that so
rebels against its Maker as ye do, when it is certain that God will give ye
water out of a rock, even though I do not know which one that may be!” The
people: “Thou wert a prophet and our shepherd during our march through the
desert, and now thou sayest, ‘I know not out of which rock God will give ye
water.'”

Moses hereupon assembled them about a rock, saying to himself: “If I now speak
to the rock, bidding it bring forth water, and it bring forth none, I shall
subject myself to humiliation in the presence of the community, for they will
say, ‘Where is thy wisdom?'” Hence he said to the people: “Ye know that God can
perform miracles for ye, but He hath hidden from me out of which rock He will
let the water flow forth. For whenever the time comes that God wished a man not
to know, then his wisdom and understanding are of no avail to him.” Moses then
lifted his rod and let it quietly slide down upon the rock which he laid it,
uttering, as if addressing Israel, the words, “Shall we bring you forth water
out of this rock?” The rock of its own accord now began to give forth water,
whereupon Moses struck upon it with his rod, but then water no longer flowed
forth, but blood. Moses hereupon said to God: “This rock brings forth no
water,” and God instantly turned to the rock with the question: “Why dost thou
bring forth not water, but blood?” The rock answered: “O Lord of the world! Why
did Moses smite me?” When God asked Moses why he had smitten the rock, he
replied: “That it might bring forth water.” God, however, said to Moses: “Had I
bidden thee to smite the rock? I had only said, ‘Speak to it.'” Moses tried to
defend himself by saying, “I did speak to it, but it brought forth nothing.”
“Thou,” God replied, “hast given Israel the instruction, ‘In righteousness
shalt thou judge thy neighbor’; why then, didst not thou judge the rock ‘in
righteousness,’ the rock that in Egypt supported thee when out of it thou didst
such honey? Is this the manner in which thou repayest it? Not only wert thou
unjust to the rock, but thou didst also call My children fools. If then thou
are a wise man, it does not become thee as a wise man to have anything further
to do with fools, and therefore thou shalt not with them learn to know the land
of Israel.” [627] At the same time God added, “Neither thou, nor thy brother,
nor thy sister, shall set foot upon the land of Israel.” For even in Egypt God
had warned Moses and Aaron to refrain from calling the Israelites fools, and as
Moses, without evoking a protest from Aaron, at the water of Kadesh, called
them fools, the punishment of death was decreed for him and his brother. [628]
When God had informed Moses of the impending punishment due to him and his
brother, He turned to the rock, saying: “Turn thy blood into water,” and so it
came to pass. [629]

PREPARING AARON FOR IMPENDING DEATH

As a sign of especial favor God communicates to the pious the day of their
death, that they may transmit their crowns to their sons. But God considered it
particularly fitting to prepare Moses and Aaron for impending death, saying:
“These two pious men throughout their lifetime did nothing without consulting
Me, and I shall not therefore take them out of this world without previously
informing them.” [630]

When, therefore, Aaron’s time approached, God said to Moses: “My servant Moses,
who hast been ‘faithful in all Mine house,’ I have an important matter to
communicate to thee, but it weighs heavily upon Me.” Moses: “What is it?” God:
“Aaron shall be gathered unto his people; for he shall not enter into the land
which I have given unto the children of Israel, because ye rebelled against My
word at the waters of Meribah.” Moses replied: “Lord of the world! It is
manifest and known before the Throne of Thy glory, that Thou art Lord of all
the world and of Thy creatures that in this world Thou hast created, so that we
are in Thy hand, and in Thy hand it lies to do with us as Thou wilt. I am not,
however, fit to go to my brother, and repeat to him Thy commission, for he is
older than I, and how then shall I presume to go up to my older brother and
say, ‘Go up unto Mount Hor and die there!'” God answered Moses: “Not with the
lip shalt thou touch this matter, but ‘take Aaron and Eleazar his son, and
bring them up unto Mount Hor.’ Ascend thou also with them, and there speak with
thy brother sweet and gentle words, the burden of which will, however, prepare
him for what awaits him. Later when ye shall all three be upon the mountain,
‘strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son, and Aaron
shall be gathered unto his people, and shall die there.’ [631] As a favor to Me
prepare Aaron for his death, for I am ashamed to tell him of it Myself.” [632]

When Moses heard this, there was a tumult in his heart, and he knew not what to
do. He wept so passionately that his grief for the impending loss of his
brother brought him to the brink of death himself. As a faithful servant of
God, however, nothing remained for him to do, but to execute his Master’s
command, hence he betook himself to Aaron to the Tabernacle, to inform him of
his death.

Now it had been customary during the forty years’ march through the desert for
the people daily to gather, first before the seventy elders, then under their
guidance before the princes of the tribes, then for all of them to appear
before Eleazar and Aaron, and with these to go to Moses to present to him their
morning greeting. On this day, however, Moses made a change in this custom, and
after having wept through the night, at the cock’s crow summoned Eleazar before
him and said to him: “Go and call to me the elders and the princes, for I have
to convey to them a commission from the Lord.” Accompanied by these men, Moses
not betook himself to Aaron who, seeing Moses when he arose, asked: “Why hast
thou made a change in the usual custom?” Moses: “God hath bidden me to make a
communication to thee.” Aaron: “Tell it to me.” Moses: “Wait until we are out
of doors.” Aaron thereupon donned his eight priestly garments and both went
out.

Now it had always been the custom for Moses whenever he went from his house to
the Tabernacle to walk in the center, with Aaron at his right, Eleazar at his
left, then the elders at both sides, and the people following in the rear. Upon
arriving within the Tabernacle, Aaron would seat himself as the very nearest at
Moses’ right hand, Eleazar at his left, and the elders and princes in front. On
this day, however, Moses changed this order; Aaron walked in the center, Moses
at his right hand, Eleazar at his left, the elders and princes at both sides,
and the rest of the people following.

When the Israelites saw this, they rejoiced greatly, saying: “Aaron now has a
higher degree of the Holy Spirit than Moses, and therefore does Moses yield to
him the place of honor in the center.” The people loved Aaron better than
Moses. [633] For ever since Aaron had become aware that through the
construction of the Golden Calf he had brought about the transgression of
Israel, it was his endeavor through the following course of life to atone for
his sin. He would go from house to house, and whenever he found one who did not
know how to recite his Shema’, he taught him the Shema’; if one did not know
how to pray he taught him how to pray; and if he found one who was not capable
of penetrating into the study of the Torah, he initiated him into it. [634] He
did not, however, consider his task restricted ‘to establishing peace between
God and man,’ but strove to establish peace between the learned and the
ignorant Israelites, among the scholars themselves, among the ignorant, and
between man and wife. [635] Hence the people loved him very dearly, and
rejoiced when they believed he had now attained a higher rank than Moses.

Having arrived at the Tabernacle, Aaron now wanted to enter, but Moses held him
back, saying: “We shall now go beyond the camp.” When they were outside the
camp, Aaron said to Moses: “Tell me the commission God hath given thee.” Moses
answered: “Wait until we reach the mountain.” At the foot of the mountain Moses
said to the people: “Stay here until we return to you; I, Aaron, and Eleazar
will go to the top of the mount, and shall return when we shall have heard the
Divine revelation.” All three now ascended.

AARON’S DEATH

Moses wanted to inform his brother of his impending death, but knew not how to
go about it. At length he said to him: “Aaron, my brother, hath God given
anything into thy keeping?” “Yes,” replied Aaron. “What, pray?” asked Moses.
Aaron: “The altar and the table upon which is the shewbread hath He given into
my charge.” Moses: “It may be that He will now demand back from thee all that
He hath given into thy keeping.” Aaron: “What, pray?” Moses: “Hath He not
entrusted a light to thee?” Aaron: “Not one light only but all seven of the
candlestick that now burn in the sanctuary.” Moses had, of course, intended to
call Aaron’s attention to the soul, “the light of the Lord,” which God had
given into his keeping and which He now demanded back. As Aaron, in his
simplicity, did not notice the allusion, Moses did not go into further
particulars, but remarked to Aaron: “God hath with justice called thee an
innocent, simple-hearted man.”

While they were thus conversing, a cave opened up before them, whereupon Moses
requested his brother to enter it, and Aaron instantly acquiesced. Moses was
now in a sad predicament, for, to follow God’s command, he had to strip Aaron
of his garments and to put them upon Eleazar, but he knew not how to broach the
subject to his brother. He finally said to Aaron: “My brother Aaron, it is not
proper to enter the cave into which we now want to descend, invested in the
priestly garments, for they might there become unclean; the cave is very
beautiful, and it is therefore possible that there are old graves in it.” Aaron
replied, “Thou art right.” Moses then stripped his brother of his priestly
garments, and put them upon Aaron’s son, Eleazar. [636]

As it would have been improper if Aaron had been buried quite naked, God
brought about the miracle that, as soon as Moses took off one of Aaron’s
garments, a corresponding celestial garment was spread over Aaron, and when
Moses had stripped him of all his priestly garments, he found himself arrayed
in eight celestial garments. A second miracle came to pass in the stripping of
Aaron’s garments, for Moses was enabled to take off the undermost garments
before the upper. This was done in order to satisfy the law that priests may
never use their upper garments as undergarments, a thing Eleazar would have had
to do, had Moses stripped off Aaron’s outer garments first and with these
invested his son. [637]

After Eleazar had put on the high priest’s garments, Moses and Aaron said to
him: “Wait for us here until we return out of the cave,” and both entered it.
At their entrance they beheld a couch spread, a table prepared, and a candle
lighted, while ministering angels surrounded the couch. Aaron then said to
Moses: “How long, O my brother, wilt thou still conceal the commission God hath
entrusted to thee? Thou knowest that He Himself, when for the first time He
addressed thee, with His own lips declared of me, ‘When he seeth thee, he will
be glad in his heart.’ Why, then, dost thou conceal the commission God hath
entrusted to thee? Even if it were to refer to my death, I should take it upon
myself with a cheerful countenance.” Moses replied: “As thou thyself dost speak
of death, I will acknowledge that God’s words to me do concern thy death, but I
was afraid to make it known to thee. But look now, thy death is not as that of
the other creatures of flesh and blood; and not only is thy death a remarkable
one, but see! The ministering angels have come to stand by thee in thy parting
hour.” [638]