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BM 530 .G513 1909 v. 3
Ginzberg, Louis, 1873-1953
The legends of the Jews
THE LEGENDS OF
THE JEWS
yBY
LOUIS GINZBERG
Translated from the German Manuscript by
PAUL RADIN
III
Bible Times and Characters
From the Exodus to the Death of Moses
Philadelphia
The Jewish Publication Society of America
1911
Copyright, 1911,
BY
The Iewish Publication Society of America
Reviser and Proof-Reader
OF Volume III,
Doctor Isaac Husik
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
of the vv^ise, the father of the prophets," as well as '* king in
Jeshurun, when the heads of the people and the tribes of
Israel gathered together." Hence his unique position in Jew-
ish 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 re-
vealed to ]\Ioses " stand in a special relation to his life and
work. The sanctification of the Sabbath became quite a liv-
ing 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
VIII Preface
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 betvveen 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 Ginzberg.
New Yora<, March 2, 19 11
CONTENTS
PAGE
Preface vii
Moses in the Wilderness i
The Long Route — Pharaoh Pursues the Hebrews — The
Sea Divided — The Passage through the Red Sea — The
Destruction of the Egyptians — The Song at the Sea — The
Awful Desert — The Heavenl}^ Food — The Gathering
of the Manna — Miriam's Well — Amalek's War against
Israel — Amalek Defeated — JeHiro — Installation of Elders —
Jethro Rewarded — The Time is at Hand — The Gentiles
Refuse the Torah — The Contest of the Mountains — The
Torah Offered to Israel — Israel Prepares for the Revela-
tion— The Revelation on Mount Sinai — The First Com-
mandment— The Other Commandments Revealed on
Sinai — The Unity of the Ten Commandments — Moses
Chosen as Intermediator — Moses and the Angels Strive
for the Torah — Moses Receives the Torah — The Golden
Calf — Moses Blamed for Israel's Sin — The Punishment
of the Sinners — Moses Intercedes for the People — The
Inscrutable Ways of the Lord — The Thirteen Attributes
of God — The Second Tables — The Census of the Peo-
ple— The Erection of the Tabernacle Commanded — The
Materials for the Construction of the Tabernacle —
Bezalel — The Ark with the Cherubim — The Table and the
Candlestick — The Altar — The Symbolical Significance of
the Tabernacle — The Priestly Robes — The Stones in the
Breastplate — The Completion of the Tabernacle — The
Setting up of the Tabernacle — The Consecration of the
Priests — The Day of the Ten Crowns — The Interrupted
Joy — The Gifts of the Princes — The Revelations in the
Tabernacle — The Cleansing of the Camp — The Lighting
of the Candlestick — The Twelve Princes of the Tribes —
The Census of the Levites — The Four Divisions of the
Levites — The Four Standards — The Camp — The Bias-
Contents
phemer and the Sabbath-breaker— The Ungrateful Multi-
tude— The Flesh-pots of Egypt — The Appointment of the
Seventy Elders — Eldad and Medad — The Quails — Aaron
and Miriam Slander Moses — Miriam's Punishment — The
Sending of the Spies — Significant Names— The Spies in
Palestine — The Slanderous Report — The Night of Tears —
Ingratitude Punished — The Years of Disfavor — The Re-
bellion of Korah — Korah Abuses Moses and the Torah —
Moses Pleads in Vain with Korah — Korah and His
Horde Punished — On and the Three Sons of Korah
Saved — Israel Convinced of Aaron's Priesthood — The
Waters of Meribah— Moses' Anger Causes His Doom—
Edom's Unbrotherly Attitude toward Israel— The Three
Shepherds — Preparing Aaron for Impending Death-
Aaron's Death — The General Mourning for Aaron— The
False Friends — The Brazen Serpent — At Arnon — Sihon, the
King of the Amorites — The Giant Og — Moses' Speech of
Admonition— Balak, King of Moab— Balaam, the Heathen
Prophet — Balak's Messengers to Balaam — Balaam Accepts
Balak's Invitation — Balaam's Ass — Balaam Runs into
His Own Destruction — Balaam with Balak — Balaam's
Sacrifices Refused — Balaam Extols Israel — Balaam's Hopes
Disappointed — Curses Turned into Blessings — Balaam's
Wicked Counsel — Phinehas, Zealous for God — Twelve
Miracles— Phinehas Rewarded— The Daughters of Zelo-
phehad — The Appointment of Joshua — Moses' Legacy to
Joshua — Moses' Last Campaign — The Complete Annihi-
lation of Midian— The Gruesome End of Balaam— The
Victorious Return from the War— Wealth that Bringeth
Destruction— Moses' Death Irrevocably Doomed— Aloses'
Prayer for Suspension of Judgment— God Tries to Com-
fort Moses Concerning His Death— The Intercessions
for Moses— Moses Serves Joshua— The Last Day of
Moses' Life— Moses Beholds the Future— Moses Meets
the Messiah in Heaven— The Last Hours of Moses—
The Blessing of Moses— Moses Prays for Death—
Samael Chastised by Moses— God Kisses Moses' Soul—
The Mourning for Moses— Samael's Vain Search— Moses
Excels All Pious Men.
MOSES IN THE WILDERNESS
PAGE
The Long Route 5
Pharaoh Pursues the Hebrews 9
The Sea Divided 18
The Passage through the Red Sea. ... 21
The Destruction of the Egyptians. ... 25
The Song at the Sea 31
The Awful Desert 36
The Heavenly Food 41
The Gathering of the Manna 45
Miriam's Well 50
Amalek's War Against Israel 54
Amalek Defeated 59
Jethro 63
Installation of Elders 6j
Jethro Rewarded 72
The Time is at Hand 77
The Gentiles Refuse the Torah 80
The Contest of the Mountains 82
The Torah Offered to Israel 85
Israel Prepares for the Revelation ... 88
The Revelation on Mount Sinai 90
The First Commandment 94
The Other Commandments Revealed
ON Sinai 98
The Unity of the Ten Commandments 104
Moses Chosen as Intermediator 106
Moses and the Angels Strive for the
Torah 109
Moses Receives the Torah 114
The Golden Calf 1 19
Moses Blamed for Israel's Sin 124
The Punishment of the Sinners 128
Moses Intercedes for the People 131
The Inscrutable Ways of the Lord. . . 134
The Thirteen Attributes of God 137
The Second Tables 140
The Census of the People 144
The Erection of the Tabernacle Com-
manded 148
The Materials for the Construction
OF THE Tabernacle 151
Bezalel 154
The Ark with the Cherubim 156
The Table and the Candlestick 159
The Altar 161
The Symbolical Significance of the
Tabernacle 165
The Priestly Robes 167
The Stones in the Breastplate. ...... 169
The Completion of the Tabernacle. . . 173
The Setting up of the Tabernacle. ... 176
The Consecration of the Priests 179
The Day of the Ten Crowns 181
The Interrupted Joy 187
The Gifts of the Princes 192
The Revelations in the Tabernacle. . 209
The Cleansing of the Camp 212
The Lighting of the Candlestick. . . . 217
The Twelve Princes of the Tribes. . . . 219
The Census of the Levites 224
The Four Divisions of the Levites .... 228
The Four Standards 230
The Camp 236
The Blasphemer and the Sabbath-
breaker 238
The Ungrateful Multitude. 242
The Flesh-pots of Egypt 245
The Appointment of the Seventy El-
ders 248
Eld AD AND Med ad 251
The Quails 253
Aaron and Miriam Slander Moses. . . . 255
Miriam's Punishment 258
The Sending of the Spies 261
Significant Names 264
The Spies in Palestine 267
The Slanderous Report 271
The Night of Tears 274
Ingratitude Punished 278
The Years of Disfavor 282
The Rebellion of Korah 286
KoRAH Abuses Moses and the Torah. . 290
Moses Pleads in Vain with Korah. . . . 292
Korah and His Horde Punished 298
On and the Three Sons of Korah
Saved 300
Israel Convinced of Aaron's Priest-
hood 303
The Waters of Meribah 307
Moses' Anger Causes His Doom 311
Edom's Un brotherly Attitude toward
Israel 314
The Three Shepherds 317
Preparing Aaron for Impending Death 320
Aaron's Death 324
The General Mourning for Aaron . . . 328
The False Friends. 330
The Brazen Serpent 334
At Arnon 337
SiHON, THE King of the Amorites. . . . 339
The Giant Og 343
Moses' Speech of Admonition 348
Balak, King of Moab 351
Balaam, the Heathen Prophet 354
Balak's Messengers to Balaam 356
Balaam Accepts Balak's Invitation . . 360
Balaam's Ass 363
Balaam Runs into His Own Destruc-
tion 366
Balaam with Balak 368
PAGE
Balaam's Sacrifices Refused 370
Balaam Extols Israel 373
Balaam's Hopes Disappointed 376
Curses Turned to Blessings 379
Balaam's Wicked Counsel 380
Phinehas, Zealous for God 383
Twelve Miracles 386
Phinehas Rewarded 388
The Daughters of Zelophehad 391
The Appointment of Joshua 396
Moses' Legacy to Joshua 401
Moses' Last Campaign 403
The Complete Annihilation of Mid-
lAN 408
The Gruesome End of Balaam 410
The Victorious Return from the War. 412
Wealth that Bringeth Destruction. . 414
Moses' Death Irrevocably Doomed. ... 417
Moses' Prayer for Suspension of Judg-
ment 419
God Tries to Comfort Moses Concering
His Death 428
The Intercessions for Moses 431
Moses Serves Joshua 436
The Last Day of Moses' Life 439
Moses Beholds the Future 443
Moses Meets the Messiah in Heaven. 446
The Last Hours of ]\Ioses 448
The Blessing of Moses 452
Moses Prays for Death 463
Samael Chastised by Moses 466
God Kisses Moses' Soul 471
The Mourning for Moses 473
Samael's Vain Search 475
Moses Excels All Pious Men 479
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/
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 Joche-
bed 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 ex-
haled and spread around.^ But his difficulties were not at
an end. The question arose, how he was to secure posses-
sion 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 re-
moved 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
6 The Legends of the Jezvs
noise they made was so loud it could be heard throughout
the land, from end to end, a distance equal to a forty days'
journey. When IMoses came near the coffin, the dogs
emitted their warning sound, but he silenced them at once,
with the words, " Come, ye people, and behold the miracle !
The real, live dogs did not bark, and these counterfeit dogs
produced by magic attempt it ! " ' 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, though 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 them-
selves are forbidden to eat, for the Lord withholds due
recompense from none of His creatures.* 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."
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," and now he was so angry at his counsellors for hav-
ing advised against letting the Israelites depart that he slew
them.'
For several reasons God did not permit the Israelites to
travel along the straight route to the promised land. He de-
sired them to go to Sinai first and take the law upon them-
selves there, and, besides, the time divinely appointed for
the occupation of the land by the Gentiles had not yet
Moses in the Wilderness 7
elapsed. Over and above all this, the long sojourn in the
wilderness was fraught with profit for the Israelites, spirit-
ually 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 could
give all their efforts to acquiring the law. On the whole, it
would not have been advantageous to proceed at once to the
Holy Land and take possession thereof, for when the Ca-
naanites heard that the Israelites were making for Palestine,
they burnt the crops, felled the trees, destroyed the build-
ings, 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 seed, 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.'" ^ Moreover, the many miracles performed 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.^
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
8 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 hath
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 of their valor in war, for they were
great heroes, they left the land and betook themselves to
Palestine." 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 neigh-
borhood 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 encoun-
ter, 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
Moses in the Wilderness 9
Ephraimites, and they summoned the people of the other
Phihstine 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 pos-
terity, 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 their father Joseph, who had adjured his
descendants solemnly on his deathbed not to think of quit-
ting the land until the true redeemer should appear. Their
death was followed by disgrace, for their bodies lay un-
buried 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."
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
lo The Legends of the Jews
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 reported 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 Eg}^ptians, 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 w^ord of God they
were free men, and no longer slaves to Pharaoh.^ Accord-
ingly, 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 chiselled 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
Moses in the Wilderness ii
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."
Pi-hahiroth was famous, besides, on account of the treas-
ures heaped up there. The wealth of the world which Jo-
seph had acquired through the sale of the 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 sanc-
tuary of Baal-zephon, whence the Hebrews carried it off as
booty."
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 counsellors that had persuaded him
to dismiss the children of Israel spake now as follows : " If
we had only been smitten with the plagues, 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 borne with
patience. But to be smitten with the plagues, to be com-
pelled 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
12 The Legends of the Jews
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 blandish-
ments 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 pre-
cede 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.'' Samael granted Pharaoh assistance,
putting six hundred chariots manned with his own hosts at
his disposal." These formed the vanguard, and they were
joined by all the Egy^ptians, 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 deter-
Moses in the Wilderness 13
mined 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 circum-
stance. Everything pointed to a happy issue." Pharaoh,
himself an adept in magic, had a presentiment that dire mis-
fortune would befall the children of Israel in the wilderness,
that they would lose Moses there, and there the whole gen-
eration 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.'^
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." '^
When the Israelites beheld the huge detachments of the
Egyptian army moving upon them, and when they consid-
ered that in Migdol there were other troops stationed, be-
sides, more, indeed, than their own numbers, men, women,
and children all told, great terror overwhelmed them.^"
What affrighted them most, was the sight of the Angel of
14 The Legends of the Jews
Egypt darting through the air as he flew to the assistance
of the people under his tutelage. They turned to jMoses,
saying : " What hast thou done to us ? Now they will re-
quite 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 us 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.^ 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 Eg\^ptians kept us. Nevertheless
our fate in the desert will be sadder than theirs. They at
least were mourned, and their bodies were 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 Closes prayed to God, and the Lord showed him the
angel hosts standing ready to hasten to the assistance of the
people.^
Moses ill the Wilderness I5
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 sec-
ond, 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 made 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.''
Moses also addressed himself to God, saying : " O Lord
of the world ! I am like the shepherd who, having under-
taken to pasture a flock, has been heedless enough to drive
his sheep to the edge of a precipice, and then is in despair
how to get them down again. Pharaoh is behind my flock
Israel, in the south is Baal-zephon, in the north Migdol, and
before us the sea lies spread out.'" Thou knowest, O Lord,
that it is beyond human strength and human contrivance to
surmount the difliculties 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
i6 The Legends of the Jews
in Thee. If there be any escape possible, we look up to Thy
providence to accomplish it for us." ^ 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 chil-
dren 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." "
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 Eg}^pt. The
Lord adopted the same procedure in dealing with the ac-
cuser as the experienced shepherd, who, at the moment of
transferring his sheep across a stream, was faced by a rav-
ening 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 snatched the wolfs supposed prey away from him.
Moses in the Wilderness ij
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 im-
scathed, and as soon as they are in safety, I will rescue Job
from the hands of Samael." "
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 of 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 it shall 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 con-
tinue in slavery for the three hundred and fourteen years
that are left, and Thy word be fulfilled. As Thou art im-
mutable, 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
i8 The Legends of the Jezvs
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." ^^
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 hast not read the beginning of the Torah. I, yea I,
did speak, ' Let the waters under the heaven be gathered to-
gether unto one place, and let the dry land appear/ and at
that time I made the condition that the waters shall divide
before Israel.^^ 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 re-
plied, " I will not do according to thy words, for thou art
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
Moses in the Wilderness 19
day of creation, and thou on the sixth." Moses lost no time,
but carried back to God the words the sea had 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." ^'^
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 Eg>^ptians, 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.^'
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 obedi-
ence." 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,
20 The Legends of the Jezvs
but before the Lord of all created things, that His Name be
magnified in all the earth." ^' And the waters of the Red
Sea divided, and not they alone, but all the water 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 had passed through the sea on dry land.^*
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 w^atch, when
Abraham had made himself ready to set out for the sacrifice
of his son. Gabriel succeeded, however, in holding back the
turbulent waters 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 ad-
monished, " 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." ^*
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 this east wind. All night long God made it to blow over
Moses in the Wilderness 21
the sea. To prevent the enemy from inflicting harm upon
the IsraeHtes, 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 Is-
raelites 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.^'
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 Judseans and the Benja-
mites 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 She-
kinah 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
22 The Legends of the Jews
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 waters 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 as 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 were transformed into rocks, against which
the Egyptians were thrown and dashed to death, while be-
fore the Israelites they crumbled away into bits. Through
the brackish sea flowed a stream of soft water, at which 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."^
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 an apple or some other fruit
and quiet it." The waters were piled up to the height of
sixteen hundred miles, and they could be seen by all the
nations of the earth.'"
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 marvellous
deeds wrought in behalf of their children.^"
Wonderful as were the miracles connected with the rescue
Moses hi the Wilderness 23
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 art 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 fam-
ily, 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 ap-
pointed My friend Joseph over them, who saved them
through his sagacity, and they all became his slaves. Then
My children v/ent down into their land as strangers, in con-
sequence 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 be-
fore 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
24 The Legends of the Jews
the kings of the East and of the West, that 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 ser-
vants said, * We have heard that He is the son of the wise,
the son of ancient kings.' Then Pharaoh asked My mes-
sengers, ' What are the works of this God ? ' and they re-
plied, ' 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 beside 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
worlds! I know that my people deserve the punishment
Thou hast 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 ! "
Moses in the Wilderness 25
Almost the Lord had yielded to Uzza's entreaties, when
Michael gave a sign to Gabriel that made him fly to Egypt
swiftly and fetch thence a brick for which a Hebrew child
had been used as mortar. Holding this incriminating object
in his hand, 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."
The first upon whom judgment was executed was the
Angel of Egypt — Uzza was thrown into the sea.*^ A simi-
lar 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 it sufiice 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 stag-
gered and fell dead, and then He cast their corpses in the
sea, whence its unpleasant odor.'^
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."
But drowning was not the only punishment decreed upon
them by God. He undertook a thoroughgoing campaign
against them. When Pharaoh w^as preparing to persecute
the Israelites, he asked his army which of the saddle beasts
26 The Legends of the Jews
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 things 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.'"
The angels now advanced to support the Lord in His war
against the Eg}'ptians. Some brought swords, some arrows,
and some spears. But God warded them ofif, saying,
" Away ! I need no help ! " " 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.'^ 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."
Moses in the Wilderness 2y
Now the Egyptians tried to flee to their land in their
chariots drawn by she-mules. As they had treated the chil-
dren 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 treas-
ures float into the Red Sea, and by its waters they were
tossed into the chariots of the Egyptians. It was the wish
of God that these treasures should come into the possession
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.'^
And the Lord fought against the Eg>^ptians 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*^
The anguish and the torture that God brought upon the
Egyptians at the Red Sea caused them by far more excru-
ciating 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.^"
The last judgment executed upon the Egyptians corre-
sponded to the wicked designs harbored against Israel by
the three different parties among them when they set out in
28 The Legends of the Jews
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." 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 experi-
ence of the Egyptians. And worse still, first the rider and
his beast wxre 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.^^
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 wrings for themselves,
with which they flew up to heaven. They also said to Pha-
raoh : " If God Himself hath done this thing, we can effect
naught. But if this work has been put into the hands of His
angels, 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
Moses in the Wilderness 29
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 judg-
ment upon the two magicians. The archangel seized hold of
Jannes and Jambres by the locks of their hair, and he shat-
tered them against the surface of the water."^
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 moment's delay, Gabriel descended and
laid an 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 prophe-
sied 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
30 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 judgments 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 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." "
God caused the Eg}-ptians 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 es-
caped, so also the Egyptians had passed through the sea dry-
shod, 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 satisfac-
tion of seeing their enemies suffer. With their finger they
could point them out one by one, saying, " This one was 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 Israel-
Moses in the Wilderness 31
ites, 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.'' 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 jus-
tice 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 judg-
ment; 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 an oath, not
to punish it for receiving the corpses of the Egyptians,
would the earth swallow them.''
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 ser-
vant Moses ; and it was in this exahation that they sang to
the Lord a song " that moved Him to grant forgiveness for
all their sins.'^ This song was the second of the nine songs
that in the course of history 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 ;
32 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 thanks-
giving to God for his deUverance 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.''^
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 fulfilment of the token of
the Abrahamic covenant, bade the angels who came to intone
their song, wait : " Let I\Iy children sing first," He said.
This incident with the angels is like the story of that 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 that tlie 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
Moses in the Wilderness 33
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 repHed, " As surely
as ye live, so it is." *^
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 multi-
tude 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 gar-
ments, 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, ' Praised 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 sav/ us, they ap-
proached 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 wan-
dered 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."
3
34 The Legends of the Jezvs
Thereupon Moses said : '' Ye have given thanks to the
Holy One, blessed be He, and now 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 an habitation; my
father's God, and I will exalt Him." ^^
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,"' he had com-
posed a large portion of the song. In virtue of the spirit of
God that possessed them w^hile 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.''^
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.*'* 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.*"'
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
Moses in the Wilderness 35
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,'"" 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 here-
after; for in this world war and suffering, evil inclination,
Satan, and the Angel of Death hold sway ; but in the future
world, there will be neither suffering nor enmity, neither
Satan nor the Angel of Death, neither groans nor oppression,
nor evil inclination." "
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." ''
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.^°
36 The Legends of the Jews
After .the men had completed the song, the women under
the guidance of Miriam sang the same song to the accom-
paniment of music and dancing. The Israehtes 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/" 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." "
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 has 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, ye
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
Moses ill the IVildeniess 37
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.''^ This was the second of the ten
temptations with which Israel tempted God during their
wanderings through the desert.'"*
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, how-
ever, said, " Do you really believe that the sea will continue
to yield you pearls and jewels ? " ^*
From the sea they passed to the desert Shur, a horrible
and dreadful wilderness, full of snakes, lizards, and scor-
pions, extending over hundreds of miles. So deadly is the
nature of the snakes that dwell in this desert, that if one of
them merely glides over the shadow of a flying bird, the bird
falls into pieces.'^' 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.'^^
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." Therefore did
38 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 reheved
of the fear of the reptiles, for as soon as the snakes saw the
Israelites, they meekly lay down upon the sand/^ 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 w^e 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 in-
stead 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 had 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."
The people were all the more exasperated because their
joy, when they sighted the springs and hastened to draw
from them, 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
Moses in the Wilderness 39
kindness had been granted them not 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 Hfe is in no
way to be distinguished from immortaHty ; 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.^" 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.^
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." ^^ Not through this
miracle alone, however, has Marah become a significant spot
for Israel, but, especially, because there God gave to Israel
important precepts, 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 Command-
ments, the Halakot, and the Haggadot ; the Torah, however,
40 The Legends of the Jews
will bring you happiness and life. If you will diligently
endeavor to walk through life uprightly, so that you will be
virtuous in your dealings 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 upon Egypt. If, however,
you will not be mindful of My laws, and will be visited by
diseases, then w^ill I be your physician and will make you
well, for as soon as you will observe the laws, shall the dis-
eases vanish." ^^
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.^
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 trees, and
these 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.'^ Here again the marvellous 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.'"
The men of understanding could at this place see a clear
allusion to the fortune of the people; for there are twelve
Afoscs in the Wildciiicss 41
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 body-
guard. 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 as childish play, whereas that aspiration alone seems
• 87
serious.
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.**
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
42 The Legends of the Jews
not even free from the cares of subsistence ; we are not, as
our 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 our 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.'' ' Would to God we had died by the hand of the
Lord during the three days of darkness in the land of Eg)'pt,
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.**
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 expe-
riences 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 for
the future.''
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
Moses in the Wilde mess 43
Him, He was ready .to grant them aid, saying to Moses,
" They act according to their Hghts, 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 am I." In the same way, during their
wanderings through the wilderness, God repaid the descend-
ants 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 like-
wise 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.""^ Then God
spoke to Moses : " I will immediately reveal Myself without
delay ; mindful of the services of Abraham, Isaac, and
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.^^
While the people were still abed, God fulfilled their desire,
and rained down manna for them. For this food had been
44 The Legends of the J civs
created on the second day of creation,** and ground by the
angels, it later descended for the wanderers in the wilder-
ness.'^ The mills are stationed in the third heaven, where
manna is constantly being ground for the future use of the
pious ; "^ for in the future world manna will be set before
them.*' 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.*^
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 con-
tained 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 desired. 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.**
As miraculous as the taste of manna was its 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
manna, and this frozen dew glistened and sparkled like
gold."* But, that no Insects or vermin might settle on the
manna, the frozen dew formed not only a tablecloth, but also
Moses in the Wilderness 45
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 /"^ 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/"^ 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 enjoy-
ment of manna : They used to catch the animals that
drank of the melted manna, and even in this form it was so
delicious that the heathen cried, '' Happy is the people that
is in such a case." ^"^ 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.'"'*
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."'*" Such profusion of manna fell over the body of
Joshua alone, as might have sufficed for the maintenance of
46 The Legends of the Jews
the whole congregation/"' Manna, indeed, had the pecuHarity
of falHng- 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 accus-
ing the other of inconstancy, Moses would say to them,
" To-morrow morning judgment will be given." If, then,
manna descended for the wife before the house of her hus-
band, 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.'"
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, how-
ever, 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 fields." 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
Ad OSes in the Wilderness 47
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 for 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 im-
posed 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," continued 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 obser-
vance 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 Judgment."
When Israel heard these exhortations and promises, they
determined to observe the Sabbath, and did so."' They did
not know, to be sure, what they had lost through their viola-
tion of the first Sabbath. Had Israel then observed the Sab-
bath, no nation would ever have been able to exercise any
authority over them."''
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 is, not to store it
48 TJic Legends of the Jezvs
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.""
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 wander-
ings 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."^
When the imminent destruction of the Temple was an-
nounced 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 Mes-
sianic time the prophet Elijah will restore all these concealed
objects.'"^
Israel received three gifts during their wanderings through
Moses in the Wilderness 49
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 died, 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 for-
ever."^ 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."^* Manna also replaced per-
fume for them, for it shed an excellent fragrance upon those
who ate of it."'
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 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
4
50 The Legends of the Jews
toward evening thick swarms of quails came tip 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 the quails."® 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."' 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 art bountiful, and nourishest all Thy creatures
which Thou hast made. Blessed be Thou, O God, that dost
provide for all." "'
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."' When, therefore, they slackened in the per-
formance of this duty, punishment in the form of lack of
Moses in the Wilderness 51
water immediately overtook them. This was the first time
that they actually experienced this want, for at Marah noth-
ing 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,
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 per-
formeth 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." "^^ Hardly had Moses
shown himself to the people, when all of them rose rev-
erently 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." '^'
Then God bade him go with some elders to the rock on
Horeb, and fetch water out of it. The elders were to accom-
pany him there, that they might be convinced that he was
52 The Legends of the Jezvs
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
Eg}^pt, and at the Red Sea; now they were to see that it
could work good also."^ Upon God's bidding, Moses told
the people to choose from which rock they wished water to
flow,''^ 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 need, and will further show us that He knows
our thoughts, then will we serve Him, but not otherwise." '^*
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 accom-
panied them on all their marches."^^ God wrought this great
miracle for the merits of the prophetess Miriam, wherefore
also it was called " Miriam's Well." """ But this well dates
back to the beginning of the world, for God created it on the
second day of the creation,""^ 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
Moses in the Wilde mess 53
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." ""^
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/^
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 ; ^'" and these
trees, owing to the miraculous water, daily bore fresh
fruits.""" 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.^^ This well further-
more threw down soft, fragrant kinds of grass that served
as pleasant couches for the poor, who had no pillows or bed-
clothes.'^' Upon the entrance to the Holy Land this well
disappeared and was hidden in a certain spot of the Sea of
54 The Legends of the Jezvs
Tiberias. Standing upon Carmel, and looking over the sea,
one can notice there a sieve-hke rock, and that is the well of
Mirikm."* 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."'
Amalek's War Against Israel
As a punishment because they had not had sufficient faith
in God, and had doubted whether He could fulfil 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 ofif 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 ? "
Moses in the Wilderness 55
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."*
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 further-
more designates the purpose of this enemy, who came to suck
the blood of Israel/" 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 Egyp-
tians, 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 Egyptian bondage upon
me, grandson of Esau, descendant of Abraham.'' There-
fore 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/^^
No sooner had he heard of Israel's departure from Egypt,
than 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 con-
fusion, that he was forced to retreat without having eft'ected
his object.'^'' Then, for some time, he tried lying hidden in
ambush, and in this wise molesting Israel, but at length he
56 The Legends of the Jews
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 un-
grateful 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.""
In his expedition against Israel he made use of his kin-
ship with them, by pretending, at first, to be their friend and
kinsman. Before going over to open attack, he lured many
unsuspecting Jews to death by his kindly words. He had
fetched from Eg}^pt the table of descent of the Jews ; for
every Jew had there to mark his name on the bricks pro-
duced by him, and these lists lay in the Egyptian archives.
Familiar with the names of the different Jewish families.
Moses in the Wilderness 57
Amaiek appeared before the Jewish camp, and calHng 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 Amaiek kill them, but he also
mutilated their corpses, following the example of his grand-
sire 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 Amaiek caught and killed. The sinners, too, particu-
larly the tribe of Dan, who were all worshippers of idols,
were not protected by the cloud, and therefore exposed to
the attacks of Amaiek.'*"
Moses did not himself set out to battle against this dan-
gerous 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 de-
scendant 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
58 The Legends of the Jews
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 descend-
ants 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 un-
believing." 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 the example of wicked men,
shall visit punishment upon him who did not follow the
example of pious men." Esau soiled his Hfe with lewd-
ness and murder ; Joseph was chaste and shunned blood-
shed, 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 one who
Moses in the Wilderness 59
had Illegal relations with his father's wife '' ; the angels of
Simeon and Levi will have to 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 an-
gels 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 be the flame and
Esau the straw burned in the flame."^
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 fol-
lowing 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"^ and
set out against Amalek, to conquer whom required not only
6o The Legends of the Jews
skilful strategy, but also adeptness in the art of magic. For
Amalek was a great magician and knew the 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^" 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 hu-
manely, 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 win 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 hast Thou brought
Israel out of Egypt, through me hast Thou cleft the sea, and
through me hast Thou wrought miracles ; so do Thou now
work miracles for me, and lend 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
Aloses in the Wilderness 6i
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 dis-
tress, I shall share it with them." ^^
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."^*^
Although Amalek had now received the merited punish-
ment 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
62 The Legends of the Jews
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 terribly 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 a little cooled 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." "^
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
A^oses in the Wilderness 63
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.'**
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 possess this world and the
future world?" Amalek paid no attention to this 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 possess this world as well
as the future world ; dig wells then for their use and build
roads 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." ''^
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.^"^
Jethro
" Smite a scorner, and the simple will beware." The de-
struction of Amalek brought Jethro to his senses. Jethro
64 The Legends of the Jeivs
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";''' and although he dwelt in the greatest
wealth and honor, he determined to set out for the desert, to
Moses and his God."' 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."' 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
it 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."'
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
Moses in the Wilderness 65
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 even the praise of God/'^ 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 sov-
ereignty of David, the institution of priests, and of Levltes."
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 generations' standing — still he burst
into a song of praise to God for the deeds He had done for
His people. In trmth, 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
66 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 now I must ad-
mit 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." ''"
With sacrifices and a feast was the arrival of Jethro cele-
brated, 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,'" at which
Moses did not consider it below his dignity to wait on the
guests in person. In this he followed the example of Abra-
ham, 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 for 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."*
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
Moses in the Wilderness 67
to pass. In his words of gratitude to Moses, Jethro also
g-ave expression to many glorious eulogies on the people of
Israel, but he especially extolled Moses, who through diffi-
culties and dangers had shown so much courage In the salva-
tion of his friends/'^
The Installation of Elders
Jethro, who had come to Moses shortly before the revela-
tion on Mount SInal, stayed with his son-in-law for more
than a year. In the first months, however, he had no oppor-
tunity of observing Moses In the capacity of judge, for
Moses spent the time from the day of the revelation to the
tenth day of TIshrl almost entirely In heaven. Hence Jethro
could not be present at a court proceeding of his before the
eleventh day of Tishrl, the first day after Moses' return from
heaven. Jethro now perceived how Moses sat like a king
upon his throne, while the people, w4io brought their law-
suits 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 judgment 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 con-
formity with a compromise, they come to me ; and when the
parties at dispute leave me, they part as friends and no
longer as enemies. I expound to the poeple, besides, the
words of God and His decisions."
68 The Legends of the Jezvs
On the day that Moses again took up his activity as a
judge, and Jethro had for the first time the chance of observ-
ing him, came the mixed multitude with the plea that they,
like the other Israelites, wanted their share in the Egyptian
booty. Moses' method, first seen by him in practice,"*" 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." ''' " The
people," he continued, '' will surely upbraid 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 under-
stand 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 Torah. If God approve my plan,
then wilt thou and Aaron, his sons and the seventy elders,
and all the people dwell in peace." ^''^
This counsel of Jethro's found great favor in Moses' eyes,
for he had been only too well aware of the difficulties and
Moses ill the Wilderness 69
annoyances with which he had had to contend. The people
were very disputatious, being wilHng to spend seventy silver-
Hngs in Htigation costs for the sake of gaining one silverling,
and did their utmost to lengthen their disputes at law.
When one saw that Moses was about to cast a decision
against him, he demanded that his lawsuit be adjourned,
declaring that he had witnesses and other proofs, which he
would bring forward on the next occasion. But they were
not merely litigious and disputatious, 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 : " Be-
hold the son of Amram, he ate and drank, and hence slept
so long, that he had to get up late." If he went through the
thick of the multitude, they said : '' Behold the son of
Amram, he goes through the multitude, to gather in marks
of honor." But if he chose a path aside from the crowd,
they said : " Behold the son of Amram, who makes it im-
possible for us to follow the simple commandment, to honor
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 multi-
plied you, and behold, ye are this day as the stars of heaven
for multitude. The Lord, God of your 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
70 The Legends of the Jews
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 blessing." Moses cried:
" I am only a creature of flesh and blood, limited in my
powers, hence is my blessing limited. I give you my bless-
ing, 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 stars in the
sky and the plants on the earth." ""^
After he had bestowed his blessing upon them, he asked
them to propose capable and pious men, that he might ap-
point 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 carr}^ 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 oflicials. If I myself should not be
among them, surely my son will be, and if not he, my grand-
son, 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 senti-
ments ; still, he paid no further attention to them, and picked
Moses in the Wilderness 71
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 the people. With kindly
words he invited them to assume their offices, and said:
" Blessed are ye that are judged worthy of being leaders 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 pos-
sess much patience, and must not become impatient if a law-
suit 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 inno-
cent, 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 a rich man for
so small a matter? I will rather give judgment 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 judgment, lest that
72 The Legends of the Jews
man kill my son, burn my barn, or destroy my plants/ for
the judgment 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 not to deny the judges the
veneration due them.""" For great is the importance of jus-
tice. 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.'""'
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 leader-
ship of the people to others.^'^ Hence he did not conceal the
name of this 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."^ 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.^^
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
Moses in the Wilderness 73
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/'" Jethro, nevertheless, did not re-
main 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
lonefer 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 Pales-
tine. 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 hast 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, con-
sidering 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 valuables, 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
74 The Legends of the Jews
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 thy 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 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 s^ifficient motive for thee to remain with us, in order to
Moses in the Wilderness 75
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 shed
their rays. Thou art the sun, and Aaron 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."**
The descendants of Jethro later settled in Palestine, where
the fruitful land of Jericho was allotted to them as a dwell-
ing 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 relin-
quished it to the tribe of Judah, who claimed it as an in-
demnity for the site of the Temple."^
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
76 The Legends of the Jews
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 and 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/^ 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 Sucha-
thites, 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 token of
mourning, to drink no wine, use no oil for anointing them-
selves, nor cut their hair, nor dwell in houses. The Rechab-
ites 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
Moses in the Wilderness 77
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."^
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." "*
God had not only good cause to delay the giving of the
Torah until after the departure of Jethro, but the time He
chose for 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."' 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,
78 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 hast brought forth the people out of
Eg}'pt> 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." ^'^ 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.
Moses in the Wilderness 79
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." '"
For one other reason did God deky the revelation oi the
Torah. He had intended giving them the Torah imme-
diately 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." "*
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 Patri-
8o The Legends of the Jezvs
archs, 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."'
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 Ka-
desh, 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 Horeb,
because the annihilation of the heathens was there decreed
by God."° 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
Moses in the Wilderness 8i
tribe ana 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 writ-
ten therein ? " He answered, " Thou shalt not commit
unchastity." They said : " From unchastity do we spring ;
we do not 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 Thy
Torah." Thence He went to all the other nations, who like-
wise 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." ^^ " O Lord
of the world ! " they continued, " We acted in accordance with
6
82 The Legends of the Jezvs
Thy commandments before they were revealed to us. Jacob
fulfilled the first of the Ten Commandments by bidding his
sons put away the 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 Abra-
ham 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 Poti-
phar. 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 Abra-
ham, 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.' " ^^^
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
Moses in the Wilderness 83
mine shall be this glory," whereupon the other mountain
replied : " Upon me shall the Shekinah rest, and mine shall
be this glory." The mountain Tabor said to the mountain
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 des-
tined 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 them-
selves 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." ''" The other mountains hereupon said
to God, " Is it possible that Thou art partial, and wilt give
us no reward for our good intention ? " God replied : " Be-
84 The Legends of the Jezvs
cause 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." ^^
Mount Sinai was given the preference not for its humility
alone, but also because upon it there had been no worship-
ping of idols ; whereas the other mountains, owing to their
height, had been employed as sanctuaries by the idolaters."'
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 fit-
ting 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 with-
drew 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." "'
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 humil-
ity, 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 art 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 one 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:
Moses in the Wilderness 85
" Why dost thou stand apart ? If they are not to be deliv-
ered by thee, by none other will they be delivered." When,
likewise, at God's command Moses had erected the Taber-
nacle, he did not enter it, out of great humility, until God
said to him, "Why dost thou stand outside? Thou art
worthy to serve Me." ^"
The Torah Offered to Israel
On the second day of the third month, Moses received
word from God to betake himself to Mount Sinai, for with-
out 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."'' When
Moses had been carried to God in a cloud, which was always
ready to bear him to God and then 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." ''' God, furthermore, knew
that women are more scrupulous in their observance of
religious precepts, and hence He first addressed Himself to
86 The Legends of the Jews
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.""
The words that INIoses 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 re-
ceived the Torah and observed the laws ! The beginning of
all things is hard, but as soon as you will have grown accus-
tomed to obedience, all else will be easy for 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 received many fields as an heri-
tage, 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
Moses in the Wilderness 87
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 will-
ing 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 ex-
plained to them the serious effects that disregard of the law
88 The Legends of the Jews
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, how-
ever, alter their resolution, but were full of joy in the ex-
pectation 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.^^^
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 under-
gone 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 morn-
ing of the day of the revelation, sacrifices were ofifered as a
strengthening of the covenant.^^^
As there were no priests at that time, the service was per-
formed by the elders of Israel, who in spite of their age
performed their duty with youthful vigor.'"^ Moses erected
an altar on Mount Sinai, as well as twelve memorial pillars,
Moses in the Wilderness 8g
one for each tribe, and then. bade them bring bulls, as a
burnt offering and a peace offering/^* 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 them-
selves. 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."'
Although the people had now clearly expressed their de-
sire 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
90 The Legends of the Jews
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 bonds-
men, 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 ad-
dressed the children in the womb with these words : " Be-
hold, I will give your fathers the Torah. Will you be
surety for them that they will observe it ? " They an-
swered : " 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 pro-
hibition with " Nay." As it was the little children upon
w^hose bond God gave His people the Torah, it comes to pass
that many little children die when Israel does not observe the
Torah.^"
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.^"^
The day of the revelation announced itself as an ominous
Moses in the Wilderness gt
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 trem-
bled, 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 in-
tended 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 commo-
tion throughout nature was caused through this only, that He
is now 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."*
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 camied until she heard the first words of the Decalogue.""'
92 The Legends of the Jews
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 pro-
cession, hereupon brought the nation to its bridegroom, God,
to Sinai, himself going up the mountain.^"" 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 this occasion, his voice, when he repeated the words of
God to the people, had as much power as the Divine voice
that he heard.'"'
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 Tarah, it is well, otherwise you will find your 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." "^
Hardly had they uttered these words of submission to God,
when a hundred and twenty myriads of angels descended,
and provided every Israelite with a crown and a girdle of
glory — Divine gifts, which they did not lose until they wor-
shipped the Golden Calf, when the angels came and took
Moses in the Wilderness 93
the gifts away from them.'"' 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.^°*
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.'"''
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 Judgment.
The heavens opened and Mount Sinai, freed from the
94 The Legends of the Jews
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.'"" 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 indi-
vidual Israelite. Double this number of angels was on the
third side, whereas on the fourth side they were simply in-
numerable. For God did not appear from one direction, but
from all four simultaneously, which, however, did not pre-
vent His glory from filling the heaven as well as all the
earth."^
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.^^
The First Commandment
The first word of God on Sinai was Anoki, " It is I." It
was not a Hebrew word, but an 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 it was God who
Moses in the Wilder?icss 95
addressed them. For when Jacob had assembled his chil-
dren 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 grand-
father 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." ^"^
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, your 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 re-
turned 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 ; one to lay his hand upon the
heart of each, that his soul might not depart, and one to
lift the head of each, that he might behold his Maker's splen-
dor. They beheld the glory of God as well as the otherwise
96 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 thy 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, 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 them-
selves 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 be-
come 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 your
enemies in the depths."'"" I am the God of the dry land as
well as of the sea, of the past as well as of the future, the
God of this world as well as of the future world.''' 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.
Moses in the Wilderness 97
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." ^"
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 your God." ^^
These words as well as the others, made known by God on
Mount Sinai, were not heard by Israel alone, but by the in-
habitants of all the earth. The Divine voice divided itself
into the seventy tongues of men, so that all might under-
stand 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.^* 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 Vv^as announced by them to mankind.""' All
heard indeed the same words, but the same voice, correspond-
ing 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
7
98 The Legends of the Jews
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." ^^^
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
your 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, your God, rule over zeal and am not ruled by it;
I wait until the fourth generation to visit punishment upon
the offenders, but if these generations are one after the
other sinful, I will wait no longer with punishment. But
those who love Me, or fear Me, will I reward even unto the
thousandth generation."
When IMoses 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.''"
The third commandment read : " O My people Israel,
none among you shall call the name of the Lord in vain, for
Moses in the Wilderness 99
he who swears falsely by the name of the Lord shall not go
unpunished on the great Judgment Day." "'' 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 one 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 send the angel Yaasriel, who has
charge of the seventy pencils, to engrave anew the Ineffable
Name on the shard. "^^
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 fore-
taste of that other." God: "The Sabbath will give you
this foretaste."^ Be mindful of the Sabbath, to make it holy ;
be mindful of the promise I made to 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 hast created is in couples, why
not I?" Whereupon God rephed, "The community of
Israel shall be thy spouse." Of this promise that God had
made to the seventh day. He reminded the people on Mount
Sinai, when He gave them the fourth commandment, to keep
the Sabbath holy.=^
100 The Legends of the Jews
When the nations of the earth heard the first command-
ment, they said : " There is no king that does not Hke 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 him-
self 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." ''"
It was with these words that the fifth commandment was
emphasized : " Honor thy parents to whom thou owest ex-
istence, 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." '"" 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.""' 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
Moses in the Wilderness loi
parents, God says : " It is good that I do not dwell among
men, or they would have treated Me superciliously, too." ^
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's doors, if he cannot
otherwise maintain his parents.^^
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.^^ 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 re-
moved him from earth before his time?""^ On the Judg-
ment 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 mur-
derer, into Gehenna will He throw him and damn him for all
eternity, while the slain will see satisfaction given him, and
be gla/l.""
102 The Legends of the Jews
The seventh commandment says : '' O My people Israel,
be not adulterers, nor the accomplices or companions of
adulterers, that your children after you may not be adulter-
ers. Commit no unchaste deeds, with your hands, feet,
eyes, or ears, for as a punishment therefor the plague will
come over the world." ^^
This is the eighth commandment: " Be no 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."'"" God may forgive
idolatry, but never theft, and He is always ready to listen to
complaints against forgers and robbers.'^''
The ninth commandment reads : ^' O My people Israel,
bear not false witness against your companions, for in pun-
ishment 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 produced.'"
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." ""* The tenth commandment is
directed against a sin that sometimes leads to a trespassing
of all the Ten Commandments. If a man covets his neigh-
bor's wife and commits adultery, he neglects the first com-
mandment : " 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
Moses in the Wilderness 103
as well as evil. He oversteps the second commandment:
" Thou shalt not have strange gods beside Me . . ., I am a
jealous God," who is wroth against faithlessness, whether
toward Me, or toward men. He breaks the third command-
ment : " 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 consecra-
tion 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 hus-
band ; for every time a man goes to a strange woman, he does
so with the consciousness that this may lead to his death
or to 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 wit-
ness," 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 command-
ment has not only led to all the other sins, but has also the
evil effect that the deceived husband leaves his whole prop-
erty to one who is not his son, so that the adulterer robs him
of his possessions as well as of his wife.^^^
104 The Legends of the Jews
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 were 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 a false oath. The fourth command-
ment : " Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy," cor-
responds 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 neigh-
bor's wife," for one who indulges this lust produces children
who will not honor their true father, but will consider a
stranger their father.^'
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," corre-
Moses in the Wilderness 105
spends to the first word at the creation: "Let there be
Hght," for God is the eternal hght. The second command-
ment : '' Thou shalt have no strange gods before me," cor-
responds 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 Ale 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," corre-
sponds 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 possessions which he has obtained
through false oaths. The fourth commandment : " Remem-
ber 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 hav-
ing 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 in-
tention that he be free from sin, immortal, and capable of sup-
porting 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 firma-
ment 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," corre-
sponds to the word : " Let the waters bring forth abundantly
the moving creature," for God said : " Be not Hke the fish,
among whom the great swallow the small." The seventh
commandment : " Thou shalt not commit adultery," corre-
sponds to the word : " Let the earth bring forth the living
io6 The Legends of the Jews
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, let each keep to his spouse,
and let not one among ye covet his neighbor's wife." ^"
Moses Chosen as Intermediator
After Israel had heard the Ten Commandments, they sup-
posed 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 priv-
ilege was granted them that even the slave women among
them saw more than the greatest prophet of later times— this
vision had 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 inter-
mediator between them and God. God found their wish
right, so that He not only employed Moses as His intermedi-
ator, but determined in all future times to send prophets to
Israel as messengers of His words. Turning to Moses, God
Moses in the Wilderness 107
said : '' All that they have spoken is good. If it were pos-
sible, I would even now dismiss the Angel of Death, but
death against humanity has already been decreed by Me,
hence it must remain.'"' Go, say unto them : ' Return to your
tents,' but stay thou with Me." In these words God in-
dicated to Israel that they might again enter upon conjugal
relations, from which they had abstained throughout three
days, while Moses should forever have to deny himself all
earthly indulgences."'^
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 observance of
the laws which He imposed upon you, to distinguish you be-
fore 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.'^'
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."^ 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
io8 The Legends of the Jews
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."^
In spite of these great marks of favor to Moses, the people
still perceived the difference between the first two command-
ments, 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 under-
standing 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 ]\Ioses taught, for as man is a
being of flesh and blood, and hence ephemeral, so are his
teachings ephemeral. They hereupon came to Moses, say-
ing : " 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 inter-
cede for them, the evil impulse set in once more in its old
place. In vain, however, did they plead with Moses to re-
store the former direct communication between them and
Moses in the Wilderness 109
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/ " '"
Although Israel had now heard only the first two com-
mandments directly from God, still the Divine apparition had
an 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.^**
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.^ 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.^ 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 on 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 per-
no The Legends of the Jezvs
mission 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, where-
upon he went on his way until the angel Hadarnlel 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 be-
held 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 awak-
ened, and He said to Hadarnlel : " You angels have been
quarrelsome since the day I created you. In the beginning,
when I wanted to create Adam, you raised a complaint before
Me and said, ' What is man that Thou art 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 Hadarnlel 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 knpw it, I will be his
messenger and go before him as a disciple before his master."
Hadarnlel hereupon, In a humble attitude, ran before Moses
as a disciple before his master, until he reached the fire of
Moses ill the Wilderness iii
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 a 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 foot-
stool tremble, and all the heavens are seized with trem-
bling 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 Cheru-
bim 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 for Israel, He Himself descended
112 The Legends of the Jews
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 RigA^on,
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 be-
neath 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 of 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 further-
more puts the coals of Rig}^on 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 un-
hurt.
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
Moses ill the Wilder)iess 113
of My Glory, and answer them." ^' 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 invoca-
tion ? 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 in 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
8
114 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 for-
got 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.^*^
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 say-
ing a word. God then said to him : " In thy home, do not
people know the greeting of peace ? " Moses : *' Does it
Moses in the Wilderness 115
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.'"'* Then Moses inquired
as to the significance of the crowns upon the letters, 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 eigh-
teen 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 dis-
cussions, 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 an-
swered, " This is a Halakah given to Moses on Mount Sinai,"
and now Moses was content. Moses returned to God and
said to Him : " Thou hast a man like Akiba, and yet dost
Thou give the Torah to Israel through me ! " But God an-
swered : " Be silent, so has it been decreed by Me." Moses
then said : " O Lord of the world ! Thou hast permitted me
to behold this man's learning, let me 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 repHed : " Be silent, thus
have I decreed." '^
Moses then saw how God wrote the word " long-suffer-
ing " in the Torah, and asked : " Does this mean that Thou
hast patience with the pious ? " But God answered : " Nay,
ii6 The Legends of the Jezvs
with sinners also am I long-suffering." " What ! " ex-
claimed 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 advise Me to have no patience
with sinners and to destroy them." " Yea," said Moses, '' but
Thou didst declare that Thou art long-suffering with sin-
ners also, let now the patience of the Lord be great accord-
ing as Thou hast spoken." ^^^
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.''"
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.""'
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
that 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 them-
selves at His feet, he knew that it was day. He could also
tell time by the occupation of the angels, for by day they
Moses in the Wilderness 117
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.^*
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 colors, 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." ^^
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.^^
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^"
ii8 The Legends of the J civs
For Satan knew nothing of the revelation of God on Sinai,
as God had employed him elsewhere on purpose, 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 pos-
session 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." "'
Moses departed from the heavens with the two tables on
which the Ten Commandments were engraved, and just as
Moses in the Wilderness 119
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.'"^ It is another of the attributes of
the tables, that although they are fashioned out of the hard-
est stone, they can still be rolled up like a scroll.'''' When
God handed the tables to Moses, He seized them by the top
third, whereas Moses took hold of the bottom third, but one
third remained open, and it was in this way that the Divine
radiance was shed upon Moses' f ace.'^''
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, ex-
cept 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
120 Tlie Legends of the Jews
Israel would give the lie to the words of God : '' Thou shalt
have no other gods before Me," and would adore the
Golden Calf.^^ 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 accept-
ing 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 Mes-
sianic time and in the future world, God will compensate
them for all their sufferings."''' But until that time there is
no sorrow that falls to Israel's lot that is not in part a pun-
ishment for their worship of the Golden Calf.'"''
Strange as it may seem that Israel should set out to wor-
ship this idol at the very time when God was busied with
the preparation of the two tables of the law, still the follow-
ing circumstances are to be considered. When Moses de-
parted 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 mid-
way between earth and heaven. Pointing to it with their
fingers, they cried : " This is the man Moses that brought
us up out of the land of Egypt." "'^ Under the leadership of
the magicians Jannes and Jambres, they appeared before
Aaron, saying : " The Egyptians were wont to carry their
Moses in the Wilderness 121
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 orna-
ments of their wives, their sons, and their daughters, think-
ing : " If I were to tell them to bring me gold and silver,
they would immediately do so, hence I will demand the ear-
rings 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 assist-
ance to his worshippers. As a reward for this, God gave
122 The Legends of the Jeivs
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.'"'
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 lien.
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 occu-
pied with the transportation of the coffin, and later forgot to
reclaim the leaf of silver. This was now among the orna-
ments that the people brought to Aaron, and it was exclu-
sively 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."^"
When the mixed multitude that had joined Israel in their
Moses ill the Wilderness 123
exodus from Egypt saw this idol conducting itself like a
living being, they said to Israel: "This is thy God, O
Israel." '" 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,
" has not delivered lis out of Egypt, but only Himself, w^ho
had in Eg}^pt been in captivity." The members of the
Sanhedrin remained loyal to their God, and were hence cut
down by the rabble.''' The twelve heads of the tribes did not
answer the summons of the people any more than the mem-
bers of the Sanhedrin, and were therefore rewarded by being
found worthy of beholding the Divine vision.'''
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 em-
ployed manna, which God in His kindness did not deny
them even on this day, as an offering to their idols.^" 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.''^
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 mean-
time. His expectation, however, w^as disappointed, for on
the morning of the following day, when Aaron had at length
124 The Legends of the Jczvs
completed the altar, Moses was not yet at hand, and the peo-
ple began to offer sacrifices to their idol, and to indulge in
lewdness.'"''
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 peo-
ple, 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.""' He had a particularly hard strug-
gle 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 par-
ticipators 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 Destruc-
tion, 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
Moses in the Wildeniess 125
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 a 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."'^
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 no 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
126 The Legends of the Jews
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'ali ' would move as a harbinger of blood and
death before the Israelites." ""^ 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 them-
selves 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 art 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 that land, but not to 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 con-
Moses in the Wilderness 127
sequences 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 liked 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 art angry with them.
The Calf, I suppose, 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 art 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 art Thou angry with Thy peo-
ple? If Thou art 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
128 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 passed My lips, I can not retract." Moses replied :
" O Lord of the world ! Hast 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 sub-
ject himself to the law, and Thou who hast 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 art absolved from Thine oath and
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,"^' and together they repaired to the encamp-
ment. On approaching it, they heard the 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." ""' When
Moses in the Wilderness 129
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, al-
though these were seventy Seah in weight. All at once, how-
ever, 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 disappear-
ance of the writing all this changed. 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 con-
sulting God, he broke the tables. God, however, thanked
Moses for breaking the tables.^
Hardly had Moses broken the tables, when the ocean
wanted to leave its bed to flood the world. IMoses 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 ob-
servance of the Torah, but Israel has not been faithful to it."
Moses hereupon said to the waters: "All that have com-
9
130 The Legends of the Jezvs
mitted 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.^^°
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 them-
selves 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 this 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 .'"'
Moses in the Wilderness 131
Moses Intercedes for the People
Those who were executed by these judgments 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.^^^ 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 blame 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 hast written.' " '''
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 book,"
still it was on account of this that his name was omitted from
one section of the Pentateuch .""^ 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.
132 The Legends of the Jews
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 him-
self : " The disciple may not have intercourse with people
whom the master has excommunicated."
Not only the people went out to 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, there-
fore, 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, '' al-
ready told thee, that I shall send an angel before them."
Moses in the Wilderness 133
But Moses, by no means content with this assurance, con-
tinued to importune God not to entrust Israel to an angel,
but to conduct and guide them in person."'''
Forty days and forty nights, from the eighteenth day of
Tammuz to the twenty-eighth day of Ab, did Moses stay in
heaven,^®^ 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 de-
scendants ; and only then was his prayer answered. He 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 pun-
ishment by fire for their sin, remember the fire of the lime-
kiln 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 wan-
dered 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
134 The Legends of the Jezvs
demand nothing more for Israel," Moses continued, " than
what Thou wert wilHng 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: my-
self, 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 per-
son.^
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.''* God showed him the great
treasure troves in which are stored up the various rewards
for the pious and the just, explaining each separate one to
him in detail : in this one were the rewards of those who give
Moses in the Wilderness 135
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 an-
swered : '' 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
also 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, learn-
ing 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 re-
ward of 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." ^*®
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 came, found the money, pocketed
it, and took to his heels. When the owner of the purse be-
came 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
136 The Legends of the Jews
to fetch water. To him he said : '^ Restore to me the money
that a Httle while ago I left here, for none can have taken it
if not thou." When the man declared that he had fomid
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 me 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." "'"
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 its sages, every genera-
tion and its prophets, every generation and its expounders of
the Scriptures, every generation and its leaders, every gene-
ration 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 an-
swered : " 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 for subsistence." ^*^
Moses in the Wilderness 137
Although God had now granted all of his wishes, still
Moses received the following answer to his prayer, " I be-
seech 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 art 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." "'^
God had a reason for not showing His glory to Moses. He
said to him : " When I revealed Myself to thee in the burn-
ing bush, thou didst not want to look upon Me; now thou
art willing, but I am not." ""^
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 Hght,^'" 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.""' Not without great dan-
ger, 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,
138 The Legends of the Jews
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,"*^ 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 one and the same Merciful God before
men have sinned, and after they have sinned and repented
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
deeds 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 genera-
tion. I forgive misdeeds and even atrocious actions, in for-
giving those who repent."^" When Moses heard this, and
particularly that God is long-suffering with sinners,""' 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 ac-
cording to thy word." ^^
The day on which God showed Himself merciful to Moses
and to His people, was the tenth day of Tishri, the day on
Moses in the Wilderness 139
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
cancelling of sins for you, for your children, and your chil-
dren's children to the end of all generations." ^
This day was now 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.""' For after
Moses had spent forty days in prayer, until God finally for-
gave Israel their sins, he began to reproach himself for hav-
ing 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." '''
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
140 The Legends of the Jews
they might not be alarmed by his absence ; and he stayed in
heaven until the tenth day of Tishri, on which day he re-
turned with the Torah and delivered it to Israel.'"''
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." ^°''
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 w^ith Israel like the king who
took to himself a wife and drew up the marriage contract
with his own hand. One day the king noticed his wife en-
gaged in very intimate conversation with a slave; and, en-
raged at her unworthy conduct, he turned her out of his
house. Then he who had given the bride away at the wed-
ding 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 re-
plied : " Thou desirest I\Ie to forgive them. Well, then, I
Moses in the Wilderness 141
shall do so, now fetch Me hither tables on which I may-
write the words that were written on the first. But to re-
ward 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." ""''
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 had 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 for Moses and his descend-
ants; but he was benevolent of spirit, and imparted the
Torah to Israel.'"' The wealth that Moses procured for him-
self 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 the 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." ^"^
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
142 The Legends of the Jews
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 cove-
nant 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 dis-
solved the upper and the under worlds into chaos." '"'
Forty days and forty nights Moses now devoted to the
study of the Torah, and in all that 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.
Moses in the Wilderness i43
like the angels partook of no food. He received nourishment
from the 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 dov/n the Torah, al-
though 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 completed 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.'°' In this way God ful-
filled 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." '" On Moses' return from heaven, the peo-
ple were greatly amazed to see his face shining, and there
was fear, too, in their amazement. This fear was a conse-
quence 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
144 The Legends of the Jezvs
who had been the intermediator between themselves and
God/" 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 instruc-
tion, 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.^^^
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, has forgiven
us, and is reconciled to us. Thou, Moses, wert included 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
Moses in the Wilderness i45
hast raised me." God replied : " Truly, as I have exalted
thee, so will I exalt them also; record their numbers, 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 nations 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."''' Moses further said to God: "O Lord
of the world ! To our father Abraham Thou madest the fol-
lowing promises : ' And I will make thy seed in number as the
dust of the earth ; 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
10
146 The Legends of the Jews
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 pros-
perity 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 pros-
perous 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 un-
fortunate 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.'"
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
Moses in the Wilderness I47
Golden Calf, but let each one offer up to the Eternal atone-
ment 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 now
to yield up our hard-earned possessions as atonement money.
The law prescribes that a man must 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, Him
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
148 The Legends of the Jews
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.'"
The Erection of the Tabernacle Commanded
When, on that memorable Day of Atonement, God indi-
cated His forgiveness to Israel with the words, *' I have for-
given 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 art 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 may know that I have forgiven Israel. My
sanctuary in their midst will be a testimony of My forgive-
ness of their sins, and hence it may well be called a * Taber-
nacle of Testimony.' " '"
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,
AIoscs in the Wilderness 149
that all the dwellers of the earth may recognize that Thou
art their King?" God replied: "My children, the kings
of 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 art 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 com-
mand you. It is customary in the world that whosoever has
a little son, cares for him, anoints him, washes him, feeds
him, and carries him, but as soon ^s 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." ^" God then gave them detailed instruc-
tion 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 sanc-
tuary, that I may dwell among them.' "
150 The Legends of the Jews
At these last words Moses was 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 beasts 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."'"
God was indeed anxious to have a sanctuary erected to Him,
it was the condition on which He led them out of Egypt,"^'
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
Moses in the Wilderness 151
until then it had always been swaying hither and thither /^^
Hence the Tabernacle in its separate parts also corresponded
to the creations of the six days. The two tables in the Ark
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 day, so
did He appoint the laver in the sanctuary to symbolize it, and
as He had on that day destined the plant kingdom as nour-
ishment for man, so did He now require a table with bread
in the Tabernacle. The candlestick in the Tabernacle cor-
responded 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. Cor-
responding to the birds created on the fifth day, the Taber-
nacle 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
his Lord and Creator.^^'
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 had
forgiven Israel their sin, the worship of the Golden Calf, it
152 The Legends of the Jews
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 con-
struction of the Golden Calf. Besides gold, let them bring
]\Ie 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 breatsplate.' " To these
instructions, God added these words : " But do not suppose
that you are giving Me these thirteen objects as gifts, for
thirteen deeds did I perform for you in Egypt, which these
thirteen objects now repay. For ' I clothed you with broid-
ered 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 re-
ceive thirteen gifts from Me, when ' I shall create upon
every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assem-
blies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flam-
ing 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 storm 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
Moses in the Wilderness i53
all you have belongs to Me, through whom you received it in
your passage through the Red Sea, when you took their
wealth from the Egy^ptians/'' 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 ]\Ie 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 gold ; "
the silver pointed toward the sovereignty of Persia and
Media, who through silver tried to bring about the destruc-
tion of Israel; brass stood for the Greek Empire, that like
this metal is of inferior quality, its rule also was less signif-
icant than that of its predecessors in the sovereignty over
the world ; the rams' 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 enHghten 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.'
When Moses was in heaven, God showed him the Taber-
nacle, 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
154 The Legends of the Jezvs
king to execute works in person, but to give people directions.
Therefore thou art not to execute the building of the Taber-
nacle 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." "*
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 wor-
ship 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 completed, 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, ^"^ 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
Moses in the Wilderness i55
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 A,rk, 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." '"^ 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
156 The Legends of the Jews
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 Ahumai, because, through
his work, the sanctuary, Israel, and God were united; and
finally Lahad, as the one who brought splendor and loftiness
to 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 Dan-
ite, so too did the Temple of Jerusalem, which was built at the
command of the Judean Solomon by the Danite Hiram."^ 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, in-
sight, and understanding."*
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 ? " J\Ioses : " That God m.ay let His Shekinah
rest therein, and so teach the Torah to His people Israel."
Moses ill the Wilderness 157
Bezalel : " And where dost thou keep the Torah ? " ]\Ioses :
'' As soon as the Tabernacle shall have been completed, 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." ]\Ioses
saw the justice of this argument, and Bezalel began his work
wath 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.^^
The Ark consisted of three caskets, a gold one, the length
of ten 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 ser-
pents and scorpions that crossed the path of the Israelites,
and furthermore burned all thorns that threatened to injure
158 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 mer-
chant?"^"
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."'^ The Ark that Bezalel constructed was
also used again in Solomon's Temple, for he retained the Ark
used by Aloses 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.^"
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."^ It was " from between the two Cherubim "
that God communed with Moses, for the Shekinah never
Moses in the Wilderness 159
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.*^* 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 de-
voted to their Lord, yea, even clasped one another like a
loving couple. During the festivals of the pilgrimage the
priests 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. ^^'
A two-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 be-
came visible at the back of it, and the wings of the Cherubim
furthermore extended until they reached the ceiling of the
Holy of Holies.^''
The Table and the Candlestick
While the number of Cherubim was the same in the Tem-
ple 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
i6o Tlie Legends of the Jezi's
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 centre, whereas the
tables fashioned by Solomon stood five to the south and five
to the north. For from the south come '' the dews of bless-
ing 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." ^^'
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 thereupon 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 prop-
erly seize the idea; but thou, without having had it shown
thee by God, couldst fashion it out of thy own fund of knowl-
edge. Truly dost thou deserve thy name Bezalel, ' in the
Moses in the Wilderness i6i
sHadow of God,' for thou dost act as if thou hadst been ' in
the shadow of God ' while He was showing me the candle-
stick." ^^
This 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.''' 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 candestick 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.'*' 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 wih 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.'"^
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
II
i62 The Legends of the Jews
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 repHed : " 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
Aly 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 art 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 com-
mand; 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 inci-
dents. The rod of Aaron, after it had lain for a night in the
sanctuary, " brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and
Moses in the Wilderness 163
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 alluded was the stretching of the staves of the
Ark when Solomon set them in the Holy of Holies, and the
staves, after having been part 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 con-
tinually,' 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.' " ^"^
Beside the brazen altar there was also one of gold, which
corresponded to the human soul, while the former corres-
ponded 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 de-
light in perfumes only.^'
164 The Legends of the Jews
The materials employed for the construction of the Taber-
nacle, 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 construc-
tion." 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
Moses in the Wilderness 165
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 word
" Shittim " is composed, stand for Shalom, " peace," Tobah,
'^ good," Yesh uah, '' salvation," and Mehillah, " forgive-
ness." ^^ The boards that were made for the Tabernacle out
of shittim wood never decayed, but endure In all eternity.'*^
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 corre-
sponding 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.""
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.^*^ 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
i66 The Legends of the Jews
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.^'^
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, corre-
sponding to the three deliverers God sent to deliver Israel
from Egypt, — Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. It had four horns
in the four corners thereof, to atone for the sins of the people
that on Sinai received four horns, " the horn of the Torah,"
'' the horn of the Shekinah," " the horn of Priesthood," and
" the horn of the Kingdom." '*'
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 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 Tem-
ple. 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 any-
Moses in the Wilderness 167
thing 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 ac-
cepted 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 re-
ceived the other nations not connected with Israel. But God
will call out to the Messiah : " Roar at this monster that de-
vours the fat of the nations, that justifies its claims for recog-
nition through being a descendant of Abraham by his grand-
son 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 deeds that are in accord with the wishes of
Satan." ""
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 :
i68 The Legends of the Jews
" 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 him-
self 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 thy
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 in-
stalled 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 thy-
self." ^''^ At God's bidding, Aaron and his two sons were now
chosen as priests, 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.^'^
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 gar-
ments. All these garments had expiatory virtues, and each
Moses in the Wilderness 169
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.^'
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.^^*
The ephod had only two precious stones, one on each
shoulder, and on each of these stones were engraved the
names of 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."'' On the breastplate 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." ^^
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
170 The Legends of the Jews
grated by a woman and tasted by her, of promoting preg-
nancy, 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 kindled 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 con-
fessed 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 mer-
Moses in the Wilderness 171
chant 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 for-
tune.
Dan's stone was a species of topaz, in which was visible
the inverted face of a man, for the Danites were sinful, turn-
ing 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 endow-
ing 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
tliem for having sold into slavery Joseph, the only other
172 The Legends of the Jews
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.'"
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, look-
ing 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
Moses in the Wilderness 173
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.'"^
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 sanc-
tuary any offering he pleased. At the same time he im-
pressed 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
the building of the sanctuary. Moses thereupon expounded
to them the kind of work that was permissible on the Sab-
bath, and the kind that was prohibited, for there were not
less than thirty-nine occupations the pursuit of which on the
Sabbath was punishable by death.'"'" Owing to the impor-
tance 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 sum-
174 The Legends of the Jezvs
moned 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." "°
The stress laid on the observance of the Sabbath laws was
quite necessary, for the people were so eager to deHver 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/"' 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 contribu-
tions 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 can-
cel 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.^"'
The women, however, were no less eager to contribute
their mite, and were especially active in producing the woolen
hangings. They did this in so miraculous a way, that they
spun the wool while it was still upon the goats.^'^ 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 con-
ceal ourselves from the eyes of the men. But if thou art
Moses in the Wilderness 175
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 ]\^ses : *' 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 for-
merly 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,^'* 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 contribu-
1^6 Thr Liyohh of tJic Jczcs
tions, and at the last moment they brought the precious
stones for the ganiients of Aaron, tliat they might not be
entirely unrepresented in tlie sanctuary. But God took their
delay amiss, and for tliis reason they later sought to be tlie
tirst to otter up sacrifices in the sanctuary /'^^
After everytliing had been provided for the construction of
the Tabernacle, Bezal^^l set to work with the devotion of his
whole soul, and as a reward for this, the Holy Scriptures
speak of him only as tlie constructor of the sanctuary, al-
though many others stood by him in this labor. He began
his work by fashioning the boards, then attended to the over-
laying of tliem, and when he had completed these things,
he set to work to prepare the curtains, then completed the
Ark with tlie penance-cover belonging to it, and finally the
table for die shewbread, and the candlestick.*^
The Setting up of the Tabernacle
The work on the Tabernacle progTessed rapidly, for every-
thing was ready in the montli of Kislew, but it was not set
up until tliree months later. The people were indeed eager
to set up the sanctuary at once and to dedicate it, but God
bade ]\Ioses wait until the first day of the month of Xisan,
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 tliis 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 ? ' ' ^''
In regard to the Tabernacle, Closes had to suffer much be-
sides from the fault-finders and wicked tongues. If he
showed himself upon the street, they called out to one
Moses In f.V<A Wildern^.i: 177
ancth^:r : " See what a well-fed neck, what sturdy legs tiie
son of Amram has, who eats and dr:-' '-.".i our money! "
The other wotdd answer : " Dost t? - ; - - that orie who
has the construction of the Tabemade m hts h^nds will re-
gain a poor man ? " Moses said nothing, but resolved, as
soon as the Ta?jeniacle should have been com^ted, to lay an
eTiact account before the people, which he did. But when it
came to giving his account, he forgot one item of seven
hundred seventy-five shdcels which he had expended for
hcok', upon which to hang the curtains of the Tabernacle,
Then, as he suddenly raised his eyes, h>e saw th^ Shekfnah
resting on the hooks and was reminded of his omission of
lliis expenditure. Thereafter all Israel became convinced
that Closes was a faithful and reliable administrator.**
As the people had brought much more m^aterial than was
necessarv' for the Tabernacle, Closes erected a second Taber-
r^acle outside the encampment on the spot where God had
been accustomed to reveal Himself to him, and this " Taber-
nacle of revelation" was in all details like ^ original
sanctuary- in the camp.**
When everything was ready, the people were ver/ much
disappointed that the Shekinah did not rest upon their work,
and they betook themselves to the wise men who had worked
en the erection of the Tabernacle, and said to tiiem : " WTiy
do ye sit thus idle, set up the Tabernacle, that the Shekinah
may dweU among us.*' These now attem,pted to put up the
Tabernacle, but did not succeed, for hardly did they believe
it was up, when it feU down again. Now all went to Bezald
and his assistant Oholiab, sa^ying to them : " Do you now set
up the Tabernacle, you who ccnstniaed it, and perhaps it
12
178 The Legends of the Jezvs
will then stand." But when even these two master-builders
did not succeed in setting up the Tabernacle, the people be-
gan 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 hast 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 Taber-
nacle, 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
Moses in the Wilderness 179
it stood erect, and the rumors among the people that Moses
had arbitrarily put up the Tabernacle without the command
of God ceased for evermore."*^
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.""
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 sacri-
fices."'" It was on the twenty-third day of Adar that God
bade Moses consecrate Aaron and his sons as priests, saying
i8o. The Legends of the Jews
to him : " Go, persuade Aaron to accept his priestly office,
for he is a man who 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 multi-
tude 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 con-
veniently find room there." "'
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 offer-
ing because he feared that among the gifts out of which the
sanctuary had been constructed, there might have been ill-
gotten gains, and as God loves justice and hates loot as an
Moses in the Wilderness i8i,
offering, Moses through a sin offering sought to obtain for-
giveness 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 one encampment to
another."*
These seven days of retirement were assigned to Aaron
and his sons not only as a preparation for their regular ser-
vice, they had another significance also. God, before bring-
ing the flood upon the earth, observed the seven days pre-
ceding 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 .^^'^
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 the 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
performed sacrificial rites ; the first day on which the 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
i82 The Legends of the Jezvs
day of the week, a Sunday, the first day of the first month of
the year."*^
It was on this day after " the week of training " for Aaron
and his sons that God said to Aloses : " Thinkest thou that
thou art 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 an-
nounce his elevation to this dignity, that none may say
Aaron himself assumed this dignity."'" 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 prepara-
tions for the installation of Aaron into office."'^
When Aloses 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.""''
Moses continued : " My brother Aaron, although God has
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
Moses in the Wilderness 183
calf be established in thy dignlt)^" Then Moses turned to
the people, saying : " You have two sins to atone for : the
selling of Joseph, whose coat your 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 com-
mitted 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 m.ake sure that God has become
reconciled to you, offer up a bull also, and thereby acknowl-
edge that you are slaughtering before God your idol, the bull
that you had erstwhile worshipped." The people, however,
said to ]\Ioses : " 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 reso-
lution, 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
,i84 The Legends of the Jews
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 blessing, 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 has not descended among Israel, I merely owe it to
my brother Moses that to my confusion I entered the sanc-
tuary, for my service did not suffice to bring down the She-
kinah." 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 the burnt offering and the fat,"
and stayed upon the altar well-nigh 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.^*° For, in a certain sense, the erection of the Taber-
nacle 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
Moses in the Wilderness 185
world to the revelation on Sinai the world owed its existence
to the love and grace 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 Taber-
nacle 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 the con-
secration 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 the consecration of the Tabernacle the Shekinah
returned to its former abode, the earth. The angels there-
fore 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 the 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, i
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 be-
tween 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 world 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
i86 The Legends of the Jews
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 chil-
dren, 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 un-
disturbed 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 kills men as well as
animals. He rolls like a ball and has 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 occa-
sion had turned the eyes of all the world upon Israel, and
the evil eye of the nations brought about the circumstance of
Moses in the Wilderness 187
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 your 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 es-
tablish Thou the work of our hands upon us ; yea the work
of our hands establish Thou it." ^^^
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, ap-
proached 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.^'^
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,
1 88 The Legends of the Jews
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 on Mount Sinai.
Their fate had even then 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 occa-
sion 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 the 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 has
been used as a 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 sacri-
Moses in the Wilderness 189
ficial 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 or 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 offer-
ing appropriate. They partook of wine before entering the
sanctuary, which is 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 wash-
ing. 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 in-
cense at that time. Apart from this list 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.^^
When Aaron heard of the death of his sons, he said : " All
Israel saw Thee at the Red Sea as well as at Sinai with-
out suffering injury thereafter; but my sons, whom Thou
didst order to dwell in the Tabernacle, a place that a lay-
man 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
190 The Legends of the Jews
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 hav-
ing 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 done for me, for the kind-
ness Thou hast shown me in causing my sons to die rather
than having them waste their lives as lepers. It behooves
me to thank Thee and praise Thee, ' because Thy lovingkind-
ness is better than life, my lips shall praise Thee.' " ^**
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 Taber-
nacle 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 impor-
tant 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.
Moses in the Wilderness 191
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."^
Whereas the whole house of Israel was bidden to bewail
the death of Nadab and Abihu, for ^^ the death of a pious
man is a greater misfortune to Israel than the Temple's burn-
ing to ashes," ^^ — 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 considera-
tion 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
192 The Legends of the Jezvs
arbitrary actions with their Hves, particularly since they also
had been doomed to death, and owed their lives 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 repri-
mand amiss, caused a herald to make an annoimcement
throughout the camp : " I have falsely interpreted the
law, and Aaron, my brother, has corrected me. Eleazar
and Ithamar also knew the law, but were silent out of
consideration for me." As a reward for their considerate-
ness, God thereupon revealed important laws to Moses
with a special injunction to tell them to Aaron as well as to
Eleazar and Ithamar.^^
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 peo-
ple 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 peo-
ple 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
Moses in the Wilderness 193
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 wag'ons as well as of oxen had been
set with a purpose. The six wagons corresponded to the six
days of creation ; to the six Mothers, Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel,
Leah, Bilhah, and Zilpah ; to the six laws that the Torah pre-
scribes 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
13
194 TJie Legends of the Jezvs
accepted the gifts, not without misgivings, fearing lest a
wagon should break, or an ox die, leaving this tribe or that
unrepresented by a gift. But God assured him that no acci-
dent 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,
and the sons of Merari four, because the latter were entrusted
with the transportation of the heavy portions of the Taber-
nacle, boards, bars, and similar things, whereas the former,
having the lighter portions, had enough with two wagons.
The third division of the Levites, the sons of Kohath, re-
ceived no wagons, for they were entrusted with the transpor-
tation 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 the dedication, to present
offerings. As with the wagons, Moses was doubtful whether
or not to permit them to bring their offerings, for these were
of an unusual kind that were not ordinarily permissible.
Moses in the Wilderness 195
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 was 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 devo-
tion 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.^***
Nahshon's offering was one silver charger that had been
fashioned for the sanctuary, the weight whereof was an hun-
dred and thirty shekels ; one bowl of equal size, but of lighter
weight, of seventy shekels; both of them full of fine flour
mingled with oil for a meat offering. Furthermore, one
spoon of ten shekels of geld, full of incense ; one young bul-
lock, 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 tm-
cleanness 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 an individual allowed to offer up incense, as Nahshon
and his fellows did. They also brought sin offerings, which
is ordinarily not permitted unless one is conscious of having
196 The Legends of the Jews
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
sacrifices may be offered on the Sabbath/®'
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 dedica-
tion 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, corre-
sponded 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 ver}' 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, say-
Moses in the Wilderness 197
ing: " TIs enough that Judah was permitted to offer sacri-
fice before me, surely it is now time for our tribe to present
our offerings." But Moses informed him that God had or-
dained-that the tribes should present offerings in the order in
which they moved through the desert, so that the tribe Issa-
char 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 the
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 antago-
nistic, 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 particu-
lars 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 prose-
lytes, 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
198 The Legends of the Jezvs
corresponded to the oral and the written Torah, the study of
which brings peace on earth and peace in heaven/"^
After Nahshon, the temporal king, and Nethanel the spir-
itual king, came the turn of Eliab, the prince of the tribe of
Zebulun. This tribe owed its distinction to the circum-
stance 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 sym-
bolize the food and drink with which Zebulun provided 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 two
oxen point to the two blessings which Moses bestowed upon
Zebulun, as the three small cattle, the ram, the goat, and the
lamb, correspond to the three things which gave Zebulun's
possessions distinction before all others, the tunny, the purple
snail, and white glass.'"
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 symbolizes the deed of Reuben,
Moses in the Wilderness i99
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 for-
gave his sin with Bilhah, and " his prayer was set forth be-
fore God as incense." As penance for this crime, Reuben
offered the kid of the 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.''^''
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 un-
chastity 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, min-
gled 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
200 The Legends of the Jews
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 out 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.^^^
As Simeon, sword in hand, battled for his sister, so, by force
of arms, did the tribe 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
to Palestine. The charger of the weight of a hundred and
thirty shekels alluded to Jochebed, who at the age of one hun-
dred and thirty years bore Moses, who had a symbolical con-
nection with the bowl, for he was thrown into the Nile. This
bowl weighed seventy shekels, as Moses extended his pro-
phetic 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 pos-
sessed in Egypt, which were instrumental in their deliver-
ance—they did not alter their Hebrew names, they did not
alter their Hebrew language, and they lived a life of chastity.
The sin offerinsfs were to atone for the idolatry to which they
Moses in the Wilderness 201
were addicted in Eg^^pt, so that God did not permit their de-
Hverance 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 a sacrifice, be-
cause God was mindful of His vow to the three Patriarchs
and the twelve fathers of the tribes, and released Israel out of
bondage.'^*
A special distinction was granted to the tribe of Ephralm,
for God allowed their prince to make his offering on the Sab-
bath, a day on which otherwise none but the daily offerings
were allowed to be offered. This distinction the tribe of
Ephralm owed to its ancestor Joseph In recognition of his
strict observance of the Sabbath as governor of Eg}'pt. 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 Ephralm to bless him ; the spoon
was filled with incense; Jacob laid his right hand upon
Ephralm 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 the 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
202 The Legends of the Jews
three kinds of small cattle that were offered as peace offer-
ings corresponded to the three generations of Ephraim that
Joseph was permitted to see before his death.^'
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 com-
mit adultery,' and hast not committed adultery with Poti-
phar's wife; and thou hast also kept the following command-
ment, the eighth, ' Thou shalt not steal,' for thou didst steal
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 migrate to Egypt. The
spoon of ten shekels of gold indicated the ten portions of
land that fell to Manasseh. The three burnt offerings cor-
responded 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.
Moses in the Wilderness 203
The two oxen of the peace offering indicated that the pos-
sessions 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 heads of each indicated
the five daughters of Zelophehad, the only women who, like
men, received their shares in the distribution of the promised
land/"
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 sig-
nified 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 of being sites for God's sanctuary. The
spoon of ten shekels of gold full of incense corresponded to
the ten sons of Benjamin, all of whom were pious men. The
three burnt offerings 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 offer-
ing, 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 sanctuary. The two
204 The Legends of the Jezvs
oxen of the peace offering corresponded to the two deliverers
of the Jews that sprang from the tribe of Benjamin, Mor-
decai and Esther. The five heads each of the three kinds of
small cattle for a peace offering symbolized the triple dis-
tinction of Benjamin and his tribe by five gifts. The gift of
honor that Joseph gave his brother Benjamin five times ex-
ceeded that of all his other brothers ; when Joseph made him-
self known to his brothers, he gave Benjamin five changes of
raiment, and so too did the Benjamite Mordecai receive
from Ahasuerns five garments of state.'*"
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. Sam-
son was a Nazirite, and to this alluded the silver charger for
storing bread, for it is the duty of a Nazirite, at the expira-
tion 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 re-
called the ten laws that are imposed upon Nazirites, and that
Samson had to obey. The three burnt offerings had a simi-
lar significance, for Samson's mother received three injunc-
tions 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 un-
clean thing." The sin offering, which consisted of a kid,
called in Hebrew Sa'ir, corresponded to the admonition given
Moses in the Wilderness 205
to Samson's mother, not to shave his hair, in Hebrew Se'ar.
The two oxen corresponded to the two pillars of which Sam-
son 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 under-
took against the Philistines."^
The judge must pronounce judgment before it be exe-
cuted, hence, too, the tribe of Asher, " the executors of jus-
tice," followed Dan, the judges. The name Asher also sig-
nifies " good fortune," referring to the good fortune of
Israel that was chosen to be 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 con-
sisted 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 ten
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 fash-
ioned on the Ark in which the Torah w^as 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
2o6 The Legends of the Jews
of a good name, which a man earns through dood deeds, for
the crucial test is not the study of the Torah, but the Hfe
conforming to it. For this reason also there was a sin offer-
ing among the offerings, corresponding to the crown of good
deeds, for these alone can serve men 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.^"
As Jacob blessed first Asher and then 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 a hundred and thirty years. A silver bowl for
sprinkling blood recalled Abraham, who was thrown far
away from 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
Moses in the Wilderness 207
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 trIbesT
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 , " sil-
ver charger," amounts to the samCo 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 " corresponds to
the ten words of God by which the world was created, to
the ten Sefirot, to the ten lists of generations in the Scrip-
tures, 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 the goats indicated Joseph ; the two
oxen corresponded to Moses and Aaron ; the five rams to the
five distinguished sons of Zerah; Zimri, Ethan, Heman,
2o8 The Legends of the Jews
Calcol, and Dara; whereas the five gcats and the five lambs
symboHzed 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 to the twelve months : the twelve spoons to the twelve
guides of men, which are: the heart, that bestows under-
standing 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 possible ; 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 absorb fluids ; the
liver, that promotes irritation; the spleen, that promotes
laughter; the crop, that grinds all food; and the stomach,
that aflfords pleasant sleep. " All the silver of the vessels that
weighed two thousand and four hundred shekels " corre-
sponded 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 hun-
dred and twenty shekels, corresponded to the years of Moses'
life, for he died at the age of a hundred and twenty.'"'
The different species of animals offered as sacrifices cor-
responded 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.
Moses in the Wilderness 209
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/"^
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 re-
gard and friendship, God granted them the distinction of
permitting them to present their offerings even on the
Sabbath day."'
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."* Moses in his humility did
14
210 The Legends of the Jews
not dare to enter the Tabernacle, so that God had to sum-
mon 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 as pow-
erful 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 ex-
ception of three cases in which God revealed Himself to him,
never received His commands except through the communi-
cations of Moses. God would call Moses twice caressingly
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.***'
On the first day of the dedication of the Tabernacle, not
less than eight important sections of laws were communi-
cated to Moses by God.*"' 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,"' 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.*"*
The second law revealed on this day was the separation of
Moses in the Wilderness 211
the Levltes from among the children of Israel, that they
might be dedicated to the sanctuary. " For God elevates 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 other 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.**"
The ceremonies connected with the consecration of the
Levites had much in common with the regulations for the
cleansing of lepers. Originally, the firstborn had been the
servants of the sanctuary, but, owmg to the worship of the
Golden Calf, they lost this prerogative, and the Levites re-
placed 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,
one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering; for the
law prescribes that a bullock be offered as 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 who-
soever worships an idol, by this act renounces the whole
Torah," hence did the Levites have to offer up another
212 The Legends of the Jews
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 atone-
ment for the children of Israel," God ordered all the con-
gregation of Israel to be present at the consecration of the
Levites, for whosoever had a sin offering offered up for
himself must in person bring it to the Tabernacle. There-
fore, 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 offering that was
to make atonement for the sin of the congregation. Aaron,
like the elders, participated in the ceremony of the consecra-
tion, lifting up every single Levite as a token that he was
now dedicated to the sanctuary.""" Aaron's extraordinary
strength is proven by the fact that he was able to lift up
twenty-two thousand men in one day.^
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 was blinded
by splashings of loam. It was a battered and crippled host
Moses in the Wilderness 213
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 Taber-
nacle 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."^ 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
214 The Legends of the Jews
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 be-
lievers. Thou who didst suspect them wrongly, put now thy
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." Uzzlah presumed upon the rights of the priest-
hood, 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 be-
cause 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.*^'
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
Moses in the Wilderness 215
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 per-
mitted 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 judgment on this case be-
fore 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 judgment
concerning their case, and sentence was indeed revealed im-
mediately.*^*
It was on this day also that God said to Moses : " A heavy
blow of fate has 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 be-
fore the mercy seat, which is upon the Ark.' " These last
words greatly aggrieved Moses, who now 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, per-
haps 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
2i6 The Legends of the Jews
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 Atone-
ment before his entrance into the Holy of Holies were sym-
bolical 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 hav-
ing 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.""
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.'^'
On this day, also, Moses received the revelation concern-
ing 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 num-
ber 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 sprink-
ling with this water of purification, whereas in the future
world God will sprinkle clean water upon Israel, " that they
may be cleansed from all their filthiness, and from all their
idols." "^
Mose^ in the Wilderness 217
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 sanc-
tuary." 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 art
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 that I might thereby dis-
tinguish you in the eyes of the nations that will say, ' Behold
the people of Israel, that hold up a light before Him who be-
stoweth light upon all 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
2iS The Legends of the Jews
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.' " *^^
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." "'
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 follow-
ing revelation : " The sanctuary will on another occasion
also be dedicated by the lighting of candles, and then it will
be done by thy 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." *^"
Moses in the Wilderness 219
The candlestick that Aaron Hghted 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, green fire, and black fire,
and out of these four kinds of fires He fashioned a candle-
stick 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 tlie 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 revela-
tion concerning clean and unclean animals, God showed one
specimen of each to Moses, saying : " This ye shall eat, and
this ye shall not eat." *^
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."^ On the first day of the month
of lyyar, Moses received instructions to take a census of
220 The Legends of the Jews
all men over twenty who were physically fit to ^o 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.*^
The names of these twelve princes of the tribes indicated
the history of the tribes they represented. The prince of the
tribe of Reuben was called Elizur, " my God is a rock," re-
ferring 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,
Moses in the Wilderness 221
" 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
judgment 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 '' treas-
ures 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 fore-
father. 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," re-
ferring 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 over-
take him, and that he was doomed through weakness to die
222 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 inter-
cession 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 multipHed ;" son of Deuel, " God is a witness." To re-
ward 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 enemy's 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
Moses in the Wilderness 223
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
of their lands. The tribes of Dan, Asher, and NaphtaU
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.*^
At this third census the number of men who were able to
224 The Legends of the Jezvs
go to war proved to be exactly the same as at 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.*"' 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 ratio of the two sexes
varied among the different tribes, as, for example, the female
sex in the tribe of Naphtali greatly outnumbered the male.*^'
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 con-
sidered 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 were 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 wilder-
ness, " 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
Moses in the Wilderness 22$
Angel of Death would have held sway over them also, where-
fore 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 num-
ber his legions, but added : " Number all the legions ex-
cepting only the legion that is about me." "''
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 oc-
curred 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.*^^
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 up-
ward. Shall I now wander about in their courts and houses
and count each child, seeing that Thou givest me such a
command ? " But God replied : " Do thou what thou canst
IS
226 The Legends of the Jezvs
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, telling him exactly the number
of children without his having to count them.'''
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 produced Enoch.
Moses, seventh among the Patriarchs, 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 Sab-
batical year of rest is the year of jubilee."^
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 ser-
vices 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."^
Moses in the Wilderness 227
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. This 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 wnth " Levi " he was not
obliged to remit any payment, but if he drew " five shekels,"
he had to pay that sum to the priests."''
228 The Legends of the Jews
The Four Divisions of the Levites
Apart from the census of all male Levites, jMoses 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/'^ 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 in-
creased it to sixteen, to which David again added eight, so
that there were later twenty-four divisions among the Levites
and priests/'"'
The most distinguished among the Levites were the
sons of Kohath, w^hose 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."
Moses hi the Wilderness 229
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 back-
wards, for they might not turn their backs to the Holy Ark.
They were, furthermore, owing to their office 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.*''
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 apportion-
ment of the service among the individual Levites, however,
Aaron paid attention only to the sons of Kohath, each of
230 The Legends of the Jews
whom had his special task allotted to him, whereas Moses
appointed their tasks to the sons of Gershon and Merari/''
The highest chief of the Levites, however, was Eleazar, who
was " to have the oversight of them that keep the charge of
the sanctuary.' But despite his high position, Eleazar was
modest enough to participate in the service in person. Dur-
ing 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 arm the things that were made in the pans,
and, attached to his girdle, the phial with the oil for oint-
ment.'" 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.^'
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
IMoses had completed the census of the people, God said to
him : " Fulfil 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
Moses ill the Wilderness 231
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 like-
wise choose any direction but the one assigned to it." But
God said to Moses : '' Do not concern thyself with the posi-
tion 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 pro-
cession." When Moses now told the people to divide them-
selves in groups round about the Tabernacle, they did it in
the manner Jacob had bidden them.*^"
" The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth ; by under-
standing 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 acci-
dental, 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
232 The Legends of the Jews
position with his standard to the right of the sanctuary cor-
responded exactly to Michael's post at the right of the celes-
tial 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 at 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.^'"'
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
Zebulun, shining through its 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 the storehouses of
snow, the storehouses of hail, of cold, and of heat, and as
Moses in the Wilderness 233
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,
and so from the tribe of Dan will come 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." **'
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 corre-
sponded 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 scat-
tered ; 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.
Beside 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 stand-
ard, 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 engraved the names of these three
234 The Legends of the Jews
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 the 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." "^
The standards had also other distinguishing character-
istics. 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 let-
ters 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 stand-
ard of Ephraim was fashioned the form of a fish, for Jacob
had blessed the forefather of this tribe by telling him to mul-
tiply like a fish ; in all other respects it was like the other two
standards, save that 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 ser-
Moses in the Wilderness 235
pent, 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 letters 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 these clouds in motion, they blew the trumpets as
a signal for starting, and the winds thereupon from all sides
breathed myrrh and frankincense.""^
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
236 The Legends of the Jews
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 ex-
pand first over the tribes that belonged to the standard of
Judah, and then over the sanctuary, within and without."'
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 Levltes. In the East of the sanctuary
lived Moses, Aaron, and Aaron's sons; the Levltes 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
these 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 out-
side 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.
Moses in the JVilderness 237
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.*""
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 with 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 ver-
min, yes, even the corpses of this generation were spared by
worms."""
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 con-
quered this city. Judah's flag was azure, and bore the form
of a Hon. 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 was devoted to navigation. Dan's flag had a
color like a sapphire, with the figure of a serpent. Naphtall'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
238 The Legends of the Jezvs
let loose." Aslier's flag was red like fire, and had the token
of an olive tree, because this tribe had much olive oil of ex-
cellent quality. The two tribes descended from Joseph, —
Ephraim, and j\ I anas sell— both had 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, w^hose glory was like
'' the firstling of his bullock, that pusheth the people together
to the ends of the earth ; " whereas ]\Ianasseh's was that of
a unicorn, symbolizing the judge Gideon that sprang from
this tribe, '' who with his horns of unicorns pushed the peo-
ple." Benjamin's flag had a color composed of all the other
eleven colors, and a wolf for his token, Jacob having de-
scribed this tribe as " 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 w^ere en-
graved 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 w^ay with all the tribes the
color of stones and of flags harmonized.'"
The Blasphemer and the Sabbath-breaker
When Israel received the Torah from God, all the other
nations envied them and said : '' Why were these chosen by
God out of all the nations ? " But God stopped their mouths,
replying : " Bring j\Ie your family records, and My children
shall bring their family records." The nations could not
prove the purity of their families, but Israel stood w^ithout a
blemish, everv' man among them ready to prove his pure
descent, so that the nations burst into praise at Israel's
Moses in the Wilderness 239
family purity, which was rewarded by God with the Torah
for this its excellence/"
How truly chastity and purit>' 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 pitch-
ing of the standards could attach himself to none of the
groups. This man was the son of Shelomith, a Danite
woman, and the EgA-ptian,""' whom Tvloses, when a youth of
eighteen, had slain for having offered violence to Shelomith,
the incident that had necessitated Moses' flight from Eg}-pt.
It had happened as follows : When Moses came to Goshen to
visit his parents, he witnessed how an Eg}-ptian struck an
Israelite, and the latter, knowing that ^^loses was in high
favor at Pharaoh's court, sought his assistance, appealing to
him with these words : " O, my lord, this Eg}'ptian by night
forced his way into my house, bound me with chains, and in
my presence oft'ered violence to my wife. Xow he wants to
kill me besides." Indignant at this infamous action of the
Eg}'ptian, :\Ioses 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.'''
The Egyptian's violence was not without issue, for Shelo-
mith gave birth to a son whom she reared as a Jew, even
though his father had been an Eg}^ptian. When the division
240 The Legends of the Jews
of the people according to the four standards took place, this
son of Shelomith appeared among the Danltes 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 judgment against him. This so embittered him
that 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 shew-
bread 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." "'^
At the same time as the crime of 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 ap-
pointed 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 judg-
ment, 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 law says that a
Moses in the Wilderness 241
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 corpse was for a short time suspended from
the gallows.*^^
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. Go
now, Moses, and find for Israel a commandment the observ-
ance 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 command-
ments of God.^^^
Whereas in the case of the Sabbath breaker Moses 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
16
242 The Legends of the Jezvs
the blasphemer was also to be stoned to death, and that this
was to be the punishment for blasphemers in the future."''
There were two other cases beside these two in Moses'
career on which he could not pass judgment without appeal-
ing to God. These were the claims of Zelophehad's daugh-
ters to the inheritance of their father, and the case of the un-
clean 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 despatch 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 judgment.^^'^
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 re-
ceived new laws daily, and they hoped that after having de-
parted 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
Moses in the Wilderness 243
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 be-
gin to move, and they were convinced of the presence of the
Shekinah. The Ark furthermore gave the signal for break-
ing camp by soaring up high,''' 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.""'
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 idolatr}^*'' They com-
plained 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."^" Their murmurs and complaints,
however, were not silent, but quite loud, for they were
anxious that God should hear their wicked words. In pun-
ishment for their defamation of the Divine glory, God sent
upon them a fire emanating from that very glory .''°
Upon twelve occasions did God send a Divine fire upon
•/
244 The Legends of the Jews
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 JManoah 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 the second troops which Ahaziah sent against Elijah.*^^
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."^" The elders of the people turned to Closes, saying:
*' Rather deliver us as a sheep to the slaughter, but not to
a celestial fire that consumes earthly fire." ^^ They should
by right have prayed to God themselves, but in this in-
stance they were like the king's son who had kindled his
father's anger against him, and who now hastened to his
father's friend, begging him to intercede for him. So did
Israel say to IMoses : '* Go thou to God and pray for us."
IMoses instantly granted their wish, and God without de-
lay heard ]\Ioses' prayer and halted the destroying fire.*®*
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 de-
stroyed everything. It had in this way caused the destruc-
tion in Israel, for, beginning at one end of the camp, it
spread so rapidly that one could at no time tell how far it had
Moses in the Wilderness 245
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 dur-
ing Israel's stay in Eg}-pt. This is the same fire that de-
stroyed 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."^'
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/ '
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 con-
sume you." '"
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 us 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 garlick. But now our soul is
dried away : there is nothing at all, beside this manna before
HDur 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
246 The Legends of the Jews
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 dissatis-
fied 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 at 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.*''
The true state of affairs was that they had a lurking dis-
satisfaction 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
Moses in the Wilderness 247
the new laws on marriage, for in Egypt they had been accus-
tomed to marry those closely related by blood, from whom
they were now obliged to separate. They now trooped to-
gether 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,*'^ 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 sup-
port. But the multitude upon this became even more ex-
cited, and raged and shouted more violently than ever against
Moses."*^" 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 under-
taken 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."^
248 The Legends of the Jews
The Appointment of the Seventy Elders
The sad predicament of Closes 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 as-
sistance of the seventy elders. Since the exodus from Eg}'pt
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 con-
ducted themselves in an unseemly manner. Like Nadab and
Abihu the elders w^ould have received instantaneous punish-
ment 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.^'"
As Moses now utterly refused to bear the burden of the
people alone, God said to him : " I gave thee sufficient under-
standing 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 thy-
self alone.' " ^"^
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 Eg}'ptian bondage it
Moses in the Wilderness 249
frequently happened that the officers of the children of Israel
were beaten if the people had not fulfilled their task in mak-
ing 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.""'' God moreover said to ]\Ioses :
" 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 per-
mitted with jMoses 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 Aloses alone, even though the prophetic spirit came upon
them also.''''
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,
250 Tlie Legends of the Jezvs
now advanced and each drew a slip. Those whose shps 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 Ad^oses of partiality /'°
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, Canni, Pallu, Zaccur, Eliab, Nemuel; from the
tribe of Simeon, — Jamin, Jachin, Zohar, Ohad, Shaul, Zimri ;
from the tribe of Levi, — i\mram, 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, IMattaniah ; 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, Sem-
achiah, Zabdi, Johanan; from the tribe of Gad, — Haggai,
Zarhi, Keni, Mattathiah, Zechariah, Shuni; from the tribe
of Asher, — Pashhur, Shelomi, Samuel, Shalom, Shecaniah,
Abihu."^
Moses gathered these seventy elders of noble 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.'''^
Moses in the Wilderness 251
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 like-
wise 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.^'"
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 fash-
ioned in the desert.*"*
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 dis-
252 The Legends of the Jews
tingulshing them five-fold above the other elders. These
prophesied what would take place on the following day, an-
nouncing 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 these two are called by
name. The elders, furthermore, had received the prophetic
gift from Moses, whereas Eldad and Medad received it
directly from God.*^^
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." Beside 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.
Moses in the Wilderness 253
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." *'"
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 was 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." "'"
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.''*
The Quails
The prophecy of these men concerning the quails turned
out as they had predicted, the quails being, as God had fore-
told to Moses, no blessing for the people. For God said to
Moses : " Tell the people to be prepared for impending pun-
ishment, they shall eat flesh to satiety, but then they shall
loathe it more than they now lust for it. I know, however.
254 The Legends of the Jews
how they came to have such desires. Because My Shekinah
is among them they beheve that they may presume anything.
Had I removed My Shekinah from their midst they would
never have cherished so foohsh 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 thy 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
w^ith them that they may desist from their lusting after
flesh." God : " I can tell thee beforehand that thy en-
deavors in this matter will be fruitless." Moses betook him-
self 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 peo-
ple, however, said : " Thou art only trying to soothe us ;
God cannot grant our wish." *'^ 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 killed 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
Moses in the Wilderness 255
two cubits above it, that people might not have to stoop to
gather them up. Considering this abundance, it is not sur-
prising that even the halt that could not go far, and the lazy
that 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." *'' The wind 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.'''
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 be-
hold with their eyes how their husbands are raised to dig-
nity." Zipporah answered, " It would be mure proper to
256 The Legends of the Jews
say, ' Woe to the wives of these men who must now abstain
from all conjugal happiness ! ' " Miriam : '* How dost 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." *"" Miriam here-
upon went to Aaron, and said to him : " I also received
Divine revelations, but without being obliged to separate my-
self from my husband," whereupon Aaron agreed, saying:
'' I, too, received Divine revelations, without, however, being
obliged to separate myself from my wife." Then both said :
" Our fathers also received revelations, but without discon-
tinuing 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/''
But he, who could be self-assured and stern when it touched
a matter concerning God's glory, was silent to the unde-
served reproaches 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
Moses in the Wilderness 2^7
they assemble to praise God, each angel calls to the other
and asks him to precede him, saying among themselves:
" Be thou the first, thou art worthier than I." "'"
God carried out His intention to uphold Moses' honor, for
just as Aaron was with his wife and Miriam with her hus-
band, a Divine call suddenly reached Amram's three chil-
dren, 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.*"
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 re-
proached 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
17
258 The Legends of tJie Jews
God wanted to praise Moses before Aaron and Miriam, He
preferred to do so in his absence.'"
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 IMoses, to whom I have shown what
is above and wdiat is below ; what is before and what is be-
hind ; 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." *°^
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
Moses in the Wilderness 259
to them, but when He was no longer 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/'* 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.''' Aaron there-
upon 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 un-
natural 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 condi-
tions 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 con-
tact with it, so too the leper. Alas ! " so Aaron closed his
intercession, " Shall our sister, who was with us in Egypt,
2c5b The Legends of the Jews
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." "^^ 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 fer-
vent, 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 to 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 a. priest who, according to the tenets of the law,
must declare a leper clean after the healing, God Himself
Moses in the Wilderness 261
assumed this part, declaring Miriam unclean for a week, and
clean after the passing of that period.'"
Although leprosy came to Miriam as a punishment for her
sin, still this occasion served to show how eminent a person-
age she was. For the people were breaking camp and start-
ing 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 proces-
sion, 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 recov-
ered. 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.*''
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
262 The Legends of the Jezvs
Moses to resume his conjugal life. She did not even dare
to rebuke jMoses to his face, and still, even in spite of her
great piety, Miriam was not spared this heavy punishment/^^
Her experience, nevertheless, did not awe the wicked men
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.^""
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.""^
Their bad conscience after making this request — for they
knew that their true motive was lack of faith in God —
Moses in the Wilderness 263
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 hide their treasures. This is the reason why we
want to send 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 IMoses : " 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."''' 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
264 TJie Legends of the Jews
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.^"*^ 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 de-
prived of them when they entered Palestine.^"*
Significant Names
Significant of the wickedness of these men are their
names, all of which point to their godless action. The repre-
sentative 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 there-
fore 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."
Moses in the Wilderness 265
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 in-
habitants." 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 accord-
ing 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 named in accordance with their
actions, so too did the names of the two pious spies among
them correspond to their pious actions. Judah's repre-
sentative was named 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." '''
266 The Legends of the Jezvs
This change of name that was brought about by the pre-
fixing 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 flit about the celestial Throne
and lament : " Is it perchance because I am the smallest
among the letters that Thou hast 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 now affix thee to a man's name, and, more-
over, at the beginning." This promise was redeemed when
Hoshea's name was changed to Joshua."'''
When the spies set out on their way, they received in-
structions 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 pome-
granates and grapes." They were emphatically to deny that
they had any intention of destroying the idols or of felling
the sacred trees. IMoses 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 at-
tack. If, however, they live in a fortified place, they are
weaklings, and in their fear of strangers seek shelter within
Moses in the Wilderness 267
their walls. Examine also the nature of the soil. If it be
hard, know then that it is fat; but if it be soft, it is lean." '"'
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.'"" 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/°^
The Spies in Palestine
On the twenty-seventh day of Siwan Moses sent out the
spies from Kadesh-Barnea in the wilderness of Paran,"° 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 w4iat 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, there-
fore, 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.'" Although they met
268 The Legends of the Jews
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 one-
self 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 Talmai, " plots." "" 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!""^
Moses in the Wilderness 269
They soon had an opportunity of testing the strength of
the men, for as soon as the three giants heard of the pres-
ence of the Israehte men, they pursued them, but the Israel-
ites found out with what manner of men they were deaHng
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 spies declared their inno-
cence, 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.''*
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 a magic herb which they knew to put an
end to their existence."^ They were furthermore of such
enormous size that the spies, listening one day while the
270 The Legends of the Jews
giants discussed them, heard them say, pointing to the
IsraeHtes : " There are grasshoppers by the trees that have
the semblance of men," for " so they were in their sight." ^^^
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 v/ould
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 ]\Ioses 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." "^
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 noth-
ing at all, because it was not consistent with their dignity
to carry a burden.^^^ This vine was of such gigantic size
that the wine pressed from its grapes sufficed for all the
sacrificial libations of Israel during its forty years' march.^'^
Moses in the Wilderness 271
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, but God
made it possible by " bidding the soil 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. "°
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.'^' There too the spies betook them-
selves 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 milk, so that both milk and honey
moistened the ground. But they used these words only as an
introduction, and then 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.^"'' '' Nevertheless,"
they continued, " the people be strong that dwell in the land,
2.J2 The Legends of the Jezvs
and the cities are walled, and very great : and moreover we
saw the 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,^"^
at the same time as the Shekinah went there to announce to
the Patriarchs that their children were now on the way to
take possession of the land which had been promised to
them of yore/'* 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 threat-
ened 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 con-
cerning 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," con-
tinued 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 Jebus-
sites, 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." "''
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 daugh-
ters, so what dost thou care if we perish in our attempt to
Moses in the Wildeniess 273
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, v/ho
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 ! " "^ 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.
18
274 The Legends of the Jews
When they had recovered, the giants declared that they had
pursued the IsraeHtes not because of the fruits, but because
they had suspected them of the wish to burn their cities.''^
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 have 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 of 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." ^^ At these last words, God
said : " I have no 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? " "^
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 ! '''° Our brethren have made us faint of heart. Be-
cause the Lord hated us, He hath brought us forth out of the
Moses in the Wilderness 275
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,
one watered by a river, and the other dependent upon rains,
will he not give 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 de-
pendent upon rain, only to give us the land of Canaan, which
produces abundantly only if the rains fall." '"'"
Not only did the spies in the presence of Moses and
Aaron voice their opinion that it 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 be-
took himself to his house, donned his mourning clothes, 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 interrupt-
ing 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 power-
ful that a nail of theirs is sufficient to stop up a spring of
276 The Legends of the Jezvs
water ! " At these words all the household, sons, daughters,
and daughters-m-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.^"
The people were not, however, content with tears, they re-
solved to set up as leaders in place of Moses and Aaron,
Dathan and Abiram, and under their guidance to return to
Egypt."^ But worse than this, not only did they renounce
their leader, but also their God, for they denied Him and
wished to set up an idol for their God.""* Not only the
wicked ones among them such as the mixed multitude de-
murred 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 peo-
ple teeming with blasphemy, they rent their garments and
tried to restrain the people from their sinful enterprise, ex-
horting them particularly to have no 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
Moses in the Wilderness ^7
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.''' The people, however, replied : " We do not be-
lieve you; the other spies have our weal and woe more at
heart than you." ''" 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." ''' 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 appari-
tion, 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 de-
struction of the spies, and a severe punishment of the people
misled by them.'^^
278 The Legends of the Jews
Ingratitude Punished
God now appeared to Moses, bidding him convey the fol-
lowing 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 that you felt no need of easing yourselves after
partaking of it, said : ' How comes it to pass that twenty days
have gone by and we have not eased ourselves ? Ordinarily
a human being dies if after four or five days he does not
excrete the food he has taken. Surely we are doomed to
die.' When the spies came to Palestine, I arranged it so
that as soon as they entered a city its king or governor died,
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 command-
ment, promising him life eternal on condition he observed it,
Moses in the Wilderness 279
but he brought ruin upon himself by trespassing My com-
mandment and eating of the tree. To him I said, ' Dust
thou art, and unto dust shaU thou return/ Similar was Aly
experience with you. I said, ' You are angels,' but you con-
ducted yourselves like Adam in your sins, and hence like
Adam you must die. I had thought and hoped you would
follow the example of the Patriarchs, but you act like the
inhabitants of Sodom, who in punishment for their sins were
consumed by fire." ^^^ " 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.' " ^*^
i\Ioses said : " If the chair with three legs could not with-
stand the moment of Thy wrath, how then shall a chair that
hath but one leg endure ? Thou art 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. Wert Thou to destroy Israel, the
Edomites, Moabites, and all the inhabitants of Canaan would
say ^^ that Thou hadst done this only because Thou wert not
able to maintain Thy people, and therefore Thou didst de-
stroy 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
28o TJie Legends of the Jezvs
even than this, the nations of the world will accuse Thee of
continuous cruelty, saying, ' He destroyed die generation of
the flood through water; He rased to the ground the build-
ers of the tower, as well as the inhabitants of Sodom ; and
no better than theirs was the fate of the Egs^ptians, 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." ^"^ 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?"
IMoses : " Long-suffering, love, and mercy, for Thou art wont
to be long-suffering with them that kindle Thy wrath, and
to have mercy for tliem. In Thy very mercy is Thy strength
best shown. ]\Iete out to Thy children, then, justice in
small measure only, but mercy in great measure." ^"
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-suifering lets sinners oflf 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.''** Justice, that demands the destruction of Israel, is
on one side of the scales, but it is exactly balanced by my
prayer on the other side. Let us now see how the scales will
balance." God replied: ''As truly as thou livest, Moses,
Moses in the Wilderness 281
thy pra3^er 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 carcases
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 your whoredoms, until your carcases
be consumed in the wilderness.'
This punishment was not, however, as severe as it
might appear, for none among them died below the age
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,'*^ Death, moreover, visited the transgressors in
such fashion that they were aware it was meant as punish-
ment for their sins. Throughout all the year not one among
them died. On the eighth day of the month 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
282 TJic Legends of the Jezvs
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 on 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 it was not the ninth day of Ab at all, and that this was
the reason why their lives had been spared. Hence they re-
peated 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.'"^
The Years of Disfavor
Although God had now cancelled His resolution to anni-
hilate 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 this wind produced an excessively high temperature, a
condition that made it very dangerous for the young boys to
have this operation performed upon them."^ 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.""' Moses also felt the effects of tlie disfavor, for
Moses in the Wilderness 283
during this time he received from God none but the abso-
lutely essential directions, and no other revelations. This
v^as 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 affection-
ately.''" Indeed Moses' fate, to die in the desert without en-
tering the promised land, had been decreed simultaneously
with the fate of the generation led by him out of Egypt.'"
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."'^ 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.'''
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."*
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 Pales-
tine, not to aid the former. Knowing that in this case their
284 Tlic Legends of the Jews
annihilation was sure, He commanded them to make no
attempt to enter the land by force."'" " It had been My in-
tention," 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 IMoses 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 s wanned
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.' " "'"
In order to comfort and encourage Israel in their de-
jection, Moses received directions to announce the law of
Moses in the Wilderness 285
sacrifices, and other precepts laid down for the hfe in the
Holy Land, that the people might see that God did not mean
to be angry with them forever. When Aloses 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 sanc-
tuary. God hereupon called Aloses, 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? ' " '"
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 : "' W' hat ! 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 wdien Israel con-
quered Palestine, they found the land not only newly cul-
tivated,"'^ 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 Qgg 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."®
286 The Legends of the Jez^'s
The Rebellion of Koraii
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 pos-
sessed 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 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.'"^ He believed Moses had
slighted him by appointing his cousin Elizaphan as chief of
the Levite division of Kohathites. He said : " My grand-
father had four sons, Amram, Izhar, 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 grand-
father. 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 in-
Moses in the Wilderness 287
differently, but the very Insight that enabled him to look
into the future became his doom. He saw with his pro-
phetic eye that Samuel, a man as great as both Aaron and
Moses together, would be one of his descendants; and fur-
thermore 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.^'
The names of this unfortunate rebel corresponded to his
deeds 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 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 de-
scription as the son of Levi, " conduct," points to his end, for
he was conducted to hell.^^
Korah, however, was not the only one who strove to over-
throw 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
288 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 neigh-
bor." 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.'^
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," where-
upon his w^if e 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." ^'^ 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 be-
sides 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 an
insult ofifered him by Moses, Korah and his people ex-
claimed : " Moses is king, his brother did he appoint as
Moses in the Wilderness 289
high priest, his nephews as heads of the priests, he allots to
the priests the heave offering and many other tributes." '''
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 hun-
dred 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 answer the require-
ments 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 Alezuzah be attached to the door-
post of a house filled with the sacred Books? " Moses an-
swered, " 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 un-
clean?" 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 irra-
tional," said Korah, " cannot possibly trace their origin from
God. The Torah that thou didst teach to Israel is not there-
fore God's work, but thy work, hence art thou no prophet
and Aaron is no high priest ! " ^^
19
290 The Legends of the Jews
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 imposed upon the people by him. That the
people might now be in a position to form a proper con-
ception of the oppressive burden of 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 her to cut it
down, Moses appeared and ordered her ' not wholly to reap
the corners of the field, nor 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 offering, the first and the second tithes to the priests.'
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 of the younglings of the sheep. She was, however,
Moses in the Wilderness 291
mistaken. When the firsthng 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 de-
manded 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, de-
manded 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 con-
secrated to the sanctuary.' Aaron said, 'Everything de-
voted in Israel is mine. It shall then be all mine.' He de-
parted, 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." '"
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 ofTer 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.' Where-
292 The Legends of the Jews
fore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the
Lord ? '"" 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.'^*"* They did not,
moreover, stop short at words, but tried to stone Moses/'"
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." "^
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.' "^ 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
Moses in the Wilderness 293
light and darkness, then only can you remove the boundary
of separation between Israel and the rest, but not otherwise.
Other nations have many religions, many priests, and wor-
ship 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 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 presenti-
ment 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
294 Tlie Legends of the Jews
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 attri-
butes are sublimity, strength, and sovereignty, who clothed
Aaron with this dignity, so that those who are against
Aaron are in reaHty 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 it was useless to reason with Korah,
sent a messenger to Dathan and Abiram,"^ summoning them
to appear before his court. He did this because the law re-
quires that the accused be summoned to appear before the
judge, before judgment may be passed upon him, and Moses
did not wish these men to be punished without a hearing.'*^*
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 Eg}'pt, 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 now. Thou didst beguile the
people in their exodus from Egypt, when thou didst promise
Moses in the Wilderness 295
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 sum-
mons." "'
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 his 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 travelled
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 threat 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 judgment in trying to
296 The Legends of the Jews
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 j\Ioses and Aaron. ]\Ioses 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 in-
habitants 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 thoughts of man, and what his heart and kid-
neys counsel him to do, the workings of Thy creatures' minds
lie open before Thee, so that Thou knowest who hath re-
belled against Thee and who hath not, for Thou knowest the
spirit of each one. * Shall one man sin, and wilt Thou be
wroth with all the congregation?'" God hereupon said to
Moses : ''' " I have heard thy prayer for the congregation.
Say then, to them, ' Get you up from about the Tabernacle
of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.' " "'
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
Moses in the Wilderness 297
more." Hence, turning to the congregation, he said:'''
" 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 slay-
ing an Egyptian ; at the Red Sea it v^as they that angered
God by their desire to return to Egypt ; in Akish they broke
the Sabbath, and now they trooped together to rebel against
God. They now well deserve excommunication, and the de-
struction of all their property. ' Touch, therefore, nothing
of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.'
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 estab-
lished unto thee." '''
Moses was not the only one to Insist upon exemplary pun-
ishment of the horde of Korah. Sun and Moon appeared be-
fore 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 :
298 The Legends of the Jezvs
" You have never championed My cause, but now you stand
up for a creature of flesh and blood." Since that time Sun
and I\Ioon have ahvays 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 to His faithful ser-
vant. The mouth of hell approached the spot upon which
Dathan, Abiram, and their families stood,''' 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 at the launderer's or a pin belong-
ing to them rolled toward the mouth of the earth and van-
ished therein.'" Nowhere upon earth remained a trace of
them or of their possessions, and even their names disap-
peared from the documents upon which they were written."''
They did not, however, meet an immediate death, but sank
gradually into the earth, the opening of which adjusted it-
self to the girth of each individual. The lower extremities
disappeared first, then the opening widened, and the abdo-
men followed, until in this way the entire body was swal-
lowed. 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
Moses in the Wilderness 299
entire camp, so that all might be convinced of the wicked-
ness of Korah's undertaking."^^*
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 in-
cense 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 swal-
lowed 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 de-
struction, 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's 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.'*''
This terrible death did not, however, sufiice 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
300 The Legends of the Jews
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 refer-
ence 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 Tem-
ple, 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."^^
On and the Three Sons of Korah Saved
God punishes 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.''' 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 sal-
vation. 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
Moses in the Wilderness 301
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 de-
clared 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, entreat-
ing him to stay at home. To be quite sure of him, how-
ever, 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 congrega-
tion 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 scheme
her 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
302 The Legends of the Jezvs
was admitted and told Moses of 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 de-
liverance 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.^'*
More marvellous 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.'^" 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 songs to the Lord sweeter than ever
mortal ear had heard, so that Moses and all Israel heark-
ened 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 Judg-
ment, for the judgment of sinners will have as little power
Moses in the Wilderness 3^3
over you as It had over us when ah the others perished and
we were saved." ^^^
■ 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,''' that out of these brasen plates be 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." ''" The covering of the altar fashioned out of the
brass of these censers was " to be a memorial unto the chil-
dren 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 wrong-
fully assumed the rights of priesthood ; the earth strove to
swallow him as it had once swallowed Korah and his com-
pany. 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.'''
304 The Legends of the Jews
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 al-
though the people were now convinced that nothing came to
pass without the will of God, still they thought God was do-
ing all this for Moses' sake. Hence they laid at his door
God's violent anger against them, blaming not the wicked-
ness 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, see-
ing 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.''*
These unseemly speeches and their unceasing, incorrigible
perverseness brought upon them God's wrath to such a de-
gree that He wanted to destroy them all, and bade Moses and
Aaron go away from the congregation that He might in-
stantly set about their ruin.
When Moses saw that '' there was wrath gone out from
the Lord, and that 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
Moses in the Wilderness 3^5
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.''' 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.''' Aaron, how-
ever, 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." '"
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 hne he touched to
escape, whereas, on the other hand, not a single man died be-
fore 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
20
3o6 The Legends of the Jeivs
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.^^^
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.'''
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 con-
vince 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
Moses in the Wilderness Z^7
night had been pondering which tribe should on the mor-
row 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,
which never lost its blossoms or almonds, that the Judean
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.'"'
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.'"' 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 Ka-
desh-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 pro-
phetess Miriam now died, and the loss of this 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
3o8 The Legends of the Jews
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.^ While Moses and Aaron were now plunged in
deep grief for their sister's death, a mob of the people col-
lected 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 peo-
ple and the descendants of kind-hearted people ? They come
to express their sympathy." Moses, however, said : '' Thou
art 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 rulers of thousands and the rulers of hundreds, but be-
hold, they move in disorderly troops. How then can their
intentions be to condole with us ! " ^"^
Moses in the Wilderness 309
The two brothers were not long to remain in doubt con-
cerning 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 re-
called to us by the covering of the altar, fashioned out of the
brasen plates that came of the censers used by those unfor-
tunate ones. But we bore all these blows, and even wish we
had all perished simultaneously with them instead of be-
coming victims to the tortures of death by thirst." °'*
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 has vanished
with her death?"'"'
" 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, notwith-
310 The Legends of the Jews
standing 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 account-
able for that which he utters in distress." . For the same
reason neither Moses nor Aaron made reply to the accusa-
tions 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 chil-
dren die of thirst, and ye have nothing better to do than to
mourn the death of an old woman ! " ^ 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 otherv/ise 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." '*"
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.""' 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 shep-
Moses in the Wilderness 311
herd, 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 caused 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." '"'
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 tliat
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 v/ater ? ^'^ 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
312 The Legends of the Jews
front of the rock held all Israel. Carried away by anger,
]\Ioses still further forgot himself, and instead of speaking
to the rock as God had commanded him, he struck a rock
chosen by himself."'^ 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 met their death
in the currents, and at the same time water poured out of all
the stones and rocks of the desert.''' God hereupon 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 con-
trary 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.'"'' 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 then 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
Moses in the Wilderness 313
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 reply to thee, ' Why dost
thou accuse My children? Go with thy rod before the peo-
ple, 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 ? " "'*
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 genera-
tion 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 the future world,
therefore stay with them, that at their head thou mayest
after the Resurrection enter the promised land.'"'" 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 generation 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."'' It was
314 The Legends of the Jews
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 judg-
ment was passed upon Moses, and by this sentence God's
name was sanctified.^^
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.^'^
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 '* whoso
joins a transgressor, is as bad as the transgressor himself."
On this occasion, as usual, Aaron showed his absolute devo-
tion and his faith in God's justice. He might have said, " I
have not sinned ; why am I to be punished ? " but he con-
quered himself and put up no defense, wherefore Moses
greatly praised him.'"'
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
Moses in the Wilderness 315
father's house, which was not situated m 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 no claim to our land. Let us then pass
through thy land until we reach ours."^" 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 over-
throw thee and thy hosts, for this is our inheritance, and ' the
voice of Jacob ' never proves ineffectual.*^ That thou may-
est 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 the well that accom-
panies us on our travels, and are provided with food through
the manna, we shall, nevertheless, buy water and food from
thy people, that ye may profit by our passage."
3i6 The Legends of the Jews
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 con-
vinced 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 inheri-
tance, 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 boun-
dary of Edom, and buried him on Alount 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
Moses ill the Wilderness 317
elevations on the places where Israel pitched camp, that the
sanctuary might thereupon be set up.*"'"
The Thtree 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. Al-
though 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.'"^ 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 that of the sin-
ful generation of wanderers in the desert, but only after this
generation had died, was sealed the doom of the three."'"'
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 dis-
appearance 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 has died ? " They replied, " While thou art 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
3i8 The Legends of the Jews
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, how-
ever, 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 pome-
granates ; 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.''' 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.''' 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."
Moses in the Wilderness 3^9
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 my-
self 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 wishes a man not to know, then his wisdom and under-
standing are of no avail to him." Moses then lifted his rod
and let it quietly slide down upon the rock upon 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 ^ ^^ ? " When God asked
Moses why he had smitten the rock, he replied : " That it
might bring forth water." God, however, said to Moses:
320 The Legends of the Jews
" 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 suck 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 art 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." '" 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 Aloses 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."'' 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."''
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 fit-
ting to prepare Moses and Aaron for impending death, say-
ing: "These two pious men throughout their lifetime did
nothing without consulting Me, and I shall not therefore take
Moses in the Wilderness 321
them out of this world without previously informing
them." "'"
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 repHed: "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 1 ' " God an-
swered 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 w^ords, 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."'' As a favor to Me prepare Aaron for his death,
for I am ashamed to tell him of it Myself." '''
When Moses heard this, there was a tumult in his heart,
and he knew not what to do. He wept so passionately that
21
323 The Legends of the Jews
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 now betook him-
self 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
centre, 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 him-
self as the very nearest at Moses' right hand, Eleazar at his
left, and the elders and princes in front. On this day, how-
ever, Moses changed this order ; Aaron walked in the centre.
Moses in the Wilderness 323
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 centre." The people loved Aaron better
than Moses."" 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."" 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 Israel-
ites, among the scholars themselves, among the ignorant,
and between man and wife.'"' 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
324 The Legends of the Jezvs
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 de-
manded back. As Aaron, in his simplicity, did not notice the
allusion, Moses did not go into further particulars, but re-
marked 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, in-
vested in the priestly garments, for they might there become
Moses in the Wilderness 325
unclean ; the cave is very beautiful, and it Is therefore possi-
ble 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.*^
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 him-
self arrayed in eight celestial garments. A second miracle
came to pass in the stripping of Aaron's gannents, 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
637
son.
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 en-
trance 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 en-
trusted 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 en-
trusted to thee? Even if it were to refer to my death, I
should take it upon myself with a cheerful countenance."
326 The Legends of the Jezvs
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." "^
When he spoke of the remarkable death that awaited
Aaron, Moses meant to allude to the fact that Aaron, like
his sister Miriam and later Moses, was to die not through
the Angel of Death, but by a kiss from God/^" Aaron, how-
ever, said : " O my brother Moses, why didst not thou make
this communication to me in the presence of my mother, my
wife, and my children ? " Moses did not instantly reply to
this question, but tried to speak words of comfort and en-
couragement to Aaron, saying : " Dost thou not know, my
brother, that thou didst forty years ago deserve to meet thy
death when thou didst fashion the Golden Calf, but then I
stood before the Lord in prayer and exhortation, and saved
thee from death. And now I pray that my death were as
thine! For when thou diest, I bury thee, but when I shall
die, I shall have no brother to bury me. When thou diest,
thy sons will inherit thy position, but when I die, strangers
will inherit my place." With these and similar words Moses
encouraged his brother, until he finally looked forward to
his end with equanimity.
Aaron lay down upon the adorned couch, and God received
his soul. Moses then left the cave, which immediately van-
ished, so that none might know or understand how it had
happened. When Eleazar saw Moses return alone, he said
Moses in the Wilderness 3^7
to him: "O my teacher, where is my father?" Moses re-
pHed : " He has entered Paradise." Then both descended
from the mountain into the camp"" When the people saw
Moses and Eleazar return without Aaron, they were not at
all in the mood to lend faith to the communication of Aaron's
death. They could not at all credit that a man who had
overcome the Angel of Death was now overcome by him.
Three opinions were then formed among the people con-
cerning Aaron's absence. Some declared that Moses had
killed Aaron because he was jealous of his popularity; some
thought Eleazar had killed his father to become his suc-
cessor as high priest; and there were also some who declared
that he had been removed from earth to be translated to
heaven. Satan had so incited the people against Moses and
Eleazar that they wanted to stone them. Moses hereupon
prayed to God, saying : " Deliver me and Eleazar from this
unmerited suspicion, and also show to the people Aaron's
bier, that they may not believe him to be still alive, for in
their boundless admiration for Aaron they may even make a
God of him." God then said to the angels : " Lift up on
high the bier upon which lies My friend Aaron, so that
Israel may know he is dead and may not lay hands upon
Moses and Eleazar." The angels did as they were bid-
den,*^ and Israel then saw Aaron's bier floating in the air,
while God before it and the angels behind intoned a funeral
song for Aaron. God lamented in the words, ''He en-
tereth into peace; they rest in their beds, each one that
walketh in his uprightness," whereas the angels said : " The
law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not
found in his lips : he walked with Me in peace and upright-
ness, and did turn many away from iniquity."
328 The Legends of the Jews
The General Mourning for Aaron
When Israel beheld the funeral rites prepared in honor
of Aaron by God and by the angels, they also prepared a
funeral ceremony of thirty days in which all the people, men
and women, adults and children, took part.®*^ This universal
mourning had its foundation not only in Israel's emulation of
the Divine mourning and of the ceremonies arranged by
Moses and Eleazar, or in their wish to show their reverence
for the deceased high priest, but first and foremost in the
truth that the people deeply loved Aaron and deeply felt his
death. They mourned for him even more than they did later
for Moses ; for the latter only a part of the people shed tears,
but for Aaron, everyone. Moses, as a judge, was obliged to
mete out justice to the guilty, so that he had enemies
among the people, men who could not forget that he had pro-
nounced them guilty in court. Moses, furthermore, was
sometimes severe with Israel when he held up to them their
sins, but never Aaron. The latter '^ loved peace and pursued
peace, loved men and brought them near to the Torah." In
his humility, he did not consider his dignity hurt by offering
greetings first to even the lowliest, yes, he did not even fail in
offering his greeting when he was certain that the man be-
fore him was wicked or godless. The lament of the angels
for Aaron as one " who did turn many away from iniquity "
was therefore well justified. This kindliness of his led many
a sinner to reform, who at the moment when he was about
to commit a sin thought to himself : " How shall I be able to
lift up my eyes to Aaron's face? I, to whom Aaron was so
kind, blush to do evil." Aaron recognized his especial task as
that of the peace-maker. If he discovered that two men had
Moses in the Wilderness 329
fallen out, he hastened first to the one, then to the other,
saying to each : " My son, dost thou not know what he is
doing with whom thou hast quarreled? He beats at his
heart, rends his garments in grief, and says, * Woe is me !
How can I ever again lift up my eyes and look upon my com-
panion against whom I have acted so? ' " Aaron would then
speak to each separately until both the former enemies would
mutually forgive each other, and as soon as they were again
face to face salute each other as friends. If Aaron heard
that husband and wife lived in discord, he would hasten to
the husband, saying : " I come to thee because I hear that
thou and thy wife live in discord, wherefore thou must
divorce her. Keep in mind, however, that if thou shouldst
in place of thy present wife marry another, it is very ques-
tionable if thy second wife will be as good as this one; for
at your first quarrel she will throw up to thee that thou art
a quarrelsome man, as was shown by thy divorce from thy
first wife." Many thousands of unions were saved from im-
pending rupture by the efforts and urgings of Aaron, and the
sons born to the couples brought together anew usually re-
ceived Aaron's name, owing, as they did, their existence to
his intercession. Not less than eighty thousand youths bear-
ing his name took part in the mourning for Aaron."*^
When Moses beheld the deep-felt sorrow of the heavenly
beings and of men for Aaron, he burst into passionate weep-
ing, and said : " Woe is me, that am now left all alone !
When Miriam died, none came to show her the last marks of
honor, and only I, Aaron, and his sons stood about her bier,
wept for her, mourned her, and buried her. At Aaron's
death, I and his sons were present at his bier to show him
33^ The Legends of the Jews
the last marks of honor. But alas ! How shall I fare? Who
will be present at my death? I have neither father nor
mother, neither brother nor sister, — who then will weep for
me ? " God, however, said to him : " Be not afraid, Moses,
I Myself shall bury thee amid great splendor, and just as the
cave in which Aaron lies has vanished, that none may know
the spot where Aaron is buried, so too shall no mortal know
thy burial place. As the Angel of Death had no power over
Aaron, who died ^ by the kiss,' so shall the Angel of Death
have no power over thee, and thou shalt die ' by the kiss.' "
Moses grew calm at these words, knowing at last that he had
his place among the blessed pious. Blessed are they, for not
only does God in person gather them to Him, but as soon as
they are dead, the angels go joyously to meet them and with
beaming faces go to greet them, saying, '' Enter into
peace." "*
The False Friends
When Moses and Eleazar returned from the mountain
without Aaron, Israel said to Moses : " We shall not release
thee from this spot until thou showest us Aaron, dead or
alive." Moses prayed to God, and He opened the cave and
all Israel saw within it Aaron, lying dead upon a bier. They
instantly felt what they had lost in Aaron, for when they
turned to look at the camp, they saw that the clouds of glory
that had covered the site of the camp during their forty
years' march had vanished. They perceived, therefore, that
God had sent these clouds for Aaron's sake only, and hence,
with Aaron's death, had caused them to vanish. Those
among Israel who had been born in the desert, having now,
Moses in the Wilderness 331
owing to the departure of the clouds of glory, for the first
time beheld the sun and moon, wanted to fall down before
them and adore them, for the clouds had always hidden the
sun and the moon from them, and the sight of them made a
most awful impression upon them. But God said to them :
'' Have I not commanded you in My Torah : * Take ye there-
fore good heed unto yourselves . . . lest thou lift up thine
eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun and the
moon and the stars, even all the host of heaven, thou be
drawn away and worship them, and serve them ? ' P'or it
is God that led thee out of the furnace of Egypt, that thou
mightest be the people of His inheritance." *"
The disappearance of the clouds of glory inspired Israel
with terror, for now they were unaided against the attacks
of enemies, whereas none had been able to enter into the
camp of Israel while the clouds covered them. This fear was
not, indeed, ungrounded, for hardly did Amalek learn that
Aaron was dead and that the clouds of glory had vanished,
when he at once set about harassing Israel.'** Amalek acted
in accordance with the counsel his grandsire Esau had given
him, for his words to his grandson had been : " In spite of
all my pains, I did not succeed in killing Jacob, therefore be
thou mindful of avenging me upon his descendants." " But
how, alas ! " said Amalek, " Shall I be able to compete with
Israel?" Esau made answer: "Look well, and as soon as
thou seest Israel stumble, leap upon them." Amalek looked
upon this legacy as the guiding star of his actions. When
Israel trespassed, saying with little faith, "Is the Lord
among us, or not?" Amalek instantly appeared. Hardly
had Israel been tempted by its spies wickedly to exclaim,
332 The Legends of the Jews
*' Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt," when
Amalek was upon the scene to battle with Israel. In later
times also Amalek followed this policy, and when Nebuchad-
nezzar moved to Jerusalem in order to destroy it, Amalek
took up his position one mile away from the holy city,
saying : *' If Israel should conquer, I should declare that
I had come to assist them, but should Nebuchadnezzar
be victorious, then shall I cut off the flight of the fleeing
Israelites." His hopes were realized, for Nebuchadnezzar
was victorious, and standing at the crossway, he cut down
the fleeing Israelites, and added insult to injury by hurling
invectives against God and the people, and ridiculing them.
When, after Aaron's death, Amalek rTo longer considered
Israel dangerous, since the clouds had disappeared, he in-
stantly set about making war upon them. Amalek did not,,
however, go in open warfare against Israel, but tried through
craft to attain what he dared not hope for in open warfare.
Concealing their weapons in their garments, the Amalekites
appeared in Israel's camp as if they meant to condole with
them for Aaron's death, and then unexpectedly attacked
them. Not content with this, the Amalekites disguised them-
selves in Canaanite costume and spoke the speech of the
latter, so that the Israelites might not be able to tell if they
had before them Amalekites, as their personal appearance
seemed to show, or Canaanites, as their dress and speech
indicated. The reason for this disguise was that Amalek
knew that Israel had inherited the legacy from their ances-
tor Isaac that God always answered their prayer, hence
Amalek said : " If we now appear as Canaanites, they will
implore God to send them aid against the Canaanites, and we
Moses in the Wilderness 333
shall slay them." But all these wiles of Amalek were of no
avail. Israel couched their prayer to God in these words:
'' O Lord of the world ! We know not with what nation we
are now waging war, whether with Amalek or with Canaan,
but whichsoever nation it be, pray visit punishment upon
it." "^ God heard their prayer and, promising to stand by
them, ordered them totally to annihilate their enemy, saying :
" Although ye are now dealing with Amalek, do not treat him
like Esau's other sons, against whom ye may not war, but
try totally to destroy them, as if they were Canaanites."
Israel acted according to this command, slaying the Ama-
lekites in battle, and dedicating their cities to God.^"^
Amalek's only gain in this enterprise was that, at the be-
ginning of the war, they seized a slave woman who had once
belonged to them, but who later passed over into the posses-
sion of the Israelites.^^
For Israel this attack of Amalek had indeed serious con-
sequences, for as soon as they perceived the approach of the
enemy, they were afraid to continue the march to Palestine,
being now no longer under the protection of the clouds, that
vanished with Aaron's death; hence they determined to re-
turn to Egypt. They actually carried out part of this pro-
ject by retreating eight stations, but the Levites pursued
them, and in Mose^ah there arose a bitter quarrel between
those who wanted to return to Egypt and the Levites who
insisted upon the continuance of the march to Palestine. Of
the former, eight tribal divisions were destroyed in this quar-
rel, five Benjamite, and one each of the Simeonite, Gadite,
and Asherite divisions, while of the Levites one division was
completely extirpated, and three others decimated in such a
334 The Legends of the Jews
way that they did not recover until the days of David. The
Levites were finally victorious, for even their opponents
recognized that it had been folly on their part to desire to
return to Egypt, and that their loss had been only a punish-
ment because they had not arranged a mourning ceremony
adequate to honor a man of Aaron's piety. They thereupon
celebrated a grand mourning ceremony for Aaron in
Moserah, and it is for this reason that people later spoke of
this place as the place where Aaron died, because the great
mourning rites took place there.^'°
The Brazen Serpent
Owing to the king of Edom's refusal to permit Israel to
pass through his land, they were obliged, at the very point
when they believed themselves at the end of their march, to
continue it, so as to go around the land of Edom. The peo-
ple, weary of the many years' marches, now became peevish,
saying : " We had already been close to the promised land, and
now must turn about once more ! It was the same with our
fathers who, close to their goal, had to turn back and roam
about for thirty-eight years. Thus will it be with us ! " '"
In their dejection they set about murmuring against God
and Moses, " master and servant being to them as one."
They complained that they were entirely thrown upon manna
as a means of sustenance. This last mentioned complaint
came from those in regard to whom God had vowed that
they should never see the land which He had sworn unto the
Patriarchs. These people could not bear the sight of the
products of Palestine's soil, dying as soon as they beheld
them. Now that they had arrived at the outskirts of the
Moses in the Wilderness 335
promised land, the merchants brought into the camp of the
IsraeHtes the native products, but these, unable to partake
of them, still had to continue to gather sustenance ex-
clusively from manna.*'^
Then a voice sounding from the heavens became audible
upon earth, making this announcement : " Come hither
and behold, O ye men! Come hither and hearken, ye
creatures of flesh! In the beginning of things I cursed
the serpent with the words, ' Dust shalt thou eat,' yet it
complained not of its food. But ye, My people that I have
led out of Egypt, for whom I caused manna to rain
down from heaven, and quails to fly from the sea, and a
spring to gush forth from the abyss, ye do murmur against
Me on account of manna, saying, ' Our soul loatheth this
light bread/ Let now the serpents come, that complained
not, even though whatever food they ate tasted only of the
dust, and let them bite those who murmur though they have
a food that possesses every conceivable flavor.""" The ser-
pent, which was the first creature to slander its Maker
and was therefore punished, shall now punish this people,
which, not profiting by the example of the serpent's punish-
ment, blasphemes its Creator by declaring that the heavenly
food that He sends them would finally bring them death."
The very serpents that during the forty years' march had
been burned by the cloud of glory and lay heaped up high
round about the camp, these same serpents now bit the peo-
ple so terribly that their poison burned the souls of those
whom they attacked.*^
When Moses betook himself to those who had been bitten,
hearing that they were too ill to come to him,''' they, con-
336 The Legends of the Jews
scions of their guilt, said to him: "We have sinned, be-
cause we have spoken against the Lord and against thee;
pray unto the Lord, that He take away the serpents from
us." Such was the meekness of Moses, that he instantly
forgave the people's transgression in regard to himself, and
at once implored God's aid. God also, however, forgave
their sin as soon as they had shown penitence, and thus set
an example to man likewise to grant forgiveness when it is
requested.
As a healing for those who had been bitten, God now bade
Moses to make a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, that
it might come to pass that every one who was bitten might
look upon it and live. Moses did as he was bidden, and
made a serpent of brass. As soon as he hurled it on high, it
remained floating in the air, so that all might be able to look
upon it.^'^ He made the serpent of brass, because in Hebrew
Nahash signifies " snake " and Nehoshet, '' brass " ; hence
Moses made the serpent of a substance that had a sound
similar to that of the object fashioned out of it.^'^ It was
not, however, the sight of the serpent of brass that brought
with it healing and life ; but whenever those who had been
bitten by the serpents raised their eyes upward and subordi-
nated their hearts to the will of the heavenly Father, they
were healed ; if they gave no thought to God, they perished.'"^
Looking upon the serpent of brass brought healing not
only to those who had been bitten by serpents, but also to
those who had been bitten by dogs or other animals. The
cure of the latter was effected even more quickly than that
of the former, for a casual glance sufficed for them, whereas
the former were healed only after a long and insistent
659
gaze.
Moses in the Wilderness 337
At Arnon
The murmurs of the people, on account of which God sent
upon them the serpents, took place in Zalmonah, a place
where grew only thorns and thistles. Thence they wan-
dered on to Punon, where God's punishment overtook
them."'" In the following two stations also, in Oboth and
lye-abarim, they continued their hostile actions against God,
who for this reason was full of wrath against them, and did
not look upon them again with favor until they reached
Arnon.'" God's favor was instantly shown during Israel's
passage through the valley of Arnon, where He wrought for
Israel miracles as great as those of yore at the passage
through the Red Sea. This valley was formed by two lofty
mountains that lay so close together that people upon the two
summits of them could converse with one another. But in
passing from one mountain to the other, one had to cover a
distance of seven miles, having first to descend into the val-
ley, and then again to ascend the other mountain. The
Amorites, knowing that Israel should now have to pass
through the valley, assembled in innumerable multitudes,
and a part of them hid in the caves, of which there were
many on the slopes of the mountain, while another part of
them awaited Israel in the valley below, hoping to attack and
destroy them unexpectedly from above and from below in
their passage through the valley. God, however, frustrated
this plan, bringing it to pass that Israel did not descend into
the valley at all, but stayed above, through the following
miracle. For whereas the mountain on the one side of the
valley was full of caves, the other consisted entirely of
pointed rocks ; and God moved this rocky mountain so close
22
33S The Legends of the Jeivs
up to the other, that the jutting rocks of the one entered into
the caves of the other, and all the Amorites that were con-
cealed within them were crushed.
It was the rocky mountain that was moved, and not the
other, for this same rocky mountain was the beginning of the
promised land, and at the approach of Israel from the other
mountain, which was Moabite, the land leaped to meet them,
for it awaited them most longingly.
An old proverb says : " If you give a piece of bread to a
child, tell its mother about it." God, likewise, wanted Israel
to know the great miracles He had accomplished for their
sake, for they had no inkling of the attack the heathens had
planned to make upon them. God therefore bade the well
that had reappeared since their stay in Beeroth to flow past
the caves and wash out parts of the corpses in great num-
bers. When Israel now turned to look upon the well, they
perceived it in the valley of the Arnon, shining like the moon,
and drawing corpses with it. Not until then did they dis-
cover the miracles that had been wrought for them. Not
only did the mountains at first move together to let them
pass, and then again move apart, but God saved them from
great peril. They now intoned a song of praise to the well
that revealed to them the great miracle.^^^
When, at the passage through the Red Sea, Israel wanted
to intone a song of praise, Moses did not let them do it alone,
but first sang to them the song they were to sing to the Lord.
For then Israel was young, and could only repeat what its
teacher Moses sang before them, but when the nation reached
Arnon, it was fully grown, after its forty years' march
through the desert. Now the Israelites sang their own song,
Moses in the Wilderness 339
saying: '' O Lord of the world ! It behooves Thee to work
miracles for us, whereas it is our duty to intone to Thee
songs of praise." Moses had no part in the song of praise
to the well, for the well had given occasion to his death in
the desert, and no man can be expected to sing about his
executioner. As Moses wanted to have nothing to do with
this song, God demanded that His own name also be not
mentioned in it, acting in this instance like the king who was
invited to a prince's table, but refused the invitation when he
learned that his friend was not to be present at the feast."'"
The song to the well was as follows : '' This is the well
that the Patriarchs of the world, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
have digged, the princes of olden times have searched, the
heads of the people, the lawgivers of Israel, Moses and Aaron,
have made its water to run with their staves. In the desert
Israel received it as a gift, and after they had received it, it
followed Israel upon all their wanderings, to lofty mountains
and deep valleys. Not until they came to the boundary of
Moab did it disappear, because Israel did not observe the
words of the Torah." '^
Israel sang a song to the well alone, and not to manna, be-
cause they had on several occasions railed against the
heavenly food, and therefore God said : " I do not wish ye
to find fault with manna, nor yet to have ye praise it now,"
and He would not permit them to sing a song of praise to
666
manna.
SiHON, THE King of the Amorites
The crushing of those concealed in the caves of the moun-
tain at Arnon was only the beginning of the miracles God
340 The Legends of the Jews
wrought for Israel during their conquest o£ the land. It
was at Arnon, too, that Sihon, the king of the Amorites, and
his people who, hardly a month after Aaron's death, rushed
upon Israel, were completely destroyed by them.*^' This
Amorite king, and likewise Og, the king of Bashan, were
sons of Ahiah, whose father Shemhazai was one of the fallen
angels.^" In accordance with his celestial origin Sihon was g
giant whom none could withstand, for he was of enormous
stature, taller than any tower in all the world, his thigh-bone
alone measuring eighteen cubits, according to the big cubit
of that time."^ In spite of his huge size he was also fleet of
foot, wherefore he was called Sihon, *' foal," to indicate the
celerity with which he moved, for his true name was Arad.'''
Moses was sorely afraid of waging war against this giant,
but God put Sihon's and Og's guardian angels in chains, and
then said to Moses : " Behold, I have begun to deliver up
Sihon and his land before thee: begin to possess, that thou
mayest inherit his land." For indeed after the angels of
Sihon and his people had fallen, Moses had nothing more to
fear, for his enemies were thus delivered Into his hands."*
God assured Moses that '' He would begin to put the dread of
him and the fear of him upon the peoples that are under the
whole heaven," by bidding the sun to stand still during his
war against Sihon, that all the world might see that God
battled for Moses.'"'
Moses now asked if he might before waging war send
ambassadors to Sihon to request him to permit Israel to pass
through his land. God replied : " How now ! I commanded
thee, ' Rise up, contend with him in battle, begin to possess
his land!' and thou wantest to send him messengers of
Moses in the Wilderness 34^
peace ? " Moses, however, replied : " I desire only to fol-
low Thy example when Thou didst wish, to lead Israel out of
Eg}^pt, and yet didst send me to Pharaoh with the message
to let Israel, Thy people, pass out, even though Thou couldst
have consumed all of Egy^pt with one flash of lightning.
When Thou didst reveal the Torah, too, Thou didst offer it
to the heathen nations for acceptance before giving it to
Israel." God saw the justice of Moses' words, and com-
manded him never in the future to declare war upon a city
before previously urging the people to surrender in peace."*
Moses hereupon sent a missive to Sihon in which he re-
quested him to permit Israel to pass through his land, prom-
ising him that he would see to it that the people should go
along by the king's highway, so that he need have no cause
to fear any deeds of violence upon married women, or
seductions of girls.'" " We shall even," continued Moses,
" pay for the water that is otherwise given freely, and like-
wise *"* buy food-stuffs from thee at good prices." ''' This
letter to Sihon- contained at its close, notwithstanding, the
communication that the Israelites would bring war upon
Sihon in case he did not permit them to pass through.
Moses' assumption, however, that Sihon should permit Israel
to pass through sounded in Sihon's ears like a summons to
the keeper of a vineyard to permit one to harvest it. Sihon's
answer therefore was as follows : " I and my brother Og
receive tribute from all the other Canaanite kings to keep
off their enemies from access to the land, and now you ask
me to give you free access to Canaan ! "
War between Sihon and Moses ensued, and ended in a
brilliant victory for Israel.^'" Sihon and his son, who equaled
342 The Legends of the Jezvs
him in heroic strength, found their death in this fray.'" God
had so brought it to pass that Israel had no need of labori-
ously waging war upon one city after another in Sihon's
land, He had brought all the hosts of this Amorite king to-
gether into Heshbon. When this city therefore and the
hosts within it were destroyed, all the rest of Sihon's land
lay open before them. Israel's victory was all the more
marvellous, because Heshbon was an exceptionally well forti-
fied city, so that, had gnats been its inhabitants, it could not
have been captured by mortal means, much less so when
manned by the hero Sihon and his heroic warriors/'^ This
victory was made possible only by the fact that God visited
them with convulsions so terrible that they rolled up and
writhed in pain, unable to stand in the battle lines, so that
Israel could cut them down while they were half dead from
convulsive pains.^^^ God also drew masks over their faces,
so that they could not see plainly, and taking one another for
Israelites, slew their own people.^''
With the fall of Heshbon Israel came into possession of all
the land of Sihon, with the exception of Jazer, and Moses
therefore sent spies to that city. The men whom he sent
there, Caleb and Phinehas, were not only capable warriors,
but also pious men. They said : " Moses once sent spies
who brought great misfortune upon all their generation, we
will attack this city, trusting in God, and we are sure we
shall not perish, because Moses has prayed for our welfare."
They thereupon attacked Jazer, conquered it, and when upon
the day after Moses had sent them out they returned to him,
they informed him that they had conquered Jazer and slain
its inhabitants.'^'
Moses in the Wilderness 343
The Giant Og
The war with Sihon took place In the month of Elul. In
the following month of Tishri they rested on account of the
holy days, but immediately after these they set out to battle
against Og,^^ This king did not hasten to his brother's aid,
although he was only one day's distance from him, for he
felt sure Sihon could conquer Israel without his assistance.^^
He erred in this, however, as in some other matters. In the
war of the four kings against the five, it was Og who had
brought to Abraham news of his nephew Lot's bondage, as-
suming that Abraham would surely hasten to his kinsman's
aid, be killed in battle, and thus enable Og to get possession
of the beautiful Sarah. God, however, leaves no man un-
rewarded or unpunished. To reward him for hastening with
quick steps to advise Abraham of Lot's captivity, God
granted him life for five hundred years, but he was event-
ually killed because it was only a wicked motive that had
induced him to perform this service for Abraham. He did
not, as he had hoped, gain Sarah, but was slain by her de-
scendant Moses.*^*
The battle against Og took place in Edrei, the outskirts of
which Israel reached toward nightfall. On the following
morning, however, barely at gray dawn, Moses arose and
prepared to attack the city, but looking toward the city
wall, he cried in amazement, " Behold, in the night they have
built up a new wall about the city ! " Moses did not see
clearly in the misty morning, for there was no wall, but only
the giant Og who sat upon the wall with his feet touching
the ground below.^ Considering Og's enormous stature,
Moses' mistake was pardonable, for as a grave-digger of
344 The Legends of the Jezvs
later times related, Og's thigh-bone alone measured more
than three parasangs. " Once," so records Abba Saul, " I
hunted a stag which fled into the thigh-bone of a dead man.
I pursued it and ran along three parasangs of the thigh-bone,
yet had not reached its end." This thigh-bone, as was later
established, was Og's.^*"
This giant never in all his days made use of a wooden
chair or bed, as these would have broken down beneath his
weight, but sat upon iron chairs and lay upon iron beds. He
was not only of gigantic build and strength, but of a breadth
also that was completely out of proportion even with his
height, for his breadth was one half his height, whereas the
normal proportion of breadth to height is as one to three.^"
In his youth Og had been a slave to Abraham, who had re-
ceived him as a gift from Nimrod, for Og is none other than
Eliezer, Abraham's steward. One day, when Abraham re-
buked him and shouted at him, Eliezer was so frightened
that one of his teeth fell out, and Abraham fashioned out
of it a bed in which he always slept. Og daily devoured a
thousand oxen or an equal number of other animals, and
drank correspondingly, requiring daily not less than a thou-
sand measures of liquids."^^ He remained in Abraham's
service until Isaac's marriage, when Abraham gave him
his freedom as a reward for having undertaken the labor
of wooing Rebekah for his son, and of fetching her to his
house. God also rewarded him in this world, that this
wicked wight might not lay claim to a reward in the world
to come. He therefore made a king of him.'^^ During his
reign he founded sixty cities, that he surrounded with high
walls, the lowest of which was not less than sixty miles in
height.""
Moses in the Wilderness 345
Moses now feared to wage war against Og, not only on
account of his giant strength and huge size, which Moses
had now witnessed with his own eyes, but he also thought :
" I am only one hundred and twenty years old, whereas he is
more than five hundred. Surely he could never have at-
tained so great an age, had he not performed meritorious
deeds." ^'^ Moses also remembered that Og was the only
giant that had escaped the hand of Amraphel, and he per-
ceived in this a token of God's special favor toward Og."'*
Moses feared, moreover, that Israel in the recent war against
Sihon might have committed sins, so that God would not
now stand by them. " The pious are always afraid of the
consequences of sin, and therefore do not rely upon the
assurances God has made to them ; " hence Moses now feared
to advance upon Og even though God had promised him aid
against his enemies.^" God, however, said to him : " What
matters to thee Og's gigantic stature ? He is as a green leaf
in thy hand,'^* his destruction has been decreed since the
moment when he looked with evil eyes upon Jacob and his
family when they arrived in Egypt." For even then God
had said to him : " O thou wicked knave, why dost thou
look upon them with an evil eye? Verily, thine eye shall
burst, for thou shalt fall into their hands." "'^
Og met his death in the following fashion. When he dis-
covered that Israel's camp was three parasangs in circum-
ference, he said : " I shall now tear up a mountain of three
parasangs, and cast it upon Israel's camp, and crush them."
He did as he had planned, pulled up a mountain of three
parasangs, laid it upon his head, and came marching in the
direction of the Israelite camp, to hurl it upon them. But
34^ The Legends of the J eves
what did God do ? He caused ants to perforate the mount-
ain, so that it sHpped from Og's head down upon his neck,
and when he attempted to shake it off, his teeth pushed
out and extended to left and right, and did not let the moun-
tain pass, so that he now stood there with the mountain, un-
able to throw it from him. When Moses saw this, he took an
axe twelve cubits long, leaped ten cubits into the air, and
dealt a blow to Og's ankle, which caused the giant's death.^'"
This was the end of the last of the giants, who was not
only last in time, but also in significance, for despite his
height and strength, he was the most insignificant of the
giants who perished in the fleod.""^
With Og's death all his lands fell to the lot of the Israel-
ites without another sword's stroke, for God had so ordained
it that all of Og's warriors were with him at his encounter
with Israel, and after Israel had conquered these, only
women and children remained in all the land. Had Israel
been obliged to advance upon every city individually, they
would never have finished, on account of the number of the
cities and the strength of the hosts of the Amorites.^^'
Not alone Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, were
such giants and heroes, but all the Amorites. When Hadrian
conquered Jerusalem, he boasted of his victory, whereupon
Rabban Johanan, the son of Zakkai, said to him : " Boast
not of thy victory over Jerusalem, for, had not God con-
quered it for thee, thou shouldst never have gained it." He
thereupon led Hadrian to a cave where he showed him the
corpses of the Amorites, each of which was eighteen cubits,
and said : " When we were worthy of victory, these fell into
our hands, but now, on account of our sins, dost thou rule
Moses in the Wilderness 2>A7
The victory over Sihon and his hosts was as great as that
over Pharaoh and his hosts, and so was the victory over Og
and his hosts. Each of these victories was as important as
that over the thirty-one kings that Joshua later captured, and
it would well have behooved Israel to sing songs of praise to
their Lord as after Pharaoh's destruction. David later made
good this omission, for he intoned a song of praise in grati-
tude for the victory God had lent to Israel over Sihon and
Og.™
Without direct assistance from God these victories would
not have been possible, but He sent hornets upon them, and
their destruction was irrevocable. Two hornets pursued
every Amorite ; one bit one eye, the second the other eye, and
the poison of these little creatures consumed those bitten by
them.'"'^ These hornets remained on the east side of the
Jordan, and did not pursue Israel's march to the regions
west of the Jordan, nevertheless they wrought great havoc
among the Canaanites of the region west of the Jordan.
The hornets stood on the eastern bank of the Jordan, and
spat their venom across to the opposite bank, so that the
Canaanites that were hit became blind and were disarmed.^***
When God promised Moses to send an angel to Israel, he
declined the offer with the words : " If Thy presence go not
with me, carry us not up hence," whereupon God replied :
'' Thou complainest because I desire to send only an angel to
assist thee to conquer the land. As truly as thou livest, I
shall now send thee not even an angel, but a hornet to de-
stroy the enemies of Israel. It is, however, for thy sake
alone that I deliver the enemy into Israel's hands, and not as
if Israel deserved it through their own good deeds." ^*'^
348 The Legends of the Jezvs
Og's bed, fashioned out of ivory, that measured nine arms'
length, taking the giant's arm as a standard,"* Og had pre-
served in the Ammonite city Rabbah, for he knew that Israel
would penetrate neither to the land of the Ammonites nor of
the Moabites, because God had prohibited them from coming
too close to Lot's descendants/"' He likewise forbade them
to wage war with the Edomites; in this way Esau, a son
kind to his father Isaac, was rewarded by not having his de-
scendants, the Edomites, molested by Israel. God said to
Israel: "In this world ye shall have no sway over the
mountain Se'ir, Edom's realm, but in the future world, when
ye shall be released, then shall ye obtain possession of it.
Until then, however, beware of the sons of Esau, even when
they fear ye, much more so when ye shall dwell scattered
among them." ''*"
Moses' Speech of Admonition
As Abraham before his death spoke to his son Isaac, he to
his son Jacob, and Jacob in turn to his sons, words admon-
ishing them to walk in the ways of the Lord, so Moses also
did not depart from this world without previously calling
Israel to account for their sins, and admonishing them to
observe the commandments of the Lord. Moses' speech of
admonition had a greater effect than the revelation of the
Decalogue upon ]\Iount Sinai, for whereas Israel, shortly
after they had said on Sinai, " We shall do according as we
have heard," transgressed by worshipping the Golden Calf,
Moses' words of admonition had left a powerful impression
upon them, and he restored them to God and the Torah.
God therefore said, " As a reward to thee because thy words
Moses in the Wilderness 349
of exhortation have brought Israel to follow Me, I shall
designate these words as thine, even though thou didst speak
them only in execution of My command."
Moses did not, however, make his speech of exhortation ta
the people until after the victory of Sihon and Og, for Moses
thought : " Were I to have called them to account before
these victories, they would have answered, * He is trying to
recall to us our sins because he is unable to lead us into the
promised land against Sihon and Og, and he is seeking our
sins as an excuse.' " But after Moses had proven what he
could do, he could safely venture to recall to the people their
sins.'" He now assembled all classes of Israel, the nobles as
well as the common people, saying to them : ''I will now give
you a severe rebuke for your sins, and if any one have some-
thing to offer as an excuse, let him now advance it." In
this way he shut off the possibility of their saying later on,
'' Had we heard the words of the son of Amram, we should
have answered each word fourfold and fivefold."
Moses now recounted the ten temptations with which
they tempted God : how at the Red Sea they had repented
having followed Him, and had even turned back three
stations on the way to Egypt; how even after the miracle
that clove the Red Sea for them, they had so little faith in
God as to say, " Just as at this spot we passed unharmed
through the Red Sea, so also did the Egyptians in another
part of it." At Marah and at Rephidim they tried God on
account of the dearth of water, and as they twice rebelled
against God on account of water, so also did they on account
of manna. They infringed upon the two laws God had given
them in regard to manna, storing it from one day to the
350 The Legends of the Jezvs
next, and going to gather it on the Sabbath, although God
had strictly forbidden both. On account of their lust for
flesh also they twice transgressed, murmuring for flesh at
the same time as they received manna, although manna com-
pletely satisfied their needs ; and after God had granted their
wish and had sent them quails, they remained content for a
short time only, and then again demanded quails, until God
granted them that wish also. '' But the worst of all," Moses
told them, " was the worship of the Golden Calf. And not
only that, but again in Paran, misled by the spies, ye trans-
gressed in desiring to make an idol, and under its guidance
to return to Egypt."
Moses then pointed out to them that it was owing to their
sin that they had strayed about in the desert for forty years,
for otherwise God would have brought them to Palestine on
the same day as He had led them out of Eg}^pt. He not only
reproached Israel with the sins they had committed against
God, but also with the evil they had worked Moses himself,
mentioning how they had thrown their infants into his lap,
saying, " What food hast .thou for these ? " '°* On this occa-
sion it was evident how good and pious a nation was that be-
fore Moses, for all the sins he enumerated to them had been
committed not by them, but by their fathers, all of whom had
in the meantime died, yet they were silent, and made no
answer to this severe reprimand their leader gave them.^*'*
Moses did not, however, merely admonish the people to walk
in the ways of the Lord, but he said to Israel : " I am near
to death. Whosoever hath learned from me a verse, a
chapter, or a law, let him now come to me and learn it anew,''
whereupon he repeated all the Torah,"" and that, too, in the
Moses in the Wilderness 351
seventy languages of the world, that not Israel alone but all
the heathen peoples, too, might hear the teachings of God."^
Balak, King of Moab
" God allows nothing to stay unrewarded, not even a re-
spectable word remains without its reward." The older of
Lot's two daughters had called her son that was conceived in
guilt, Moab, '' by the father," whereas the younger, for the
sake of decency, called her son Ammon, " son of my people,"
and she was rewarded for her sense of propriety. For when
Moses wanted to overrun the descendants of Lot with war,
God said to him : "' My plans differ from thine. Two doves
shall spring from this nation, the Moabite Ruth and the
Ammonite Naomi, and for this reason must these two nations
be spared."
The treatment God bade Israel accord to these two nations
was not, however, uniform. In regard to Moab, God said,
" Vex not Moab, neither contend with them in battle," which
portended that Israel was not to wage war against the
Moabite s, but that they might rob them or reduce them to
servitude. In regard to the sons of Ammon, on the other
hand, God forbade Israel to show these descendants of Lot's
younger daughter even the slightest sign of hostility, or in
any way to alarm them, so that Israel did not even show
themselves in battle array to the Ammonites."*
Israel's hostile, though not warlike, attitude toward Moab
inspired these people and their kings with great fear, so
much so that they seemed to be strangers in their own land,
fearing as they did that they should have to fare like the
Egyptians ; for the Israelites had come to Egypt as strangers,
352 The Legends of the Jews
but had in time possessed themselves of the land so that the
Egyptians had to rent their dwelling-places from them.
Their fear was still further increased by their belief that
Israel would pay no attention to God's command to them not
to wage war against Lot's descendants. This assumption of
theirs was based on the fact that Israel had taken possession
of the kingdoms of Sihon and Og, even though these had
originally been part of Ammon's and Moab's possessions/^'
Heshbon, Sihon's capital city, had formerly belonged to
Moab ; but the Amorites, thanks to Balaam and his father
Beor's support, had taken from Aloab these and some other
regions. The Amorites had hired these two sorcerers to
curse Moab, with the result that the Moabites were miserably
defeated in the war against Sihon. "Woe to thee, Moab!
Thou art undone, O people of Chemosh ! " These and simi-
lar utterances were the ominous words that Balaam and his
father employed against Moab.''" Chemosh was a black
stone in the form of a woman, that the Moabites worshipped
as their god.'"
As a part of Moab passed into Sihon's possession so did a
part of Amnion fall into Og's hands, and because Israel had
appropriated these lands, the Moabites feared they would
filch from them all their land. In great alarm they therefore
gathered together in their fastnesses, in which they knew
themselves to be safe from Israel's attacks.'^^ Their fear was
in reality quite without foundation, for Israel never dreamed
of transgressing God's command by waging war upon Lot's
descendants. They might without compunction keep the
former provinces of Moab and Ammon because they took
them not from these, but from Sihon and Og, who had cap-
tured them.'"
Moses in the Wilderness 353
At this time the king of Moab was Balak, who was for-
merly a vassal of Sihon, and in that capacity was known as
Zur. After Sihon's death he was chosen king, though he
was not worthy of a rank so high. Favored by fortune, he
received royal dignity, a position that his father had never
filled."' Balak was a fitting name for this king, for he set
about destroying the people of Israel, wherefore he was also
called the son of Zippor, because he flew as swiftly as a bird
to curse Israel."" Balak was a great magician, who employed
for his sorcery the following instrument. He constructed
a bird with its feet, trunk, and head of gold, its mouih
of silver, and its wings of bronze, and for a tongue he sup-
plied it with the tongue of the bird Yadu'a. This bird was
now placed by a window where the sun shone by day and
the moon by night, and there it remained for seven days,
throughout which burnt offerings were offered before it, and
ceremonies performed. At the end of this week, the bird's
tongue would begin to move, and if pricked by a golden
needle, would divulge great secrets. It was this bird that
had imparted to Balak all his occult lore. One day, however,
a flame that suddenly leaped up burned the wings of this
bird, which greatly alarmed Balak, for he thought that
Israel's proximity had destroyed his instrument of sorcery.'"*
The Moabites now perceiving that Israel conquered their
enemies by supernatural means said, " Their leader had
been bred in Midian, let us therefore inquire of the
Midianites about his characteristics." When the elders of
Midian were consulted, they replied, " His strength abides
in his mouth." " Then," said the Moabites, " we shall op-
pose to him a man whose strength lies in his mouth as well,"
23
354 The Legends of the Jews
and they determined to call upon Balaam's support. The
union of Moab and Midian establishes the truth of the pro-
verb: "Weasel and Cat had a feast of rejoicing over the
flesh of the unfortunate Dog." For there had always been
irreconcilable enmity between Moab and Midian, but they
united to bring ruin upon Israel, just as Weasel and Cat had
united to put an end to their common enemy Dog.'^'^
Balaam, the Heathen Prophet
The man whom the Moabites and Midianites believed to
be Moses' peer was none other than Laban, Israel's arch-
enemy, who in olden days had wanted to root out entirely
Jacob and all his family,"^ and who had later on incited
Pharaoh and Amalek against the people of Israel to bring
about their destruction."' Hence, too, the name Balaam,
" Devourer of Nations," for he was determined to devour the
nation of Israel."^* Just at this time Balaam was at the
zenith of his power, for his curse had brought upon the
Moabites their defeat at the hands of Sihon, and his pro-
phecy that his compatriot Balak should wear the royal crown
had just been fulfilled, so that all the kings sent ambassadors
to seek advice from him. He had gradually developed from
an interpreter of dreams to a sorcerer, and had now attained
the still greater dignity of prophet, thus even surpassing his
father, who had indeed been a prophet too, but not so notable
a one as his son."*
God would permit the heathens to have no ground for
exculpation, for saying in the future world, " Thou hadst
kept us far from Thee." To them, as well as to Israel, he
gave kings, sages, and prophets; but whereas the former
Moses in the Wilderness 355
showed themselves worthy of their high trust, the latter
proved themselves unworthy of it. Both Solomon and
Nebuchadnezzar were rulers over all the world : the former
built the Temple and composed many hymns and prayers,
the latter destroyed the Temple and cursed and blasphemed
the Lord, saying, " I will ascend above the heights of the
clouds; I will be like the Most High." Both David and
Haman received great treasures from God, but the former
employed them to secure a site for God's sanctuary, whereas
the latter with his tried to destroy a whole nation. Moses
was Israel's prophet, and Balaam was prophet of the
heathens: but how great a contrast between these two!
Moses exhorted his people to keep from sin, whereas Balaam
counselled the nations to give up their moral course of life
and to become addicted to lewdness. Balaam was also
different from the Israelite prophets in his cruelty. They
had such pity for the nations that misfortune among the
heathens caused them suffering and sorrow, whereas Balaam
was so cruel that he wanted to destroy an entire nation
without any cause.
Balaam's course of life and his actions show convincingly
why God withdrew from the heathens the gift of prophecy .'"•
For Balaam was the last of the heathen prophets. Shem had
been the first whom God had commissioned to communicate
His words to the heathens. This was after the flood, when
God said to Shem : ' Shem, had My Torah existed among
the previous ten generations, I suppose I should not have
destroyed the world by the flood. Go now, announce to the
nations of the earth My revelations, ask them if they will not
accept My Torah." Throughout four hundred years did
35^ The Legends of the Jews
Shem go about as a prophet, but the nations of the earth did
not heed him. The prophets that labored after him among
the heathens were Job and his four friends, EHphaz, Zophar,
Bildad, and Ehhu, as well as Balaam, all of whom were de-
scendants of Nahor, Abraham's brother, from his union with
Milcah. In order that the heathens might not say, " Had we
had a prophet like Moses, we should have received the
Torah," God gave them Balaam as a prophet, who in no
way was inferior to Moses either in wisdom or in the gift of
prophecy. Moses was indeed the greatest prophet among
the Israelites, but Balaam was his peer among the heathens.
But although Moses excelled the heathen prophet in that God
called him without any previous preparation, whereas the
other could obtain Divine revelations only through sacrifices,
still Balaam had one advantage over the Israelite prophet.
Moses had to pray to God " to shew him His ways," whereas
Balaam was the man who could declare of himself that he
" knew the knowledge of the Most High." But because, in
spite of his high prophetic dignity, Balaam had never done
anything good or kind, but through his evil tongue had al-
most destroyed all the world, God vowed a vow to His peo-
ple that He would never exchange them for any other people
or nation, and that He would never permit them to dwell in
any land other than Palestine."'
Balak's Messengers to Balaam.
Balak now sent messengers to Balaam with the following
message: "Think not that I ask thy help against Israel
exclusively in my own interests, and that thou canst expect
from me alone honor and rewards for thy service, but rest
Moses in the Wilderness 357
assured that all nations will then honor thee, that Canaan-
ites as well as Egyptians will cast themselves at thy feet
when thou shalt have destroyed Israel. This people that
hath gone out of Egypt hath covered with earth Sihon and
Og, the eyes that guarded the whole land, and now they are
about to destroy us as well. They are not. Indeed, greater
heroes than we, nor are their hosts more numerous than
ours, but they conquer as soon as they open their lips in
prayer, and that we cannot do. Try nov/ to see if I may not
gradually become their master, so that I may at least lead a
certain per cent of them to destruction, be it only a twenty-
fourth part of them."
Balak himself was even a greater magician and soothsayer
than Balaam, but he lacked the gift of properly grasping
prophetic observations. He knew through his sorcery that
he was to be the cause of the death of twenty-four thousand
Israelites, but he did not know in what way Israel was to
suffer so great a loss, hence he requested Balaam to curse
Israel, hoping by this curse to be able to restrain Israel from
entering the Holy Land.
Balak's messengers to Balaam consisted of the elders
of Moab and Midian. The latter were themselves great
magicians, and by their art established the truth, that
should Balaam obey Balak's summons, their mission against
Israel would be successful, but should he hesitate even
for a moment to follow them, nothing was to be expected
from him. When they now reached Balaam and he bade
them stay over night to await his answer, the elders of
Midian instantly returned, for they knew that they had
now nothing to expect from him/"" They said : " Is there
35B The Legends of the Jews
such a father as hates his son? God Is the father of Israel,
He loves them. Shall He now, owing to a curse from
Balaam turn His love into hatred ? " "' Indeed, had the mat-
ter depended on Balaam's wishes, he would doubtless in-*
stantly have acquiesced and followed Balak's summons, for
he hated Israel more than Balak, and was much pleased with
the commission of the Moabite king. The elders that Balak
had sent had besides in their possession all needful in-
struments of magic, so that Balaam might have no excuse
for not instantly following them, but Balaam had, of course,
to bide his time and first find out if God would permit him to
go to Balak, hence he bade the Moabite messengers stay over
night, because God never appears to heathen prophets save
at night. As Balaam expected, God appeared by night and
asked Balaam, '^ Who are these people with thee ? "
Balaam was one of the three men whom God put to the
test and who miserably failed to pass it. When God ap-
peared to Cain and asked, " Where is Abel thy brother ? "
he tried to deceive God. He should have replied, " Lord of
the world ! What is hidden and what is open, both alike are
known to Thee. Why then dost Thou inquire after my
brother?" But instead of this he rephed, "I know not.
Am I my brother's keeper?" God therefore said to him:
" Thou hast spoken thine own sentence. The voice of thy
brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground, and now
cursed art thou." Hezekiah acted like Cain when the mes-
sengers from the king of Babylon came to him, and Isaiah
the prophet asked him, " What said these men ? And from
whence came they unto thee ? " Hezekiah should have
answered, " Thou art a prophet of God, why dost thou ask
Moses in the Wilderness 359
me?" But Instead of giving this answer, he replied
haughtily and boastfully, '^They are come from a far
country unto me, even from Babylon." On account of this
haughty answer Isaiah announced to the king this prophecy :
'' Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house shall
be carried to Babylon ; and of thy sons that shall issue from
thee, they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of
Babylon."
The scoundrel Balaam, too, should have made answer to
God's question, " What men are these with thee ? " by say-
ing, "Lord of the world! Everything lies open before
Thee, and nothing is hidden from Thee, why then dost
Thou ask me ? " But he, on the other hand, made quite
a different answer and started to boast, saying to God:
''Although' Thou dost not distinguish me, and dost not
spread my fame over the wor4d, still the kings seek me:
Balak, the king of Moab, hath sent to ask me to curse
Israel." Then God said, " Because thou speakest thus,
thou shalt not curse the people," and added, " O thou wicked
rascal ! I said of Israel, ' He that toucheth them, toucheth
the apple of My eye,' and yet thou wishest to touch
them and curse them! Therefore shall thine eye be
blinded." ^^ Thus Balaam became blind of one eye, as he
had already been lame of one foot."^ Balaam now perceiving
that God did not wish him to curse Israel said, " If it be so,
then I shall bless them." God : " They have no need of thy
blessing, for they are blessed." God said to Balaam as one
says to a bee : '' Neither thy honey nor thy sting."
360 The Legerids of the Jews
Balaam Accepts Balak's Invitation
On the following morning Balaam gave the elders of
Moab his answer, saying that he would not follow Balak's
call, but not betraying to them the truth, that God hath for-
bidden him to curse Israel. He said instead, '' God said to
me, ' Go not with these men, for that would be beneath thy
dignity, but await nobler ambassadors.' " "^ Balaam's plan
was to insult Balak, so that he should send no further mes-
sengers to him, and no one might discover that he could
accomplish nothing beyond the word of God. His expecta-
tions, however, were disappointed. The ambassadors in
their turn, not quite painstaking in their representation of the
truth, told their king that Balaam considered it beneath his
dignity to appear in their escort, making no mention of God,
but speaking as if the refusal came simply and exclusively
from Balaam.^^^
Balak thereupon sent more honorable ambassadors to
Balaam, until he was at last obliged to admit that he
could undertake nothing against God's command. Even
then, it is true, he did not admit that his acceptance or
his refusal of Balak's invitation depended entirely upon God,
but declared that he could, if he wished, do as he chose, but
did not choose to transgress God's prohibition. In his second
embassy Balak promised Balaam more for his service than he
had offered him the first time. Balaam's answer was as fol-
lows : " If Balak would give me his house full of silver and
gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God."
These words characterize the man, who had three bad quali-
ties : a jealous eye, a haughty spirit, and a greedy soul. His
jealousy was the reason why he wanted to curse Israel,
Moses hi the Wilderness 361
whom he envied for their good fortune ; in his haughtiness,
he told the first messengers the falsehood that God would
not let him go with them because it would be beneath his
dignity ; and his avarice was expressed in his answer to the
second embassy in which he not only surreptitiously men-
tioned Balak's gold and silver, but spoke his mind by ex-
plaining to them that their master could not adequately
compensate him for his service, saying, " If Balak were to
hire hosts against Israel, his success would still be doubtful,
whereas he should be certain of success if he hired me ! "
He did not, however, give even the second embassy a de-
cisive answer, but said to them also, " I cannot go beyond
the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more. Now
therefore I pray you, tarry ye also here this night, that I
may know what the Lord will speak unto me more." These
words of his held unconscious prophecies : " I cannot go be-
yond the word of the Lord," was as much as to say that he
could not put the blessings of God to Israel to naught.
" Tarry ye also here this night," contained the prophecy that
this second embassy would be as much disappointed as the
first, for although Balaam accompanied the second messen-
gers, still he had no power to curse Israel, but only to bless
them. Finally, the words, " What the Lord will speak unto
me more, ' held a prediction that God would bestow even
more benedictions upon the Israelites through him.
" God pennits man to go upon the way he chooses to go."
When God appeared to Balaam the first time he said to him,
" Thou shalt not go with them ; " but when Balaam still did
not relinquish his desire to go to Balak, God would not in-
terfere. Hence, at His second appearance, God said to
362 The Legends of the Jews
Balaam, "If the men be come to call thee, rise up, go with
them ; but only the word which I speak unto thee, that shalt
thou do." "*
" Audacity prevails even before God." Balaam's steadfast
insistence upon his wish wrested from God His consent to
Balaam's journey to Moab."*' He warned him of its con-
sequences, saying to him : " I take no pleasure in the de-
struction of sinners, but if thou art bound to go to thy de-
struction, do so! Whosoever leads righteous men astray
upon an evil way, will fall into the ditch of his own dig-
ging! " Balaam was misled by God's behavior toward him,
and thus plunged into destruction. When God first appeared
to him and asked him, " What men are these with thee ? "
this blasphemer thought : " God knows them not. It seems
clear that there are times when He is not aware of what
goes on, and I shall now be able to do with His children as I
wish." Balaam was misled by God because he had with his
words seduced to unchastity people who had up to his time
lived in purity."" God's apparent change of decision, that
first prohibited him from going to Balak, and then permitted
him to do so, completely bewildered him, so that he thought,
" God at first said to me, ' Go thou not with them,' but the
second time He said, ' Go with them.' So too will He
change His words, ' Curse them not,' into ' Curse them.' "
Just as Balaam was confused by God, so too were the
magicians that Balak had sent to him. At the first visit these
had through their magic lore established that he would ac-
cept Balak's invitation, but God made him decline it ; at the
second time, on the other hand, they established that he
would not accept the invitation, and God made him obey
their summons.'"
Moses in the Wilderness 363
Balaam's Ass
Balaam could hardly await the morning, rejoicing no less
than Balak's messengers at God's consent to his journey to
Balak, and still hoping that he might succeed in bringing
disaster upon Israel. In his haste to set out, he himself sad-
dled his ass although he did not lack servants, whereupon
God said : " O thou villain, their ancestor Abraham fore-
stalled thee, for he too rose up early in the morning and
in person saddled his ass to lead Isaac to sacrifice in fulfil-
ment of the command that had reached him." ^^
The ass that Balaam took with him had been created on
the sixth day of the creation. He had received it as a gift
from Jacob, that he might not give evil counsel to Pharaoh
concerning Jacob's children. It was upon his advice, never-
theless, that Pharaoh forced the Israelites to make bricks."'
He took his two sons, Jannes and Jambres,^*" for it behooves
a noble man always to have at least two companions upon
any journey that he undertakes.^"
Although God had now granted him permission to go on
the journey, still His wrath was kindled when he set out.
God said, " Behold, this man ! He knows that I read each
man's heart, and knows also that he departeth only to curse
Israel." "' This wickedness on his part had the result that
even the Angel of Mercy turned against him as an enemy,
standing in his way. At first the ass alone perceived the
angel, and not Balaam, for God has so arranged it that
human beings may not perceive the angels that surround
them or else they would through terror lose their reason.''"
The ass, on the other hand, instantly perceived the angel.
He at first stood in her way as she was in the middle of
364 The Legends of the Jews
the road, so that she could turn aside on both sides; then
she perceived him when the road narrowed, and she could
turn to one side only; and finally she reached a spot where
there was no road at all to which she could turn either on
this side or on that. This was to teach Balaam the follow-
ing lesson: if he wished to curse Abraham's children, he
should have leeway on both sides, Ishmael's children and
Keturah's children; if he wanted to curse Isaac's children,
one side would still be open to him., Esau's children; but if
he wanted to curse Jacob's children, he should never bring
it to pass, for they are protected on both sides, on the one
hand by Abraham and Isaac, on the other by Jacob and Levi,
while God watches over them from above. *' The wall on
this side, and on that side," through wdiich place he had to
pass, were furthermore to indicate to him that he could not
become master over Israel, who have in their possession the
tables of the law, " that were written on both their sides."
When the ass reached the wall that Jacob and Laban had
erected as a token that they " would never pass over it for
harm," she thrust her feet against it, to punish him for
having broken his agreement with Jacob.^**
Balaam, who had with blows attempted to make the ass
w^alk straight ahead, flew into a rage when she lay down alto-
gether and would not budge from the spot, so that he smote
her all the more. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the
ass, and permitted her to use speech, a gift that she had
possessed ever since her creation, but had not until then
used.^'' She said, " What have I done unto thee, that thou
hast smitten me these three times ? " The first words of the
ass were so chosen as to call Balaam's attention to the wick-
Moses in the Wilderness 365
edness and uselessness of his undertaking against Israel;
'' Three times " was to remind him that he wished to curse a
nation that "three times" in every year arranged pil-
grimages to the Lord. The ass's speech was altogether to
serve as a warning to Balaam to beware of his mouth, and
not to curse Israel. The ass, through her speaking, was to
instruct him that the mouth and the tongue are in God's
hand.
Balaam answered the ass in the language in which she
had addressed him, in Hebrew, which he did not, how-
ever, speak fluently. He said, " Because thou hast mocked
me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now I
had killed thee." The ass thereupon replied, " Thou canst
not kill me save with a sword in thy hand; how then wilt
thou destroy an entire nation with thy mouth ! " Balaam
was silent, knowing no reply.''" The ass did not only make
him ridiculous in the eyes of the elders of Moab that accom-
panied him, but she also exposed him as a liar. For when
the ambassadors asked him why he had not chosen a horse
rather than an ass for his journey, he answered that his sad-
dle horse was in the pasture. Then the ass interrupted him,
saying, " Am not I thine ass upon which thou hast ridden all
thy life long? " Balaam : " I use thee as a beast of burden,
but not for the saddle." The ass : " Nay, upon me hast thou
ridden since thine earliest days, and thou hast always treated
me with as much affection as a man treats his wife." Balaam
had now to admit that the ass had spoken the truth.'''
Balak's princes were much amazed at this extraordinary
miracle, but the ass died the moment she had spoken what
she had to say. God did this for two reasons, firstly because
356 The Legends of the Jezvs
He feared that the heathens might worship this ass were
she to stay aHve ; and secondly because God wanted to spare
Balaam the disgrace of having people point to his ass and
say, "This is she that worsted Balaam." By this action it
can be seen how highly God prizes the honor of pious men,
if He even sought to spare the honor of this villain.
It is out of consideration to mankind, also, that God has
closed the mouth of animals, for were they to speak, man
could not well use them for his service, since the ass, the
most stupid of all animals, when she spoke, confounded
Balaam, the wisest of the wise.
Balaam Runs into His Own Destruction
While all this was going on, Balaam still did not per-
ceive that God's angel stood before him. God meant to show
him that in His hand is not only the tongue of man, but his
eye as well, so that as long as He chooses, man will fail to
see what is directly before his nose. But God suddenly per-
mitted Balaam to see the angel with a sword drawn in his
hand, and Balaam fell flat on his face."^ For, being uncir-
cumcised, Balaam might not listen to the words of God or of
an angel, standing erect; hence, upon perceiving the angel,
who instantly began to address him, Balaam cast himself
upon the ground.'" The sword in the angel's hand did not
signify that he meant to strike Balaam, for a breath from his
mouth would have sufficed to kill myriads, but it was to point
out the following truth to Balaam : " The mouth was given
to Jacob, but to Esau and to the other nations, the sword.
Thou art about to change thy profession, and to go out
Moses in the Wilderness 367
against Israel with his own weapon, and therefore shalt thou
find death through the sword that is thy own weapon." ''"
The angel now said to Balaam : " If I have been com-
missioned to demand restitution from thee for the injustice
thou hast offered to the ass, that can show neither meritorious
deeds of her own nor of her fathers, how much the more
must I stand up as the avenger of an entire nation, that have
their own merits and can refer to the merits of their fathers.
But to return to the ass, why didst thou smite her, that
turned from the road only because she saw me and was
frightened?" Balaam was a shrewd sinner, for he knew
that Divine punishment could be averted only by penitence,
and that the angels have no power to touch a man who, after
sinning, says, *' I have sinned." Hence he said to the angel,
" I have sinned," but added, '' I did not set out until God said
to me, ' Rise up, go with them ; ' and now thou sayest to me,
* Return/ But this is the Lord's way. Did He not also at
first tell Abraham to sacrifice his son, and then He caused an
angel to call out to him, ^ Lay not thine hand upon the lad ? '
It is His custom first to give a command, and then through
an angel to recall it. So also did He indeed say to me,
' Go with them ; ' but if it displeaseth thee, I shall turn
back." ^" The angel replied : " All that I have done was to
thy advantage, but if thou art bound to plunge into destruc-
tion, do so, go with these people, but destruction is decreed
for all of you. Think not, however, that thou shalt do as
thou wilt, for thou shalt have to say what I desire thee to
speak, and to restrain what I wish to remain unuttered."
In spite of the warnings he had received from God and the
angel, he was not to be restrained from taking this fatal
368 The Legends of the Jews
step, but in his hatred toward Israel still cherished the hope
that he should succeed in obtaining God's consent to curse
Israel, and he continued his journey in this happy ex-
pectation.'"
Balaam with Balak
Whensoever God wishes to humble an evil-doer, He at first
exalts him, to fill him with pride. So too He humbled
Balaam after exalting him, for at first Balak had sent princes
of little distinction to him, whereupon God said to him,
" Thou shalt not go with them." When, however, he sent
many renowned princes to him, God said to Balaam, " Go
with them," but this journey brought him nothing but
humihation and ruin, for he fared in accordance with the
proverb, " Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty
spirit before a fall." God does this so that men might not
say, " Whom hath God destroyed ? Surely not that insigni-
ficant person," hence God exalts sinners before their fall.''''
When Balaam approached the Moabite boundaries, he sent
messengers to Balak to announce his arrival, and Balak went
forth to his country's border to meet him. Pointing to the
boundary lines, Balak said to Balaam : " These have been
fixed since Noah's days, that no nation might push into the
realm of another, but Israel set out to destroy the bounda-
ries, as their attitude toward Sihon and Og shows, into whose
kingdoms they entered." "* He then greeted him with the
words: "Did I not twice send unto thee to call thee?
Wherefore camest not thou unto me ? Am I not able indeed
to promote thee to honor?" Balak unconsciously uttered a
prophecy, for in truth Balaam went hence in disgrace and
A'loscs in the Wilderness 369
dishonor, and not covered with glory, as he could not fulfil
the other's wish to curse Israel/" It should now have been
Balaam's duty, had he really desired to be of service to the
king of Moab, to say to him, " Why dost thou attempt to do
what will bring thee misfortune, and finally utter ruin ? "
But he spoke quite differently instead, boastfully bragging
with his gift of prophecy, pointing out that he was the last
prophet among the heathens. " And," continued he, '' I, the
last prophet among the heathens, shall thus counsel thee.
The ancestor of that nation erected to God an altar upon
which, thrice annually, he offered up seven oxen and seven
rams ; do thou, then, erect seven altars, and ofifer up on each
seven oxen and seven rams." God laughed when he heard
this counsel, saying : " Every beast of the forest is Mine,
and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of
the mountains : and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If
I were hungry, I would not tell thee : for the world is Mine,
and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or
drink the blood of goats ? " '''
Balak led his guest from the border-line to the Interior of
the land, taking pains to show him great multitudes of the
people, having bazars erected for that purpose. Pointing to
these multitudes, among which there were also many chil-
dren, Balak said, " Look thou, how Israel plan to destroy
these multitudes of people that have done them no injury."
Balak slew for Balaam's welcome one ox and one sheep,
proving the proverb, " The pious promise little and do much,
the wicked promise much and do little." Balak had sent
word to Balaam, saying, " I will promote thee unto very
great honor ; " yet when he arrived, he offered him for food
24
370 The Legends of the Jews
only one ox and one sheep. Suppressing his rage, Balaam
thought, " Is that all that he offers me ! He will have to pay
for this to-morrow," for he instantly determined to have him
offer up many sacrifices on the following day to punish him
for having treated him in so niggardly a fashion.
Balaam's Sacrifices Refused
On the following morning Balak took Balaam and brought
him up into the high places of Baal. For Balak was even a
greater magician and soothsayer than Balaam, who allowed
himself like a blind man to be led by him. He led him to
this spot because through his magic lore he knew that Israel
was to suffer a great misfortune upon the heights of Baal-
peor, and he thought it was to be Balaam's curse that would
effect this disaster upon them. The relation of these two
men to each other was like that between two men, one of
whom has a knife in his hand, but does not know what part
of the body to strike for slaughter, and the other knows the
part of the body, but has no knife. Balak knew the place
where disaster awaited Israel, but did not know how it was
to be brought about, whereas Balaam knew how evil is con-
jured up, but did not know the places set for disaster, to
which Balak had to lead him.'" Balaam's superiority over
Balak and the other magicians lay in this, that he could accu-
rately determine the moment in which God is wrathful, and
it was for this reason that his curse was always effective be-
cause he knew how to curse at the very instant of God's
anger. It is true that God is angry for one instant every
day, to wit, during the third hour of the day, when the kings
with crowns upon their heads worship the sun, but this mo-
Moses in the Wilderness 371
ment is of infinltesimally short duration. Fully eighty-five
thousand and eighty-eight such moments make one hour, so
that no mortal save Balaam had ever been able to fix that
moment, although this point of time has its outward mani-
festations in nature, for while it lasts, the cock's comb be-
comes absolutely white, without even the smallest stripe of
red. God's love for Israel, however, is so great that during
the time that Balaam prepared to curse Israel, He did not
wax angry at all, so that Balaam waited in vain for the mo-
ment of wrath."^^^
Balaam now tried to obtain God's consent for Israel's curse
through sacrifices, and hence bade Balak erect seven altars
upon the high places of Baal, corresponding to the seven
altars that since Adam had been erected by seven pious men,
to wit: Adam, Abel, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and
Moses. When the altars had been erected, he said to God:
" Why didst Thou favor these people, if not for the sacri-
fices that they offered Thee ? Were it not better for Thee to
be adored by seventy nations than by one ? " But the Holy
Spirit answered, '' ' Better is a dry morsel and quietness
therewith, than an house full of sacrifices and strife.'
Dearer to Me is a dry offering of meal than all these many
flesh offerings by which thou strivest to stir up strife be-
tween Me and Israel."
Now was Balaam's fate decided, for by his conduct he put
himself into direct opposition to God, and hence his destruc-
tion was decreed,''' and from that moment the holy spirit of
prophecy left him and he was nothing more than a magician.
For Israel's sake, however, God granted him the honor of
His revelation, but He did so grudgingly, as one loathes to
372 The Legends of the Jews
touch an unclean thing. Hence He would not permit
Balaam to come to Him, but rather appeared to Balaam.
God's different treatment of Balaam and of Moses at the
revelation is evident, for whereas the latter betook himself
to the sanctuary to hear God's words, the former received
God's revelation at any place whatsoever. It characterizes
God's attitude toward them. Two men once knocked at a
magnate's door, the one being a friend, who had a request to
make, and the other a leprous beggar. The magnate said,
'' Let my friend enter, but I shall send the beggar's alms to
the door, that he may not enter and pollute my palace."
God called Moses to Him, whereas He did not desire Balaam
to come to Him, but betook Himself there.'**
He found Balaam at the seven altars that he had erected,
and said to him, '' What doest thou here ? " whereupon Ba-
laam answered, " I have erected for Thee as many altars as
the three fathers of Israel, and I have offered upon them bul-
locks and rams." God, however, said to him : " ' Better is a
dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred
therewith.' Pleasanter to Me is the meal of unleavened
bread and herbs that the Israelites took in Eg}^pt, than the
bullocks that thou offerest out of enmity. O thou knave, if
I wished for offerings, I should order Michael and Gabriel
to bring them to Me, thou art mistaken if thou believest that
I should accept offerings from the nations of the world, for
I have vowed a vow to accept such from Israel alone." '"^
God thereupon handed him over to an angel who entered and
settled in his throat, and would not permit Balaam to speak
when he wanted to curse Israel.'^^
Moses in the Wilderness 373
Balaam Extols Israel
Balaam now turned back to Balak, who awaited him with
his princes. He now wanted to begin to curse Israel, but his
mouth, far from being able to utter the words, was on the
contrary compelled to praise and bless Israel/^ He said : " I
found myself upon the high places, in company with the
Patriarchs, and thou, Balak, hast cast me down from the
heights ; through thee did I lose the gift of prophecy. Both
of us are ungrateful men if we wish to undertake evil
against Israel, for, had it not been for their father Abraham,
for whose sake God saved Lot out of the ruin of the cities,
there should now be no Balak, for thou art one of Lot's de-
scendants. And had it not been for Jacob, I, Laban's de-
scendant, should not now be on earth, for no sons were born
unto Laban until after Jacob had come into his house.'^
Thou didst bring me out of Aram to curse Israel, but it was
this land that their father Abraham left, laden with blessings,
and it was this land also that their father Jacob entered,
laden with blessings. Shall now a curse come upon them
from this land ? ^^' How can I curse them if he that curseth
them bringeth a curse upon himself? Thou, moreover,
wishest me even to curse Jacob. Hadst thou urged me to
curse a nation that were only the descendants of Abraham or
of Isaac, I might have been able to do so; but to curse
Jacob's descendants is as bad as if a man were to come to a
king and say to him, ' The crown that thou wearest upon thy
head is worthless.' Would such a man be permitted to live?
' The Lord's portion is His people ; Jacob is the lot of His
inheritance.' ' In Israel,' said the Lord, ' will I be glorified.'
How now should I curse them? How shall I curse whom
374 The Legends of the Jczvs
God hath not cursed ? Even when they have been worthy of
a curse, they have not been cursed. When Jacob went in to
receive the blessings, he went in through craft and said to
his father, ^ I am Esau, thy firstborn.' Doth not he deserve a
curse out of whose mouth issueth a He ? Yet, far from being
cursed, he was even blessed. Ordinarily a legion that stirs
up sedition against their king is declared guilty of death,
but Israel had denied God, saying, ' These be thy gods, O
Israel.' Should they not then have been destroyed? God,
however, did not even at that moment withdraw from them
His love, but left to them the clouds of glory, manna, and the
well, even after they had adored the Calf. Howsoever often
they sinned and God threatened them with a curse, still He
did not say that He would bring it upon them, whereas in
His promises of blessings He always tells them that He Him-
self would send them upon Israel. How shall I curse when
God doth not curse ! '®®
" Israel is a nation of whom God thought even before the
creation of the world. It is the rock upon which the world
is founded. For, when God was considering the scheme of
the creation. He thought, ' How can I create the world if the
idolatrous generation of Enosh and the generation of the
flood will arouse My anger? ' He was about to desist from
the creation of the world, when He saw before Him Abra-
ham's form, and He said, ' Now I have a rock upon which
I can build, one upon which I can found the world.' ^" How,
too, should I curse this nation that are protected and sur-
rounded by the merits of the Patriarchs and the wives of the
Patriarchs as if by lofty mountains and steep hills, so that if
Israel sin, God forgives them as soon as Moses prays to Him
to be mindful of the Patriarchs ! '''
Moses in the Wilderness 375
" I was in error when I believed Israel could be easily
attacked, but now I know that they have taken deep root in
the earth, and cannot be uprooted. God forgives them
many sins out of consideration for their having preserved
the token of the Abrahamic covenant; and as powerless as
I am to curse them alone, just as powerless am I to curse
them together with another nation, for ' it is a people that
shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the
nations/ Israel is distinguished from all other nations by
their costume, by their food, by the token of the covenant
upon their bodies, and by the token upon their doorposts,
wherefore God doth not judge them at the same time with
other nations, for He judges the latter in the darkness of
the night, but the former in bright daylight. Israel is a
separate people, alone they enjoy the blessings God gives
them, no other nation rejoices with Israel. So too in the
Messianic time Israel will quite alone rejoice in delights and
pleasures, whereas in the present world it may also partake
of the universal welfare of the nations.^^
" I am not able to accomplish anything against a nation that
zealously fulfils God's commandments, and that owes its ex-
istence to the devotion with which the wives of the Patriarchs
obeyed the commandments of God."" * Let me die the death
of the righteous, and let my last end be like his ! ' " Balaam
in these words spoke an unconscious prophecy, to wit, that he
should be entitled to participate in the fate of the righteous,
to his share in the future world, if he died the death of the
righteous, a natural death, but not otherwise. He died, how-
ever, a violent death, and thus lost his share in the future
world."'
37^ The Legends of the Jews
Balaam's Hopes Disappointed
When Balak saw that Balaam, instead of cursing, praised
and exalted Israel, he led him to the top of Pisgah, hoping
that he might there succeed in cursing Israel. By means of
his sorcery, Balak had discovered that Pisgah was to be a
place of misfortune for Israel, hence he thought that Balaam
would there utter his curse against Israel. He was, however,
mistaken; the disaster that there awaited Israel was the death
of their leader Moses, who died there, and God refused to
grant Balaam's wish on this spot also.
God indeed appeared to Balaam, but what He said to him
was : " Go again unto Balak, and bless Israel." Balaam now
did not wish to return to Balak at all, to disappoint him a
second time, but God compelled him to return to Balak and
communicate to him the blessings of Israel. Balaam now
turned back to Balak, whom he found standing by his burnt
offering. But whereas on the first occasion the king had
awaited Balaam, surrounded by all his princes, Balaam now
saw only a few notables surrounding Balak. Most of the
princes had deserted their king without awaiting Balaam,
for they expected nothing further from him after the first
disappointment he had caused them. Balak as well did not
now receive him as kindly, but mockingly asked, ''What
hath the Lord spoken ? " hinting in this way that Balaam
was unable to say what he wished, but only what God willed.
Balaam replied to these scornful words of Balak: "Rise
up, Balak. Thou mayest not be seated when God's words
are spoken. God is not like a man of flesh and blood, that
makes friends and disowns them, as soon as he finds such as
are better than they. God is not so, for He doth not cancel
Moses in the Wilderness Z77
the vow He had made to the Patriarchs, for He promised to
bestow Canaan upon their descendants, and He fulfilleth
His promise. He always fulfils what He hath promised to
Israel, but allows the evil with which He threatens them to
be unfulfilled as soon as they repent them of their sins.
God sees not their sins, but He seeth their good deeds.
Thou, Balak, sayest to me, ' Come, curse Jacob for me,' but
a thief can enter a vineyard that hath a keeper only if the
keeper sleeps, but ' He that keepeth Israel neither sleepeth
nor slumbereth,' and how then can I enter their vineyard?
If, however, thou dost think that I cannot harm Israel on
account of Moses, who is their keeper, know then that his
successor will be as invincible as he, for through the sound
of trumpets he will overthrow the walls of Jericho.
" Thou, Balak, furthermore sayest, ' A people hath gone
forth out of Egypt,' but they have not only gone forth,
* God brought them forth out of Egypt,' "' who combines
in Himself the powers of the angels and of the invisible
demons."^ Swift as the flight of a bird doth fortune as
well as misfortune come upon Israel; if they sin, God
suddenly plunges them down, but if they act well in the
sight of the Lord, God exalts them as quickly as a cloud.
Thou, Balak, hast repeatedly tried to discover in what spot
thou shouldst be able to work them woe, but they will have
nothing to do with sorceries, they baf^e and put to naught
the sorceries and prophecies of other nations by their pious
deeds. When they set forth into battle, they practice no
magic, but the high priest, clad in the Urim and Tummim,
consults God about the outcome of the battle. There will
even be a time when Israel will sit before the Lord like a
^yS The Legends of the Jews
pupil before his master, and will receive the revelation of the
secrets of the Torah from Him, so that even the angels will
consult Israel concerning the secrets revealed to them by
God, for the angels are not permitted to approach God as
closely as the Israelites in the Messianic time.
" There is not indeed upon the earth a nation like Israel.
The last thing they do before going to sleep is to devote
themselves to tlie study of the Torah and the fulfilment of
its laws, and this also is their first occupation upon awaken-
ing. As soon as they arise, they recite the Shema and adore
God, and not until after they have done this, do they go
about their business. If evil spirits come to attack them, or
if disaster threatens them, they worship their God, and as
soon as they utter the words, ' The Lord our God is one
Lord,' the harmful spirits become powerless against them and
whisper after them the words, * Praised be the Name of
the Glory of His Kingdom, for ever and ever.' When at
night they retire, they again recite the Shema , whereupon
the angels of the day pass on the trust of guarding them to
the angels of the night, and when, upon awakening, they
again worship their Lord, the angels of the night again pass
them on to be guarded by the angels of the day." "*
When Balak for the second time saw that Balaam, instead
of cursing, blessed Israel, he brought him to the top of Peor,
thinking that peradventure it would please God to have him
curse them from thence. For by his sorcery Balak had dis-
covered that a great disaster was to fall upon Israel on the
top of Peor, and thought that this disaster might be their
curse from Balaam. He was, however, mistaken in this
supposition, for the disaster in that spot was none other than
Moses in the Wilderness 379
Israel's sin with the daughters of Moab, and God's punish-
ment for this."^
Curses Turned to Blessings
Balaam, on the other hand, made no further attempts to
induce God to curse Israel, but thought he might be able to
bring misfortune upon Israel by enumerating the sins they
had committed in the desert, and in this way to conjure up
God's wrath against them. But the desert had also been the
place where Israel had accepted the Torah, hence the men-
tion of the desert called up God's love instead of His
wrath."^ Balaam himself, when he let his eyes wander over
the camp of Israel, and perceived how their tents were so
pitched that no one might see what was going on in the
homes of the others, found himself compelled to burst
into praises of Israel;"'' and, under the inspiration of the
prophetic spirit, the curses he had intended to speak were
changed in his mouth into blessings, and he spoke of the
extent and importance of the kingdom of Israel."^ But
whereas Moses blessed his people in a low, quiet voice,
Balaam spoke his words of blessing in a very loud voice, so
that all the other nations might hear and out of envy make
war upon Israel. Balaam's blessings were therefore ac-
counted to him not as blessings, but as curses. God said:
" I have promised Abraham, ' And I will bless them that
bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse,' hence will
I account Balaam's blessings as curses." "" And indeed all
of Balaam's blessings later turned to curses, except his bless-
ing that houses of teaching and of prayer should never be
missing among Israel.™
380 The Legends of the Jezvs
The words that Balaam announced were heard by all the
inhabitants of the earth, such power did God lend to his
voice, for He knew that at some future time there would be
a man born of woman who would pass himself for a god and
would mislead all the world. Hence God permitted all the
world to hear Balaam's words, that said : " God is not a
man, and the man that passeth himself for God lieth. But
he that will mislead the world by declaring that he will dis-
appear for a time and then reappear will promise what he
can never fulfil. Woe then to that nation that will lend
ear to the man who will pass himself for God." '^^ Balaam
furthermore announced the events that would come to pass
at the time of David's sovereignty ; and also what will hap-
pen at the end of days, in the time of the Messiah, when
Rome and all other nations will be destroyed by Israel, ex-
cepting only the descendants of Jethro, who will participate in
Israel's joys and sorrows."' Yea, the Kenites are to be the
ones to announce to Israel the arrival of the Messiah, and
the sons of the Kenite Jonadab are to be the first at the time
of the Messiah to bring offerings at the Temple and to an-
nounce to Jerusalem its deliverance."* This was Balaam's
last prophecy. After this, the prophetic spirit left Balaam,
and God in this way granted Moses' wish to reserve the gift
of prophecy as a special distinction to Israel. Balaam was
the last prophet of the nations."*
Balaam's Wicked Counsel
Although Balaam had not been able to fulfil Balak's wish
and curse Israel, still he did not leave him before giving him
advice as to how he might bring ruin to Israel, saying:
Moses in the Wilderness 381
" The God of this people loathes unchastity ; but they are
very eager to possess linen garments. Pitch tents, then, and
at their entrances have old women offer these articles for
sale. Induce them in this way to enter the interior of the
tents where they will be surprised by young harlots, who will
seduce them to unchastity, so that God may punish them for
their sin." '''
" Throw the stick up in the air it will always return to its
original place." The Moabite nation that owes its exist-
ence to the illegal relations of Lot with his daughter could
not deny its origin, and followed Balaam's counsel to tempt
Israel to unchastity. They pitched tents, filled them with
pretty women, whom they provided with valuable things, and
had old women take up their posts at the doors of the tents,
whose task it was to lure the passing Israelites into the in-
terior. If an Israelite passed to buy something of the
Moabites, the old women at the entrance to the tent would
thus address him, " Dost thou not wish to buy linen garments
that were made in Bet-Shan ? " Then they would show him
a sample of the goods, and name the price, and finally add,
*' Go within, and thou wilt see wares still more beautiful."
If he went within, he was received by a young woman who
was richly adorned and perfumed, who would at first set for
him a price much lower than the value of the goods, and
then invite him to do as if he were at home, and to choose
the article he liked best. While he sat there, he was treated
with wine, and the young woman invited him to drink with
the words : " Why do we love ye while you hate us ? Are
we not all descendants of one man ? Was not Terah our an-
cestor as much as yours ? If thou wilt not eat of our sacri-
3^2 The Legends of the Jews
fices or what we have cooked, here are calves and fowl
that thou mayest slaughter in accordance with thy law."
But as soon as the Israelite had allowed himself to be per-
suaded to drink, he was absolutely in the hands of the shame-
less woman. Intoxicated with wine, his passion for the
woman was soon kindled, but she agreed to satisfy his de-
sires only after he had first worshipped Peor, the god of the
Moabites. Now the worship of this idol consisted in nothing
else than the complete baring of the body, hence the Israel-
ites, seeing no evil in it, declared themselves willing to follow
the summons of the Moabite women; and in this way they
were seduced both to unchastity and to idolatry by the
Moabite women. At first the men were ashamed and com-
mitted this whoredom with the Moabite women in secret, but
they soon lost this feeling of shame and betook themselves
two by two to their lewd actions.*^^'
Israel's moral degeneration is to be partly explained by
this, that the place where they found themselves was apt to
tempt them to lewdness. For there are springs whose waters
have various effects upon those who partake of them. One
kind of water strengthens, another weakens; one makes
beautiful, another makes ugly; one makes chaste, another
brings about lewdness. Now there was in Shittim, where
the Israelites then dwelt, the " Well of Lewdness," out of
which the inhabitants of Sodom had erstwhile fetched water,
but from which, since the destruction of the sinful cities, no
one had drunk, and for this reason the people had until then
been chaste. But Israel, as soon as they tasted of this water,
gave up their chaste manner of life. This disastrous spring
will lose its force only in the Messianic time when God will
cause it to dry up.'''
Moses in the Wilderness 383
Phinehas, Zealous for God
When the people's shamelessness became more and more
widespread, God commanded Moses to appoint judges to
punish the sinners, and as it was difficult to discover these
through the agency of witnesses, God marked them by caus-
ing the cloud of glory that lay spread over the camp of
Israel to disappear from the sinners. Those that were not
covered by the cloud of glory were thus clearly marked as
sinners/*^ God appointed as judges and executioners the
seven myriads eight thousand six hundred officers of the
people, giving them the order that each of them execute two
sinners/'^ These carried out Moses' command and stoned
the sinners, whose corpses then hung upon the gallows for a
few minutes. This was the legal punishment, for these sin-
ners had not only committed whoredom with the women of
Moab, but had worshipped the Moabite idol Peor; and idol-
atry is punishable with death by stoning."*'
While the judges administered their stern offices, the tribe
of Simeon approached their prince, Zimri, and said to him,
" People are being executed, and thou sittest still as if noth-
ing were going on." He thereupon took with him twenty-
four thousand men, and betook himself to Cozbi, Balak's
daughter, and without considering God or men, he requested
her in the presence of many people to yield herself to him,
to satisfy his evil desires. Now Balak had ordered his
daughter Cozbi to employ her beauty only for the sake of
enticing Moses, thinking, "Whatever evil may be decreed
by God against Israel, Moses will be brought to naught, but
if my daughter should succeed in seducing him to sin, then
all Israel will be in my hand." Hence Cozbi said to Zimri :
384 The Legends of the Jezvs
*' My father ordered me to be obedient to the wishes of
Moses alone, and to none other ; for he is a king, and so is
my father, and a king's daughter is fit for none but a king."
Zimri, however, replied : " I am a greater man than IMoses,
for he is chief only of the third tribe in Israel, whereas I am
prince of the tribe of Simeon, the second of the Israelite
tribes, and if thou wilt, I will convince thee that I am a
greater man than Moses, for I will take thee to myself in his
presence, without paying attention to his prohibition."
Zimri then seized Cozbi by the locks of her hair, and
brought her before Moses, whom he then addressed as fol-
lows: '^Tell me, son of Amram, is this woman permitted
me, or is she forbidden me ? " Moses said, " She is forbid-
den to thee." Zimri answered: "Art thou really the faithful
expounder of the Torah, whose reliabiHty God praised with
the words, 'He is faithful in all Mine house?' How then
canst thou assert that she is forbidden to me, for then thy
wife would be forbidden to thee, for she is a Midianite like
this woman, and this one is a noble w^oman of a noble family,
whereas thy wife is the daughter of an idolatrous priest."
At these words, Moses, Eleazar, and the elders began to weep,
for they knew not how to make answer to Zimri's insolent
words, nor what they could do to restrain this sinner from
the accomplishment of his sin. God said to Moses : ^' Where
is thy wisdom ? Thou didst need to utter only one w^ord, and
Korah and all his company were swallowed by the earth.
Canst thou now do nothing better than to weep ? " The
Holy Spirit exclaimed at Moses' perplexity and silence,
" The stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their sleep." "^
God, who calls the pious to strict account, punished Moses
Moses in the Wilderness 385
for the lack of decision that he displayed on this occasion, by
leaving his burial-place unknown to mankind/" While
Moses and other pious men were irresolute and deliberated
whether or not Zimri deserved death, Phinehas said to
Moses : " O my great-uncle, didst thou not teach me, when
thou didst return from Mount Sinai, that it was the zealot's
task for the sake of God's law to slay those who commit
unchastity with non-Jewish women?" Phinehas took the
liberty of pointing out the law to his teacher Moses who had
forgotten it, because, " when God's name is profaned, no
man should consider the respect due to a teacher," wherefore
Phinehas thought now only of establishing God's law, and in
doing this it was necessary to recall it to Moses' mind. Moses
indeed did not take it at all amiss, but said to Phinehas, " Let
the reader of the letter be its bearer also," words by which
he called upon Phinehas himself to visit punishment upon
the sinners."'
Phinehas was now for a time in doubt whether he should
dare to punish the sinners, for it was to be expected
that he would eventually meet his death in this way, being
one against two, Zimri and his mistress Cozbi. When,
however, the plague that God had sent upon Israel
on account of their sins spread more and more rapidly,
Phinehas determined to risk his life in trying to kill the sin-
ners. " For," said he to himself, " the horse goes willingly
into battle, and is ready to be slain only to be of service to
its master. How much more does it behoove me to expose
myself to death in order to sanctify God's name ! " "* He
found himself all the more impelled to act thus because he
could not well leave the punishment of the sinners to others.
25
386 The Legends of the Jews
He said : " The tribe of Reuben can effect nothing in this
instance, because their grandsire Reuben was himself sus-
pected of an unchaste action; nothing is to be expected
from the tribe of Simeon, for it follows the sinful example
of its prince Zimri ; the tribe of Judah cannot well be of use
in this matter, because their grandsire Judah committed
unchastity with his daughter-in-law Tamar; Moses himself
is doomed to impotence because his wife Zipporah is a
Midianite woman. Hence there remains nothing but for me
to interpose." "'
Twelve Miracles
Phinehas now, prepared at the risk of his own life to pun-
ish Zimri for his sin, left the house of teaching where he had
until now debated the case of Zimri with Moses and all other
pious men, and had himself provided with a lance, having
none with him because no armed man may enter a house of
teaching. That his weapon might not betray him, he de-
tached the upper iron part of the lance and hid it in his
bosom, and leaned upon the wooden shaft as if it were a
staff."' When he reached the house w^here Zimri and Cozbi
were giving extravagant play to their passions, the people
said to him, " Whence, Phinehas, and whither ? " He re-
plied, " Do ye not know that the tribe of Levi is always to be
found where the tribe of Simeon is ? " Then they permitted
him to enter the house, but said, " It seems that even the
Pharisees now permit intercourse with the heathen women."
When Phinehas had entered, he drew his lance, " and thrust
both of them through, the man of Israel, and the woman
through her belly." "'
Moses in the Wilderness 3^7
Phinehas's fear that these two might attack him was not
realized, for God performed no less than twelve miracles
for Phinehas, which not only made it impossible for the
sinners to attack him, but also showed the people that his
action found favor in the sight of the Lord. The first
miracle was that an angel would not allow the sinful
couple to separate when Phinehas surprised them; the
second miracle was that the angel stopped their mouths so
that they could not cry out for help ; the third miracle was
that Phinehas's lance struck the man's and the woman's pu-
denda ; the fourth miracle was that the upper, iron part of the
lance extended, so that Phinehas could at one thrust pierce
the man as well as the woman; the fifth miracle was that
Phinehas's arm was sufficiently strong to lift both upon the
point of his lance; the sixth miracle was that the wooden
shaft of the lance sustained the weight of two persons ; the
seventh miracle was that the two bodies remained poised
upon the lance and did not fall off; the eighth miracle was
that the angel turned the shameless pair around, so that all
might see that Phinehas had surprised them in flagranti;
the ninth miracle was that no blood flowed from them al-
though they had been thrust through, or else Phinehas
would have been polluted; the tenth miracle was that the
shameless couple did not give up the ghost so long as
Phinehas bore them upon the point of his lance, as he would
otherwise have been polluted by their corpses ; the eleventh
miracle was that the angel raised the doorposts of the room
so that Phinehas might pass through with the sinners upon
the point of his lance, and the twelfth miracle was that when
the tribe of Simeon prepared to avenge Prince Zimri's death
388 The Legends of the Jews
upon Phlnehas, the angel sent a plague upon them, so that
they were impotent against him."^
Phinehas was not, however, content with having pun-
ished the sinners, but tried also to reconcile God with Israel.
He threw the two dead bodies upon the ground, saying to
God, " Why, alas ! Hast Thou on account of the sins of these
two slain twenty-four thousand Israelites ! " For this was
the number that had been snatched away by the plague that
God had sent upon Israel for their sins. The angels now
wanted to plunge Phinehas into death for his bold words,
but God bade them desist, saying, " Leave him in peace, he
is a zealot, the son of a zealot, and an appeaser of wrath,
the son of an appeaser of wrath." "*
Phinehas Rewarded
While God expressed His entire satisfaction with
Phinehas's act, it found many adversaries among Israel, who
would scornfully call after him, " Behold, this man, the
grandson of one who fattened calves to offer them up to an
idol, daring to slay a prince among Israel ! " This spiteful
remark referred to the fact that Phinehas was descended on
his mother's side not only from Joseph, but from Jethro also
who, before his conversion to Judaism, had been a priest of
idols. God therefore said to Moses, " Phinehas the son of
Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned My wrath
away from the children of Israel, hence I offer him My
greeting of peace, for it was he who, zealous for My sake,
preserved the seed of Abraham." The reason God designa-
ted Phinehas as the son of Eleazar and the grandson of
Aaron was that He wanted to stop the mouths of Phinehas's
Moses in the Wilderness 3^9
detractors, who pretended that he was nothing but a g-rand-
son of the heathen priest Jethro, ignoring the fact that he
was at the same time the grandson of Aaron, the high priest
before the Lord/""
God was not content with the greeting of peace, but bade
Moses tell Phinehas : " With thy mouth hast thou defended
Israel, therefore as thy priest's portion shalt thou receive the
jawbone of animals; with thy lance didst thou aim at the
bellies of the shameless couple, hence shalt thou receive the
bellies of the animals ; and as with thy arm thou didst labor to
slay the sinners, so for thy portion shalt thou receive the
shoulder of the animals. As, moreover, thou didst strive to
make peace among mankind, so shalt thou bestow the priestly
blessing upon My children, and bless them with peace." '°'
As a reward for his pious deed Phinehas was appointed by
God as a priest with all the rights of priesthood, that en-
abled him to lay claim to the twenty-four tributes to priests.'""
But the highest reward to Phinehas was that God granted
him everlasting priesthood. For Phinehas is none other than
the prophet Elijah. His task it is to make atonement for
Israel, and without tasting of death, he constantly discharges
the duties of his everlasting priesthood until the resurrection
of the dead, offering up daily two sacrifices for the children
of Israel, and upon the skins of these animals recording the
events of each day.'"' God furthermore said to Phinehas:
" Thou hast in this world established peace between Me and
Israel; in the future world also shalt thou establish peace
between Me and them." He was therefore destined to be the
forerunner of the Messiah to establish before his coming
peace on earth.""*
390 The Legends of the Jews
When Israel addicted themselves to an immoral life at
Shittim, the nations of the world rejoiced greatly, for they
knew that God had distinguished Israel before all other na-
tions, and had given them the Torah, only because their life
had been moral. " Now," said they, " the crown has been
taken from Israel's head, their pride is departed, for now
they are no better than we." God, however, raised up Israel
from their fall by sending the plague upon the sinners at
Shittim, and thus purified Israel from them, so that they
could again, as of yore, be proud of their family purity,
through which they had been distinguished from all other
nations.
God therefore ordered them to take a census, to show
in this way that Israel remained true to the traditions
of their ancestor Abraham by keeping their family life
pure.'"' This census showed that several tribes had lost en-
tire divisions since the time that passed between the entrance
of Israel into Egypt, and their entrance into the promised
land. Among the .tribes that had perished were such as had
already lost their lives in Egypt, those, namely, who had died
during the days of darkness because they were such sinners
that they did not want to leave Egypt. But heaviest of all
were the losses in the tribes of Benjamin and of Simeon, for
in the battle between the Levites and the other tribes after
Aaron's death, when the latter, for fear of the Canaanites,
wanted to return to Egypt, the Benjamites lost no less than
seven divisions. All of the twenty-four thousand men that
died from the plague at Shittim belonged, however, to the
tribe of Simeon which, at the end of the march through
the desert, had dwindled down to less than half its number.
Moses in the Wilderness 39^
The tribe of Dan, on the other hand, had turned out to be
very fruitful, for, whereas at the entrance into Egypt it had
consisted of only one division, it later exceeded in number
all the other tribes, except the tribe of Judah.'"*'
The Daughters of Zelophehad
But there was another purpose beside that of establishing
Israel's family purity in taking the census at Arbot-Moab.
For when God at the exodus from Egypt put His people into
Moses' hands, He entrusted them to him after having
counted them, and now when Moses was about to depart
from this world, he wanted to return the flock that God had
entrusted to him, truly numbered, into God's hand.'""
After the number of the nation had been determined, God
ordered Moses to divide the promised land among them ac-
cording to their numbers.'"' Jacob had indeed upon his
death-bed determined what parts of the land were to fall to
the lot of each tribe, but in order that the tribes might not
quarrel among themselves, God decreed that the assignments
be made by lot."" After the conquest of the land Joshua and
Eleazar saw to the drawing of lots. On this occasion the
miracle came to pass that whenever Eleazar drew a lot
from the urn, the lot itself announced the words, " I am
the lot of Thus-and-So." In this way was avoided the
possibility of having the malcontents declare that Eleazar
had, at the drawing of lots, been partial to his friends and
had assigned to them the lots they wished for.""
When Zelophehad's daughters, that had Hved piously and
wisely like their father and their ancestors, heard that the
land was being divided among the male members of the
392 The Legends of the Jezcs
tribe, but not among the female, they took counsel together,
discussing what they could do, so that they might not find
themselves come out empty-handed. They said : " God's
love is not like the love of a mortal father ; the latter prefers
his sons to his daughters, but He that created the world ex-
tends His love to women as well as to men, ' His tender mer-
cies are over all His works/ " They now hoped that God
would take pity on them and give them their share of the
promised land, which they loved with as great devotion as
their grandsire Joseph, who had upon his death-bed ex-
horted his children to transfer his body to the Holy Land.'^
Being wise and learned, they waited for a propitious time
to lay their case before 2^Ioses, an opportunity which they
found when ]\Ioses in the house of teaching recited the law
concerning the levirate marriage. They now advanced and
said : ^' If we are as good as our brothers, then do we lay
claim to our father's inheritance, and to his share of the
land ; but if we are not to be considered as sons, then should
our mother have to marry her brother-in-law, as our father
has left no issue, since we do not count." '"* They further-
more pointed out that their father had been neither one of
the spies nor one of Korah's followers, who had, owing to
their sins, lost claim to their share of the land,"' but that he
had found his death when a number of men, in spite of
JM OSes' warnings, had presumed to storm the mountain occu-
pied by the Amalekites and the Canaanites.^'* " Had our
father," continued they, " left behind him a son, and the
latter were now also dead, then should we lay no claim to
inheritance if this son had left a living child, were it even
a daughter; but as we are our father's only descendants,
Moses in the Wilderness 393
give us, we pray, ^ a possession among the brethren of our
father.' "
The fervent longing of these women to have a share in the
Holy Land shows how much better and more pious were the
women of this generation than the men. The latter said,
" Let us make a captain, and let us return to Eg>'pt," whereas
the women said, " Give us a possession among the brethren
of our father." ''' But not only during the rebellion that w^as
kindled by the spies did the women remain true to Moses
and to their God, but on other occasions also it was they who
tried to build up what the men had torn down. At the wor-
ship of the Golden Calf, too, they tried to restrain the men
from sin, hence it was the men only that had to die in the
desert because they had been tempted to rebellion by the
spies, whereas the women entered into the promised land.^"
Among them also there was even to be found a woman as
old as Jochebed — the daughter of Levi by his union with
Otah — who survived her sons Moses and Aaron, as well as
her daughter i\Iiriam, and who was permitted to enter the
promised land at the age of two hundred and fifty years.*"^
The daughters of Zelophehad did not bring their request
directly to ]\Ioses, but at first urged their plea before the
lowest officers, the captains of tens. These, however, said:
" This is an important matter since it touches upon laws of
inheritance, hence it does not become us to decide this mat-
ter; greater men than we must settle it." Hence they sent
them to the captains of fifties. When these saw that out of
consideration for them the captains of tens would not pass
judgment, they sent the daughters of Zelophehad on to the
captains of hundreds, that were their superiors. But these
394 The Legends of the Jews
too, out of consideration for the higher judges, would not
settle this matter, and so the daughters of Zelophehad came
to the captains of thousands, who sent them to the princes of
the tribes, until they came at last to the highest authority, to
Moses. Now Moses might well have decided this case with-
out further ado, but in his meekness he thought, " There is
still a higher authority than I, to wit, God," and he bade
them await God's judgment.''* The answer that he received
from God was as follows : " The daughters of Zelophehad
have the law on their side, for what they desire is in accord-
ance with the law that was written in heaven by Me; give
them therefore their father's inheritance, and also two parts
of their grandfather Hepher's possessions, for their father
Zelophehad was his firstborn and was therefore entitled to a
double share." ^'^
The daughters of Zelophehad, who in spite of their years
— the youngest of them had attained forty — had not yet been
married, now entered into wedlock, and according to God's
bidding that Moses communicated to them, they married
their uncle's sons, although they were free to marry whom-
soever they chose.'^"
'^God works good through the good, and evil through
the evil." The chapter of the laws of God that was published
by Moses as an addition to the incident of Zelophehad's
daughters would have been given v/ithout them also, but God
rewarded these women for their piety by making them the
direct occasion of this chapter of the law.'"" At the same
time this case of these women was to teach several lessons to
Moses. He who, since he had been made God's messenger
to the people, had lived apart from his wife was not to grow
Moses in the Wilderness 395
too conceited on account of the sacrifice he had made to his
sacred cahing; hence in the last year of his Hfe there ap-
peared before him the daughters of Zelophehad, who of their
own accord had not married because they had not found
mates that they considered suitable. Then, too, Moses could
not answer the legal question that the daughters of Zelophe-
had presented to him, and had to ask God's counsel, which
was a second lesson to Moses. At the appointment of the
elders, Moses earnestly told them, " The cause that is too hard
for ye, bring it to me, and I will hear it," and in punishment
of these boastful words God so brought it to pass that he
could give no answer to this request of the women, where-
upon God said to him, " Didst not thou say, ' the cause that
is too hard for ye, bring it to me ? ' and now thou canst not
properly settle this legal question of the women."
A similar punishment for a similar offense was visited
upon David who, well aware of his erudition, said, " The
laws of the Torah do I grasp as easily and as quickly as
songs." God then said, " As truly as thou livest, thou shalt
hereafter forget a Biblical law that even the school children
know." So, too, it came to pass that when he had the Holy
Ark fetched from Gibeah to Zion, he forgot the Biblical in-
struction that the Ark may be carried only upon the shoulder,
and had it lifted upon a wagon. Then occurred the miracle
that the Ark leaped of itself into the air, whereas the oxen
that pulled the wagon fell down, whereupon Uzzah, to whom
the transportation of the Ark had been entrusted, stretched
out his hand to prevent the Ark from falling and himself fell
dead upon the ground, for " a sin that is committed in ignor-
ance of the law is accounted as if it had been intentional."
396 The Legends of the Jews
Uzzali should have been mindful of the law that the Ark
was not to be lifted upon a cart, hence his punishment. God
thereupon said to David, " Didst thou not say, ' Thy statutes
have been my songs ? ' and thou hast not even mastered the
words of the Bible, ' Unto the sons of Kohath he gave none :
because the service of the sanctuary belonged unto them;
they bare it upon their shoulders.' "
The Appointment of Joshua
When IMoses heard God's decision in the case of the
daughters of Zelophehad, which turned out in their favor so
that they inherited their father's property, he thought, " This
is a propitious time to urge a plea before the Lord, for if
daughters are to inherit their father, then must my sons in-
herit my office." '"^ He then began to pray to God that his
successors, who, he hoped, were also to be his descendants,
might be worthy leaders of their people. He said : " O my
Lord, before whom come the spirits of all human beings, so
that Thou knowest the spirit of each— whose spirit is proud,
and whose spirit is meek ; whose spirit is patient and whose
spirit is restive; mayest Thou set over Thy community a
man who is gifted with strength, with wisdom, with beauty,
and with decorum, so that his conduct may not give offense
to the people.''' O Lord of the world ! Thou knowest each
man's views, and knowest that each man has a view of his
own, hence, as I am about to depart from this world, I pray
Thee, appoint a leader over them that will know how to deal
with each man according to his views." ^^*
Moses, being a truly pious man, thought when he saw his
end approach, not of himself, but of the welfare of the com-
Moses in the Wilderness 397
munity, for whom he implored a good and worthy leader.^'
Hence he furthermore said to God : " Let not my successor
share my fate, for aUhough I accepted the guidance of the
people only after long hesitation, owing to Thy urgings and
requests, still I shall not be permitted to lead them into the
promised land. Mayest Thou then deal differently with my
successor than Thou hast dealt with me, and permit him not
only to lead the people in the desert, but to take them into
the promised land.""' He, however, shall be a man ' which
may go out before them,' who, unlike the kings of the
heathens, that send their legions to war but themselves re-
main at home, shall himself lead Israel to war. But he shall
also be a man ' which may come in before them ; ' may it be
granted him to see the number of those returning from war
no less than that of those going into war. O Lord of the
world ! '' continued Moses, " Thou hast led Israel out of
Egypt, not to punish them for their sins, but to forgive them,
and Thou hast not led them out of Egypt that they may be
without leaders, but that they may indeed have leaders. I
insist, therefore, that Thou shouldst tell me whether or not
Thou wilt grant them a leader."
This is one of the five occasions upon which Moses im-
plored God to give him an answer to his question. When
he saw that his appearance before Pharaoh only occasioned
him to bring greater and greater cruelties upon Israel, he
said to God, " Tell me if Thou wilt now deliver them, or
not." He also demanded God's answer to the question,
" Shall I now fall into their hands or not ? " when at Rephi-
dim, on account of the dearth of water, he was threatened by
the people. The third occasion was when he prayed to God
39^ The Legends of the Jezvs
for Miriam's recovery, and said, '^ Tell me, wilt Thou heal
her or not?" And lastly when, after long and fervent
prayer, he asked God whether he should be permitted to
enter into the Holy Land, he said, " Let me know if I am to
enter the Holy Land or not." '"
God fulfilled this wish of Moses, saying: "Thou hast
now requested to be informed concerning- thy immediate suc-
cessor. I shall do more than this, and show thee all the
judges and prophets that I will allow to arise for My chil-
dren from now on to the resurrection of the dead." Then He
showed Moses his successor Joshua, his successor's succes-
sor, Othniel, and all the other judges and prophets. Then
God added these words : " Of all these that I have shown
thee, each will have his individual spirit and his individual
knowledge, but -such a man as thou now wishest for thy suc-
cessor, whose spirit is to embrace in itself the spirits of sixty
myriads of Israel, so that he may speak to each one of them
according to his understanding, such a man as this will not
arise until the end of time. The Messiah will be inspired
with a spirit that in itself will embrace the spirits of all
mankind.
But now, concerning thy immediate successor, know
then that he that watcheth the fig tree shall eat of its
fruits, and he that waiteth upon his master will be promoted
to honor, and thy sons shall not inherit the leadership because
they concerned themselves little with the Torah. Joshua
shall be thy successor, who served thee with devotion and
showed thee great veneration, for at morn and eve he put up
the benches in thy house of teaching and spread the carpets
over them ; he served thee as far as he was able, and Israel
Moses in the Wilderness 399
shall now know that he will therefore receive his reward.'''
Take then Joshua, a man such as thou didst wish as a suc-
cessor, whom thou hast proven, and who knows how to deal
with people of every tendency, ' and lay thy hand upon him.'
Give him an opportunity, while thou art still alive, to speak
in public and to pronounce the law, so that Israel may not
after thy death contemptuously say of thy successor, 'As
long as his teacher was alive, he dared not pronounce judg-
ment, and now he wishes to do so ! ' '"^ Although Joshua,
who is not of thy kin, is to be thy successor, I shall neverthe-
less be mindful of the law that ' no inheritance shall remove
from one tribe to another tribe,' for the dignity of leadership
is to be reserved for thy family ; Joshua ' shall stand even
before Eleazar the priest, thy brother's son, who shall ask
counsel for him according to the judgment of the Urim.'
After Moses in kindly words had induced Joshua to accept
the leadership after his death, pointing out to him the great
rewards that in the future world await the leaders of Israel,
' he took Joshua, and set him before Eleazar the priest, and
before all the congregation,' that all might thereafter ac-
knowledge him as his successor.''' He then bade Joshua,
who had been sitting on the floor like all the rest, rise and
seat himself upon a bench beside him. Joshua seated himself
with the words, " Blessed be the Lord that hath through
Moses bestowed the Torah upon Israel." ''' Moses honored
Joshua furthermore by interrupting his discourse as soon as
Joshua entered the house of teaching, and resuming it only
when he had taken his seat.''' Moses also bade a herald pro-
claim throughout all the camp, '' This man Joshua is worthy
of being appointed by God as His shepherd." ''^
400 The Legends of the Jews
Moses distinguished Joshua not because God had ordered
him to do so, but because he was sincerely glad to pass his
dignity on to him, just as a father is glad to leave his pos-
sessions to his son. So, too, whereas God had bidden IMoses
to lay only one hand upon Joshua's head and in this way put
his honor upon him, Moses fulfilled God's command by lay-
ing both his hands upon Joshua, and by this action bestowed
upon him not only insight and understanding, but also a
radiant countenance like that of Moses, from whose face
issued rays like those of the sun. In giving all these qualities
to Joshua, Moses lost nothing. Moses' wisdom was like a
torch, whereas Joshua's may be compared to a candle only,
and just as a torch loses none of its intensity if a candle is
lighted therefrom, so little was Moses' wisdom diminished
by the wisdom he gave to Joshua.''' The rays, too, that
emanated from Joshua's countenance were weaker than
those from Moses', and not until the crossing of the Jordan
did they attain their full intensity, so that upon beholding
them, " the people feared him as they feared Moses." '"^
Joshua's appointment by God as Moses' successor had
been Moses' most cherished wish, but he had not ventured to
give expression to it, for he was mindful of the punishment
God had sent over him when he had entreated Him to send
Aaron instead of himself to deliver Israel out of Egypt, and
from that time he feared to make any proposals whatsoever
to God. He was like the child who had once been burned
by a coal, and then seeing a brightly sparkling jewel, took it
to be a burning coal, and dared not touch it/"
Moses in the Wilderness 401
Moses' Legacy to Joshua
After Moses had announced Joshua as his successor be-
fore all the congregation, he disclosed to him that the course
of his own life was run, and that he would now depart to his
fathers. As his inheritance he gave to Joshua a book of
prophecy, which Joshua was to anoint with cedar-oil, and in
an earthen vessel to lay upon the spot that from the creation
of the world God had created for it, so that His name might
there be invoked. This book contained in brief outline the
history of Israel from the entrance into the promised land to
the establishment of God's kingdom upon earth, when, in
wrath and indignation on account of His children, the Lord
will rise from His Throne of power and proceed from His
holy dwelling.
When Joshua heard the words of Moses as they are writ-
ten in his Holy Scriptures, he rent his garments and fell at
Moses' feet, who, himself in tears, yet comforted him.
Joshua, however, said : " How canst thou comfort me con-
cerning the bitter word that thou hast spoken, which abounds
in sobs and tears, that thou art to depart from thy people?
What place will receive thee? What monument will point
to thy grave ? Or who will dare to remove thy corpse from
one place to another as if it were an ordinary mortal's ? All
dying men receive a grave upon earth according to their
rank, but thy grave extends from sunrise to sunset, from
South to North; all the world is thy tomb. Thou goest.
Who now, O master, shall care for this people ? Who shall
take pity upon them and be a guide upon their way? Who
shall pray for them incessantly, that I may lead them into
the land of their fathers? How shall I provide food for
26
402 The Legends of the Jews
them according to their wish, or drink according to their
desire? From the beginning they numbered sixty myriads,
and now, thanks to thy prayers, they have greatly muUiplied.
Whence shall I draw insight and understanding to give them
judgment and counsel? Even the kings of the Amorites,
hearing that we desire to attack them, will say, ' Let us now
set out against them, for there is now no longer among them
the many-sided, incomprehensible and sacred spirit, worthy
of the Lord, the ever-faithful master of the word, the Divine
prophet of all the world, the most consummate master of this
age. If now our enemies once more transgress before the
Lord, they will have no defender to offer up prayers for them
before God, as Moses had done, the great messenger who at
all hours of the day kneeled down and prayed, lifting up his
eyes to Him who rules all the world, and constantly remind-
ing Him of His covenant with the Patriarchs, and appeasing
Him with invocations/ For thus will the Amorites speak
saying, ' He is no longer among them ; arise then and let us
wipe them from the face of the earth.' But what then, O my
lord Moses, will become of this people ? "
When Joshua had spoken these words, he cast himself
once more at Moses* feet. Moses seized his hand, raised him
to a seat before them, and answered him, saying: " Do not
underestimate thyself, O Joshua, but be light of heart, and
pay heed to my words. All the nations that dwell in the
universe hath God created, and us also. Them and us did
He foresee from the beginning of the creation of the universe
even unto the end of the world, and He overlooked nothing,
even down to the smallest, but He at the same time foresaw
and foredoomed everything. All that was to happen in
Moses in the Wilderness 403
this universe did God foresee and foredoom, and lo ! it com-
eth to pass. He appointed me for them and for their sins,
that for them I might make prayer and exhortation. Not for
my fitness or my strength was I chosen, but only through
the grace of His mercy and His long-suffering. For I as-
sure thee, Joshua, not on account of the excellence of this
people wilt thou destroy the heathens ; all the fastnesses of
heaven and the foundations of the universe were created
and approved by God, and are beneath the ring of His right
hand. Those, therefore, that maintain and fulfil God's com-
mandments thrive and prosper, but those who sin and neglect
the commandments will not receive the promised possessions,
and will be punished by the heathens with many plagues.
But that He should wholly destroy or abandon them is Im-
possible, for God will step forth, who foresaw everything
even to eternity, and whose covenant is firmly founded, in
accordance with the oath which He swore to the Patriarchs.
Then the hands of the angel will be filled and he will be ap-
pointed chief, and he will forthwith avenge them of their
Moses' Last Campaign
Balaam's prophecy, " He shall not lie down until he eat of
the prey, and drink the blood of the slain," was very quickly
fulfilled. Shortly before his death, before he lay down to
everlasting sleep, it was granted Moses to rejoice in the
death of Balaam and the five Midianite kings allied to
him.*^' Israel's sinful profanation at Shittim, occasioned by
Balaam's wicked advice, sorely smote Moses' heart. God
had appointed Moses as lord of the angels, who through fire
404 The Legends of the Jezvs
and cloud had to step aside to make room for him and let him
pass, yea, at his appearance they rose from their seats to do
him honor. As he had power over the angels, so too did he
rule the sea, which he clove at will and then commanded to
resume its former guise, and the treasures of hail, which he
employed to send hail over the Eg}^ptians. Now this man,
who was sovereign over the angels and over the forces of
nature, could only weep wdien Israel committed whoredom
with the daughters of Moab and Midian. To comfort Moses,
God now said : " As truly as thou livest, thou shalt not de-
part out of this world until thou shalt have avenged those
who tempted Israel to sin. ' Avenge the children of Israel of
the Alidianites: afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy
people.' " ^^ God at the same time reproached Moses for his
despair and lack of energy at Shittim, saying: "When all
the tribes of Israel, save the tribe of Levi, were against thee,
thou didst not then lack courage to stand up against all the
people on account of the worship of the Golden Calf; how
much more then at Shittim, when all Israel save only one
tribe, the tribe of Simeon, were on thy side, shouldst thou
have proven thyself sufficiently strong to keep back the sin-
ners from their sin ! " ^'^
When Moses received the command to wage war upon the
people that had tempted Israel to sin, he said to God : " Yes-
terday didst Thou say to me, * Vex not Moab,' and now Thou
sayest, ' Avenge the children of Israel.' " God, however, re-
plied : " When I said, ' Vex not Moab,' I named these peo-
ple after their grandsire, the son of Lot, but now that
through their own fault they have lost the claim to kind
treatment from Israel, I shall no longer think of their grand-
Moses in the Wilderness 405
sire Abraham's kinsman, but shall call them Midianim, ' they
that lost their claim/ " '"
Lot's descendants now not only had no further claims to
exemption, but a command was given to Moses to treat them
with still greater hostility than the other nations. Until then
it had been Israel's duty not to fight against a city of the
heathens unless they had first proclaimed peace to it and
the heathens had refused to accept it, but now they were in-
stantly to proceed to hostility; and whereas they had for-
merly been prohibited from destroying the trees that sur-
rounded a city, they were now ruthlessly to destroy all that
lay in their path. This wrath of God against those who had
tempted Israel to sin was justified, for '' the tempter to sin is
worse than the murderer, since he who slays another robs
him of this world alone, but he that tempts another deprives
him of this world and the world beyond." Two nations, the
Egyptians and the Edomites, attacked Israel with the
sword, but God nevertheless said, " Thou shalt not abhor an
Edomite ; thou shalt not abhor an Egyptian." The Moabites
and Ammonites, on the other hand, tempted Israel to sin,
hence God's word concerning them was as follows : " An
Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the assembly of
the Lord, even to the tenth generation." '""
Israel received the command to make war upon the
Midianites at the same time as that to fight the Moabites, but
whereas Moses at once waged war against Midian, it was not
until David's time that a relentless war was waged against
Moab. There were several reasons why the Midianites were
to receive their punishment before the Moabites. Firstly,
Moab's hatred against Israel was not quite without founda-
4o6 The Legends of the Jews
tion, for although the Israelites had not attacked them in
war, still they had inspired them with great fear by pillaging
the Moabite region, hence the Moabites tried by every means
to be rid of Israel. Midian, on the other hand, had no cause
for undertaking hostilities against Israel, and yet they not
only joined the Moabites, but outdid them in their hatred
against Israel. Furthermore Moab wanted to kill Israel, but
Midian wanted to tempt them to sin, which is worse than
death.''" The delay in punishing Moab also corresponded in
other ways to God's plan, for the Moabite Ruth was destined
to become the mother of the dynasty of David, hence God said
to Israel : " Wait yet a while in this matter of the war against
the Moabites : I have lost something valuable among them.
As soon as I have found it, ye shall avenge yourselves of
them." "'
God indicated that the war against Midian would be
Moses' last in these words, '' Avenge the children of Israel
of the Midianites : afterward shalt thou be gathered unto thy
people." The connection between the war and Moses' death
is as follows. When God announced to Moses that he was
to die on this side the Jordan, Moses implored God with the
words : '' O Lord of the world ! Is it right that death should
so soon overtake me, that have seen Thy ways. Thy actions,
and Thy path ? " God replied, saying : " Moses, if a long
life were better for men, surely I should not then have per-
mitted thy ancestors to taste of death; but it is better for
thee if thou art taken from this world than if thou wert to
remain in it." Moses was not, however, satisfied with this
answer from God, whereupon God said : " Well then, thou
mayest live many years longer, yea, thou shalt live even to a
Moses in the Wilderness A^7
thousand years, but know thou that Israel will not then con-
quer their foes, and that Midian will not be brought under
their yoke." In this way was Moses made to yield by God,
for he thought, " Whether I die to-day or to-morrow mat-
ters little, for death will come to me at last. I would rather
see Israel conquer their foes and bring Midian under their
yoke than that I should live longer." God therefore bade
Moses avenge Israel of the Midianites, if he was thereupon
ready to die."*^
Moses then thought : " I know that if I were now to go
into battle against the Midianites, the people would declare
that I wished for my own death, since God made it depend-
ent upon the punishing of the Midianites, and my life is as-
sured me as long as ever I wish to put it off." This consid-
eration did not, however, determine him, for, fully aware that
his enterprise of war would hasten his death, he nevertheless
set about the execution of this war as soon as God com-
manded him. Wherever the execution of a Divine command,
or the possibility of furthering Israel's cause was concerned,
Moses gave no thought to himself, even though it touched
his life. Not so Joshua. When he came to Canaan, he
thought: " If I wage an incessant war upon the Canaanites,
I shall certainly die as soon as I shall have conquered them,
for Moses also died immediately after his conquest of Mi-
dian." He therefore proceeded very slowly in his conquest
of the Holy Land, so that he might be sure of a long life.
But, " however many thoughts there may be in man's heart,
God's word prevails," and whereas Joshua hoped to become
very aged, he died ten years before the time God had
originally allotted to him, for, although he would otherwise
4o8 The Legends of the Jews
have attained his master's age, he now died at the age of a
hundred and ten.^"
The Complete Annihilation of Midian
Whereas Moses, disregarding the expected consequences
of the war upon himself, gladly went into battle, Israel did
not want to obey his summons to war. The people of whom
Moses had on one occasion said, " They be almost ready to
stone me," when they now learned that their leader Moses
was to die at the end of this war, tried to evade it, saying
that they preferred to forego impending victory rather than
to lose their leader, and each one hid himself, so as not to
be picked out for this war. God therefore bade Moses cast
lots to decide their going into battle, and those whose lots
were drawn had to follow the call to arms even against their
will. Moses' summons to battle was as follows : " Arm ye
men from among you for the war, to execute the Lord's ven-
geance on Midian." Moses spoke of the Lord's revenge,
whereas God designated this war against Midian as Israel's
revenge. For Moses said to God : '' Lord of the world ! If
we had worshipped the stars and planets, the Midianites
should not have hated us, they hate us only on account of
the Torah and the commandments that Thou hast given us,
hence must Thou avenge Thyself of them." ^'^
Moses did not in person lead the war against Midian, for
he was mindful of the proverb, ^' Cast no stone into the well
from which thou hast drawn water," and he who as a fugi-
tive from Egypt had sought refuge in Midian, did not wish
to make war upon that land. He relinquished the leader-
ship of the people to Phinehas, for " he that beginneth a
Moses in the Wilderness 409
good deed shall also complete it," and it was Phlnehas who
had begun God's war against the Midianites by slaying the
princess Cozbi, Zimri's mistress, hence the task of completing
this war fell to his lot. Phinehas, as a descendant of Joseph,
had, moreover, a special reason for wishing to take revenge
upon the Midianites, as those had been Midianites who had
sold Joseph as a slave in Egypt.*"
The forces under Phinehas's command consisted of thirty-
six thousand men, one third to take active part in battle, one
third to guard the baggage, and one third to pray, whose
duty it was in the course of battle to implore God to lend
victory to the warriors of Israel. Moses passed on to Phine-
has not only the Holy Ark, which Israel always takes into
battle, but also the Urim and Tummim, that he might, if
necessary, consult God."'*^ Outside of this Phinehas also re-
ceived the gold plate of the mitre from the high priest's fore-
head, for Moses said to him : " The knave Balaam will by
means of his sorceries fly into the air, and will even enable the
five Midianite kings to fly with him, therefore shall ye hold up
to them the plate of pure gold upon which is engraved God's
name, and they will fall to earth." They did as Moses com-
manded, and truly Balaam and the five kings fell to earth.
They then executed Balaam according to the four forms pre-
scribed by the Jewish laws. They hanged him, kindled a
fire beneath the gallows, struck off his head with a sword,
and then dropped him from the gallows into the fire below.*^^
Although Israel undertook the war against IMidian upon
God's bidding, to take vengeance for the wrong that had
been done them, still their method of warfare was most
humane. They attacked the cities of the Midianites from
410 The Legends of the Jezvs
three sides only, so as not entirely to cut off flight. Victory
was on the side of Israel, into whose possession fell the cities
with all their temples, idols, and palaces. The same fate over-
took all the five kings of Midian. All were slain alike just
as all had made a common cause of the wish to destroy
Israel. Balaam who had come to Midian from his home in
Mesopotamia in order to receive his reward for his counsel
not to fight Israel, but to tempt them to sin, instead of a re-
ward, met with death at the hands of the Jews.'"'
The Gruesome End of Balaam
This arch-magician at first tried to escape Israel's power
by sorcery. For when he saw Phinehas and the leaders of
the hosts of Israel, he flew into the air,'" a feat which he
accomplished by magic arts, but particularly through the as-
sistance of his wizard sons, Jannes and Jambres. At the
sight of Balaam flying high in the air, Phinehas shouted to
his army, " Is there any one among us who is able to fly
after this villain?" The Danite Zaliah, a past master in
the art of sorcery, followed this summons, and flew high into
the air. Balaam, however, surpassed him, and took a path
in the air on which Zaliah could not follow, and after the
former had soared through five different layers of air, he
had quite vanished from Zaliah's ken, who knew not what to
do. Phinehas, however, came to his aid. By means of a
magical invocation he dispelled the clouds that covered
Balaam, and then Zaliah forced Balaam to descend to earth
and appear before Phinehas.'" He began to implore Phine-
has to spare his life, promising never again to try to curse
Israel, but Phinehas replied : " Art not thou the Aramean
Moses hi the Wilderness 411
Laban who tried to destroy our father Jacob? Then thou
didst pass on to Egypt to destroy Jacob's seed, and when they
removed from Egypt thou didst incite the wicked Amalek to
harass us, and now thou didst attempt to curse Israel But
when thou sawest that thy endeavor to curse them was with-
out avail, since God would not hear thee, thou gavest Balak
the despicable advice to deliver up the daughters of his land
to prostitution, and thereby to tempt Israel to sin, and wert
in part successful, for twenty-four thousand Israelites died
in consequence of their sin with the daughters of Moab. In
vain therefore dost thou plead that thy life be spared." He
then ordered Zaliah to kill Balaam, admonishing him, how-
ever, to be sure not to kill him through the holy name of
God, as it does not befit so great a sinner to meet his
death in such a way. Zaliah now tried in vain to kill Ba-
laam, for through his magic wiles he was proof against every
weapon, until Phinehas at last gave Zaliah a sword on both
sides of which was engraved a serpent, with the words, " Kill
him with that to which he belongs— through this he will die,"
and with this sword Balaam was killed.'"
His corpse was not buried, but his bones rotted, and from
them arose several species of harmful snakes, that bring
disaster to human beings ; and even the worms that devoured
his flesh were turned into snakes. The magicians made use
of these snakes for three different types of enchantment, for
the heads, the bodies, and the tails, had each a different
effect. One of the questions that the Queen of Sheba put
to Solomon was how to withstand these three different kinds
of enchantment, and the wise king knew even this secret,
which he then imparted to her.""'
412 The Legends of the Jews
The Victorious Return from the War
After the close of the campaign against Midian, the war-
riors returned with rich spoils to the camp of Israel, but they
were such pious and honorable men that they did not lay
claim to the booty, but rendered it all up, so that it might be
impartially divided among all.^'^ As they were honest and
conscientious in their relations between man and man, so
likewise were they very strict in their observance of reli-
gious statutes. Throughout the time of war not a single one
of them neglected even the slightest religious ceremony, were
it only to put on the phylactery of the forehead before that of
the arm.^^^ But they were especially careful never again to be
tempted by the Midianite women. If they entered a house to
take its treasures from it, they did so in pairs, one blacken-
ing the faces of the women, and the other seizing their orna-
ments. In vain would the Midianite women cry, " Are we
not creatures of God, that ye treat us thus ? " whereupon the
Israelites would say, " Were not ye the cause that so many of
us found their death?" Justly therefore could these pious
men say to Moses : " Thy servants have taken the sum of
the men of war which are under our charge, and not one
among us had committed a sin or an unchaste action. We
have therefore brought the Lord's oblation to make atone-
ment for our souls." Moses thereupon said in surprise, " Ye
contradict yourselves, what need of atonement is there if no
man among you is guilty of sin ? " They replied : " It is
true, our teacher Moses, two by two did we approach the
women, one blackening their faces, and the other taking off
their ear-rings, but even though we committed no sin with
the Midianite women, still the heat of passion was kindled in
Moses in the Wilderness 413
us when we took hold of the women, and therefore by an
offering do we seek to make atonement." Moses thereupon
set out to praise them, saying : " Even the common men
among you are filled with good and pious deeds, for a man
that was under conditions that enabled him to sin, but con-
trolled himself, has done a pious deed, not to speak of the
pious and chaste men among you whose pious deeds are
legion." '''
As among those who had been slain in Midian there was a
Jewish apostate, the warriors were polluted, and hence might
not enter the camp, but had to stay without. Moses in his
meekness did not, however, wait for them to come to him,
but hastened to them. When, however, he heard that they
had killed only the men but not the women, his wrath was
kindled against the leaders of the army, for, " Upon the lead-
ers falls the blame for the faults of the people." He re-
proached them, pointing out to them that it had been the
women who really had brought disaster upon Israel at
Shittim. But Phinehas replied : " Our teacher Moses, we
acted according to thy instructions, thou didst bid us only
' avenge ourselves of the Midianites,' but madest no mention
of the women of Midian." ^'' Moses then ordered them to exe-
cute all the women of the Midianites that were ripe for mar-
riage, but to spare the young girls. In order to determine the
difference in age, all were led past the gold plate of the mitre
on the high priest's forehead, and this had the effect of
making those who had been doomed to death grow pale.""^
In punishment for Moses' outburst of anger God caused
him to forget to communicate to the soldiers outside the
camp the laws of purification. These were then announced
414 The Legends of the Jews
by Eleazar, Aaron's son. It was not, however, proper for
him to pronounce a law in the presence of his teacher Moses,
and he was accordingly punished for his lack of reverence to
his teacher Moses. God had previously said that whenever
Joshua wanted to inquire of God, he was "to stand before
Eleazar the priest, and inquire of him by the judgment of
the Urim and Tummim.'' But this did not come about. In
all his long career, Joshua had no need of asking Eleazar's
counsel, so that the latter lost the honor that had been in-
tended for him.*"'
The occasion that led to the war against MIdian had been
Israel's seduction by the Midianite women, but these had
succeeded only by having first intoxicated the sinners with
wine. Phinehas, to make sure that this might not be re-
peated in the future, put the earthly as well as the heavenly
ban upon all those who should drink the wine of the heath-
ens, for the latter used it only as libations to their idols and
for immoral purposes. In pronouncing this ban, he called
upon the Ineffable Name and upon the holy writing of the
two tables against its transgressors.^*^
Wealth that Bringeth Destruction
God gave three gifts to the world, wisdom, strength, and
wealth. If they come from God, they are a blessing, other-
wise they bring ruin. The world had two great sages,
Balaam among the Gentiles, and Ahithophel among the
Jews, but both of these, on account of their wisdom, lost this
world as well as the world beyond. There were two great
heroes in the world, Samson in Israel, and Goliath among the
Gentiles, but both met death on account of their strength.
Moses in the Wilderness 4^5
There were two wealthy men In the world, Korah among
the Jews, and Haman among the Gentiles, and both perished
on account of their wealth. A similar fate overtook the two
and a half tribes that stayed on the hither side of the Jordan.
These had grown very rich in cattle through the spoils of the
Midianites, and therefore preferred the pasture land on the
hither side of the Jordan as their inheritance. But later on
their wealth brought them destruction, because, choosing on
account of their wealth of cattle to separate themselves from
their brethren, they were afterwards the first that were
driven from their dwelling place into exile.'"*
How intent these people were upon their possessions is
shown in the words with which they presented their wish to
Moses, saying, ''We will build sheepfolds here for our
cattle, and cities for our little ones," showing that they rated
the cattle higher than their children, for they thought of the
animals before they considered their children. Moses did
not Indeed call them to account for this, but showed them in
unmistakable words that it was their duty first to consider
men and then animals, by saying in his reply to these tribes,
" Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your
sheep." "'
The land which these tribes had selected was indeed of
great excellence, as even the names of the cities indicate.
One was called Ataroth, " garlanded with fruits ; " a second,
Dibon, ''' flowing wifh honey; " a third, Jazer, " help," for its
possession was a great help to those who owned it. Three
other cities in this region that were named on account of the
excellence of the soil were : Nimrah, " gaily colored," for
the ground of this city was gaily colored with fruits ; Sebam,
4i6 The Legends of the Jews
" perfume/' whose fruits scattered a fragrance like perfume;
and Nebo, " produce," because it was distinguished for Its
excellent produce.**^ This last mentioned city, like Baal-
meon, did not retain its name when it passed into Israel's
possession, for they wanted to have no cities that bore the
names of idols, and therefore gave them new names/" Many
another town as well received a new name from the Israel-
ites, just as Nobah gave his own name to the city of Kenath
that he had gained by arms, hoping in this way to immor-
talize his name, for he had no children. His name w^as, how-
ever, not preserved in this way, for after the death of the
conqueror, the old name of Kenath returned again.'^
It was among the possessions of these two and a half tribes
also that Moses shortly before his death founded the cities
of refuge. Moses in this instance illustrates the proverb,
'* Whosoever loves pious deeds, never has enough of them."
Although God had told Moses that he would never cross to
the other side of the Jordan, he still insisted upon at least
determining the site for the asylum in the region of the East
Jordan. God gave Moses the law concerning the cities of
refuge in accordance with Israel's wish. For the people said
to God : " Lord of the world ! Thou didst promise us a long
course of life as a reward for fulfilling the commandments,
but supposing now that a man hath slain another uninten-
tionally, and the avenger of the blood slays him, he will die
before his time." God then said to Moses : " As truly as
thou livest, they speak wisely. Appoint therefore several
cities for cities of refuge, ' that the manslayer might flee
thither, which slayeth his neighbor unawares.' " Moses re-
joiced greatly at this statute, and instantly set about its exe-
Moses in the Wilderness '417
cution, for " he that hath tasted of a food knoweth its flavor,"
and Moses who had erstwhile been obhged to flee on account
of having slain an Egyptian, knew the feelings of the man
who is pursued on account of a manslaughter that he had
committed unawares/^'
Moses' Death Irrevocably Doomed
When God in wrath against Moses and Aaron vowed,
" Therefore ye shall not bring this assembly into the land
which I have given them," Moses forbore to implore God to
do away with this sentence, acting in accordance with the
precept, " Do not attempt to dissolve thy neighbor's vow in
the moment he hath made it." Moses waited forty years
before he approached God with the request to permit him to
enter the promised land with Israel/^" This occurred when
he had received God's command to appoint Joshua as his
successor, for he now perceived that God had actually re-
solved to execute His sentence.^^^ For although God had ten
times decreed that Moses was to die in the desert, still Moses
had not troubled much about it, even when the resolution had
been sealed in the heavenly court. He thought : " How often
did Israel sin, and yet, when I prayed for them. He annulled
the punishment He had decreed; surely God should accept
my prayer, if I — a man who never sinned — should pray to
Him." "^ Moses had also a special reason for assuming that
God had changed His determination concerning him, and
would now permit him to enter the promised land, for he had
been permitted to enter the part of Palestine lying on this
side the Jordan, the land of Sihon and of Og, and from this
he reasoned that God had not irrevocably decreed punish-
27
4i8 The Legends of the Jews
ment for him, and that it might therefore now be recalled.*"
He was strengthened in this assumption by the fact that
after the conquest of the east-Jordanic region God revealed
to him the instructions as to how the land was to be divided,
and it seemed to him as if he were in person to carry out
these instructions. He was, however, mistaken, for shortly
after these laws had been revealed to him, God informed him
that he was to look upon the promised land from Mount
Abarim, as he should never enter it."*
When God saw that Moses was not much concerned about
the impending punishment, He sealed the command He had
issued against him, and swore by His Ineffable Name that
Moses should not march into the land. Moses thereupon
put on sackcloth, threw himself upon the ashes, and prayed
not less than fifteen hundred prayers for the annulment of
the Divine resolve against him. He drew a circle about him-
self, stood in the center of it, and said, '' I will not move from
this spot until judgment shall have been suspended." Heaven
and earth, as well as all the forms of creation, trembled and
said, " Perhaps it is God's wish to destroy this world, to
create a new universe." But a voice sounded from heaven
and said : " God's wish to destroy the world has not yet
come, the commotion in nature is due to this that ' in God's
hand is the soul of all living things and the spirit of all
flesh,' even the spirit of the man Moses, whose end is now at
hand."
God then bade them proclaim in heaven, and in all the
celestial courts of justice, that they should not accept Aloses'
prayers, and that no angel was to carry Moses' prayer to
Him, because Moses' doom of death had been sealed by
Moses in the Wilderness 419
Him. God quickly called before Him the Ang-el Akraziel,
who is the celestial herald, and bade him proclaim the follow-
ing in heaven : " Descend at once and lock every single gate
in heaven, that Moses' prayer may not ascend into it." Then,
at Moses' prayer, trembled heaven and earth, all the foun-
dations thereof and the creatures therein, for his prayer was
like a sword that slashes and rends, and can in no wise be
parried, for in it was the power of the Ineffable Name that
Moses had learned from his teacher Zagzagel, the teacher
and scribe of the celestial beings. But when the GalgaHm
and Seraphim saw that God did not accept i\Ioses' prayer,
and without taking consideration of him did not grant his
prayer for longer life, they all opened their mouths, saying :
'^ Praised be the glory of the Lord from its place, for there
is no injustice before Him, no forgetfulness, no respect of
persons toward the small or the great." ^^^
Moses' Prayer for Suspension of Judgment
Moses began his long but fruitless prayer by saying":
" Lord of the world ! Consider how much I had to bear for
the sake of Israel until they became the people of Thy claim
and of Thy possession. I suffered with them, shall I not then
take part in their rejoicing? Look Thou, by forbidding me
to enter the promised land. Thou givest the lie to Thy
Torah, for it says, ' In his day thou shalt give the laborer his
hire.' Where, then, is my hire for the forty years during
which I labored for the sake of Thy children, and for their
sake suffered much sorrow in Egypt, in the desert, and at the
giving of the Torah and the commandments? With them
I suffered pain, shall not I behold their good fortune as well ?
420 The Legends of the Jews
But Thou tellest me that I may not cross the Jordan! All
the time that we were in the desert I could not sit quietly in
the academy, teaching and pronouncing judgment, but now
that I should be able to do so, Thou tellest me that I may
not."^^^
He continued : ^' May the mercy In Thee precede Thy
justice, so that my prayer may be answered, for I well
know that ' there is no mercy in justice.' '" Thou Thyself
didst tell me when I asked Thee how Thou didst conduct the
world, ' I owe nothing to any creature, and what I do for
them is a free gift on My part,' therefore as a free gift, grant
now my prayer to me."^ Thou Thyself didst point out to me
that it is Thy desire that people should pray to Thee to can-
cel punishment that was laid upon them. When Israel com-
mitted that terrible sin, the worship of the Golden Calf, Thou
didst say to me, ' Let Ale alone, that I may destroy them, and
blot out their name from under heaven.' I then thought,
' Who can restrain God, that He should say, " Let Me? " It
is plain that He desires me to pray for His children ; ' and I
prayed, and was answered. The prayer of the individual
for the community was answered, but not so the prayer of
the community for the one individual ! Is it because I called
Israel, ' rebels ? ' But in this I only followed Thy example,
for Thou too didst call them, ' the sons of rebellion.' '^''
" Thou didst call me, as well as Leviathan, thy servant ; I
sent up prayers to Thee, and Leviathan likewise, and him
didst Thou answer, for Thou madest a covenant with him that
Thou keepest, but the covenant that Thou madest with me
Thou breakest, for Thou didst say, ' Die in the mount whither
thou goest up.' In the Torah Thy words are: ' If the servant
Moses in the Wilderness 421
shall plainly say, I love my master, my wife, and my chil-
dren ; I will not go out free : then his master shall bring him
unto the judges; and he shall serve him for ever/ I implore
Thee now, ' hear my cry, O God ; attend unto my prayer.' ''^
Thou art not in the position of a judge of flesh and blood
who, when granting a prayer, has to consider that he may
be compelled by his superior to repeal his answer. Thou canst
do what Thou wilt, for where on earth or in heaven is there
one so mighty that he can do such deeds as Thine in Egypt,
or who can perform such mighty deeds as Thou didst at the
Red Sea ? '^ I pray Thee, therefore, let me behold the land
that, in spite of the slander of the spies, I praised, and Jeru-
salem and the Temple also/^^
" When, in ans.wer to the proposition Thou madest me to
go into Egypt and deliver Israel, I said, * I can not do it,
for I made a vow to Jethro never to leave him,' Thou
didst release me from that vow. O Lord of the world!
As then Thou didst absolve me of my vow, saying, ' Go,
return into Egypt,' so do Thou now absolve Thyself from
Thy vow, and permit me to enter the land of Israel."
Then God answered : " Thou hast a master to absolve thee
from thy vow, but I have no master." ''' Moses then said :
" Thy judgment against me reads that I shall not as king
enter the promised land, for to me and to Aaron Thou didst
say, * Ye shall not bring this assembly into the land which I
have given them.' Permit me then, at least, to enter it as a
common citizen." " That," said the Lord, " is impossible.
The king shall not enter it degraded to the rank of a com-
mon citizen." " Well, then," said Moses, " if I may not even
go into the land as a common citizen, let me at least enter
422 The Legends of the Jezvs
into the promised land by the Paneas Grotto, that runs from
the east bank to the west bank of the Jordan." But this re-
quest, too, God denied him, saying, " Thou shalt not go from
this bank of the Jordan to the other." '*' If this request also
is to be denied me," begged ]\Ioses, " grant me at least that
after my death my bones may be carried to the other side of
the Jordan." But God said, '' Nay, not even thy bones shall
cross the Jordan." ^* " O Lord of the world ! " exclaimed
IMoses, '' If Joseph's bones were permitted to be carried into
the promised land, why not mine ? " God replied, " Who-
soever acknowledges his country shall be buried therein, but
whosoever does not acknowledge his country shall not be
buried therein. Joseph pledged allegiance to his country
when he said, * For indeed I was stolen away out of the land
of the Hebrews,' and therefore also does he deserve to have
his bones brought to the land of Israel, but thou didst in
silence hear the daughters of Jethro say to their father, ' An
Egyptian delivered us out of the hands of the shepherds,'
without correcting them by saying, ' I am a Hebrew ; ' and
therefore shall not even thy bones be brought into the land
of Israel." ^^
IMoses furthermore said to God : " O Lord of the
world ! With the word, ' Behold ' did I begin Thy praise,
saying, ' Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the
Lord's,' and with that very word, ' Behold,' dost Thou seal
my death, saying, ' Behold, thy days approach that thou must
die.' " God replied to this : " A wicked man in his envy
sees only the profits, but not the expenditures of his neigh-
bor. Dost thou not recall that when I wanted to send thee
to Egypt, thou didst also decline ]\Iy request wiih the word.
Moses in the Wilderness 423
Behold/ saying, ' Behold, they will not believe me.' There-
fore did I say, ' Behold, thy days approach that thou must
^jg, „8se «^g furthermore," continued God, "thou didst
say to the sons of Levi when they asked thy forgiveness,
' Enough, ye take too much upon ye, ye sons of Levi,' so too
shall I answer thy prayer for forgiveness, ' Let it suffice thee ;
speak no more unto Me of this matter/ "
" O Lord of the world ! " again pleaded ^.loses, " Wilt
not Thou recall the time when Thou didst say to me, ' Come
now, therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that
thou mayest bring forth ^.ly people the children of Israel
out of Egypt.' Let them be led by me into their land as I
led them out of the land of bondage." But to this also
God found a reply : '^ ^^loses, wilt not thou recall the time
when thou didst say to 3^Ie, ' O my Lord, send, I pray Thee,
by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send ? ' ' With the
measure that a man uses, shall measure be given him.'^'
I announced death to thee with the word, ' Behold,' saying,
* Behold, thy days approach that thou must die,' because I
wanted to point out to thee that thou diest only because thou
art a descendant of Adam, upon whose sons I had pro-
nounced death with the word, ' Behold,' saying to the angels :
' Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and
evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of
the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.' " ^
^Moses then said, " O Lord of the world ! To the first
man didst Thou give a command that could easily be obeyed,
and yet he disobeyed it, and thereby merited death; but I
have not transgressed any of Thy commandments." God:
" Behold, Abraham also, who santified ^ly name in the world,
424 The Legends of the Jews
died." Moses : " Yea, but from Abraham issued Ishmael,
whose descendants arouse Thy anger." God : " Isaac, also,
who laid his neck upon the altar to be offered as a sacrifice to
Me, died." Moses : " But from Isaac issued Esau who will
destroy the Temple and burn Thy house." God : '^ From
Jacob issued twelve tribes that did not anger Me, and yet he
died." Moses : " But he did not ascend into heaven, his feet
did not tread the clouds. Thou didst not speak with him face
to face, and he did not receive the Torah out of Thy hand."
God : " ' Let it suffice thee ; speak no more unto Me of this
matter,' speak not many words, for only ' a fool multiplieth
words.' " Moses : " O Lord of the world ! Future genera-
tions will perchance say, * Had not God found evil in Moses,
He v/ould not have taken him out of the world.' " God :
" I have already written in My Torah, ' And there hath not
arisen since a prophet in Israel like unto Moses.' " Moses :
'* Future generations will perhaps say that I had probably
acted in accordance with Thy will in my youth, while I was
active as a prophet, but that in my old age, when my pro-
phetic activities ceased, I no longer did Thy will."
Moses : " Lord of the world ! Let me, I pray, enter into the
Land, live there two or three years, and then die." God : " I
have resolved that thou shalt not go there." Moses : " If I
may not enter it in my lifetime, let me reach it after my
death." God : " Nay, neither dead nor alive shalt thou go
into the land." Moses : " Why this wrath against me ? "
God : " Because ye sanctified Me not in the midst of the
children of Israel." Moses : " With all Thy creatures dost
Thou deal according to Thy quality of mercy, forgiving them
their sins, once, twice, and thrice, but me Thou wilt not for-
Moses in the Wilderness 425
give even one single sin ! " God : " Outside of this sin of
which thou art aware, thou hast committed six other sins
with which I have not until now reproached thee. At the
very first, when I appeared to thee, thou didst say, ' O my
Lord, send I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt
send,' and didst refuse to obey My command to go to Egypt.
Secondly thou didst say, ' For since I came to Pharaoh to
speak in Thy name, he hath evil entreated this people;
neither hast Thou delivered Thy people at all,' accusing Me
thereby of having only harmed Israel, instead of aiding
them. Thirdly didst thou say, ' If these men die the com-
mon death of all men, then the Lord hath not sent me,' so
that thou didst arouse doubts among Israel if thou wert really
My ambassador. Fourthly didst thou say, ' But if the Lord
make a new thing,' doubting if God could do so. Fifthly
didst thou say to Israel, ' Hear now, ye rebels,' and in this
way didst insult My children. Sixthly didst thou say, ' And
behold, ye are risen up in your fathers' stead, an increase of
sinful men.' Were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Israel's
fathers, perchance sinful men, that thou didst thus address
their children?" Moses: "I only followed Thy example,
for Thou, too, didst say, ' The censers of these sinners.' "
God : " But I did not characterize their fathers as sinners."
Moses: *' O Lord of the world! How often did Israel sin
before Thee, and when I begged and implored mercy for
them. Thou f orgavest them, but me Thou wilt not forgive !
For my sake Thou forgavest the sins of sixty myriads, and
now Thou wilt not forgive my sin?" God: ''The punishment
that is laid upon the community is different from the punish-
ment that is laid upon the individual, for I am not so severe
426 The Legends of the Jeivs
in m}^ treatment of the community as I am in dealing with
an individual. But know, furthermore, that until now fate
had been in thy power, but now fate is no longer in thy
power." ^^ Moses : " O Lord of the world ! Rise up from the
Throne of Justice, and seat Thyself upon the Throne of
Mercy, so that in Thy mercy. Thou mayest grant me life,
during which I may atone for my sins by sufferings that
Thou shalt bring upon me. Hand me not over to the sword
of the Angel of Death. If Thou wilt grant my prayer, then
shall I sound Thy praises to all the inhabitants of the earth ;
I do not wish to die, ' but live and declare the works of the
Lord.' " God replied : " ' This is the gate of the Lord ; the
righteous shall enter into it,' this is the gate into which the
righteous must enter as well as other creatures, for death
had been decreed for man since the beginning of the
world." "'"
Moses, however, continued to importune God, saying:
*' With justice and with mercy hast Thou created the world
and mankind, may mercy now conquer justice. In my youth
Thou didst begin by showing me Thy power in the bush of
thorns, and now, in my old age, I beseech Thee, treat me not
as an earthly king treats his servant. When a king of flesh
and blood has a servant, he loves him so long as he is young
and strong, but casts him off when he is grown old. But
Thou, * cast me not off in the time of old age.' Thou didst
show Thy power at the revelation of the Ten Command-
ments, and Thy strong hand in the ten plagues that Thou
didst bring upon Egy^pt. Thou didst create everything, and
in Thy hand doth it lie to kill and to give life, there is none
who can do these works, nor is there strength like Thine in
Moses in the Wilderness 427
the future world. Let me then proclaim Thy majesty to the
coming generations, and tell them that through me Thou
didst cleave the Red Sea, and give the Torah to Israel, that
throughout forty years Thou didst cause manna to rain from
heaven for Israel, and water to rise from the well." For
Moses thought that if his life were spared, he should be able
everlastingly to restrain Israel from sin and to hold them
forever in faith to the one God. But God said : " ' Let it
suffice thee.' If thy life were to be spared, men should mis-
take thee, and make a god of thee, and worship thee."
*^ Lord of the world ! " replied Moses, " Thou didst already
test me at the time when the Golden Calf was made and I
destroyed it. Why then should I die ? " God : " Whose son
art thou ? " Moses : " Amram's son." God : " And whose
son was Amram ? " Moses : " Izhar's son." God : " And
whose son was he ? " Moses : " Kohath's son." God :
"And whose son was he?" Moses: "Levi's son." God:
"And from whom did all of these descend?" Moses:
" From Adam." God : " Was the life of any one of these
spared?" Moses: "They all died." God: "And thou
wishest to live on ? " Moses : " Lord of the world ! Adam
stole the forbidden fruit and ate of it, and it was on this ac-
count that Thou didst punish him with death, but did I ever
steal aught from Thee? Thou Thyself didst write of me,
' My servant Moses, who is faithful in all Mine house.' "
God : " Art thou worthier than Noah ? " Moses : " Yes ;
when Thou sentest the flood over his generation he did not
beg Thy mercy for them, but I did say to Thee, ' Yet now,
if Thou wilt forgive their sin ; and if not, blot me, I pray
Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written,' "
428 The Legends of the Jews
God : " Was It I perchance, that counselled thee to slay the
Egyptian ? " Moses : " Thou didst slay all the firstborn of
Egypt, and shall I die on account of one single Egyptian
that I slew? " God : " Art thou perchance My equal? I slay
and restore to life, but canst thou perchance revive the
dead?""^
God Tries to Comfort Moses Concerning His Death.
That Moses might not take his approaching end too much
to heart, God tried to comfort him by pointing out to him that
in his lifetime he had received such distinctions from his
Creator as no man before him, and that still greater distinc-
tions awaited him in the future world. God said : " Dost not
thou remember the great honor I showed thee ? Thou didst
say to Me, ' Arise,' and I arose ; thou saidst, ' Turn about/
and I turned about; for thy sake too did I invert the order
of heaven and earth, for the order of heaven it is to send
down dew and rain, and earth's order is it to produce bread,
but thou didst say to Me, ' I do not wish it so, but bid heaven
to send down bread, and earth to bring forth water,' and 1
acted in accordance with thy wish; I caused bread to rain
from heaven, and the well ' sprung up.' Thou didst say, ' If
the Lord make a new thing, and the ground open her mouth,
and swallow them up, then ye shall understand that the Lord
hath sent me,' and I fulfilled thy wish, and it swallowed them.
I had also spoken, ' He that sacrificeth unto any god, save
unto the Lord only, shall be utterly destroyed,' but when
Israel sinned with the Golden Calf and I meant to deal with
them according to My words, thou wouldst not let Me, say-
ing : ' Pardon, I pray Thee, the iniquity of this people,' and
Moses in the Wilderness 429
I forgave them as thou didst ask Me. More than this, the
Torah is named after Me, it is the Torah of the Lord, but I
named it after Thy name, saying, ' It is the Torah of My
servant Moses/ The children of Israel also are named after
Me, * for unto Me the children of Israel are servants ; they
are My servants,' but I called them after thy name. I dis-
tinguished thee still more, for just as there is neither food
nor drink for Me, so also didst thou stay in heaven forty
days and forty nights, and in all that time, ' didst neither
eat bread, nor drink water.' I am God, and see, ' I made thee
a god to Pharaoh ; ' I have prophets, and thou hast a prophet,
for I said to thee, ' and Aaron, thy brother, shall be thy
prophet.' Again, no being may see Me, and thee too did I
make so that * the people were afraid to come nigh thee,' and
as I said to thee, ' thou shalt see My back : but My face shall
not be seen,' so too did the people see the back of thee. I
glorified the Torah with twenty-two letters, and with all
these letters did I glorify thee. I sent thee to Pharaoh, and
thou didst lead Israel out of Eg3^pt ; through thee did I be-
stow the Sabbath upon Israel, and the law of circumcision ;
I gave thee the Ten Commandments, I covered thee with the
cloud, I gave thee the two tables of stone, which thou didst
break; I made thee unique in the world; I gave thee the
Torah as an inheritance, and honored thee more than all the
seventy elders."
Moses had to acknowledge that extraordinary marks of
honor had been his. He said : '^ Lord of the world ! Thou
didst set me on high, and didst bestow upon me so many
benefits that I cannot enumerate one of a thousand, and all
the world knows how Thou didst exalt me and honor me, and
430 The Legends of the Jezvs
all the world knows as well that Thou art the One God,
the only One in Thy world, that there is none beside Thee,
and that there is nothing like Thee. Thou didst create those
above and those below, Thou art the beginning and the end.
Who can enumerate Thy deeds of glory? Do one of these,
I beseech Thee, that I may pass over the Jordan." God said :
" ' Let it suffice, speak no more unto Me of this matter.' ^'' It
is better for thee to die here, than that thou shouldst cross
the Jordan and die in the land of Israel. There in a tomb
fashioned by men, on a bier made by men, and by the hands
of men wouldst thou be buried ; but now shalt thou be buried
in a tomb fashioned by God, on a bier made by God, and
shalt be buried by the hands of God.^^^ O My son Moses,
much honor has been stored up for thee in the future world,
for thou wilt take part in all the delights of Paradise, where
are prepared three hundred and ten worlds, which I have
created for every pious man that through love of Me de-
voted himself to the Torah. And as in this world I ap-
pointed thee over the sixty myriads of Israel, so in the future
world shall I appoint thee over the fifty-five myriads of pious
men. Thy days, O Moses, will pass, when thou art dead,
but thy light will not fade, for thou wilt never have need of
the light of sun or moon or stars, nor wilt thou require
raiment or shelter, or oil for thy head, or shoes for thy feet,
for My majesty will shine before thee. My glory will clothe
thee, ]\Iy splendor will shelter thee, My radiance will make
thy face beam. My sweetness will delight thy palate, the car-
riages of My equipage shall serve as vehicles for thee, and
one of My many sceptres upon which is engraved the In-
effable Name, one that I had employed in the creation of the
Moses in the Wilderness 431
world, shall I give to thee, the Image of which I had already
given thee in this world." ^
The Intercessions for Moses
When Moses saw that God lent no ear to his prayers, he
sought to invoke God's mercy through the pleadings of
others. " To everything there is a season, and a time to
every purpose under the heaven." So long as the course of
Moses' days had not yet been run, everything was in his
power, but when his time was over, he sought for some one
to appeal to God's mercy for him. He now betook himself
to Earth and said : " O Earth, I pray thee, implore God's
mercy for me. Perhaps for thy sake will He take pity upon
me and let me enter into the land of Israel." Earth, how-
ever, replied : " I am ' without form and void,' and then
too I shall soon ' wax old like a garment.' How then should
I venture to appear before the King of kings? Nay, thy
fate is like mine, for ' dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return.' "
Moses then betook himself to the Heavens, and said : " I
pray you, Implore God's mercy for me, for through you per-
chance will He take pity upon me and let me enter into the
land of Israel." The Heavens, however, replied : " Before
imploring God's mercy for thee, we must first do so for our-
selves, for ' the heavens are not clean In His sight,' and ' the
heavens shall vanish away like smoke.' "
Moses hastened to Sun and Moon, and Implored them to
intercede for him with God, but they replied : " Before we
pray to God for thee, we must pray for ourselves, for ' the
moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed.' "
432 The Legends of the Jews
Moses then took his request to the Stars and the Planets,
but these, too, repHed : " Before we venture to plead for
thee, we must plead for ourselves, for ' all the host of heaven
shall be dissolved/ '^
Moses then went to the Hills and the Mountains, beseech-
ing them, " Pray appeal to God's mercy for me," and they,
too, replied : " We too have to implore God's mercy for our-
selves, for He said, * The mountains shall depart, and the
hills be removed/ "
He then laid his plea before Mount Sinai, but the latter
said : " Didst thou not see with thine eyes and record in the
Torah that, ' Mount Sinai was altogether in smoke, because
the Lord descended upon it in a fire ? ' How then shall I
approach the Lord ? "
He then went to the Rivers, and sought their intercession
before the Lord, but they replied : " ' The Lord made a
way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters/ We can-
not save ourselves out of His hand, and how then should we
aid thee?"
Then he went to the Deserts, and to all the Elements oT
Nature, but in vain sought to secure their aid. Their an-
swer was : " All go unto one place ; all are of the dust, and
turn to dust again/'
The Great Sea was the last to which he brought his re-
quest, but it replied : " Son of Amram, what ails thee to-
day ? Art not thou the son of Amram that erstwhile came to
me with a staf¥, beat me, and clove me into twelve parts,
while I was powerless against thee, because the Shekinah
accompanied thee at thy right hand? What has happened,
then, that thou comest before me now pleading ? " Upon
Moses in the Wilderness 433
being reminded of the miracles that he had accompHshed in
his youth, Moses burst into tears and said, " Oh, that I were
as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me! "
And turning to the sea, he made answer : '' In those days,
wdien I stood beside thee, I was king of the world, and I
commanded, but now I am a suppliant, whose prayers are
unanswered." '''
When Moses perceived that Heaven and Earth, Sun and
Moon, Stars and Planets, Mountains and Rivers turned a
deaf ear to his prayers, he tried to implore mankind to in-
tercede for him before God. He went first to his disciple
Joshua, saying : " O my son, be mindful of the love with
which I treated thee by day and by night, teaching thee
mishnah and halakah, and all arts and sciences, and implore
now for my sake God's mercy, for perhaps through thee He
may take pity upon me, and permit me to enter the land of
Israel." Joshua began to weep bitterly, and beat his palms
in sorrow, but when he wanted to begin to pray, Samael
appeared and stopped his mouth, saying, "Why dost thou
seek to oppose the command of God, who is ' the Rock,
whose work is perfect, and all whose ways are judgment? ' "
Joshua then went to Moses and said, " Master, Samael will
not let me pray." At these words Moses burst into loud sobs,
and Joshua, too, wept bitterly.
Moses then went to his brother's son, Eleazar, to whom
he said : " O my son, be mindful of the days when God was
angry with thy father on account of the making of the
Golden Calf, and I saved him through my prayer. Pray now
thou to God for me, and perhaps God will take pity upon me,
and let me enter into the land of Israel." But when Eleazar,
434 The Legends of the Jezvs
in accordance with Moses' wish, began to pray, Samael ap-
peared and stopped his mouth, saying to him, " How canst
thou think of disregarding God's command? " Then Eleazar
reported to ]\Ioses that he could not pray for him.
He now tried to invoke Caleb's aid, but him, too, Samael
prevented from praying to God. IMoses then went to the
seventy elders and the other leaders of the people, he even
implored every single man among Israel to pray for him,
saying : " Remember the wrath which the Lord nursed
against your fathers, but I brought it to pass that God re-
linquished His plan to destroy Israel, and forgave Israel
their sins. Now, I pray ye, betake yourselves to the sanc-
tuary of God and exhort His pity for me, that He may permit
me to enter into the land of Israel, for ' God never rejects the
prayer of the multitude.' "
When the people and their leaders heard these words
of Moses, they broke out into mournful weeping, and in
the Tabernacle with bitter tears they entreated God to
answer Moses' prayer, so that their cries rose even to the
Throne of Glory. But then one hundred and eighty four
myriads of angels under the leadership of the great angels
Zakun and Lahash descended and snatched away the words
of the suppliants, that they might not reach God. The angel
Lahash indeed tried to restore to their place the words which
the other angels had snatched away, so that they might reach
God, but when Samael learned of this, he fettered Lahash
with chains of fire and brought him before God, where he re-
ceived sixty blows of fire and was expelled from the inner
chamber of God because, contrary to God's wish, he had
attempted to aid Moses in the fulfilment of his desire. When
Moses in the Wilderness 435
Israel now saw how the angels dealt with their prayers, they
went to Moses and said, " The angels will not let us pray for
thee."^''
When Moses saw that neither the world nor mankind could
aid him, he betook himself to the Angel of the Face, to whom
he said, " Pray for me, that God may take pity upon me, and
that I may not die." But the angel replied : " Why, Moses,
dost thou exert thyself in vain ? Standing behind the curtain
that is drawn before the Lord, I heard that thy prayer in this
instance is not to be answered." Moses now laid his hand
upon his head and wept bitterly, saying, " To whom shall I
now go, that he might implore God's mercy for me? "
God was now very angry with Moses because he would not
resign himself to the doom that had been sealed, but His
wrath vanished as soon as Moses spoke the words : " The
Lord, the Lord, a God full of compassion and gracious, slow
to anger, and plenteous in mercy and truth ; keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin."
God now said kindly to Moses : '' I have registered two vows,
one that thou art to die, and the second that Israel is to
perish. I cannot cancel both vows, if therefore thou choosest
to live, Israel must be ruined." " Lord of the world ! " re-
phed Moses, "Thou approachest me artfully; Thou seizest
the rope at both ends, so that I myself must now say,
* Rather shall Moses and a thousand of his kind perish, than
a single soul out of Israel ! ' But will not all men exclaim,
' Alas ! The feet that trod the heavens, the face that beheld the
Face of the Shekinah, and the hands that received the Torah,
shall now be covered with dust ! ' " God replied : " Nay, the
people will say : ' If a man like Moses, who ascended into
436 The Legends of the Jezvs
heaven, who was a peer of the angels, with whom God spoke
face to face, and to whom He gave the Torah — if such a man
cannot justify himself before God, how much less can an
ordinary mortal of flesh and blood, who appears before God
without having done good deeds or studied the Torah, justify
himself?' I want to know," He added, "why thou art so
much aggrieved at thy impending death." Moses : " I am
afraid of the sword of the Angel of Death." God : " If this
is the reason then speak no more in this matter, for I will not
deliver thee into his hand." Moses, however, would not
yield, but furthermore said, " Shall my mother Jochebed, to
whom my life brought so much grief, suffer sorrow after my
death also ? " God : " So was it in My mind even before I
created the world, and so is the course of the world; every
generation has its learned men, every generation has its
leaders, every generation has its guides. Up to now it was
thy duty to guide the people, but now the time is ripe for thy
disciple Joshua to relieve thee of the office destined for
him." "^
Moses Serves Joshua
Moses now said to himself : " If God has determined that I
may not enter the land of Israel, and I am thus to lose the
reward for the many precepts that may be observed only in
the Holy Land, for no other reason than because the time
has come for my disciple Joshua to go to the front of Israel
and lead them into the land, then were it better for me to re-
main alive, to enter the land, and relinquish to Joshua the
leadership of the people." What now did Moses do? From
the first day of Shebat to the sixth of Adar, the day before
Moses in the Wilderness A2>7
his death, he went and served Joshua from morning until
evening, as a disciple his master. These thirty-six days dur-
ing which Moses served his former disciple corresponded to
the equal number of years during which he had been served
by Joshua.
The way in which Moses ministered to Joshua was as
follows. During this period he arose at midnight, went
to Joshua's door, opened it with a key, and taking a shirt
from which he shook out the dust, laid it near to Joshua's
pillow. He then cleaned Joshua's shoes and placed them
beside his bed. Then he took his undergarment, his cloak,
his turban, his golden helmet, and his crown of pearls, ex-
amined them to see if they were in good condition, cleaned
and polished them, arranged them aright, and laid them on
a golden chair. He then fetched a pitcher of water and a
golden basin and placed them before the golden chair, so
that Joshua upon awakening might find water wherewith
to wash himself. He then caused Joshua's rooms, which he
had furnished like his own, to be swept and put into order,
then ordered the golden throne to be brought in, which he
covered with a linen and a woolen cloth, and with other
beautiful and costly garments, as is the custom with kings.
After all these preparations had been made, he bade the
herald proclaim : " Moses stands at Joshua's gate and an-
nounces that whosoever wishes to hear God's word should be-
take himself to Joshua, for he, according to God's word, is
the leader of Israel."
When the people heard the herald, they trembled and
shook, and pretended to have a headache, so that they might
not have to go to Joshua. Every one of them said, in tears,
43^ The Legends of the Jews
" Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child ! " But a
voice from heaven resounded, crying, " When Israel was a
child, then I loved him," and Earth, too, opened her mouth,
and said, " I have been young, and now am old, yet have I
not seen the righteous forsaken."
While the people refused to lend ear to the herald's sum-
mons, the elders of Israel, the leaders of the troops, the
princes of the tribes, and the captains of thousands, of hun-
dreds, and of tens appeared at Joshua's tent, and Moses as-
signed to each his place according to his rank.
In the meantime approached the hour when Joshua was
wont to arise, whereupon Moses entered his room and ex-
tended his hand to him. When Joshua saw that Moses
sei-ved him, he was ashamed to have his master minister to
him, and taking the shirt out of Moses' hand, and dressing
himself, trembling, he cast himself at Moses' feet and said :
" O my master, be not the cause wherefore I should die be-
fore half my time is done, owing to the sovereignty God has
imposed upon me." But Moses replied : " Fear not, my son,
thou sinnest not if thou art served by me. With the meas-
ure wherewith thou didst mete out to me, do I mete out to
thee ; as with a pleasant face thou didst serve me, so shall I
serve thee. It was I that taught thee, ' Love thy neighbor as
thyself,' and also, ' Let thy pupil's honor be as dear to thee
as thine own.' " Moses did not rest until Joshua seated him-
self upon the golden chair, and then Moses served Joshua,
who still resisted, in every needful way. After he was
through with all this, he laid upon Joshua, who still resisted,
his rays of majesty, which he had received from his celestial
teacher Zagzagel, scribe of the angels, at the close of his in-
struction in all the secrets of the Torah.
Moses in the Wilderness 439
When Joshua was completely dressed and ready to go out,
they reported to him and to Closes that all Israel awaited
them. Moses thereupon laid his hand upon Joshua to lead
him out of the tent, and quite against Joshua's wish insisted
upon giving precedence to him as they stepped forth.
When Israel saw Joshua precede Moses, they all trembled,
arose, and made room for these two to proceed to the place
of the great, where stood the golden throne, upon which
Moses seated Joshua against his will. All Israel burst into
tears when they saw Joshua upon the golden throne, and he
said amid tears, *' Why all this greatness and honor to
In this way did Moses spend the time from the first day of
Shebat to the sixth of Adar, during which time he ex-
pounded the Torah to the sixty myriads of Israel in seventy
languages.
The Last Day of Moses' Life
On the seventh day of Adar, Moses knew that on this day
he should have to die, for a heavenly voice resounded, say-
ing, " Take heed to thyself, O Moses, for thou hast only one
more day to live." ''' What did Moses now do ? On this day
he wrote thirteen scrolls of the Torah, twelve for the twelve
tribes, and one he put into the Holy Ark, so that, if they
wished to falsify the Torah, the one in the Ark might remain
untouched. Moses thought, " If I occupy myself with the
Torah, which is the tree of life, this day will draw to a close,
and the impending doom will be as naught." God, however,
beckoned to the sun, which firmly opposed itself to Moses,
saying, " I will not set, so long as Moses lives." *" When
440 The Legends of the Jezvs
Moses had completed writing the scrolls of the Torah, not
even half the day was over. He then bade the tribes come
to him, and from his hand receive the scrolls of the Torah,
admonishing the men and women separately to obey the
Torah and its commands. The most excellent among the
thirteen scrolls was fetched by Gabriel, who brought it
to the highest heavenly court to show the piety of Moses,
who had fulfilled all that is written in the Torah. Gabriel
passed with it through all the heavens, so that all might wit-
ness Moses' piety. It is this scroll of the Torah out of which
the souls of the pious read on Monday and Thursday, as well
as on the Sabbath and holy days.
Moses on this day showed great honor and distinction to
his disciple Joshua in the sight of all Israel. A herald passed
before Joshua through all the camp, proclaiming, '' Come
and hear the words of the new prophet that hatli arisen for
us to-day ! " All Israel approached to honor Joshua. Moses
then gave the command to fetch hither a golden throne, a
crown of pearls, a royal helmet, and a robe of purple. He
himself set up the rows of benches for the Sanhedrin, for the
heads of the army, and for the priests. Then Moses betook
himself to Joshua, dressed him, put the crown on his head,
and bade him be seated upon the golden throne to deliver
from it a speech to the people. Joshua then spoke the follow-
ing words which he first whispered to Caleb, who then an-
nounced it in a loud voice to the people. He said : " Awaken,
rejoice, heavens of heavens, ye above; sound joyously,
foundations of earth, ye below. Awaken and proclaim aloud,
ye orders of creation ; awaken and sing, ye mountains ever-
lasting. Exult and shout in joy, ye hills of the earth, awaken
Moses in the Wilderness 44i
and burst into songs of triumph, ye hosts of heaven. Sing
and relate, ye tents of Jacob, sing, ye dweUing places of
Israel. Sing and hearken to all the words that come from
3^our King, incline your heart to all His words, and gladly
take upon yourselves and your souls the commandments
of your God. Open your mouth, let your tongue speak,
and give honor to the Lord that is your Helper, give
thanks to your Lord and put your trust in Him. For He is
One, and hath no second, there is none like Him among the
gods, not one among the angels is like Him, and beside Him
is there none that is your Lord. To His praise there are no
bounds ; to His fame no limit, no end ; to His miracles no
fathoming ; to His works no number. He kept the oath that
He swore to the Patriarchs, through our teacher Moses. He
fulfilled the covenant with them, and the love and the vow He
had made them, for He delivered us through many miracles,
led us from bondage to freedom, clove for us the sea, and
bestowed upon us six hundred and thirteen commandments."
When Joshua had completed his discourse, a voice re-
sounded from heaven, and said to Moses, " Thou hast only
five hours more of life." Moses called out to Joshua, " Stay
seated like a king before the people ! " Then both began to
speak before all Israel ; Moses read out the text and Joshua
expounded. There was no difference of opinion between
them, and the words of the two matched like the pearls in a
royal crown. But Moses' countenance shone like the sun,
and Joshua's like the moon.
While Joshua and all Israel still sat before Moses, a voice
from heaven became audible and said, " Moses, thou hast
now only four hours of life." Now Moses began to implore
442 The Legends of the Jews
God anew : '' O Lord of the world ! If I must die only for
my disciple's sake, consider that I am willing to conduct
myself as if I were his pupil; let it be as if he were high
priest, and I a common priest ; he a king, and I his servant."
God replied : " I have sworn by My great name, which ' the
heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain,' that thou shalt
not cross the Jordan." Moses : '' Lord of the world ! Let
me at least, by the power of the Ineffable Name, fly like
a bird in the air ; or make me like a fish transform my two-
arms to fins and my hair to scales, that like a fish I may
leap over the Jordan and see the land of Israel." God : " If
I comply with thy wish, I shall break My vow." Moses:
" Lord of the world ! Lead me upon the pinions of the
clouds about three parasangs high beyond the Jordan, so
that the clouds be below me, and I from above may see the
land." God replied : " This, too, seems to Me like a break-
ing of My vow." Moses : '^ Lord of the world ! Cut me
up, limb by limb, throw me over the Jordan, and then re-
vive me, so that I may see the land." God : " That, too,
would be as if I had broken My vow." Moses : " Let me
skim the land with my glance." God : " In this point will I
comply with thy wish. '' Thou shalt see the land before
thee ; but thou shalt not go thither.' " God thereupon
showed him all the land of Israel, and although it was a
square of four hundred parasangs, still God imparted such
strength to Moses' eyes that he could oversee all the land.
What lay in the deep appeared to him above, the hidden was
plainly in view, the distant was close at hand, and he saw
everything.'"^
Moses in the Wilderness 443
Moses Beholds the Future
Pointing to the land, God said : " ' This is the land which
I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I
will give it unto thy seed ; ' to them did I promise it, but to
thee do I show it." But he saw not only the land. God
pointed with His finger to every part of the Holy Land, and
accurately described it to Moses, saying, " This is Judah's
share, this Ephraim's," and in this way instructed him about
the division of the land. Moses learned from God the his-
tory of the whole land, and the history of every part of it.
God showed it to him as it would appear in its glory, and
how it would appear under the rule of strangers. God re-
vealed to him not only the complete history of Israel that was
to take place in the Holy Land, but also revealed to him all
that had occurred and that was to occur in the world, from
its creation to the Day of Judgment, when the resurrection
of the dead will take place. Joshua's war with the Canaan-
ites, Israel's deliverance from the Philistines through Sam-
son, the glory of Israel in David's reign, the building of the
Temple under Solomon, and its destruction, the line of kings
from the house of David, and the line of prophets from the
house of Rahab, the destruction of Gog and Magog on the
plain of Jericho, all this and much more, was it given Moses
to see. And as God showed him the events in this world, so
too did he show him Paradise with its dwellers of piety, and
hell with the wicked men that fill it."""
The place whence Moses looked upon the Holy Land was
a mountain that bore four names : Nebo, Abarim, Hor, and
Pisgah. The different appellations are due to the fact that
the kingdoms accounted it as a special honor to themselves
444 The Legends of the Jezvs
if they had possessions in the Holy Land. This mountain
was divided among four kingdoms, and each kingdom had a
special name for its part.""^ The most appropriate name
seems to be Nebo, for upon it died three sinless nebi'im,
" prophets," Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
To this mountain, upon God's command, Moses betook
himself at noon of the day on which he died. On this occa-
sion, as upon two others, God had His commands executed at
noon to show mankind that they could not hinder the execu-
tion of God's orders, even if they chose to do so. Had Moses
gone to die on Mount Nebo at night, Israel would have said :
'' He could well do so in the night when we knew of nothing.
Had we known that he should go to Nebo to his death, we
should not have let him go. Verily, we should not have per-
mitted him to die, who led us out of Egypt, who clove the sea
for us, who caused manna to rain down and the well to
spring up, who bade the quails to fly to us, and performed
many other great miracles." God therefore bade Moses go
to his grave on mount Nebo in bright daylight, at the noon
hour, saying, " Let him who wishes to prevent it try to
do so."
For a similar reason did Israel's exodus from Egypt take
place in the noon hour, for, had they departed at night, the
Eg}^ptians would have said : " They were able to do this
in the darkness of the night because we knew nothing of it.
Had we known, we should not have permitted them to de-
part, but should have compelled them by force of arms to
stay in Egypt." God therefore said : " I shall lead out
Israel at the noon hour. Let him who wishes to prevent it
try to do so."
Moses in the Wilderness 445
Noah, too, entered the ark at the noon hour for a similar
reason. God said : " If Noah enters the ark at night, his
generation will declare : ' He could do so because we were
not aware of it, or we should not have permitted him to
enter the ark alone, but should have taken our hammers and
axes, and crushed the ark.' Therefore," said God, " do I
wish him to enter the ark at the noon hour. Let him who
wishes to prevent it try to do so."
God's command to Moses to betake himself to Mount
Nebo, and there to die, was couched in the following words :
'' ' Get thee up into this mountain of Abarim.' Death for thee
means not destruction, but elevation. 'Die in the mount
whither thou goest up;' go up all alone, and let no one
accompany thee. Aaron's son Eleazar accompanied him to
his tomb, but no man shall witness the distinction and re-
ward that await thee at thy death. There shalt thou be
gathered to thy people, to the fathers of Israel, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, and to thy fathers, Kohath and Amram, as
well as to thy brother Aaron and thy sister Miriam, just as
Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered
unto his people." For when Aaron was to die, Moses drew
off one by one his garments, with which he invested Aaron's
son Eleazar, and after he had taken off all his garments,
he clothed him in his death robe. Then he said to
Aaron : " Aaron, my brother, enter the cave," and he en-
tered. " Get upon the couch," said Moses, and Aaron did
so. " Close thine eyes," and he closed them. " Stretch out
thy feet," and Aaron did so, and expired. At sight of this
painless and peaceful death, Moses said: "Blessed is the
man that dies such a death ! " When therefore Moses' end
44^ The Legends of the Jews
drew nigh, God said : " Thou shalt die the death that thou
didst wish, as peacefully and with as little pain as thy
brother Aaron." '''
Moses Meets the Messiah in Heaven
IMoses received still another special distinction on the day
of his death, for on that day God permitted him to ascend
to the lofty place of heaven, and showed him the reward that
awaited him in Heaven, and the future. The Divine at-
tribute of Mercy appeared there before him and said to
him : '' I bring glad tidings to thee, at which thou wilt
rejoice. Turn to the Throne of Mercy and behold ! "
Moses turned to the Throne of Mercy and saw God build
the Temple of jewels and pearls, while between the sepa-
rate gems and pearls shimmered the radiance of the She-
kinah, brighter than all jewels. And in this Temple he
beheld the Messiah, David's son, and his own brother Aaron,
standing erect, and dressed in the robe of the high priest.
Aaron then said to Moses : " Do not draw near, for this is
the place where the Shekinah dwells, and know that no one
may enter her© before he have tasted of death and his soul
have been delivered to the Angel of Death."
Moses now fell upon his face before God, saying, " Permit
me to speak to Thy Messiah before I die." God then said 'to
Moses : " Come, I shall teach thee My great name, that the
flames of the Shekinah consume thee not." When the Mes-
siah, David's son, and Aaron beheld Moses approach them,
they knew that God had taught him the great name, so they
went to meet him and saluted him with the greeting:
" Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
Moses in the Wilderness 447
Moses thereupon said to the Messiah : '' God told me that
Israel was to erect a Temple to Him upon earth, and I now
see Him build His own Temple, and that, too, in heaven ! "
The Messiah replied : " Thy father Jacob saw the Temple
that will be erected on earth, and also the Temple that God
rears with His own hand in heaven, and he clearly under-
stood that it was the Temple God constructed with His own
hand in heaven as a house of jewels, of pearls, and of the light
of the Shekinah, that was to be preserved for Israel to all
eternity, to the end of all generations. This was in the night
when Jacob slept upon a stone, and in his dream beheld one
Jerusalem upon earth, and another in heaven. God then said
to Jacob, ' My son Jacob, to-day I stand above thee as in the
future thy children will stand before Me.' At the sight of
these two Jerusalems, the earthly and the heavenly, Jacob
said : ' The Jerusalem on earth is nothing, this is not the
house that will be preserved for my children in all genera-
tions, but in truth that other house of God, that He builds
with His own hands.' But if thou sayest," continued the
Messiah, " that God with His own hands builds Himself a
Temple in heaven, know then that with His hands also He
will build the Temple upon earth."
When Moses heard these words from the mouth of the
Messiah, he rejoiced greatly, and lifting up his face to God,
he said, '' O Lord of the world ! When will this Temple built
here in heaven come down to earth below ? " God replied :
" I have made known the time of this event to no creature,
either to the earlier ones or to the later, how then should I
tell thee?" Moses said: " Give me a sign, so that out of
the happenings in the world I may gather when that time
44^ The Legends of the Jezvs
will approach." God : '' I shall first scatter Israel as with a
shovel over all the earth, so that they may be scattered among
all nations in the four corners of the earth, and then shall I
' set My hand again the second time/ and gather them in that
migrated with Jonah, the son of Amittai, to the land of
Pathros, and those that dwell in the land of Shinar, Hamath,
Elam, and the islands of the sea."
When Closes had heard this, he departed from heaven
with a joyous spirit. The Angel of Death followed him to
earth, but could not possess himself of Moses' soul, for he
refused to give it up to him, delivering it to none but God
Himself.^"'
The Last Hours of Moses
When Moses had finished looking upon the land and the
future, he was one hour nearer to death. A voice sounded
from heaven and said, " Make no fruitless endeavors to live,
for thou hast now in this world only three hours of life."
Aloses, however, did not desist from prayer, saying to God :
" Lord of the world ! Let me stay on this side the Jordan with
the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad, that I may be as one
of them, while Joshua as king at the head of Israel shall
enter into the land beyond the Jordan." God replied : " Dost
thou wish Me to make as naught the words in the Torah-
that read, ' Three times in the year all thy males shall ap-
pear before the Lord God ? ' If Israel sees that thou dost
not make a pilgrimage to the sanctuary, they will say, ' If
Moses, through whom the Torah and the laws were given to
us, does not make a pilgrimage to the sanctuary, how much
less do we need to do so ! ' Thou wouldst then cause non-
Moses in the Wilderness 449
observance of My commandments. I have, furthermore,
written in the Torah through thee, 'At the end of every seven
years, in the set time of the year of release, when all Israel
is come to appear before the Lord thy God, in the place
which He shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all
Israel in their hearing.' If thou wert to live thou shouldst
put Joshua's authority in the eyes of all Israel to naught, for
they would say, * Instead of learning the Torah and hearing
it from the mouth of the disciple, let us rather go to the
teacher and learn from him.' Israel will then abandon
Joshua and go to thee, so that thou wouldst cause rebellion
against My Torah, in which is written that the king shall
read before all Israel the Torah in the set time of the year of
release." ^^
In the meanwhile still another hour had passed, and a
voice sounded from heaven and said : " Hov/ long wilt thou
endeavor in vain to avert the sentence ? Thou hast now only
two hours more of life." The wicked Samael, head of the
evil spirits, had eagerly awaited the moment of Moses' death,
for he hoped to take his soul like that of all other mortals,
and he said continually, " When will the moment be at hand
when Michael shall weep and I shall triumph ? " When now
only two hours remained before Moses' death, Alichael,
Israel's guardian angel, began to weep, and Samael was
jubilant, for now the moment he had awaited so long was
very close. But Michael said to Samael : " * Rejoice not
against me, mine enemy : when I fall, I shall arise ; when I
sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me.' Even if
I fell on account of Moses's death, I shall arise again
through Joshua when he will conquer the one and thirty
29
45^ The Legends of the Jezvs
kings of Palestine. Even if I sit in darkness owing- to the
destruction of the first and second Temples, the Lord shall
be my light on the day of the Messiah."
In the meanwhile still another hour had passed, and a voice
resounded from heaven and said, " Moses, thou hast only
one hour more of life ! " Moses thereupon said : " O Lord
of the world ! Even if Thou wilt not let me enter into the land
of Israel, leave me at least in this world, that I may live, and
not die." God replied : " If I should not let thee die in this
world, how then can I revive thee hereafter for the future
world? Thou wouldst, moreover, then give the lie to the
Torah, for through thee I wrote therein, ^ neither is there any
that can deliver out of My hand.' " Moses continued to
pray : " O Lord of the world ! If Thou dost not permit me to
enter into the land of Israel, let me live like the beasts of the
field, that feed on herbs, and drink water, let me live and see
the world : let me be as one of these." But God said, " Let
it suffice thee ! " Still Moses continued : " If Thou wilt not
grant me this, let me at least live in this world like a bird
that flies in .the four directions of the world, and each day
gathers its food from the ground, drinks water out of the
streams, and at eve returns to its nest." But even this last
prayer of his was denied, for God said, " Thou hast already
made too many words." ^"^
Moses now raised up his voice in weeping, and said, " To
whom shall I go that will now implore mercy for me ? " He
went to every work of creation and said, " Implore mercy
for me." But all replied : " We cannot even implore mercy
for ourselves, for God ' hath made everything beautiful in its
time,' but afterward, ' all go unto one place, all are of the
Moses in the Wilderness 451
dust, and all turn to dust again/ ' for the heavens shall van-
ish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a gar-
ment.' "
When Moses saw that none of the works of creation could
aid him, he said : " He is ' the Rock, His work is perfect, for
all His ways are judgment : A God of faithfulness and with-
out iniquity, just and right is He.' "
When Moses saw that he could not escape death, he called
Joshua, and in the presence of all Israel addressed him as
follows : " Behold, my son, the people that I deliver into thy
hands, is the people of the Lord. It is still in its youth, and
hence is inexperienced in the observance of its command-
ments ; beware, therefore, lest thou speak harshly to them,
for they are the children of the Holy One, who called them,
' My firstborn son, Israel ' ; and He loved them before all
other nations." But God, on the other hand, at once said to
Joshua : " Joshua, thy teacher Moses has transferred his
office to thee. Follow now in his footsteps, take a rod and
hit upon the head, ' Israel is a child, hence I love him,' and
' withhold not correction from the child.' " °"*
Joshua now said to Moses : " O my teacher Moses, what
will become of me? If I give to the one a share upon a
mountain, he will be sure to want one in the valley, and he to
whom I shall give his share in the valley will wish it to be
upon a mountain." Moses, however, quieted him, saying,
'* Be not afraid, for God hath assured me that there will be
peace at the distribution of the land." Then Moses said:
*' Question me regarding all the laws that are not quite clear
to thee, for I shall be taken from thee, and thou shalt see
me no more." Joshua replied, " When, O my master, by
452 The Legends of the Jews
night or by day, have I ever left thee, that I should be in
doubt concerning anything that thou hast taught me ? ''
Moses said, " Even if thou hast no questions to ask of me,
come hither, that I may kiss thee." Joshua went to Moses,
who kissed him and wept upon his neck, and a second time
blessed him, saying, " Mayest thou be at peace, and Israel
be at peace with thee." "'"*
The Blessing of Moses
The people now came to Moses and said, " The hour of thy
death is at hand," and he replied : '' Wait until I have
blessed Israel. All my life long they had no pleasant ex-
periences with me, for I constantly rebuked them and ad-
monished them to fear God and fulfil the commandments,
therefore do I not now wish to depart out of this world be-
fore I have blessed them." ^^"^ Moses had indeed always cher-
ished the desire of blessing Israel, but the Angel of Death
had never permitted him to satisfy his wish, so shortly be-
fore dying, he enchained the Angel of Death, cast him be-
neath his feet, and blessed Israel in spite of their enemy,
saying, " Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance : feed
them also, and bear them up for ever." ^^
Moses was not the first to bestow blessings, as former
generations had also done so, but no blessing was as effective
as his. Noah blessed his sons, but it was a divided blessing,
being intended for Shem, whereas Ham, instead of being
blessed, was cursed. Isaac blessed his sons, but his blessings
led to a dispute, for Esau envied Jacob his blessing. Jacob
blessed his sons, but even his blessing was not without a
blemish, for in the blessing he rebuked Reuben and called
Moses in the Wilderness 453
him to account for the sins he had committed. Even the
number of Moses' blessings excelled that of his predecessors.
For when God created the world, He blessed Adam and Eve,
and this blessing remained upon the world until the flood,
when it ceased. When Noah left the ark, God appeared be-
fore him and bestowed upon him anew the blessing that had
vanished during the flood, and this blessing rested upon the
world until Abraham came into the world and received a
second blessing from God, who said, " And I will make of
thee a great nation, and I will bless them that bless thee, and
curse him that curseth thee." God then said to Abraham:
" Henceforth it no longer behooves Me to bless My creatures
in person, but I shall leave the blessings to thee : he whom
thou blessest, shall be blessed by Me." Abraham did not,
however, bless his own son Isaac, in order that the villain
Esau might not have a share in that blessing. Jacob, how-
ever, received not only two blessings from his father, but
one other besides from the angel with whom he wrestled,
and one from God; and the blessing also that had been
Abraham's to bestow upon his house went to Jacob. When
Jacob blessed his sons, he passed on to them the five blessings
he had received, and added one other. Balaam should really
have blessed Israel with seven benedictions, corresponding to
the seven altars he had erected, but he envied Israel greatly,
and blessed them with only three blessings. God thereupon
said : " Thou villain that begrudgest Israel their blessings !
I shall not permit thee to bestow upon Israel all the blessings
that are their due. Moses, who has ' a benevolent eye,' shall
bless Israel." And so, too, it came to pass. Moses added a
seventh blessing to the six benedictions with which Jacob had
454 The Legends of the Jews
blessed his twelve sons. This was not, however, the first
time that Moses blessed the people. He blessed them at the
erection of the Tabernacle, then at its consecration, a third
time at the installation of the judges, and a fourth time on
the day of his death.'^"
Before bestowing his blessing upon Israel, however, Moses
intoned a song in God's praise, for it is fitting to glorify
God's name before asking a favor of Him, and as Moses was
about to ask God to bless Israel, he first proclaimed His
grandeur and His majesty.^^*
He said : '' When God first revealed Himself to Israel to
bestow the Torah upon them, He appeared to them not from
one direction, but from all four at once. He ' came from
Sinai,' which is in the South, ' and rose from Se'ir unto them,'
that is in the East ; ' He shined forth from mount Paran,'
that is in the North, ' and he came from the ten thousands of
holy ' angels that dwell in the West.'" He proclaimed the
Torah not only in the language of Sinai, that is Hebrew, but
also in the tongue of Se'ir, that is Roman, as well as in Paran's
speech, that is Arabic, and in the speech of Kadesh, that is
Aramaic, for He offered the Torah not to Israel alone, but to
all the nations of the earth. These, however, did not want to
accept it, hence His wrath against them, and His especial
love for Israel who, despite their awed fear and trembHng
upon God's appearance on Sinai, still accepted the Torah. ^
Lord of the world ! " continued Moses, " When Israel shall
have been driven out of their land, be mindful still of the
merits of their Patriarchs and stand by them, deliver them in
Thy mercy from ' the yoke of the nations,' and from death,
and guide them in the future world as Thou didst lead them
in the desert." '"
Moses in the Wilderness 455
At these words Israel exclaimed, " The Torah that Moses
brought to us at the risk of his life is our bride, and no other
nation may lay claim to it.^" Moses was our king when the
seventy elders assembled, and in the future the Messiah will
be our king, surrounded by seven shepherds, and he will
gather together once more the scattered tribes of Israel." "'
Then Moses said : " God first appeared in Egypt to deliver
His people, then at Sinai to give them the Torah, and He
will appear a third time to take vengeance at Edom, and will
finally appear to destroy Gog." ®'^
After Moses had praised and glorified God, he began to
implore His blessings for the tribes. His first prayer to
God concerned Reuben, for whom he implored forgiveness
for his sin with Bilhah. He said : " May Reuben come to
life again in the future world for his good deed in saving
Joseph, and may he not remain forever dead on account of his
sin with Bilhah. May Reuben's descendants also be heroes
in war, and heroes in their knowledge of the Torah." God
granted this prayer and forgave Reuben's sin in accordance
with the wish of the other tribes, who begged God to grant
forgiveness to their eldest brother.®^ Moses at once per-
ceived that God had granted his prayer, for all the twelve
stones in the high priest's breastplate began to gleam forth,
whereas formerly Reuben's stone had given forth no light.'^
When Moses saw that God had forgiven Reuben's sin, he
at once set about trying to obtain God's pardon for Judah,
saying, " Was it not Judah that through his penitent con-
fession of his sin with his daughter-in-law Tamar induced
Reuben, too, to seek atonement and repentance ? " The sin
for which Moses asked God to forgive Judah was that he had
45^ The Legends of the Jews
never redeemed his promise to bring Benjamin back to his
father. Owing to this sin, his corpse fell to pieces, so that its
bones rolled about in their coffin during the forty years'
march in the desert. But as soon as Moses prayed to God,
saying, " Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah," the bones joined
together once more, but his sin was not quite forgiven, for he
was not yet admitted to the heavenly academy. Therefore
Moses continued to pray : '' Bring him in unto his people,"
and he was admitted. It did not, indeed, benefit him, for in
punishment of his sin, God brought it to pass that he could
not follow the discussions of the scholars in heaven, much
less take part in them, whereupon Moses prayed : " Let his
hands be sufficient for him," and then he no longer sat as one
dumb in the heavenly academy. But still his sin was not
quite forgiven, for Judah could not succeed in being vic-
torious in the disputes of the learned, hence Moses prayed,
" And Thou shalt be an help against his adversaries." It
was only then that Judah's sin was quite forgiven, and that
he succeeded in disputes with his antagonists in the heavenly
academy.^"^
As Moses prayed for Judah, so too did he pray for his
seed, and especially for David and the royal dynasty of
David. He said : " When David, king of Israel, shall be in
need, and shall pray to Thee, then, ' Hear, Lord, his voice, and
Thou shalt be an help against his adversaries,' ' bring him '
then back ' to his people ' in peace ; and when alone he shall
set out into battle against Goliath, ' let his hands be sufficient
for him, and Thou shalt be an help against his adversaries.' "
Moses at the same time prayed God to stand by the tribe of
Judah, whose chief weapon in war was the bow, that their
Moses in the Wilderness AS7
' hands might be sufficient,' that they might vigorously and
with good aim speed the arrow.
As Moses had never forgiven Simeon their sin with the
daughters of Moab, he bestowed upon them no blessing, but
this tribe also was not quite forgotten, for he included this
tribe in his blessing for Judah, praying to God, that He might
hear Judah's voice whenever he should pray for the tribe of
Simeon when they should be in distress, and that further-
more He should give them their possession in the Holy Land
beside Judah's. "^
Simeon and Levi '' drank out of the same cup," for both
together in their wrath slew the inhabitants of Shechem,
but whereas Levi made amends for his sin, Simeon added
another new one. It was the Levites who, in their zeal for
God, slew those that worshipped the Golden Calf ; it was a
Levite, Phinehas, moreover, who in his zeal for God slew the
wicked prince of the tribe of Simeon, and his mistress.
Hence Closes praised and blessed the tribe of Levi, whereas
he did not even consider Simeon with a word.
His words first referred to Aaron, prince of the tribe of
Levi. He said : " Well may Thy Urim and Tummim belong
to Aaron, who ministered services of love to Thy children,
who stood every test that Thou didst put upon him, and who
at the ' waters of rebellion ' became the victim of a wrong ac-
cusation." God had then decreed against Aaron that he was
to die in the desert, although not he, but Moses had tres-
passed against Him, saying to Israel, " Hear now, ye rebels."
As Aaron, prince of the tribe of Levi, when Israel was still
in Egypt, declaimed passionately against the people because
they worshipped idols, so too all the tribe of Levi stood up
45^ The Legends of the Jezvs
by God's standard when Israel worshipped the Golden Calf
in the desert, and slew the idolaters, even if they were their
half-brothers or their daughters' sons. The Levites also
w^ere the only ones who, in Egypt as in the desert, remained
true to God and His teachings, did not abandon the token of
the covenant, and were not tempted to rebellion by the spies.
" Hence," continued Moses, " shall the Levites be the only
ones from whose mouth shall issue judgment and instruc-
tion for Israel. ' They shall put incense ' in the Holy of
Holies, ^and whole burnt offerings upon His altar.' Their
sacrifices shall reconcile Israel with God, and they themselves
shall be blessed with earthly goods. Thou, Lord, ' smitest
through the loins of them that rise up against them,' that
dispute the priestly rights of this tribe, Thou didst destroy
Korah, and they ' that hated them,' like king Uzziah, ' shall
not rise again.' ^'^ ' Bless, Lord, the substance ' of the Levites
who give from the tithes that they receive one-tenth to the
priests. Mayest Thou accept sacrifice from the hands of the
priest Elijah upon mount Carmel, ' smite the loins ' of his
enemy Ahab, break the neck of the latter's false prophets, and
may the enemies of the high priest Johanan rise not again." "^
" Benjamin," said Moses, " is the beloved of the Lord,
whom He will always shield, and in whose possession the
sanctuary shall stand, in this world as well as in the time of
the Messiah, and in the future world." "'
Moses blessed Joseph's tribe with the blessing that their
possession might be the most fruitful and blessed land on
earth; dew shall ever be there, and many wells spring up.
It shall constantly be exposed to the gentle influences of sun
and moon, that the fruits may ripen early. " I wish him," said
Moses in the Wilderness 459
Moses, '' that the blessings given him by the Patriarchs and
the wives of the Patriarchs may be fulfilled." And so, too,
it came to pass, for the land of the tribe of Joseph possessed
everything, and nothing within it was lacking. This was the
reward to Joseph for having fulfilled the will of God that
was revealed to Moses in the bush of thorns ; and also be-
cause as king of Egypt he treated his brothers with high
honors although they had thrust him from their midst. Moses
furthermore blessed Joseph by promising him that, as he had
been the first of Jacob's sons to come to Egypt, he was also
to be the first in the future world to appear in the Holy
Land. Moses proclaimed the heroism of Joseph's seed in
the words : '' As it is a vain thing to try to force the first-
ling bullock to labor, so little shall Joseph's sons be yoked
into service by the empires; as the unicorn with his horns
pushes away all other animals, so, too, shall Joseph's sons rule
the nations, even to the ends of the earth. The Ephraimite
Joshua shall destroy myriads of heathens, and the Manassite
Gideon thousands of them." ^"
Zebulun was the tribe that before all the other tribes de-
voted itself to commerce, and in this way acted as the agent
between Israel and the other nations, selling the products of
Palestine to the latter, and foreign wares to the former.
Hence the blessing that Moses bestowed upon them. " ' Re-
joice, Zebulun, in thy going out ' on commercial enterprises ;
at thy instance shall many nations pray upon the sacred
mountain of the Temple and offer their sacrifices." For the
people that came into Zebulun's realms on matters of busi-
ness used to go from thence to Jerusalem to look upon the
sanctuary of the Jews, and many of them were converted
460 The Legends of the Jews
through the grand impression that the life in the holy city
made upon them. Moses furthermore blessed this tribe by
giving them an estate by the sea, which might yield them
costly fish and the purple shell, and the sand of whose shores
might furnish them the material for glass. The other tribes
were therefore dependent upon Zebulun for these articles,
which they could not obtain from any one else, for whoso-
ever attempted to rob Zebulun of them, was doomed to bad
luck in business. It is the " Sea of Chaifa " also, within
Zebulun's territory, where all the treasures of the ocean were
brought to shore ; for whenever a ship is wrecked at sea, the
ocean sends it and its treasures to the sea of Chaifa, where
it is hoarded for the pious until the Judgment Day.""* One
other blessing of Zebulun was that it would always be vic-
torious in battle, whereas the tribe of Issachar, closely bound
up with it, was blessed by its distinction in the " tents of
learning." For Issachar was " the tribe of scholars and of
judges," wherefore Moses blessed them, saying that in " the
future time," Israel's great house of instruction as well as the
great Sanhedrin would be located in this tribe.'""
The tribe of Gad, dwelling on the boundary of the land of
Israel, received the benediction that in " the future time " it
would be as strong in battle as it had been at the first con-
quest of Palestine, and would hereafter stand at the head of
Israel on their return to the Holy Land, as it had done on
their first entrance into the land. Moses praised this tribe
for choosing its site on this side the Jordan because that place
had been chosen to hold Moses' tomb. Moses indeed died
on mount Nebo, which is Reuben's possession, but his body
was taken from Nebo by the pinions of the Shekinah, and
Ad OSes in the Wilderness 461
brought to Gad's territory, a distance of four miles, amid
the lamentations of the angels, who said, " He shall enter
into peace and rest in his bed." ^'^
Dan, who like Gad had his territory on the boundary of the
land, was also blessed with strength and might, that he might
ward off the attacks of Israel's enemies. He was also blessed
in receiving his territory in the Holy Land in two different
sections of it.^^^
Naphtali's blessing read : " O Naphtali, satisfied with
favor, and full with the blessing of the Lord : possess thou
the west and the south." This blessing was verified, for the
tribe of Naphtali had in its possession an abundance of fish
and mushrooms, so that they could maintain themselves
without much labor; and the valley of Gennesaret further-
more was their possession, whose fruits were renowned for
their extraordinary sweetness. But Naphtali was blessed not
with material blessings only, but also with spiritual; for it
was the great house of instruction at Tiberias to which
Moses alluded when he said of Naphtali, '' he is ' full with
the blessings of the Lord.' " ''"
Moses called Asher the favorite of his brethren, for it was
this tribe that in the years of release provided nourishment
for all Israel, as its soil was so productive that what grew of
its own accord sufficed to sustain all. But Moses blessed
Asher in particular with a land rich in olives, so that oil
flowed in streams through Asher's land. Hence Moses
blessed him with the words : " The treasures of all lands
shall flow to thee, for the nations shall give thee gold and sil-
ver for thine oil." He blessed Asher moreover with many
sons,**'' and with daughters that preserved the charms of
youth in their old age.''*
462 The Legends of the Jews
As Moses uttered eleven benedictions, so likewise did he
compose eleven psalms, corresponding to the eleven tribes
blessed by him.''' These psalms of Moses were later received
into David's Psalter, where the psalms of Adam, Melchizedek,
Abraham, Solomon, Asaph, and the three sons of Korah also
found their place.'*"' Moses' first psalm says, " ' Thou turnest
man to destruction ; and sayest. Return, ye children of men,'
and forgivest the forefather of the tribe of Reuben who
sinned, but returned again to God." Another one of Moses'
psalms reads, " He that dwelleth in the secret place of the
most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty,"
which corresponds to the tribe of Levi that dwelled in the
sanctuary, the shadow of the Almighty. To the tribe of Judah,
whose name signifies, " Praise the Lord," belongs the psalm,
" It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord." The psalm :
" The Lord is apparelled with majesty," is Benjamin's, for
the sanctuary stood in his possession, hence this psalm closes
with the words, " Holiness becometh Thine house, O Lord,
forevermore." The psalm : " O Lord, Thou God to whom
vengeance belongeth ; Thou God to whom vengeance belong-
eth, shine forth," was composed by Moses for the tribe of
Gad ; for Elijah, a member of this tribe, was to destroy the
foundations of the heathens, and to wreak upon them the
vengeance of the Lord. To the tribe of learned men, Issa-
char, goes the psalm : " O come, let us sing unto the Lord :
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation," for it
is this tribe that occupy themselves with the Torah, the book
of praise.*"^
Moses in the Wilderness 4^3
Moses Prays for Death
Moses still had many other blessings for every single tribe,
but when he perceived that his time had drawn to a close,
he included them all in one blessing, saying,"'* " Happy art
thou, O Israel : Who is like unto thee, a people saved by the
Lord, the shield of thy help, and that is the sword of thy ex-
cellency ! " With these words he at the same time answered
a question that Israel had put to him, saying, " O tell us, our
teacher Moses, what is the blessing that God will bestow
upon us in the future world? " He replied : '' I cannot de-
scribe it to you, but all I can say is, happy ye that such is de-
creed for ye ! " Moses at the same time begged God that in
the future world He might restore to Israel the heavenly
weapon that He had taken 'from them after the worship of
the Golden Calf. God said, " I swear that I shall restore it to
them." "''
When Moses had finished his blessing, he asked Israel to
forgive his sternness toward them, saying : " Ye have had
much to bear from me in regard to the fulfilment of the
Torah and its commandments, but forgive me now." They
replied : " Our teacher, our lord, it is forgiven." It was
now their turn to ask his forgiveness, which they did in these
words : " We have often kindled thine anger and have laid
many burdens upon thee, but forgive us now." He said, " It
is forgiven."
In the meanwhile people came to him and said, " The hour
has come in which thou departest from the world." Moses
said, " Blessed be His name that liveth and endureth in all
eternity ! " Turning to Israel, he then said, " I pray ye,
when ye shall have entered into the land of Israel, remember
4^4 The Legends of the Jews
me still, and my bones, and say, ' Woe to the son of Amram
that ran before us Hke a horse, but whose bones remained in
the desert.' " Israel said to Moses : '' O our teacher, what
will become of us when thou art gone ? " He replied :
" While I was with ye, God was with ye ; yet think not that
all the signs and miracles that He wrought through me were
performed for my sake, for much rather were they done for
your sake, and for His love and mercy, and if ye have faith
in Him, He will work your desires.^*" ' Put not your trust in
princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help,' for
how could ye expect help from a man, a creature of flesh and
blood, that cannot shield himself from death? Put, there-
fore, your trust in Him through whose word arose the world,
for He liveth and endureth in all eternity. Whether ye be
laden with sin, or not, ' pour your heart before Him,' and
turn to Him." Israel said : '' ' The Lord, He is God ; the
Lord, He is God.' God is our strength and our refuge." °"
Then a voice sounded from heaven and said, '' Why,
Moses, dost thou strive in vain? Thou hast but one-half
hour more of life in the world." Moses, to whom God had
now shown the reward of the pious in the future world, and
the gates of salvation and of consolation that He would here-
after open to Israel, now said : '' Happy art thou, O Israel :
who is like unto thee, a people saved by the Lord ! " He then
bade farewell to the people, weeping aloud. He said:
" Dwell in peace, I shall see ye again at the Resurrection,"
and so he went forth from them, weeping aloud. Israel, too,
broke into loud lamentations, so that their weeping ascended
to the highest heavens.
Moses took off his outer garment, rent his shirt, strewed
Moses in the JVildcrncss 465
dust upon his head, covered it like a mourner, and in this
condition betook himself to his tent amid tears and lamenta-
tions, saying : " Woe to my feet that may not enter the land
of Israel, woe to my hands that may not pluck of its fruits !
Woe to my palate that may not taste the fruits of the land
that flows with milk and honey ! " "'^
Moses then took a scroll, wrote upon it the Ineffable
Name, and the book of the vSong, and betook himself to
Joshua's tent to deliver it to him.^^ When he arrived at
Joshua's tent, Joshua was seated, and Moses remained stand-
ing before him in a bowed attitude without being noticed by
Joshua. For God brought this to pass in order that Moses,
on account of this disrespectful treatment, might himself
wish for death. For when Moses had prayed to God to let
him live, were it only as a private citizen, God granted his
prayer, saying to him, '' If thou hast no objection to subordi-
nating thyself to Joshua, then mayest thou live," and in ac-
cordance with this agreement, Moses had betaken himself to
hear Joshua's discourse.
The people who had gathered as usual before Moses' tent
to hear from him the word of God, failed to find him there,
and hearing that he had gone to Joshua, went there likewise,
where they found Moses standing and Joshua seated.
" What art thou thinking of," they called out to Joshua,
*' that thou art seated, while thy teacher Moses stands before
thee in a bowed attitude and with folded hands ? " In their
anger and indignation against Joshua, they would instantly
have slain him, had not a cloud descended and interposed
itself between the people and Joshua. When Joshua noticed
that Moses stood before him, he instantly arose, and cried in
30
466 The Legends of the Jews
tears : " O my father and teacher Moses, that Hke a father
didst rear me from my youth, and that didst instruct me in
wisdom, why dost thou do such a thing as will bring upon
me Divine punishment ? " The people now besought Moses
as usual to instruct them in the Torah, but he replied, " I
have no permission to do so." They did not, however, cease
importuning him, until a voice sounded from heaven and said,
" Learn from Joshua." The people now consented to ac-
knowledge Joshua as their teacher, and seated themselves
before him to hear his discourse. Joshua now began his
discourse with Moses sitting at his right, and Aaron's sons,
Eleazar and Ithamar, at his left. But hardly had Joshua be-
gun his lecture with the words, '' Praised be God that taketh
delight in the pious and their teachings," when the treasures
of wisdom vanished from IMoses and passed over into
Joshua's possession, so that Moses was not even able to fol-
low his disciple Joshua's discourse. When Joshua had fin-
ished his lecture, Israel requested Moses to review with
them what Joshua had taught, but he said, " I know not
how to reply to your request ! " He began to expound
Joshua's lecture to them, but could not, for he had not under-
stood it. He now said to God : " Lord of the world ! Until
now I wished for life, but now I long to die. Rather a hun-
dred deaths, than one jealousy." "■*""
Samael Chastised by Moses
When God perceived that Moses was prepared to die. He
said to the angel Gabriel, " Go, fetch Me Moses' soul." But
he replied, " How should I presume to approach and take the
soul of him that outweighs sixty myriads of mortals ! " God
Moses in the Wilderness 4^7
then commissioned the angel Michael to fetch Moses' soul,
but he amid tears refused on the same groiuids as Gabriel.
God then said to the angel Zagzagel, " Fetch Me Moses'
soul ! " He replied, " Lord of the world ! I was his teacher
and he my disciple, how then should I take his soul ! " ^^'^
Then Samael appeared before God and said : " Lord of the
world ! Is Moses, Israel's teacher, indeed greater than Adam
whom Thou didst create in Thine Image and Thy likeness?
Is Moses greater, perchance, than Thy friend Abraham, who
to glorify Thy name cast himself into the fiery furnace ? Is
Moses greater, perchance, than Isaac, who permitted him-
self to be bound upon the altar as a sacrifice to Thee? Or
Is he greater than Thy firstborn Jacob, or than his twelve
sons. Thy saplings? Not one of them escaped me, give me
therefore permission to fetch Moses' soul." God replied:
" Not one of all these equals him. How, too, wouldst thou
take his soul ? From his face ? How couldst thou approach
his face that had looked upon My Face ! From his hands ?
Those hands received the Torah, how then shouldst thou be
able to approach them ! From his feet ? His feet touched
My clouds, how then shouldst thou be able to approach them !
Nay, thou canst not approach him at all." But Samael
said, " However It be, I pray Thee, permit me to fetch his
soul ! " God said, " Thou hast My consent." '*"
Samael now went forth from God In great glee, took his
sword, girded himself with cruelty, wrapped himself in
wrath, and in a great rage betook himself to Moses. When
Samael perceived Moses, he was occupied In writing the
Inefi^able Name. Darts of fire shot from his mouth, the
radiance of his face and of his eyes shone like the sun, so
468 The Legends of the Jezvs
that he seemed Hke an angel of the hosts of the Lord, and
Samael in fear and trembHng thought, " It was true when
the other angels declared that they could not seize Moses'
soul!"
Moses, who had known that Samael would come, even
before his arrival, now Hfted his eyes and looked upon
Samael, whereupon Samael's eyes grew dim before the
radiance of Moses' countenance. He fell upon his face,
and was seized with the woes of a woman giving birth,
so that in his terror he could not open his mouth. Moses
therefore addressed him, saying: " Samael, Samael! ' There
is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked ! ' Why dost
thou stand before me? Get thee hence at once, or I shall
cut off thy head." In fear and trembling Samael replied :
"Why art thou angry with me, my master, give me thy
soul, for thy time to depart from the world is at hand."
Moses: "Who sent thee to me?" Samael: "He that
created the world and the souls." Moses : /' I will not
give thee my soul." Samael : " All souls since the creation
of the world were delivered into my hands." Moses : " I
am greater than all others that came into the world, I have
had a greater communion with the spirit of God than these
and thou together." Samael: "Wherein lies thy pre-
eminence ? " Moses : " Dost thou not know that I am the
son of Amram, that came circumcised out of my mother's
womb, that at the age of three days not only walked, but
even talked with my parents, that took no milk from my
mother until she received her pay from Pharaoh's daugh-
ter? When I was three months old, my wisdom was so
great that I made prophecies and said, ' I shall hereafter from
Moses in the Wilderness 4^9
God's right hand receive the Torah.' At the age of six
months I entered Pharaoh's palace and took off the crown
from his head. When I was eighty years old, I brought the
ten plagues upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians, slew their
guardian angel, and led the sixty myriads of Israel out of
Egypt. I then clove the sea into twelve parts, led Israel
through the midst of them, and drowned the Egyptians in
the same, and it was not thou that took their souls, but I. It
was I, too, that turned the bitter water into sweet, that
mounted into heaven, and there spoke face to face with
God! I hewed out two tables of stone, upon which God at
my request wrote the Torah. One hundred and twenty days
and as many nights did I dwell in heaven, where I dwelled
under the Throne of Glory; like an angel during all this
time I ate no bread and drank no water. I conquered the
inhabitants of heaven, made known their secrets to mankind,
received the Torah from God's right hand, and at His com-
mand wrote six hundred and thirteen commandments, which
I then taught to Israel. I furthermore waged war against
the heroes Sihon and Og, that had been created before the
flood and were so tall that the waters of the flood did not
even reach their ankles. In battle with them I bade sun and
moon to stand still, and with my staff slew the two heroes.
Where, perchance, is there in the world a mortal who could
do all this ? How darest thou, wicked one, presume to wish
to seize my pure soul that was given me In holiness and
purity by the Lord of holiness and purity? Thou hast no
power to sit where I sit, or to stand where I stand. Get
thee hence, I will not give thee my soul."
Samael now In terror returned to God and reported Moses'
470 The Legends of the Jews
words to Him. God's wrath against Samael was now kin-
dled, and He said to him : " Go, fetch Me Moses' soul, for
if thou dost not do so, I shall discharge thee from thine
office of taking men's souls, and shall Invest another with it."
Samael Implored God, saying : '*' O Lord of the world,
whose deeds are terrible, bid me go to Gehenna and there
turn uppermost to undermost, and undermost to uppermost,
and I shall at once do so without a moment's hesitation, but
I cannot appear before Moses." God : " Why not, pray ? "
Samael : " I cannot do it because he is like the princes in Thy
great chariot. Lightning-flashes and fiery darts issue from
his mouth when he speaks with me, just as It is with the
Seraphim when they laud, praise and glorify Thee. I pray
Thee, therefore, send me not to him, for I cannot appear be-
fore him." But God in wrath said to Samael : " Go, fetch
Me Moses' soul," and while he set about to execute God's
command, the Lord furthermore said : " Wicked one ! Out
of the fire of Hell wast thou created, and to the fire of Hell
shalt thou eventually return. First In great joy didst thou
set out to kill Moses, but when thou didst perceive his
grandeur and his greatness, thou didst say, ' I cannot under-
take anything against him.' It Is clear and manifest before
Me that thou wilt now return from him a second time in
shame and humiliation."
Samael now drew his sword out of its sheath and in a
towering fury betook himself to Moses, saying, " Either I
shall kill him or he shall kill me." AVhen Moses perceived
him he arose In anger, and with his staff In his hand, upon
which was engraved the Ineffable Name, set about to drive
Sarnael away. Samael fled in fear, but Moses pursued him,
Moses in the Wilderness 471
and when he reached him, he struck him with his staff,
blinded him with the radiance of his face, and then let him
run on, covered with shame and confusion. He was not far
from killing him, but a voice resounded from heaven and
said, " Let him live, Moses, for the world is in need of him,"
so Moses had to content himself with Samael's chastise-
mentr
God Kisses Moses' Soul
In the meanwhile Moses' time was at an end. A voice
from heaven resounded, saying : " Why, Moses, dost thou
strive in vain? Thy last second is at hand." Moses in-
stantly stood up for prayer, and said : " Lord of the world !
Be mindful of the day on which Thou didst reveal Thyself
to me in the bush of thorns, and be mindful also of the day
when I ascended into heaven and during forty days partook
of neither food nor drink. Thou, Gracious and Merciful,
deliver me not into the hand of Samael." God replied : " I
have heard thy prayer. I Myself shall attend to thee and
bury thee." Moses now sanctified himself as do the Sera-
phim that surround the Divine Majesty, whereupon God
from the highest heavens revealed Himself to receive Moses'
soul. When Moses beheld the Holy One, blessed be His
Name, he fell upon his face and said : " Lord of the world !
In love didst Thou create the world, and in love Thou guid-
est it. Treat me also with love, and deliver me not into the
hands of the Angel of Death." A heavenly voice sounded
and said : " Moses, be not afraid. ' Thy righteousness shall
go before thee ; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.' "
With God descended from heaven three angels, Michael,
472 The Legends of the Jezvs
Gabriel, and Zagzagel. Gabriel arranged Moses' couch,
Michael spread upon it a purple garment, and Zagzagel laid
down a woolen pillow. God stationed Himself over Moses'
head, Michael to his right, Gabriel to his left, and Zagzagel
at his feet, whereupon God addressed Moses : " Cross thy
feet," and Moses did so. He then said, " Fold thy hands and
lay them upon thy breast," and Moses did so. Then God
said, " Close thine eyes," and Moses did so. Then God spake
to Moses' soul : " My daughter, one hundred and twenty
years had I decreed that thou shouldst dwell in this righteous
man's body, but hesitate not now to leave it, for thy time is
run." The soul replied : " I know that Thou art the God of
spirits and of souls, and that in Thy hand are the souls of the
living and of the dead. Thou didst create me and put me
into the body of this righteous man. Is there anywhere in
the world a body so pure and holy as this is? Never a fly
rested upon it, never did leprosy show itself upon it. There-
fore do I love it, and do not wish to leave it." God replied :
'' Hesitate not, my daughter ! Thine end hath come. I My-
self shall take thee to the highest heavens and let thee dwell
under the Throne of My Glory, like the Seraphim, Ofannim,
Cherubim, and other angels." But the soul replied : " Lord
of the world ! I desire to remain with this righteous man ;
for whereas the two angels Azza and Azazel when they de-
scended from heaven to earth, corrupted their way of life and
loved the daughters of the earth, so that in punishment Thou
didst suspend them between heaven and earth, the son of
Amram, a creature of flesh and blood, from the day upon
which Thou didst reveal Thyself from the bush of thorns,
has lived apart from his wife. Let me therefore remain
Moses in the Wilderness 473
where I am." ^* When Moses saw that his soul refused to
leave him, he said to her : " Is this because the Angel of
Death wishes to show his power over thee ? " The soul re-
plied : " Nay, God doth not wish to deliver me into the
hands of death." Moses : " Wilt thou, perchance, weep
when the others will weep at my departure ? " The soul :
"' The Lord ' hath delivered mine eyes from tears.' " Moses :
'' Wilt thou, perchance, go into Hell when I am dead ? " The
soul : " I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living."
When Moses heard these w^ords, he permitted his soul to
leave him, saying to her : '' Return unto thy rest, O my
soul ; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee." ^'' God
thereupon took Moses' soul by kissing him upon the mouth.""'
Moses' activity did not, however, cease with his death, for
in heaven he is one of the servants of the Lord."'^ God buried
Moses' body in a spot that remained unknown even to Moses
himself. Only this is known concerning it, that a subter-
ranean passage connects it with the graves of the Patri-
archs.^^'' Although Moses' body lies dead in its grave, it is
still as fresh as when he was alive.^^
The Mourning for Moses
When Moses died, a voice resounded from heaven
throughout all the camp of Israel, which measured twelve
miles in length by twelve in width, and said, " Woe ! Moses
is dead. Woe ! Moses is dead." All Israel who, through-
out thirty days before Moses' decease, had wept his impend-
ing death now arranged a three months' time of mourning
for him."' But Israel were not the only mourners for Moses.
God Himself wept for Moses, saying, "Who will rise up for
474 The Legends of the Jezvs
Me against the evil-doers? Who will stand up for Me
against the workers of iniquity ? " Metatron appeared be-
fore God and said : " Moses was Thine when he lived, and
he is Thine in his death." God replied : " I weep not for
Moses' sake, but for the loss Israel suffered through his
death. How often had they angered Me, but he prayed for
them and appeased My wrath." The angels wept with God,
saying, " But where shall wisdom be found ? " The heavens
lamented : " The godly man is perished out of the earth."
The earth wept : " And there is none upright among men."
Stars, planets, sun, and moon wailed : " The righteous per-
isheth, and no man layeth it to heart," and God praised
Moses' excellence in the words : " Thou hast said of Me,
' The Lord He is God : there is none else,' and therefore
shall I say of thee, * And there arose not a prophet in Israel
like unto Moses.' " '''
Among mortals, it was particularly Jochebed, Moses'
mother, and Joshua, his disciple, that deeply mourned Moses*
death. They were not indeed certain if Moses were dead,
hence they sought him everywhere. Jochebed went first to
Egypt and said to that land, " Mizraim, Mizraim, hast thou
perchance seen Moses ? " But Mizraim replied, " As truly
as thou livest, Jochebed, I have not seen him since the day
when he slew all the firstborn here." Jochebed then betook
herself to the Nile, saying, " Nile, Nile, hast thou perchance
seen Moses ? " But Nile replied, " As truly as thou livest,
Jochebed, I have not seen Moses since the day when he
turned my water to blood." Then Jochebed went to the sea
and said, " Sea, sea, hast thou perchance seen Moses? " The
sea replied, " As truly as thou livest, Jochebed, I have not
Moses in the Wilderness 475
seen him since the day when he led the twelve tribes through
me." Jochebed thereupon went to the desert and said,
" Desert, desert, hast thou perchance seen Moses ? " The
desert replied, " As truly as thou livest, Jochebed, I have not
seen him since the day whereon he caused manna to rain
down upon me." Then Jochebed went to Sinai, and said,
" Sinai, Sinai, hast thou perchance seen Moses ? " Sinai
said, " As truly as thou livest, Jochebed, I have not seen him
since the day whereon he descended from me with the two
tables of the law." Jochebed finally went to the rock and
said, '^ Rock, rock, hast thou perchance seen Moses ? " The
rock replied, " As truly as thou livest, I have not seen him
since the day when with his staff he twice smote me." °'''
Joshua, too, sought his teacher Moses in vain, and in his
grief for Moses' disappearance he rent his garments, and
crying aloud, called ceaselessly, " ' My father, my father, the
chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof.' * But where
shall wisdom be found ? ' " But God said to Joshua : " How
long wilt thou continue to seek Moses in vain ? He is dead,
but indeed it is I that have lost him, and not thou." ""
Samael's Vain Search
Samael, the Angel of Death, had not heard that God had
taken Moses' soul from his body and received it under the
Throne of Glory. Believing that Moses was still among the
living, he betook himself to Moses' house in order to seize his
soul, for he feared to return before God without having ex-
ecuted His command to take Moses' soul. He did not, how-
ever, find Moses in his accustomed place, so he hastened into
the land of Israel, thinking, " Long did Moses pray to be
4/6 The Legends of the Jezvs
permitted to enter this land, and perhaps he is there." He
said to the land of Israel, " Is Moses perchance with thee? "
But the land replied, " Nay, he is not found in the land of
the living."
Samael then thought : " I know that God once said to
Moses, ' Lift up thy rod and divide the sea,' so perhaps he
is by the sea." He hastened to the sea and said, " Is Moses
here ? " The sea replied : " He is not here, and I have not
seen him since the day when he clove me into twelve parts,
and with the twelve tribes passed through me."
Samael then betook himself to Gehenna asking, " Hast
thou seen Moses, the son of Amram ? " Gehenna replied,
" With mine ears have I heard his cry, but I have not seen
him."
He betook himself to Sheol, Abaddon, and Tit-ha-Yawen,
to whom he said, " Have ye seen the son of Amram ? " They
replied : " Through Pharaoh, king of Egypt, have we heard
his call, but we have not seen him."
He betook himself to the Abyss and asked, "Hast thou
seen the son of Amram ? " The answer arose, *' I have
not seen him, but heard indeed his call."
He asked Korah's sons, that dwell within the Abyss,
" Have ye seen the son of Amram ? " They replied, " We
have not seen him since the day upon which at Moses' bid-
ding the earth opened its mouth and swallowed us."
He betook himself to the clouds of glory and asked, " Is
Moses perchance with you ? " They answered, " He is hid
from the eyes of all living."
He went to the heavens and asked, " Have ye seen the
son of Amram ? " The answer was, " We have not seen him
' Moses in the Wilderness 477
since at God's command he mounted to us to receive the
Torah."
He hastened to Paradise, but when the angels that guard
its gates beheld Samael, they drove him away and said,
" Wicked one ! Wicked one ! ' This is the gate of the Lord ;
the righteous shall enter into it.' " Samael thereupon flew
over the gates of Paradise at a height of four thousand para-
sangs, descended into Paradise and asked Paradise, " Hast
thou perchance seen Moses ? " Paradise answered, " Since
in Gabriel's company he visited me to look upon the reward
of the pious, I have not seen him."
He went to the tree of life, but even at the distance of
three hundred parasangs, it cried out to him : " Approach
me not." He therefore asked from afar, " Hast thou seen
the son of Amram ? " The tree replied, " Since the day on
which he came to me to cut him a staff, I have not seen him."
He betook himself to the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, and said, " Hast thou seen the son of Amram ? "
The tree replied, " Since the day on which he came to me
to get a writing reed, wherewith to write the Torah, I have
not seen him."
He betook himself to the mountains with his query. These
replied, " Since he hewed the two tables out of us, we have
not seen him."
He went to the deserts and asked, " Have ye seen the son
of Amram ? " These replied, " Since he has ceased to lead
Israel to pasture upon us, we have not seen him."
He betook himself to mount Sinai, for he thought God had
formerly commanded Moses to ascend it, and that he might
now be there. He asked Sinai, " Hast thou seen the son of
47S The Legends of the Jews
Amram ? " Sinai said, " Since the day on which out of God's
right hand he received the Torah upon me, I have not seen
him."
He betook himself to the birds and said, " Have ye seen
Moses ? " They replied, '' Since the day whereon he sepa-
rated the birds into clean and unclean we have not seen
him."
He went to the quadrupeds and asked : " Have ye seen
Moses ? " They answered : " Since the day on which he de-
termined which beasts might be eaten, and which might not,
we have not seen him." ^^ The answer of the birds and
beasts referred to the day on which God assembled all the
species of animals, led them before Moses, and instructed
him which of these were clean and which were not, which
might, and which might not be eaten.*"
Samael then betook himself to the '' Court of the Dead,"
where the angel Dumah guards the souls of the deceased, and
asked this angel, " Hast thou seen the son of Amram ? " He
replied : " I heard the words of lamentation for him in
heaven, but I have not seen him."
He betook himself to the angels and asked, " Have ye seen
the son of Amram ? " These made the same reply as Dumah,
and advised him to go to the mortals, who might possibly
give him information concerning Moses' whereabouts.
He betook himself to the mortals and asked, " Where is
Moses?" These replied: " Our teacher Moses is not like
human beings. He Is the peer of the angels of ministry, for
he ascended into heaven and dwelt in heaven like the angels,
' he hath gathered the wind in his fists ' like an angel, and
Moses in the Wilderness 479
God took his soul to Himself in the place of His sanctity.
What connection then hast thou with the son of Amram ? " '"*
Moses Excels All Pious Men
The special distinction that God granted to Moses at his
death was well merited, for Moses outweighed all other pious
men.'^^ When Moses died, Adam appeared and said, '' I am
greater than thou, for I was created in God's image." But
Moses replied : " I am nevertheless superior to thee, for the
glory that thou didst receive from God was taken from thee,
whereas I retained the radiance of my face forever."
Noah then said to Moses : " I am greater than thou, for
I was preserved out of the generation of the flood." Moses
replied : " I am superior to thee, for thou didst save thyself
alone, and hadst not the power to save thy generation, but I
saved myself and also saved my generation at the time when
they transgressed with the Golden Calf."
Abraham said to Moses, " I am greater than thou, for I fed
the wanderers." Moses : " I am superior to thee, for thou
didst feed the uncircumcised whereas I fed the circumcised ;
and thou, moreover, didst feed them in a land of habitations,
whereas I fed Israel in the desert."
Isaac said to Moses : " I am greater than thou, for I
bared my neck upon the altar and beheld the Face of the
Shekinah." Moses replied : " Still am I superior to thee,
for thou didst indeed behold the Face of the Shekinah, but
thine eyes grew dim, whereas I talked with the Shekinah
face to face, and yet neither did mine eyes grow dim nor my
strength wane."
480 The Legends of the Jews
Jacob said, " I am greater than thou, for I wrestled with
the angel and conquered him." Moses replied : " Thou
didst wrestle with the angel upon thy territory, but I
mounted to the angels into their own territory, and still they
feared me." '^
Joseph said to Moses, " I am greater than thou, for my
master's wife could not tempt me to sin." Moses replied :
" Still am I superior to thee, for thou didst restrain thyself
from a strange woman, whereas I abstained from intercourse
with my own wife." ^^
The degree of Moses' superiority over the other pious men
can be seen by the following. Adam died because he had
been seduced by the serpent, whereas Moses fashioned a
serpent out of brass at sight of which everyone that had
been bitten by a snake recovered. Noah offered a sacrifice
to God that was accepted, but he himself was not admitted to
God's presence. When Moses, on the other hand, offered
a sacrifice in Israel's name, God said to him, " Know that
twice daily I shall dwell with ye."' Abraham had been the
cause for Israel's bondage in Egypt, for that was the pun-
ishment for his words, " ' Whereby shall I know that I shall
inherit ' the land ? " Moses, on the other hand, it was that
delivered Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Jacob indeed
conquered in his struggle with the angel, but the blow that
the angel dealt him put Jacob's thigh out of joint forever,
whereas Moses inspired the angels with such fear that as
soon as they beheld him in heaven, they fled.
But Moses not only surpassed all other human beings, he
surpassed also the entire creation that God had brought
forth in six days. On the first day God created light, but
Moses in the Wilderness 4^1
Moses mounted into heaven and seized the spiritual Hght, the
Torah. On the second day God created the firmament,
whereby He decreed that the earth was not to enter the
realm of the firmament, nor the firmament the realm of earth,
but Moses scaled the firmament even though he belonged to
earth. On the third day God created the sea, but as soon
as the sea caught sight of Moses, it retreated before him
affrighted. On the fourth day God created the sun and the
moon to illuminate the earth, but Moses said to God : *' I
do not wish sun and moon to give light to Israel, Thou Thy-
self shalt do so," and God granted his prayer. On the fifth
day God created the animals, but Moses slaughtered what-
ever animals he wanted for Israel's needs. When, therefore,
God laid all the objects of creation on one side of the scales,
and Moses upon the other, Moses outweighed them."'*
Moses was justly called, " the man of God," for he was half
man and half God.^^
But not in this world alone was Moses the great leader and
teacher of his people, he shall be the same in the future
world, in "accordance with the promise God made him shortly
before his death. God said: "Thou that didst lead My
children in this world, shalt also lead them in the future
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