Righteousness Exalts a Nation and the Passing of Moses

(Proverbs 14:34): "Righteousness exalts a nation" - Rabbi Yochanan said: these are Israel. "But the kindness of peoples is sin" - these are the nations of the world; their acts of kindness are sins for the idolaters, because they are arrogant. Another interpretation: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - these are Israel, "but the kindness of peoples is sin" - it is a benefit to the nations of the world when Israel sin, for they turn back and subjugate them. Another interpretation: "But the kindness of peoples is sin" - just as a sin-offering atones for Israel, so charity atones for the nations of the world in this world. Another interpretation: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - Rabbi Yochanan said: Come and see how great is the power of charity, for it is placed in the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said (Psalms 48:11): "Your right hand is full of righteousness." Great is charity, for through it the Holy One, blessed be He, is praised when He brings deliverance to Israel, as it is said (Isaiah 63:1): "I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save." Great is charity, for it bequeaths honor to those who do it, as it is said (Proverbs 21:21): "He who pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness and honor" - he who pursues righteousness and kindness in this world will find life, righteousness, and honor on the day of judgment. And because he pursues charity he finds charity?! Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, provides him with money so that he may do charity with it for worthy people, in order to receive reward from them. Great is charity, by which Abraham our father was praised, as it is said (Genesis 15:6): "And he believed in the LORD, and He reckoned it to him as righteousness," and it says (Genesis 18:19): "For I have known him... to do righteousness...". Great is charity, by which David king of Israel was praised, as it is said (II Samuel 8:15): "And David did justice and righteousness for all his people." Great is charity, by which King Solomon was praised, as it is said (I Kings 10:9): "May the LORD your God be blessed, who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loves Israel forever, He has made you king to do justice and righteousness." Great is charity, for it reaches up to the Throne of Glory, as it is said (Psalms 89:15): "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne." Great is charity, by which Israel were praised, as it is said (Deuteronomy 6:25): "And it shall be righteousness for us." Great is charity, by which the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to be praised on the day of judgment, as it is said (Isaiah 5:16): "And the LORD of hosts is exalted in justice, and the holy God is sanctified in righteousness." Great is charity, for it accompanies those who do it at the time of their departure from the world, as it is said (Isaiah 58:8): "And your righteousness shall go before you, the glory of the LORD shall gather you in." Rabbi Simon said: This verse was said only concerning the death of Moses, as it is said (Deuteronomy 33:21): "And he saw the first part for himself, for there the portion of the lawgiver was reserved, and he came at the head of the people, the righteousness of the LORD he did, and His judgments with Israel." Rabbi Abbahu said: Come and see how hard was the hour of Moses' departure from the world. For at the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, the time has come for you to depart from the world, he began to cry out and weep before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said: 'Master of all the worlds! In vain did I labor, in vain did I run like a horse before Your children, and now my end is to be buried and my finish is dust?! But if You will, it is better for me that You chastise me with afflictions and not hand me over into the hand of the angel of death.' Concerning him David said (Psalms 118:18): "The LORD has chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'Moses, it is an oath before Me that no reign encroaches upon its fellow by even a handbreadth or even a hairsbreadth; until now you were king over Israel, and now the hour of Joshua has come for him to be king over Israel.' Moses answered and said, 'Master of the universe! Until now I was master to Joshua, and he was a disciple to me; now I will be the disciple and he will be the master to me, and I shall not die.' The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'If you are able to do this - do it.' Immediately Moses went to the door of Joshua, and he stood over the head of Joshua, his stature bent and his two hands folded, and it was hidden from the eyes of Joshua that Moses our master was standing over him. Israel rose early to the door of Moses as they were accustomed each and every day, and they did not find him, they said, 'Where is Moses?' They said, 'He rose early to the door of Joshua.' They went and found Joshua sitting, and Moses our master standing over him. They said to him, 'Joshua, what is this you have done? Moses your master stands over you with his stature bent and his hands folded!' And the eyes of Joshua were opened, and he saw Moses our master standing over him. At that moment Joshua prostrated himself before him, wept, and said, 'My father, my father! My master, my master! My father who raised me from my youth, and my master who taught me wisdom!' The sons of Aaron on his right, Joshua on his left, said to him, 'Our master Moses, what is this you have done?' He said to them, 'Leave me, thus said the Holy One, blessed be He, to me, do this for Joshua and you shall not die.' Rabbi Ishmael said: At that moment all Israel sought to stone Joshua with stones, were it not that the pillar of cloud descended and made a separation between him and Israel. Israel said to Moses, 'Conclude the Torah for us!' The traditions were forgotten from Moses, and he did not know what to answer, and Moses stumbled and fell on his face and said, 'Master of the universe! My death is better than my life.' When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that he had reconciled his soul to death, He fixed a lament over him, as it is said (Psalms 94:16): "Who will rise up for me against the evildoers" - who will rise up for Israel in the hour of My wrath? and who will stand in the battle of My children? and who will seek mercy for them? "and who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity" - at the time when Israel sin before Me? At that moment Michael came and prostrated himself before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said, 'Master of the worlds, in his life he is Yours, and in his death he is Yours!' He said to him, 'It is not for Moses that I weep, but for Israel that I weep, for how many times did Israel sin before Me, and Moses stood in prayer and turned away My fierce anger,' as it is written (Psalms 106:23): "And He said He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him to turn away His wrath from destroying." They said to Moses, 'The moment has come in which you depart from the world.' He said to Israel, 'Forgive me for all the distress that I caused you.' They said to him, 'Our master, you are forgiven!' And they said to him, 'Our master, forgive us for every anger and anger with which we angered you!' He said to them, 'My children, you are forgiven.' They came and said to him, 'The half-moment has come in which you depart from the world.' He took his two hands and placed them upon his heart, and he was weeping and saying, 'Surely, my two hands, which received the Torah from the Almighty, are falling into the grave!' They came and said to him, 'The end of the moment has come in which you depart from the world.' At that moment he cried out a great cry before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said, 'Master of the worlds! If You take my soul from me in this world, will You perhaps return it to me in the time to come?' The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Just as you were head over all of them in this world, so you are destined to be head over all of them in the time to come. And why all this? Because he did charity with Israel, as it is said (Deuteronomy 33:21): "And he came at the head of the people, the righteousness of the LORD he did, and His judgments with Israel." Rabbi Nehemiah said: What did he do? That he taught them Torah, laws, and charity: Torah, from where? as it is said (Malachi 3:22): "Remember the Torah of Moses My servant, which I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel, statutes and judgments." Laws, from where? as it is written (Deuteronomy 4:5): "See, I have taught you statutes and judgments." Charity, from where? as it is said (Deuteronomy 16:20): "Righteousness, righteousness you shall pursue." Therefore Solomon praises Israel for charity, as it is said, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but the kindness of peoples is sin," for every kindness that the utterly wicked do is a sin for them.