Why Moses Neither Ate Nor Drank Forty Days on Sinai

Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Ki Tisa 19:1

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

"And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; [he ate no bread and drank no water]" (Exodus 34:28). Is it possible for a person to be forty days without eating and without drinking? Angels came down from heaven to Abraham and they ate. Moses ascended to the upper realms; he saw that there was neither eating nor drinking there, so he neither ate nor drank.

Themes

Heavenly AscentDivine Presence

Biblical References

Continue Reading

Apocalypse of AbrahamThe Angel Iaoel Descends to Guide Abraham to HeavenWhen the voice stopped speaking, Abraham looked in every direction. No one. No breath of a man anywhere. His spirit was seized with terror. His soul fled from hApocalypse of AbrahamAbraham Sees the Angel Iaoel's Radiant BodyAbraham rose and saw the one who had grasped his hand and lifted him to his feet. The sight was overwhelming. Iaoel's body was like sapphire. His face shone likApocalypse of AbrahamAbraham Fasts Forty Days on the Road to Mount HorebThey walked together for forty days and forty nights. Abraham ate no bread and drank no water. His food was the sight of the angel beside him. His drink was IaoApocalypse of AbrahamAbraham Ascends to Heaven on the Wings of a BirdThe sun went down. Smoke rose from the ground like the smoke of a furnace (Genesis 15:17). The angels who held the portions of the sacrifice ascended from the tApocalypse of AbrahamAbraham Grows Faint Before the Approaching PresenceAbraham turned to the angel in distress. "Why have you brought me up here? I cannot see anymore. I am already grown weak, and my spirit is departing from me." TApocalypse of AbrahamAbraham Sings the Celestial Hymn Before God's ThroneWhile Iaoel was still speaking, fire closed in around them on every side. A voice was inside the fire, like the voice of many waters (Ezekiel 1:24), like the ro