Another matter: “Go descend”; Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “I will distress the people” (Zephaniah 1:17) – this is Moses; “and they will walk like the blind” (Zephaniah 1:17) – these are Israel. Why? “Because they sinned against the Lord” (Zephaniah 1:17), as they said: “These are your gods, Israel” (Exodus 32:4). “Their blood will be spilled like dust” (Zephaniah 1:17), as it is stated: “Pass to-and-fro from gate to gate in the camp, [and each man slay his brother, and each man his neighbor, and each man his relative]” (Exodus 32:27).
“And their flesh [ulḥumam] like dung” (Zephaniah 1:17), as they were killed and their flesh was cast away like dung. Rabbi Levi said: In Arabia, they call flesh laḥma.14This is stated as proof that the relatively obscure term ulḥumam in the verse means flesh. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: When the Holy One blessed be He said to him, “Go descend,” Moses’s face blackened, and he became like a blind man due to the troubles, and he did not know from which place to descend.
The ministering angels sought to kill him.15They were jealous that the Torah had been given to Moses to transmit to human beings rather than given to the angels. They said: ‘This is the time to kill him.’ The Holy One blessed be He knew what the ministering angels sought to do to him. What did the Holy One blessed be He do?
Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Ḥelbo, in the name of Rabbi Ḥanan bar Yosef, in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Aivu: The Holy One blessed be He opened a small opening for him beneath His throne of honor and said: “Go descend,” as it is stated: “The Lord said to me: Rise, descend quickly from here” (Deuteronomy 9:12). Rabbi Azarya said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai: When Moses came to descend, the ministering angels came to kill him.
What did he do? He grasped the throne of the Holy One blessed be He, and the Holy One blessed be He spread His garment over him so they would not harm him, as it is stated: “He grasps the surface of His throne and spreads [parshez] His cloud over it” (Job 26:9). What is parshez? It is an acrostic for: He spread [paras], the Merciful [raḥum] Almighty [Shadai], the aura [ziv] of His cloud over him.