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Moses Seated Joshua on the Golden Throne Against His Will

Moses lifted Joshua and set him between his knees so Israel would hear him teach. At the tent door he made the younger man walk out first.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. Take Him for Yourself
  2. Joshua Taught While Moses Still Lived
  3. The Tent Door
  4. The Golden Throne

They told Moses the camp was waiting. Joshua stood inside the tent in the garments of the office, dressed and ready, and he did not want to go first.

Moses Seated Joshua on the Golden Throne Against His Will Click for full size

Moses laid his hand on him anyway and walked him toward the flap. When they stepped out, Moses put the younger man ahead of him, against Joshua's wish, and the whole of Israel saw the order of the door.

They trembled. They rose. They made room.

Take Him for Yourself

It had not begun at the door. God had said, "Take Joshua the son of Nun for yourself." Take him. A friend is not handed over like a staff. A friend is acquired with difficulty: you learn Scripture with him, you learn Mishnah with him, you eat with him, you drink with him, you tell him what you do not tell the camp.

Joshua had already been that friend. He had served Moses from his youth. He had stood at the tent when others were absent. When ten spies came back with a report that made Israel weep through the night, Joshua was one of two who stood against the current and said the land was worth taking. The taking God now commanded was of that man, not of a convenient deputy.

Moses had asked for a successor worth following. What he received was an order to seize a companion he already had, and to make the camp see it before he died.

Joshua Taught While Moses Still Lived

The Holy Spirit answered Moses with a practical fear. Set up an interpreter for Joshua. Have him ask, expound, and teach rulings in your lifetime, so Israel cannot say later, "In the life of your teacher you did not speak, and now you speak?"

Moses lifted Joshua off the ground and set him between his knees. Moses and Israel raised their heads to hear a voice that was not Moses's. The younger man taught while the older man was still in the room. That was the point. Authority that begins only at a grave is easy to refuse. Authority that has already been heard under the teacher's eyes is harder to call a sudden grab.

Joshua spoke. The camp listened because Moses had arranged the listening. Blessed is the Lord, they would say, who gave Torah to Israel by the hand of Moses our teacher. The hand was still on Joshua when the new voice started.

The Tent Door

When Joshua was completely dressed, the report came: all Israel awaited them. Moses laid his hand on Joshua to lead him out. He insisted on giving him precedence as they stepped forth. Joshua did not want it. Moses wanted the camp to see it more than he wanted Joshua to be comfortable inside it.

A man who has spoken with God face to face stepping aside at a tent flap is a kind of last lesson. The successor goes through first. The people watch the older back make room. If leadership is only a speech about courage, the door does not matter. If leadership is a body in front of other bodies, the door is the whole appointment.

Israel saw Joshua precede Moses and shook. They had crossed a sea with the older man. They had heard Torah with him. Now the one who went out first was the one who shone, as they would later say, like the moon beside the sun. The light was real. It was also received.

The Golden Throne

They made a path to the place of the great, where the golden throne stood. Moses seated Joshua on it against his will. All Israel burst into tears. Joshua said, amid tears, "Why all this greatness and honor to me?"

He asked it while sitting where he had not asked to sit. Moses did not take the question back. The honor was the work. The work had already started between Moses's knees, in a voice the camp had been forced to hear while the teacher could still correct it.

Joshua would go out before them because Moses had already put him out before them, through a flap, onto a throne, into a teaching hour that belonged to both of them. The weeping was honest. A generation was being asked to follow a man who had not wanted the first step, and who asked, in public, why the chair was his.

Moses did not answer with a theory of command. He had already answered with his hand on Joshua's back, and with the older body taking the second place at the door.

JoshuaMosesLeadershipSuccessorNumbersWarfare
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From the tradition

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The texts behind this telling. Some cards carry a translation of the source; others are our own retelling of it, and each card says which. Every card links out to the original.

Legends of the Jews 6:158Legends of the Jews

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg (1909) · Public Domain

That's a glimpse into the story of Joshua taking over leadership from Moses.

The moment had arrived. Joshua was ready, dressed for the occasion, prepared to step into the daunting role that awaited him. Word came to Moses that all of Israel was waiting. But what happened next is more than just a simple transfer of power; it's a deeply human moment, filled with humility and trepidation.

Moses, the towering figure who had led them out of Egypt, insisted on personally leading Joshua out of the tent. And, much to Joshua's discomfort, Moses insisted on giving him precedence. Imagine the scene: Moses, the man who spoke to God face-to-face, deliberately stepping aside, letting his successor go first.

In Ginzberg's retelling in, Legends of the Jews, when the people of Israel saw Joshua walking ahead of Moses, a wave of emotion swept through them. They trembled, they rose to their feet, and they made way for these two leaders. It wasn't just respect; it was a recognition that an era was ending, and a new one was beginning.

The drama didn't stop there. They proceeded to the place of the great, where a golden throne stood waiting. This wasn't just any chair; it was a symbol of authority, of leadership. And Moses, against Joshua's protests, seated him upon it. Can you imagine the weight of that moment?

The sight of Joshua on the golden throne triggered an outpouring of emotion from the Israelites. They wept. It was a moment of profound significance, a visual representation of the transfer of power, and the uncertainty that came with it.

And Joshua himself? Overwhelmed by the honor, the responsibility, the sheer weight of expectation, he cried out, "Why all this greatness and honor to me?" It's a raw, honest question, a moment of vulnerability that reminds us that even the greatest leaders are still human, still filled with doubt and humility.

This brief but powerful scene from Legends of the Jews isn't just about the succession of leadership. It's about the human cost of leadership, the burden of responsibility, and the humility required to step into enormous shoes. It’s a reminder that even in moments of great ceremony and tradition, there's always room for human emotion, for vulnerability, and for the recognition that no one is ever truly ready to face the future alone.

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Sifrei Devarim 305:1Sifrei Devarim

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Sifrei by Rabbi Shraga Silverstein · CC-BY

In fact, the Sifrei Devarim, a collection of early legal midrashim (rabbinic interpretive commentary) on the book of Deuteronomy, highlights this idea beautifully. It all starts with the verse in Numbers (Bamidbar 27:18) where G-d tells Moses to "take" Joshua as his successor: "And the L-rd said to Moses: Take ("kach") for yourself Joshua the son of Nun.."

Why "kach", take? The Sifrei Devarim sees something profound in that word. "Kach," it says, implies seizing, acquiring something with effort because, as the text so wisely observes, "a friend is acquired only with great difficulty." True friendship isn't just stumbled upon; it's cultivated, nurtured, and actively sought.

So, what makes a friendship worth all that effort? The Sages, quoted in the Sifrei Devarim, provide a beautiful list: "One should acquire a friend for himself to learn Scripture with him, to learn Mishnah (the earliest code of rabbinic law) with him, to eat with him, to drink with him, and to tell his secrets to him." It's about shared learning, shared experiences, and shared vulnerability. It's about building a bond that strengthens both of you.

The wisdom of this approach? It's echoed in Ecclesiastes (Kohelet 4:9): "Two are better than one… and the three-fold cord is not soon sundered." There's strength in numbers, sure, but also a deeper, more resilient bond when multiple elements intertwine.

But the relationship between Moses and Joshua is more than just friendship; it's about mentorship and the passing of the torch. How does Moses ensure a smooth transition of leadership?

The Sifrei Devarim offers two fascinating interpretations. The first suggests that the Holy Spirit instructed Moses to set up Joshua as an interpreter, having him "ask, expound, and teach rulings" while Moses was still alive. This way, the Israelites wouldn't later dismiss Joshua, saying, "In the lifetime of your teacher you did not speak, and now you (suddenly) speak?" It’s about validating Joshua's authority and preparing the people to accept his leadership.

The second interpretation is even more vivid: Moses physically lifted Joshua up and placed him between his knees, so that both Moses and all of Israel could hear Joshua's voice. Imagine that scene – Moses, the towering figure, literally elevating his student, giving him a platform, amplifying his voice.

Both interpretations underscore the importance of a seamless transition, ensuring that the teachings of the Torah would continue uninterrupted. And it all culminates in the powerful declaration: "Blessed is the L-rd, who gave Torah to Israel by the hand of Moses our teacher." It's evidence of Moses's leadership, but also to his wisdom in preparing the next generation.

What does this all mean for us today? Perhaps it’s a reminder to cherish our friendships, to invest in them, and to recognize the profound impact they have on our lives. And maybe it’s also a call to consider how we can mentor and uplift others, ensuring that wisdom and knowledge are passed down through generations. After all, aren’t we all, in some way, students and teachers at the same time?

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