When God told Moses that his time had come, Moses refused to accept it. He drew a circle on the ground, stood inside it, and declared: "I will not move from this place until the decree is annulled." He put on sackcloth, scattered ashes on his head, and prayed with such force that heaven and earth shook. Creation itself trembled, wondering if God was about to remake the world.
God ordered every gate of heaven sealed against Moses' prayer. But the prayer was unstoppable—it cut through the firmaments like a sword, powered by the Ineffable Name that Moses had learned from Zagzagel, the heavenly scribe. Moses begged for any alternative. Let me live as a beast that eats grass. Let me fly as a bird. Let me be an eye behind a door—just alive. To every plea, God answered: "You ask too much."
Meanwhile, Samael (the angel of death), chief of the accusing angels, had been waiting eagerly for this moment, asking every hour: "When does Moses die so I can take his soul?" God sent Gabriel first, then Michael—neither could bear to look upon the death of Moses. So God sent Samael, who girded himself with a sword and went looking for a fight. But when Samael saw Moses writing the Ineffable Name, radiating light like the sun and resembling an angel of the Lord, he was seized with terror.
Moses confronted him: "There is no peace for the wicked. What are you doing here?" He listed his accomplishments—born circumcised, walked and spoke as a newborn, received the Torah from the fiery throne, split the sea, conquered Sihon and Og. "Who in the world can do what I have done? Get away from me." When Samael returned with his sword drawn, Moses took the staff of God and beat him, stripping away the horn of his glory and blinding him.
Finally, according to the Chronicles of Jerahmeel, a 12th-century Hebrew chronicle translated by Moses Gaster in 1899, God Himself descended from the highest heavens with Michael, Gabriel, and Zagzagel. Michael arranged the bed. Gabriel spread linen at his head. God spoke to Moses' soul directly, coaxing it to leave. The soul protested—no body had ever been purer. God promised to place it beneath His throne, among the Cherubim and Seraphim. Moses died by the kiss of God, and heaven and earth wept together.
L. (1) The Lord said to Moses, ' Behold, the time draws
near when thou shalt die.' E. Aybo related that Moses
addressed God in the following manner, ' Through the
very word with which I praised Thee in the law in the
presence of sixty myriads of those who sanctify Thy name
Thou hast sentenced me to death,' as it is said, ' Bel told,
thy days draw near for thee to die; all thy gifts and
punishments are meted out measure for measure, each one
meted out in full, how now evil for good.' And God replied,
' Even this word which I told thee is a mark of good-
ness, as, e.g., '^Behold, I send before thee an angel. Be-
hold, the righteous man will be rewarded in the land."
134 [L. 1
^^ Behold, I shall send to you Elijah, the prophet," and just
as thou hast proclaimed Me before sixty myriads, so shall
I, in the future, exalt thee in the midst of fifty-five myriads
of perfectly righteous people.' Therefore He used the word
'behold' (jH), the numerical value of jn is 50 and 5,
viz., n = 5, and j = 50.
(2) Rabbi said that the death of Moses is referred to ten
times, viz.: 'Behold, the time draws near for thee to die.'
' He died upon the mount.' ' For I am about to die.' 'Thou
knowestthatafter my death.' ' After my death.' 'And before
his death.' ' He was one hundred and twenty years old when
he died.' ' And Moses, the servant of God, died there.' ' And
it came to pass after the death of Moses, the servant of God.'
' Moses My servant is dead.' From all these instances we
learn that it was ten times decreed that Moses was not
to enter the land of Israel; but this harsh decree was,
nevertheless, not sealed until the decision of the Great
Tribunal was revealed to him. (3) For God said to him,
*A decree has been passed that thou shalt not pass (into
the land of Israel), as it is said. Thou shalt not pass this
Jordan.' This decree was, however, lightly felt by Moses,
for he said, ' The Israelites have committed many grievous
sins; and whenever I interceded for mercy on their behalf
my prayer was accepted, as it is said, " Let me alone, that
I may destroy them "; yet at the same i^lace it is written,
" And the Lord repented of the evil." At the same place it
is further written: ' " And the Lord said, I have pardoned
according to thy word." I, Moses, therefore, who have
not sinned from my youth, if I entreat God on my own
behalf, how much more will God hear my words ?' When
God saw that the decree was lightly felt by Moses, and that
he did not turn his mind to prayer. He immediately
swore by His great name that he would not enter the land,
as it is said, ' Therefore thou shalt not bring this con-
gregation.' ' Therefore ' means nothing else than an oath,
as it is similarly said, ' Therefore, I sware to the house of
Eli.' (4) As soon as Moses became aware that the judgment
concerning him was finally decreed, he fasted, and drawing
I^. 7] 135
a circle he stood within it and said, ' I shall not move from
this place mitil that decree has been annulled/ Having
then clothed himself in sackcloth and scattered ashes
upon his head, he prayed and supplicated before God until
heaven and earth and the very creation were moved, and
said, ' Perhaps the will of God to renew the world is being
accomphshed.' A Divine voice then went forth, and saicf,
* It is not God's will to renew the world; in His hand is the
soul of every Man, and the spirit of all flesh.' 'Man' is
applied to Moses, as it is said, ' And the Man Moses was
exceedingly meek.' (5) At that moment God made a pro-
clamation at every gate, and in every firmament, and at
every door of the Great Tribunal that they should not accept
Moses' prayer. They, therefore, did not allow his prayer
to reach God as the decree had already been sealed. The
angel appointed to carry out this decree was named
Akhzariel. God forthwith cried out to his ministering
angels, 'Hasten to go down and close all those gates of
heaven so long as his prayer continues.' For his prayer
strove to penetrate the heavens, for hke unto a sword it
rent and cut, and was not impeded. It drew its strength
from the ' Ineftable Name,' which Moses learnt from
Zagzagel, his teacher, who is the scribe of all the heavenly
host. To this event refers the verse: ' Behind me I heard
the sound of a great noise, saying: "Blessed be the Lord
from His abode." ' The voice was the cry of one suppHcat-
ing, and the word ' great ' can only be applied to Moses, as
it is said, ' The man Moses was very great.'
(6) What is the true meaning of the expression, ' Blessed
be the glory of the Lord from His abode '? The reply is
that when the wheels of the chariot and the seraphim of
fire perceived that God said, ' Ye shall not receive Moses*
prayer, nor show him favour, nor grant him life, nor allow
him to enter the land of Israel,' they exclaimed, 'Blessed
be the glory of the Lord from His abode, who is no re-
specter of persons either small or great.'
(7) At that time Moses said to God, '0 Lord of the
universe, it is well known to Thee what cares and troubles
136 [L. 7
I have undergone for Israel until they became " The chosen
ones" to observe Thy Law, and how much anxiety I have
suffered for them until I established for them the Law and
the Commandments. I said, " As I saw their evil, may I
also look upon their good;" and now that they have
reached that state Thou sayest to me, " Thou shalt not
pass over this Jordan," behold Thou makest Thy law a
falsity; for it is said, " Thou shalt give him his reward on
the day due." Is this the payment for the forty years'
service during which I have toiled, until they (the Israelites)
became holy and faithful ?' as it is said, ' While Judah was
yet rebelling against God, they became a holy and faithful
people.'
(8) The angel Samael, the wicked, was the chief of the
Satans. Every hour he used to dilate upon the coming
death of Moses, saying, ' When will the moment arrive at
which Moses is to die, so that I may go and take away his
soul?' Concerning this David said, ' The wicked are always
watching the righteous, seeking to take their life.' But of
all the Satans Samael was the most wicked, while, on the
contrary, there was no man so righteous among the
prophets as Moses, as it is said, ' There has not yet arisen
in Israel a prophet like Moses.' This may be compared to
a man who is preparing for a wedding-feast, and who
anxiously inquires, ' When will thy festivity begin, that I
may participate in the joy?' Thus did the wicked Samael
remain on the watch for the soul of Moses, and say, ' When
will Michael commence to weep, and when shall I obtain
the consummation of my joy?' Michael replied, 'I shall
weep when (or while) thou rejoicest.' Some are of opinion
that he said, 'Do not rejoice, mine enemy; although I
fall, yet I rise again, for I fall at the death of Moses, but
I shall rise again at the prosperity of Joshua, when he
conquers thirty-one kings. I sit in darkness at the
destruction of the first temple, but afterwards the Lord
shall be my light, the light of the Messiah.' In the mean-
time one hour had passed.
(9) Moses then said to God, ' Lord of the universe, if
Thou wilt not permit me to enter the land of Israel, allow
me to live in this world, and not die.' But the Lord
replied, ' If I do not kill thee in this world, how can I
bring thee to life in the world to come? And, further,
thou wouldst by this falsify My law, for it is written in
My law, " None shall deliver (him) from My hand." ' Thus
far God forbore. Moses added, ' Lord of the universe, if
I am not allowed to enter the land of Israel, allow me to
remain as one of the beasts of the field, which eat the grass
and drink the water, but live and see the world. Let my
soul be as one of them.' God replied, 'You ask too much.'
Moses continued, ' If not, allow me to remain in this world
as a bird that flieth every day to the four corners of the
earth, and in the evening returns to its nest. Let me be
as one of them.' God still said, 'You ask too much.'
' 0 Lord of the universe, then place one of my eyes behind
the door, and let them shut the door upon it three times in
each year, that I may live and not die.' ' It is too much.'
'What dost thou mean, 0 Lord, w^hen thou sayest, "It is
too much " ?' And God replied, ' Thou hast spoken too
much.' (10) When, at length, Moses perceived that there
was no creature that could deliver him from death, he
immediately exclaimed, ' The Eock, whose work is perfect.'
Then, taking a scroll, he wrote upon it the Ineffable Name,
and recited his last ' Song ' until the moment arrived for
him to die. Then spake the Lord to Gabriel, ' Go thou and
bring to Me the soul of Moses.' But he replied, ' How can
I look upon the death of him who is worth sixty myriads
of creatures? and how can I make him angry who
uttereth such words as he ?' Then spake God to Michael,
' Go and bring me the soul of Moses.' And he replied,
* Lord of the universe, how can I, who was his instructor,
look upon the death of him who was my pupil ?'
(11) At length God addressed Samael, the wicked, saying,
^ Go thou and bring to Me the soul of Moses.' Then,
clothing himself with anger, girding himself with his sword,
and enveloping himself with eagerness, he set out to find
Moses. When he saw Moses writing the Ineffable Name,
138 [L. 11
that his brilliancy was like that of the sun, and that he
looked like an angel of the Lord of hosts, Samael was seized
with a great fear for Moses, and said, ' The angels cannot
of a surety take away the soul of Moses.' But before
Samael appeared Moses knew that he was coming.
(12) When he (again) looked on Moses he was exceedingly
terrified, and trembled as a woman in travail, so that he
could find no courage to speak to Moses, until Moses him-
self said, ' Samael, " There is no peace for the wicked,"
saith the Lord. What dost thou here ?' ' I have come
here to take away thy life.' ' But who sent thee ?' ' He
who formed all creatures,' replied Samael. * Thou shalt
not take my life,' added Moses. ' But the souls of all living
beings are entrusted to me.' ' And I am,' said Moses, ' the
son of Amram, who was born circumcised. On the day of
my birth I found speech; I walked on my feet, and spoke
to my parents; even the milk I did not suck. When I
was three months old, I prophesied that I would in the
future receive the Law on this day, from the midst of the
flames of fire. When I went abroad I entered the king's
palace and took the crown from off the king's head. When
I was eighty years old, I performed signs and w^onders in
Egypt, and brought out thence sixty myriads under the
very eyes of the Egyptians. I also rent the sea into
twelve parts; I made the bitter waters sweet; I went up
to heaven and trod its path; in the wars of the kings
I conquered them; I received the law of fire from the
fiery throne, and I was hidden behind a cloud; and I spake
face to face to God, and I conquered the host of heaven, and
I revealed hidden mysteries to mankind; I received the
law from the right hand of God, and taught it to the
Israelites; I went to war with Sihon and 'Og, the two
mightiest warriors of the world, for even at the time of the
flood the waters would not reach their knees on account
of their enormous height; I caused the sun and the moon
to stand still in the horizon, while I smote those two kings
with the staff that is in my hand and killed them. Who is
there in the world that can do like this? Away hence.
thou wicked one. Thon hast not the permission to stay
here. Depart from me, for I shall not give thee my
soul.'
(13) Samael accordingly returned and hrought hack word
to God, who again said, ' Go forth and hring to Me the
soul of Moses.' Samael immediately drew his sword from
its sheath and thus stood over Moses. But Moses' anger
was kindled against him, and he took the staff of God in his
hand, on which the Ineffable Name was engraved, and beat
Samael with all his might until he fled before him. Moses
ran after him, took away the horn of his glory from him,
and deprived him of his sight. Thus far did Moses'
power prevail. The last moment of Moses' life had then
drawn near, when a voice (Bath Kol) was heard to say:
' Thy last moment, the time of thy death, has arrived.'
But Moses entreated thus, ' 0 Lord God of the world, re-
member the day on which thou didst reveal Thyself to
me in the bush, when Thou didst say, " Go forth and I will
send thee to Pharaoh." Remember (0 Lord) the day when
I stood upon Mount Sinai, where I remained forty days
and forty nights. I entreat Thee not to deliver me into
the hand of the angel of death.' A voice (Bath Kol) then
went forth and said, ' Do not be afraid, for I myself will
attend to thy burial.'
(14) At that moment Moses stood up, and having
sanctified himself just as one of the Seraphim, the Holy
One, blessed be He, descended from the highest heavens
together with Michael, Gabriel, and Zagzael. Michael
arranged Moses' bed, Gabriel spread a garment of fine linen
at his head and Zagzael a rug at his feet; Michael stood
on one side and Gabriel on the other. Then spake the
Lord to Moses, ' Close thy eyes one after the other, and
gather up thy feet.' Then, addressing the soul of Moses
from the midst of his body. He said to it, ' My daughter,
after I have placed thee in Moses' body for 120 successive
years, the time has now arrived for thee to go forth from
it; therefore depart and do not delay.' The soul of Moses
said: ' 0 Lord of the universe, I know that Thou art the
140 [L. 14
Lord God of the spirits of all flesh, and that all souls,
both of life and death, are delivered into Thy hand. Thou
it was who created st me; Thou it was who formedst me
and didst place me in the body of Moses for 120 years;
and no human body has ever been purer than the body of
Moses, in which no evil germ w^as seen, no worm or insect,
wherein there never was any over-estimation. On account
of all this I love him, and do not wish to depart from him.'
' 0 soul,' added God, ' depart and do not delay. I shall
then carry thee up into the highest heavens, and place
thee beneath the throne of My glory, with the Cherubim,
Seraphim and Gedudim ' (troops of angels).
(15) Once more entreating the Lord, it said: ' Lord of
the universe, from Thy Divine Presence on high there once
descended two angels, 'Azah and 'Azazel, who in their
desire for the daughters of the earth, corrupted their way
upon the earth, until Thou didst suspend them between
heaven and earth. But from the very day on which Thou
didst reveal Thyself in the bush, the son of Amram did
not approach his wife, as it is said, " And Miriam and
Aaron spoke against Moses on account of his wife." I
entreat Thee, 0 Lord, allow me to remain in the body of
Moses.' At that moment, by a kiss of God, the soul of
Moses was taken from him, and, as if weeping, God ex-
claimed, ' Who will now rise up to correct the evil-doers ?
who will now stand up for the workers of iniquity ?' The
Spirit of God then wept and said, ' There has never yet
arisen in Israel a prophet like Moses.' The heavens wept
and said, ' A pious man has perished from the earth.'
The earth wept, saying, ' There is no upright man left on
the earth.' When Joshua had sought for his master and
could not find him, he also wept, saying, ' Save me,
0 Lord, for the pious one is no more, and the faithful have
ceased from among men.' The Israelites then wept,
saying, ' He performed the righteousness of God.' And
the angels of every heaven exclaimed, ' His judgments are
with Israel: the remembrance of the righteous is for a
blessing, and his soul returns to everlasting life.'
