And the Talmud, specifically Bava Batra 73b, offers a startling, almost unbelievable answer through a story featuring the sage Rabbah bar Bar Hannah.
Rabbah, a well-known figure in rabbinic literature – you can find other of his fantastical tales in this book, such as the one about the punishment of Korah or where heaven and earth meet – was led by a mysterious Bedouin deep into the desert. What they found there was astonishing: the perfectly preserved bodies of those who died during the forty years, all lying on their backs.
But here's where it gets truly mind-boggling. According to the story, these weren't just regular-sized bodies. They were giants! The Bedouin, mounted on his camel and holding his spear upright, was able to ride underneath the raised knee of one of the corpses. Can you picture that?
Now, Rabbah, overcome with awe and perhaps a bit of acquisitiveness, decided to take a souvenir. He cut off the tekhelet, the blue thread, from the corner of one of their prayer shawls, their tallit. The tekhelet is significant because Numbers 15:38-39 instructs the Israelites to "make themselves fringes on the corners of their garments throughout the ages; let them attach a cord of blue to the fringe at each corner." This blue thread was meant to remind them of God and His commandments.
But the moment Rabbah took the thread, both he and the Bedouin were frozen in place, unable to move. The Bedouin explained that anyone who takes anything from these desert dwellers will be unable to leave. Rabbah, realizing his mistake, immediately returned the blue thread. Only then were they able to move freely again.
So, what are we to make of this bizarre tale?
On the simplest level, this narrative, as Tree of Souls points out, serves as evidence of the truth of the Torah. These bodies, miraculously preserved in the desert, are proof of the Israelite's wandering. If this part of the Torah is true, the implication goes, then all of it must be true.
But as with many stories in Jewish tradition, there are deeper layers of interpretation. The Maharsha, Rabbi Samuel Eliezer Edels, suggested that the giant size of the bodies symbolizes that they were spiritual giants. They possessed a level of spiritual attainment that we can scarcely imagine.
Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, however, offered a darker perspective. He saw these figures as wicked people, drawing their life force from the Sitra Ahra – the "Other Side," the side of evil. He believed they died in the desert because they failed to fully commit themselves to Moses.
And what about the blue thread? It's important to remember that in Rabbah's time, around the end of the third century, the knowledge of how to produce the tekhelet dye had been lost. That's why the rabbis decided to leave the thread on the tallit white, rather than risk fulfilling the commandment incorrectly. As Numbers Rabbah 14:3 beautifully explains, the blue of tekhelet is significant because it is meant to resemble the sea, the sea resembles the sky, the sky resembles a rainbow, a rainbow resembles a cloud, a cloud resembles the heavenly throne, and the throne resembles the divine glory. Rabbah's desire to possess this relic speaks to the longing to reconnect with a lost piece of Jewish tradition.
Ultimately, the story of the Dead of the Desert reminds us of the power of the past, the importance of respecting sacred boundaries, and the enduring mystery of those who came before us. Were they giants of spirit, or cautionary tales? Perhaps they are a bit of both, preserved in the sands of time, waiting for us to learn from their journey.