We often picture Moses as this towering figure, the man who spoke to God face-to-face and led an entire nation to freedom. But even the greatest leaders have moments of profound vulnerability. And this moment, described in Legends of the Jews, was definitely one of them.
What made this particular moment so tough? Well, Moses wasn't just dealing with the usual grumbling and complaining from the Israelites. He was facing it alone.
Normally, he would have had the support and counsel of the seventy elders. These weren't just any elders; they were wise and respected leaders, chosen to help Moses shoulder the burden of guiding the people. Since the Exodus, they had been his constant companions, his sounding board, his source of strength.
But things had changed drastically. The seventy elders were gone.
Legends of the Jews, drawing on various Midrashic sources, tells us they were consumed by the fire from heaven at Taberah. A devastating loss, indeed. But why? What led to such a tragic end for these important figures?
The account suggests that their fate was linked to their behavior during the revelation at Mount Sinai. Remember that incredible moment when God revealed the Ten Commandments? The elders, along with Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, were granted a glimpse of the Divine. It was an awe-inspiring, almost incomprehensible experience.
But, according to the narrative, they didn't show the proper reverence. They behaved in an "unseemly manner," as Legends of the Jews puts it. What exactly that entails is left open to interpretation, but it hints at a lack of humility and respect in the face of the Divine.
Now, you might wonder, why weren't they punished immediately? Why did God wait? The text explains that God didn't want to mar the joy of the revelation with such a grim event. It was a day of celebration, of covenant, of new beginnings. To strike down the elders then would have cast a dark shadow over the entire experience.
However, justice, in this telling, is inevitable. The elders, like Nadab and Abihu, had to pay the price for their transgression. Nadab and Abihu met their end by being consumed by fire at the consecration of the Tabernacle, a similar fate befell the elders at Taberah. As we find in Midrash Rabbah, their offense, though seemingly delayed in consequence, ultimately caught up with them.
And so, Moses was left to grapple with the people's discontent without the support he had come to rely on. A leader stripped bare, facing the full weight of his responsibilities, a poignant reminder that even the mightiest among us are vulnerable and that even the most joyous occasions can carry the seeds of future sorrow.