It might sound sacrilegious, but the great Moses, our teacher, apparently did. And the conversation, as recorded in Legends of the Jews, is fascinating.

According to Ginzberg's retelling, Moses challenges God about his impending death. He says, "Was it I perchance, that counseled thee to slay the Egyptian?" He's referring to an incident early in his life, before the Exodus, when Moses killed an Egyptian taskmaster he saw beating a Hebrew slave.

God's response? "Thou didst slay all the firstborn of Egypt, and shall I die on account of one single Egyptian that I slew?"

It’s a powerful exchange, right? Moses is questioning the fairness of his fate. He’s pointing out what he sees as an inconsistency. Is God holding him to a higher standard than He holds Himself? It's bold, to say the least.

But then God, in this incredibly human depiction, tries to comfort Moses. He reminds him of all the amazing things he accomplished, all the ways God honored him during his lifetime. It's almost like a divine pep talk.

God says, "Dost not thou remember the great honor I showed thee?" And then He launches into a litany of Moses's achievements and the divine accommodations made for him. "Thou didst say to Me, 'Arise,' and I arose; thou saidst, 'Turn about,' and I turned about." God is referencing the incredible power Moses had, the ability to command even the divine will.

Think about the miracles in the desert. "For thy sake too did I invert the order of heaven and earth...I caused bread to rain from heaven, and the well 'sprung up.'" God emphasizes how he bent the natural order for Moses’s sake. We often think of miracles as these spontaneous acts of divine intervention, but here, we see them almost as responses to Moses's will.

And the praise keeps coming. God reminds Moses that when the Israelites sinned with the Golden Calf – that infamous low point – Moses interceded. "Pardon, I pray Thee, the iniquity of this people," Moses pleaded, and God relented. This moment, recounted in Exodus 32, highlights Moses's role as an advocate, a protector of his people.

But it goes even further. "The Torah is named after Me, it is the Torah of the Lord, but I named it after Thy name, saying, 'It is the Torah of My servant Moses.'" The very foundation of Jewish law, the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible), is linked to Moses's name! God even says, "The children of Israel also are named after Me...but I called them after thy name."

There's an echo here of the idea of kiddush Hashem, sanctifying God's name. But here, God is sanctifying Moses’s name!

God continues, detailing how Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights on Mount Sinai, just as God needs no sustenance. "I am God, and see, 'I made thee a god to Pharaoh;'" – a fascinating phrase that emphasizes Moses's power and authority in the eyes of the Egyptians. God made Moses unique: “no being may see Me, and thee too did I make so that 'the people were afraid to come nigh thee...'" God essentially made Moses a conduit of His own power and awe.

He reminds Moses of his role in receiving the Ten Commandments, in bestowing the Sabbath and circumcision upon Israel. "I gave thee the Torah as an inheritance, and honored thee more than all the seventy elders."

This wasn’t just a pat on the back. It's a profound statement about Moses's unique role in Jewish history and his relationship with God. It's a reminder that even in the face of death, Moses's legacy, his impact, would endure.

So, what do we take away from this celestial conversation? It shows us a God who is willing to engage, to reason, even to comfort. And it reveals a Moses who is not afraid to question, to challenge, but also deeply deserving of the immense honor bestowed upon him. It's a reminder that even the greatest leaders, the most righteous individuals, are still human, with doubts and fears. And that even in those moments of doubt, they can find solace and recognition in the eyes of the Divine.