That’s a glimpse into the desperation Moses must have felt as his life was coming to an end.

We all know Moses, right? The towering figure who led the Israelites out of Egypt, received the Torah on Mount Sinai. But even he, the great Moses, needed help sometimes. And the story of his final plea is… well, it’s heartbreaking.

According to Ginzberg’s retelling in Legends of the Jews, when Moses knew his time was near, he sought intercession. He needed someone, something, to plead his case before God. So, who did he turn to?

First, he went to the Sun and the Moon. Think about that – the celestial bodies themselves! Surely, they held some sway. But their response? A chilling reflection of their own vulnerability. "Before we pray to God for thee," they said, "we must pray for ourselves, for 'the moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed.'" (referencing Isaiah 24:23). They, too, were subject to God's will, their brilliance not a shield against potential judgment. Wow.

Undeterred, Moses then approached the Stars and the Planets. These celestial beings, often seen as symbols of constancy and order, echoed the Sun and Moon's sentiment. "Before we venture to plead for thee, we must plead for ourselves, for 'all the host of heaven shall be dissolved.'" (Isaiah 34:4). It's in Isaiah where we get an idea of the kind of cosmic upheaval that scares the stars themselves! Even the most seemingly permanent fixtures of the universe worried about their own fate.

Finally, in desperation, Moses turned to the Hills and the Mountains. These earthly giants, symbols of strength and endurance, offered the same somber reply. "We too have to implore God's mercy for ourselves, for He said, 'The mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed.'" (Isaiah 54:10). Even these seemingly immovable objects feared God's power.

What does this all mean? It's easy to read this and think, "Wow, everyone is selfish". But I think it's more profound. It reveals a universe where everything, even the most majestic and powerful creations, are ultimately dependent on God's mercy. It highlights the immense responsibility Moses carried, and the isolation he faced as he neared the end of his earthly journey.

It also makes you think about our own lives, doesn't it? How often do we look to external sources for validation or support, forgetting that true strength and solace come from a deeper, more internal place? And if even the sun, moon, stars, and mountains need to look to God, what about us?