After 28 years of leading them through war and peace, Joshua, the successor to Moses, passed away. According to Legends of the Jews, a monumental work compiled by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg, his followers buried the knives he used for circumcising the Israelites right there with him. They even erected a pillar over his grave, a constant reminder of the miracle at Ajalon when the sun stood still (Joshua 10:12-13). Quite the honor, right?
But here's where the story takes a turn.
Even with such a tribute, the mourning for Joshua wasn't as profound as it should have been. Why? The tribes were too busy tilling the newly conquered land, consumed by the work before them. They were so focused on the present that they almost forgot the man who made it all possible. Can you imagine?
And what happened next? Well, let's just say that forgetting your gratitude apparently doesn't sit well with the Divine.
As a punishment for their ingratitude, the Legends of the Jews tells us that God brought the lives of the high priest Eleazar and the other elders to an end soon after Joshua's death. And if that wasn't enough, the mount where Joshua was buried began to tremble, threatening to swallow the Jewish people whole. A pretty dramatic response, wouldn't you say?
It makes you think, doesn't it? About the importance of remembering, of appreciating, of acknowledging the people and moments that have shaped our lives.
Sometimes, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle, to focus solely on what's right in front of us. But maybe, just maybe, we should take a moment to look back, to say thank you, and to remember the giants upon whose shoulders we stand. Before the earth starts to shake.