No clocks, no sunrise, no sunset as we know it. So, how did he know when it was day and when it was night?
The Midrash Tehillim, a collection of interpretations on the Book of Psalms, grapples with this very question in its exposition of Psalm 19. It’s a fascinating little puzzle, and the answers the Midrash offers are just… well, let’s just say they’re wonderfully imaginative!
The text starts by referencing the famous line from Exodus 34:28, "And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights." Then, it strings together verses from Habakkuk, Daniel, and Psalm 139, painting a picture of God's radiant wisdom and all-encompassing knowledge. "And His brightness was as the light," "And He gives wisdom unto the wise," "Yea, the darkness hideth not from Thee." Okay, God knows. But how did Moses?
One explanation offered is that when God was teaching Moses the Torah, the written law, that was day. And when God switched gears and began teaching him the Mishnah, the oral law, that was night. A cosmic study session with its own divine schedule!
But wait, there's more! Another explanation involves the angels. The Midrash suggests that whenever the angels sang praises to God in holiness, Moses knew it was day. And when he heard them praising Him with "Baruch Hu" — "Blessed be He" — it signaled night. Imagine being surrounded by angelic choirs marking the passage of time!
Then comes a particularly whimsical image: angels playing with the manna, the miraculous food that sustained the Israelites in the desert. When the angels brought the manna down to Israel, Moses knew it was day. But when the manna came down to the angels, it was night. It's playful, isn't it?
And if angels playing with heavenly bread wasn’t enough, there's this: when Moses saw the sun going down and bowing, he knew it was night. And when he saw the stars, the moon, and the constellations coming out and bowing down before God, he knew it was day, just like we find in Nehemiah 9:6: "And the host of heaven worshippeth Thee.” A celestial ballet as a timepiece!
Finally, the Midrash touches on prayer. When Moses heard the Shema, the central Jewish prayer affirming God's oneness, being recited before the prayers, he knew it was day. And when the prayers were recited before the Shema, it was night. A daily rhythm of devotion setting the pace.
Rabbi Pinchas, citing Rabbi Abba, adds a beautiful image: the angel in charge of prayer waits until the last synagogue in Israel has finished praying. Then, he fashions a crown and places it upon God's head, fulfilling the verse from Proverbs 10:6, "Blessings are upon the head of the righteous." The righteous one of the world.
What I love about this passage from Midrash Tehillim is how it takes a seemingly simple question – how did Moses tell time? – and uses it as a springboard for exploring the relationship between the divine, the earthly, and the angelic. It reminds us that even the most mundane aspects of our lives can be filled with wonder and meaning, if we only look closely enough. And it suggests that even in the absence of familiar markers, time itself is still a vessel filled with praise, learning, and connection to something far greater than ourselves. What do you think?