On the last day of his life, Moses did something no prophet had ever done — he dressed his successor in public, with his own hands. He commanded that a golden throne be brought, along with a crown, a diadem of pearls, a royal cap, and purple garments. He arranged every piece before Joshua and clothed him while all Israel watched.
A herald marched through the camp crying: "Come and hear the words of the new prophet whom the Holy One has raised over you today!" All Israel rose in honor. And then Moses sat down — not on the throne, but before it, like a student sitting before his teacher. Joshua opened his mouth and expounded Torah for the first time, while Moses listened from below.
Joshua's first sermon was a flood of praise: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who gave the Torah through Moses my teacher, His servant and chosen one, faithful in all His house." The people responded: "Amen, Hallelujah!" Joshua spoke of a God who is One with no second, with no end to His praise and no limit to His glory, whose wonders cannot be searched and whose kingdom cannot be measured.
But Moses knew what came next. When his time arrived, he tore his garment, plucked his beard, put dust on his head, and wrapped himself in mourning. He entered his tent with a bitter cry, clapping his two hands together and weeping: "Woe to my feet that never walked in the Land of Israel! Woe to my hands that never plucked its fruit! Woe to my throat that never tasted the produce of a land flowing with milk and honey!"
Before departing, Moses turned to Israel one final time and blessed them with peace. Then he raised his voice and said: "I will see you at the resurrection of the dead. In the future that is coming, I will see you." He walked out from among them, and all Israel raised their voices in weeping — a great and bitter cry that rose all the way to the highest heavens (Deuteronomy 34:8).
Rabbi Yoshiah said: At that time Moses gave great honor to Joshua before the eyes of all Israel, and a herald went forth before him and walked throughout all the camp of Israel, crying and saying: "Come and hear the words of the new prophet whom the Holy One, blessed be He, has raised up over you today!" Immediately all Israel arose to honor and revere Joshua. Moses commanded that they bring a golden throne and a crown and a diadem of pearls and a royal cap and purple garments, and he arranged everything before Joshua and dressed him and appointed Caleb ben Jephunneh as his interpreter. Joshua opened his mouth and expounded before Moses his teacher and before the heads of the divisions and the Sanhedrin and the priests and before all Israel, while Moses and all Israel sat before him like a student before his teacher. What exposition did Joshua give at that time? He opened and said: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel who gave the Torah through Moses my teacher, His servant and chosen one, faithful in all His house, as it is said: 'Moses commanded us the Torah...' Bless the Lord who is blessed. Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting," and all the people said "Amen, Hallelujah! Bless the Lord, His angels, mighty in strength, who do His word. Bless the Lord, all His hosts, His ministers who do His will. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord. Bless the Lord, O my soul! Lord my God, You are very great; You have clothed Yourself with honor and majesty. The Lord reigns, He has clothed Himself with majesty; the Lord has clothed and girded Himself with strength. The world is also established that it cannot be moved. Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. SImmediately Joshua opened and expounded, saying: "Awake, awake! Sing, sing, O highest heavens above! Awake, foundations of the earth below! Awake and exalt all the orders of creation! Awake and sing, all the eternal mountains! Awake and praise, all the hosts of the earth! Awake and burst forth and sing, all the hosts of the firmament! Sing and make melody, all the tents of Jacob! Sing and praise, all the dwellings of Israel! Hear and listen to the words of your King! Set your hearts to His words and receive His sayings with joy! Accept upon yourselves and upon your souls the Torah of your God! Open your tongues and your mouths and give song to God your Savior and place all your trust in Him! For He is one and has no second; there is none like Him among gods and none comparable to Him among kings and none besides Him among lords and princes. There is no end to His praise and to His glory there is no limit or conclusion. There is no searching His wonders and no number to His deeds. Blessed is He before whom there is neither iniquity nor forgetfulness, and He has kept for us the promise of the oath to our fathers and has fulfilled for us the covenant and the kindness and the oath which He swore to them through Moses our teacher. Through him He took vengeance on Egypt and brought us out from the iron furnace from slavery to freedom, and He split the sea for us and gave us 613 commandments through him.At that time a heavenly voice went forth and said to Moses: "You have no life in the world except five hours." When Moses heard this, he raised his voice in weeping and expounded before all Israel all the Torah in its entirety, and all the children of Israel sat before them as one. Moses's face was like the sun and Joshua's face like the moon. Moses would read and Joshua would translate; Moses would explain and Joshua would interpret. Just as Moses would read, so Joshua would explain, and they did not disagree on anything. Their words were found to be in harmony as one. Concerning them Solomon said: "The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails well fastened are the words of the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd." And concerning them it is said: "You who dwell in the gardens, the companions listen to your voice." "Gardens" refers only to the congregation of Israel, as it is said: "A garden enclosed is my sister, my bride, a spring shut up." "Companions" refers only to the disciples of the wise who conduct themselves with fellowship and love and brotherhood with one another. Moses was reproving Israel concerning the honor of their Father in heaven and warning them about the Torah and the commandments and to honor and exalt Joshua after him Moses the righteous conducted himself with humility and was not narrow-eyed. Look at Moses's praise in his humility and piety: At first, when Joshua said to him "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp," immediately Moses said to him: "Would that all the Lord's people were prophets!" and he had no jealousy toward them. In the end he gave Joshua his student all the honor in the world - he gave him his glory and his house of study and his splendor, his honor and his majesty and his greatness, his cap and his crown and the ray of his glory while he was still alive. Concerning him Solomon said: "And the humble in spirit will obtain honor. Up to this point one hour had passed, and Israel and Joshua were still before Moses. A heavenly voice went forth and said to Moses: "Again, you have no life in this world except four hours." Moses stood in prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He. He said before Him: "Master of the Universe, if because of Joshua my student I am dying and You are pushing me away because he will pass before this people, let him pass before them as a teacher and I will follow him as a student. He will be like a high priest and I like an ordinary priest. He will be like a king and I like a servant. Let me go and see the land of Israel. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "I have sworn by My great name that you shall not cross the Jordan. Moses replied and said before Him: "Master of the Universe, give me permission that I should be like a bird of the heavens through the power of Your explicit Name, and I will make my two arms like the wings of dawn and fly with them in the air of the world above the Jordan, and I will go and see the land." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "If you do this, it is considered as if you crossed the Jordan, and My oath would be nullified." He said before Him: "Master of the Universe, I will be like a fish through the power of Your explicit Name, and I will make my two arms like two fins and all the hairs of my body like scales, and I will jump into the Jordan and pass through the depths and go and see the land of Israel." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "If you do this, it is considered as if you crossed, and My oath would be nullified. Moreover, the depths belong to Jonah, as it is said: 'The deep surrounds me.' He said before Him: "Master of the Universe, I will sit upon the wings of clouds and You will make me fly in the air of the world at a height of three parasangs above the Jordan so that the clouds will be below and I above, and I will go and see the land." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "If you do this, it is considered as if you crossed, and My oath would be nullified. Moreover, I have written through you in My Torah: 'You shall not remove your neighbor's boundary marker,' and the air and clouds are already assigned to Elijah, as it is said: 'And it came to pass when the Lord would take up Elijah,' and it says: 'And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.' How can you request something that is not yours?" He said before Him: "Master of the Universe, cut me limb from limb and cast me beyond the Jordan by the hand of Gabriel the angel, and afterwards revive me and set me on my feet so that I may go and see the land." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "If so, it is considered as if you crossed, and My oath would be nullified." He said before Him: "Master of the Universe, show it to me in a vision of the eye." He said to him: "In this matter I will listen to you, as it is said: 'For from afar you shall see the land.'" At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him all the land of Israel, four hundred parasangs by four hundred parasangs, and gave strength to his eyes to see it all from beginning to end, the low and the high, the hidden and the revealed, the distant and the near, all in one glance. At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: "This is the land which I swore..." Up to this point one hour had passed. A heavenly voice went forth and said: "Why do you torment yourself, for you have no life in the world except three hours." Moses replied and said: "Master of the Universe, You say 'I have shown you with your eyes...' Allow me to dwell beyond the Jordan with the children of Gad and the children of Reuben, and let my soul live with them, and Joshua my student will bring them into the land." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Moses, you are making My Torah into a compromise, for I have written in it three times: 'Three times a year shall all your males appear.' If you dwell beyond the Jordan and do not go up for the pilgrimage, what will Israel say about you? 'Even Moses, through whom the Torah and commandments were given, does not go up for pilgrimage - how much more so should we not!' You would be nullifying all My commandments. Moreover, I have written through you: 'At the end of seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the feast of tabernacles...' And if Joshua will sit and expound to all Israel, what will all Israel say? 'Before we learn from the mouth of the student, let us go and learn from the teacher!' You would be disgracing Joshua's house of study." Up to this point one hour had passed. A heavenly voice went forth and said to him: "Moses, do not torment yourself, for you have no life in the world except two hours." Samael the wicked, chief of all the satans, was waiting every moment for Moses's death, saying: "When will that moment arrive when I will descend to kill him and take his soul?" Concerning him David said: "The wicked watches the righteous and seeks to kill him." When Michael, the prince of Israel, saw Samael the wicked waiting for Moses's death and filling his mouth with laughter, he said to him: "Wicked one, I weep and you laugh! 'Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I shall arise. When I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me.' For even though I have fallen in Moses's passing, behold, I have arisen in Joshua's leadership. When I sit in darkness in the destruction of the first and second Temple, 'the Lord will be a light to me' in the days of the Messiah. Up to this point one hour had passed. A heavenly voice went forth and said to him: "Moses, why do you torment yourself, for you have no life in the world except one hour only." He said before Him: "Master of the Universe, let me live and not die!" He said to him: "Have I not written thus in My Torah: 'I kill and I make alive' [I kill in this world and make alive in the world to come]? If I do not kill you, how will I make you alive for the world to come? Moreover, you would be making My Torah into a compromise, as it is said: 'And there is none who can deliver from My hand.'" When Moses saw that the Holy One, blessed be He, would not lift his face, he opened his mouth and said: "The Rock, His work is perfect..." and raised his voice in weeping and wept and entreated the earth, saying: "Earth, earth, I beseech you, seek mercy for me before the Holy One, blessed be He, perhaps He will have mercy on me and give me life." Immediately a heavenly voice went forth and said to him: "Is it not written concerning it: 'And the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep,' and in the end it is written: 'And the earth shall wax old like a garment, and its inhabitants shall die in like manner'? While it is seeking mercy for you, let it seek mercy for itself, for your decree and its decree are one, as it is said: 'For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.'" He left the earth and went to the heavens, weeping and entreating: "Heavens, heavens, seek mercy for me!" They said to him: "Before we seek mercy for you, we will seek for ourselves. At first it is written: 'By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,' and in the end it is written: 'And the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll.'" He left heaven and earth and went to the stars, weeping and entreating before them, saying: "Seek mercy for me!" They said to him: "Before we seek mercy for you, we will seek for ourselves. At first it is written concerning us: 'He counts the number of the stars,' and in the end it is written: 'And the stars shall withdraw their shining.'" He left the stars and went to the sun and moon and wept. They answered him: "At first it is written concerning us: 'He made the moon for seasons...' and in the end it is written: 'And the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed.'" He left them and went to Mount Sinai, and thus it answered: "At first it is written: 'And Mount Sinai was altogether in smoke,' and in the end it is written: 'And every mountain and hill shall be made low.'" He left it and went to the mountains and hills, and thus they answered him: "At first it is written concerning us: 'And weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance,' and in the end it is written: 'For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed.'" He left them and went to seas and rivers, and thus they answered him: "At first it is written concerning us: 'And God said, Let the waters be gathered together,' and in the end it is written: 'Who makes a way in the sea.'" He left them and went to the Red Sea, and thus it answered: "At first it is written: 'And the gathering together of the waters He called seas,' and in the end it is written: 'And the Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian sea.'" He left it and went to the deserts, and they answered him: "At first it is written concerning us: 'The dry land His hands formed,' and in the end it is written: 'And its inhabitants shall die in like manner.'" He left them and went to the orders of creation, and thus they answered him: "At first it is written: 'He has made everything beautiful in its time,' and in the end it is written: 'All go to one place.'" He left them and went to Joshua's feet, weeping and entreating before him, and said to him: "Joshua my son, remember those days when I rose early and stayed late for your sake in Scripture, and at night in Mishnah. Remember the Torah and wisdom you learned from me. Stand in prayer and seek mercy for me, perhaps through your prayer the Holy One, blessed be He, will have mercy on me and let me live." At that time Joshua was afraid and trembling and fell on his face and wept bitterly before the Holy One, blessed be He. When he sought to pray for Moses, Samael came down and seized his mouth and did not let him pray. He said to him: "Is it not written: 'Where the word of a king is, there is power, and who may say to him, What are you doing?' Now you are rejecting the words of the Omnipresent. It is already written: 'The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice.'" When Joshua saw that he was doing this, immediately he said to Moses: "Moses our teacher, behold Samael the angel stands by me and does not let me pray." Immediately Moses raised his voice in weeping and Joshua with him, and they wept with bitter soul. After this he went before Eleazar and fell at his feet and said to him: "Eleazar my son, when there was wrath against Aaron your brother in the matter of the golden calf, I stood for him in prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He, and saved him from death, as it is said: 'I prayed also for Aaron at the same time.' Now do kindness with me and seek mercy for me." When Eleazar sought to pray for Moses, Samael came and seized his throat. Eleazar said to Moses: "Moses our teacher, the angel has come to me and does not let me pray for you." Immediately Moses wept with bitter soul and Eleazar with him. He went to Caleb ben Jephunneh and said to him as before, and they both wept with bitter soul. He went to the leaders of Israel and to the captains of hosts and captains of thousands and captains of hundreds and captains of fifties and captains of tens and said to them as before. He left them all and went to the seventy elders and to all Israel before the tent of meeting and said to them: "When the Holy One, blessed be He, was angry with me because of you in the matter of the golden calf and many other times, I stood in prayer and sought mercy for you until I nullified the decree, as it is said: 'And He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He should destroy them.' I beseech you, do good with me and gather all of you before the tabernacle of the Lord and seek for me, all of you with one voice, before the Holy One, blessed be He, for I know that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not despise the prayer of the multitude, as it is said: 'He has delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many with me.'" When they saw his bitter soul, immediately they raised their voice in weeping and wept and cried a great and bitter cry until their weeping rose to the heights and they all entered as one before the tabernacle of the Lord to pray for Moses. At that time one hundred and eighty-four myriads of destroying angels descended, and an angel stood by each and every one of Israel, and they were snatching their words from their mouths so that they would not pray for Moses. It is said that there were two great angels there - the name of one was Tsaokn and the name of the other was Lachash. Tsaokn came and snatched their words; Lachash came to restore them. Samael descended and bound him with chains of fire and cast him before the Divine Presence and brought him behind the curtain. Concerning that time Isaiah said: "Lord, in trouble they have visited You, they poured out Tsaokn Lachash." When Israel saw that the angels were not letting them pray for Moses, they said to Moses. Immediately he raised his voice in weeping and wept with bitter soul and said: "Woe is me and alas for me! What shall I do? Where shall I go and to whom shall I entreat?" When he saw that no creature could save him from death, immediately he called to Joshua and said to him before all Israel: "Joshua my son, see this people that I am delivering to you - they are still kids, they are children, they have not yet reached wisdom and have not engaged in commandments. Be careful with them that you do not say to them anything improper, for they are the firstborn son of the Holy One, blessed be He, and He loves them more than any nation and tongue, as it is said: 'And you shall be to Me a peculiar treasure above all people,' and it says: 'When Israel was a child, then I loved him.'" Immediately Moses kissed Joshua and embraced him, and they kissed each other and wept bitterly, this one on the neck of that one and that one on the neck of this one. Moses said to Joshua: "I know that you have three burdens to bear - this nation that I and Aaron and Miriam were bearing, and now you have become alone to bear them. May the Lord your God be with you. I entreat you and charge you concerning my afflicted mother whose time has been changed for her, for she has buried us and we were worthy to bury her. She has no son now except you. When the day of her passing arrives, tear your garments and go before her bier until you bring her to burial. I command you concerning this convert whose time has been changed for her - do not wrong her. And concerning the orphans who did not merit to stand in my place, I charge you that they should not depart from you. Remember for them the covenant of my faithful love and let them be among those who eat at your table." After this he said to him: "Joshua my son, be in peace and Israel my people in peace. Now I will bless them, for they have not found contentment from me because of the warnings and rebukes with which I used to rebuke them." He began to bless each tribe and tribe by itself. When he saw that the time was short, he included them all in one blessing and said to them, to Israel: "I have troubled you much about the Torah and the commandments. Now forgive me." They said to him: "Our master Moses our teacher, you forgive us. We have angered you much and increased trouble upon you. Forgive us." He said to them: "You are forgiven." A heavenly voice went forth and said: "You have no life in the world except half an hour." He said to them: "I beseech you, when you enter the land, remember me and my bones and say: 'Woe for the son of Amram who ran before us like a horse, and his bones fell in the wilderness.'" At that time Israel wept bitterly and said to him: "Moses our teacher, if you depart from us, what will become of us?" He replied to them: "My children, all those days the Holy One, blessed be He, was with you, and now too He will be with you. Perhaps you will say that all those miracles and wonders that were done for you through me were done for my sake? They were done only for the sake of the mercy of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: 'The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works.' All that He did, He did for His honor. If you trust in Him truly, He will do all your will." At that time Israel opened their mouths and said: "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Up to this point a quarter hour had passed. A heavenly voice went forth and said to him: "Moses, why do you torment yourself? You have no life in the world except a quarter hour." Immediately Moses stood and blessed all Israel and arranged for them blessings by themselves and rebukes by themselves. When Moses saw with the holy spirit the measure of the world, good reward and great salvations that the Holy One, blessed be He, was destined to do for them in the future to come, he said to them: "Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you..." and he blessed them with peace and stood on his feet and raised his voice in weeping and wept with bitter soul and said to Israel: "I will see you in the resurrection of the dead. In the future to come I will see you." And he went out from before them with great weeping, and they raised their voice and wept with bitter soul and cried a great and bitter cry until their weeping rose to the highest heavens. What did Moses do? He tore his garment and plucked his beard and put dust on his head and took his robe and covered his head in mourning and entered his tent with a great and bitter cry, and he was weeping and clapping his two hands and said: "Woe is me that a cry has come upon me! Woe to my feet that have not walked in the land of Israel! Woe to my hands that have not plucked from its fruits! Woe to my throat that has not eaten from the fruits of a land flowing with milk and honey!"
