It sounds almost unbelievable, doesn't it? Yet, according to Devarim Rabbah, this is precisely the monumental struggle Moses faced at the end of his life.
Rabbi Yoḥanan tells us that there are ten “deaths” written concerning Moses, scattered throughout the Torah. You can find them in Deuteronomy and Joshua: hints and foreshadowings like "Behold, your time to die is approaching" (Deuteronomy 31:14), or "Moses My servant died" (Joshua 1:2). What do these ten "deaths" signify? They represent the ten times it was decreed that Moses would not enter the Land of Israel.
Now, Moses wasn’t one to back down easily. He’d interceded with God on behalf of the Israelites before, successfully pleading for their forgiveness after the Golden Calf incident and other transgressions. Remember God saying, "Let Me be, and I will destroy them" (Deuteronomy 9:14)? Moses argued, and God relented: "The Lord reconsidered the evil" (Exodus 32:14). So, Moses thought, surely his own prayer, coming from a place of such deep devotion and service, would be accepted.
But this was different. This time, as the text in Devarim Rabbah explains, God saw that Moses wasn't taking the decree seriously enough. So, He swore an oath – a binding, unbreakable promise. The verse "Therefore [lakhen], you will not bring this assembly [into the land that I have given them]" (Numbers 20:12) uses the word lakhen, which, as we see from its usage in I (Samuel 3:14), signifies an oath.
Imagine Moses’s desperation. He donned sackcloth, covered himself in ashes, and fasted, drawing a small circle around himself, declaring he wouldn't move until the decree was revoked. The heavens, the earth, even the very order of creation shook with the intensity of his prayer! They thought, perhaps, the end of times had come.
But a Divine Voice proclaimed that this wasn't the end. Instead, it stated: “In whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the spirit of all flesh of man” (Job 12:10). And who is this "man" but Moses himself, the humblest of men, as (Numbers 12:3) tells us?
God then commanded that all the gates of the firmament be locked, so Moses’s prayer couldn’t reach Him. The angel in charge of proclamations, Akazriel, was put on high alert. The text describes Moses's prayer as a sword, cutting through everything, unstoppable. It was empowered by the ineffable Name, learned from Zagzael, the master scribe of the upper world. (Ezekiel 3:12) speaks of a great noise [raash] and quaking, which the midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) connects to Moses, who (Exodus 11:3) calls "very great in the land of Egypt."
How many times did Moses pray during this period? The Midrash calculates it from the verse "I pleaded [vaetḥanan] with the Lord at that time, saying" (Deuteronomy 3:23). The numerical value of vaetḥanan is 515!
Moses argued passionately with God. He reminded God of his decades of service, his sacrifices for the Israelites. Was this how he was to be rewarded? Was God going to render His own Torah a forgery, violating the principle of paying a worker on time (Deuteronomy 24:15)?
Meanwhile, the wicked angel Samael (the angel of death), head of all the accusing angels, was eagerly awaiting Moses’s death, as (Psalm 37:32) describes: “The wicked man looks upon the righteous man and seeks to kill him.” Samael thought, "When will Mikhael weep, so I can fill my mouth with laughter?" But Mikhael retorted, quoting (Micah 7:8): “Do not rejoice, my enemy, over me; though I fell, I will rise; though I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.”
Moses even pleaded to be allowed to live like an animal, just to continue existing in the world. But God refused: "Enough for you, [do not continue to speak to Me of this matter]" (Deuteronomy 3:26).
Finally, Moses accepted the decree. He affirmed God’s justice, declaring, “The Rock, His actions are perfect, as all His ways are justice; a faithful God and there is no injustice, righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). He wrote the ineffable Name and the book of the song – presumably the Song of Haazinu in Deuteronomy 32—knowing his time was near.
The story then shifts to the celestial realm. God sends angels to retrieve Moses's soul, but they all refuse, except for Samael. Yet, even Samael is initially terrified by Moses’s radiance and power. Moses recounts his extraordinary life, his miracles, his unparalleled connection to God. He even strikes Samael with his staff, blinding him!
Ultimately, God Himself descends to take Moses’s soul, accompanied by Mikhael, Gavriel, and Zagzagel. God prepares Moses for his final moment, guiding him through the process. The soul resists leaving Moses's body, so pure and untainted. But God promises the soul a place of honor in the highest heavens. Finally, God kisses Moses and takes his soul with a kiss on the mouth.
The heavens, the earth, the angels, and the Israelites all mourn the loss of Moses. They acknowledge his righteousness, his faithfulness, his unique role in history. "The memory of the righteous is for a blessing" (Proverbs 10:7), and his soul for life in the World to Come.
What does this all mean? This passage from Devarim Rabbah isn't just a story about death; it's a testament to the power of prayer, the limits of even the greatest among us, and the ultimate acceptance of God's will. It reminds us that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, we can find strength, dignity, and ultimately, peace. And perhaps, it also reminds us that true greatness lies not in avoiding death, but in how we live our lives leading up to it.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Ten “deaths” are written in Moses’s regard, and these are: “Behold, your time to die is approaching” (Deuteronomy 31:14); “die on the mountain” (Deuteronomy 32:50); “for I will die ” (Deuteronomy 4:22); “for I know, after my death” (Deuteronomy 31:29); “and so, too, after my death” (Deuteronomy 31:27); “before his death” (Deuteronomy 33:1); “one hundred and tweny years old upon his death” (Deuteronomy 34:7); “Moses, the servant of God, died there” (Deuteronomy 34:5); “it was after Moses’s death” (Joshua 1:1); “Moses My servant died” (Joshua 1:2). It teaches that as many as ten times it was decreed against him that he would not enter the Land of Israel, but his harsh sentence was not sealed until the High Court21The supernal High Court. revealed itself to him. He [God] said to him: ‘It is a decree from before Me that you will not cross,’ as it is stated: “For you will not cross the Jordan” (Deuteronomy 3:27). This matter was not consequential in Moses’s eyes, as he said: ‘Israel performed great sins several times, and when I asked for mercy, He immediately accepted it from Me, as it is stated: “Let Me be, and I will destroy them” (Deuteronomy 9:14). What is written there? “The Lord reconsidered the evil” (Exodus 32:14). “I will smite them with the pestilence, and I will destroy them” (Numbers 14:12). What is written there? “The Lord said: “I have pardoned…” (Numbers 14:20); I, who have not sinned since my youth, all the more so that when I pray for myself, He will accept it from me.’ When the Holy One blessed be He saw that the matter was inconsequential in Moses’s eyes, and that he was not standing in prayer, He immediately seized the opportunity and took an oath in His great Name that he [Moses] would not enter the Land of Israel, as it is stated: “Therefore [lakhen], you will not bring this assembly [into the land that I have given them]” (Numbers 20:12), and lakhen is nothing other than an oath, as it is stated: “Therefore, I have taken an oath to the house of Eli” (I Samuel 3:14). When Moses saw that his sentence had been sealed, he decreed a fast upon himself, drew a small circle, stood within it, and said: ‘I am not moving from here until You void this decree.’ At that moment, what did Moses do? He donned sackcloth, wrapped himself in sackcloth, covered himself with ashes, and stood in prayer and supplication before the Holy One blessed be He, until the heavens, the earth, and the order of Creation shook violently, and they said: ‘Perhaps, the desire of the Holy One blessed be He to renew His world has arrived.’ A Divine Voice emerged and said: ‘The desire of the Holy One blessed be He to renew His world has not arrived. Rather: “In whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the spirit of all flesh of man”’ (Job 12:10), and man is no one other than Moses, as it is stated: “The man Moses was very humble, more than any person on the face of the earth” (Numbers 12:3). What did the Holy One blessed be He do at that moment? He proclaimed at each and every gate of each and every firmament and each and every court that they should not accept Moses’ prayer and they should not take it up before Him, because the decree had been sealed in his regard. The angel who is appointed over proclamation, his name is Akazriel. At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He called in a frenzy, and said to the ministering angels: ‘Descend in a frenzy and lock the gates of each and every firmament,’ as the voice of the prayer was forcing its way upward to the firmament due to the sound of Moses’s prayer, as his prayer was like a sword that rips and cuts and cannot be delayed. His prayer was like the ineffable Name that he learned from Zagzael, the master scribe of the residents of the upper world. Regarding that moment it says: “A wind lifted me, and I heard behind me the sound of a great noise [raash]: Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place” (Ezekiel 3:12). Raash is nothing other than quaking, and great is nothing other than Moses, as it is stated: “The man Moses, too, was very great in the land of Egypt, in the eyes of Pharaoh’s servants and in the eyes of the people” (Exodus 11:3). What is “blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place”? When the wheels of the divine chariot and the seraphs of fire saw that the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Do not accept Moses’s prayer,’ and He did not show him favor, did not grant him life, and did not allow him to enter the Land of Israel, they said: “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place,” as there is no favoritism, neither for the small nor the great. From where is it derived that Mosed prayed during that period five hundred and fifteen times? It is as it is stated: “I pleaded [vaetḥanan] with the Lord at that time, saying” (Deuteronomy 3:23) – that is the numerical value of vaetḥanan.22Vav – 6, alef – 1, tav – 400, ḥet – 8, nun – 50, nun sofit – 50. At that moment, Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, it is revealed and known before You, my exertion, and the suffering that I underwent for Israel, until they would believe in Your Name. How much suffering I underwent for them regarding the mitzvot, until I bolstered the Torah and the mitzvot in them? I said: Just as I saw their trouble, so, I will see their well-being, but now, when the well-being of Israel has arrived, You say to me: “You will not cross this Jordan”? You are rendering Your Torah a forgery, as it is written: “On his day you shall give his wage, and the sun shall not set upon it as he is poor, and he anticipates it, lest he cry out against you to the Lord and it will be a sin in you” (Deuteronomy 24:15). Is this payment for the work of forty years that I toiled, until they would become a sacred and loyal people? As it is stated: “But Judah still ruled with God, and he is faithful to the Holy One” (Hosea 12:1). The wicked angel Samael was the head of all the accusing angels. Each moment, he would count toward Moses’s death and say: ‘When will the end arrive, the moment when Moses will die, so I can descend and take his soul from him?’ In his regard, David said: “The wicked man looks upon the righteous man and seeks to kill him” (Psalms 37:32). You have none among the accusing angels as wicked as Samael, and you have none among the prophets as righteous as Moses, as it is stated: “There has not arisen another prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face” (Deuteronomy 34:10). To what is the matter comparable? It is to a person who happened upon the feast of a bride and groom, and that person was anticipating and saying: ‘When will their rejoicing arrive and I will rejoice in it?’ So, the wicked Samael was anticipating Moses’s soul, and saying: ‘When will Mikhael23Mikhael is the ministering angel of Israel. See Daniel 12:1, Yoma 77a. weep and I will fill my mouth with laughter?’ Until Mikhael said to him: ‘What, wicked one, will I weep and you laugh? “Do not rejoice, my enemy, over me; though I fell, I will rise; though I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light for me”’ (Micah 7:8). “Though I fell” – due to Moses’ passing, “I will rise” – due to Joshua’s leadership, when he toppled the thirty-one kings.24See Joshua 12:7–24. “Though I sit in darkness” – with the destruction of the first and latter Temple, “the Lord is a light for me” – in the messianic era.’ Up to this point, one hour had passed. At that moment, Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, if you do not take me into the Land of Israel, leave me in this world, and I will live and not die.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘If I do not kill you in this world, how will I revive you in the World to Come? Moreover, you will render My Torah a forgery, as it is written in My Torah by your hand: “There is no deliverer from My hand”’ (Deuteronomy 32:39). Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, if you do not take me into the Land of Israel, leave me like the beasts of the field, who eat greenery, drink water, live, and see the world. So, let my soul be like one of them.’ He said to him: “Enough for you, [do not continue to speak to Me of this matter]” (Deuteronomy 3:26). He said before him: ‘Master of the universe, if not, leave me in this world, like this bird that flies in all directions of the world, and gathers its sustenance each day, and in the evening it returns to its nest. So, let my soul be like one of them.’ He said to him: “Enough for you.” What is “enough for you”? He said to him: ‘It is enough for you what you have spoken.’ When Moses saw that no creature could save him from the path of death, at that moment, he said: “The Rock, His actions are perfect, as all His ways are justice; a faithful God and there is no injustice, righteous and upright is He” (Deuteronomy 32:4). What did Moses do? He took the scroll and wrote on it the ineffable Name and the book of the song.25The song of Haazinu (Deuteronomy 32). But he did not yet complete it until the moment arrived for Moses to die. At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said to Gavriel: ‘Gavriel, go out and bring Moses’ soul.’ He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, one who is the equivalent of sixty myriads, how can I see his death? And one who possesses these qualities, how can I act toward him with fury?’ Then He said to Mikhael: ‘Go out and bring Moses soul.’ He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, I was his teacher, and he was my disciple, and I am not able to see his death.’ Then He said to the wicked Samael: ‘Go out and bring Moses’ soul.’ Immediately, he clothed himself in anger and girded himself with a sword, wrapped himself in cruelty, and went toward Moses. When he saw him that he was sitting and writing the ineffable Name, [that] the aura of his appearance was like the sun, and [that] he resembled an angel of the Lord of hosts, Samael grew fearful of Moses. He said: ‘The angels can certainly not take Moses’ soul.’ Before Samael showed himself to Moses, Moses knew that Samael had come. When Samael saw Moses, a fearful trembling seized him, like the pangs of a woman giving birth, and he was unable to open his mouth to speak to Moses, until Moses said to Samael: ‘“There is no peace, said the Lord, for the wicked” (Isaiah 48:22); what are you doing here?’ He said to him: ‘I came to take your soul.’ He said to him: ‘Who sent you?’ He said to him: ‘The One who created all the creations.’ He said to him: ‘You will not take my soul.’ He said to him: ‘Anyone who comes into the world, their souls are given to me.’ He said to him: ‘'I have greater strength than anyone [else] who comes into the world.’ He said to him: ‘What is your strength?’ He said to him: ‘I am the son of Amram, I emerged circumcised from my mother’s womb, and there was no need to circumcise me. On the day that I was born, I was able to speak, I walked on my feet, I spoke with my father and my mother, and I did not even suck milk. When I was three months old, I prophesied and said that I was destined to receive the Torah from fiery flames. When I was walking outside, I entered the king’s palace and took the crown from upon his head. When I was eighty years old, I performed signs and wonders in Egypt: I took out sixty myriads before the eyes of all Egypt; I split the sea into twelve sections; I sweetened the water of Mara; I ascended and trod a path in the heavens; I engaged in the battle of the angels; I received a Torah of fire; I resided under a throne of fire; took shelter under a pillar of fire; I spoke with Him face to face; I prevailed over the heavenly entourage; I revealed their secrets to humankind; I received Torah from the right [hand] of the Holy One blessed be He, and taught it to Israel. I waged war with Siḥon and with Og, two mighty idol worshippers, who during the Flood, the water did not reach their ankles due to their height. I caused the sun and the moon to stand still in the heights, and I struck them with the staff in my hand and I killed them. Who is there among those who come into the world who can do that? Go from here, wicked one, you must not say that.26That you came to take my soul. Go, flee from before me, I will not give my soul to you.’ Immediately, Samael returned and brought the response before the Almighty. The Holy One blessed be He said to Samael: 'Come and bring Moses’ soul.' He immediately drew his sword from his scabbard and stood over Moses. Moses immediately became furious at him, took in his hand his staff, on which the ineffable Name was inscribed, and smote Samael with all his strength, until he fled from before him. He pursued him with the ineffable Name, and removed the beam of glory from between his eyes and blinded his eyes. Until this point, Moses was successful. A moment later, a Divine Voice emerged and said: ‘The end, your death, has arrived.’ Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, remember that day that You revealed Yourself to me at the bush, and said to me: “And now, go, and I will send you to Pharaoh, and take My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt”? (Exodus 3:10). Remember that day that I was standing upon Mount Sinai for forty days and forty night? I ask You, please, do not hand me over to the angel of death.’ A Divine Voice emerged and said to him: ‘Fear not, I, Myself, will tend to you and to your burial.’ At that moment, Moses stood and sanctified himself, like the seraphs. The Holy One blessed be He descended from the uppermost heavens of heavens to take Moses’ soul, and there were three ministering angels with him: Mikhael, Gavriel, and Zagzagel: Mikhael prepared Moses’ bier, Gavriel spread a fine linen cloth at his head, and Zagzagel at his feet. Mikhael on one side and Gavriel on one side. The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Cover your eyes with your eyelids’ and he covered his eyes with his eyelids. He said to him: ‘Place your hands on your chest,’ and he placed his hands on his chest. He said to him: ‘Place your feet one next to the other.’ He placed his feet one next to the other. At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He summoned the soul from within his body. He said to it: ‘My daughter, one hundred and twenty years I allotted for your being in Moses’ body. Now, your end has arrived, it is time to leave. Depart, do not delay.’ It said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, I know that You are the God of all the spirits and all the souls. The soul of the living and the dead are given into Your hand. You created me, You formed me, and you placed me in Moses’ body for one hundred and twenty years. Now, is there a body in the world purer than Moses’s body? As no putrid wind was ever seen in him, and no worms or maggots. That is why I love it and do not wish to depart from it.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to it: ‘Soul, depart, do not delay, and I will take you up to the uppermost heavens of heavens, I will seat you beneath My Throne of Glory with the cherubs, the seraphs, and the troops.’27Troops of angels. It said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, from near your Divine Presence on High, two angels, Uza and Azael, descended and lusted after earthly women and corrupted their way on the earth until you suspended them between the earth and the heavens. But the son of Amram, from the day that You revealed Yourself to him, he did not consort with his wife, as it is stated: “Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses with regard to the Kushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Kushite woman”28The midrash here is based on the interpretation that they were talking about the fact that Moses abstained from being with his wife. See Rashi on Numbers 12:1. (Numbers 12:1). I ask You please: Leave me in Moses’ body.’ At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He kissed him, and took his soul with a kiss on the mouth. The Holy One blessed be He began weeping: “Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will take a stand for me against the evildoers?” (Psalms 94:16). And the Divine Presence says: “There has not arisen another prophet in Israel like Moses” (Deuteronomy 34:10). The heavens weep and say: “The pious one is lost from the land” (Micah 7:2). The earth weeps and says: “The upright among men is no more” (Micah 7:2). When Joshua sought his master but did not find him, he was weeping and saying: “Help, Lord, for the faithful man is no more, for trustworthiness has disappeared from among men” (Psalms 12:2). The ministering angels say: “He executed the righteousness of God” (Deuteronomy 33:21), and Israel said: “And His ordinances with Israel” (Deuteronomy 33:21). These and those were saying: “May he come in peace, may they rest on their resting places, one who walks in his uprightness” (Isaiah 57:2). “The memory of the righteous is for a blessing” (Proverbs 10:7), and his soul for life in the World to Come. Amen, so, may it be His will. “Blessed be the Lord forever, amen and amen” (Psalms 89:53).
