Trial of Moses

Legends of the Jews turns to Trial of Moses.

Moses, ever the compassionate leader, does exactly that. And here's the really amazing part: God answers immediately, halting the destructive fire. But the story doesn’t end there.

God doesn't just snuff it out and send it back where it came from. According to the Legends of the Jews, this fire was so powerful, so intrinsically linked to the divine, that simply removing it wouldn't solve the problem. It would have continued to spread, consuming everything in its path. It was already wreaking havoc, spreading so rapidly that no one could tell how far it had gone.

So, what did God do? He found a way to harness it. Instead of letting it return to heaven, He placed it upon the altar of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), where it consumed the offerings brought during Israel's desert sojourn. Imagine that – a constant, visible reminder of divine power and judgment.

But here’s where the legend takes an even darker turn. This wasn’t just any fire. This, we are told, is the same fire that tragically consumed Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, and KORAH'S rebellious company. It's a fire of immense power, both creative and destructive.

And, according to some traditions, it's even more personal than that. The Legends of the Jews tells us that this very Divine fire is what every mortal beholds in the moment of their death.

Whoa.

So, what do we take away from this fiery tale? It's a potent reminder of the awesome power of the divine, a force that can both create and destroy, punish and purify. It also speaks to the importance of intercession, of having someone to turn to when we feel unworthy or afraid. And perhaps, most profoundly, it suggests that even in death, we encounter that same awe-inspiring, transformative fire. A fire that, in the end, might just be the ultimate reality.

This celestial fire wrought the greatest havoc among the idolatrous tribe of Dan, and among the mixed multitude that had joined the Israelites upon their exodus from Egypt. The elders of the people turned to Moses, saying: "Rather deliver us as a sheep to the slaughter, but not to a celestial fire that consumes earthly fire." They should by right have prayed to God themselves, but in this instance they were like the king's son who had kindled his father's anger against him, and who not hastened to his father's friend, begging him to intercede for him. So did Israel say to Moses: "Go thou to God and pray for us." Moses instantly granted their wish, and God without delay heard Moses' prayer and halted the destroying fire. But God did not simply take the fire away from Israel and put it elsewhere, for it was of such a nature that it would gradually have spread on all sides and finally have destroyed everything. It had in this way caused the destruction in Israel, for, beginning at one end of the camp, it spread so rapidly that one could at not time tell how far it had gone. That the presence of this Divine fire might continue to restrain Israel from sin, God did not allow it to rise back to heaven, but it found its place on the altar of the Tabernacle, where it consumed all the offerings that were brought during Israel's stay in Egypt. This is the same fire that destroyed Aaron's sons as well as Korah's company, and it is the Divine fire that every mortal beholds in the moment of his death.