Midrash 101: Introduction to Midrash

(1) (Exodus 13:14) "And it shall be if your child asks you tomorrow": "tomorrow" may indicate" in the present," and it may indicate "in time to come." (Exodus 17:9) "Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill" — in the present. (Joshua 22:24) "Tomorrow your children might say to our children" — in time to come. (It is written, Devarim 6:20) "If your child asks you tomorrow (i.e., in the time to come): What are the testimonies and the statutes, etc.": There are four sons: a wise son, a wicked son, a simple son, and one who does not know how to ask. What does the wise son say? "What are the testimonies and the statutes and the judgments that the L-rd our G-d commanded us?" — you, likewise, "open" to him in the halachoth of Pesach — "ein maftirin achar hapesach afikoman." What does the wicked son say? (Exodus 12:26) "What is this (Pesach) service to you?" "to you" and not to him. Because he disassociated himself from the congregation and denied the foundation (of the faith), you, likewise, blunt his teeth and tell him (Ibid. 13;8) "Because of this (the mitzvoth) the L-rd wrought for me when I went out of Egypt." For me and not for you. Had you been there, you would not have been redeemed. What does the simple son say? (Ibid. 14) "What is this?" And you shall tell him (Ibid.) "With might of hand did the L-rd take us out of Egypt from the house of bondage." And he who does not know how to ask, you open for him, as it is written (Ibid. 8) "And you shall tell your son on that day, etc." Variantly: "What are the testimonies and the statutes, etc.": R. Eliezer says: Whence is it derived that if there were a company of sages or of disciples they must occupy themselves with the halachot of Pesach until midnight? From "What are the testimonies, etc."

(6) (Exodus 12:2) "It is the first": What is the intent of this? It is written (Devarim 16:1) "Observe the month of Aviv (spring) and offer the Pesach to the L rd your G d, etc." Observe Pesach for Aviv, and Aviv for Pesach, that Aviv fall out in its proper time. How so? Intercalate Adar, so that Aviv fall out in its proper time. If they intercalated Adar and Aviv did not fall out in its proper time, I might think that they should intercalate the New Moon of Nissan. R. Yishmael says: If you say this, you make Nissan twice; but the Torah has said: "It is the first (i.e., one) to you" (and not two). R. Nathan says "Observe the month of Aviv" — Observe the month which is closest to Aviv. And which is that? Adar. But we have not heard how many (days) are to be intercalated. From "Observe the month (of Aviv"), we infer that a month (of days, i.e., thirty) are to be intercalated. And this follows, viz.: A month is intercalated and a year is intercalated. Just as a month, (with) one of its units (i.e., days), so, a year, with one of its units (i.e., months). __ But perhaps, just as (with a) month — one thirtieth of it, so, (with) a year, one thirtieth of it? It is, therefore, written "Observe the month." (A month is intercalated and not one thirtieth of it.) But perhaps, just as a year, one twelfth of it, so, a month, one twelfth of it? It is, therefore, written (Numbers 28:17) "And on the fifteenth day of this month" — You intercalate a day for a month, and not one twelfth of it. R. Yitzchak said: If you said this, the moon would already be in the middle of the sky (in the beginning of the month)! You must perforce revert, then, to the first formulation, viz.: A month is intercalated and a year is intercalated. Just as a month is added to only at its end, so, a year is added to only at its end. R. Yirmiyah says: Just as uncleanliness constrains (the offering of the Pesach [viz. Numbers 9:10] and (the advent of) spring constrains, then just as the (constraint in) the first is not less than thirty days, so, (that in) the second must be no less than thirty days. __ But perhaps (an intercalation is to be made backwards] even if spring arrives prematurely? It is, therefore, written (Exodus 13:10) "and you shall keep this statute (of Pesach) in its time" — You add to its time, but you do not subtract from it.

(9) “And this shall serve you as a sign on your hand and as a reminder between your eyes —in order that the Teaching of יהוה may be in your mouth—that with a mighty hand יהוה freed you from Egypt.

(3) "upon your hand": This is the left hand. You say this, but perhaps it is the right? Though there is no proof for this, it is intimated in (Isaiah 48:3) "My hand has also founded on earth, and My right hand has spanned the heavens," and (Judges 5:26) "Her hand reached for the tent pin, her right for the workmen's hammer," indicating that "hand," unqualified, is the left hand. R. Yonathan says (Devarim 6:8-9) "and you shall tie them … and you shall write them": Just as the writing (of the mezuzah) is with the right hand, so, the tying of the tefillin (on the left hand). Abba Yossi says: We find the right to be called "hand," and even though there is no proof (for its application here), it is intimated in (Genesis 48:17) "that his father placed his right hand." And what is the intent of "upon your hand"? To include an amputee (of the left hand), that his tefillin are placed on his right arm.

(27) Now this is the line of Terach: Terach begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot Lot. (28) Haran died in the lifetime of his father Terach, in his native land, Ur of the Chaldeans. (29) Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves, the name of Abram’s wife being Sarai and that of Nahor’s wife Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and Iscah. (30) Now Sarai was barren, she had no child. (31) Terach took his son Abram, his grandson Lot the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan; but when they had come as far as Haran, they settled there. (32) The days of Terach came to 205 years; and Terach died in Haran. (1) יהוה said to Abram, “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. (2) I will make of you a great nation, And I will bless you; I will make your name great, And you shall be a blessing. (3) I will bless those who bless you And curse the one who curses you; And all the families of the earth Shall bless themselves by you.” (4) Abram went forth as יהוה had commanded him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.

(19) And Terach said unto Abram: Behold my son, these are they that have created all that thou ‎seest in this world, as also thee and me, and all the sons of man. And thus saying, Terach bowed ‎down before everyone of his gods, and finally left the chamber taking Abram along with him. ‎And when Abram had left the house of the gods, he hastened to his mother and said unto her: ‎Behold my father hath shown unto me those that have created the heavens, the earth, and all ‎the sons of man. And how I pray thee hasten and take a kid from the sheep, and prepare of it ‎a savory meat, so that I may bring it as an offering unto the gods of my father, that they may ‎eat thereof; perhaps that thus I might find grace before them. And his mother hastened to ‎take a kid from the midst of the flock, and she made thereof good and savory meat and she ‎brought it unto Abram. And Abram took the savory meat from the hands of his mother, and ‎brought it before the gods and he served it for them, as if inviting them to eat thereof. But ‎there was no sound and no motion, nor did any one put forth a hand to take and eat. And ‎Terach knew nothing of what Abram hath done. And Abram sat quietly in the house of the ‎gods, but seeing that the gods were not willing to partake of his offering he said: May be that I ‎have brought too little or perhaps my offering is not of the kind to be acceptable unto them. ‎Now therefore to-morrow I will prepare much more and better meats than those I brought to-‎day, to see what the end will be. And in the morning Abram instructed his mother concerning ‎the offering he had decided upon, and his mother took accordingly three kids from the flock, ‎and she made thereof savory meats as it was the desire of her son, and she placed them in the ‎hands of her son Abram, unbeknown to Terach his father. And Abram took the savory meats ‎from the hand of his mother, and he carried them into the chamber of the gods. And he ‎divided the meats among the gods and placing a dish before everyone of them he invited ‎them to eat of his offering. And Abram seated himself before them, and tarried there the ‎whole day to see whether they would eat or not. But there was no sound, and no motion, and ‎none of the gods put forth a hand to taste of the savory meats before him. And the spirit of ‎God came over Abram, on the evening of that day, and he cried out in the midst of the house: ‎Woe unto my father and woe unto this entire wicked generation, whose hearts are bent upon ‎vanities, to worship idols like these here, made of wood and stone; images that can neither ‎eat nor smell, and neither hear nor speak. They have a mouth but cannot speak, eyes and ‎cannot see, ears and cannot hear, hands and cannot grasp, feet and cannot walk. Like unto ‎them may be all those that make them, all those that serve them and bow down before them. ‎And Abram became very wroth at his father, and he hastened and took an axe, and hurried ‎into the chamber to the gods of his father, and broke them all to pieces. And when he had ‎broken them to pieces, he put the axe into the hands of the largest god, which he did not ‎break, and he left the chamber hastily.‎

(20) And Terach heard something like blows with an axe and he hurried into his house, when he ‎noticed that the noise came from the hall of his gods. And Terach hastened into the chamber to ‎ascertain the cause of all that noise, and he met Abram just coming out of it. And when Terach ‎entered the house of his gods, he saw all were shattered to pieces, save the largest one of ‎them which held the axe in his hands; and Terach saw also the savory meat-offerings before ‎each of the idols. And seeing that great destruction, Terach's wrath kindled within him, and he ‎ran out unto Abram. And he found him and said unto him: What is it thou hast done unto all ‎my gods? And Abram replied unto Terach: Not so my lord, but I have brought a savory meat ‎offering before them. And while I came before them with the meats, each of the gods put ‎forth his hand to eat, before the largest god could take some for himself. And when the large ‎god saw their ill-manners then his anger rose and he seized the axe which was in the house ‎and went and broke them all to pieces. And you can see the axe in his hands even now. And ‎Terach grew furiously angry at his son, and he screamed out bitterly: What is it that thou art ‎saying? Darest thou to come with such falsehood before thy father? Wilt thou try to make me ‎believe such things, as if I did not know that these gods have no soul, and no spirit, and no ‎strength within them? For are these gods anything but pieces of wood and stone which I ‎myself have shaped into images? And now darest thou to tell me the falsehood, that the ‎greatest god among them hath broken all the other ones to pieces, while it is thou that hath ‎done all that mischief, putting finally the axe into the hands of the greatest of the gods, to ‎deceive me. And Abram replied unto his father, saying: Now if thou knowest all that, how ‎canst thou worship these idols which have neither strength nor power to do the least thing? ‎Can those idols, in whom thou trusted, save thee in the hour of danger, can they hear thy ‎prayers when thou callest upon them, or can they deliver thee from the hands of thy enemies, ‎and fight thy battles for thee, that thou art worshiping those idols of wood and stone, which ‎can neither hear nor speak.‎

On the topic of the wood gatherer, the Gemara cites that which the Sages taught in a baraita: The wood gatherer mentioned in the Torah was Tzelophehad, and it says: “And the children of Israel were in the desert and they found a man gathering wood on the day of Shabbat” (Numbers 15:32), and below, in the appeal of the daughters of Tzelophehad, it is stated: “Our father died in the desert and he was not among the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korach, but he died in his own sin, and he had no sons” (Numbers 27:3). Just as below the man in the desert is Tzelophehad, so too, here, in the case of the wood gatherer, the unnamed man in the desert is Tzelophehad; this is the statement of Rabbi Akiva.

(1) Now Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gained a person with the help of יהוה.” (2) She then bore his brother Abel. Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the soil. (3) In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to יהוה from the fruit of the soil; (4) and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. יהוה paid heed to Abel and his offering, (5) but to Cain and his offering [God] paid no heed. Cain was much distressed and his face fell. (6) And יהוה said to Cain, “Why are you distressed, And why is your face fallen? (7) Surely, if you do right, There is uplift. But if you do not do right Sin couches at the door; Its urge is toward you, Yet you can be its master.” (8) Cain said to his brother Abel …and when they were in the field, Cain set upon his brother Abel and killed him. (9) יהוה said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” (10) “What have you done? Hark, your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground! (11) Therefore, you shall be more cursed than the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. (12) If you till the soil, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. You shall become a ceaseless wanderer on earth.” (13) Cain said to יהוה, “My punishment is too great to bear! (14) Since You have banished me this day from the soil, and I must avoid Your presence and become a restless wanderer on earth—anyone who meets me may kill me!” (15) יהוה said to him, “I promise, if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall be exacted.” And יהוה put a mark on Cain, lest anyone who met him should kill him.

(7) “And Cain spoke to Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field…” (Genesis 4:8) What were they arguing about? They said: come let’s divide up the world, one will take the land and one will take the moveable property. This one said: the ground you are standing on is mine. The other one said: what you are wearing is mine. This one said: take it off! The other one said: fly! Because of this “…Cain rose against his brother Abel and killed him.” (ibid.) R’ Yehoshua of Sakhnin said in the name of R’ Levi: they both took the land and the moveable property. What were they arguing about? One said: the Holy Temple will be built in my boundary. The other said: the Holy Temple will be built in my boundary. As it says “…when they were in the field…” (ibid.) and the field only refers to the Holy Temple. This is what it says “…Zion shall be plowed as a field…” (Micah 3:12) Because of this “…Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him.”

Another idea: "Listen, O Israel-" from where did Israel merit the [commandment of the] reading of Shema? From the time that Jacob spread out to die, he called to all the tribes and said to them: "Maybe once I pass away, you will bow to another power?" From where [can we learn this]? For so it is written: "Gather and listen, sons of Jacob, [and listen to your father Israel] (Genesis 49)." What is 'and listen to your father Israel (Heb. V'shimu El Yisrael Avichem)'? He said to them: The G-d of Israel is your father (an alternate meaning of 'El Yisrael Avichem')." They said to him: "Listen O Israel, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is one." And he said in a whisper: "Blessed be the glorious name of His Kingship (ie. G-d) forever." Rabbi Levi said: "And what do Israel say today? 'Listen, our forefather Israel, the same thing that you commanded us still abides among us, Hashem is our G-d, Hashem is one.'"

(19) And Terah said unto Abram: Behold my son, these are they that have created all that thou ‎seest in this world, as also thee and me, and all the sons of man. And thus saying, Terah bowed ‎down before everyone of his gods, and finally left the chamber taking Abram along with him. ‎And when Abram had left the house of the gods, he hastened to his mother and said unto her: ‎Behold my father hath shown unto me those that have created the heavens, the earth, and all ‎the sons of man. And how I pray thee hasten and take a kid from the sheep, and prepare of it ‎a savory meat, so that I may bring it as an offering unto the gods of my father, that they may ‎eat thereof; perhaps that thus I might find grace before them. And his mother hastened to ‎take a kid from the midst of the flock, and she made thereof good and savory meat and she ‎brought it unto Abram. And Abram took the savory meat from the hands of his mother, and ‎brought it before the gods and he served it for them, as if inviting them to eat thereof. But ‎there was no sound and no motion, nor did any one put forth a hand to take and eat. And ‎Terah knew nothing of what Abram hath done. And Abram sat quietly in the house of the ‎gods, but seeing that the gods were not willing to partake of his offering he said: May be that I ‎have brought too little or perhaps my offering is not of the kind to be acceptable unto them. ‎Now therefore to-morrow I will prepare much more and better meats than those I brought to-‎day, to see what the end will be. And in the morning Abram instructed his mother concerning ‎the offering he had decided upon, and his mother took accordingly three kids from the flock, ‎and she made thereof savory meats as it was the desire of her son, and she placed them in the ‎hands of her son Abram, unbeknown to Terah his father. And Abram took the savory meats ‎from the hand of his mother, and he carried them into the chamber of the gods. And he ‎divided the meats among the gods and placing a dish before everyone of them he invited ‎them to eat of his offering. And Abram seated himself before them, and tarried there the ‎whole day to see whether they would eat or not. But there was no sound, and no motion, and ‎none of the gods put forth a hand to taste of the savory meats before him. And the spirit of ‎God came over Abram, on the evening of that day, and he cried out in the midst of the house: ‎Woe unto my father and woe unto this entire wicked generation, whose hearts are bent upon ‎vanities, to worship idols like these here, made of wood and stone; images that can neither ‎eat nor smell, and neither hear nor speak. They have a mouth but cannot speak, eyes and ‎cannot see, ears and cannot hear, hands and cannot grasp, feet and cannot walk. Like unto ‎them may be all those that make them, all those that serve them and bow down before them. ‎And Abram became very wroth at his father, and he hastened and took an axe, and hurried ‎into the chamber to the gods of his father, and broke them all to pieces. And when he had ‎broken them to pieces, he put the axe into the hands of the largest god, which he did not ‎break, and he left the chamber hastily.‎

(20) And Terah heard something like blows with an axe and he hurried into his house, when he ‎noticed that the noise came from the hall of his gods. And Terah hastened into the chamber to ‎ascertain the cause of all that noise, and he met Abram just coming out of it. And when Terah ‎entered the house of his gods, he saw all were shattered to pieces, save the largest one of ‎them which held the axe in his hands; and Terah saw also the savory meat-offerings before ‎each of the idols. And seeing that great destruction, Terah's wrath kindled within him, and he ‎ran out unto Abram. And he found him and said unto him: What is it thou hast done unto all ‎my gods? And Abram replied unto Terah: Not so my Lord, but I have brought a savory meat ‎offering before them. And while I came before them with the meats, each of the gods put ‎forth his hand to eat, before the largest god could take some for himself. And when the large ‎god saw their ill-manners then his anger rose and he seized the axe which was in the house ‎and went and broke them all to pieces. And you can see the axe in his hands even now. And ‎Terah grew furiously angry at his son, and he screamed out bitterly: What is it that thou art ‎saying? Darest thou to come with such falsehood before thy father? Wilt thou try to make me ‎believe such things, as if I did not know that these gods have no soul, and no spirit, and no ‎strength within them? For are these gods anything but pieces of wood and stone which I ‎myself have shaped into images? And now darest thou to tell me the falsehood, that the ‎greatest god among them hath broken all the other ones to pieces, while it is thou that hath ‎done all that mischief, putting finally the axe into the hands of the greatest of the gods, to ‎deceive me. And Abram replied unto his father, saying: Now if thou knowest all that, how ‎canst thou worship these idols which have neither strength nor power to do the least thing? ‎Can those idols, in whom thou trusted, save thee in the hour of danger, can they hear thy ‎prayers when thou callest upon them, or can they deliver thee from the hands of thy enemies, ‎and fight thy battles for thee, that thou art worshiping those idols of wood and stone, which ‎can neither hear nor speak.‎

(21) And now it is not good for thee to do these things, nor for those men that are attached unto ‎thee. Have ye all lost your reason and become fools to worship wood and stone, while ye are ‎forgetting the Lord your God who made heavens and earth, and who hath created you in the ‎earth? And why should ye summon upon your heads the great evil which must follow the ‎worship of wood and stone? Have not your forefathers acted in the same way, in times of old, ‎until the Lord had brought over them the waters of the flood to the destruction of the whole ‎earth. And now how can ye reasonably do again the same wicked things, to worship wood and ‎stone, strange gods, which can neither hear nor speak, nor deliver from trouble, while at the ‎same time ye invite the anger of the Lord against your souls and upon the souls of all your ‎household? And now my father do abstain from doing these things. Thus saying Abram hurried ‎and jumped towards the big idol, took the axe from its hands and chopped the 'god to pieces ‎in the presence of his father Terah, and then he took flight. And Terah, seeing what his son ‎had done, hastened from his house into the presence of the king, and he knelt down before ‎the king, saying: May it please thee, oh king, it is now fifty years since a son hath been born ‎unto me, and he did unto me and my gods according to this manner. And now, oh king, do ‎send thy messen gers after my son, that he be seized and brought before thee for judgment, ‎to be punished according to his wickedness, in order that we be saved the punishment for his ‎great sins. And Nimrod dispatched three of his servants and they went and seized Abram and ‎they brought him before the king. And the king was surrounded by all his princes and officers, ‎and Terah, Abram's father, sat before them. And the king said unto Abram: What is it that thou ‎hast done unto thy father and unto his gods? And Abram answered in the words that he spoke ‎first unto his father, saying: The largest god which was in the house hath done all that my ‎father is accusing me of before thee, oh king! And the king replied: And dost thou suppose ‎those gods have the capacities to speak, to eat and to do as thou sayest? If this be so, said ‎Abram, why dost thou serve them thy self, and what for dost thou mislead thy people into the ‎worship of those idols, which can neither deliver thee from danger, nor do anything from the ‎greatest to the smallest? Why dost thou not worship him who is the God of the heavens and ‎of the earth, and in whose hand it is to kill and to give life?

(22) Woe unto thee, oh foolish and ignorant king, woe unto thee forever! I thought thou leadest ‎thy subjects in the ways of rectitude, but on the contrary thou fillest with thy sins all the world, ‎as also the hearts of thy people that follow thee. Dost thou not know it, hast thou never heard ‎of it, that thy forefathers have been guilty of the same wicked actions which thou art now ‎practicing, and finally the Lord had to bring over them the waters of the flood to destroy the ‎whole earth on their account. And now why dost thou rise up now, and all thy people with ‎thee, to re-enact all the sins of old, and thus cause the anger of the Lord to kindle against thee ‎and against all thy princes and thy servants, until the Lord of the universe will smite thee and ‎all the earth with the greatest of all evils. Now therefore return ye all, and may the king abstain ‎from the worship of idols made of wood and of stone, but serve ye only the Lord, the creator ‎of all things, and the ruler of all the sons of man. And if thy evil heart, oh king, keep thee from ‎leaving its wicked ways, then thou wilt die in shame at the end of thy days, thou and thy ‎people and all those that are attached unto thee, and all those that give ear unto thy words, ‎and all those that walk in thy evil ways. And when Abram had concluded to speak before the ‎king and his princes, Abram lifted up his hand and pointing to the heavens he exclaimed with a ‎loud voice: The Lord who seeth everything may see and judge these wicked men. And when ‎the king had heard Abram's word he ordered Abram to be cast into prison, and Abram ‎remained in prison for ten days. And at the end of those days, the king sent messengers to ‎summon before his presence all the princes and warriors, and all the governors of his various ‎provinces, and all of them assembled and took their seats before the king, to listen unto his ‎words. And Abram was still in prison. And the king spoke unto all his princes, and officers, and ‎warriors saying: Have you heard what the son of Terah hath done unto his father, and unto his ‎gods? Such and such things did he do, and when I had him brought before my presence he ‎spoke to me accord ing to these words. And he was not moved, and there was no fear in his ‎heart to say all these things before me. And now the son of Terah is in prison, and it is for you ‎to judge him and to decide what should be done unto him, who hath cursed the king, and who ‎hath done all these things which I have related in your hearing. And all of them replied saying: ‎May it please thee, oh king! the man that dareth to curse the king is to be punished by hanging ‎to a tree, but he who doeth the things thou hast spoken of must be burned in fire, as it is ‎stated in our laws. And now to do the lawful thing, we beseech thee, oh king, to have a fire ‎kindled in the brick furnace of the king, and let it burn day and night, and then let the son of ‎Terah be cast into it to be burnt to death.‎

(23) And the king acted accordingly, and he Ordered the brick furnace, which was in Casdim, to be ‎kindled, and the fire to be kept up for three days and three nights, and then the king ‎commanded to bring Abram from the prison to be burnt in the fire. And all the servants of the ‎king, and all the princes, the warriors, and the officers, and all the governors of the various ‎provinces and all the judges, and all the inhabitants of the land stood before the furnace, to ‎the number of nine hundred thousand, to see Abram, and what was to be done unto him. And ‎all the women and children were assembled upon the roofs and towers, so that there was not ‎a single person which did not come to see the burning of Abram. And when Abram ‎approached in the midst of the guards, all the astrologers and the wise men saw his face. And ‎as soon as they saw Abram's face they cried out before the king, saying: Oh our king and lord, ‎verily this man is well known unto us, for he was once the child concerning whose birth we ‎have seen the great star swallow up four other stars. And it is now fifty years, precisely to-day, ‎since we have said these things unto the king. And now it is certain that his father is guilty of ‎having deceived thee by bringing before thee another child which thou thyself hast then slain. ‎And the king was extremely wroth on hearing their words, and he ordered to bring Terah ‎before him, and the king said unto Terah: Hast thou heard the words which my astrologers and ‎wise men have spoken? And now inform me correctly of what thou hast done and how thou ‎hast accomplished those things, and if there be truth in thy words I shall spare thee. And ‎Terah, seeing the anger of the king, confessed, saying: Oh my king, thou hast heard the truth ‎and it is even as thy wise mren and astrologers have informed thee. And the king said: How ‎couldst thou do such a thing, to rebel against my words and to bring unto me, and take the - ‎value for, a child which was not begotten of thee? And Terah replied: Because my compassion ‎was excited in behalf of my child at that time, and I took the child of my maid servant and ‎brought it unto the king. And the king continued: And who is it that hath advised thee to do ‎that thing? Tell me truthfully all about it so that thy soul be spared and thou be not put to ‎death. And Terah was greatly afraid of the king, and he said: Haran my oldest son advised me ‎to do these things. And Haran was thirty years old when Abram was born. And Haran had ‎never advised Terah to do anything of the kind, but Terah, being greatly afraid of the king, said ‎so in order to save his own life. And the king said: If this be so, then thy son Haran must be ‎burned in the fire as well as his brother Abram, for the judgment of death stands against him ‎lawfully for opposing the will of the king, in doing these things. And Haran was inclined towards ‎Abram and his God all that time, but he kept it within his heart,

(24) saying unto himself: Now the king has seized upon Abram for doing all these things, therefore ‎I will wait to the end. If Abram will be stronger than the king then I will follow Abram, and if the ‎king be the successful one, then I will follow the king. And when Terah had said to the king all ‎those things concerning Haran the king ordered forthwith to seize Haran, as well as Abram his ‎brother, and accordingly both, Abram and Haran his brother, were brought together to be ‎burnt in the fire. And all the inhabitants of the land, and all the princes, and all the women and ‎children were assembled around there on that day. And the servants of the king took hold ‎upon Abram and upon his brother and they stripped them of their coats and other garments, ‎only their under clothes were left upon them. And they bound their hands and feet with ropes ‎of linen, and the servants of the king lifted them up and cast them both into the furnace. And ‎the Lord espoused Abram’s cause and he had mercy upon him. And the Lord came down and ‎delivered Abram from the fire, so that he was not burnt. Only the ropes with which Abram was ‎bound were burnt from him, but Abram himself was unhurt, and he walked about in the midst ‎of the fire. Haran however died as soon as thrown into the furnace and his body burnt up into ‎ashes, because his heart was not fully decided to follow the Lord. And a fearful flame issued ‎from the mouth of the furnace consuming the men that threw Abram into the fire. And of ‎those men all were burnt up to death, to the number of about twelve thousand. And Abram ‎continued walking up and down in the fire of the furnace for three days and three nights. And ‎the servants of the king saw him, and they came unto the king saying: Behold Abram is walking ‎up and down in the fire of the furnace, and not even his undergarments are burnt, only the ‎ropes that we bound him with are burnt off his hands and feet. And when the king heard ‎these things, he doubted their words, for he could not believe it. And the king sent his most ‎trustworthy princes to ascertain the truth of their words. And the princes went and saw it and ‎returned unto the king, saying: Verily it is the truth that thy servants have spoken. And the ‎king hastened unto the furnace to convince himself, and he saw Abram walking up and down ‎in the fire of the furnace, while the body of Haran was seen burnt up completely by the fire. ‎And the king wondered greatly at these things. And the king ordered his servants to take ‎Abram out of the furnace; and they approached to the mouth of the furnace, but they could ‎not come near it, for the heat of the fire and the flames came forth against them, and the ‎servants of the king ran away from before the great heat. And the king rebuked his servants ‎for running away, saying: Hasten and rescue Abram from the midst of the fire, lest ye be put to ‎death. And the servants of the king approached once more to bring Abram out of the furnace, ‎and a great flame issued against them so that eight of the servants were burnt up.‎

(25) And when the king saw that the men could not possibly approach the fire lest they be all ‎burnt, then the king called unto Abram: Oh, Abram, servant of the God who is in, heaven, get ‎thee out of the fire and come hither before me. And Abram obeyed the commandment of the ‎king, and Abram went forth from the midst of the fire, and he came and stood before the king. ‎And when Abram came forth the king and his servants saw him in his under-garments, for ‎nothing save the ropes that bound him, burnt up in the fire. And the king said: How is it that ‎thou hast not been burnt up in the fire? And Abram replied: The God of heaven and earth in ‎whom I trust, and who is all powerful, he hath saved me from the fire whereinto I was cast at ‎thy command. And Haran, Abram's brother, perished in the fire, and they searched the entire ‎furnace for some part of his body, but they found nothing as it was completely burnt up. And ‎Haran was eighty-two years old when he was burnt in the fire of Casdim. And when the king ‎and all the princes and the servants saw Abram delivered from the midst of the fire, they came ‎and bowed down before Abram. And Abram said unto them: Do not bow down before me, ‎but bow down before the Lord of the universe who hath saved me from this fire. It is he who ‎hath created the soul and spirit of every son of man and who formed the body of every one, ‎and that God will deliver from all danger, those that fear him and trust in his goodness. And ‎the king and his princes could not understand it how Abram was saved while Haran was burnt ‎up to ashes. And the king gave unto Abram great many presents, also two servants which ‎were the highest in the king's house, the name of the one being Oni, and the name of the ‎second Eliezer. And the princes of the king gave unto Abram likewise many valuable presents ‎of silver and of gold and of gems, and they told him to go, and he departed from them in ‎peace. And many of the people followed him, and about three hundred men concluded to ‎abide and dwell with him. And Abram returned unto the house of his father and he dwelt ‎there. And Abram walked in the ways of the Lord and he turned the hearts of all his people to ‎serve the Lord and to worship him all the days of their lives. And Nahor and Abram took unto ‎themselves wives from the daughters of Haran their brother. The wife of Nahor was Milcah ‎and the wife of Abram was Sarai. And Sarai, Abram’s wife, was barren, she had no children in ‎those days.‎

(26) And it came to pass, two years after Abram had been delivered from the fiery furnace, which ‎was the fifty-second year of Abram’s life, that the king sat upon his regal throne in Babel. And ‎the king fell asleep and he dreamed a dream, and behold he was standing with his army ‎before the fiery furnace which belonged to the king. And the king lifted up his eyes, and saw a ‎man, after the likeness of Abram, going forth from the furnace with a drawn sword in his hand. ‎And the man ran against the king and the king greatly terrified fled from before him. And the ‎man took an egg and threw it at the head of the king, and the egg became a mighty stream ‎wherein all the king's armies were submerged and died, only the king and three men escaped ‎with him. And the king looked at the three men that were with him and behold they were all ‎dressed in regal garments like unto the garments of the king, and in figure and appearance ‎they were the semblance of the king. And while they were escaping, the great river became ‎again an egg as it was before. And from the egg went forth a young bird which flew at the ‎head of the king and plucked out one of his eyes. And the king was greatly wroth at that sight, ‎and he awoke from his sleep. And the king's mind was very disturbed and the king was in very ‎great fear. And in the morning the king arose from his couch in great terror, and he ‎commanded that all the wise men and his astrologers should come before him, and when they ‎came the king related unto them his strange dream. And one wise man of the king's servants, ‎his name was Anuki, addressed the king, saying: The dream can have reference only to Abram ‎and his seed, and the evil which will grow through them upon the king in some future time. For ‎behold the days are coming when Abram and his seed and his household will array themselves ‎in battle against my lord the king, and they will smite all the hosts and armies of my king. And ‎the strange sight of thy having saved thyself with three other kings, and the river which again ‎turned into an egg as before, and the young bird which plucked out the eye of the king, points ‎to the seed of Abram which will kill thee, oh king, in some future time. This is the dream and ‎such is its meaning and thy servant, oh king, is correct in his interpretation. And now, oh king, it ‎is fifty-two years since those things were foretold and made known unto thee at the time of ‎Abram’s birth, and while Abram is alive on the earth there will be no rest nor peace neither ‎unto thee nor unto thy descendants, wherefore then shouldst thou, oh king, permit Abram to ‎live for thy own destruction? And when Nimrod heard the words of Anuki, he sent his servants ‎secretly to seize Abram and to bring him before the king to be slain

(27) And Eliezer, the servant which the king had given unto Abram, was present when Anuki had ‎thus spoken before the king. And Eliezer ran hastily unto Abram, and he reached there before ‎the messengers of the king had time to arrive. And Eliezer said unto Abram: Arise and flee for ‎thy life before the king's messengers come to kill thee, for such and such was the king's dream ‎and thus the interpretation of Anuki and his advice concerning thee. And Abram hearkened ‎unto the voice of Eliezer and he hied unto the house of Noah and his son Shem, to save his ‎life, and hiding himself there he escaped death. And the servants of the king came to seize ‎Abram, but he was not in his house, and they searched in the entire land and on all the roads, ‎but Abram was not to be found. And when the king's servants were tired searching they ‎returned unto their tents. And the king's anger soon was pacified, and all concerning the ‎dream and Abram was forgotten from the king's heart. And Abram was hidden for one year in ‎the house of Noah, until the king had completely forgotten all concerning these things; but ‎Abram was still in fear of the king because of that matter. And Terah came secretly to visit his ‎son Abram in the house of Noah, and Terah stood still very high in the eyes of the king and in ‎the eyes of the people, And Abram said unto his father: Knowest thou not that Nimrod is ‎planning to kill me, and to wipe out my name from the earth according to the advice of his ‎princes and counselors? And now what hast thou here and whom hast thou here in this land? ‎Arise and let us go all of us, into the land of Canaan, so that we be delivered from his hand or ‎else thou too mightst perish at some future time. And knowest thou not, and hast thou not ‎heard it said that it is not on account of love to thee that he hath done unto thee so much ‎honor, but that he is kind to thee for his own benefit. And even though the king do show unto ‎thee many honors of the kind thou already hast received of him, still all those rewards and ‎distinctions, are mere worldly vanities, for all the riches and all the wealth cannot deliver thee ‎from the anger of the Lord on the day of wrath. And now, oh father, hearken unto my voice, ‎and let us arise and depart and go into the land of Canaan, to be secure against the wickedness ‎of the king. And there thou canst serve the Lord that hath created thee upon the earth, and it ‎will be well with thee, if thou denouncest the vanities which thou art pursuing for so many ‎years. And when Abram had finished his speech Noah and Shem remarked: Indeed the words ‎which Abram hath spoken are true. And Terah listened unto the voice of his son, for it was so ‎decreed by the Lord that Abram should not be slain by the hand of the king.

(1) (Deut. 3:26), “Do not [ever] speak [unto me on this matter] again.]” This is related to what Job said (in Job 20:6-7), “Even though one's height ascends to the heavens, [and his head reaches the clouds]. He perishes forever, like his dung….” With reference to whom did Job say this verse? It only speaks with reference to the day of death. So even though one ascends to the heavens and makes himself wings like a bird; when his time to die arrives, his wings are broken, and he falls before the angel of death like an animal before the butcher. So also has David said (in Ps. 146:4), “His spirit departs; he returns to the ground.” And Job has already stated (in Job 3:19), “The small and the great are there, and the slave ('eved) is free from his master.” As even if his master bought him for thousands and thousands of gold coins, once [the slave’s] time to die has come, he cannot say, “He is my slave,” but rather he becomes free from his master. Another interpretation (of Job 20:6), “Even though one's height ascends to the heavens.” This refers to Moses, who ascended to the firmament and who came to the Araphel (the lower sky). Moreover, he was like the ministering angels in that he spoke with Him (i.e., with the Holy One, blessed be He,) face to face and received the Torah from His hand. When his time to die arrived, He said to him (in Deut. 31:14), “Behold the days are drawing near for you to die.” [Moses] said to Him, “Master of the world, is it for nothing that my feet have trodden Araphel? Is it for nothing that I have run before Your children like a horse, that my end be for the worm? R. Abbahu said, “To what is the matter comparable? To one of the nobles of the kingdom, who found a certain Hindu sword, which was unmatched [in the world] and who said, ‘This is suitable only for the king.’ What did he do? He brought it to the king as a gift.15Gk.: doron. The king said, ‘Cut off his head with it.’ So also Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘By the word that I [used to] praise16Rt.: KLS. Cf. Gk.: kalos. you, when I said (in Deut. 10:14), “Behold (hen), the heavens [and the heavens of the heavens, the earth and all that is in it] belong to the Lord your God!’ By that [very] word (i.e., hen) You are decreeing death over me, when you say (in Deut. 31:14), “Behold (hen), the days are drawing near for you to die.”’”17Below, Deut. 11:6. He said to him, “Moses, I have already decreed18Rt.: QLS. Cf. Lat.: census; Gk.: kensos. death over the first Adam.” He said to him, “My master, the first Adam deserved to die. You decreed an easy commandment for him, and he transgressed it. Hence it is fitting for him to die. [God] said to him, “Consider Abraham, [who] sanctified My name in My world [but still died].” He said to him, “Master of the world, From Abraham there came out Ishmael, whose race provoked You to anger, as stated (in Job 12:6) ‘The tents of robbers prosper, [and those who provoke God have security, the ones whom God brought forth in His hand].’” He said to him, “Consider Isaac, who stretched out his neck upon the altar.” He said to him, “From Isaac there came out Esau, who in the future will destroy the Temple and burn Your sanctuary.” He said to him, “Consider Jacob, out of whom there came twelve tribes without any flaw.” He said to him “Jacob did not ascend into the firmament, his feet did not trod Araphel, he was not like the ministering angels, he did not receive Torah from Your hand and he did not speak with you face to face.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (in Deut. 3:26), “Enough from you; do not [ever] speak [unto Me on this matter] again.” He said to Him, “Perhaps [future] generations will say, ‘If He had not found bad things in Moses, He would not have removed him from the world.” He said to him, “I have already written in my Torah (in Deut. 34:10), “Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses.” He said in front of Him, “The people will say] I did your will in my youth, but I did not do your will in my old age.” He said to him, “I have already written (in Deut. 32:51), “Because you acted faithlessly with me.”19Cf. Numb. 20:12. He said to Him, “Please let me enter the land [and spend] two or three years there, and after that let me die.” He said to him (in Deut. 32:52), “And there you shall not go.” He said to Him, “If I am not to enter while alive, let me enter after my death.” He said to him, “Not while you are alive, and not when you are dead.” He said in front of Him, “Why all this anger against me?” He said to him (according to Deut. 32:51), “Because you did not sanctify Me.” He said to him, “With all mortals you are guided two or three times by the principle of mercy, as stated (in Job 33:29), ‘Behold, God does all these things two or three times to a man’; yet in my case, when a single sin is found in me, you do not forgive me.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “See here, Moses, you have committed six sins, and I have not disclosed one of them. First you said, (in Exod. 4:13) ‘Please make someone else your agent’; secondly (in Exod. 5:23), ‘For ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, [he has dealt worse with this people, and You have still not delivered Your people]’; thirdly (in Numb. 11:22) ‘If the sheep and cattle would be slaughtered for them , would it be [enough] for them’; fourthly (in Numb. 16:29), ‘The Lord did not send me’; fifthly (in Numb. 20:10), ‘Listen, you rebels, [shall we bring forth water for you from this rock]’;20See above, the note at the end of Exod. 1:20. sixth (in Numb. 32:14), ‘And now you brood of sinners have arisen in place of your ancestors.’ But were Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sinners, for you to say this to their children?” He said to Him, “I have learned so from You, when you said (in Numb. 17:3), ‘The censers of these who have sinned [at the cost of their lives].’ He said to him, “I said (ibid.), ‘At the cost of their lives,’ and not, ‘at the cost of their ancestors.’” He said in front of Him, “I am an individual, while Israel numbers sixty myriads (i.e., 600,000). They have sinned before You a lot of times; and when I sought mercy on their behalf, You forgave them. You took care of sixty myriads [because of me], yet You are not taking care of me.” He said to him, “Moses, a decree over a community is not like a decree over an individual. Furthermore, up to now [the] time was delivered into your hands, but from now [the] time is not delivered into your hands.” He said to Him, “Master of the universe, rise up from the seat of judgment and sit down upon the seat of mercy for me, so that I do not die. Then my sins shall be forgiven through torments which You shall bring on my body. So do not deliver me to the pangs of the angel of death. Moreover, if You do this, I will proclaim Your praise to all who come into the world, just as David has said (in Ps. 118:17), ‘I shall not die, but live [and recount the works of the Lord].’” He said to him (in vs. 20), “This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall come through it.” [From this it follows that] death has been ordained from time immemorial for the righteous and for all mortals. When Moses saw that they paid no attention to him, he went to the heaven and earth, where he said to them, “Seek mercy for me.” They said to him, “Before seeking mercy for you, we should seek mercy for ourselves, since it is stated (in Is. 51:6), ‘for the heavens shall vanish like smoke, and the earth shall wear out like a garment.’”21See ‘AZ 17a, for this verse applied to Eleazar ben Dordia in a similar way. He went to the stars and planets. He said to them, “Seek mercy for me.” They said to him, “Before seeking mercy for you, we should seek mercy for ourselves, since it is stated (in Is. 34:4), ‘All the host of heaven shall rot away….’” He went to the mountains and hills. He said to them, “Seek mercy for me.” They said to him, “[Before seeking mercy for you,] we should seek mercy for ourselves, since it is stated (in Is. 54:10), ‘For the mountains shall move, and the hills shall be shaken.’”22The translation of the verb tenses here differs from some biblical translations but fits the sense of the midrash. He went to the Great Sea. He said to it, “Seek mercy for me.” [The sea] said to him, “Son of Amram, how is today different from a couple of [other] days? Are you not the son of Amram, who came upon me with your rod, smote me, and divided me into twelve parts? For I was unable to stand before you because the Divine Presence was walking at your right hand. It is so stated (in Is. 63:12), ‘Who had His glorious arm walk at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them […].’ So what has happened to you today?” When the sea reminded him what he had done in his youth, he cried out and said (in Job 29:2), “’O that I were as in the months of old, as in the days when God watched over me!’ When I passed through you, I was a world king; but now I am prostrate, and they pay no attention to me.” Immediately he betook himself to the arch[angel] of the [Divine] Presence and said to him, “Seek mercy for me, that I not die.” He said to him, “My master, Moses, why the exertion? This is what I have heard from behind the curtain:23Pargod. Cf. Lat.: paragauda or [paragaudis] (a garment with a lace border); Gk.: Paragaudes (a garment with a purple border). That your prayer is not heard on this matter.” Putting his hands on his head, Moses sobbed and wept, as he said, “With whom shall I seek mercy for myself?” R. Simlay said, “At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, was full of anger over him, as stated (in Deut. 3:26), ‘But the Lord was angry with me […],’ until Moses began by uttering this Scripture (Exod. 34:6): ‘Then the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “the Lord, the Lord is a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger…].’” Immediately the holy spirit was cooled off.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Moses, I have sworn two oaths, one that you should die and one to destroy Israel. To repeal both of them is impossible; so if you want to live, Israel will be destroyed.” He said before Him, “You are coming to me with a plot. You are seizing the rope at both ends. Let Moses and a thousand like him be destroyed, but do not let one person in Israel be destroyed.” He said to him, “Master of the Universe, should feet that have climbed up to the firmament, should a face that has greeted the Divine Presence, should hands that have received Torah from Your hands lick the dust? Woe!24Vay. All mortals will say, “If Moses, who ascended on high, became like the ministering angels, spoke with Him face to face, and received Torah from His hand, had no reply for responding to the Holy One, blessed be He, how much the worse it will be for [mere] flesh and blood, who comes with no [merit from] Torah and with no [merit from the] commandments?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Why all this anguish that you are experiencing?” He said, “Master of the world, I am afraid of the pangs of the angel of death.” He said to him, “I am not delivering you into his hands.” He said in front of Him, “Master of the universe, my mother Jochebed, who was distressed (literally, whose teeth were blunted) during her lifetime by two of her sons, will be distressed by my death.” He said to him, “So has it come up in [My] mind, and so is it the way of the world: every generation with its expositors, every generation with its administrators,25Gk.: pronoi (“prudent ones”). every generation with its leaders. Up to now it has been your lot to serve in front of Me, but now your lot is over and the time of your disciple Joshua for him to serve [Me] has arrived.” He said to him, “My Master, if I am dying because of Joshua, let me go and become his disciple!” He said to him, “If you want to do that, go and do it.” Moses arose and went early to Joshua's door.26Cf. the somewhat different account in Deut. R. 9:9. Now Joshua was seated expounding [Torah], so Moses stopped to bend his stature and put his hand on his mouth. But Joshua's eyes were hidden, and he did not see him, so that he (Moses) would be sorrowful and resign himself to death. When Israel came to Moses' door to study Torah, they asked and said, “Where did Moshe our master [go]?” [Others] said to them, “He got up early and went to the door of Joshua.” [So] they went and found him at the door of Joshua, with Joshua sitting and Moses standing. They said to Joshua, “What has come over you that Moses our master stands, while you sit?” When he raised his eyes and saw him, he immediately rent his clothes. Then sobbing and weeping, he said, “O my master, my master! My father, my father and lord!” Israel said to Moses, “Moses our master, teach us Torah.” He said to them, “I am not allowed.” They said to him, “We are not leaving you.” A heavenly voice (bat qol) came forth and said to them, “Learn from Joshua.” [So] they took upon themselves to sit and learn from the mouth of Joshua. Joshua sat at the head with Moses to his right and with [Elazar and Ithamar] to his left. So he sat and expounded in the presence of Moses. R. Samuel bar Nahmani said that R. Johanan said, “When Joshua opened by saying, ‘Blessed be the One who has chosen the righteous,” they took the traditions of wisdom from Moses and gave them to Joshua. Now Moses did not know what Joshua was expounding. After Israel arose [from the session], they said to Moses, “[Explain] the Torah [we have just heard] to us.” He said to them, “I do not know what to answer you.” So Moses our master was stumbling and falling. It was at that time that he said, “Master of the universe, up to now I requested life, but now here is my soul given over to You.” Then when he had resigned himself to death, the Holy One, blessed be He, opened by saying (in Ps. 94:16), “’Who will stand for Me27In context, the word, me, here is self-referential to the author of Psalms, and not referring to God. against evildoers?’ Who will stand for Israel in the time of My wrath? Who will stand in the battle of My children? And who will stand and seek mercy for them, when they sin before Me?” At that time Metatron28Lat.: metator (“measurer,” “one who marks out boundaries”). came and fell on his face. He said to Him, “Master of the world, [as] in Moses' life he belonged to You, so in his death he belongs to You.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Let me give you a parable. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a son. Now on each and every day, his father was angry with him and sought to kill him because he did not maintain respect for the father; but his mother rescued him from his hand. One day his mother died and the king wept. His servants said to him, ‘Our lord king, why are you weeping?’ He said to them, ‘It is not over my wife alone that I am weeping, but for my son; for many times when I was angry with him and wanted to kill him, did she rescue him from my hand?’” So also did the Holy One, blessed be He, say to Metatron, “It is not over Moses alone that I am weeping, but over him and over Israel, for look at how many times that they angered Me, and I was angry with them; but he stood in the breach before Me to turn back My anger from destroying them.” They came and said to Moses, “The hour has arrived for you to depart from the world.” He said to them, “Wait for me until I bless Israel, for they have not found contentment from me all my days, because of the rebukes and warnings with which I rebuked them.” He began to bless each tribe separately. When he saw that the time was growing short, he included all of them in a single blessing. They came and said, “The hour has arrived for your soul to depart from the world.” He said to Israel, “I have caused you a lot of grief over the Torah and over the commandments, but now forgive me.” They said to him, “Our lord master, you are forgiven.” Israel also arose before him and said to him, “O Moses our master, we have angered you a lot and increased the burden upon you. Forgive us.” He said to them, “You are forgiven.” They came and said to him, “The moment has arrived for you to depart from the world.” He said, “Blessed be the name of the One who lives and abides forever.” He said to Israel, “If you please, when you enter the land, remember me and my bones, and you shall say, ‘Woe (oy) to the son of Amram, who ran before us like a horse but whose bones have fallen in the wilderness.’” They came and said to him, “The half moment has arrived.” He took his two arms and placed them on his heart. Then he said to Israel, “See the final end of flesh and blood.” They answered and said, “The hands which received the Torah from the mouth of the Almighty shall fall to the grave.” At that moment his soul departed with a kiss (from the Holy One, blessed be He),29See MQ 28a. as stated (in Deut. 34:5), “Then Moses [the servant of the Lord] died there [in the Land of Moab at the command of the Lord (literally, by the mouth of the Lord)].”30BB 17a; ARN, A 12:2; Cant. R. 1:2:5; Petirat Mosheh Rabbenu, recension A, in A. Jellinek, Bet ha-Midrasch (Leipzig: Vollrath, 1853-57), vol. I, p. 129; ibid., recension B, in Jellinek, vol. VI, p. 77. Now [the ones who] took care of his burial were neither Israel nor the angels but the Holy One, blessed be He, [Himself], as stated (in vs. 6), “Then He (the Holy One, blessed be He,) buried him (Moses) in the valley [in the Land of Moab].” And for what reason was he buried outside the land? So that those who die when outside the land might live [again] through his merit,31The translation here follows the traditional Tanhuma. Deut. 2:6. So also Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 34. The Buber text omits “might live again” and reads “through their merit.” as stated (in Deut. 33:21), “He has chosen the best for himself, [for there is an honored lawgiver's portion].” But when did Moses our master die? On the seventh of Adar,32Seder ‘Olam Rabbah, 10; TSot. 11:7; Qid. 38a; see Meg. 13b; Sot. 12b. as stated (in Deut. 34:5), “Then Moses the servant of the Lord died there [in the Land of Moab].” It is also written (in vs. 8), “And the children of Israel mourned Moses [on the Plains of Moab for thirty days.]” And it is written (in Josh. 1:1), “And it came to pass after the death of Moses, [the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke unto Joshua]”; (Josh. 4:19) “Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month (i.e., Nisan).” Reckon back thirty-three days [from then]. Ergo, he died on the seventh of Adar. And where is it shown that he was born on the seventh of Adar? Where it is stated (in Deut. 31:2), “He said to them, ‘I am one hundred twenty years old today.’”33Since Moses spoke these words on the day of his death, his birthday must have been the same as the day of his death. What is the text teaching with, “today?” Today, I have fulfilled my days and any years. [It is there] to teach you that the Holy One, blessed be He, fulfills the years for the righteous from day to day and from month to month, as stated (in Exod. 23:26), “I will fulfill the number of your days.”