What year was moses born. Moses: Historical Personality or Fiction. In Hellenistic literature

The very existence of Moses is rather controversial. Historians and biblical scholars have been debating this topic for many years. According to Bible scholars, Moses is the author of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Hebrew and Christian Bible. And historians have found some contradictions in this.

Prophet Moses is one of the central figures in the Old Testament. He saved the Jews from the oppression of the Egyptian rulers. True, historians continue to insist on their own, because there is no evidence of these events. But the personality and life of Moses certainly deserve attention, since for Christians he is a type.

In Judaism

The future prophet was born in Egypt. Moses' parents belonged to the tribe of Levi. From time immemorial, the Levites had responsibilities as clergy, so they had no right to own their own lands.

Presumptive period of life: XV-XIII centuries BC e. At that time, the Israeli people were resettled to Egyptian territory due to hunger. But the fact is that they were strangers to the Egyptians. And soon the pharaohs decided that the Jews could become dangerous for them, because they would side with the enemy if anyone decides to attack Egypt. The rulers began to oppress the Israelites, they literally made them slaves. Jews worked in quarries, built pyramids. And soon the pharaohs decided to kill all Jewish male babies in order to stop the growth of the Israeli population.

The mother of Moses Jochebed tried to hide her son for three months, and when she realized that she could no longer do this, she put the child in a papyrus basket and let her down the Nile River. The basket with the baby was noticed by the daughter of the pharaoh, who was bathing nearby. She immediately realized that this was a Jewish child, but spared him.

Moses' sister Mariam was watching everything that happened. She told the girl that she knew a woman who could become a nurse for the boy. Thus, Moses was nursed by his own mother. Later, the daughter of Pharaoh adopted the child, and he began to live in the palace and was educated. But with his mother's milk, the boy absorbed the faith of his ancestors, and was never able to worship the Egyptian gods.

It was difficult for him to see and endure the cruelty to which his people were subjected. He once witnessed a terrible beating of an Israeli. He simply could not pass by - he snatched the whip from the hands of the warden and beat him to death. And although the man believed that no one had seen what happened, soon Pharaoh ordered to find his daughter's son and kill him. And Moses had to flee from Egypt.

Moses settled in the Sinai desert. He married the priest's daughter Sepphora and became a shepherd. Soon they had two sons - Girsam and Eliezer.

Every day a man tended a flock of sheep, but one day he saw a thorn bush that burned with fire, but did not burn. Approaching the bush, Moses heard a voice calling him by name and told him to take off his shoes, since he was standing on holy ground. It was the voice of God. He said that Moses was destined to save the Jewish people from the oppression of the Egyptian rulers. He must go to Pharaoh and demand to make the Jews free, and in order for the Israelite people to believe him, God gave Moses the ability to perform miracles.

At that time, Egypt was ruled by another pharaoh, not the one from whom Moses fled. Moses was not so eloquent, so he went to the palace with his older brother Aaron, who became his voice. He asked the ruler to release the Jews to the Promised Lands. But Pharaoh not only did not agree, but also began to demand even more from the Israeli slaves. The Prophet did not accept his answer, he came to him with the same request more than once, but each time he was refused. And then God sent ten plagues, the so-called biblical plagues, to Egypt.

First, the waters of the Nile became blood. Only for the Jews was it clean and drinkable. The Egyptians could only drink the water they bought from the Israelites. But Pharaoh considered it witchcraft, and not God's punishment.

The second execution was the invasion of frogs. Amphibians were everywhere: on the streets, in homes, beds, and food. Pharaoh told Moses that he would believe that God had sent this trouble to Egypt if he made the frogs disappear. And he agreed to let the Jews go. But as soon as the toads were gone, he retracted his words.

And then the Lord sent midges against the Egyptians. Insects climbed into ears, eyes, nose and mouth. Then the sorcerers began to assure Pharaoh that this was a punishment from God. But he was adamant.

And then God brought down on them the fourth execution - dog flies. Most likely, gadflies were hiding under this name. They stung people and cattle, giving no rest.

Soon the Egyptians' cattle began to die, while among the Jews nothing happened to the animals. Of course, Pharaoh had already understood that God was protecting the Israelites, but he again refused to give the people freedom.

And then the bodies of the Egyptians began to become covered with terrible sores and abscesses, their bodies itched and festered. The ruler was seriously frightened, but God did not want him to let the Jews go out of fear, so he sent down a hail of fire on Egypt.

The eighth punishment of the Lord was the invasion of locusts, they ate all the greens in their path, not a single blade of grass remained on the Egyptian land.

And soon a thick darkness fell on the country, not a single source of light dispelled this darkness. Therefore, the Egyptians had to move by touch. But the darkness became denser every day, and it became more and more difficult to move until it became completely impossible. Pharaoh again called Moses to the palace, he promised to release his people, but only if the Jews left their livestock. The Prophet did not agree to this and promised that the tenth execution would be the most terrible.

All the firstborn in Egyptian families died in one night. To prevent punishment from overtaking Israel's babies, God ordered that every Jewish family slaughtered a lamb and smeared the doorframes of houses with its blood. After such a terrible disaster, Pharaoh released Moses and his people.

This event became known as the Hebrew word "Passover", which means "passing." After all, the wrath of God "went around" all the houses. The holiday of Passover, or Passover, is the day of the deliverance of the Israeli people from Egyptian captivity. The slaughtered lamb was to be baked and eaten by the Jews while standing with their families. It is believed that over time, this Easter was transformed into the one that people know now.

On the way from Egypt, another miracle happened - the waters of the Red Sea parted for the Jews. They walked along the bottom, and so they managed to cross to the other side. But Pharaoh did not expect that this path would be so easy for a Jew, so he set off in pursuit. He also followed the seabed. But as soon as the people of Moses were on the shore, the water closed again, burying both Pharaoh and his army in the depths.

After a three-month journey, people ended up at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses ascended to its top to receive instructions from God. The dialogue with God lasted 40 days, and it was accompanied by terrible lightning, thunder and fire. God gave the prophet two stone tablets on which the main commandments were written.

At this time, the people sinned - they created the Golden Calf, which people began to worship. Going down and seeing this, Moses broke both the tablets and the Taurus. He immediately returned to the top and for 40 days atoned for the sins of the Jewish people.

The Ten Commandments have become God's law for people. Having accepted the commandments, the Jewish people promised to keep them, thus a sacred Covenant was concluded between God and the Jews, in which the Lord promised to be merciful to the Jews, and they, in turn, are obliged to live correctly.

In Christianity

The life story of the prophet Moses in all three religions is the same: a Jewish foundling raised in the family of an Egyptian pharaoh frees his people and receives ten commandments from God. True, in Judaism the name of Moses sounds differently - Moshe. Also, sometimes Jews call the prophet Moshe Rabeyna, which means “our teacher”.

In Christianity, the famous prophet is revered as one of the main types of Jesus Christ. By analogy with how in Judaism God gives people the Old Testament through Moses, so Christ brings to Earth New Testament.

Also an important episode in all branches of Christianity is the appearance of Moses together with the prophet Elijah before Jesus on Mount Tabor during the Transfiguration. AND Orthodox Church included the icon of Moses in the official Russian iconostasis and appointed September 17 as the day of remembrance of the great prophet.

In islam

In Islam, the prophet also has a different name - Musa. He was a great prophet who spoke to Allah as if he were a common man. And at Sinai, Allah sent down to Musa the sacred scripture - Taurat. In the Quran, the name of the prophet is mentioned more than once, his story is given as an example and edification.

Real facts

It is believed that Moses is the author of the "Pentateuch" - five volumes of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. For many years, up to the seventeenth century, no one dared to doubt this. But over time, historians found more and more inconsistencies in the presentation. For example, the last part describes the death of Moses, and this is contrary to what he wrote the books himself. There are also many repetitions in the books - the same events are interpreted in different ways. Historians believe that there were several authors of the Pentateuch, since different terminology is found in different parts.

Unfortunately, no physical evidence of the prophet's existence was found in Egypt. There was no mention of Moses in written sources or in archaeological finds.

For hundreds of years, his personality has overgrown with legends and myths, there are constant disputes around the life of Moses and the "Pentateuch", but so far not a single religion has abandoned the "Ten Commandments of God" that the prophet once presented to his people.

Death

For forty years Moses led the people through the wilderness, and his life ended at the threshold of the promised land. God commanded him to climb Mount Nebo. And from the top, Moses saw Palestine. He lay down to rest, but it was not a dream that came to him, but death.

The place of his burial was hidden by God so that the people would not start the pilgrimage to the tomb of the prophet. As a result, Moses died at 120 years old. For 40 years he lived in the palace of the pharaoh, for another 40 years he lived in the desert and worked as a shepherd, and for the last 40 years he led the Israeli people out of Egypt.

Moses' brother Aaron did not reach Palestine either; he died at 123 due to a lack of faith in God. As a result, the follower of Moses, Joshua, brought the Jews to the promised land.

Memory

• 1482 - fresco "Testament and death of Moses", Luca Signorelli and Bartolomeo de la Gatta
• 1505 - Painting "Test of Moses by Fire", Giorgione
• 1515 - Marble statue of Moses,
• 1610 - Paintings "Moses with the Commandments", Reni Guido
• 1614 - Painting "Moses in front of a flaming bush" by Domenico Fetti
• 1659 - Painting "Moses Breaking the Tablets of the Covenant"
• 1791 - Fountain in Bern "Moses"

• 1842 - Painting "Moses, lowered by his mother on the waters of the Nile", Alexey Tyranov
• 1862 - Painting "Finding Moses", Frederick Goodall
• 1863 - Painting "Moses exudes water from a rock"
• 1891 - Painting "Passage of Jews across the Red Sea",
• 1939 - The book "Moses and Monotheism",
• 1956 - Film "Ten Commandments", Cecile De Mille
• 1998 - Cartoon "Prince of Egypt", Brenda Chapman
• 2014 - Film "Exodus: Kings and Gods",

28.04.2015

The Prophet Moses is known to Christians as the author of five parts of the Bible. Initially, only one book was compiled from his manuscripts. It is now the main manuscript of the Jewish people called the Torah. Orthodox and Catholics have divided the creation of Saint Moses into several episodes. As a result, five parts Old Testament received the names Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Four of them are dedicated to the life and work of the prophet.

Biography of the saint

Based on the Biblical stories, Moses was born in Egypt, at a time when the Jews were in bondage to the Egyptians. His family belonged to the descendants of Levi's brother Joseph, who became famous for his deeds for the benefit of Egypt and his people. At that time, a large number of Jews lived in this country. Fearing that the Jews would revolt or become allies of the enemy in a possible war, the pharaoh ordered to reduce the number of this people through hard labor.

In addition, there was a prophecy that God would send the Jews a deliverer who would lead them out of slavery. The times when the conquerors actively patronized the Jews are over. Their descendants no longer remembered the merits of the Jews and had their own opinion about their residence in Egypt. As a result of the enmity of the Egyptians towards the people of Israel, the order to kill the Jewish male infants did not cause much outrage.

At this time, the future prophet was born. Parents managed to hide his birth. But this only lasted three months. Further, there was no way to hide the child, and the mother left him in a basket on the river bank. The childless daughter of Pharaoh noticed the baby and took pity on him. As the Bible says, the boy grew up for the time being with his real mother, who was his wet nurse.

How many years he lived with her is unknown, but the Scriptures claim that this helped him remember what kind of family he belongs to. At a certain age, Moses was returned to the daughter of Pharaoh, whom he replaced his son. Thanks to this, the boy received, at that time, a very good education and a wonderful future awaited him. As an adult, he kept in touch with his parents and fellow tribesmen. Pharaoh's indignation was the result of loyalty to the Jews, their protection and patronage. As a result, Moses fled Egypt.

Concerning personal life prophet, then, according to the Old Testament, he had one wife named Zipporah and two sons. Although the Bible mentions a woman who is Ethiopian by nationality, she could be the second wife of Moses. Zipporah was the daughter of the owner, to whom Moses got a job as a shepherd after escaping.

Once, while grazing livestock, the prophet received instructions from God to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. The result was a forty-year wandering of Jews in the desert. He died without getting to the Promised Land.

How the Bible characterizes Moses

In the Pentateuch, the prophet is represented as a leader who is possessed by the vocation assigned to him. Contrary to his own will, he is devoted to his mission and faithfully follows it until the end of his life. The holy book claims that God entrusted Moses with the task of leading the Jews out of slavery, re-educating and uniting the scattered people, and bringing the descendants of the Jews to the land of their ancestors.

The biblical image of Moses is characterized by doubt and hesitation. He does not possess any strength, but spiritual strength makes him a leader, followed by thousands of people. In the process of constant succession of success and failure, the prophet himself changes. His attitude towards his people is somewhat transformed. From a charismatic personality, he turns into an institutional leader, which often manifests itself in a refusal to accept his authority.

The Prophet understands that it is impossible to correct the psychology of people who have lived in slavery for so long. And it takes time to educate a new generation. His instructions are for the future. The descendants of slaves who came out of Egypt are brought up on the canons of a new faith, which is fundamentally different from the existing religions.

The Personality of Moses in Religions

In Judaism, he is considered the main prophet who gave the Jews the "Torah" - the law of God. The Jews consider him the teacher of the Israelites and call him Moshe Rabeyna.
Orthodox Christians and Catholics refer to Moses as the great prophet of Israel, through whom the Old Testament was provided to the world.

In Islam, Moses is identified with the greatest prophet Musa, whose biography is similar to the Jewish interpretation.

Was Moses in real life

There has always been controversy about the real existence of this prophet. Ancient Egyptian sources and archaeological finds do not confirm the presence of this person in the early history of Israel.

Regarding the fact that he is credited with the authorship of the Old Testament, there is also no exact information about this. Moreover, historians argue that the five parts of the Bible could not have been compiled before the 5th century BC. But nevertheless, scientists assume, before the personality of Moses appeared in the Biblical commandments, there were oral legends about a certain personality, which over the course of many centuries were modified, distorted, supplemented by some facts. They have not yet been able to establish the time of his activity. Since all attempts to find out during the reign of which Pharaoh Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, did not lead to anything specific.

Most historians - religious scholars agree that this happened in the region of the XVI-XII centuries BC. It is also not entirely clear why the Old Testament does not mention the name of the Pharaoh, under whom the prophet lived. Although the book pays great attention to names.

The stories that describe the atmosphere of Moses' life provide a reason to attribute the events to the era of the New Kingdom. Some scholars argue that in the "Exodus" you can see the religious tendencies that existed in this area in the XIV century BC.

Conclusion

The Bible presents the prophet Moses as a great servant of God who brought the Jews out of bondage, taught them and instructed them. None of the characters in this book have received as much attention as Saint Moses. In the narratives, the Pentateuch is the only mediator between God and people. His personality is controversial, over hundreds of years has overgrown with myths and legends, but to this day, different religions use the "Ten Commandments of God", which the prophet presented to his people.

The exact meaning of the name Aaron is not known, there are only assumptions according to which it refers to the Egyptian origin, and possibly translated as "Great name". According to legend, the Saint was the son of Amram, and also ...

Saint Nicholas or, as he was called during his lifetime, Nikolai Tolentinsky was born in 1245. He is considered an Augustinian monk, in addition, he was canonized by the Catholic Church. According to various sources, ...

God sends us all to each other!
And, thank God, - God has many of us ...
Boris Pasternak

Old world

The Old Testament story, in addition to literal reading, also presupposes a special understanding and interpretation, because it is literally filled with symbols, types and predictions.

When Moses was born, the Israelites lived in Egypt - they moved there during the life of Jacob-Israel himself, fleeing hunger.

Nevertheless, the Israelites remained foreigners among the Egyptians. And after some time, after the change of the dynasty of the pharaohs, local rulers began to suspect in the presence of the Israelis on the territory of the country a hidden danger. Moreover, the Israeli people have grown not only quantitatively, but also their specific gravity in the life of Egypt was constantly increasing. And now the moment came when the fears and fears of the Egyptians regarding the aliens grew into actions corresponding to this understanding.

Pharaohs began to oppress the Israeli people, condemning them to hard labor in quarries, on the construction of pyramids and cities. One of the Egyptian rulers issued a cruel decree: to kill all male babies born in Jewish families in order to exterminate the tribe of Abraham.

This whole created world belongs to God. But after the Fall, man began to live with his mind, his feelings, increasingly moving away from God, replacing Him with various idols. But God chooses one of all the peoples of the earth to show by his example how the relationship between God and man is developing. After all, it was the Israelites who had to keep faith in one God and prepare themselves and the world for the coming of the Savior.

Rescued from the water

Once in a Jewish family of descendants of Levi (one of Joseph's brothers) a boy was born, and his mother hid him for a long time, fearing that the baby would be killed. But when it was no longer possible to hide it further, she weaved a basket of reeds, tarred it, put her baby there, and let the basket run through the waters of the Nile.

Not far from that place the Pharaoh's daughter was bathing. Seeing the basket, she ordered to fish it out of the water and, opening it, found a baby in it. Pharaoh's daughter took this baby to her and began to raise him, giving him the name Moses, which in translation means "Taken out of the water" (Ex. 2:10).

People often ask: why does God allow so much evil in this world? Theologians usually answer: He has too much respect for human freedom to prevent man from doing evil. Could He make Jewish babies unsinkable? I could. But then Pharaoh would have ordered to execute them in a different way ... No, God acts more subtly and better: he can even turn evil into good. If Moses had not set out on his voyage, he would have remained an unknown slave. But he grew up at the court, acquired the skills and knowledge that will be useful to him later, when he frees and leads his people, having freed many thousands of unborn babies from slavery.

Moses was brought up at the court of the pharaoh as an Egyptian aristocrat, but his own mother fed him with milk, who was invited to the house of the pharaoh's daughter as a wet nurse, for Moses' sister, seeing that the Egyptian princess pulled him out of the water in a basket, offered the princess services to take care of the child his mother.

Moses grew up in the house of Pharaoh, but he knew that he belonged to the Israelite people. Once, when he was already an adult and strong, an event occurred that had very significant consequences.

Seeing the overseer beating one of his fellow tribesmen, Moses stood up for the defenseless and, as a result, killed the Egyptian. And thus he placed himself outside of society and outside the law. The only way to escape was escape. And Moses leaves Egypt. He settles in the Sinai desert, and there, on Mount Horeb, he meets God.

Voice from the thorn bush

God said he chose Moses to save the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. Moses had to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let the Jews go. From the burning and unburned bush, the burning bush, Moses is told to return to Egypt and lead the people of Israel out of captivity. Hearing this, Moses asked: “Now I will come to the children of Israel and tell them:“ The God of your fathers sent me to you ”And they will say to me:“ What is His name? What can I tell them? "

And, then, for the first time, God revealed his name, saying that his name was Yahweh ("I am", "He who is"). God also said that He gives Moses the ability to work miracles to convince unbelievers. Immediately, by His order, Moses threw his rod (shepherd's stick) to the ground - and suddenly this rod turned into a snake. Moses caught the snake by the tail - and again there was a stick in his hand.

Moses returns to Egypt and appears before Pharaoh, asking him to let the people go. But Pharaoh does not agree, for he does not want to lose his many slaves. And then God brings executions to Egypt. The country plunges into darkness solar eclipse, then it is struck by a terrible epidemic, then it becomes the prey of insects, which in the Bible are called "dog flies" (Ex. 8:21)

But none of these trials could frighten Pharaoh.

And then God punishes Pharaoh and the Egyptians in a special way. He punishes every firstborn baby in Egyptian families. But so that the infants of Israel, who had to leave Egypt, would not perish, God commanded that in every Jewish family a lamb should be killed and the doorposts and crossbars of doors in houses should be marked with its blood.

The Bible tells of how an angel of God, rewarding vengeance, passed through the cities and towns of Egypt, bringing death to the firstborn in dwellings whose walls were not sprinkled with the blood of lambs. This Egyptian execution shocked Pharaoh so much that he dismissed the people of Israel.

This event began to be called the Hebrew word "Passover", which in translation means "passing", for the wrath of God bypassed the marked houses. Jewish Passover, or Passover, is the holiday of Israel's deliverance from Egyptian captivity.

God's Covenant with Moses

The historical experience of peoples has shown that one internal law is not enough to improve human morality.

And in Israel, the voice of the inner human law was drowned out by the cry of human passions, therefore the Lord corrects the people and adds an outer law to the inner law, which we call positive, or frank.

At the foot of Sinai, Moses revealed to the people that God had freed Israel for this and brought him out of the land of Egypt in order to enter into an eternal alliance, or Covenant, with him. However, this time the Covenant is not made with one person, or with a small group of believers, but with a whole nation.

"If you obey My voice and keep My Covenant, you will be My inheritance from all nations, for the whole earth is Mine, and you will be with Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex. 19.5-6)

This is how the people of God are born.

The first shoots of the Old Testament Church, which is the progenitor of the Universal Church, emerge from the seed of Abraham. From now on, the history of religion will no longer be only a history of longing, longing, search, but it becomes the history of the Covenant, i.e. union between Creator and man

God does not reveal what the calling of the people will be, through which, as He promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, all the peoples of the earth will be blessed, but requires faith, faithfulness and righteousness from the people.

The apparition on Sinai was accompanied by terrible phenomena: cloud, smoke, lightning, thunder, flame, earthquake, trumpet. This fellowship lasted forty days, and God gave Moses two tablets - stone tables on which the Law was written.

“And Moses said to the people: Do not be afraid; God (to you) has come to test you and to have his fear before you, so that you do not sin. " (Ex. 19, 22)
“And God spoke (to Moses) all these words, saying:

1. I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; may you have no other gods before me.
2. Do not make yourself an idol and no image of what is in the sky above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth; do not worship them or serve them, for I am the Lord your God. God is a jealous person, punishing children for the guilt of fathers up to the third and fourth generation, who hate me, and showing mercy up to a thousand generations to those who love me and keep my commandments.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who utters His name in vain.
4. Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy; work six days and do (in them) all your deeds, and the seventh day is Saturday to the Lord your God: do not do any work on that day, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maidservant, nor (will yours, nor your donkey, nor any) your cattle, nor the stranger that is in your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
5. Honor your father and your mother, (so that you feel good and) that your days on the land that the Lord your God gives you.
6. Dont kill.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Don't steal.
9. Do not bear false testimony against your neighbor.
10. Do not covet your neighbor's house; do not covet your neighbor's wife (neither his field) nor his servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, (nor any of his livestock) anything that is with your neighbor. " (Ex. 20, 1-17).

The law that was given to ancient Israel by God had several purposes. First of all, he asserted public order and justice. Secondly, he singled out the Jewish people as a special religious community professing monotheism. Thirdly, he had to make an internal change in a person, morally improve a person, bring a person closer to God through instilling in a person love for God. Finally, the law of the Old Testament prepared mankind to accept the Christian faith in the future.

The fate of Moses

Despite the great difficulties of the prophet Moses, He remained a faithful servant of the Lord God (Yahweh) until the end of his life. He led, taught and instructed his people. He arranged their future, but did not enter the Promised Land. Aaron, the brother of the prophet Moses, also did not enter these lands, because of the sins he committed. By nature, Moses was impatient and prone to anger, but through divine education he became so humble that he became “the meekest of all people on earth” (Num. 12: 3).

In all his deeds and thoughts, he was guided by faith in the Most High. In a sense, the fate of Moses is similar to the fate of the Old Testament itself, which, through the desert of paganism, brought the people of Israel to the New Testament and stood on its threshold. Moses died at the end of forty years of wandering at the top of Mount Nebo, from which he could see the promised land, Palestine.

And the Lord said to him to Moses:

“This is the land about which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, 'I will give it to your seed.' I let you see it with your eyes, but you will not enter it. " And there Moses, the servant of the Lord, died in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. " (Deut. 34: 1-5). The vision of 120-year-old Moses “was not dull, and his strength was not exhausted” (Deut. 34: 7). The body of Moses is forever hidden from people, "no one knows the place of his burial even to this day," says the Holy Scriptures (Deut. 34: 6).

Alexander A. Sokolovsky

Moshe (in Russian Moses) is the leader of the Jewish people who brought him out of Egyptian slavery.

In the Jewish people he is often called "Moshe Rabbeinu" ("Moshe, our teacher").

Through Moshe, the Almighty on Mount Sinai gave the Jews the Torah, which is called so - "Torat Moshe" ("Torah of Moses").

Born in Egypt on the 7th Adar in 2368 from the Creation of the world (1392 BC).

He died on Mount Nebo, on the eastern bank of the Jordan River, on 7 Adar 2488 (1272 BC), without entering the Holy Land.

Moshe is the younger brother of the prophetess Miriam and Aaron, the ancestor of the Cohen family - the high priests.

Birth and childhood in the palace

15 Iyar ran out of stocks of bread taken from Egypt ( Shabbat 87b, Rashi; Seder olam slave 5; Rashi, Shemot 16: 1). The people murmured, reproaching Moshe and Aaron. But already at dawn on Iyar 16, manna (manna from heaven) fell on the camp. Since then, man has dropped out every morning until Moshe's death.

On the day when the mann fell for the first time, Moshe established ( Berachot 48b; Seder adorot).

On 28 Iyar the army of the Amalekites attacked the camp. Moshe appointed Yeoshua bin Nun from the tribe of Ephraim as commander, and he himself climbed the hill and prayed there with his hands ascended to heaven.

The giving of the Torah

The sons of Israel approached Mount Choreb, which is also Mount Sinai.

Earlier, on the same mountain, Moshe saw a burning bush and for the first time was awarded a prophecy.

6 sivan 2448 g... all experienced the revelation at Mount Sinai.

Moshe climbed the mountain to receive the Torah there, and stayed there forty days.

According to the midrash, Moshe Rabbeinu reached an unprecedented spiritual level during this time.

But besides him, the Almighty was revealed to all the people of Israel - to each of the hundreds of thousands of Jews present there.

The giving of the Torah was an unprecedented event and the holiday of Shavuot is celebrated in its honor.

Forty days later, Moshe came down with the fire of Mount Sinai, carrying in his hand the stone Tablets of the Covenant with the 10 Commandments inscribed on them.

Sin and atonement

Aaron and the elders, who went out to meet Moshe, saw that his face was shining brightly, but he himself did not notice it.

In a desert

Following the advice of his father-in-law Yitro, Moshe appointed judges and organized a judicial and legal system.

In addition, Moshe began daily teaching the children of Israel the Torah.

He also conveyed the command of Gd to erect the Mishkan - the portable Tent of Revelation, so that it constantly abides Shekinah - Divine presence. (Shemot 25: 8-9, 35: 4-19; Rashi, Shemot 35: 1).

The construction of the portable Mishkan was entrusted to the young Bezalel.

In addition, it was necessary to prepare everything for the service in the portable Temple, including the altar, Mentor and clothing for the Cohens.

By the will of Gd, Moses appointed Aaron and his sons as priests, and the tribe of Levi as servants of the Tabernacle ( Exodus 28: 1-43; Slave Shmot 37: 1).

1 Nisan 2449 of the year Shekhina found a permanent refuge on earth in the Holy of Holies in the Tent of Revelation.

The Mishkan, built by Moshe in the desert, became a prototype of the Jerusalem Temple, built later by King Shlomo (Solomon).

As the midrash says, because of the sins of the first generations Shekhina moved away from the earth to the seventh level of Heaven. Our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Yaakov were able to "return" her from the seventh level to the fourth, Levi to the third, Keat to the second, Amram to the first, and Moshe erected a permanent abode for the Shekinah - the Tent of Revelation ( Genesis slave 19: 7; Bemidbar slave 13: 2).

During the stay of the Jews in the desert, the Almighty turned to Moshe from the Holy of Holies in the Tent of Revelation, taught him the Torah and transmitted the commandments through him.

After a while, the camp of the Jews set off from its place on its way - to the Land of Israel.

After the first transition, the people began to grumble and complain ( Bemidbar 11: 1, Rashi).

Gd commanded that 70 elders be chosen to help Moses ( Bemidbar 11: 16-17, 24-25).

Two of the elders, Eldad and Meidad, began to prophesy in the camp of the children of Israel ( Bemidbar 11: 26-27, Rashi). They said: "Moshe will die, and Yeshua will bring the people into the land" ( Sanhedrin 17a; Rashi, Bemidbar 11:28).

Moshe's disciple Yeoshua bin Nun asked: "My lord, Moshe, stop them!" But Moshe answered: “Are you jealous of me ?! Let all the people become prophets so that Gd will overshadow them with His spirit! " ( Bemidbar 11: 28-29).

When Israel approached the border of the Holy Land, the people came up with a proposal to send scouts to "scout out the country and tell us about the road along which we should go, and about the cities that we should enter" ( Deuteronomy 1: 20-22).

Twelve scouts were sent, one from each tribe. Returning 10 scouts

intimidated the Jews and dissuaded from entering the land of Israel. Only two, Yeshua bin Nun and Kalev, came out in support of the conquest.

People started crying, saying, “We'd better die in Egypt or in this desert! Why is Gd leading us to this country? ... "and" We will appoint a new leader and return to Egypt! " It happened on the night of Av 9 - the date on which many sad events took place in the subsequent history of the Jews.

Due to the sin of the scouts, the Almighty made a decision: this generation will not enter the Holy Land, but will wander in the desert for 40 years. And only the children of those who left Egypt will enter the land of Israel and conquer it.

Korach, one of the leaders of the Levites, revolted against Moshe and Aaron. Korach and his accomplices accused Moshe and Aaron of usurping power and that Moshe distributes all the most important appointments at his discretion.

The Torah says that "the earth opened up" under the feet of the rebel leaders and swallowed them up, "and fire came out from Gd and devoured two hundred and fifty accomplices of Korach" ( Bemidbar 16: 20-35).

But the next day, the people began to accuse Moshe and Aaron that they deliberately contributed to the death of 250 leaders of the community.

Then a destructive pestilence began among the people. And Moses ordered Aaron to burn incense, "to redeem them, for the wrath of God is poured out" ( Bemidbar 17: 9-11). As the Scriptures say, Aaron “stood between the dead and the living” - and the pestilence stopped (Bemidbar 17: 12-13).

Trial with staff and rock

In the fortieth year of wandering in the desert, Moshe's sister, the prophetess Miriam, died.

The Midrash says that, to the credit of Miriam, there was a source of water at every camp of the sons of Israel. Miriam left - the source also “left”.

People, languishing in the desert with thirst, surrounded Moshe and Aaron, reproaching them and asking for water.

Gd commanded Moses to take the staff and turn to the rock in order to draw water out of it by word for the children of Israel.

Moshe and Aaron again went out to the people, and Moshe said: “Listen, you rebels! Will we not extract water for you from this rock ?! " - and he struck twice with his staff on the rock, from which streams of water poured abundantly ( Bemidbar 20: 7-11, Rashbam and Khizkuni).

And then the Almighty said to Moshe and Aaron: "Because you did not believe Me and did not sanctify Me in front of the children of Israel, you will not bring this community into the land that I give them" ( Bemidbar 20:12).

According to the midrash, the punishment befell them for the fact that Moshe did not limit himself to a word, but hit the rock. After all, if they turned to the rock, and water poured, then the Name of the Most High would be consecrated in front of all the people, and people would begin to say: “If the rock, devoid of hearing and speech, fulfills the command of Gd, so will we all the more it should be done! " ( Midrash Haggadah 67; Rashi, Bemidbar 20: 11-12). And the staff should have been taken not in order to strike them on the rock, but to remind the children of Israel of past rebellions, as well as the miracles that were performed for them ( Rashbam, Bemidbar 20: 8).

According to another explanation, Moshe and Aaron were punished for saying "Will we draw water for you from this rock ?!" - but you should have said: "... Gd will extract water for you." Indeed, because of these words, the people could mistakenly conclude that the miracle was performed by the power of their magical art, and not by the Almighty ( r. Hananel, see Ramban, Bemidbar 20: 8-13; Shalmey Nachum).

Connoisseurs of the hidden teaching point out: if Moshe himself had led the people into the Land of Israel, he would have built the Temple, which would never have been destroyed, but for this the entire people of Israel had to be at the level of the highest righteousness. And since that generation of the sons of Israel was not ready for the accession of the Messiah, it would continue to violate the will of Gd in the Holy Land just as in the desert. And then all the power of the anger of the Almighty would fall not on the Temple, which was not subject to destruction, but on the sinned people - until its complete destruction, God forbid. And therefore, the Almighty said to Moshe: “You will not introduce this community into the land that I give them” - “you will not enter”, because the spiritual level of the generation does not correspond to the highest holiness of this land ( Ohr Achaim, Bemidbar 20: 8, Devarim 1:37; Mihtav meEliyahu 2, p. 279-280).

At the same time, with his blows on the rock, Moshe delivered the sons of Israel from the complete destruction that threatened them in the future - after all, now history has developed completely differently: the people entered the Holy Land under the leadership of Yeoshua bin Nun, King Shlomo built the Temple, and when the cup of sins of the sons of Israel was overflowed, Gd “destroyed in His wrath the logs and stones (from which the Temple was built)” ( Shokher Tov 79), - and the people were sent into saving exile.

However, another possibility remained open: Moshe could act without any objective calculations, relying only on the mercy of the Most High. And if, taking into account only the merits of the sons of Israel, and not their vices and shortcomings, he limited himself to words addressed to the rock - perhaps the Most High approached the sins of the people of Israel only with His Measure of Mercy, and not with the Measure of Judgment, and the people Israel would be worthy to enter the Holy Land under the leadership of Moshe and settle there forever (Oel Yehoshua 2; Mihtav MeEliyahu 2, p. 280).

Completion of wanderings

On the night of the first ava 2487 years, Gd informed Moses about the imminent death of Aaron ( Yalkut Shimoni, Hukat 764).

At dawn, Moshe met his brother at the Tent of Revelation. In front of the entire community, he led Aaron to the top of Mount Hor, where he died ( Bemidbar 20:27).

All the people of Israel mourned Aaron ( Bemidbar 20: 28-29, Targum Yonatan).

A few months later, the Jewish people moved towards the borders of the Holy Land. 40 years of wandering in the desert were coming to an end.

Their path lay through the kingdom of Sichon, king of the Eoreans. But in response to a request to let them pass, Sikhon went out to meet the army. In the ensuing battle, the Jews won a victory, and, pursuing the enemy, captured their capital and all of their country - from the Arnon River to the Yabok River, where the borders of Og, king of Bashan ( Bemidbar 21: 21-26; Deuteronomy 2:18, 2: 26-36; Seder olam slave 9; Jagellibeynu).

Og stepped forward to meet them. Under the leadership of Moshe, the Jews defeated his army, and then took possession of his country ( Bemidbar 21: 33-35; Deuteronomy 3: 1-11; Jagellibeynu).

The tribes of Reuven and Gad turned to Moshe with a request to transfer them into possession of the lands of Sichon and Og - the eastern bank of the Jordan, rich in pastures. Moshe set a condition: if the tribes of Reuven and Gad go along with all the people to the conquest of Canaan on the other side of the river, then they will get to the eastern bank ( Bemidbar 32: 1-33).

The two tribes were joined by a part of the Menashe tribe, which also had many herds ( Ramban, Bemidbar 32:33).

Moshe divided the eastern bank between them, giving each of them a special allotment ( Bemidbar 32:33; Deuteronomy 3: 12-16; Yeshua 13: 15-32).

Moshe also singled out three cities of refuge on this bank, in which those who committed manslaughter were to hide ( Deuteronomy 4: 41-43).

Before the death of Moshe

First Shevat 2488 year Moshe gathered all the sons of Israel and began to prepare them to cross the Jordan.

At first, he reminded them of the entire journey traversed in forty years - from the Exodus from Egypt to this day ( Deuteronomy 1: 1-3: 29).

In his speech, Moshe gave the sons of Israel severe instructions, predicting what would happen to them in the distant future. Following this, Moshe repeated once again all the basic laws of the Torah ( ibid 4: 1-28-69). This training continued day after day for five weeks - until the sixth adar ( Seder olam slave 10; Seder adorot).

At the same time, from the beginning of the month Adar Moshe again persistently prayed to the Almighty to leave him alive and allow him to enter the country of Canaan ( Vayikra slave 11: 6). The reason for his passionate desire for the Holy Land was that many of the commandments can only be fulfilled there, and Moshe tried to fulfill all the commandments of the Torah ( Honeycomb 14a).

Finally, on the sixth adar, Gd said to Moses: “Behold, your days are drawing near to death. Call on Yeshua - stand in the Tent of Revelation, and I will give him commands ”( Deuteronomy 31:14; Seder olam slave 10; Seder adorot).

Moshe put Yeshua before all the people and admonished him as G-d had inspired him ( Bemidbar 27: 22-23; Deuteronomy 31: 7-8). Then Moshe enthroned his disciple to the throne, and while Yeshua spoke before the people, Moshe stood next to him ( Beit amidrash 1, 122; Otsar Ishey HaTanah, Moshe 48).

Saying goodbye to the tribes of Israel, Moshe gave them his blessings ( Deuteronomy 31: 1, 33: 1-25; Seder olam slave 10; Ibn Ezra, Devarim 31: 1).

For 40 years, Moshe wrote down the commandments and individual sections of the Torah on parchment sheets. According to legend, before his death, he sewed them into a single scroll ( Gitin 60a, Rashi).

In addition, he left behind eleven psalms written by him (Tehilim).

According to one version, Moshe also handed over to the people of Israel the book of Job written by him: in it he told the tragic story of the righteous Job, which began on the day when the waters of the Sea of \u200b\u200bReed were cut in front of the sons of Israel ( Bava batra 14b; see above in chap. 5 "Exodus").

Towards evening, the Creator ordered Moshe to climb Mount Nebo.

At the top of the mountain, the Creator showed him the whole land of Canaan: Moshe's prophetic vision overcame spatial limitations, and he was able to see the northern and southern borders of the country, as well as the distant Mediterranean Sea, which serves as the western border of the Holy Land ( Deuteronomy 34: 1-3; Sifri, Pinchas 135-136). Together with so Gd showed Moshe the future of the Jewish people: all its leaders from entering Canaan to the resurrection of the dead ( Sifri, Pinchas 139).

Moshe ben Amram was called to the Heavenly Yeshiva of the seventh adar 2488 years / 1272 BC BC / - on the same month and on the same day that was born ( Seder olam slave 10; Megila 13b; Tanhuma, Vaethanan 6; Seder adorot). He was exactly one hundred and twenty years old (and King David ( Sukkah 52b).

He was the first person to achieve absolute perfection, and the next will be the Mashiach ( Zohar 3, 260b; Otsar ishey atanakh s. 405).

Connoisseurs of the hidden teachings point out that the Messiah King, who will lead the people of Israel to final deliverance, will be the new incarnation of the soul of Moshe, because it is written: "As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show you miracles" ( Micah 7:15) - i.e. the final deliverance will largely repeat the events of the exodus from Egypt.

And others) - the leader and legislator of the Jewish people, a prophet and the first sacred writer of everyday life. He was born in Egypt in 1574 or 1576 BC and was the son of Amram and Jochebed. When Moses was born, his mother, Jochebed, for some time hid him from the general beating of Jewish male babies by order of Pharaoh; but when there was no longer an opportunity to hide it, she carried it out to the river and put it in a reed basket made of reeds and tarred with asphalt and tar near the bank of the Nile River, and Moses' sister watched in the distance what would happen to him. Pharaoh's daughter, c. Egyptian, went out to the river to wash and here she saw a basket, heard the crying of a child, took pity on him and decided to save his life. Thus, taken from the water, he, at the suggestion of Moses' sister, was given to the education of his mother. When the baby grew up, the mother introduced him to the daughter of Pharaoh, and he was her son's place, and being in the royal palace, he was taught all Egyptian wisdom (,). According to Flavius's testimony, he was even made commander of the Egyptian army against the Ethiopians who invaded Egypt to Memphis, and successfully defeated them (Old Book II, ch. 10). Despite, however, his advantageous position with Pharaoh, Moses, according to the word of the apostle, rather wanted to suffer with the people of God, than to have a temporary sinful pleasure and reproach of Christ, he considered more wealth for himself than the Egyptian treasures(). He was already 40 years old, and then one day it came to his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. Then he saw their hard work and how much the Jews suffered from the Egyptians. It happened once that he stood up for a Jew, who was beaten by an Egyptian and killed in the heat of battle, and there was no one except the offended Jew. The next day he saw two Jews quarreling among themselves and began to convince them, like brothers, to live in harmony. But the one who offended his neighbor pushed him away: who put you in charge and judge over us? he said. Would you like to kill me too, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday? (). Hearing this, Moses, fearing that a rumor of this might reach Pharaoh, fled to the land of Midian. In the house of the priest Jethro of Midian, he married his daughter Zipporah and spent 40 years here. Grazing his father-in-law's flock, he went with the flock far into the wilderness and came to the Mount of God Horeb (). He saw an extraordinary phenomenon here, namely: the thorn bush is all in flames, burns and does not burn. Approaching the bush, he heard the voice of the Lord from the middle of the bush, commanding him to take off his shoes from his feet, since the place on which he stood is holy ground. Moses hastily took off his shoes and covered his face in fear. Then he was given the command of God to go to Pharaoh to free the Israelites. Fearing his unworthiness and presenting various difficulties, Moses several times renounced this great embassy, \u200b\u200bbut the Lord reassured him with His presence and His help, revealed His name to him: I am (Jehovah) and as evidence of his power he turned the rod that was in the hands of Moses into a serpent, and turned the serpent into a rod again; then Moses, at the command of God, put his hand in his bosom, and the hand turned white with leprosy like snow; on a new command, he put his hand in his bosom again, took it out, and she was healthy. The Lord pointed out his brother, Aaron, to help Moses. Then Moses unquestioningly obeyed the calling of the Lord. Together with his brother Aaron, he appeared before the face of Pharaoh, c. Egyptian, and on behalf of Jehovah they asked him to release the Jews from Egypt for three days to offer sacrifices in the wilderness. Pharaoh, as the Lord predicted to Moses, refused them this. Then the Lord struck the Egyptians with terrible executions, of which the last was the beating by an angel in one night of all the firstborn of the Egyptians. This terrible execution finally broke the stubbornness of the Pharaoh. He allowed the Jews to go out of Egypt into the desert for three days to pray and take their livestock, both flocks and herds. And the Egyptians urged the people to quickly send them out of that land; for, they said, we will all die... The Jews, having celebrated Easter on the last night, at the command of God, left Egypt in the number of 600,000 men with all their belongings, and, despite all the haste, they did not forget to take with them the bones of Joseph and some other patriarchs, as bequeathed by Joseph. God Himself showed them where to direct their way: He walked before them in the daytime in a pillar of cloud, and at night in a pillar of fire, illuminating their way (). Pharaoh and the Egyptians soon repented that they had released the Jews, and set out with an army to overtake them, and now they were approaching their camp at the Red Sea. Then the Lord commanded Moses to take his rod and divide the sea so that the children of Israel could pass through the sea on dry land. Moses acted in accordance with the command of God, and the sea was divided, and a dry bottom was opened. The children of Israel went overland in the middle of the sea, so that the waters were a wall to them on the right and left sides. The Egyptians followed them into the middle of the sea, but, disconcerted by God, ran back. Then Moses, after the Israelites had already gone ashore, again stretched out his hand to the sea, and the waters returned again to their place and covered Pharaoh with all the army and his chariots and horsemen; not one of them remained to speak in Egypt about this terrible death. On the seashore Moses and all the people solemnly sang a song of thanksgiving to God: I sing to the Lord, for he has exalted himself on high, he has cast horse and rider into the sea,and Miriam and all the women, striking the tympans, sang: Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted (). Moses led the Jews to the Promised Land by the Arabian Desert. For three days they walked in the desert of Sur and did not find water, except for the bitter one (Marah). God delighted this water, commanding Moses to put the tree He had indicated in it. In the desert of Sin, due to the popular murmur of the lack of food and the demand for meat by them, God sent them many quails and from this time and for all the next forty years daily sent them manna from heaven. In Rephidim, due to the lack of water and the murmur of the people, Moses, at the command of God, drained water from the rock of Mount Horeb, striking it with his rod. Here the Amalekites made an attack on the Jews, but were defeated by the prayer of Moses, who throughout the battle prayed on the mountain, raising his hands to God (). In the third month after the exodus from Egypt, the Jews finally came to the foot of Mount Sinai and camped against the mountain. On the third day, at the command of God, the people were set up by Moses near the mountain, at some distance from it, with a strict prohibition not to approach it closer to a certain line. On the morning of the third day there were thunderclaps, lightning began to flash, a strong trumpet sound was heard, Mount Sinai was all smoking, because the Lord descended on it in fire and the smoke rose from it like smoke from a furnace. This is how the presence of God at Sinai was marked. And at that time, the Lord spoke out the ten commandments of the Law of God in the ears of all the people. Then Moses ascended the mountain, accepted laws from the Lord regarding church and civil improvement, and when he came down from the mountain, he told all this to the people and wrote everything in a book. Then, after sprinkling the blood of the people and reading the book of the Covenant, Moses again at the command of God ascended the mountain, and spent there forty days and forty nights, and received detailed instructions from God on the construction of the Tabernacle and the altar and on everything related to the divine service, in conclusion two stone tablets with the inscribed ten commandments (,,,). Upon his return from the mountain, Moses saw that the people, left to themselves, had fallen into the terrible crime of idolatry before the golden calf worshiped in Egypt. In the heat of indignation, he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them, and burned the golden calf in the fire and scattered the ashes over the water he gave to drink. In addition, at the command of Moses, three thousand men, the chief culprits of the crime, fell by the sword of the sons of Levi that day. After this, Moses hastened again to the mountain to beg the Lord to forgive the people for their iniquity and again stayed there forty days and forty nights, did not eat bread or drink water, and the Lord bowed down to mercy. Excited by this mercy, Moses had the audacity to ask God in the highest way to show him His glory. And once again he was ordered to climb the mountain with the tablets prepared, and again he spent 40 days there in fasting. At that time the Lord descended in a cloud and passed before him in His glory. Moses fell to the ground in awe. The reflection of the glory of God was reflected on his face, and when he came down from the mountain, the people could not look at him; why he wore a veil on his face, which he took off when he appeared before the Lord. Six months after this, the Tabernacle was built and consecrated with all its accessories with the sacred oil. Aaron and his sons were appointed to serve in the Tabernacle, and soon the entire tribe of Levi was separated to help them (,). Finally, on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, a cloud rose from the Tabernacle, and the Jews set out on a further journey, staying at Mount Sinai for about a year (). Their further wandering was accompanied by numerous temptations, murmurs, cowardice and the death of the people, but at the same time it represented an uninterrupted series of miracles and mercy of the Lord to His chosen people. So, for example, in the Paran desert people grumbled about the lack of meat and fish: now our soul is languishing; nothing, only manna in our eyesthey said with reproach to Moses. As a punishment for this, part of the camp was destroyed by fire sent from God. But this did little to enlighten the dissatisfied. Soon they began to neglect manna and demanded meat food for themselves. Then the Lord raised up strong wind, which brought quail in huge quantities from the sea. The people eagerly rushed to collect quails, collected them day and night and ate until they were full. But this whim and satiety were the cause of the death of many of them, and the place where many people perished from a terrible plague was called the coffins of lust, or whim. In the next camp, Moses experienced trouble from his own relatives, Aaron and Miriami, but God exalted him as his faithful servant in all His House (). Continuing on their way, the Jews approached the Promised Land and would soon have taken it, if it had not been prevented by their unbelief and cowardice. In the desert of Paran, in Kadesh, there was the most outrageous murmur, when from 12 spies sent to inspect the Promised Land, the Jews heard about the great power, the great growth of the inhabitants of that land and its fortified cities. With this indignation, they wanted to stone even Moses himself and Aaron with two of the spies and choose a new leader for their return to Egypt. Then the Lord condemned them for this 40-year wandering, so that all of them over 20 years had to die in the wilderness, except for Joshua and Caleb (). This was followed by a new indignation of Korah, Dathan and Abiron against Moses and Aaron himself, punished by the Lord with terrible executions, and the priesthood was again established for the house of Aaron (,). The Jews wandered in the desert for over thirty years and almost all those who left Egypt died. With the onset of the fortieth year after leaving Egypt, they appear in Kadesh, in the desert of Sin on the border of the land of Edom. Here, due to the lack of water, the people again grumbled at Moses and Aaron, who turned to the Lord in prayer. The Lord heeded the prayer and ordered Moses and Aaron to gather the community and, with a rod in their hands, command the rock to give water. Moses struck the rock with the rod twice, and a lot of water flowed out. But since in this case Moses, as if not trusting one of his words, struck with a rod and acted contrary to the will of God, for this he and Aaron were condemned to die outside the Promised Land (). In the further journey, Aaron died near Mount Hor, having previously passed on the high priesthood to his son, Eleazar (). At the end of the wandering, the people again began to feel faint-hearted and grumble. As a punishment for this, God sent on him poisonous snakes and when they repented, commanded Moses to erect a brazen serpent on a tree to heal them (,). Approaching the limits of the Amorites, the Jews struck Sigon, c. Ammoreian, and Oga, c. Bashan, and having occupied their lands, they set up their camp against Jericho. For adultery with the daughters of Moab and idolatry, in which the Jews were involved by the Moabites and the Midianites, 24,000 of them died, while others were hanged at the command of God. Finally, since Moses himself, like Aaron, was not deemed worthy to enter the Promised Land, he asked the Lord to show him a worthy successor, which is why a successor was indicated to him in the person of Joshua, on whom he laid hands before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community your (). Thus, Moses conveyed his title to him in front of all Israel, made an order for the possession and division of the Promised Land, repeated the laws given by God at different times to the people, inspiring them to keep them holy and touchingly reminding them about the many different benefits of God during their forty-year wandering. He wrote all his admonitions, the repeated law and his final orders in a book and gave it to the priests for keeping at the Ark of the Covenant, making it a duty to read it to the people every seventh year on the Feast of Tabernacles. For the last time, being called before the Tabernacle, together with his successor, he received a revelation from God about the future ingratitude of the people and conveyed this to him in an accusatory and edifying song. Finally, summoned to Mount Nebo to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, having seen from afar the Promised Land shown to him by the Lord, he died on the mountain 120 years old. His body was buried in the valley near Veffegor, but no one knows the place of his burial even to this day, says the everyday writer (). The people honored his death with thirty days of lamentation. The Holy Church commemorates the Prophet and God-Seer Moses on the 4th day of September. In the book. Deuteronomy, after his death, in a prophetic spirit, is spoken of about him (perhaps this is the word of the successor of Moses, Joshua): And Israel no longer had a prophet like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face (). St. Isaiah says that the people of God, centuries later, in the days of their calamities, with reverence before God remembered the times of Moses, when the Lord saved Israel with his hand ( ). The great name of Moses cannot lose its important and for all Christians, and for the entire enlightened world: he lives among us in his sacred books, he was the first Divinely inspired writer.