What year was Moses born? Moses: historical figure or fiction. In Hellenistic literature

The very existence of Moses is rather controversial. For many years, historians and biblical scholars have been discussing this topic. According to biblical scholars, Moses is the author of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles. 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 the duties of clergy, so they did not have the right to own their own lands.

Estimated period of life: XV-XIII centuries. BC e. At that time, the people of Israel were resettled to the territory of Egypt due to famine. But the fact is that for the Egyptians they were strangers. And soon the pharaohs decided that the Jews could become dangerous for them, because they would take the side of the enemy if someone decided 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.

Moses' mother 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 it go down the Nile River. The basket with the baby was noticed by the daughter of the pharaoh, who was swimming nearby. She immediately realized that this was a Jewish child, but spared him.

The sister of Moses Mariam watched everything that happened. She told the girl that she knew a woman who could become a nurse for the boy. Thus, Moses was fed by his own mother. Later, the daughter of the pharaoh adopted the child, and he began to live in the palace, 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 that his people were subjected to. Once he witnessed a terrible beating of an Israeli. He simply could not pass by - he snatched the whip from the warden's hands and beat him to death. And although the man believed that no one saw what happened, soon the 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 Zipporah and became a shepherd. Soon they had two sons - Girsam and Eliezer.

Every day a man was tending 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 that called him by name and ordered him to take off his shoes, as 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 that the Jews be made free, and in order for the people of Israel to believe him, God gave Moses the ability to work miracles.

At that time, another pharaoh ruled Egypt, not the one from which 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 let the Jews go to the promised lands. But the 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 to Egypt, the so-called biblical plagues.

First, the waters of the Nile became blood. Only for the Jews did it remain clean and drinkable. The Egyptians only managed to drink the water they bought from the Israelites. But the pharaoh considered this witchcraft, and not the punishment of God.

The second execution was the invasion of frogs. Amphibians were everywhere: on the streets, in houses, in beds, and in food. Pharaoh told Moses that he would believe that God sent this disaster 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 to the Egyptians. Insects climbed into the ears, eyes, nose and mouth. Here, the sorcerers began to assure the pharaoh that this was a punishment from God. But he was adamant.

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

Soon the cattle of the Egyptians began to die, while nothing happened to the Jews with animals. Of course, Pharaoh 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 ulcers 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 fiery hail on Egypt.

The eighth punishment of the Lord was the invasion of locusts, they ate all the greenery on their way, not a single blade of grass remained on the land of Egypt.

And soon a thick darkness descended on the country, not a single source of light dispelled this darkness. Therefore, the Egyptians had to navigate by touch. But the darkness grew 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 let his people go, but only if the Jews leave their cattle. The Prophet did not agree to this and promised that the tenth plague would be the most terrible.

In one night, all the first-born in Egyptian families died. So that punishment would not befall the Israeli babies, God ordered that each Jewish family slaughter a lamb, and the doorposts in the houses were smeared with its blood. After such a terrible disaster, Pharaoh released Moses and his people.

This event came to be referred to by the Hebrew word Pesach, which means "passing through." After all, the wrath of God "bypassed" all the houses. Pesach, or Passover, is the day the Israelites were delivered from Egyptian captivity. The slaughtered lamb was to be baked and eaten standing in the family circle. 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 before the Jews. They walked along the bottom, and so they managed to cross to the other side. But Pharaoh did not expect that the Jews would be given this path so easily, so he set off in pursuit. He also followed the bottom of the sea. But as soon as the people of Moses were on the shore, the water closed again, burying both the pharaoh and his army in the abyss.

After a three-month journey, people found themselves at the foot of Mount Sinai. Moses climbed to its top to receive guidance 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 Bull. He immediately returned to the top and for 40 days atoned for the sins of the Jewish people.

The Ten Commandments became the law of God 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 story of the life 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 the Ten Commandments from God. True, in Judaism, the name of Moses sounds differently - Moshe. Also, sometimes Jews call the prophet Moshe Rabbeinu, 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 in a pair with the prophet Elijah before Jesus on Mount Tabor during the Transfiguration. A Orthodox Church included the icon of Moses in the official Russian iconostasis and appointed September 17 as the day of memory 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 to a common man. And in Sinai, Allah sent down to Musa the holy scripture - Taurat. In the Quran, the name of the prophet is mentioned more than once, his story is given as a lesson and example.

Real facts

Moses is believed to be the author of the Pentateuch, the five volumes of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. For many years, until 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 contradicts the fact that he wrote the books himself. There are also many repetitions in the books - the same events are interpreted in different ways. Historians believe that, nevertheless, there were several authors of the Pentateuch, since different terminology is found in different parts.

Unfortunately, no material evidence of the existence of the prophet was found in Egypt. There were no mentions of Moses either in written sources or in archaeological finds.

For hundreds of years, his personality has become overgrown with legends and myths, there are constant disputes around the life of Moses and the Pentateuch, but so far no religion has abandoned the Ten Commandments of God, which the prophet once presented to his people.

Death

For forty years Moses led the people through the wilderness, and his life ended on 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 sleep that came to him, but death.

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

Moses' brother Aaron did not reach Palestine either; he died at the age of 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 "The Will and Death of Moses", Luca Signorelli and Bartolomeo della Gatta
1505 - Painting "The Trial 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 burning bush", Domenico Fetti
1659 - Painting "Moses Breaking the Tablets of the Covenant",
1791 - Fountain in Bern "Moses"

1842 - Painting "Moses lowered by his mother into the waters of the Nile", Alexei Tyranov
1862 - Painting "The Finding of Moses", Frederick Goodall
1863 - Painting "Moses pours water from the rock",
1891 - Painting "Jews Crossing the Red Sea",
1939 - The book "Moses and monotheism",
1956 - Film "The Ten Commandments", Cecile DeMille
1998 - Cartoon "Prince of Egypt", Brenda Chapman
2014 - Film "Exodus: Kings and Gods",

28.04.2015

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

Biography of the saint

Based on the Biblical narratives, Moses was born in Egypt, at a time when the Jews were in slavery to the Egyptians. His family belonged to the descendants of Levi's brother Joseph, who became famous for his deeds for the good 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 a deliverer to the Jews who would lead them out of slavery. The times when the conquerors actively patronized the Jews have passed. Their descendants no longer remembered the merits of the Jews and had their own opinion about their living in Egypt. As a result of the hostile attitude of the Egyptians towards the people of Israel, the order to kill Jewish male infants did not cause much indignation.

At this time, the future prophet was born. His parents managed to hide his birth. But this only lasted for three months. There was no way to hide the child further, 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 nurse.

How many years he lived with her is not known, but the scriptures state that it helped him remember to which lineage he belonged. At a certain age, Moses was returned to the daughter of Pharaoh, with 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. The result of a loyal attitude towards the Jews, their protection and patronage was the indignation of the pharaoh. As a result, Moses fled from 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, an 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 cattle, the prophet was instructed by God to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. The result was forty years of wandering of the Jews in the desert. He died without ever reaching the Promised Land.

How the Bible characterizes Moses

In the Pentateuch, the prophet is represented as a leader who is obsessed with the calling assigned to him. Against his own will, he is devoted to his mission and strictly 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 disparate people, and bringing the descendants of the Jews to the country of their ancestors.

The Biblical image of Moses is characterized by doubts and hesitations. He does not have any power, but his spiritual power makes him a leader that thousands of people have followed. In the process of constant alternation of successes and failures, 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 serve the future. The descendants of the slaves who left Egypt are brought up on the canons of the new faith, which is fundamentally different from the existing religions.

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 a teacher of the Israeli people and call him Moshe Rabbeinu.
Orthodox and Catholics regard Moses as the great prophet of Israel, through whom the Old Testament was given 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

The real existence of this prophet has always been debated. Ancient Egyptian sources and archaeological finds do not confirm the presence of this person in early history 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 still, scientists suggest that before the personality of Moses appeared in the Biblical commandments, there were oral traditions about a certain person, which over the course of many centuries were modified, distorted, supplemented by some facts. It has not yet been possible to establish the time of its 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 concrete.

Most historians - religious scholars agree that this happened in the region of the 16th-12th 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 a lot of attention to names.

Those stories that describe the atmosphere of the life of Moses give reason to attribute events to the era of the New Kingdom. Some scholars argue that in the Exodus one can see the religious trends that existed in this area in the 14th century BC.

Conclusion

The Bible presents the prophet Moses as a great servant of God who led the Jews out of slavery, taught them and instructed them. None of the heroes of this book is given as much attention as Saint Moses. In the stories of the Pentateuch, this is the only mediator between God and people. His personality is controversial, for hundreds of years it has acquired 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 Egyptian origin, and possibly translates 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, Nicholas of 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 history, in addition to a literal reading, also implies a special understanding and interpretation, for 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 from hunger.

Nevertheless, the Israelites remained strangers among the Egyptians. And after some time, after the change of the dynasty of the pharaohs, the local rulers began to suspect a hidden danger in the presence of the Israelis in the country. Moreover, the people of Israel have grown not only in numbers, but also in their specific gravity in the life of Egypt constantly increased. And then the moment came when the fears and fears of the Egyptians regarding the aliens grew into actions corresponding to such an understanding.

The pharaohs began to oppress the people of Israel, dooming them to hard labor in quarries, building pyramids and cities. One of the Egyptian rulers issued a cruel decree: to kill all male babies born in Jewish families in order to wipe out the tribe of Abraham.

All this created world belongs to God. But after the fall, man began to live by his own mind, his feelings, moving further and further away from God, replacing Him with various idols. But God chooses one of all the peoples of the earth in order to show by his example how the relationship between God and man develops. After all, it was the Israelites who had to keep faith in the one God and prepare themselves and the world for the coming of the Savior.

Rescued from the water

Once a boy was born in a Jewish family of the descendants of Levi (one of Joseph's brothers), and his mother hid him for a long time, fearing that the baby would be killed. But when it became impossible to hide it further, she wove a basket of reeds, pitched it, put her baby in it, and let the basket float on the waters of the Nile.

Not far from that place, the daughter of the pharaoh was bathing. Seeing the basket, she ordered to fish it out of the water and, opening it, found a baby in it. The daughter of Pharaoh took this baby to her and began to raise him, giving him the name Moses, which 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 respects human freedom too much to prevent man from doing evil. Could He make Jewish babies unsinkable? Could. But then the pharaoh would have ordered them to be executed in a different way... No, God acts more subtly and better: he can even turn evil into good. If Moses had not gone on his voyage, he would have remained an obscure 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, delivering 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 nurse, because the sister of Moses, seeing that the Egyptian princess had taken him out of the water in a basket, offered the princess services to care for the child his mother.

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

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

Voice from the thorn bush

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

And, then, for the first time, God revealed his name, saying that his name is Yahweh (“Existing”, “He Who Is”). God also said that in order to convince unbelievers, He gave Moses the ability to perform miracles. Immediately, by His order, Moses threw his rod (shepherd's stick) on the ground - and suddenly this rod turned into a snake. Moses caught the snake by the tail - and again a stick was in his hand.

Moses returns to Egypt and appears before Pharaoh, asking him to let the people go. But the pharaoh does not agree, because he does not want to lose his numerous slaves. And then God brings plagues on Egypt. The country is plunged 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 was able to frighten the 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 babies of Israel, who were supposed to leave Egypt, would not perish, God commanded that in every Jewish family a lamb should be slaughtered and the jambs and beams of the doors in the houses should be marked with its blood.

The Bible tells how the angel of God, repaying vengeance, passed through the cities and villages of Egypt, bringing death to the firstborn in dwellings, the walls of which were not sprinkled with the blood of lambs. This Egyptian plague so shocked Pharaoh that he let the people of Israel go.

This event began to be called the Hebrew word "Pesach", which means "passage", for the wrath of God bypassed the marked houses. The Jewish Pesach, or Passover, is the celebration of the deliverance of Israel from Egyptian captivity.

God's Covenant with Moses

The historical experience of peoples has shown that internal law alone 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 external law to the inner law, which we call positive, or revealed.

At the foot of Sinai, Moses revealed to the people that God freed Israel for this purpose and brought them out of the land of Egypt in order to conclude an eternal alliance, or Covenant, with them. 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, then you will be my inheritance among all peoples, for all the earth is mine, and you will be with me a kingdom of priests and a holy people.” (Ex. 19:5-6)

This is how the people of God are born.

From the seed of Abraham come the first sprouts of the Old Testament Church, which is the progenitor of the Universal Church. From now on, the history of religion will no longer be only the history of anguish, languor, search, but it will become the history of the Testament, i.e. union between Creator and man

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

Terrible phenomena accompanied the phenomenon in Sinai: clouds, smoke, lightning, thunder, flames, earthquakes, trumpets. This fellowship lasted forty days, and God handed over to 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 your face, so that you do not sin. (Ex. 19, 22)
And God spoke (to Moses) all these words, saying:

I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
You shall not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in heaven above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth; do not worship them and do not serve them, for I am the Lord your God. God is jealous, punishing the children for the guilt of the fathers to the third and fourth generation, who hate me, and showing mercy to a thousand generations to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
Do not pronounce the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who pronounces His name in vain.
Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; work for six days and do (in them) all your works, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God: do not do any work on it, neither you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your servant, nor your maidservant, nor (ox yours, not your donkey, not any) your livestock, nor the stranger that is in your dwellings; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
Honor your father and your mother (that you may be well and) that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
Dont kill.
Don't commit adultery.
Don't steal.
Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Do not covet your neighbor's house; Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, (neither his field), nor his servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, (nor any of his cattle), anything that is with your neighbor. (Ex. 20, 1-17).

The law that was given to ancient Israel by God had several purposes. Firstly, he asserted public order and justice. Secondly, he singled out the Jewish people as a special religious community professing monotheism. Third, 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 for the adoption of 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 had committed. By nature, Moses was impatient and prone to anger, but through divine training he became so humble that he became "the meekest of all people on earth" (Numbers 12:3).

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

And the Lord said to Moses:

“This is the land that 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 Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.” (Deut. 34:1–5). The vision of the 120-year-old Moses "was not dulled, and the strength in him 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 Scripture (Deut. 34:6).
Alexander A.Sokolovsky

Moshe (in Russian, Moses) is the leader of the Jewish people who led them out of Egyptian slavery.

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

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

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

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

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

Birth and childhood in the palace

On 15 Iyar, the stocks of bread taken from Egypt ran out ( Shabbat 87b, Rashi; Seder olam Rabbah 5; Rashi Shemot 16:1). The people murmured, rebuking Moses and Aaron. But already at dawn on the 16th of Iyar, manna (manna from heaven) fell on the camp. From then on, mana fell out every morning until Moshe's death.

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

On the 28th of Iyar, the army of the Amalekites attacked the camp. Moses appointed Yehoshua bin Nun of the tribe of Ephraim as commander, and he himself went up to the hill and prayed there with his hands uplifted to heaven.

The giving of the Torah

The children of Israel came to Mount Horev, which is also Mount Sinai.

Earlier, on the same mountain, Moses saw a burning bush and for the first time was rewarded with a prophecy.

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

Moshe went up the mountain to receive the Torah there and stayed there for forty days.

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

But besides him, the Almighty revealed himself to all the people of Israel - 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 his honor.

Forty days later, Moses descended from Mount Sinai on fire, carrying in his hand the stone Tablets of the Covenant with the 10 Commandments inscribed on them.

Sin and redemption

Aaron and the elders who went out to meet Moses 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 the legal system.

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

He also conveyed the command of G-d to build the Mishkan - a portable Tent of Revelation, so that 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 serving in the portable Temple, including the altar, the Mentor and the robes for the kohanim.

By the will of G-d, Moses appointed Aaron and his sons as priests, and the tribe of Levi as the servants of the Tabernacle ( Shemot 28:1-43; Shemot of a servant 37:1).

1 Nissan 2449 of the year Shekinah found a permanent home on earth in the Holy of Holies Tabernacle of Revelation.

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

As the midrash says, because of the sins of the first generations Shekinah moved away from the earth to the seventh level of Heaven. Our forefathers Abraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov managed to “return” her from the seventh level to the fourth, Levi to the third, Keat to the second, Amram to the first, and Moshe built a permanent abode for the Shekinah - the Tent of Revelation ( Genesis servant 19:7; Bemidbar Raba 13:2).

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

After some time, the camp of the Jews set off from the place on the road - to the Land of Israel.

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

G-d commanded that 70 elders be chosen to help Moshe ( 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 Joshua will lead the people into the land" ( Sanhedrin 17a; Rashi, Bemidbar 11:28).

Moshe's disciple Yehoshua bin Nun asked: "My lord, Moshe, stop them!" But Moshe replied: “Are you jealous for me?! May all the people become prophets, so that G-d 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 we should take and the cities we should enter" ( Devarim 1:20-22).

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

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

The people began to weep, saying: “It would be better if we died in Egypt or in this desert! Why is G-d leading us to this country?…” and “Let us appoint a new leader and return to Egypt!” It happened on the night of the 9th of Av - the date on which many sad events took place in the subsequent history of the Jews.

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

Korach, one of the leaders of the Levites, revolted against Moses and Aaron. Korach and his accomplices accused Moshe and Aaron of usurping power, and that Moshe distributes all the most important appointments as he sees fit.

The Torah says that “the earth opened up” under the feet of the leaders of the rebels and swallowed them up, “and fire came out from G-d 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 of deliberately contributing to the death of 250 leaders of the community.

Then a destructive plague began among the people. And Moshe ordered Aaron to burn incense, "to atone for them, for the wrath of God is poured out" ( Bemidbar 17:9-11). As Scripture says, Aaron "stands between the dead and the living" - and the pestilence ceased (Bamidbar 17:12-13).

Test with staff and rock

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

The Midrash says that it was Miriam's merit that every campsite of the children of Israel had a source of water. Miriam left - “left” and the source.

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

Gd told Moshe to take a staff and turn to the rock to extract water from it for the children of Israel with a word.

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

And then the Almighty said to Moses and Aaron: “Because you did not believe Me and did not sanctify Me before the eyes 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, they were punished because Moshe did not limit himself to words, but struck the rock. Indeed, if they turned to the rock, and water poured out, then the Name of the Most High would be consecrated in front of the whole people, and people would begin to say: “If the rock, devoid of hearing and speech, fulfills the command of G-d, so we the more it should be done!” ( Midrash Haggadah 67; Rashi, Bemidbar 20:11-12). And the staff should not have been taken to strike the rock with it, but to remind the children of Israel of past rebellions, as well as of the miracles that were performed for them ( Rashbam, Bemidbar 20:8).

According to another explanation, Moses and Aaron were punished for saying, “Will we draw water for you from this rock?!” - but it should have been said: "... God will draw 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; Shalmei Nahum).

Connoisseurs of the secret teaching point out: if Moses 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 Moshiach, they would continue to violate the will of G-d in the Holy Land, just as they did in the wilderness. And then the entire force of the wrath of the Almighty would have fallen not on the Temple, which was not subject to destruction, but on the sinning people - until its complete extermination, God forbid. And so the Almighty said to Moshe: “You will not bring 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 hachaim, Bemidbar 20:8, Devarim 1:37; Mihtav meEliyahu 2, p. 279-280).

At the same time, with his blows on the rock, Moshe saved the sons of Israel from the complete extermination threatening them in the future - because now the story has turned out completely differently: the people entered the Holy Land under the leadership of Joshua bin Nun, the Temple was built by King Shlomo, and when the cup of sins of the sons of Israel overflowed, G-d "destroyed in His wrath the logs and stones (of which the Temple was built)" ( Shokher tov 79), - and the people were sent into saving exile.

However, another possibility remained open: Moshe could have acted without any objective calculations, relying only on the mercy of the Almighty. And if he, taking into account only the merits of the sons of Israel, and not their vices and shortcomings, limited himself to words addressed to the rock - perhaps the Almighty 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 have been honored 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 Av 2487 year G-d informed Moshe of the imminent death of Aaron ( Yalkut Shimoni, Khukat 764).

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

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

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 Sihon, king of the Amorites. But in response to a request to let them pass, Sihon went out to meet the army. In the ensuing battle, the Jews won, and, pursuing the enemy, captured their capital and their entire country - from the Arnon River to the Yabok River, where the lines of Og, King of Bashan, began ( Bemidbar 21:21-26; Devarim 2:18, 2:26-36; Seder olam Rabbah 9; Yagellibeynu).

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; Devarim 3:1-11; Yagellibeynu).

The tribes of Reuben and Gad turned to Moshe with a request to give them possession of the lands of Sihon and Og - east bank of the Jordan, rich in pastures. Moshe set a condition: if the tribes of Reuven and Gad go together with all the people to conquer 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 part of the tribe of Menashe, which also had many herds ( Ramban, Bemidbar 32:33).

Moshe divided the east coast between them, assigning each of them a special allotment ( Bemidbar 32:33; Devarim 3:12-16; Yehoshua 13:15-32).

Moshe also singled out three cities of refuge on this shore, in which the perpetrators of manslaughter were supposed to hide ( Devarim 4:41-43).

Before Moshe's death

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

At first, he reminded them of the entire path traveled in forty years - from the exodus from Egypt to this day ( Devarim 1:1-3:29).

In his speech, Moshe gave the children of Israel harsh 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 Rabbah 10; Seder adorot).

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

Finally, on the sixth of Adar, G-d said to Moses: “Behold, your days have drawn near to death. Call on Yehoshua - stand in the Tent of Revelation, and I will give him orders" ( Deuteronomy 31:14; Seder olam Rabbah 10; Seder adorot).

Moshe put Yehoshua before all the people and admonished him as God inspired him ( Bemidbar 27:22-23; Devarim 31:7-8). Moses then placed his disciple on the throne, and as Yehoshua spoke to the people, Moses stood by his side ( Beit Amidrash 1, 122; Otzar Ishey HaTanakh, Moshe 48).

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

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

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

According to one version, Moshe also handed over to the people of Israel the book he wrote Job: in it he outlined the tragic story of the righteous Job, which began on the day when the waters of the Reed Sea split before the sons of Israel ( Bava batra 14b; see above in ch. 5 Exodus).

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

On 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 the G-d showed Moses 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 on the seventh of Adar 2488 year / 1272 BC. e. / - in the same month and on the same day that he was born ( Seder olam Rabbah 10; Megillah 13b; Tankhuma, Vaetkhanan 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 Mashiach ( Zohar 3, 260b; Otsar Ishey aTanakh p. 405).

Connoisseurs of the secret teaching point out that the Mashiach King, who will lead the people of Israel to final deliverance, will be a 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 last deliverance will largely repeat the events of the Exodus from Egypt.

etc.) - the leader and legislator of the Jewish people, the 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, hid him for some time from the general beating on the orders of the Pharaoh of Jewish male babies; but when it was no longer possible to hide it, she carried him to the river and put him in a basket of reeds and tarred with asphalt and pitch on the banks of the Nile River in a reed, and the sister of Moses watched from afar what would happen to him. Pharaoh's daughter, c. Egyptian, went out to the river to wash and there she saw a basket, heard the cry 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 over to be raised by his mother. When the baby grew up, the mother introduced him to the daughter of Pharaoh, and he was with her instead of her son, and being in the royal palace, he was taught all the Egyptian wisdom (,). According to Flavius, he was even made in command of the Egyptian army against the Ethiopians who invaded Egypt as far as Memphis, and successfully defeated them (Ancient book II, ch. 10). Despite, however, his advantageous position under Pharaoh, Moses, according to the word of the apostle, he preferred to suffer with the people of God, rather than to have temporary sinful pleasure and the reproach of Christ, he considered greater wealth for himself than the Egyptian treasures(). He was already 40 years old, and 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 suffer from the Egyptians. It happened one day that he stood up for a Jew who was beaten by an Egyptian and in the heat of the fight killed him, and there was no one except the offended Jew. The next day, he saw two Jews quarreling among themselves and began to convince them, as brothers, to live in harmony. But the one who offended his neighbor pushed him away: who made you the chief and judge over us? he said. Don't you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?(). When Moses heard this, fearing that Pharaoh might hear about it, he fled to the land of Midian. In the house of the Midian priest Jethro, he entered into marriage with his daughter Zipporah and spent 40 years there. Grazing the flock of his father-in-law, he went with the flock far into the desert and came to the mountain of God Horeb (). He saw an unusual phenomenon here, namely: a thorn bush all in flames, burning and not burning. 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 was holy ground. Moses hurriedly took off his shoes and covered his face in fear. Then he was given the command of God to go to Pharaoh for the release of the Israelites. Fearing his unworthiness and presenting various difficulties, Moses denied this great embassy several times, but the Lord encouraged him with His presence and His help, revealed His name to him: Jehovah (Jehovah) and as a testament to his power, he turned the rod that was in the hands of Moses into a serpent, and again turned the serpent into a rod; then Moses, at the command of God, put his hand into his bosom, and his hand turned as white as snow from leprosy; according to a new command, he again put his hand in his bosom, took it out, and she was healthy. As an assistant to Moses, the Lord indicated his brother, Aaron. Then Moses unquestioningly obeyed the call of the Lord. Together with his brother Aaron, he appeared before the face of the 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 foretold Moses, denied them this. Then the Lord struck the Egyptians with terrible plagues, of which the last was the beating by an angel in one night of all the firstborn of Egypt. 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 small and large. And the Egyptians urged the people to send them out of that land as soon as possible; for, they said, we will all die. The Jews, having celebrated Easter on the last night, at the command of God, left Egypt among 600,000 men with all their property, and, despite all the haste, they did not forget to take with them the bones of Joseph and some other patriarchs, as Joseph had bequeathed. God Himself showed them where to direct their path: He walked before them by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire, illuminating their path (). Pharaoh and the Egyptians soon repented that they had let the Jews go, and set off with an army to catch up with 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 middle of the sea on dry land. Moses acted according to the command of God, and the sea parted and the dry bottom was revealed. The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on dry land, so that the waters were a wall to them on their right and left sides. The Egyptians followed them into the middle of the sea, but, dismayed by God, they rushed back. Then Moses, after the Israelites had already reached the shore, again stretched out his hand over the sea, and the waters returned again to their place and covered Pharaoh with all the army and his chariots and horsemen; not a single 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 will sing to the Lord, for He has exalted himself highly, He has cast horse and rider into the sea, and Miriam and all the women, striking their tambourines, sang: Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted (). Moses led the Jews to the Promised Land of the Arabian Desert. For three days they went through the wilderness of Shur and found no water but bitter water (Merah). God sweetened this water by commanding Moses to put the tree He had indicated into it. In the wilderness of Sin, as a result of the people's murmuring about the lack of food and their demand for meat food, God sent them many quails, and from now on and for all the next forty years daily sent them manna from heaven. In Rephidim, due to the lack of water and the murmuring of the people, Moses, at the command of God, brought water out of the rock of Mount Horeb, striking it with his rod. Here the Amalekites made an attack on the Jews, but were defeated at the prayer of Moses, who, during the entire duration of 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 encamped against the mountain. On the third day, at the command of God, the people were placed by Moses near the mountain, at some distance from it, with a strict prohibition not to approach it closer than a certain line. On the morning of the third day, thunderclaps were heard, 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 ascended from it like smoke from a furnace. Thus was the presence of God at Sinai marked. And at that time the Lord spoke the Ten Commandments of the Law of God in the ears of all the people. Then Moses went up the mountain, received 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 people with blood and reading the book of the Testament, Moses again, at the command of God, ascended the mountain, and spent forty days and forty nights there, and received detailed instructions from God about the construction of the Tabernacle and the altar and about everything related to worship, in conclusion, two stone tablets with the ten commandments inscribed on them (, , , ). Upon returning from the mountain, Moses saw that the people, left to their own devices, had fallen into the terrible crime of idolatry before the golden calf, idolized in Egypt. In the heat of indignation, he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them, and burned the golden calf on fire and scattered the ashes on the water, which he gave to drink. In addition, according to the command of Moses, three thousand people, the main perpetrators of the crime, fell on that day from the sword of the sons of Levi. After this, Moses hastened again to the mountain to beg the Lord to forgive the people of their iniquity, and again stayed there for forty days and forty nights, did not eat bread and did not drink water, and the Lord bowed to mercy. Excited by this mercy, Moses had the boldness to ask God in the highest way to show him His glory. And once again he was ordered to ascend the mountain with the tablets prepared, and he again spent 40 days fasting there. At this time, the Lord descended in a cloud and passed before him with 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 over 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 sacred oil. Aaron and his sons were appointed to serve in the Tabernacle, and soon the whole 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 moved on their way, staying at Mount Sinai for about a year (). Their further wandering was accompanied by numerous temptations, grumbling, 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 Faran desert, people grumbled about the lack of meat and fish: now our soul is languishing; there is nothing but manna in our eyes they said rebuking 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 the manna and demanded flesh food. Then the Lord raised strong wind, which brought from the sea quails in huge numbers. The people eagerly rushed to collect quails, gathered them day and night and ate until satiety. But this whim and satiety caused the death of many of them, and the place where many people died from a terrible plague was called the coffins of lust, or whim. In the next camp, Moses experienced trouble from his relatives themselves, Aaron and Miriam, but God exalted him as his faithful servant in all His House (). Continuing further on their way, the Jews approached the Promised Land and could soon take possession of it, if their unbelief and cowardice had not prevented it. In the desert of Paran, in Kadesh, there was the most outrageous murmuring, 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 themselves to return to Egypt. Then the Lord condemned them for this for 40 years of 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 Aviron against Moses himself and Aaron, punished by the Lord with terrible executions, and the priesthood was again established behind the house of Aaron (,). For more than thirty years the Jews wandered in the desert, and almost all who came out of Egypt died. When the fortieth year comes, after leaving Egypt, they come to Kadesh, in the wilderness of Sin, on the border of the land of Edom. Here, due to the lack of water, the people again grumbled against Moses and Aaron, who turned to the Lord with a prayer. The Lord heeded the prayer and ordered Moses and Aaron to gather the company and, with a rod in their hands, order the rock to give water. Moses struck the rock twice with his rod, and much water flowed out. But since in this case Moses, as if not trusting his one word, struck with a rod, acted contrary to the will of God, for this he and Aaron were condemned to die outside the Promised Land (). On the further journey, Aaron died near Mount Hor, having previously transferred the high priesthood to his son, Eleazar (). At the end of the wandering, the people again became cowardly and grumbled. As a punishment for this, God sent him poisonous snakes and when they repented, he commanded Moses to erect a copper serpent on a tree for their healing (,). Approaching the borders of the Amorites, the Jews struck down Sihon, c. Amorite, and Og, c. of Bashan, and having occupied their lands, they pitched their camp against Jericho. For fornication with the daughters of Moab and idolatry, in which the Jews were involved by the Moabites and Midianites, 24,000 of them died, and others were hanged at the command of God. Finally, since Moses himself, like Aaron, was not honored to enter the Promised Land, he asked the Lord to show him a worthy successor, which is why he was indicated a successor in the person of Joshua, on whom he laid his hands before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community. own (). Thus, Moses gave him his title before 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, instructing them to keep them holy and touchingly reminding them of the many different blessings of God during their forty years of wandering. He wrote all his exhortations, the repeated law and his final orders in a book and gave it to the priests for storage at the Ark of the Covenant, making it a duty to read it to the people every seventh year on the Feast of Tabernacles. 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 it to him in a accusatory and edifying song. Finally, called 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 a valley near Veffegor, but no one knows the place of his burial even to this day, says the 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 book. Deuteronomy, after his death, in a prophetic spirit it is said about him (maybe this is the word of the successor of Moses, Joshua): And there was no longer a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face (). St. Isaiah says that, centuries later, in the days of their tribulations, the people of God remembered with reverence before God the times of Moses, when the Lord saved Israel by 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 God-inspired writer.