Sources:
Gedulat Moshe in Beit ha-Midrash 2:10-20.
500. THE DIVINE RADIANCE
So Moses came down from Mount Sinai. And as Moses came down from the mountain bearing the two tablets of the Pact, Moses was not aware that the skin of his face was radiant, since he had spoken with God. Aaron and all the Israelites saw that the skin of Moses’ face was radiant; and they shrank from coming near him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the chieftains in the assembly returned to him, and Moses spoke to them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he instructed them concerning all that the Lord had imparted to him on Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face.
Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with Him, he would leave the veil off until he came out; and when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see how radiant the skin of Moses’ face was. Moses would then put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with Him.
After his encounter with God at Mount Sinai, the skin of Moses’ face was radiant. This aura surrounding his face was so bright it frightened Aaron and all the chieftains, leading Moses to put on a veil, which Moses wore except when he spoke with God. Such auras are a common result of mystical experience. See, for example, “A Vision at the Wailing Wall,” p. 63.
Sources:
Exodus 34:29-35
501. THE LIGHT THAT SHONE FROM MOSES’ FACE
When Moses descended Mount Sinai after forty days and nights, his body was bathed with invisible light, and an aura shone from his face that surpassed the splendor of the sun. Those who saw him were filled with awe, for his appearance was far more beautiful than when he had gone up. So bright was the dazzling light that flashed from his face, that all the righteous among the children of Israel were burned when they observed it.
Some say that radiance clung to Moses after he spoke with God face to face, as it is said, The skin of his face was radiant, since he had spoken with Him (Exod. 34:29). Others say that the radiance shone forth from the cave where God put His Hand on his face, as it is said, “And I will shield you with My Hand” (Exod. 33:22). Still others say that light was the light of the first day, which God restored to Moses upon Mount Sinai, and which Moses drew upon for the rest of his life.
Then there are those who explain that for forty days and forty nights, Moses dipped his pen in black fire and wrote down all that the Lord commanded him to write. And when he finished writing, he saw that a drop of fire was still left upon the pen. And Moses took the pen and passed it over the hair of his head, and the skin of his face shone with radiance. That is why the children of Israel were unable to approach him until he put a veil over his face.
When Aaron and the others saw the light shining from the face of Moses, they were afraid to come near him, for that light was a reflection of the divine radiance. Nor did that light go away. Indeed, Moses became a permanent source of light. And after that he wore a veil on his face at all times, except when he met with God or taught the Torah.
Biblical commentators seek out the source of the divine radiance that shone from the face of Moses, as recounted in Exodus 34:29-35. See “Divine Radiance,” p. 389. Rashi proposes that it was caused by God covering the face of Moses with His Hand. This interpretation, also found in Midrash Tanhuma, refers to Exodus 33:22-23: When My glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with My Hand until I pass by. Then I will take away My Hand.
Ibn Ezra notes that the light that shone from the face of Moses shone like the light of the firmament. Rabbi Hayim ben Attar, author of Or ha-Hayim, asserts that the light continued to shine, so that Moses became a permanent source of light, and had to wear a veil. The fact that this veil was only lifted for the people when Moses taught Torah suggests that while teaching Torah, he revealed the unveiled truth. This also suggests that whoever studies Torah comes face to face with the divine radiance.
What was the source of the divine radiance? It may be an intrinsic quality of the light that shines from God. The Zohar identifies it as the light of the first day of creation, which is said to exist in the World to Come. See “The Light of the First Day,” p. 83. The Zohar also states that this light shone from the face of Moses during the first three months after his birth, but the light was withdrawn when the infant Moses was taken to Pharaoh’s palace, and was returned to him only when he stood on Mount Sinai.
One strange explanation for the rays of light that shone from Moses is found in Exodus Rabbah 47:6, where Rabbi Yehudah bar Nachman suggests that after Moses had finished writing down the Torah there was a little ink left over on the quill. Moses touched his forehead while holding the quill, and the ink that spilled on to his forehead turned into rays of light. The word keren, for “ray” is the same as the word for “horn,” and this led to the understanding of the text—originally midrashic, taken up by Jerome in his Latin translation of the Bible—on which Michelangelo based giving Moses horns in his famous statue.
The divine radiance is also linked to Noah. It was said to shine from the face of Noah since the time of his birth.
Sources:
Exodus Rabbah 47:6; Midrash Tanhuma, Ki Tissa 20; Septuagint to Exodus 34:29; Philo, Vita Mosis 2:70; Pseudo-Philo, Liber Antiquitatum Biblicarum 12:1; Targum Onkelos on Exodus 34:29; Targum Neophyti on Exodus 34:29; Ibn Ezra on Exodus 34:29; Pesikta Rabbati 10:6; Or ha-Hayim on Exodus 34:29; Yalkut Shim’oni; Zohar 1:31b-32a; Joseph Heinemann in Sifrut 4(1973), pp. 363-365 (on the horns of Moses).
502. THE SOULS OF THE PATRIARCHS
The souls of the fathers of the world, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the rest of the righteous, were raised from their graves and ascended into Paradise. They prayed before God, saying, “Master of the Universe, how long will You sit upon Your throne like a mourner, with Your right hand behind You, and not redeem Your sons and daughters and reveal Your kingdom in the world? How long will You have no pity upon Your children, who are made slaves among the nations of the world? Have You no pity?”
Then God answered each and every one of them, saying, “Since these wicked ones have sinned and transgressed, how can I deliver them from among the nations of the world and reveal My kingdom?”
Hearing this, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob began to weep. Then God said to them, “Abraham, My beloved, Isaac My elect, Jacob, My firstborn, how can I save them at this time?”
Then Michael, the Prince of Israel, cried out with a loud, tormented voice and said, “Why do You stand far off, O Lord?”
This is one of several mythic accounts of the patriarchs attempting to intercede with God to show mercy for the people of Israel, who are suffering in exile, and to hasten the End of Days. Here God, while highly respectful to the patriarchs, essentially refuses their plea. This provokes Michael, the angelic protector of Israel, into a loud protest and lament at God’s failure to act. For other examples of the patriarchs interceding for the sake of Israel, see “The Pleading of the Fathers” p. 515, and “The Patriarchs Weep over the Destruction of the Temple,” p. 427.
Sources:
3 Enoch 44; Pirkei de-Rabbi Eliezer 44.
503. THE PILLAR OF CLOUD
During forty years of wandering, the Israelites were led by a pillar of cloud during the day and by a pillar of fire at night. Moses looked to the pillar of fire to guide them on their journey. When Moses saw the pillar of cloud rise above the Tabernacle, he stood and cried out to the people, and when they heard this they made ready to journey. They gathered together their vessels and precious things and put them upon their cattle. And anyone who had no beast to carry his burden put all his precious things upon the cloud that went before the camp. And they blew the trumpets, and the tribe of Judah journeyed first. Then the pillar of cloud guided them as they journeyed to the Holy Land.
Many centuries later, as Rabbi Moshe Cordovero lay on his deathbed, his disciples begged him to reveal his successor. But the Ramak, as the rabbi was kno
wn, refused to do so. Instead he told them to watch for a sign: whoever saw a pillar of cloud at his funeral would be the one they should follow. This greatly confused the disciples, and when the Ramak died, all of Safed was filled with mourning.
As the funeral procession reached the graveyard, a young disciple named Rabbi Isaac Luria, approached Rabbi Joseph Karo, and said: “Ever since we left the synagogue, there has been a pillar of cloud going before us.” He pointed to it, but it was invisible to all the others. And when he entered into it, he vanished from their sight. For a long moment everyone stood in disbelief. Then Rabbi Isaac stepped out of the cloud, which only he could see, and his face was glowing like the face of Moses as he descended Mount Sinai. And indeed it was the same cloud that had enveloped Moses at the top of Sinai, and carried him into heaven, so that he could receive the Torah from the finger of God.
Then they all understood that this was the sign the Ramak had given them, and that Rabbi Isaac was fated to be their teacher. So it was that after the funeral many of the disciples of the Ramak came to Rabbi Isaac and asked to study with him. At first the Ari, as he came to be known, was reluctant, for until then he had concealed his holy ways. But at last he agreed, and for the two years that he remained in this world, he was their master of Torah, and his teachings still echo to this day.
The pillar of cloud led the Israelites in their desert wandering during the day, as stated in Exodus 13:21: And Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way. This story links Rabbi Moshe Cordovero with Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Ari, explaining how the Ari became his successor. Thus, in a single stroke, this tale links the Ari both to his immediate predecessor, Moshe Cordovero, and to the biblical Moses. The fact that both are named Moses (Moshe in Hebrew) only underscores the link between them. Thus the story suggests that the Ari and his predecessors were of the stature of the biblical patriarchs, and that the miracles of the sort that occurred in the time of Moses could still occur in their own time.
Sources:
Yalkut Shim’oni; Divrei Yosef by Rabbi Yosef Sambari, edited by A. Berliner (Berlin: 1896); Divrei Shaul.
504. THE SEVEN CLOUDS OF GLORY
As the Israelites wandered through the wilderness, they were covered by seven clouds of glory, one cloud on each of their four sides, one cloud above them, so that rain or hail would not fall on them, and so that they would not be burned by the burning heat of the sun, and one cloud below them so that thorns and serpents and scorpions would not harm them—and one cloud went before them to level the valleys and lower the mountains, and to prepare a dwelling place for them.
Targum Pseudo-Yonathan appends this description of the seven clouds of glory that accompany the Israelites to the verse The Israelites journeyed from Raamses to Succoth (Exod. 12:37).
Just as the myth of Miriam’s Well provided fresh water for the Israelites in their desert wanderings, this myth describes seven clouds of glory that protected the Israelites from above and below and even a cloud that went before them to level valleys and lower mountains. Behind these myths is the awareness that travel in the desert is treacherous, with dangers on all sides, especially dangers from the elements. The 40 years of wandering of the Israelites was doubtless filled with great suffering, but since the Exodus is regarded as a great liberation, these myths arose to portray the Exodus as taking place under the complete protection of God.
Sources:
Targum Pseudo-Yonathan on Exodus 12:37.
505. MOSES’ LAST REQUEST
When the time came for Moses to take leave of this world, he made one last request to God: “Grant my wish, O Lord. Command the heavens to open and be split asunder, so that light shines in the darkness, so that the eyes of the children of Israel may be opened and they shall see there is none beside You, O Lord, in the heavens and the earth.”
No sooner did Moses finish speaking than the seven heavens were opened and all the depths were cleft asunder, and a great light shone in the darkness. And the eyes of the children of Israel were opened and they saw there is nothing in heaven or on earth to compare with the splendor of God, and they called out to each other, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone” (Deut. 6:4).
Here the last request Moses makes is not for himself, but for the people of Israel, that the heavens be split apart so that the people could see the splendor of God. Throughout the long wandering in the wilderness, the people continually lost faith both in Moses and in God. Here Moses tries once more to renew their faith, and God grants his last wish.
It is interesting to note that just as Moses’ first experience of God closely resembles a mystical experience, here his last experience before dying is also a mystical revelation, although here it is a collective, rather than a personal one.
Sources:
Deuteronomy Rabbah 11; Petirat Moshe; IFA 15075.
506. JOSHUA AS OEDIPUS
Joshua’s father was a holy man who lived in Egypt. He and his wife had no children, so the Tzaddik prayed to God for a child, and God heard his prayers. But while she was pregnant, heaven revealed to him that the son who would be born to him would one day cut off his head. On learning this, the holy man mortified himself and wept day and night. His wife could not understand this, since God had seen fit to bless them with a child. She said, “You should rejoice at the Lord’s blessing.” Then the Tzaddik revealed his vision to her, and she knew that his words must be true.
It came to pass that a son, Joshua, was born to them. And his mother put him in an ark made of pitch and slime and cast it into the Nile, and God saw to it that a great fish swallowed the ark. Now it happened that the king gave a feast for all his princes. And the fish that had swallowed the ark was caught that day and brought before the king. And when they cut it open, they discovered a weeping child. The king and all the princes marveled at this, and the king ordered a woman to be found to nurse the child. And the boy grew up in the palace of the king and came to serve as a guardsman.
Years later it happened that Joshua’s father transgressed against the king. The king ordered the guardsman to cut off his head, and to take his wife and property for himself, for that was the custom in those days. Thus it came to pass that Joshua did execute him, as the king had commanded. But when he approached his mother, to lie with her, milk began to spill from her breasts, filling the bed with milk. Fearing the woman was a witch, Joshua was about to slay his mother when she remembered the prophecy of Joshua’s father, and she cried out to him, “This is not sorcery. This milk is the same milk you suckled, for you are my son.” And she revealed all that had happened.
Then Joshua told her how he had been found inside a fish, and how he had never known his true mother and father. Then they knew that heaven’s prophecy had been fulfilled. And now that he knew the truth, Joshua repented of his sins against his parents, and his repentance was accepted in the eyes of God. And he came to serve Moses, and when Moses took leave of this world, he led the children of Israel into the Promised Land.
This remarkable story is a Jewish retelling of the Oedipus myth, in which Joshua bin Nun, the successor of Moses, who led the Israelites into the Land of Israel, is said to have earlier fulfilled the prophecy that he would kill his father and marry his mother. At the same time, this myth retells the story of the infant Moses being left in an ark made of pitch in the Nile (Exod. 2:3-6), and like Moses, Joshua is also said to have been raised in Pharaoh’s palace. Note that this version of the tale refers to Pharaoh as a king, demonstrating a certain distance from the biblical tale.
So too does this myth draw directly from the story of Jonah, who was swallowed by a whale (Jonah 2:1). Here the fish swallows the ark containing the infant Joshua, and the child is discovered alive inside the fish, an appropriate discovery for a child marked by destiny. This imaginative myth may have been inspired by the name of the father of the biblical Joshua: “Nun,” the Aramaic word for “fish.”
It seems clear that this myth was intended to provide a mythic origin for
Joshua, in order to present him as a worthy successor to Moses, indeed, one with an equally remarkable origin. At the same time, it serves as a vehicle for a Jewish version of Oedipus. Finally, it vividly demonstrates the power of redemption. Here the story diverges entirely from the Oedipus myth, which culminates in the tragedy of Oedipus blinding himself. Instead, this Jewish version has Joshua’s repentance entirely accepted, and he ends up leading the people. Leading, of course, requires good vision, and the contrast to the blind Oedipus is obvious. Thus this myth must also be viewed as a Jewish answer to Oedipus. The answer is that no man’s sins are beyond repentance.
In overtly combining three very famous myths—the story of the baby Moses left in the ark, the story of Jonah being swallowed by the whale, and the myth of Oedipus—this myth about Joshua demonstrates its literary as well as its mythic intentions. It has all the earmarks of a consciously created myth, invented in order to add mythic resonance to the story of Joshua, which is otherwise entirely overshadowed by that of Moses.
Sources:
Hibbur me-ha Yeshu’ah 209.
507. MOSES NEVER DIED
Moses never died, instead he is in exile with the Shekhinah, and God has given him the task of taking the people of Israel and the Shekhinah out of exile. Just as Moses led the children of Israel out of slavery and to the Promised Land, so too will he lead them out of exile. Meanwhile, God has cast a deep sleep upon Moses, and he will sleep until the time comes for the exile of the Jewish people to come to an end.
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