{"id":52200,"date":"2019-03-26T17:53:30","date_gmt":"2019-03-26T15:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=52200"},"modified":"2022-10-18T16:30:13","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T13:30:13","slug":"death-and-the-transfer-of-authority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/death-and-the-transfer-of-authority\/","title":{"rendered":"Death and the Transfer of Authority"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[383,806,397],"acf":{"old_id":"52200","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":33877,"related_cahpter":"184","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Humility, ego, jealousy, envy, ultimate comfort","content":"

In our chapter, Moses prepares for his own death. God announces to him: <\/span><\/p>\n

The time is drawing near for you to die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may instruct him. Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting. The Lord appeared in the Tent, in a pillar of cloud, the pillar of cloud having come to rest at the entrance of the tent (Deuteronomy 31:14-15). <\/span><\/p>\n

The Midrash (Deuteronomy Rabbah 9:9) elaborates on this fatal scene in a dramatic and poignant way: When Moses learned that he was about to die he wrote thirteen Torah scrolls; twelve for the twelve tribes of Israel and one official copy to be placed in the Ark of the Covenant, to prevent anyone trying to forge an unauthorized version of God\u2019s word. By occupying himself with repeatedly copying out the Torah, Moses hoped to postpone his own death for as long as possible. But, when God finally told Moses to call Joshua in order to transfer authority to him, Moses suggested to God that Joshua might take over Moses\u2019 role of leader of Israel, but Moses himself would continue to live in retirement. <\/span><\/p>\n

God responded by telling Moses to treat Joshua as Joshua had always treated him. Moses went to Joshua, who became frightened when he saw Moses coming. Moses said to Joshua: Do not be afraid, for you are now my teacher! Come with me. When they set out, Moses walked on the left side of Joshua, the way a disciple walks with his Rabbi. When they entered the Tent of Meeting, the pillar of cloud separated them. When it departed, Moses asked Joshua what the Divine Presence of God had imparted to him. Joshua replied: When God would speak only to you, would you tell me what He said? At this cutting remark, Moses cried out bitterly: Better to experience death a hundred times than to experience envy even once! As Solomon said: \u201cLove is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave\u201d (Song of Songs 8:6). <\/span><\/p>\n

This refers to Moses\u2019 love for Joshua, but also to his jealousy, when Joshua took over Moses\u2019 leadership of Israel. When Moses finally resigned himself to die, God found a way to comfort him. He said to him: Just as in this world you have led My children, so too will you lead them in the World to Come, as it says: \u201cThen His people will recall the days of old — the days of Moses\u2026\u201d (Isaiah 63:11).<\/span><\/p>\n

Image: <\/span>Moses appoints Joshua, Stained Glass in Worcester Cathedral, England, 2017. Photo: Jacek Wojnarowski \/ Shutterstock.com<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","image":{"ID":52201,"id":52201,"title":"dt31-Moses-Joshua","filename":"dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/death-and-the-transfer-of-authority\/dt31-moses-joshua\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"dt31-moses-joshua","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":52200,"date":"2019-03-26 15:53:10","modified":"2022-08-02 12:55:52","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":768,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua-230x300.jpg","medium-width":230,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua-768x1000.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":1000,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","large-width":768,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","1536x1536-width":768,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","2048x2048-width":768,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","post_full_size-width":768,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua-323x420.jpg","home_baner-width":323,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Death And The Transfer Of Authority","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"Humility, ego, jealousy, envy, ultimate comfort","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":52201,"id":52201,"title":"dt31-Moses-Joshua","filename":"dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/death-and-the-transfer-of-authority\/dt31-moses-joshua\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"dt31-moses-joshua","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":52200,"date":"2019-03-26 15:53:10","modified":"2022-08-02 12:55:52","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":768,"height":1000,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua-230x300.jpg","medium-width":230,"medium-height":300,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua-768x1000.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":1000,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","large-width":768,"large-height":1000,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","1536x1536-width":768,"1536x1536-height":1000,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","2048x2048-width":768,"2048x2048-height":1000,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua.jpg","post_full_size-width":768,"post_full_size-height":1000,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/dt31-Moses-Joshua-323x420.jpg","home_baner-width":323,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52200"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52200"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52200\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108698,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52200\/revisions\/108698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}