Pointing to the land, God said: "'This is the land which I sware unto
Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy
seed;' to them did I promise it, but to thee do I show it." But he saw
not only the land. God pointed with His finger to every part of the
Holy Land, and accurately described it to Moses, saying, "This is
Judah's share, this Ephraim's," and in this way instructed him about
the division of the land. Moses learned from God the history of the
whole land, and the history of every part of it. God showed it to him
as it would appear in its glory, and how it would appear under the rule
of strangers. God revealed to him not only the complete history of
Israel that was to take place in the Holy Land, but also revealed to
him all its creation to the Day of Judgement, when the resurrection of
the dead will take place. Joshua's war with the Canaanites, Israel's
deliverance from the Philistines through Samson, the glory of Israel in
David's reign, the building of the Temple under Solomon, and its
destruction, the line of kings from the house of David, and the line of
prophets from the house of Rahab, the destruction of Gog and Magog on
the plain of Jericho, all this and much more, was it given Moses to
see. And as God showed him the events in the world, so too did he show
him Paradise with its dwellers of piety, and hell with the wicked men
that fill it. [902]
The place whence Moses looked upon the Holy Land was a mountain that
bore four names: Nebo, Abarim, Hor, and Pisgah. The different
appellations are due to the fact that the kingdoms accounted it as a
special honor to themselves if they had possessions in the Holy Land.
This mountain was divided among four kingdoms, and each kingdom had a
special name for its parts. [903] The most appropriate name seems to be
Nebo, for upon it died three sinless nebi'im, "prophets," Moses, Aaron
and Miriam.
To this mountain, upon God's command, Moses betook himself at noon of
the day on which he died. On this occasion, as upon two others, God had
His commands executed at noon to show mankind that they could not
hinder the execution of God's orders, even if they chose to do so. Had
Moses gone to die on Mount Nebo at night, Israel would have said: "He
could well do so in the night when we knew of nothing. Had we known
that he should go to Nebo to his death, we should not have let him go.
Verily, we should not have permitted him to die, who led us out of
Egypt, who clove the sea for us, who caused manna to rain down and the
well to spring up, who bade the quails to fly to us, and performed many
other great miracles." God therefore bade Moses go to his grave on
mount Nebo in bright daylight, at noon hour, saying, "Let him who
wishes to prevent it try to do so."
For a similar reason did Israel's exodus from Egypt take place in the
noon hour, for, had they departed at night, the Egyptians would have
said: "They were able to do this in the darkness of the night because
we knew nothing of it. Had we known, we should not have permitted them
to depart, but should have compelled them by force of arms to stay in
Egypt." God therefore said: "I shall lead out Israel to the noon hour.
Let him who wishes to prevent it try to do so."
Noah, too, entered the ark at the noon hour for a similar reason. God
said: "If Noah enters the ark at night, his generation will declare:
'He could do so because we were not aware of it, or we should not have
permitted him to enter the ark alone, but should have taken our hammers
and axes, and crushed the ark.' Therefore," said God, "do I wish him to
enter the ark at the noon hour. Let him who wishes to prevent it try to
do so."
God's command to Moses to betake himself to Mount Nebo, and there to
die, was couched in the following words: means not destruction, but
elevation. 'Die in the mount whither thou goest up;' go up all alone,
and let no one accompany thee. Aaron's son Eleazar accompanied him to
his tomb, but no man shall witness the distinction and reward that
await thee at thy death. There shalt thou be gather to thy people, to
the fathers of Israel, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to thy fathers,
Kohath and Amram, as well as to thy brother Aaron and thy sister
Miriam, just as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered
unto his people." For when Aaron was to die, Moses drew off one by one
his garments, with which he invested Aaron's son Eleazar, and after he
had taken off all his garments, he clothed him in his death robe. Then
he said to Aaron: "Aaron, my brother, enter the cave," and he entered.
"Get upon the couch," said Moses, and Aaron did so. "Close thine eyes,"
and he closed them. "Stretch out thy feet," and Aaron did so, and
expired. At sight of this painless and peaceful death, Moses said:
"Blessed is the man that dies such a death!" When therefore Moses' end
drew nigh, God said: "Thou shalt die the death that thou didst wish, as
peacefully and with as little pain as thy brother Aaron." [904]