Moses received still another special distinction on the day of his
death, for on that day God permitted him to ascend to the lofty place
of heaven, and showed him the reward that awaited him in heaven, and
the future. The Divine attribute of Mercy appeared there before him and
said to him: "I bring glad tidings to thee, at which thou wilt rejoice.
Turn to the Throne of Mercy and behold!" Moses turned to the Throne of
Mercy and saw God build the Temple of jewels and pearls, while between
the separate gems and pearls shimmered the radiance of the Shekinah,
brighter than all jewels. And in this Temple he beheld the Messiah,
David's son, and his own brother Aaron, standing erect, and dressed in
the robe of the high priest. Aaron then said to Moses: "Do not draw
near, for this is the place where the Shekinah dwells, and know that no
one may enter here before he have tasted of death and his soul have
been delivered to the Angel of Death."
Moses now fell upon his face before God, saying, "Permit me to speak to
Thy Messiah before I die." God then said to Moses: "Come, I shall teach
thee My great name, that the flames of the Shekinah consume thee not."
When the Messiah, David's son, and Aaron beheld Moses approach them,
they knew that God had taught him the great name, so they went to meet
him and saluted him with the greeting: "Blessed be he that cometh in
the name of the Lord." Moses thereupon said to Messiah: "God told me
that Israel was to erect a Temple to Him upon earth, and I now see Him
build His own Temple, and that, too, in heaven!" The Messiah replied:
"Thy father Jacob saw the Temple that will be erected on earth, and
also the Temple that God rears with His own hand in heaven, and he
clearly understood that it was the Temple God constructed with His own
hand in heaven as house of jewels, of pearls, and of the light of the
Shekinah, that was to be preserved for Israel to all eternity, to the
end of all generations. This was in the night when Jacob slept upon a
stone, and in his dream beheld one Jerusalem upon earth, and another in
heaven. God then said to Jacob, 'My son Jacob, to-day I stand above
thee as in the future thy children will stand before Me.' At the sight
of these two Jerusalems, the earthly and the heavenly, Jacob said: 'The
Jerusalem on earth is nothing, this is not the house that will be
preserved for my children in all generations, but in truth that other
house of God, that He builds with His own hands.' But if thou sayest,"
continued the Messiah, "that God with His own hands builds Himself a
Temple in heaven, know then that with His hands also He will build the
Temple upon earth."
When Moses heard these words from the mouth of the Messiah, he rejoiced
greatly, and lifting up his face to God, he said, "O Lord of the world!
When will this Temple built here in heaven come down to earth below?"
God replied: "I have made known the time of the event to no creature,
either to the earlier ones or to the later, how then should I tell
thee?" Moses said: "Give me a sign, so that out of the happenings in
the world I may gather when that time will approach," God: "I shall
first scatter Israel as with a shovel over all the earth, so that they
may be scattered among all nations in the four corners of the earth,
and then shall I "set My hand again the second time,' and gather them
in that migrated with Jonah, the son of Amittai, to the land of
Pathros, and those that dwell in the land of Shinar, Hamath, Elam, and
the islands of the sea."
When Moses had heard this, he departed from heaven with a joyous
spirit. The Angel of Death followed him to earth, but could not possess
himself of Moses' soul, for he refused to give it up to him, delivering
it to none but God Himself. [905]