Deuteronomy 34 - The Death of Moses

Earlier I read about the death of Moses, the dominant figure in Torah, the most influential Jew in history, a pivotal figure in Western civilization. He was a proper audacious Jew!

The real Moses is elusive. That is why the recent discovery in the Genizah collection at Cambridge University is so amazing. Who would have believed that we’d find the eulogy that Moses’ successor, Joshua, read at his funeral. Would you like to hear it?

“Ladies and gentlemen, friends and loved ones, today we are gathered to honour and remember a remarkable man, a leader and prophet, whose vision shaped the destiny of our people. He had a spirit that shone brilliantly; he was a beacon of strength and a source of inspiration. A single-minded man with a deep sense of purpose; he stood against injustice and guided us towards our freedom.

Moses was born to Amram and Yochebed, 120 years ago, in a time of genocide. When he was just three months old, he was placed in a reed basket by his sister Miriam, and set adrift. We can only guess what he was feeling. Probably ‘in de-Nile’! Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him, and he grew up at the heart of Egyptian power.

As a young man, Moses saw a slave master hit a Hebrew and, never able to turn a blind eye to suffering, he killed the Egyptian. The next day, he found two Israelites fighting. Again he intervened, but they challenged him, and Moses fled to Midian. There he again got involved in a fight – this time defending the seven daughters of Jethro.

He intervened in all these clashes, because his unwavering commitment to social justice, meant he simply couldn’t keep silent. He had some anger management issues, reacting impulsively, not thinking through the impact of his actions. This was because he was an idealist, who was exasperated with others’ moral failings. Throughout his life, he was repeatedly frustrated at not being able to get people to do, what he knew was the right thing.

In Midian, he was a shepherd for Jethro and married his daughter, Zipporah. They had two sons - Gershom and Eliezer. Then alone in the desert on that fateful night, he was so fond of recalling, he met an angel at a non-burning bush. For Moses this was the moment of divine revelation; it altered both his life and our destiny.

Moses told me that God actually revealed His name to him that night, but he never told me what it was! He could be rather annoying that way. He insisted that God remains mysterious, until people have their own divine encounter. Sadly, I suspect that many of us here are still waiting for that day. Some may be looking too hard, and some not hard enough.

It’s no exaggeration to say, that Moses had a greater intimacy with God than anyone else. He insisted that God was always faithful, merciful and compassionate, and that us Israelites have a unique relationship with God. This was utterly audacious! When we left Egypt, no one followed God’s ways; Moses singlehandedly changed our beliefs.

Yet forty years ago, Moses was a reluctant leader. He questioned his suitability to take on the immense task of liberating a people. By no means was he a natural messiah; he was self-conscious about a speech impediment. But Moses could never resist a challenge.

So summoning up his courage, he demanded that Pharaoh “let my people go." Those words resonate even today; someone should really write a song about them! Now unlike many of today’s leaders, Pharaoh wanted to keep his hardworking immigrants. But Moses was not put off; he believed in miracles, in the power of faith to overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

The epic struggle of wills between God and Pharaoh that followed, was a profound clash between justice and tyranny, freedom and oppression. Moses was driven by the righteousness of his cause, and for him, the end justified any means. He didn’t hesitate to inflict the plagues, even when this meant the death of every Egyptian firstborn.

What a night that was! We were shell shocked, but Moses’ charisma and sense of purpose, inspired us to follow him and walk away from slavery, into the unknown. Moses assured us that his own recipe of quick-rise bread, which he called matzot, would be great for the journey. But he wasn’t a natural baker, and I always wondered if he was influenced by those shares he held in Rakusens. Notwithstanding, the Exodus will go down in history as the greatest ever symbol of liberation.

I never saw him more excited as we approached Mount Sinai. He always liked hiking and he later told me that the 40 days he spent on his own up the mountains were the best days of his life. He certainly looked radiant when he triumphantly returned, carrying two heavy stones.

There was a palpable excitement in the air. “Friends”, he said, “it was hard work and I have done my best. I've negotiated with God. I have used every possible argument, every trick I could think of - and I was successful. The good news is, I have brought the commandments down from 15 to 10. The bad news? Adultery is still in!”

I know some people say that God dictated the words, that Moses was the first person who downloaded data from the cloud to a tablet (!) Well I can reveal this is fake news! Moses was always horrified when people talked about God as if She were a person. The truth is that after his intense experiences, Moses himself was inspired to write the ten commandments, as a practical way to create a moral society that was loyal to God.

As you know, he was devastated to discover the Golden Calf on his return. He criticised Aaron for his lack of leadership, and us for our lack of faith. He talked to me for hours on how to manage the situation; how to maintain authority and show compassion. And he also had to deal with God who wanted to start a new nation descending from him. But Moses never wanted personal glory. After killing the ringleaders, he told God to forgive the rest of the Israelites or he would resign. Moses was nothing if not courageous, especially when he knew his argument was correct. He was the first person to change God’s mind.

His high intelligence and unyielding nature could be intimidating. His probing questions meant he inevitably grasped the issues quicker than others. So he was a poor delegator and worked very long hours. It was not easy for Gershom and Eliezer to grow up in the shadow of their father's achievements. He was both inspiring and daunting and they carried a heavy weight of expectations, especially having relatives like Korach in the family, who openly challenged Moses’ authority. To Moses, this was outrageous; challenging him meant they were really rebelling against God.

He frequently wearied of the day-to-day responsibilities of leadership, and was genuinely baffled as to why people complained and hesitated, when they had so much evidence of God’s presence.  He simply expected others to be like him, and pushed them to change quicker than they could. Always honest, he could be blunt and impatient. And not blessed with the highest level of emotional intelligence, he sometimes viewed people’s insecurities as deliberate malice. He struggled to get people to listen to him. Maybe that was his real speech impediment.

Feeling misunderstood, he kept a distance from most people. It’s fair to say that he never was much of a team player and rarely showed appreciation for others. Moses loved to spend time on how own in that Tabernacle over there (or “man-shed” as some call it), He banned anyone else from going into it, to give himself a quiet place to eat yet another slide of manna and think things over.

Thank goodness he didn’t give up on us! His leadership over the last 40 years has been pivotal. Without him we simply wouldn’t be here today. The view that the journey took so long, because of his unwillingness to ask for directions is scandalous. But it is fair to say that he was better at talking than listening. None of us will forget his recent series of 6-hour sermons, which included all his favourite stories, many of which we have heard quite a few times before. I intend to publish these in a book, which, because of all the repeats, I will call ‘Deuteronomy’. This will be the definitive text of his teachings. The rumour that there is an additional ‘oral law’, which God also gave to Moses is simply wrong. Moses was a big-picture person, who was irritated with spurious detail. In any case, his favourite dish was … Anyone know? Lasagna!

Yesterday, Moses went hiking again and climbed Mount Nebo. From the top he gazed out on the land over there, just across the Jordan, a land he tragically never set foot on. This was the most crushing disappointment of his life. Why did God deny him his lifelong goal? Because he had struck a rock to provide water. This saved us, but condemned him, as God had told him only to speak to the rock, not to hit it. I think Moses, our teacher, is still teaching us. Maybe we should spend more time appreciating the journey, rather than focussing solely on the destination.

Moses was 120 when he died. He’d been putting up with our moans for years. He was not the energetic 80-year old who had confronted Pharaoh. There always comes a time for a leader to move on. There is no point continuing to fight yesterday’s battles. Sadly, he never fully appreciated that and died lonely and frustrated; I wish he had enjoyed a well-earned retirement. Maybe we can honour his legacy by avoiding that mistake in our lives.

Moses was a liberator and lawgiver. A visionary who glimpsed a world beyond the horizon, and dared to dream of a better future. His life was marked by numerous challenges, and he faced them with determination, always trusting in God's guidance. He made normal the idea of monotheism and it was his vision that effectively created Judaism.

Moses' story will inspire countless generations. He is the symbol of Israel’s enduring discontent. Moses stands for all people who are denied their dream, who live in a physical or spiritual exile. His legacy is not just in religious texts or historical accounts. His courage, faith, and resilience will resonate as a beacon of hope, whenever people struggle for justice or pursue freedom.

Moses’ first words to God when he had been given his mission were ”Mi Anochi?” “Who am I?” At that time, Moses didn’t know who he really was. Like many of us, his life was a struggle to find his identity. He succeeded. He worked out that compassion, justice and faith were his key values, and he became an embodiment of these. There would be no better legacy to Moses, if we lived our lives in this way.”