Midrasch zu Schemot 33:13

(Deut. 3:23:) “I besought the Lord.” This text is related (to I Kings 8:30 // II Chron. 6:21), “And may You harken unto the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication.” See, prayer is designated by many names:¹¹Sifre to Deut. 3:23 (26); Deut. R. 2:1. (1) prayer, (2) beseeching, (3) call, (4) cry, (5) outcry, (6) chant, (7) encounter, (8) falling and (9) amidah.¹²Standing, which is the name given to The Eighteen Blessings (Shemone ‘Esreh) of the daily liturgy. Why did Moses only pray under the word, "beseeching (rt.: hnn)"? [This is the usage here] where it is stated (in Deut. 3:23), “I besought (rt.: hnn) the Lord.” It is simply that when Moses stood there and said to the Holy One, blessed be He, (in Exod. 33:18), “Please show me Your glory,” he said to Him, “Master of the world, please show me by what principle You run Your world.” It is so stated (in Exod. 33:13), “please show me Your principle.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Yes, I will show you; (in Exod. 33:19:) ‘I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will call….’” [The Holy One, blessed be] He, said to him, “I have no obligation to [any] creature. Anytime a person does a commandment, I give him [reward] as a favor. Not that I have any obligation to any creature, but I do it as a favor.” Thus it is stated (ibid., cont.), “I will be gracious (rt.: hnn) to whom I will be gracious […].” Moses said to him, “If so, do me a kindness, make a commandment for me and grant [the reward] to me as a favor (rt.: hnn).” Ergo (in Deut. 3:23), “I besought [the Lord].”

Four men said four things which, had they been uttered by other men, would have been scoffed at with the comment: “How does he know about the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He?” These four were Moses, Nebuchadnezzar, Jethro, and Solomon. Moses said: The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice (Deut. 32:4), but if any other man had said this, they would have said about him: “How does he know that?” It was proper, however, for Moses to make this statement, since it is written about him: He made known His ways unto Moses (Ps. 103:7). Thus Scripture says: Show me Thy ways (Exod. 33:13).

(Exod. 3:1:) NOW MOSES WAS TENDING <THE FLOCK>. This text is related (to Ps. 103:7): HE MADE HIS WAYS KNOWN TO MOSES….⁴¹Cf. Exod. R. 2:1; M. Pss. 103:10. Why would he make known his ways to Moses? Because Moses knew all the ways of the Holy One, but no one else knew them. It is written (in Exod. 33:13): AND NOW, […,] PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAYS KNOWN TO ME. The Holy One said to him: Do you desire to stand upon my⁴²The Buber text reads “his.” ways? By your life, I will make <them> known to you. (Ps. 103:7): HE MADE HIS WAYS KNOWN TO MOSES.

(Numbers 14:11:) “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will this people spurn Me.’” This text is related (to Proverbs 1:25), “You subverted all my counsel.” All the good that I counseled about you, you spoiled and negated. At first (in Exod. 3:8), “I have come down to rescue them from the Egyptians”: I came down with thousands of thousands and multitudes of multitudes of angels for your sake, and I gave over to each one [of you] two angels. R. Johanan said, “One to strap on his armor and the other to place a crown upon his head.” Rav Huna said, “He clothed them with a regal tunic and the explicit name [of God] was engraved upon them.” All the days that it was in their hand, no bad thing could touch them, not an angel and not anything else. But when they sinned, Moses said to them (in Exod. 33:5), “Remove your adornment.” At that time (in Exod. 33:4), “The people heard this bad thing.” And it is written (in Exod. 33:6), “And the Children of Israel were stripped of their adornment from Mount Horev.” What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brought the angel of death and said to him, “The whole world is in your power except for this nation that I have chosen.” The angel of death said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “I was created for nought in this world.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “I have created you so that you shall discern in every nation except for this nation, over which you do not have power.” He saw the advice that the Holy One, blessed be He, advised about them, that they should be alive and flourish, as stated (Deut. 4:4), “But you who cling to the Lord your God are all alive today.” And so too does it say (in Exod. 32:16), “The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God that was inscribed (harut) upon the tablets.” What is the meaning of harut? R. Judah says, “Freedom (herut) from the kingdoms.” R. Nehemiah says, “Freedom (herut) from the angel of death.” And they saw the counsel that the Holy One, blessed be He, counseled about them. Immediately after forty days, they spoiled the counsel. Therefore it is stated (in Proverbs 1:25), “You subverted all my counsel.” And about this is it said, (in Numb. 14:11), “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will this people spurn Me.’” Moses said (in Numb. 14:14), “They have heard that You, O Lord, are in the midst of this people….” What [would] the nations of the world say? “The gods of Canaan are stronger than the gods of Egypt: The gods of Egypt are falsehood, but those of Canaan are powerful.” (Numb. 14:14, 16), “And they will say to the inhabitants of this land…, ‘The Lord does not have the ability.’” As the nations will not say about these that He called My firstborn son, that He would destroy them; so “The Lord does not have the ability to bring them.” You say (in Numb. 4:12), “I will strike them with pestilence and disown them,” and I say (in Numb 4:19), “Please pardon.” (Numb. 14:12:) “I will strike them with pestilence and disown them.” Moses said, “Master of the world, look at the covenant with their ancestors, to whom You swore that You would raise up from them kings, prophets, and priests!”⁴⁹-Numb. R. 16:22, cont.; see below, Numb. 4a:14. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “But are you not one of their children?” (Ibid., cont.:) “Then I will make you into a nation that is greater [and more numerous than they].’” When Moses saw [how things were], he took a different course (in Numb. 14:13-14): “But Moses said unto the Lord, ‘When the Egyptians hear [what happened]…, they will say unto the inhabitants of this land.’” They will say, “He had no power to sustain them.”⁵⁰Cf. below, Numb. 4a:5. He said to him, “But have they not seen the miracles and the mighty deeds which I did for them in Egypt and by the sea? So how will they say (in Numb. 14:16), ‘The Lord does not have the ability to bring this people [into the land]?’” They will say, “He was able to stand against one king, [but] He was not able to stand against thirty one kings.⁵¹See Josh. 12:9-14. Master of the universe, act on Your behalf. (Numb. 14:17:) “So now please let the power of the Lord increase,” and let the principle of mercy overcome the principle of justice. (Ibid., cont.:) “As you have promised, saying.” I said to You, “With what principle do You judge Your world,” as stated (in Exod. 33:13) “Please make Your ways known to me.” So you removed (rt.: 'br) the principle of justice from me (according to Exod. 34:6), “And the Lord passed by (rt.: 'br) [before] him, and proclaimed, [‘The Lord, the Lord is a merciful and gracious God’].” Fulfill that principle of which You told me; (according to Numb. 14:17-19) “please let the power of the Lord increase…. The Lord [is of long patience, of great kindness…] (the Lord is a merciful and gracious God…) Please pardon the sin of this people.” The Holy One, blessed be He, accepted his words and conceded to him, as stated (Numb. 14:20), “Then the Lord said, ‘I have pardoned like your words.’” As truly in the future, the nations of the world would say like your words. (Numb. 14:21, 23:) “Nevertheless, as I live […], Surely they shall not see [the land which I promised on oath to their ancestors.” It is also written (in Numb. 32:11), “Surely none of] the people who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and up, [shall see the land].”⁵²Numb. R. 16:23. Whether one was in agreement or was not in agreement (with the spies), he did not enter [the land]. Of the people who came up from Egypt, if one had gotten two [pubic] hairs but was less than twenty,⁵³On the concept that moral responsibility comes at twenty, see Rashi on Gen. 23:1. [only] if he was in agreement with them, he did not enter [the land]. But nonetheless, not one of them died at less than sixty.⁵⁴I.e., the Holy One subsequently had compassion on all under twenty, so that they outlived the forty wilderness years to die in the land of Israel. So Enoch Zundel in his commentary, ‘Ets Yosef, on Numb. R. 16:23(14). Come and see the difference between righteous and wicked, [even as it is stated (in Mal. 3:18), “Then you shall again see [the difference] between [righteous and wicked].” It is comparable to a certain matron⁵⁵Lat.: matrona. who had a bondmaid. Now her husband went to a country overseas. All night the bondmaid said to the matron, “I am fairer than you and the king loves me more than you.” That matron said to her, “When the morning comes, you shall know who is fairer and whom the king loves.” Similarly do the nations of the world say to Israel, “As for us, our deeds are more beautiful, and us does the Holy One, blessed be He, desire.” Therefore Isaiah has said, “When the morning comes, we shall know whom the Holy One, blessed be He, desires,” as stated (in Is. 21:12), “The watchman said, ‘The morning comes […].’” When the world to come arrives, which is called morning,⁵⁶See Targum Pss. 90:14; 101:8. we shall know, as stated (according to Mal. 3:18), “Then you shall again see [the difference] between righteous and wicked.” It is written (in Ps. 62:10), “But humans are mere vanity […].” R Hiyya⁵⁷Since the authority generally cited as R. Hiyya lived sometime before R. Levi, the R. Hiyya cited here could not be he. This Hiyya may well be R. Hiyya the father of R. Berekhiah the Priest. said in the name of R. Levi, “All vanities which Israel does all the days of the year are (ibid., cont.) to go up (i.e., vanish) on the scales (mozenayim).” The Holy One, blessed be He, pardons them in the constellation Libra (Mozenayim), in the month of Tishri. It is so stated (in Lev. 16:30), “For on this day atonement shall be made for you [to cleanse you]….”

[Another interpretation (of Numb. 14:27): HOW LONG SHALL <THIS> EVIL CONGREGATION <BE MURMURING AGAINST ME>?] The Holy One said to Moses: I am exterminating them from before me, for so it says (in Numb. 14:12): I WILL SMITE THEM WITH PESTILENCE AND DISPLACE THEM.²⁷See above, Numb. 4:24. Immediately Moses stood up to him by asking for mercy from the Holy One. How? When Israel made the calf, Moses stood up to him. At that time he made a plea on their behalf. He said to him: Please, make known to me by what principle you run your world. Thus it says this (in Exod. 33:13): PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAYS KNOWN TO ME THAT I MAY KNOW YOU…. The Holy One said to him: It is by the principle of mercy that I run my world, as stated (in Exod. 34:6): AND THE LORD PASSED BY BEFORE HIM, AND PROCLAIMED: THE LORD, THE LORD IS A MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS GOD, SLOW TO ANGER AND ABOUNDING IN KINDNESS AND TRUTH. When Moses saw that the Holy One had said to him; SLOW TO ANGER, he began saying to the Holy One: Sovereign of the Universe, this is what you have said: SLOW TO ANGER. Is this <the way> you are slowing your passion? The Holy One said to him: Even so, I am going to punish them. <Moses> did nothing, but when the Holy One wanted to destroy them here, where it is stated (in Numb. 14:12): I WILL SMITE THEM WITH PESTILENCE AND DISPLACE THEM, Moses stood up and asked for mercy before the Holy One, as he said to him: Please, are these the stipulations which you prescribed when you said: SLOW TO ANGER? Fulfill your word here (in Numb. 14:17): AND NOW, PLEASE LET THE POWER OF THE LORD INCREASE, EVEN AS YOU HAVE SPOKEN, SAYING. Then what did <the Holy One> say (in vs. 18)? THE LORD IS SLOW TO ANGER AND OF GREAT KINDNESS…. Moses said to the Holy One: Sovereign of the Universe, in the case of a servant, if his deeds are good so that his master looks at him with a friendly face, one does not give his master any credit.²⁸Numb. R. 16:28. So when would they give him credit? When the servant's conduct is evil with his deeds being evil, and then his master looks at him with a friendly face. So also in your case, O Sovereign of the Universe, pay no attention to their stiff neck. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 9:27): PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE STUBBORNNESS OF THIS PEOPLE NOR ITS WICKEDNESS NOR ITS SIN. So the Holy One said to him: See, because of you I am forgiving them. It is so stated (in Numb. 14:20): I HAVE PARDONED THEM AS YOU ASKED.

(Exod. 33:8:) AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT WHEN MOSES WOULD GO OUT {TO} [UNTO] THE TENT, they would stand at the sides and honor him by saying: Blessed is the woman who gave birth to Moses.⁶⁴Cf. Luke 11:27. What would he see in it?⁶⁵Exod. R.45:4. (Exod. 33:9:) AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT WHEN MOSES WOULD GO [TO THE TENT], THE PILLAR OF CLOUD WOULD DESCEND. They knew that the Divine Presence was being revealed to Moses. (Exod. 33:10): ALL THE PEOPLE WOULD RISE <AND BOW DOWN, EACH AT THE ENTRANCE OF HIS TENT>. The Holy One said to him: Moses, return unto the camp. He said to him. I am not going back. The Holy One said to him: Be aware that Joshua is in the Tabernacle. To what is the matter comparable? To a matron,⁶⁶Lat.: matrona. who became angry with the king and left the palace.⁶⁷Lat: (palatium). Now she had been raising a certain orphan girl in the palace. The king sent after the matron and said to her: Return unto the palace; but she did not want to return. The Holy one said to her: I am telling you to return, but you are unwilling. Be aware that the orphan girl is being installed in the palace. So (in Exod. 33:11): THE LORD WOULD SPEAK UNTO MOSES FACE TO FACE <AS ONE SPEAKS UNTO HIS FRIEND>. What did he speak? Return unto the camp. But he did not wish to return. The Holy One said: I am telling you to return, but you do not wish <to do so>. By your life, Joshua is in the Tent of meeting.⁶⁸According to Exod. 33:11, HIS ATTENDANT, JOSHUA BIN NUN, A YOUTH, WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF THE TENT. Moses said to him: Sovereign of the World, was it not for your sake that I was angry with them? (Exod. 33:12:) SEE, YOU SAY UNTO ME: <BRING THIS PEOPLE UP>. See, you cannot forsake them.⁶⁹By using the words of Exod. 33:12, in which the Holy One tells him to BRING THIS PEOPLE UP, Moses reminds him that any plan to forsake them is contradictory. See Exod. R. 45:4. The Holy One said to him: I have already told you (in Exod. 23:20): AND I AM SENDING⁷⁰The wording here is somewhat different from the Masoretic Text, but the translation would be the same. AN ANGEL BEFORE YOU. Moses said to him: Are you delivering me to an angel? (Exod. 33:15:) UNLESS YOUR PRESENCE GOES ALONG, DO NOT MAKE US GO UP FROM HERE. (Exod. 33:13:) AND NOW, IF I HAVE TRULY FOUND FAVOR IN YOUR EYES, < PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAYS KNOWN TO ME>….

22 (Numb. 14:11) “Then the Lord said unto Moses, ‘How long ('ad-'anah) will this people scorn Me, and how long ('ad-'anah) will they have no faith in Me?’”: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I have uttered two cries (of 'ad-'anah) because of you. Your end shall be to cry out in the subjection of the four empires: (Ps. 13:2-3,) ‘How long ('ad-'anah), O Lord, will you forget me forever; how long ('ad'-'anah) will you hide Your face from me? How long ('ad-'anah) shall I take counsel in my soul with grief in my heart [all day]; how long ('ad-'anah) will my enemy be exalted over me?’ I cried out (in Numb. 14:27), ‘How long ('Ad-matay) shall this evil congregation [be murmuring against me]?’ Your end shall be to cry out (in Ps. 6:4), ‘My soul also is greatly dismayed; [and You, O Lord, how long ('ad-matay)]?’” (Numb. 14:12) “I will strike them with pestilence”: Moses said, “Master of the world, look at the covenant with their ancestors, to whom You swore that You would raise up from them kings, prophets, and priests!” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “But are you not one of their children?” (Ibid., cont.) “Then I will make you into a nation that is greater [and more numerous than they]!’” When Moses saw [how things were], he took a different course (in Numb. 14:13-14): “But Moses said unto the Lord, ‘When the Egyptians hear [what happened]…, they will say unto the inhabitants of this land.’” They will say, “He had no power to sustain them.” He said to him, “But have they not seen the miracles and the mighty deeds which I did for them in Egypt and by the sea?” They will say, “He was able to stand against us, [but] He was not able to stand against thirty one kings.³³See Josh. 12:9-14. Master of the universe, act on Your behalf. (Numb. 14:17) “So now please let the power of the Lord increase,” and let the principle of mercy overcome the principle of justice. (Ibid., cont.) “As you have promised, saying”: I said to You, “With what principle do You judge Your world,” as stated (in Exod. 33:13) “Please make Your ways known to me.” So you removed (rt.: 'br) [the principle of justice] from me (according to Exod. 34:6), “And the Lord passed by (rt.: 'br) [before] him, and proclaimed.” Fulfill that principle of which You told me; (according to Exod. 34:6) “The Lord, the Lord is of long patience, of great kindness…” (Numb. 14:19) “Please pardon [the sin of this people].” The Holy One, blessed be He, accepted his words and conceded to him, [as stated] (Numb. 14:20), “Then the Lord said, ‘I have pardoned like your words.’” As truly in the future, Egypt will say like your words.

(Numb. 14:12:) I WILL SMITE THEM WITH PESTILENCE AND DISPLACE THEM …. Moses said: Sovereign of the World, look at the covenant with their ancestors, to whom you swore that you would raise up from them kings, prophets, and priests!⁵⁶Tanh., Numb. 4:13; Numb. R. 16:22, cont.; see below, Numb. 4a:14. The Holy One said to him: But are you not one of their children? (Ibid., cont.:) THEN I WILL MAKE YOU INTO A NATION THAT IS GREATER [AND MORE NUMEROUS THAN THEY]. When Moses saw <how things were>, he took a different course (in Numb. 14:13–14). BUT MOSES SAID UNTO THE LORD: WHEN THE EGYPTIANS HEAR <WHAT HAPPENED> …, THEY WILL SAY UNTO THE INHABITANTS OF <THIS> LAND. They will say: He had no power to sustain them.⁵⁷Cf. below, Numb. 4a:5. He said to him: But have they not seen the miracles and the mighty deeds which I did for them by the sea? So how will they say (in Numb. 14:16): <IT MUST BE BECAUSE> THE LORD WAS NOT ABLE <TO BRING THIS PEOPLE INTO THE LAND>? They will say: He was able to stand against Pharaoh, <but> he was not able to stand against thirty one kings.⁵⁸See Josh. 12:9-14. [Sovereign of the whole universe, act on your own behalf.] (Numb. 14:17:) SO NOW PLEASE LET THE POWER OF THE LORD INCREASE, and let the principle of mercy overcome the principle of justice, (ibid., cont:) AS YOU HAVE PROMISED, SAYING. I said to you: With what principle do you judge your world? (Exod. 33:13:) PLEASE MAKE YOUR WAYS KNOWN TO ME. So you removed (rt.: 'BR) [the principle of justice] from me (according to Exod. 34:6): AND THE LORD PASSED BY (rt.: 'BR) [BEFORE] HIM, <AND PROCLAIMED: THE LORD, THE LORD IS A MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS GOD>…. That principle of which you told me <still> exists, (according to Numb. 14:17): PLEASE LET THE POWER OF THE LORD INCREASE…. The Holy One accepted his words and thanked him. (Numb. 14:20:) THEN THE LORD SAID: I HAVE PARDONED THEM AS YOU ASKED.

To whom Thou didst swear by Thine own self (Exod. 33:13). You did not swear to them or to the mountains or to the valleys, for they are only Your creations: Thou didst swear by Thine own self. And thou saidest unto them: “I will multiply thy seed” (ibid.); why do You retract Your promise? They have violated the beginning of the commandment, but surely You cannot wish to abrogate what you will say finally: Showing mercy unto the thousandth generation (ibid. 20:6). Since only seven generations have passed—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kohath, Amram, and Moses—would it be showing mercy to the thousandth generation if You destroyed them? Hence the Lord repented (ibid. 32:14).