Midrash sobre Deuteronómio 5:5

(Deut. 16:18:) YOU SHALL APPOINT <JUDGES AND LAW OFFICERS> FOR YOURSELVES, and not for the peoples of the world.²¹Tanh., Deut. 5:5. Another interpretation (of Deut. 16:18): YOU SHALL APPOINT <JUDGES AND LAW OFFICERS> FOR YOURSELVES. <This> teaches that the judges were called in the name of Moses. Moreover, this is one of three things over which Moses risked his life and were called by his name.²²Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, Shirata, 1 on Exod. 15:1; Exod. R. 30:4; Numb. R. 12:9. He offered his life over the Torah, [as stated (in Exod. 34:28): AND HE WAS THERE <WITH THE LORD> FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS; <HE ATE NO BREAD AND DRANK NO WATER>.] It was also called by his name, as stated (in Mal. 3:22 [4:4]): REMEMBER <THE> TORAH OF MY SERVANT MOSES. He offered his life over Israel, as stated (in Exod. 32:32): BUT NOW, IF YOU WILL FORGIVE THEIR SIN, <WELL AND GOOD;> BUT IF NOT, PLEASE BLOT ME OUT <OF THE BOOK THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN >. And where is it shown that they were called by his Name? Where it is stated (in Exod. 32:7, in which the Holy One tells Moses): FOR YOUR PEOPLE <WHOM YOU BROUGHT UP FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT> HAVE ACTED BASELY. He also offered his life over the judges, as stated (in Exod. 2:12–14): HE SMOTE THE EGYPTIAN <AND HID HIM IN THE SAND. WHEN HE WENT OUT ON THE SECOND DAY, HERE THERE WERE TWO HEBREW MEN FIGHTING>; SO HE SAID TO THE WICKED ONE: WHY WOULD YOU STRIKE YOUR COMRADE? <BUT HE SAID: WHO APPOINTED YOU²³In an unvoweled text APPOINTED YOU could be read as “your name.” A PRINCE AND A JUDGE OVER US?> For that reason they were called in his name, as stated (in Deut. 16:18): YOU SHALL APPOINT JUDGES AND LAW OFFICERS FOR YOURSELVES IN ALL YOUR GATES.

(Exod. 19:1:) ON THE THIRD NEW MOON. The Torah is threefold, its letters are threefold, the fathers are threefold, the tribe into whose hand it was given is threefold,²⁴“Levi” has three letters in Hebrew. Moses was {threefold from between them} [a third person between them], the letters of his <name> are threefold, <he was one of> three siblings, he was hidden for three moons, (according to Exod. 19:11) <it was> ON THE THIRD DAY <that the Holy One came down on Sinai >, and (here in Exod. 19:1:) ON THE THIRD NEW MOON <Israel arrived at Sinai>.²⁵Tanh., Exod. 5:10; PRK 12:13. The Torah (in the sense of Scripture) is threefold: Torah, Prophets, and Writings. Its letters are threefold: ABC. The fathers are threefold: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Moses (MShH) was a third person <as a mediator> between them (in Deut. 5:5): I STOOD BETWEEN THE LORD AND YOU.²⁶Cf. Galatians 3:19–20. The letters <of his name> are threefold: M, Sh, <and> H. <He comes> from the third tribe: Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. <He was one of> three siblings: Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. He was hidden for three <moons> (according to Exod. 2:2): AND SHE HID HIM FOR THREE MOONS. (Exod. 19:11:) FOR ON THE THIRD DAY THE LORD WILL COME DOWN … <UPON MOUNT SINAI>, [even on the third new moon, as stated (in Exod. 19:1): ON THE THIRD NEW MOON.]