Midrash sur Les Nombres 20:12

(Deut. 3:24:) YOU HAVE <ONLY> BEGUN <TO SHOW YOUR SERVANT YOUR GREATNESS AND YOUR MIGHT…. > He said to him: You are the one who opened a door for me to pray to you.³Sifre to Deut. 3:24 (27). When? When they did that deed.⁴I.e., when they made and worshiped the golden calf. See Deut. 9:7–12. The Holy One said to him (in Deut. 9:14): LET ME ALONE, AND I WILL DESTROY THEM AND BLOT OUT THEIR NAME FROM UNDER THE HEAVENS. Moses said: Who would seize hold of the Holy One? One only seeks to pray for one's children. What is written there (in Exod. 32:11)? AND MOSES IMPLORED THE LORD HIS GOD. Moses said: Once I prayed for the community and was answered, but the community prayed for me and was not answered. Why? Because you have issued a decree over me <for calling them rebels>! But you were the one who began by calling them <rebels> (in Numb. 17:25 [10]): <PUT BACK AARON'S ROD … > TO BE KEPT AS A SIGN FOR THE CHILDREN OF REBELLION. Then because I called them <rebels> (in Numb. 20:10): LISTEN, YOU REBELS, you said (in 20:12): THEREFORE YOU SHALL NOT LEAD THIS CONGREGATION <INTO THE LAND THAT I HAVE GIVEN THEM>.

R. Ami said: "Death does not come except through sin, and afflictions do not come except through iniquity; death does not come unless through sin, as it is written (Ez. 18, 20.) The soul that sinneth, she alone shall die; afflictions do not come except through iniquity, as it is written (Ps. 89, 33.) Then will I visit their transgressions with the rod, and their iniquities with plagues. (Ib. b.) The following objection was raised: "The ministering angels said before the Holy One, praised be He! 'Sovereign of the universe, why hast Thou decreed death unto Adam, the first man?' 'Because,' said the Lord unto them, 'I gave him one light commandment and he transgressed it.' They then said to Him, 'Did not Moses and Aaron die although they fulfilled the entire Torah?' Whereupon the Lord answered, 'There is but one chance for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, etc. (Ecc. 9, 2). [This is contrary to R. Ami's opinion.] R. Ami said like the Tana of the following Baraitha; for we are taught that R. Simon b. Elazar said: "Moses and Aaron also died on account of their sins, as it is said (Num. 20, 12.) Because ye had no confidence in me, etc. But if they had had confidence, then their time to depart from the world would not have come." Another objection was raised from the following: [It is taught in a Baraitha.] "Four died in consequence of the instigation of the serpent, viz., Benjamin, the son of Jacob; Amram, the father of Moses; Jesse, the father of David, and Chilab, the son of David. We know of all by tradition except that of Jesse, the father of David, which the Scripture explains, for it is written (II Sam. 17, 25.) And Abshalom placed Amassa instead of Jo'ab as captain over the army; and Amassa was the son of a man, whose name was Yithra, the Israelite, who had gone into Abigail, the daughter of Nachash, the sister of Zeruyah, Jo'ab's mother. Was Abigal then the daughter of Nachash? Behold" she was the daughter of Jesse, as is written (I. Chr. 2, 16. And their (Jesse's sons) sisters were Zeruyah and Abigail. We must therefore say that it means 'the daughter of him who died [for the sin committed] through the instigation of the serpent." Now, according to whose opinion has this been taught? Shall we say it is in accordance with the sages of the ministering angels [mentioned above]? Behold, [according to that one], Moses and Aaron also died in consequence of the instigation of the serpent [why then but Jesse]? We must assume then that it agrees with the opinion of R. Simon b. Elazar, who, though he says that Moses and Aaron died on account of their sins, nevertheless contends that death is possible without sin. We therefore derive the fact that there is death without sin and affliction without iniquities. Hence the theory of R. Ami is refuted. This refutation is sustained.

(Pr. 18, 5) It is not good to favor the wicked person. [This passage signifies that] it is not good for the wicked that indulgence is shown them (in this world by the Lord). It was not good for Achab that indulgence was shown him in this world by the Holy One, praised be He! as it is said (I Kings 21, 29) Hast thou seen how Achab has humbled himself before me? (Pr. 18, 5) to wrest [the cause of the] righteous in judgment. [This passage signifies that] it is well for the just that no indulgence is shown them by the Holy One, praised be He! in this world. Happy are Moses and Aaron, because no indulgence was shown them in this world by the Holy One, praised be He! as it is said (Num. 20, 12) Because ye have not confided in me, etc. But if you had confided in me, your time to depart from this world would not yet have arrived. Happy are the righteous; for, not only do they obtain divine grace for themselves, but they also transfer the same to their children and their children's children, until endless generations. More of Aaron's children were destined to be burnt like Nadab and Abihu, as it is said (Lev. 10, 12) That were left. But the divine grace of their parents preserved them. Woe unto the wicked; for not only do they attach guilt unto themselves, but they also cause guilt to be attached to their children and their children's children unto endless generations. Many sons belonged to Canaan who were worthy to be relied upon as was Tabi, the servant of Rabban Gamaliel; but the guilt of their father prevented them from becoming so.