מדרש על במדבר 9:6

Moses immediately hearkened to God and went to divide the sea, but the sea refused to comply, exclaiming, "Shall I split at your behest? Am I not greater than you, since I was created on the third day and you on the sixth?" When Moses heard this, he went and informed God, "The sea refuses to part."

(Bamidbar 9:6) "And there were men who were unclean by the body of a man, and they could not offer the Pesach on that day": Who were those men? They were the bearers of Joseph's casket. These are the words of R. Yishmael. R. Akiva says: They were Mishael and Eltzafan, who had become tamei by (the bodies of Nadav and Avihu). R. Yitzchak says: If they were the bearers of Joseph's casket, they could have cleansed themselves (in time to eat the Paschal offering), and if they were Mishael and Eltzafan, they could have cleansed themselves. Rather, they were men who had become unclean by contact with a meth-mitzvah (a body with none to bury it, but themselves), their seventh (and final) day of uncleanliness falling out on Pesach eve. "And they drew near before Moses and before Aaron on that day": Is it possible that Moses did not know (the halachah) and Aaron did know? — Invert the verse (i.e., "they came before Aaron and Moses") and expound it (i.e., they came before Aaron and he did not know and then they came before Moses.) These are the words of R. Yoshiyah. Abba Channan says in the name of R. Eliezer: They (Moses and Aaron) were sitting in the house of study, and they (the men) came and stood before them. We are hereby (by their asking) apprised that they were devout men, solicitous of the mitzvah. (Ibid. 7) "and those men said to him": Is it not already written (Ibid. 6) "the men"? What is the intent of "those men"? We are hereby apprised that only the one affected (by the question) makes the inquiry (and not his representative). "Why should we be held back (not to offer the sacrifice of the L-rd in its appointed time")? Moses: Offerings, (in this instance, the Pesach offering), are not offered in a state of tumah. They: This may be true of offerings which have a backup (i.e., which if not offered now may be offered later, but is it true of offerings (i.e., the Pesach offering) which have no backup (and which must be offered on the fourteenth of Nissan)? Moses: Offerings may not be eaten in a state of tumah. They: If so, let the blood (of the Pesach offering) be sprinkled on the unclean ones, and the flesh be eaten by the clean ones. And this would, indeed, follow. If a sin-offering, which is holy of holies — its blood is sprinkled on the unclean ones, and its flesh is eaten by the clean ones (the Cohanim), then the Paschal offering, a lower-order offering — how much more so should its blood be sprinkled on the unclean ones and its flesh be eaten by the clean ones! Moses; I have not heard (the halachah). (Ibid. 8) "Stand, and I will hear (what the L-rd will command concerning you") — as one would say: "I will hear the thing from my teacher's mouth." Happy the woman's son who was so confident that whenever he wished He would speak with him! R. Chidka said: Shimon Hashikmoni was a colleague of mine of the disciples of R. Akiva, and he said: Moses knew that a tamei does not eat the Pesach offering. What was their dispute? As to whether the blood is sprinkled upon them or not. It were fitting that the section on the tamei'im be related (independently) by Moses. Why was it related through them? For merit is conveyed through the meritorious and liability through the liable.