Midrash su Deuteronomio 34:5

Male-servants refers to Moses, as is said: Moses was a servant of the Lord (Deut. 34:5). Maid-servants alludes to Ruth, from whom David descended, and concerning whom it is written: I am thy servant, the servant of thy maid-servant (Ps. 116:16). He was the descendant of the woman who forsook being an important lady and a queen in order to find shelter beneath the wings of the Shekhinah.²Tradition tells us that Ruth was the daughter of Eglon, the king of Moab. She would have become a queen if she had not left her native land for the land of Israel.

(Fol. 38) It is written (Ex. 16, 35) And the children of Israel ate the manna forty years, until they came to an inhabitated land; the manna they did eat, until they came unto the border of the land of Cana'an. It is impossible to say [that they ate the manna] until they came to an inhabited land (on the other side of the Jordan), since the same passage says They did eat unto the borders of the land of Cana'an (on this side of the Jordan); and again it is impossible to say [that they ate the manna until they came] unto the borders of the land of Cana'an, since the same passage says, until they came, etc. How then could both conecting statements be reconciled? On the seventh of the month of Adar, Moses died, and on that day the manna ceased to come down from heaven [on this side of the Jordan], Israel, however, supplied themselves with manna in vessels which lasted them until the sixteenth of the month of Nisan [until they passed the Jordan]. We are taught in another Baraitha: And the children of Israel ate the manna forty years. Did they indeed eat the manna exactly forty years? Behold they only ate it forty years less thirty days. We must therefore say that the unleavened bread which Israel took along from Egypt had the taste of Manna. We are taught in another Baraitha: On the seventh of the month Adar, Moses died, and on the seventh of the month Adar, he was born. Whence do we learn that he died on the seventh of Adar? It is said (Deut. 34, 5) And Moses the servant of the Lord died there, and it is further written, And the children of Israel wept for Moses; and it is written (Josh. 1, 1) And it came to pass after the death of Moses; and the next passage says (Ib.) Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, pass over, etc.; and again the passage says, Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people; and it is further written (Ib. 4, 79) And the people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. Deduct from this date thirty-three days (thirty of the mourning and three for preparing themselves as stated Josh. 1, 11), hence you will find that Moses died on the seventh of Adar. And whence do we know that on the seventh of Adar, Moses was born? The passage says (Deut. 31, 2) Moses said, I am one hundred and twenty years old today. He need not have said today [if it had no special significance]. We therefore infer that today implies that just that very day have his days and years been completed. This is to teach that the Holy One, praised be He, grants the righteous the fulfillment of the years of their life to the very month and day, as it is said (Ex. 23, 26) The number of thy days will I make full.

The master said above: "Joshua wrote his book and the last eight verses of the Pentateuch." We are taught in a Baraitha in accordance with him who said that the last eight verses of the Torah were written by Joshua; namely (Deut. 36, 5) And Moses, the servant of the Lord, died, etc. For how is it possible that after Moses had died that he should have written that he died? We must therefore assume that up to this verse Moses wrote, and from this verse on Joshua wrote. This is the opinion of R. Joshua, and according to others the opinion of R. Nechemiah. R. Simon said to him: "Is it possible that the Holy Scrolls should not have been complete to the last letter, and nevertheless it should read (Ib. 31, 26) Take this book of the law, etc.? We must, therefore, say that up to this verse the Holy One, praised be He! dictated, and Moses repeated it and wrote it down; but from this verse on the Holy One, praised be He, dictated and Moses wrote with tears [but they were not repeated]; as similar to that which it is said further [concerning the prophets] (Jer. 36, 18) Then said Baruch unto them, with his mouth did he utter clearly all these words unto me, and I wrote them in the book with ink. In accordance with whom, then, will that which R. Joshua b. Aba, in the name of R. Gidel, quoting Rab, said: "The last eight verses of the Pentateuch, when read from the Holy Scrolls, must be read by one person without any interruption." Is it not in accordance with R. Juda, and contrary to that of R. Simon? It may be also in accordance with R. Simon; and the reason [for the exception of these eight verses] is because, since there was already a change at the writing by Moses [as said above], the change should be complete, [in its reading]. "Joshua wrote his book." But is it not written there And Joshua died? Elazar finished it. But is it not written there And Elazar died? It was finished by Pinchas.