Midrash su Numeri 27:23

(Fol. 13b) Abaye said to R. Jose: "Whence do we infer that to ordain one as Rabbi three judges are necessary? Shall I take it from (Num. 27, 23) And he laid his hand upon him, etc., then let one be sufficient, as Moses was the only one person; and if you will say that Moses took the place of [the great Sanhedrin who were] seventy-one, then say that to ordain one as Rabbi, seventy-one are needed?" The objection is sustained. R. Acha b. Raba said to R. Ashi: "Is it necessary to actually lay the hands upon the head of the man whom we ordain?' He answered: "We merely name him Rabbi and give him permission to adjudicate fines."

Raba said to Rabba b. Mari: "It is written (I Kings 1, 47) May God make the name of Solomon more famous than thy name, and make his throne greater than thy throne." Is this the usual way of speaking to a king? And he answered: "It is not to be taken literally; they meant to say similar to thy name, for if you would not say so, how is to be understood (Jul. 5. 24) Blessed above women shall Joel be, the wife of Heber the Kenite, above women in the tent shall she be blessed? Who is meant by women in the tent, if not Sarah, Rebeka, Rachel, and Leah? Now, is this prayer to mean that Joel shall be more blessed than they? But it means, similar to them; so also here it means similar to them." This, however, disagrees with the opinion of R. Jose b. Choni; for R. Jose b. Choni said that of every one a man is jealous except of his own son and disciple. Of his son, as we see from the above-cited verse concerning Solomon. And of his disciple, if you wish you may infer it from (II Kings 2, 9) And Elisha said, Let there be, I pray thee, a double portion of thy spirit upon me, and if you wish you may infer it from (Num. 27, 23) And he laid his hands (both) upon him, though he was commanded (Ib. ib. 18) Thou shalt lay thy hand (one) upon him.

16 Another interpretation of (Numb. 27:16) “Let the Lord, appoint”: A parable: A king saw an orphan woman [and] sought to take her for him as a wife. He sent to seek her. She said, “I am not worthy to marry the king.” He sent to seek her seven times, but she did not allow it. In the end she married him. After a time, the king was angry with her and sought to divorce her. She said, “I did not seek to be married to you; you sought me. Since this is so and you have decreed to divorce me and to take another, do not do to that one like what you did to me.” So is it with the Holy One, blessed be He: R. Samuel the son of Nahmani said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, tried for seven days to persuade Moses from the midst of the burning bush, but Moses replied, (in Exod. 4:13), ‘Send please, whomever you will send’; (ibid. 4:10) ‘I am not a man of words, neither yesterday nor the day before.’ This indicates seven days. After time, the Holy One, blessed be He persuaded him; and he went as His agent; and He did all of those miracles through him. In the end, He said to him (in Numb. 20:12), ‘You shall not bring.’ Moses said, ‘Master of the world, (as in Deut. 3:24), “You who let Your servant see the first works of Your greatness, etc.” Since this is so [and] You have decreed against me, do not do like what You did to me to the one that will go in. Rather (as in Numb. 27:17), ‘Who shall go out before them and come in before them.’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, (in Numb. 27:18) “Take Joshua bin Nun.” And Moses did [it] with a generous eye, as stated (Prov. 22:9), “The generous man is blessed.” A parable: A king said to one of his household, “Give so and so a seah of wheat.” He went and agave him two seah. He said to him, “One seah is from the king and one seah is from me.” So did the Holy One, blessed be He say to Moses (in Numb. 27:18), “And lay your hand upon him” – one hand. What did he do? (In Numb 27:23) “He laid his hands upon him and commissioned him,” to fulfill that which is stated (Prov. 22:9), “The generous man is blessed.” Therefore (as in Prov. 27:18), “He who tends a fig tree will enjoy its fruit.” And why is the Torah compared to a fig tree? Since [the fruit of] most trees – the olive tree, the grapevine, the date palm – is gathered [all] at once, but the fig tree is gathered a little [at a time]. And so too is the Torah. Today he studies a little and tomorrow he studies much; as it is not taught in a year, nor in two. (Numb. 27:18) “A man with the spirit of God with him”: Since you said (in Numb. 27:16), “’The God of the spirits of all flesh,’ since You know each and every one, one should be appointed who knows how to proceed with each and every one of them according to his temperament”; [so then (in Numb. 27:18, cont.),] “and lay your hand upon him,” like one who lights a candle from a candle. (Numb 27:20) “Invest him with your majesty,” like one who pours from one vessel to another vessel. Concerning that which I said to you (in Numb. 36:9), “So the inheritance will not move around from one tribe to another,” this glory will not move from the house of your father, as even Joshua who will arise in your place (according to Numb. 27:19), “shall stand in front of Elazar the priest” (nephew of Moses).

(Bamidbar 27:23) "And he placed his hands upon him": He made him an overflowing vessel of Torah, viz. (above) "the watcher of the fig-tree will eat its fruit." For it is written (Shemot 33:11) "And his attendant, Joshua the son of Nun, a youth, did not depart from the midst of the tent," and, likewise, (Joshua 1:8) "this book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth." Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If Joshua, of whom it is written (Devarim 34:9) "He was full of the spirit of wisdom" — If Joshua "did not depart, etc.", then how much more so (should this hold for) other men! "And he commanded him as the L-rd had spoken by the hand of Moses": Just as the Holy One Blessed be He had commanded Moses with joy, so, Moses commanded Joshua with joy. I might think that Moses' powers waned (with age.) It is, therefore, written (Devarim, Ibid. 7) "And Moses was a hundred and twenty years old in his death. His eye had not dimmed" (in deciding) between unclean and clean, between forbidden and permitted, "and his strength had not abated" in toiling in Torah.