Pt1 The Death and Burial of Moses in Deuteronomy 31-34 (Sotah 13b-14a)

Appendix - ‘Following God’ Through Emulation of His Attributes

This is the first part of a two-part series. The outline of the series is below.

The death of Moses, is described in the final chapter in the Torah (Deuteronomy 34) and elaborated upon in Sotah 13b. The death of Moses is at once the Torah’s final moment and one of its greatest mysteries. Far from a straightforward epilogue, the account is rich in tension, poetry, and ambiguity. The rabbis of the Talmud seized upon this closing scene to explore theological, ethical, and narrative questions surrounding Moses’ final days. Why was he not allowed to enter the Land of Israel? Did he truly die, and if so, who buried him—and where? Why is his burial site both precisely described and utterly unknowable?

The sugya discusses themes such as divine justice (middah keneged middah), the transfer of leadership to Joshua, and the paradox of Moses’ continued intellectual lucidity in the face of a divinely ordained end.

Along the way, we encounter vivid midrashic images: God as Moses’ sole eulogist and gravedigger, the Shekhinah carrying Moses’ body between tribal lands, and Roman agents confounded by Moses’ supernaturally elusive grave.

Outline

Intro

The Passage - The Death and Burial of Moses in Deuteronomy 31-34 (Sotah 13b)

Part 1

1. Measure for Measure: Moses’ Rebuke and God’s Rebuke (Deuteronomy 3:26)

   1. R’ Levi - God’s Denial and the Word ‘rav’ (Numbers 16:7)

   2. An alternative view - “rav lakh” - Moses already has a ‘rav’ (“master”) — Joshua.

   3. Another view - it refers to God Himself, so people wouldn’t say: the master is too harsh, the student too stubborn

   4. R’ Yishmael’s School - great people are held to higher standards

2. The Righteous Die on the Exact Completion of Their Years (Deuteronomy 31:2; Exodus 23:26): Moses’ Age Marked with Precision

3. Moses’ Decline Was Intellectual, Not Physical (Deuteronomy 34:7, 31:2)

   1. Moses’ Decline Wasn’t Physical

   2. R’ Shmuel bar Naḥmani citing R’ Yonatan - the phrase refers to Moses’ inability to “go out and come in” with words of Torah

4. The Transfer of Leadership from Moses to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:14): A Shabbat of Dual Leadership

5. Moses’ Death and Burial Between the Portions of Reuben and Gad (Deuteronomy 34:1, 33:21; Numbers 32:37–38): Moses Dies in the Portion of Reuben and Is Buried in the Portion of Gad; The Miraculous Transport of Moses’ Body

Part 2

1. Six Possible Divine Eulogies at Moses’ Death (Deuteronomy 33:21, 34:5; Psalms 94:16; Ecclesiastes 8:1; Job 28:12): Angelic Praise and Divine Grief; Moses as Interpreter of God’s Will; Seeking Lost Wisdom; Moses as National Scribe; proclamation of a bat kol

2. Did Moses Truly Die? (Deuteronomy 34:5; Exodus 34:28)

3. R’ Berekhya - The Hidden Grave of Moses (Deuteronomy 34:6): Paradox of a Precisely-Described Yet Unknown Location

4. The Unfindable Grave of Moses (Deuteronomy 34:6): Roman Attempt to Locate Moses’ Grave

5. R’ Ḥama bar Ḥanina - Even Moses Doesn’t Know the Location of His Own Grave (Deuteronomy 33:1)

6. Symbolic Location Near Beth Peor

Appendix 1 - ‘Following God’ Through Emulation of His Attributes (Sotah 14a)

1. Following God: the Impossibility Approaching the Shekhina (Deuteronomy 13:5, 4:24)

2. ‘Walking After God’ Means Imitating His Deeds (Genesis 3:21, 18:1, 25:11; Deuteronomy 34:6): Clothing the Naked, Visiting the Sick, Comforting Mourners, and Burying the Dead

Appendix 2 - Homiletic Readings of Deuteronomy Verses in the Sugya on Moses’ Death, By Order of Verses

1. Deuteronomy 3:26

2. Deuteronomy 4:24

3. Deuteronomy 13:5

4. Deuteronomy 31:2

5. Deuteronomy 31:14

6. Deuteronomy 33:1

7. Deuteronomy 33:21

8. Deuteronomy 34:1

9. Deuteronomy 34:5

10. Deuteronomy 34:6

11. Deuteronomy 34:7

The Passage

Sotah.13b.13-14a.2

Measure for Measure: Moses’ Rebuke and God’s Rebuke (Deuteronomy 3:26)

R’ Levi - God’s Denial and the Word ‘rav’ (Numbers 16:7)

The Mishnah emphasizes the unparalleled nature of Moses’ burial—no human was involved; only God took part.¹

The Talmud interprets God’s response to Moses’ plea to enter the Land of Israel—’rav lakh’ (“Let it suffice for you”)—as deliberate:

R’ Levi links it to Moses’ earlier rebuke of Korah’s followers using the same word ‘rav’ .

The repetition of ‘rav’ in both Moses’ rebuke (‘rav lakhem’, Numbers 16:7) and God’s denial (‘rav lakh’, Deuteronomy 3:26) illustrates a principle of measure-for-measure punishment:

Because Moses reproached others with ‘rav’, that same term was used to reproach him.

מי לנו גדול ממשה וכו׳.

״ויאמר ה׳ אלי:

רב לך״,

אמר רבי לוי:

• ב״רב״

  • בישר,

• ב״רב״

  • בישרוהו

• ב״רב״ בישר —

  • ״רב לכם״.

• ב״רב״ בישרוהו —

  • ״רב לך״.

The mishna teaches: Who, to us, had a greater burial than Moses, as no one involved himself in his burial other than God Himself.

The Talmud teaches: When Moses relates how God responded to him when denying his request to enter Eretz Yisrael, he states: “And YHWH said to me:

Let it suffice for you [rav lakh]; speak no more to Me of this matter” (Deuteronomy 3:26).

R’ Levi says:

• with the term “rav” —

  • Moses proclaimed to the Jewish people when rebuking them

• and therefore with the term “rav” —

  • it was proclaimed to him that he would not enter Eretz Yisrael.

The Talmud explains:

• He proclaimed with the term “rav” —

  • when speaking with the congregation of Korah: “You take too much upon you [rav lakhem], you sons of Levi” (Numbers 16:7),

• and it was proclaimed to him with the term “rav” —

  • as God denied his request and said: “Let it suffice for you [rav lakh].”

An alternative view - ‘rav lakh’ - Moses already has a ‘rav’ (“master”) — Joshua

דבר אחר:

״רב לך״ —

רב יש לך,

ומנו?

יהושע.

Alternatively:

God’s telling Moses “rav lakh” was intended to mean:

You now have a rav, a master,

and who is it?

It is Joshua, who has been chosen to lead the Jewish people.

Another view - it refers to God Himself, so people wouldn’t say: the master is too harsh, the student too stubborn

דבר אחר:

״רב לך״,

שלא יאמרו:

• הרב —

  • כמה קשה,

• ותלמיד —

  • כמה סרבן.

Alternatively:

God’s telling Moses “rav lakh” was intended to mean: You have a rav, i.e., God, Who says that you may not enter Eretz Yisrael. You must not importune Me anymore,

so that people should not say:

• the Master —

  • how difficult is he

• the student —

  • and how obstinate is he

R’ Yishmael’s School - great people are held to higher standards

וכל כך למה?

תנא דבי רבי ישמעאל:

לפום גמלא שיחנא.

The Talmud asks: And why was Moses punished so much in that he was not allowed to enter Eretz Yisrael, despite being so righteous?

The school of R’ Yishmael taught that

the reason is based on the common aphorism: Based on the camel is the burden.

In other words, a person is judged in accordance with his stature, and therefore a righteous individual will be punished greatly due to any sins he committed.

The Righteous Die on the Exact Completion of Their Years (Deuteronomy 31:2; Exodus 23:26): Moses’ Age Marked with Precision

The verse emphasizes that Moses was exactly 120 years old “this day,” prompting the question of why such precision is necessary.

The phrase “this day” teaches that Moses’ life concluded on the exact anniversary of his birth. This reflects a divine principle: God ensures that the righteous live out their allotted time completely, fulfilling the verse “The number of your days I will fill” (Exodus 23:26).²

״ויאמר אליהם:

בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום״,

שאין תלמוד לומר ״היום״

היום מלאו ימי ושנותי.

ללמדך:

שהקדוש ברוך הוא משלים שנותיהם של צדיקים

מיום ליום, ומחדש לחדש,

דכתיב: ״את מספר ימיך אמלא״.

The verse relates what Moses said to the Jewish people at the end of his life: “And he said to them:

I am 120 years old this day; I can no longer go out and come in; and YHWH has said to me: You shall not go over this Jordan” (Deuteronomy 31:2).

The wording is problematic, as there is no need for the verse to state the term “this day.”

Moses said it in order to indicate: On this day, my days and years have been completed to be precisely 120,

in order to teach you that

God completes the years of the righteous

from day to day and from month to month,

as it is written: “The number of your days I will fill” (Exodus 23:26), indicating that the righteous will live out their years fully.

Moses’ Decline Was Intellectual, Not Physical (Deuteronomy 34:7, 31:2)

Moses’ Decline Wasn’t Physical

The verse states Moses could no longer “go out and come in,” which seems to suggest a physical limitation.

However, other verses contradict this: Deuteronomy 34:7 says his strength and vision were intact at death, and Deuteronomy 34:1 describes him ascending Mount Nebo, with a baraita adding that he cleared 12 steps in one stride (clear evidence of physical vigor).

״לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא״.

מאי ״לצאת ולבוא״?

אילימא לצאת ולבא ממש,

• והכתיב:

  • ״ומשה בן מאה ועשרים שנה במותו, לא נס לחה״,

• וכתיב:

  • ״ויעל משה מערבת מואב אל הר נבו״,

ותניא:

שתים עשרה מעלות היו שם,

ופסען משה בפסיעה אחת.

The verse continues: “I can no longer go out and come in” (Deuteronomy 31:2).

The Talmud asks: What is the meaning of “go out and come in”?

If we say it means literally that Moses was actually physically restricted from going out and coming in,

• but isn’t it written:

  • “And Moses was 120 years old when he died, his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” (Deuteronomy 34:7), indicating that he was at full physical strength?

• And it is written further:

  • “And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo” (Deuteronomy 34:1).

And it is taught in a baraita:

There were 12 steps there to ascend the mountain,

and Moses stepped over them all in one step, also indicating that he was at full physical strength.

R’ Shmuel bar Naḥmani citing R’ Yonatan - the phrase refers to Moses’ inability to “go out and come in” with words of Torah

Instead, the phrase refers to Moses’ inability to “go out and come in” with words of Torah.

This indicates a spiritual or intellectual decline: the “gates of wisdom” (שערי חכמה) were closed to him (even while his body remained strong).

אמר רבי שמואל בר נחמני, אמר רבי יונתן:

לצאת ולבוא בדברי תורה.

מלמד:

שנסתתמו ממנו שערי חכמה.

R’ Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that R’ Yonatan says:

The verse means that he could no longer go out and come in with words of Torah.

This teaches that

the gates of wisdom were closed off to him.

The Transfer of Leadership from Moses to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:14): A Shabbat of Dual Leadership

The verse describes Moses and Joshua presenting themselves together at the Tent of Meeting on the day Joshua is formally designated as Moses’ successor.

A baraita states that this moment occurred on Shabbat and was unique in being a “day of two pairs”.³

That day marked the symbolic and practical transfer of leadership—authority was removed from Moses and conferred upon Joshua.

״וילך משה ויהושע

ויתיצבו באהל מועד״.

תנא:

אותה שבת של דיו זוגי היתה,

ניטלה רשות מזה, וניתנה לזה.

The verse discussing when Joshua was appointed to be the successor of Moses states: “And Moses and Joshua went,

and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting” (Deuteronomy 31:14).

A Sage taught:

That Sabbath when Moses died was a day of two pairs [deyo zugei], i.e., two wise men, Moses and Joshua, serving together in one place.

Authority was taken from one and given to the other.

Moses’ Death and Burial Between the Portions of Reuben and Gad (Deuteronomy 34:1, 33:21; Numbers 32:37–38): Moses Dies in the Portion of Reuben and Is Buried in the Portion of Gad; The Miraculous Transport of Moses’ Body

A baraita cites R’ Yehuda stating that were it not for a clear verse, one could not utter what the Bible reveals about Moses’ death.⁴

ותניא:

אמר רבי יהודה:

אילמלא מקרא כתוב,

אי אפשר לאומרו

And it is taught in a baraita that

R’ Yehuda said:

If not for an explicitly written verse,

one could not say what is written with regard to the death and burial of Moses.

Moses dies on Mount Nebo, identified through Numbers 32:37–38 as part of the tribal land of Reuben.⁵

Deuteronomy 33:21, in Moses’ blessing to Gad, implies that his burial site lies in Gad’s territory, reserved for “a portion of a ruler”—interpreted as Moses.

The distance between Reuben’s and Gad’s territories (in the Transjordan) is 4 mil (=Roman miles).⁶

R’ Yehuda asks: who transported Moses’ body that distance?

He answers: the contradiction between the locations shows that Moses was carried in the wings of the Shekhina.

היכן משה מת?

בחלקו של ראובן

דכתיב: ״ויעל משה מערבת מואב אל הר נבו״,

ונבו בחלקו של ראובן קיימא,

דכתיב: ״ובני ראובן בנו וגו׳ ואת נבו וגו׳״

[…]

Where did Moses die?

In the portion of Reuben

as it is written: “And Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo” (Deuteronomy 34:1),

and it is known from elsewhere that Nebo is situated in the portion of Reuben,

as it is written: “And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim, and Nebo” (Numbers 32:37–38).

[…]

והיכן משה קבור?

בחלקו של גד,

דכתיב: ״וירא ראשית לו וגו׳״.

ומחלקו של ראובן עד חלקו של גד כמה הוי?

ארבעה מילין.

אותן ארבעה מילין מי הוליכו?

מלמד:

שהיה משה מוטל בכנפי שכינה

R’ Yehuda continues: And where is Moses buried?

In the portion of Gad,

as it is written in the blessing of Moses to the tribe of Gad: “And he chose a first part for himself, for there a portion of a ruler was reserved” (Deuteronomy 33:21), indicating that Moses, the ruler, is buried in the portion of Gad.

And how much is the distance from the portion of Reuben to the portion of Gad?

4 mil.

R’ Yehuda asks: For those 4 mil from Mount Nebo in the portion of Reuben to the burial place of Moses in the portion of Gad, who transported him?

He answers: The contradiction between the two verses teaches that

Moses was lying in the wings of the Shekhina, as Moses was carried out by God Himself

1. I discuss that Mishnah in my “Divine Reciprocity: Biblical Instances of Measure-for-Measure (‘Midah Keneged Midah’) Punishment and Reward (Mishnah Sotah 1:7-9)“, section “Chain of burials“, sub-section “God buries Moses (Deuteronomy 34:6)“.

2. This passage is paralleled elsewhere in the Talmud, see my “Tishrei or Nisan? A Core Tannaitic Dispute on the Dating of Biblical Events - An Experiment in Formatting the Talmud As Footnotes to a Tannaitic Text (Rosh Hashanah 11a-b)“, in the note on “in Tishrei the Patriarchs died“, quoting Rosh_Hashanah.11a.12.

3. ‘dio zugei’ - both words from Greek; i.e. a day when both Moses and Joshua, two wise leaders, served concurrently.

For another sugya relevant to the Greek word for “two" (‘dio / di / do / duo’), compare my “Archons and Angles: A Talmudic Sugya on Greek Words (Bava Batra 164b)“, and see especially my intro there.

The word ‘zug’ (זוג - “pair”) is from Greek zeûgos.

Notably, the phrase ‘dio zugei’ is repetitive, it literally translates to “two pairs”.

4. That Moses’ dead body was transported by God between tribal territories, derived in the rest of the section by interpretation of the relevant verses.

5. The Talmud interjects, as an aside, that the name “Nebo” is homiletically interpreted as a play on “nevi’im” (“prophets”), due to the fact that the three prophets (and siblings) Moses, Aaron, and Miriam all died there:

״נבו״ —

ששם מתו שלשה נביאים:

1. משה

2. ואהרן

3. ומרים

The name is also expounded:

It is called “Nebo [Nevo],”

for three prophets [nevi’im] died there:

1. Moses,

2. and Aaron,

3. and Miriam.

6. See the “12 Tribes of Israel Map” at Wikimedia, screenshot of the relevant area in the map, see Mount Nebo in the area of Reuben: