The story of Moses from the bible. Bible story of Moses

etc.) - the leader and legislator of the Jewish people, the prophet and the first sacred writer of everyday life. He was born in Egypt 1574 or 1576 BC and was the son of Amram and Jochebed. When Moses was born, his mother, Jochebed, hid him for some time from the general beating of Jewish male babies by order of the pharaoh; but when it was no longer possible to hide it, she carried it out to the river and put it in a basket of reeds and tarred with asphalt and pitch on the banks of the Nile River in a reed, and the sister of Moses watched from afar what would happen to him. Pharaoh's daughter, c. Egyptian, went out to the river to wash and there she saw a basket, heard the cry of a child, took pity on him and decided to save his life. Thus, taken from the water, he, at the suggestion of Moses' sister, was given over to be raised by his mother. When the baby grew up, the mother introduced him to the daughter of Pharaoh, and he was with her instead of her son, and being in the royal palace, he was taught all the Egyptian wisdom (,). According to Flavius, he was even made in command of the Egyptian army against the Ethiopians who invaded Egypt as far as Memphis, and successfully defeated them (Ancient book II, ch. 10). Despite, however, his advantageous position under Pharaoh, Moses, according to the word of the apostle, he preferred to suffer with the people of God, rather than to have temporary sinful pleasure and the reproach of Christ, he considered greater wealth for himself than the Egyptian treasures(). He was already 40 years old, and one day it came to his heart to visit his brothers, the sons of Israel. Then he saw their hard work and how much the Jews suffer from the Egyptians. It happened one day that he stood up for a Jew who was beaten by an Egyptian and killed him in the heat of battle, and there was no one except the offended Jew. The next day, he saw two Jews quarreling among themselves and began to convince them, as brothers, to live in harmony. But the one who offended his neighbor pushed him away: who made you the chief and judge over us? he said. Don't you want to kill me as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?(). When Moses heard this, fearing that Pharaoh might hear about it, he fled to the land of Midian. In the house of the Midian priest Jethro, he entered into marriage with his daughter Zipporah and spent 40 years there. Grazing the flock of his father-in-law, he went with the flock far into the desert and came to the mountain of God Horeb (). He saw an unusual phenomenon here, namely: a thorn bush all in flames, burning and not burning. Approaching the bush, he heard the voice of the Lord from the middle of the bush, commanding him to take off his shoes from his feet, since the place on which he stood was holy ground. Moses hurriedly took off his shoes and covered his face in fear. Then he was given the command of God to go to Pharaoh for the release of the Israelites. Fearing his unworthiness and presenting various difficulties, Moses denied this great embassy several times, but the Lord encouraged him with His presence and His help, revealed His name to him: Jehovah (Jehovah) and as a testament to his power, he turned the rod that was in the hands of Moses into a serpent, and again turned the serpent into a rod; then Moses, at the command of God, put his hand into his bosom, and his hand turned as white as snow from leprosy; according to a new command, he again put his hand in his bosom, took it out, and she was healthy. As an assistant to Moses, the Lord indicated his brother, Aaron. Then Moses unquestioningly obeyed the call of the Lord. Together with his brother Aaron, he appeared before the face of the pharaoh, c. Egyptian, and on behalf of Jehovah they asked him to release the Jews from Egypt for three days to offer sacrifices in the wilderness. Pharaoh, as the Lord foretold Moses, denied them this. Then the Lord struck the Egyptians with terrible plagues, of which the last was the beating by an angel in one night of all the firstborn of Egypt. This terrible execution finally broke the stubbornness of the pharaoh. He allowed the Jews to go out of Egypt into the desert for three days to pray and take their livestock, both small and large. And the Egyptians urged the people to send them out of that land as soon as possible; for, they said, we will all die. The Jews, having celebrated Easter on the last night, at the command of God, left Egypt among 600,000 men with all their property, and, despite all their haste, they did not forget to take with them the bones of Joseph and some other patriarchs, as Joseph had bequeathed. He Himself showed them where to direct their path: He walked before them by day in a pillar of cloud, and by night in a pillar of fire, illuminating their path (Ex. XIII, 21, 22). Pharaoh and the Egyptians soon repented that they had let the Jews go, and set off with an army to catch up with them, and now they were approaching their camp at the Red Sea. Then the Lord commanded Moses to take his rod and divide the sea so that the sons of Israel could pass through the middle of the sea on dry land. Moses acted according to the command of God, and the sea parted and the dry bottom was revealed. The sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on dry land, so that the waters were a wall to them on their right and left sides. The Egyptians followed them into the middle of the sea, but, dismayed by God, they rushed back. Then Moses, after the Israelites had already reached the shore, again stretched out his hand over the sea, and the waters returned again to their place and covered Pharaoh with all the army and his chariots and horsemen; not a single one of them remained to speak in Egypt about this terrible death. On the seashore, Moses and all the people solemnly sang a song of thanksgiving to God: I will sing to the Lord, for He has exalted himself highly, He has cast horse and rider into the sea, and Miriam and all the women, striking their tambourines, sang: Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted (). Moses led the Jews to the Promised Land of the Arabian Desert. For three days they went through the wilderness of Shur and found no water but bitter water (Merah). He sweetened this water by commanding Moses to put the tree He had indicated into it. In the wilderness of Sin, due to the people's murmuring about the lack of food and their demand for meat food, God sent them many quails, and from now on and for all the next forty years sent manna to them daily from heaven. In Rephidim, due to the lack of water and the murmuring of the people, Moses, at the command of God, brought water out of the rock of Mount Horeb, striking it with his rod. Here the Amalekites made an attack on the Jews, but were defeated at the prayer of Moses, who, during the entire duration of the battle, prayed on the mountain, raising his hands to God (). In the third month after the exodus from Egypt, the Jews finally came to the foot of Mount Sinai and encamped against the mountain. On the third day, at the command of God, the people were placed by Moses near the mountain, at some distance from it, with a strict prohibition not to approach it closer than a certain line. On the morning of the third day, thunderclaps were heard, lightning began to flash, a strong trumpet sound was heard, Mount Sinai was all smoking, because the Lord descended on it in fire and the smoke ascended from it like smoke from a furnace. Thus was the presence of God at Sinai marked. And at that time the Lord spoke the Ten Commandments of the Law of God in the ears of all the people. Then Moses went up the mountain, received laws from the Lord regarding church and civil improvement, and when he came down from the mountain, he told all this to the people and wrote everything in a book. Then, after sprinkling the people with blood and reading the book of the Testament, Moses again, at the command of God, ascended the mountain, and spent forty days and forty nights there, and received detailed instructions from God about the construction of the Tabernacle and the altar and about everything related to worship, in conclusion, two stone tablets with the ten commandments inscribed on them (). Upon returning from the mountain, Moses saw that the people, left to their own devices, had fallen into the terrible crime of idolatry before the golden calf, idolized in Egypt. In the heat of indignation, he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them, and burned the golden calf in the fire and scattered the ashes on the water, which he gave to drink. In addition, according to the command of Moses, three thousand people, the main perpetrators of the crime, fell on that day from the sword of the sons of Levi. After this, Moses hastened again to the mountain to beg the Lord to forgive the people of their iniquity, and again stayed there forty days and forty nights, did not eat bread and did not drink water, and the Lord bowed to mercy. Excited by this mercy, Moses had the boldness to ask God in the highest way to show him His glory. And once again he was ordered to ascend the mountain with the tablets prepared, and he again spent 40 days fasting there. At this time, the Lord descended in a cloud and passed before him with His glory. Moses fell to the ground in awe. The reflection of the glory of God was reflected on his face, and when he came down from the mountain, the people could not look at him; why he wore a veil over his face, which he took off when he appeared before the Lord. Six months after this, the Tabernacle was built and consecrated with all its accessories with sacred oil. Aaron and his sons were appointed to serve in the Tabernacle, and soon the whole tribe of Levi was separated to help them (,). Finally, on the twentieth day of the second month of the second year, a cloud rose from the Tabernacle, and the Jews moved on their way, staying at Mount Sinai for about a year (). Their further wandering was accompanied by numerous temptations, grumbling, cowardice and the death of the people, but at the same time it represented an uninterrupted series of miracles and mercy of the Lord to His chosen people. So, for example, in the Faran desert, people grumbled about the lack of meat and fish: now our soul is languishing; there is nothing but manna in our eyes they said rebuking Moses. As a punishment for this, part of the camp was destroyed by fire sent from God. But this did little to enlighten the dissatisfied. Soon they began to neglect the manna and demanded meat food. Then the Lord raised up a strong wind, which brought quails from the sea in huge numbers. The people eagerly rushed to collect quails, gathered them day and night and ate until satiety. But this whim and satiety caused the death of many of them, and the place where many people died from a terrible plague was called the coffins of lust, or whim. In the next camp, Moses experienced trouble from his own relatives, Aaron and Miriam, but exalted him as his faithful servant in all His House (). Continuing further on their way, the Jews approached the Promised Land and could soon take possession of it, if their unbelief and cowardice had not prevented it. In the desert of Faran, in Kadesh, there was the most outrageous murmuring when from 12 spies sent to inspect the Promised Land, the Jews heard about the great power, the great growth of the inhabitants of that land and its fortified cities. With this indignation, they wanted to stone even Moses himself and Aaron with two of the spies and choose a new leader for themselves to return to Egypt. Then the Lord condemned them for this for 40 years of wandering, so that all of them over 20 years had to die in the wilderness, except for Joshua and Caleb (). This was followed by a new indignation of Korah, Dathan and Aviron against Moses himself and Aaron, punished by the Lord with terrible executions, and the priesthood was again established behind the house of Aaron (). For more than thirty years the Jews wandered in the desert, and almost all who came out of Egypt died. When the fortieth year comes, after leaving Egypt, they come to Kadesh, in the wilderness of Sin, on the border of the land of Edom. Here, due to the lack of water, the people again grumbled against Moses and Aaron, who turned to the Lord with a prayer. The Lord heeded the prayer and ordered Moses and Aaron to gather the company and, with a rod in their hands, order the rock to give water. Moses struck the rock twice with his rod, and much water flowed out. But since in this case Moses, as if not trusting his one word, struck with a rod, acted contrary to the will of God, for this he and Aaron were condemned to die outside the Promised Land (). On the further journey, Aaron died near Mount Hor, having previously transferred the high priesthood to his son, Eleazar (). At the end of the wandering, the people again became cowardly and grumbled. As a punishment for this, God sent poisonous snakes to him and, when they repented, ordered Moses to erect a copper serpent on a tree to heal them (,). Approaching the borders of the Amorites, the Jews struck down Sihon, c. Amorite, and Og, c. of Bashan, and having occupied their lands, they pitched their camp against Jericho. For fornication with the daughters of Moab and idolatry, in which the Jews were involved by the Moabites and Midianites, 24,000 of them died, and others were hanged at the command of God. Finally, since Moses himself, like Aaron, was not honored to enter the Promised Land, he asked the Lord to show him a worthy successor, which is why he was indicated a successor in the person of Joshua, on whom he laid his hands before Eleazar the priest and before the whole community. own (). Thus, Moses handed over to him before all Israel his title, made an order for the possession and division of the Promised Land, repeated the laws given by God at different times to the people, instructing them to keep them holy and touchingly reminding them of the many different blessings of God during their forty years of wandering. He wrote all his exhortations, the repeated law and his final orders in a book and gave it to the priests for storage at the Ark of the Covenant, making it a duty to read it to the people every seventh year on the Feast of Tabernacles. The last time, being called before the Tabernacle, together with his successor, he received a revelation from God about the future ingratitude of the people and conveyed this to him in a accusatory and edifying song. Finally, called to Mount Nebo to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho, having seen from afar the Promised Land shown to him by the Lord, he died on the mountain 120 years old. His body was buried in a valley near Veffegor, but no one knows the place of his burial even to this day, says the writer (). The people honored his death with thirty days of lamentation. St. commemorates the prophet and God-seer Moses on the 4th day of September. In book. Deuteronomy, after his death, in a prophetic spirit it is said about him (maybe this is the word of the successor of Moses, Joshua): And there was no longer a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face (). St. Isaiah says that after centuries, in the days of their tribulations, the people of God remembered with reverence before God the times of Moses, when the Lord saved Israel by his hand (Is. LXIII, 11-13). As a leader, legislator and prophet, Moses lived in the memory of the people at all times. His memory in the most recent times was always blessed, never dying among the people of Israel (Sir. XLV, 1-6). In the New Testament, Moses, as the great legislator, and Elijah, as the representative of the prophets, are talking in glory with the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration (,). The great name of Moses cannot lose its importance both for all Christians and for the entire enlightened world: he lives among us in his sacred books, he was the first God-inspired writer.

MOSES(13th century BC?), in the Hebrew Bible, a prophet who led the Israelites out of Egypt, where they were in bondage; through Moses, God communicated his Law, containing the terms of the covenant-covenant of God with Israel, concluded on Mount Sinai. Moses is a key figure in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. He is often seen as the founder of Judaism as a religious system. The name "Moses" (Heb. Moshe) is obviously of Egyptian origin and means "child".

Ancient Egyptian written sources and archaeological finds do not contain any information about Moses. The only source of information about him is the biblical text. Some conservative Jews and Christians consider Moses the author of the Torah (Pentateuch, i.e. the first five books of the Bible), although the Torah does not say anything about its authorship, in addition, most researchers agree that it was compiled only in the 5th century BC. BC. based on several earlier monuments.

According to the biblical story, Moses was born in Egypt to a Jewish family at a time when the Jews were in bondage to the Egyptians. Frightened by the prophecy, the pharaoh ordered the death of all Jewish male babies, and Moses' mother left him in a basket of reeds on the banks of the Nile, where he was discovered by the daughter of the pharaoh and adopted by her. Moses was brought up at the court of the pharaoh, but he retained contact with his fellow tribesmen. One day he saw an Egyptian overseer beating a Jew; standing up for a fellow tribesman, he killed the offender. After this, Moses was forced to flee into the desert east of Egypt. There he married Zipporah, the daughter of the Midian priest Jethro (or Raguel).

Many years later, God appeared to Moses and spoke to him from a bush on fire on Mount Horeb. He entrusted Moses with the task of leading the Jews from Egypt to Palestine and revealed his name to him: "I am who I am" (Ex 3:14). When Moses tried to evade his mission by citing his tongue-tied tongue, God promised that his brother Aaron would be his "mouthpiece." After that, Moses met with Aaron and returned with him to Egypt.

The brothers several times asked the pharaoh to allow the Jews to leave the country, but faced a stubborn refusal. In punishment for this, God struck the Egyptians with ten "plagues", the worst of which was the death of all the Egyptian firstborn. The Israelites were delivered from all these misfortunes, and in memory of this, the Passover holiday was established. After that, the Israelis were still allowed to leave. However, the pharaoh very soon changed his mind and equipped the pursuit of the Jews. When the latter reached the Red Sea, Moses, by the power he received from God, forced the waters of the sea to part, and the Jews crossed it on dry land, and the waves of the sea closed over the army of Pharaoh.

On Mount Sinai, God made a covenant alliance with the children of Israel: "If you obey my voice and keep my covenant ... you will be with me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19:5-6). The ten commandments were part of this covenant. In addition to them, the Law revealed to Moses by God contained hundreds of prescriptions and prohibitions of a moral and ritual nature. Under the direction of Moses, the ark of the covenant was made (for carrying and storing the tablets on which the Law was written); Aaron was appointed high priest.

The subsequent narrative portions of the Pentateuch deal mainly with the difficulties that Moses faced as the leader of a people not yet accustomed to obedience to the law of God. Finding that the Israelites were worshiping the golden calf, he smashed the first two stone tablets in anger (Ex 32). The people in the desert ate the manna that fell from heaven, the gift of God, but they got tired of it (Numbers 11:6) and they murmured. A rebellion arose against Moses, led by Korah, Dathan, and Abiron (Numbers 16). At Meribah, the people, suffering from thirst, began to grumble, but Moses gave the people drink: from the blow of his rod, water gushed out of the rock (Numbers 20). Despite everything, he managed to maintain unity among the people, in particular thanks to the support of his faithful assistant Joshua.

In Moab, from the east bank of the Jordan, God showed Moses the land of Palestine from the top of Mount Thisba (or Nebo). However, God did not allow Moses to enter the promised land because of the sin he committed at Meribah. Apparently, the sin consisted in the fact that Moses and Aaron said: “Shall we make water for you from this rock?” (Numbers 20:10), instead of emphasizing that only God works miracles. Moses died in Moab at the age of 120.

Numerous works of art and literature testify to how much the image of Moses excited the imagination of people from antiquity to the present day. Philo of Alexandria and Gregory of Nyssa compiled detailed allegorical interpretations of the life of the prophet. Moses Michelangelo is perhaps the greatest image of human power and maturity in all Western plastic art. G. Rossini and A. Schoenberg composed operas about Moses. Z. Freud wrote a book Moses and Monotheism devoted to the psychoanalytic study of the life path of Moses and his relationship with the Jewish people. However, the greatest monument to Moses remains the Jewish faith itself, because, as the Bible tells us, it was through Moses that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was recognized as the God of Israel.

Moshe (in Russian, Moses) is the leader of the Jewish people who led them out of Egyptian slavery.

In the Jewish people it is often called "Moshe Rabbeinu"("Moshe, our teacher").

Through Moshe, the Almighty on Mount Sinai gave the Jews the Torah, which is called - "Torat Moshe"("Torah of Moses").

Born in Egypt on the 7th Adar 2368 from the Creation of the world (1392 BC).

He died on Mount Nebo, on the east bank of the Jordan River, on Adar 7, 2488 (1272 BC), without entering the Holy Land.

Moshe is the younger brother of the prophetess Miriam and Aaron, the ancestor of the family of kohens - high priests.

Birth and childhood in the palace

On 15 Iyar, the stocks of bread taken from Egypt ran out ( Shabbat 87b, Rashi; Seder olam Rabbah 5; Rashi Shemot 16:1). The people murmured, rebuking Moses and Aaron. But already at dawn on the 16th of Iyar, manna (manna from heaven) fell on the camp. From then on, mana fell out every morning until Moshe's death.

On the day when mana fell for the first time, Moshe established ( Brachot 48b; Seder adorot).

On the 28th of Iyar, the army of the Amalekites attacked the camp. Moses appointed Yehoshua bin Nun of the tribe of Ephraim as commander, and he himself went up to the hill and prayed there with his hands uplifted to heaven.

The giving of the Torah

The children of Israel came to Mount Horev, which is also Mount Sinai.

Earlier, on the same mountain, Moses saw a burning bush and for the first time was rewarded with a prophecy.

6 Sivan 2448 g. all experienced the revelation at Mount Sinai.

Moshe went up the mountain to receive the Torah there and stayed there for forty days.

According to the midrash, Moshe Rabbeinu during this time reached an unprecedented spiritual level.

But besides him, the Almighty revealed himself to all the people of Israel - each of the hundreds of thousands of Jews present there.

The giving of the Torah was an unprecedented event, and the holiday of Shavuot is celebrated in his honor.

Forty days later, Moses descended from Mount Sinai on fire, carrying in his hand the stone Tablets of the Covenant with the 10 Commandments inscribed on them.

Sin and redemption

Aaron and the elders who went out to meet Moses saw that his face was shining brightly, but he himself did not notice it.

In a desert

Following the advice of his father-in-law, Yitro, Moshe appointed judges and organized the legal system.

In addition, Moshe began teaching the children of Israel the Torah daily.

He also conveyed the command of G-d to build the Mishkan - a portable Tent of Revelation, so that Shekinah - Divine Presence. (Shemot 25:8-9, 35:4-19; Rashi, Shemot 35:1).

The construction of the portable Mishkan was entrusted to the young Bezalel.

In addition, it was necessary to prepare everything for serving in the portable Temple, including the altar, the Mentor and the robes for the kohanim.

By the will of G-d, Moses appointed Aaron and his sons as priests, and the tribe of Levi as the servants of the Tabernacle ( Shemot 28:1-43; Shemot of a servant 37:1).

1 Nissan 2449 of the year Shekinah found a permanent home on earth in the Holy of Holies Tabernacle of Revelation.

The Mishkan, built by Moshe in the desert, became the prototype of the Jerusalem Temple, built later by King Shlomo (Solomon).

As the midrash says, because of the sins of the first generations Shekinah moved away from the earth to the seventh level of Heaven. Our forefathers Abraham, Yitzhak and Yaakov managed to “return” her from the seventh level to the fourth, Levi to the third, Keat to the second, Amram to the first, and Moshe built a permanent abode for the Shekinah - the Tent of Revelation ( Genesis servant 19:7; Bemidbar Raba 13:2).

During the stay of the Jews in the desert, the Almighty spoke to Moshe from the Holy of Holies in the Tent of Revelation, taught him the Torah and passed on the commandments through him.

After some time, the camp of the Jews set off from the place on the road - to the Land of Israel.

After the first crossing, the people began to grumble and complain ( Bemidbar 11:1, Rashi).

G-d commanded that 70 elders be chosen to help Moshe ( Bemidbar 11:16-17, 24-25).

Two of the elders, Eldad and Meidad, began to prophesy in the camp of the children of Israel ( Bemidbar 11:26-27, Rashi). They said: "Moshe will die, and Joshua will lead the people into the land" ( Sanhedrin 17a; Rashi, Bemidbar 11:28).

Moshe's disciple Yehoshua bin Nun asked: "My lord, Moshe, stop them!" But Moshe replied: “Are you jealous for me?! May all the people become prophets, so that G-d will overshadow them with His spirit!” ( Bemidbar 11:28-29).

When Israel approached the border of the Holy Land, the people came up with a proposal to send scouts to "scout out the country and tell us about the road we should take and the cities we should enter" ( Devarim 1:20-22).

12 scouts were sent, one from each tribe. Returning, 10 scouts

intimidated the Jews and dissuaded them from entering the land of Israel. Only two, Yehoshua bin Nun and Kalev, came out in support of the conquest.

The people began to weep, saying: “It would be better if we died in Egypt or in this desert! Why is G-d leading us to this country?…” and “Let us appoint a new leader and return to Egypt!” It happened on the night of the 9th of Av - the date on which many sad events took place in the subsequent history of the Jews.

Due to the sin of the spies, the Almighty made a decision: this generation will not enter the Holy Land, but will wander in the wilderness for 40 years. And only the children of those who came out of Egypt will enter the land of Israel and conquer it.

Korach, one of the leaders of the Levites, revolted against Moses and Aaron. Korach and his accomplices accused Moshe and Aaron of usurping power, and that Moshe distributes all the most important appointments as he sees fit.

The Torah says that “the earth opened up” under the feet of the leaders of the rebels and swallowed them up, “and fire came out from G-d and devoured two hundred and fifty accomplices of Korach” ( Bemidbar 16:20-35).

But the next day, the people began to accuse Moshe and Aaron of deliberately contributing to the death of 250 leaders of the community.

Then a destructive plague began among the people. And Moshe ordered Aaron to burn incense, "to atone for them, for the wrath of God is poured out" ( Bemidbar 17:9-11). As Scripture says, Aaron "stands between the dead and the living" - and the pestilence ceased (Bamidbar 17:12-13).

Test with staff and rock

In the fortieth year of wandering in the desert, Moshe's sister, the prophetess Miriam, died.

The Midrash says that it was Miriam's merit that every campsite of the children of Israel had a source of water. Miriam left - “left” and the source.

People languishing in the desert from thirst surrounded Moshe and Aaron, reproaching them and asking for water.

Gd told Moshe to take a staff and turn to the rock to extract water from it for the children of Israel with a word.

Moshe and Aaron again went out to the people, and Moshe said: “Listen, you rebels! Is it not from this rock that we draw water for you?!” - and he struck the rock twice with his staff, from which streams of water gushed abundantly ( Bemidbar 20:7-11, Rashbam and Khizkuni).

And then the Almighty said to Moses and Aaron: “Because you did not believe Me and did not sanctify Me before the eyes of the children of Israel, you will not bring this community into the land that I give them” ( Bemidbar 20:12).

According to the Midrash, they were punished because Moses did not limit himself to words, but struck the rock. After all, if they turned to the rock and water poured out, then the Name of the Most High would be consecrated in front of the whole people, and people would begin to say: “If the rock, devoid of hearing and speech, fulfills the command of G-d, so we the more it should be done!” ( Midrash Haggadah 67; Rashi, Bemidbar 20:11-12). And the staff should not have been taken to strike the rock with it, but to remind the children of Israel of past rebellions, as well as of the miracles that were performed for them ( Rashbam, Bemidbar 20:8).

According to another explanation, Moses and Aaron were punished for saying, “Will we draw water for you from this rock?!” - but it should have been said: "... God will draw water for you." Indeed, because of these words, the people could mistakenly conclude that the miracle was performed by the power of their magical art, and not by the Almighty ( R. Hananel, see Ramban, Bemidbar 20:8-13; Shalmei Nahum).

Connoisseurs of the secret teaching point out: if Moses himself had led the people into the Land of Israel, he would have built the Temple, which would never have been destroyed, but for this, the entire people of Israel had to be at the level of the highest righteousness. And since that generation of the sons of Israel was not ready for the accession of Mashiach, they would continue to violate the will of G-d in the Holy Land, just as they did in the wilderness. And then the entire force of the wrath of the Almighty would have fallen not on the Temple, which was not subject to destruction, but on the sinning people - until its complete extermination, God forbid. And so the Almighty said to Moses: “You will not bring this community into the land that I give them” - “you will not enter”, because the spiritual level of the generation does not correspond to the highest holiness of this land ( Ohr hachaim, Bemidbar 20:8, Devarim 1:37; Mihtav meEliyahu 2, p. 279-280).

At the same time, with his blows on the rock, Moshe saved the sons of Israel from the complete extermination threatening them in the future - because now the story has turned out completely differently: the people entered the Holy Land under the leadership of Joshua bin Nun, the Temple was built by King Shlomo, and when the cup of sins of the sons of Israel overflowed, G-d "destroyed in His wrath the logs and stones (of which the Temple was built)" ( Shokher tov 79), - and the people were sent into saving exile.

However, another possibility remained open: Moshe could have acted without any objective calculations, relying only on the mercy of the Almighty. And if he, taking into account only the merits of the sons of Israel, and not their vices and shortcomings, limited himself to words addressed to the rock - perhaps the Almighty approached the sins of the people of Israel only with His Measure of Mercy, and not with the Measure of Judgment, and the people Israel would have been honored to enter the Holy Land under the leadership of Moshe and settle there forever (Oel Yehoshua 2; Mihtav meEliyahu 2, p. 280).

Completion of wanderings

On the night of the first Av 2487 year G-d informed Moshe of the imminent death of Aaron ( Yalkut Shimoni, Khukat 764).

At dawn, Moshe met his brother at the Tent of Revelation. In front of the whole community, he led Aaron to the top of Mount Hor, where he died ( Bemidbar 20:27).

All the people of Israel mourned for Aaron ( Bemidbar 20:28-29, Targum Jonathan).

A few months later, the Jewish people moved towards the borders of the Holy Land. 40 years of wandering in the desert were coming to an end.

Their path lay through the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites. But in response to a request to let them pass, Sihon went out to meet the army. In the ensuing battle, the Jews won, and, pursuing the enemy, captured their capital and their entire country - from the Arnon River to the Yabok River, where the lines of Og, King of Bashan, began ( Bemidbar 21:21-26; Devarim 2:18, 2:26-36; Seder olam Rabbah 9; Yagellibeynu).

Og stepped forward to meet them. Under the leadership of Moshe, the Jews defeated his army, and then took possession of his country ( Bemidbar 21:33-35; Devarim 3:1-11; Yagellibeynu).

The tribes of Reuben and Gad turned to Moshe with a request to give them possession of the lands of Sihon and Og - east bank of the Jordan, rich in pastures. Moshe set a condition: if the tribes of Reuven and Gad go together with all the people to conquer Canaan on the other side of the river, then they will get to the eastern bank ( Bemidbar 32:1-33).

The two tribes were joined by part of the tribe of Menashe, which also had many herds ( Ramban, Bemidbar 32:33).

Moshe divided the east coast between them, assigning each of them a special allotment ( Bemidbar 32:33; Devarim 3:12-16; Yehoshua 13:15-32).

Moshe also singled out three cities of refuge on this shore, in which the perpetrators of manslaughter were supposed to hide ( Devarim 4:41-43).

Before Moshe's death

First Shevat 2488 Moshe gathered all the sons of Israel and began to prepare them for the crossing of the Jordan.

At first, he reminded them of the entire path traveled in forty years - from the exodus from Egypt to this day ( Devarim 1:1-3:29).

In his speech, Moshe gave the children of Israel harsh instructions, predicting what would happen to them in the distant future. Following this, Moshe repeated once again all the basic laws of the Torah ( ibid 4:1-28-69). This training continued day after day for five weeks - until the sixth Adar ( Seder olam Rabbah 10; Seder adorot).

At the same time, from the beginning of the month of Adar, Moshe again persistently prayed to the Almighty to let him live and allow him to enter the country of Canaan ( Vayikra Rabbah 11:6). The reason for his passionate desire for the Holy Land was that many commandments can only be performed there - and Moshe tried to fulfill all the commandments of the Torah ( Honeycomb 14a).

Finally, on the sixth of Adar, G-d said to Moses: “Behold, your days have drawn near to death. Call on Yehoshua - stand in the Tent of Revelation, and I will give him orders" ( Deuteronomy 31:14; Seder olam Rabbah 10; Seder adorot).

Moshe put Yehoshua before all the people and admonished him as God inspired him ( Bemidbar 27:22-23; Devarim 31:7-8). Moses then placed his disciple on the throne, and as Yehoshua spoke to the people, Moses stood by his side ( Beit Amidrash 1, 122; Otzar Ishey HaTanakh, Moshe 48).

Bidding farewell to the tribes of Israel, Moshe gave them his blessings ( Deuteronomy 31:1, 33:1-25; Seder olam Rabbah 10; Ibn Ezra, Devarim 31:1).

For 40 years, Moshe wrote down the commandments and individual sections of the Torah on sheets of parchment. According to legend, before his death, he sewed them into a single scroll ( Gitin 60a, Rashi).

In addition, he left behind eleven psalms (Tehilim) written by him.

According to one version, Moshe also handed over to the people of Israel the book he wrote Job: in it he outlined the tragic story of the righteous Job, which began on the day when the waters of the Reed Sea split before the sons of Israel ( Bava batra 14b; see above in ch. 5 Exodus).

Toward evening, the Creator ordered Moshe to climb Mount Nebo.

On the top of the mountain, the Creator showed him the whole land of Canaan: Moshe's prophetic vision overcame spatial limitations, and he was able to see the northern and southern borders of the country, as well as the distant Mediterranean Sea, which serves as the western border of the Holy Land ( Deuteronomy 34:1-3; Sifri, Pinchas 135-136). At the same time, G-d showed Moses the future of the Jewish people: all its leaders from entering Canaan to the resurrection of the dead ( Sifri, Pinchas 139).

Moshe ben Amram was called to the Heavenly Yeshiva on the seventh of Adar 2488 year / 1272 BC. e. / - in the same month and on the same day that he was born ( Seder olam Rabbah 10; Megillah 13b; Tankhuma, Vaetkhanan 6; Seder adorot). He was exactly one hundred and twenty years old (and King David ( Sukkah 52b).

He was the first person to achieve absolute perfection, and the next will be Mashiach ( Zohar 3, 260b; Otsar Ishey aTanakh p. 405).

Connoisseurs of the secret teaching point out that the Mashiach King, who will lead the people of Israel to final deliverance, will be a new incarnation of the soul of Moshe, because it is written: “As in the days of your exodus from the land of Egypt, I will show you miracles” ( Micah 7:15) - i.e. the last deliverance will largely repeat the events of the Exodus from Egypt.

After the death of Patriarch Joseph, the position of the Jews changed dramatically. The new king, who did not know Joseph, began to fear that the Jews, having become a numerous and strong people, would go over to the side of the enemy in the event of war. He placed leaders over them to wear them out with hard work. Pharaoh also ordered the death of newborn Israelite boys. The very existence of the chosen people is at stake.. However, the Providence of God did not allow this plan to be carried out. God saved from death and the future leader of the people - Moses. This greatest Old Testament prophet came from the tribe of Levi. His parents were Amram and Jochebed (Ex 6:20). The future prophet was younger than his brother Aaron and sister Miriam. The baby was born when the pharaoh's order was in force to drown newborn Jewish boys in the Nile. The mother hid her child for three months, but then she was forced to hide it in a basket in the reeds on the river bank. The pharaoh's daughter saw him and took him into her house. Watching from afar, Moses' sister offered to bring a wet nurse. According to God's providence, it was so arranged that his own mother became the breadwinner for him, raising him in her house. When the boy grew up, his mother brought him to the pharaoh's daughter. While living in the royal palace as an adopted son, Moses was taught all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in word and deed (Acts 7:22).

When he forty years old he went out to his brothers. Seeing that an Egyptian was beating a Jew, he, protecting his brother, killed the Egyptian. Fearing persecution, Moses fled to the land of Midian and was received in the house of the local priest Raguel (aka Jethro), who married his daughter Zippora to Moses.

Moses lived in Midian Fourty years. During these decades, he gained that inner maturity that made him capable of accomplishing a great feat - with the help of God, free the people from slavery. This event was perceived by the Old Testament people as central to the history of the people. It is mentioned more than sixty times in Holy Scripture. In memory of this event, the main Old Testament holiday was established - Easter. The Exodus has a spiritual and representative significance. The Egyptian captivity is an Old Testament symbol of the slavish submission of mankind to the devil until the redemptive feat of Jesus Christ. Exodus from Egypt heralds spiritual liberation through the New Testament sacrament of baptism.

The Exodus was preceded by one of the most important events in the history of the Chosen People. epiphany. Moses was tending his father-in-law's sheep in the desert. He went to Mount Horeb and saw that the thorn bush is engulfed in flames, but does not burn out. Moses began to approach him. But God called to him from the midst of the bush: don't come here; put off thy sandals from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. And he said: I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob(Ex 3:5-6).

The outer side of the vision - a burning, but not burning thorn bush - depicted plight of the Jews in Egypt. Fire, as a destructive force, indicated the severity of suffering. As the bush burned and did not burn out, so the Jewish people were not destroyed, but only cleansed in the crucible of disasters. This is a prototype of the Incarnation. The Holy Church adopted the symbol of the Burning Bush of the Mother of God. The miracle lies in the fact that this thorn bush, in which the Lord appeared to Moses, has survived to this day. It is located in the fence of the Sinai monastery of the Holy Great Martyr Catherine.

The Lord appeared to Moses and said, scream the sons of Israel suffering at the hands of the Egyptians came to him.

God sends Moses on a great mission: bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt(Ex 3:10). Moses humbly speaks of his weakness. To this indecision, God answers with clear and full of all-conquering power words: I will be with you(Ex 3:12). Moses, having received high obedience from the Lord, asks for the name of the One who sent it. God said to Moses: I am the Existing (Ex 3:14). Word Existing in the Synodal Bible, the hidden name of God is transmitted, inscribed in the Hebrew text with four consonants ( tetragram): YHWH. The place cited shows that the prohibition to pronounce this secret name appeared much later than the time of the exodus (perhaps after the Babylonian captivity).

During the reading aloud of sacred texts in the tabernacle, the temple, and later in the synagogues, instead of the tetragram, another name of God was pronounced - Adonai. In Slavic and Russian texts, the tetragram is given by the name Lord. in biblical language Existing expresses the personal principle of absolute self-sufficient being, on which the existence of the entire created world depends.

The Lord strengthened the spirit of Moses two miraculous acts. The rod turned into a snake, and Moses' hand, covered with leprosy, was healed. The miracle with the rod testified that the Lord gave Moses the authority of the leader of the people. The sudden defeat of Moses' hand with leprosy and its healing meant that God endowed His chosen one with the power of miracles to fulfill his mission.

Moses said he was tongue-tied. The Lord strengthened him: I will be with your mouth and teach you what to say(Ex 4:12). God gives the future leader as an assistant to his older brother Aaron.

Having come to Pharaoh, Moses and Aaron, on behalf of the Lord, demanded that the people be released into the wilderness to celebrate the holiday. The pharaoh was a pagan. He declared that he did not know the Lord and the people of Israel would not let him go. Pharaoh was hardened against the Jewish people. The Jews did hard work at that time - they made bricks. Pharaoh ordered that their work be made heavier. God again sends Moses and Aaron to declare His will to Pharaoh. At the same time, the Lord commanded to perform signs and wonders.

Aaron threw his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent. The wise men and sorcerers of the king and the magi of Egypt did the same with their charms: they threw down their wands, and they became snakes, but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.

The next day, the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to perform another miracle. When the pharaoh was going to the river, Aaron struck the water in front of the king's face and water turned to blood. All reservoirs in the country were filled with blood. The Egyptians Nile was one of the gods of their pantheon. What happened to the water was to enlighten them and show the power of the God of Israel. But this first of the ten plagues of Egypt only hardened Pharaoh's heart even more.

Second execution took place seven days later. Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and went out frogs and covered the ground. The disaster prompted Pharaoh to ask Moses to pray to the Lord to remove all the frogs. The Lord fulfilled the petitions of His saint. The toads are dead. As soon as the king felt relieved, he again fell into bitterness.

Therefore followed third execution. Aaron struck the ground with his rod, and there appeared midges and began to bite people and livestock. In the Hebrew original, these insects are named kinnim, in Greek and Slavic texts - sketches. According to the Jewish philosopher of the 1st century Philo of Alexandria and Origen, these were mosquitoes - a common scourge of Egypt during the flood period. But this time all the dust of the earth became midges throughout all the land of Egypt(Ex 8:17). The Magi could not repeat this miracle. They said to the king: this is the finger of God(Ex 8:19). But he didn't listen to them. The Lord sends Moses to Pharaoh to speak on behalf of the Lord to let the people go. If he does not comply, they will be sent to the whole country dog flies. It was fourth plague. Her tools were flies. They are named canine, apparently because they had a strong bite. Philo of Alexandria writes that they were distinguished by their ferocity and persistence. The fourth plague has two features. First of all, The Lord works a miracle without the mediation of Moses and Aaron. Secondly, the land of Goshen, where the Jews lived, was freed from disaster so that Pharaoh could clearly see the absolute power of God. The punishment worked. Pharaoh promised to let the Jews go into the desert and offer a sacrifice to the Lord God. He asked to pray for him and not to go far. Through the prayer of Moses, the Lord removed all the flies from Pharaoh and the people. Pharaoh did not let the Jews go into the desert.

Followed fifth plague - pestilence which struck all the cattle of Egypt. The Jewish cattle, however, the calamity has passed. This execution was also carried out by God directly, and not through Moses and Aaron. The stubbornness of the pharaoh remained the same.

Sixth execution was accomplished by the Lord only through Moses (when the first three were accomplished, Aaron was the mediator). Moses took a full handful of ashes and threw them into the sky. People and cattle covered abscesses. This time, the Lord Himself hardened Pharaoh's heart. He did this, apparently, in order to further reveal to the king and all the Egyptians His all-conquering power. God says to Pharaoh: I will send tomorrow, at this very time, a very strong hail, which has not been in Egypt since the day it was founded until now.(Ex 9:18). The holy writer notes that those servants of Pharaoh who were afraid of the words of the Lord, hastily gathered their servants and flocks into their houses. The hail was accompanied by thunder, which can be explained as the voice of God from heaven. Psalm 77 gives further details of this execution: They crushed their grapes with hail, and their sycamores with ice; gave up their livestock to hail and their flocks to lightning(47-48). Blessed Theodoret explains: “The Lord brought upon them hail and thunder, showing by the fact that He is the Lord of all the elements. This execution was carried out by God through Moses. The land of Goshen was not affected. It was seventh plague. Pharaoh repented: this time I sinned; The Lord is righteous, and I and my people are guilty; pray to the Lord: let the thunders of God and hail cease, and I will let you go and hold you no longer(Ex 9:27-28). But repentance was short-lived. Soon the pharaoh again fell into a state bitterness.

Eighth plague was very scary. After Moses stretched out his rod over the land of Egypt, The Lord brought a wind from the east lasting day and night. The locusts attacked all the land of Egypt and ate all the grass and all the greenery on the trees.. Pharaoh repents again, but, apparently, as before, his repentance is superficial. The Lord hardens his heart.

Peculiarity ninth plague in that it was caused by the symbolic action of Moses, who stretched out his hands to heaven. Installed for three days thick darkness. Having punished the Egyptians with darkness, God showed the insignificance of their idol Ra, the god of the sun. Pharaoh gave in again.

Tenth plague was the scariest. The month of Aviv has arrived. Before the start of the exodus, God commanded to celebrate Easter. This holiday became the main one in the Old Testament sacred calendar.

The Lord told Moses and Aaron that every family on the tenth day of Abib (after the Babylonian captivity, this month became known as Nissan) took one lamb and kept him separate until the fourteenth day of that month, and then stabbed him to death. When the lamb is slain, let them take from its blood and they will anoint on both jambs and on the crossbar of the doors in the houses where they will eat it.

At midnight on the 15th of Abib, the Lord struck in the land of Egypt all the firstborn as well as all original livestock. The first-born Jews were not harmed. Because the doorposts and lintels of their houses were anointed with the blood of the sacrificial lamb, The angel who slew the firstborn of Egypt, passed by. Established in memory of this event, the holiday was called Easter (Heb. passover; from a verb meaning jump over something).

The blood of the lamb was a type of the atoning blood of the Savior, the blood of cleansing and reconciliation. Unleavened bread (unleavened bread), which the Jews were supposed to eat on Easter days, also had a symbolic meaning: in Egypt, the Jews were in danger of becoming infected with pagan wickedness. However, God brought the Jewish people out of the country of enslavement, made them spiritually pure people, called to holiness: And you will be holy to me(Ex 22:31). He must reject the former leaven of moral corruption and start a clean life. Unleavened bread that cooks quickly symbolized that speed with which the Lord brought His people out of the land of slavery.

Easter meal expressed common unity of its participants with God and among themselves. It also had a symbolic meaning that the lamb was cooked whole, with the head. Bone shouldn't have broken.

Who is the prophet Moses, you can find out from the Bible. His biography is set forth in the Old Testament. According to the Holy Scriptures, this is the central protagonist of the events that determined the fate of the Jewish people as God's chosen people.

He is called the God-seer because he communicated directly with God. It was to Moses, according to the biblical legend, that the Lord handed over the tablets - stone slabs on which the ten commandments were carved, which later became the basis of Christian morality.

Prophet Moses the God-seer - a short life

The biography of this extraordinary man, who lived several millennia ago, is of great interest to this day both for professional researchers of biblical history and for ordinary people who get acquainted with the Holy Scriptures.

This is what a brief retold biography of the saint looks like.

Birth of Moses

Pharaoh Ramses II, who came to power in the homeland of the prophet, in Egypt, where Jews lived at that time, was afraid that in the event of war, foreigners would betray him and go over to the side of opponents. Pharaoh began to pursue a policy of genocide, forcing the Israelites to hard work, and also ordered the killing of all newborn boys in Jewish families.

This order came into force on the eve of the birth of Moses, who became the third child in the family of Amram and his wife Jochebed - the future prophet had a brother Aaron and a sister Miriam.

Childhood and youth

Parents managed to hide the fact of his birth. Realizing that it would be impossible to do this longer, and in order to save the baby, the parents put the baby in a basket and hid it in the papyrus thickets off the banks of the Nile. The daughter of the pharaoh, who came with the maids to the river bank, accidentally found a basket. Knowing about the father's order, the princess understood who the child was, but, struck by the beauty of the baby, decided to take the child up.

The baby did not want to take the breast of any nurse, then Mariam, the sister of Moses, came up and offered to find a nurse for the baby. She was the boy's mother. The woman then brought the boy to the palace as the adopted son of the Pharaoh's daughter. He lived there until he became an adult. However, the young man knew about his origin, and never worshiped the Egyptian gods.

Escape to the desert

Once he saw an Egyptian beating a Jew, and while defending his fellow tribesman, he accidentally killed the attacker. Fleeing from persecution, the adopted son of the princess flees through the desert to the land of Midian, finds shelter in the house of the priest of this people and becomes the husband of his daughter.

How many years did it take the prophet to mature physically and spiritually for the main feat of his life - leading the Jewish people out of Egyptian slavery? During the flight from Egypt, Moses was forty years old, and he lived the same in Midian, so by the time of the exodus he was already 80.

Calling Moses by God

Once, when the saint was tending his father-in-law's sheep not far from Mount Horeb, the Lord appeared in the form of a burning but not burning thorn bush. When the shepherd tried to come closer and take a closer look at this miracle, he heard the voice of God, ordering him not to approach. The voice called on the saint to return to Egypt to lead the Jews out of captivity.

In order to strengthen the spirit of the prophet, God made the rod (shepherd's staff) in the prophet's hand turn into a snake. The Lord warned his chosen one to be ready for difficulties, since the embittered pharaoh would not agree to let the Jews go free. Since the prophet had a speech impediment, the Lord sends brother Aaron with him.

Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh

The pharaoh was no longer the ruler from whom the future prophet fled forty years ago. In response to Moses' demand to give the Jews the opportunity to leave Egypt, the pharaoh only laughed, but increased the labor service of his slaves.

But Moses did not leave the king alone, demanding freedom for his fellow tribesmen.

Having received another refusal, he threatened the pharaoh with terrible punishments of God. Pharaoh did not believe, but the threat became a reality: the Lord, by the hand of Moses, began to send “executions”, that is, punishments, to the Egyptians.

Ten plagues

First, as the legend says, it became a punishment with blood, when all the water in the Nile and other reservoirs turned into blood, “smelt” (rotten), and it became impossible to drink it. At the same time, it remained clean and transparent in the homes of Jews. The Egyptians had to buy drinking water from their slaves.

But the pharaoh did not believe that this was God's punishment, but attributed the damage to the water to witchcraft. He called for the help of his sorcerers, who also managed to turn the pure water bought from the Jews into blood.

Second The Egyptian execution was an invasion of toads (frogs), which came out of the water and filled the whole earth with themselves, crawling into the houses of the Egyptians. Toads were everywhere - on the floor and on the walls, in bed and dishes. The sorcery of the Egyptian priests, who tried to rid the country of toads, led to an even greater increase in their number.

Pharaoh began to ask Moses to pray for him before the Lord, so that He would return the frogs back to the rivers, promising to release the Jews. The request was fulfilled, but the ruler violated this word, and did not let the tribesmen of the prophet go.

Third the execution was an invasion of midges that covered the surface of the earth, attacking people and livestock.

This time, the Magi themselves, realizing their impotence, recognized this punishment by the finger of God and urged the ruler to agree with the demand of the leader of the Jews, but the pharaoh again refused.

fourth was the punishment of "dog flies" - insects that combined the persistence of flies and the aggressiveness of dogs. It was a kind of gadfly that dug into the skin of people and animals, leaving behind bleeding wounds. And no one could hide from them anywhere.

Only the area of ​​Goshen, where the Israelites lived compactly, was free from flies. So the Creator showed that all these disasters are not just an “environmental catastrophe”, but the judgment of the Lord, which is selective.

Fifth the plague was the death of cattle, which struck domestic animals throughout Egypt. Only the cattle in the stables of the Jews survived.

Sixth execution- Moses and Aaron, taking a handful of soot in their hands, threw it in front of Pharaoh's face, after which the ruler himself and all his subjects, as well as their animals, became covered with sores and boils. Frightened, the pharaoh decided to let the Jews go, but again changed his mind.

Seventh the execution was a fiery hail, accompanied by thunder and lightning.

Pharaoh again began to ask for mercy from the Lord for Egypt, again promising to allow the Jews to leave freely, and did not keep his word.

eighth execution - the wind brought clouds of locusts from the desert, which destroyed all the green growth on earth, not only cultivated plants, but also ordinary grass. The same story repeated itself - first the ruler calls on God's mercy, promising to fulfill the requirements of Moses and Aaron, then he forgets about his promises.

With ninth A darkness fell over the country, which neither candles nor torches could dispel. The darkness was so thick and dense that you could touch it with your hands.

tenth and the last Egyptian execution was the death of the firstborn in all Egyptian families, from the heir to the Pharaonic throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in prison. The first-born of all the domestic animals of the Egyptians also perished.

It happened within just one night. And all the children and animals of the Israelites were alive and unharmed, since God, through the prophet, ordered the Jews to smear the doorposts of their houses with the blood of the sacrificial lamb so that the Angel, the executor of God's punishment, would not enter inside.

Establishment of Easter

After the tenth plague, the pharaoh finally allowed the Jews, led by Moses and Aaron, to leave Egypt. In memory of this event, the Jews established a special holiday - Passover, the Exodus, or the Jewish Passover, which became the prototype of the Christian.

On the day of Passover, every Jewish family arranges a meal at which specially prepared lamb meat is served, in memory of the sacrificial lamb, whose blood was smeared on the doorposts of Jewish houses.

Exodus of Moses from Egypt. Crossing the Red Sea

After the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egyptian captivity, He ordered the Jews to go to the land of Canaan. The shortest way there lay through the territory occupied by the militant tribe of the Philistines, but the Jews, weakened by captivity and hard work, could not overcome it.

The Slavic translation of the Bible says that the prophet led the people to the Red Sea, but which sea is meant is not immediately clear. The fact is that the Slavs called the Red Sea the Red Sea, which is a narrow bay of the Indian Ocean.

Coming to his senses after all the disasters experienced, the pharaoh, whose pride was hurt by the fact that he had to yield, equipped war chariots and chased after the departed, wanting to avenge the humiliation. Caught between the army of the ruler and the sea waters, the Jews prepared for death.

God did not leave them here either: He sent a wind that parted the waters, exposing the seabed in the narrowest place, and all the people, led by the prophet, walked along it to the other side. The memory of this transition has been preserved to this day not only in the Holy Scriptures, but also in the legends and parables of the Israelites.

Seeing what a deep sea Moses and his people crossed with ease, Pharaoh set off after him, hoping to “slip through” as well. But the heavy chariots got bogged down in the damp sea sand, and as soon as the last Israelite set foot on the opposite shore, the wind changed, the waters returned to their place, and the Pharaoh's army perished.

Miracles Performed by Moses

In the desert, people did not have enough food, and in the evenings, during halts, they began to grumble, remembering that in Egypt they always had meat. Suddenly, flocks of quails descended from the sky, covering the entire camp, and by morning dew fell. After the moisture had evaporated, what was left on the ground was something resembling a grain, which the Israelites called manna.

The food tasted like a wheat cake with honey. This miracle was repeated every morning, throughout the journey.

Then the people began to suffer from thirst, and reproaches fell again on the leader - why he brought them out of Egypt, where there was always plenty of water. Then, with God's help, the prophet drew water from the stone. At the same time, having become angry with the people and losing his temper, he violated the will of God for the only time in his entire life - instead of appealing to the rock, he struck it with a staff.

When a spring gushed from there, people began to believe that it was not the Lord, but Moses himself who gave them water. This act of the prophet was the reason why the saint did not enter the promised land.

The next test was the battle with the Amalekites. The Israelites fought them under the command of Joshua, and the prophet watched the progress of the battle, standing on a hill with a staff in his hands. When he raised his hands, the Israelites took over, and when he lowered them, they retreated.

To ensure victory for the tribesmen in the battle, which lasted from dawn to sunset, Aaron and one of his assistants, Hor, supported the tired hands of the prophet. After the victory, God told the prophet to record this event in a book.

Sinai Covenant and 10 Commandments

Three months after the exodus from Egypt, the Jews approached Mount Sinai. God warned the saint that here He would descend to the people. In preparation for the meeting, the Israelites should wash themselves, change into clean clothes and, while fasting, abstain from the marital bed.

On the appointed day, with thunder and lightning, a dark cloud appeared over the top of the mountain and a roar was heard, reminiscent of the sound of a trumpet. The whole mountain shook, and the people were very frightened - they realized that this was the voice of God, who spoke to Moses.

The Lord ordered the prophet to go up the mountain. The leader of the Israelites began to rise, but the people remained below. When the prophet stood before the face of God, He handed him the tablets.

Wrath of Moses

The leader was absent for 40 days, and everyone began to consider him dead. At the request of the people, Aaron created an idol - a golden calf, similar to Egyptian idols, which people began to worship, thereby violating the main commandments of God.

The returned prophet in anger destroyed the idol and broke the tablets of the covenant. His despair knew no bounds - he understood that the Lord could turn away from the Israelites who had committed such a grave sin as apostasy.

The prophet returned to Mount Sinai and began to pray to God for the forgiveness of his fellow tribesmen. If He does not want to forgive the Israelites, then the saint is ready to share the responsibility with them - let Him cross out his name from His book.

According to the fervent prayer of Moses, which lasted 40 days, the Lord restored His covenant with the chosen people. He confirmed all his promises, and also ordered to make new tablets and write 10 commandments on them.

Having accomplished his feat of prayer, the prophet descended from Sinai. His face after fellowship with the Lord shone so brightly that he had to cover it with a veil so as not to blind the Israelites.

Construction and Consecration of the Tabernacle

Soon after receiving the tablets, the Lord gave the Jews the command to build a Tabernacle - a camp church. The tablets were placed in the ark and brought into the Tabernacle.

The place where it was installed was covered with a cloud, which became a visible sign of God's presence. When the cloud rose up, it was a sign that it was time for the people to move on.

End of wandering. Death of Moses

The Israelites continued from time to time to express indignation for various reasons, saddening the prophet and causing the wrath of God, who determined the Jews to wander in the desert for 40 years, until those who became troublemakers and did not believe in divine providence passed away.

Finally, this period is over - people have come to the borders of the promised land. God took Moses to Mount Nebo and showed it to him. After this, Moses blessed his people by handing over the reins of government to Joshua. Shortly thereafter, he died.

Conclusion

Accurate information about how long Moses lived has not been preserved in history. Judging by the information given in the Holy Scriptures, the years of Moses' life are about 120 years.

The Valley of Moab is mentioned as the place where he was buried, but his grave remains unknown. Memorial Day of the Prophet Moses is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on September 17 in a new style.