God’s decree that Yehoshua was to replace Moshe, who was to die before completing his mission to bring the people of Israel to the Promised Land, is, apparently, accepted and carried out with little fanfare. Parashat Vayelekh opens with a laconic statement made by Moshe: “I am now one hundred and twenty years old, I can no longer be active. Moreover, the LORD has said to me: You shall not go across yonder Jordan” (Devarim 31:2). The message given by Moshe to the people is that he is no longer capable of leading them, and it is only natural for him to pass the leadership role to a deserving person. Immediately afterwards we hear: “Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: ‘Be strong and resolute, for it is you who shall go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their fathers to give them, and it is you who shall apportion it to them’.” (Devarim 31:7).
This reading notwithstanding, the midrash tells a different story about this moment in time – a story of jealousy and the great difficulties faced by Moshe as he grappled with the fact that he was being replaced. The approach offered by the midrash is based on a series of pesukim that appear later in this parasha, where the change of leadership from Moshe to Yehoshua is described in a different tone. God calls out to Moshe: “The time is drawing near for you to die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may instruct him. Moses and Joshua went and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting” (Devarim 31:14). This is followed by “The LORD appeared in the Tent, in a pillar of cloud, the pillar of cloud having come to rest at the entrance of the tent” (Devarim 31:15), and finally, “The LORD said to Moses: You are soon to lie with your fathers” (Devarim 31:16). We would have anticipated that Moshe would have turned the job over to Yehoshua, but we discover that Moshe remains with Yehoshua in the Tent of Meeting, even though God specifically had said that only Yehoshua would receive instruction. It can be assumed that when the pillar of cloud descended, Moshe was left outside, while only Yehoshua received the word of God. Immediately afterwards, God reminds Moshe of his impending death. It is within the mystery of these pesukim that the midrash inserts a new story:
Moshe said to the Holy One blessed be He: Must I die because of my student Yehoshua? Allow him to take the mantle of leadership, and I will step down.
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: Serve him as he served you.
Moshe agreed.
“Call Joshua and present yourselves” – Moshe hurried to join him, saying:…it would be worthwhile to have me with you, so that if you forget a law, you can ask me, and I will do for you what you have done for me. Just as you hurried to follow me, I will hurry to follow you. Just as you walked on my left, I will walk on your left.
Yehoshua responded: As long as I will be able to continue seeing you, my teacher, I accept these things on myself.
Moshe did for Yehoshua everything that Yehoshua did for him.
According to the midrash, in the first stage, God’s condition for Moshe to continue was that he would serve as Yehoshua’s support, just as Yehoshua had done for Moshe. Moshe convinces Yehoshua that this is to his benefit, since he will still be able to turn to Moshe for help and advice, promising to give him all of the appropriate honor that he deserves in his new position. Yehoshua agrees, desiring only to be allowed to continue his relationship with his teacher.
But then, according to the midrash, a change takes place:
“The LORD appeared in the Tent.”
The pillar of cloud descended, and stood between Moshe and Yehoshua, leaving Yehoshua inside and Moshe outside.
Moshe cried out: One hundred deaths, but not a single incident of jealousy! “Let me be a seal upon your heart” (Shir HaShirim 8:6). And he demanded to be released by death.
God then said to him: “You are soon to lie with your fathers.”
(Devarim Rabba, Parashat Vayelekh)
It is possible that Moshe had reconciled himself to the fact that the mantle of leadership had been transferred to Yehoshua, but he was not prepared for his own reaction to the fact that now the Word of God would be directed to another, and that he would only hear that Word second-hand. The midrash succeeds in expressing Moshe’s willingness to serve as Yehoshua’s support, even as it is difficult to accept such a change in status. But this is not just a matter of interpersonal relationships. The description of the pillar of cloud separating between Moshe and Yehoshua points to the fact that the challenge is not only a matter of jealousy. The intense love that Moshe had for God created a deep desire that he not to be left out of that divine cloud. Having experienced this new reality, Moshe could no longer happily step down from his previous position. “For love is fierce as death” (Shir HaShirim 8:6).
Perhaps this can help us understand the words from Sefer Tehillim that are recited in the month prior to the High Holy Days: “One thing I ask of the LORD, only that do I seek: to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD, to frequent His temple” (Tehillim 27:4).