Memar Marqah Book 5

1Commemorate well for ever the great prophet Moses who by his death wrought great sorrows which cannot ever be estimated. The sun of divine Favour has been hidden away and has entered into the Cave. It will not rise or appear again. The mouth of the Cave has been closed by the Divine One and it will not be opened or known until the Day of Vengeance, as He said, "But no man knows the place of his burial to this day". The pillar of cloud which went before him has been removed and will not be seen ever again. The pillar of fire which shone by night and day will not appear ever again. The Manna which descended from heaven through him at God's command has been cut off and will no more descend after his passing. The shining light which abode on his face is with him in his tomb. It will not abide ever again on another's face. The prophethood with which he was vested, of which he was worthy, has been hidden away and no man will ever again be vested with it. His names are ten, described as Son, Child, Servant, Good, Prophet, Faithful, Righteous, Moses the Man of God, King, Judge, Priest, Teacher, Supplicater, Deliverer, Saviour, Choice One, A commander's portion was reserved. The peace of the Lord be upon him from us for ever! Two brothers were sanctified—Moses and Aaron! The one a prophet, the other a priest; the one trod in the fire, the other consumed what was left over by the fire. The one died on the Goodly Mount and was buried on it, the other died on Mount Nebo. Look further on these two holy ones, Moses and Aaron. The great prophet Moses—the wonders that were wrought through him from heaven were hail, locusts, darkness. The great priest Aaron—the wonders that were wrought through him were from earth, the blood, frogs, gnats. When the great prophet Moses stretched out his hand over the water of the sea, it was divided and fire was manifested which destroy ed hosts, as He said, "Thou sendest forth Thy fury, it consumes them like stubble". The great priest Aaron raised his hands over six hundred thousand and blessed them. Fire came forth from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar. Aaron addressed all the congregation of the Israelites in the desert and the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. When the great proph et Moses went out and addressed to the people all the commands of the Lord, the Lord came down in the cloud and addressed him. Exalted be these two for ever, the like of whom has not arisen from mankind. How does the death of Aaron compare with that of Moses? Aaron was buried by men; Moses was buried by the Divine One! There were three good men who were glorified in their death— Jacob, Aaron and the great prophet Moses. Jacob was buried by Joseph the king, as He said, "So Joseph went up to bury his father". Aaron the priest was buried by Eleazar his son and by the great prophet Moses. The three of them went up to Mount Hor. Moses and Eleazar descended from the mountain. All the congregation realized that Aaron had died. The great prophet Moses went up Mount Nebo to see six hundred thousand and all the angels waiting to meet him. When he reached the top of the mountain, the cloud came down and lifted him up from the sight of all the congregation of Israel. He was buried there by God, as He said, "And He buried him in the valley, but no man knows the place of his burial to this day". What is 'this day'? It is the Day of Vengeance. Great was the tree which was planted in the garden of Amram. Of its fruit all the generations of the world are supplied for ever. Great was the tree which was planted in the land of Egypt and grew up in the desert and was cut off on Mount Nebo. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died—twenty in Egypt, sixty in Midian, forty in the desert with exceedingly great exaltation in prophethood, in prayer, in fasting. His eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. His eye was not dim—so in the case of his fathers, the Righteous of the world. His eye was not dim, for he was prepared for the recording of the law, and to see the four quarters of the world. Nor his natural force abated, for he was vested with the Form which Adam cast off in the Garden of Eden; and his face shone up to the day of his death. He did not alter his pronunciation, for it had to pronounce the letters of the words of the law and he had to teach the reading of it to all Israel. And the people of Israel wept for him thirty days, and the weeping has never ceased in the world. The status of Joshua the son of Nun, the disciple of the great prophet Moses, became high in the eyes of all the congregation of Israel. Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, for Moses had laid his hand upon him. Thus he was exalted and his status made high for ever. Moses the son of Amram—let no man ever be satisfied with the mentioning of him! Moses the son of Amram was honoured by God in his life and in his death. He wrote the law at the command of the Lord and taught it to all Israel at the command of the Lord, as He said, "Put it in their mouths", and he wrote at the end of this law which he received And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, who has done wonders like those which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel. Moses commanded for us a law at the beginning of which is the name of God, at the end of which is the name of Moses. Commemorate well for ever the Righteous of the world, the origins of righteousness, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who lie in the Cave of Machpelah. Commemorate well for ever Joseph the righteous, The Fruitful Bough, who lies in the Piece of Land. Commemorate well for ever him who lies on Mount Nebo, the right eous, faithful Moses the son of Amram, the Man of God and the faith ful of the Divine One, who was vested with shining light, the receiver of the two tablets, the one entrusted with the things unseen and seen, Moses the prophet. Commemorate well for ever the ministers of the holy Sanctuary, Aaron and Eleazar, Ithamar and Phinehas. Commemorate well for ever Joshua and Caleb and the Seventy Elders. Blessed is our God for ever and blessed is His name for ever. There is only one God.