Who was Moses' wife, the Ethiopian, and what was her fate?

1. Stages of Moses' Life
2. Birth
3. Education in the Pharaoh's Palace
4. Death of a Kebitite at the hands of Moses
5. Musa helps the girls
6. Working as a shepherd and getting married
7. Prophetic mission
8. Arrival in Egypt and the miracles of Moses
9. Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, sending down the Torah (Tawra) on Mount Sinai
10. Sending down the Torah
11. Prophet Musa and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

The Prophet Moses, in Arabic interpretation Musa, is mentioned one hundred and thirty-six times in the Holy Book of the Koran. And special attention is paid in the Koran to the story of his life. Moses is the third prophet of Allah Almighty, to whom the Divine Book of the Jews, the Torah (Tawrat) and the Commandments of God, was revealed. Musa was a descendant of the prophets Ibrahim and Yakub: he was born five centuries after the prophet Ibrahim. Moses lived one hundred and twenty years.

Stages of Moses' Life

The Quranic story about the life story of Musa is one of the longest, and much attention is paid to it. In many ways, the story of Moses is supplemented in the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

The life story of the prophet Musa is divided into five stages:

1. the time when Musa was born, he ended up in the palace of the Egyptian Pharaoh, where he spent his childhood;
2. the time when he moved from Egypt to Midian, where he lived under the prophet Shuaib for more than ten years;
3. the time when a prophetic mission was entrusted to him by God, he returned to Egypt and began to fight the Egyptian Pharaoh and his supporters;
4. the time when the exodus of Moses and his tribe from Egypt occurred, and the Egyptian Pharaoh who pursued them and his army died under the waves of the Red Sea;
5. the time when the prophet Moses received a sign on Mount Sinai, the search for the promised land and the confrontation between Moses and the children of Israel began, the people who followed him and followed him through the desert.

Miracles

The road through the desert was difficult. The people of Israel often grumbled against Moses, remembering their life in Egypt. The prophet, with the power given to him by the Lord, performed miracles to save people. In the Arabian desert, people suffered from thirst, the water was bitter from salt. At the command of Moses, a tree was thrown into the water, and it became sweet. The livestock died in the desert, and there was nothing left to eat. The cowardly people began to demand meat. God, through the prayer of Moses, sent manna from heaven for food throughout the entire exodus.

After several years, the manna became boring, and the Jews began to demand meat. An angry God sent a flock of quails, which they began to greedily eat and then die from gluttony. When the Amalekites attacked the Jewish camp, the prophet prayed throughout the battle, sitting on the mountain with his hands raised, because when he lowered his hands from fatigue, the enemy began to win.

The path to the promised land could have ended much faster if the spies sent by Moses had not reported that the lands to which Moses led them at the direction of the Lord were inhabited by giants. Angry Jews wanted to kill the prophet and return to Egypt. After this, Jehovah condemned them and appointed them to wander in the desert for 40 years, until those who came out of Egypt died.

With the onset of the fortieth year, the Jews reached the border of the country of Judea, in the desert of Sin. Because they were so thirsty, they began to murmur against Moses again. According to the decree of the Lord, he had to hit the rock once with his rod from which the spring would gush out. But Moses doubted God's words and struck twice. For his lack of faith in the power of God, Jehovah predicted to him that he and Aaron would die outside the promised land.

10 commandments

On Mount Sinai the prophet saw God and received instructions from him. In the third month of the exodus, the Jews approached the foot of Mount Sinai. At the command of Jehovah, Moses ascended the mountain alone, forbidding others to approach it.

For three days lightning flashed and thunder roared. The King of Heaven proclaimed the Ten Commandments for his chosen people. After which Moses went down and wrote them down in the Book. At the command of God, he again climbed to Sinai, where he did not eat or drink for 40 days and nights, and prayed to the Lord. The Lord gave him instructions about the construction of the tabernacle and inscribed the commandments for him on two stone slabs (tablets). The first 4 commandments reveal the relationship between man and God, the remaining 6 - between people.

Golden Taurus

In the absence of Moses, the people decided to create an Egyptian idol for themselves, casting the Golden Calf. The making of Taurus was a violation of the first Commandment, an apostasy. The prophet who descended from the mountain in anger broke the tablets, burned the Golden Calf and scattered its ashes. At his order, 3,000 instigators were killed.

After this, Moses returned to the top of Sinai and for 40 days prayed to Jehovah to forgive his people. The Lord heeded his request and ordered him to return to the mountain with new tablets. Moses fasted and prayed for another 40 days and nights. The Lord appeared to him, he fell on his face, but the divine glow remained on his face.

Construction of the Tabernacle

After 6 months, a camp temple (tabernacle) was built, as God commanded. Aaron and his sons were appointed priest. Moses placed the tablets with the Testament of the Lord there and covered them with a curtain. A divine cloud descended on the temple to consecrate the tabernacle. No one could enter the meeting. When the cloud left the temple, the Israelites continued their exodus.

Death

The fortieth year of wandering was coming to an end. Moses asked God who would give the reins of government to the people of Israel, blessed him and climbed to the top of Mount Nebo. The Lord showed him the promised land, promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. After this, Moses died and was buried near the Jordan, near Jericho. His people mourned the prophet for thirty days.

Every year the Orthodox Church honors the memory of Moses on September 17.

Birth

The story of the birth of Moses is connected with the story of a Pharaoh named Ramesses, who learned that a prophet from the sons of Israel would soon come and deprive him of his power and authority. Since Ramesses was a very power-hungry and proud man, in which society in Egypt was divided into Sebites and Kebites, that is, humiliated Jews, the sons of Israel, and Egyptian aristocrats, the situation in society at that time was heating up, but the Kebitites close to Pharaoh did not want their privileged position was somehow changing.

When Ramses had a dream that Egypt was overtaken by a fiery flame from the direction of Sham (Syria), the ruler saw in this a sign that it was from among the Israelis and Jews that destruction would come to him and his power, which would destroy the system of government he had built. His fears were confirmed by soothsayers and sorcerers, explaining that a Jewish child would soon be born among the sons of Israel, who would become the person who would destroy the throne of Pharaoh and his former world.

Frightened by the omen, Pharaoh issued orders that on the night that sorcerers and soothsayers identified as the night of the future prophet’s conception, Jewish women were separated from their husbands so that intimacy would not occur between them: Jewish men were sent out of town for this, and women were strictly controlled in their homes so that they do not approach their husbands. The wife of Imran (this is the name of the father of Moses), who was guarding the palace of Pharaoh, went to visit him that night, and intimacy occurred between them, and they conceived a child, and the husband told Yukabad, his wife, that it might happen that God had determined with the help of There is such a case that this child is born to them, so she should hide her pregnancy so as not to expose herself to danger.

In the 28th sura of the Koran there is a story about how Pharaoh ordered the destruction of all Jewish boys and babies born to the women of the people of Israel, for which Israeli women were subject to surveillance and constant examinations by midwives, and during that terrible period twelve thousand or according to another version ninety thousand Jewish boys were killed.

Musa Yukabad's mother was very worried about her fate and the fate of her child, and spent time thinking about how to save her child when he was born. She managed to hide her pregnancy from prying eyes, and she also received a lot of help from her friend, who was a midwife and did not betray her pregnant friend to the authorities and helped her during childbirth.

When Moses was born, such an extraordinary light emanated from him that the midwife admitted that at first he wanted to inform the authorities about the birth of a boy among the people of the children of Israel and receive a reward for this, but when she looked at him, such love for him arose that she undertakes to protect this child. But the Pharaoh's spies noticed that a midwife had come out of the house of Yukabad, and decided to enter the house and check if there was a newborn child there: the mother managed, with the help of sister Musa, to hide the child in the oven when the soldiers entered, and the Lord God made the fire in the oven did not cause any harm to the child. Moses' mother prayed to God that the Almighty would show her a way to protect her son from death: she entrusted her son to the Almighty Allah: she put the child in a basket coated with resin and lowered it onto the waves of the Nile River.

The Holy Book of the Koran says that the Lord God inspired the mother of the prophet Musa through Revelation: “... Breastfeed him. When you begin to fear for him, then throw him into the river. Do not be afraid and do not grieve, for We will return him to you and make him one of the messengers " (Surah Al-Qasas, verse 7).

When Moses' mother received a prompt from God to throw her newborn son into the river, she ordered a chest from a carpenter, who asked what she needed it for. The woman was not used to lying, and answered the pure truth, that she was a representative of the people of Israel and she had a son, whom she was going to hide in this chest. The carpenter was a Kebite and immediately went to the Pharaoh’s executioners to tell about the woman and her son, but when he opened his mouth to begin the story, such fear settled in his heart that he could not say a word. Having tried to communicate with the executioners in sign language, the carpenter was mistaken by them for a clown, he was beaten and driven away. So he made three attempts to tell the executioners about the woman, but nothing worked out for him, and he had to make a chest. Musa’s mother put her son in a chest and sent it down the river, and her heart was breaking at the sight of how the waves carried her son further and further, but the Lord God sent her consolation, and the chest soon washed ashore.

History of the Church Under Law 163

God gave moral, liturgical and civil

.

Moral laws

summarized in the Ten Commandments. The essence of these laws is expressed in the following two sayings of the Law of Moses: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5). “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18).

In the liturgical laws

God determined
the place, persons, times and actions
dedicated to the Divine Service.

Place

For public worship, God appointed the tabernacle of meeting and only at it commanded that sacrifices be offered to Himself (Lev. 17:1–9; Deut. 12).

Persons

Those appointed by God to serve at the tabernacle were: the high priest, or high priest, priests and Levites.

Rank of High Priest

after Aaron it should have belonged to the head of Aaron's descendants. Ordination to the position of high priest was distinguished by the abundant outpouring of consecrated myrrh onto the head of the person being ordained. In full vestment, the high priest could, by inspiration from above, give answers to those inquiring about the will of God (Exod. 28:30; Num. 27:21–23; 1 Sam. 23:9–28; 1 ​​Sam. 28:6; 1 Sam. 30ff; 1Ezra 2:63; Nehemiah 7:65)253. He administered sacred ceremonies, made sacrifices, and on the day of purification entered the Holy of Holies with the blood of purification. The high priest could not marry a widow, and could not even mourn the death of close relatives254. He was a prototype of the Great Bishop, Jesus Christ.

Priests

there were descendants of Aaron, legitimate, without physical defects, married to a virgin or the widow of a priest. Their initiation was distinguished by the sprinkling of sacred myrrh mixed with blood. They were obliged to make sacrifices, cleanse leprosy and other impurities through sacred rites, instruct the people in the Law of God, and blow trumpets to convene the people on holidays and in war. Priests were forbidden to drink wine before sacred ceremonies, touch the dead, excluding close relatives, and, as a sign of sadness, shave their heads, trim their beards and make cuts on their bodies (Lev. 10:9; 21; Num. 10:1–10, 18 :1–7).

Levites were ordained

(descendants of Levi, excluding the surname of Aaron). They were obliged to serve and assist the priests in the performance of their duties, to guard and carry the tabernacle with all its accessories (Num. 3, 4, 8).

For content

the high priest, priests and Levites, to whom cities with pastures for livestock were assigned in different tribes, but no fields were assigned for agriculture, God appointed parts of the sacrifices, dedicated and destined to God, the firstfruits of the tithe. The firstfruits included the firstborn from man to livestock, the entire fruit of a young tree in the fourth year after it was planted, and the firstfruits of the field. For the firstborn of men and the firstborn of unclean cattle, the Jews had to bring a ransom to the tabernacle255; other firstfruits were to be presented in kind256. Jews were to present tithes (tenths) from herds257, from the produce of gardens and fields. The tithes were presented to the Levites, and the Levites were to give the tithes of the tithes presented to them to the high priest and priests258 (Ex. 22:29, 30; Num. 18:8-32; Deut. 18:1-8).

The Nazirites (dedicated to God) were also considered sacred persons. They pledged either for life or for a certain period of time not to eat grapes, not to drink anything made from grapes or anything intoxicating, not to cut their hair and not to touch the dead. At the end of the Nazirite vow, Nazirites burned their hair on the altar (Num. 6:1–21).

Sacred times

, on which Divine services were to be performed, were: morning and evening of each day, Saturday, new moons (new moons - ed.), Feast of Trumpets, Passover, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, Day of Atonement, Feast of Tabernacles, Sabbatical Year and Jubilee.

In the morning and in the evening

every day they brought a burnt offering of lamb, flour, oil, wine and incense (Exodus 29:38–42) In the evening they lit a lamp in the Sanctuary throughout the night (Lev. 24:2–3; Num. 28:1–8).

Saturday

(peace), in memory of the end of God’s creation of the world, was celebrated on the seventh day of the week. This holiday, like other Jewish holidays, began in the evening259. On this day it was forbidden to work, even to light a fire; but it was not forbidden to do works of necessity, and it was necessary to perform works of charity and service to God, to gather at the tabernacle and offer sacrifices to God (Ex. 23:12; Lev. 23:3; Num. 28:9–10).

New Moon

, or new moons, were celebrated on the first day of each month with sacrifices260 (Num. 28:11-14).

The seventh new moon, or the first day of the seventh month261, the Feast of Trumpets

, which was called so because on this day, in remembrance of the sound of the trumpet on Mount Sinai, the priests blew silver trumpets. This day was the first day of the new civil year (Lev. 23–25; Num. 29:1–6).

Easter

(the passage of the Lord by, deliverance), in memory of the salvation from death of the firstborn Jewish children in Egypt and in memory of the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian slavery, was celebrated on the evening of the 14th day of the first church month, Aviva262. On this holiday, Jews were supposed to eat the Passover lamb with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. The Passover Lamb prefigured Jesus Christ crucified, by whose blood we are saved263 (Ex. 12:24–27, 43–49; Lev. 23:5; Num. 28:16; Deut. 16:1–8).

Feast of Unleavened Bread

, in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, began the day after Easter, the 15th day of the first month, and lasted seven days. On the first and seventh days there was a public assembly: on the first day - in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, on the seventh day - in memory of the drowning of Pharaoh and his army. On this holiday, Jews were supposed to eat only unleavened bread and not eat anything leavened, and make a sacrifice to God. On the second day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, a sheaf of barley was to be offered to God as the firstfruits of the harvest. Before this offering, no new bread could be consumed265 (Ex. 13:6–11; 23:15, 34:18; Lev. 23:6–14; Num. 28:17–25; Deut. 16:8).

Pentecost 266

, in memory of the Sinai legislation, was celebrated after 7 weeks, i.e. on the 50th day, counting from the second day of unleavened bread, on which the sheaf was brought. On this holiday, in addition to the sacrifice, they were supposed to offer God267 two sour loaves, in gratitude to God for the new fruits of the grain (Exod. 23:16; 34:22–23; Lev. 23:15–21; Num. 28:26–31 ; Deut. 16:9–12).

Day of Cleansing

It was the 10th day of the 7th month. It was a day of fasting and repentance. On this day, the high priest sacrificed a calf for his sins, and with its blood he entered the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled it on the purgatory and before the purgatory. Then he placed two goats before the tabernacle; by lot he slaughtered one of them as a sacrifice for the sins of the people, with his blood he also entered the Holy of Holies and sprinkled it on the purification and before the purification268. This goat was burned outside the camp. Over another goat, the high priest, laying his hands on its head, confessed the sins of the people before God and commanded them to drive it into the wilderness269 (Lev. 16, 23:27-32; Num. 29:7-11).

Feast of Tabernacles

was performed in memory of the wanderings of the Jews in the desert and in gratitude to God for the fruits of trees and grapes and for all the products of the earth. It began on the 15th day of the seventh month and lasted 7 days. During these days, Jews had to live in booths (tents)270. On the 8th day there was a celebration of the holiday. On this day, the Jews returned from their booths to their homes (Exod. 23:16, 17; Lev. 23:34–43; Num. 29:12–39; Deut. 16:13–17).

Year of the Sabbath

was every 7th year. In this year, it was commanded not to cultivate the land271, which was born naturally in the fields and gardens to be provided to all people in need, including livestock and animals, to forgive debts to fellow tribesmen, and on the Feast of Tabernacles to read the Law of God before the people (Ex. 23:10, 11; Lev. 25:1–7; Deut. 15:1–11).

Jubilee year 272

, or the summer of abandonment, was the year following seven seven years, that is, the 50th year. In this year, in addition to what was commanded for the Sabbath year, the ancestral lands and houses in the villages were to be returned to their original owners and the Jewish slaves were to be set free with their wives and children, so that they could return to their family and ancestral property273 (Lev 25:8–55).

Sacred rites

commanded by God were: a burnt offering, a bloodless offering, a sacrifice of salvation or peace, a sin offering and a trespass offering274.

Burnt offering

was the most commonly used. It meant that the one who offers it surrenders all of himself to God for sanctification, and foreshadowed that Christ had to sacrifice all of Himself for the salvation of people. As a burnt offering, it was prescribed to bring either a calf, or a ram, or a goat, or a turtle dove, or a dove. Those who sacrificed a four-legged animal had to lay their hands on its head before the altar, transferring their sins onto it. Then the victim was to be stabbed to death. The priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice on all sides on the altar in front of the tabernacle, washed parts of the sacrifice, salted them and burned them on the altar. The skin was given to the priest.

As a sacrifice of a bloodless offering

It was prescribed to bring flour in different types, oil, incense and wine. Oil, frankincense, wine and salt were added to every offering. Without the salt of the covenant no sacrifice could be offered. Some of these offerings were to be burned and the rest given to the priests. Only sour bread was never burned on the altar, and honey was never offered to God276.

Sacrifice of peace or salvation

it was supposed to be brought either in gratitude to God, or to ask for some good deed from Him, or out of a vow and out of zeal. God commanded the offering of large and small livestock of both sexes as a sacrifice of peace. The offerer had to lay his hands on the head of the victim and slaughter it, and the priests sprinkled its blood on the altar from all sides; the fat, the omentum covering the liver, and the kidneys were burned on the altar. The breast had to be brought to the Lord through the ritual of shaking and then given to the priests. The right shoulder was also to be given to the priests; the other parts were to be eaten at the tabernacle by the one offering.

Sacrifice for sin

God commanded to offer for sins committed by mistake and human weakness. For this sacrifice, the priests or the whole community had to represent the calf, lay their hands on its head and slaughter it. The priest sprinkled his blood seven times before the inner veil of the tabernacle and anointed the horns (pillars on the corners) of the altar of incense; the priest shed the rest of the blood at the altar of burnt offering; he burned the fat, the seal on the liver and the kidneys on the altar, and the rest outside the camp. The leader of the people had to provide a goat, the commoner - a goat or sheep, lay his hands on the head of the victim and slaughter. The priest placed part of her blood on the horns of the altar of burnt offerings, and poured out the rest at this altar; he burned the fat on the altar. The remaining parts were eaten by the priests in the courtyard of the tabernacle. The poor had to bring two turtle doves or two young pigeons, one of which was offered as a sin offering and the other as a burnt offering, or a little flour, a handful of which was burned on the altar, and the rest was given to the priest.

A guilt offering

God commanded to bring for such crimes that required satisfaction, for example, for theft, appropriation of what was found, delay and failure to contribute firstfruits, tithes, etc. (Lev. 5:15). It was prescribed to offer a ram with almost the same rituals as a sacrifice for sin. If the culprit embezzled someone else’s property, he was obliged to return what was embezzled and add another fifth to it.

Those who offered a sin offering or trespass offering were required to first confess their sins to the priest (Lev. 5:5, 6; Num. 5:5–8).

Every sacrifice was to include animals without blemishes (Laws on sacrifices: Lev. 1–7; 22; Num. 15:1–29).

The sacrifices were combined with prayer to God and ended with a priestly blessing277 (Num. 6:22-27).

The sacrifices were pleasing to God not in themselves, but because they prefigured Jesus Christ, who had to offer Himself on the cross as a sacrifice to God for the sins of people, and expressed the faith of those who sacrificed in the Redeemer, their heartfelt contrition for sins and love for God.

Each Israelite was to appear at the tabernacle before the face of God, not empty-handed, but with a gift in his hand (Ex. 23:15, 34:20; Deut. 16:16, 17).

In addition to the sacred rites set forth, God, through Moses, confirmed the law of circumcision given to Abraham278 and established the rite of purification of the unclean

through sacrifices and sprinkling of cleansing water (Lev. 14, 15; Num. 19);
rite of jealousy
, in which a wife, suspected of infidelity by her husband, had to drink the so-called
water of reproof
(Num. 5);
a rite of cleansing society from suspicion of murder
(Deut. 21:1–9);
rite of the Nazirite
, in which the Nazirite, after fulfilling the time of the Nazirite, made sacrifices and burned his hair on the altar279 (Num. 6:1-21);
vows, vows
280 and
spells
281 . Whoever made a vow to devote his soul to the Lord, having the right to do so, had to fulfill the vow or give the required ransom. Anyone who promised God anything from their estate could redeem what was promised with the addition of a fifth of its value, except for sacrificial animals, which were not allowed to be redeemed. What was given to God with a curse could not be redeemed (Num. 30; Lev. 27; Deut. 23:21–23).

Laws relating to marital status

. Moses determined the degrees of kinship in which marriage could not be entered into282 and declared that those who would decide to marry in close kinship would die childless283 (Lev. 18:1-18, 20:11-21; Deut. 27:20, 23); forbade marriage and kinship with non-believers so that they would not tempt to idolatry (Ex. 34:16; Deut. 7:3, 4); however, he allowed to marry captives, so that if the wife of the captives was not liked, then not to sell her into slavery, but to set her free (Deut. 21:10-14). Moses condemned polygamy (Deut. 17:17), but, yielding to the ingrained customs, sensuality and rudeness of the people, he allowed marriage to more than one wife (Ex. 21: 5–11; Deut. 21:15) and divorce, even except in the case of marital marriage. infidelity. In the event of a divorce from a wife, Moses commanded that a letter of divorce be given to her, and if she gets married and another husband divorces her or dies, then not to take her as his wife again (Deut. 24:1-4). Satisfying the strong desire of the Jews to have offspring, Moses established the ancient law of cohabitation (unbelief). The law of cohabitation was that if a married man died without leaving behind a son, then his widow could demand that her brother-in-law (her husband’s brother) or another close relative of her husband take her for himself and restore the offspring of the deceased, and then the first-born of the survivors with her the son was to be considered the son of the deceased. If a brother-in-law or relative did not want to marry her, then she had the right to lead him to the gates of the city284, to the elders, here, in front of everyone, take off his boot from his foot and spit on his face285 (Deut. 25:5-10; Ruth. 4 ).

Food laws

. As food for the Jews, Moses appointed only the mildest animals and those whose consumption was more beneficial for health. Of the four-legged animals he appointed to eat only those with cloven hooves and at the same time regurgitating cud; from animals living in water, he allowed to eat those with feathers and scales287; from birds - not predatory; of insects - only some breeds of locusts. Moses recognized these animals as clean. He recognized other animals as unclean and forbade not only eating them, but even touching their corpses, so as not to become defiled288 (Lev. 11; Deut. 14:3-20). He forbade eating carrion torn to pieces by wild beasts (Ex. 22:31; Lev. 17:15, 16; Deut. 14:21). He forbade boiling a kid in his mother's milk289 (Ex. 23:19; 34:26; Deut. 14:21). He forbade, under pain of death, the consumption of blood, because it was dedicated to God (Lev. 17:10–14). As for fruits, he forbade the consumption of the fruits of young trees until three years of age, and at that time he commanded that the trees themselves be considered uncircumcised (Lev. 19:23–25).

Laws on clothing, hair 290

on the head, beard and appearance in general. To prevent luxury, Moses forbade combining wool and linen in clothing. (In general, he forbade making an unnatural combination of heterogeneities as a disorder and confusion of the orders and differences established by God in nature, for example: sowing seeds of different plants together, mixing breeds of livestock, harnessing a donkey and an ox together.) He ordered that blue tassels on laces be attached to the four corners of outer clothing from blue wool, which was appropriated to the high priest's vestments, so that it would resemble the obligation to fulfill the law of the Lord; to protect chastity, he forbade wearing clothes of the opposite sex; forbade trimming the beard, cutting the head in a circle, making cuts and pricking inscriptions on the body for the sake of the dead, so as not to imitate the pagans (Lev. 19:19, 27, 28; Num. 15:38–41; Deut. 22:5, 9–12 ).

Laws on bodily purity and public health

. To maintain cleanliness and their health, the Israelites were required to avoid touching anything unclean. Women who had recently given birth, leprous people and things, dead people and dead animals were considered unclean. The law recognized both the one who touched the unclean and the thing that the unclean touched as unclean. A woman who gave birth to a male child was considered unclean for up to 40 days, and a woman who gave birth to a female child was considered unclean for up to 80 days. After the days of purification were completed, she had to sacrifice a lamb and a young dove or a turtle dove to the tabernacle, and in case of poverty, a pair of turtle doves or doves. The priest cleansed her by making a sacrifice to God. If a person was exposed to leprosy, then the priest, having examined him, had to declare him unclean, and he was obliged to live separately from others, outside the camp, until he recovered. If any item of wool, or linen, or leather was subject to leprosy, then, after examination by a priest, it had to be burned. If leprosy appeared on the walls of a stone house292, then, after an examination from the priest, the walls had to be scraped out and coated again. If after this the leprosy did not recur, then the priest cleansed the house with legalized rites; if it was renewed, then the house had to be broken down. In general, the unclean were not supposed to communicate with people and touch anything sacred. After being freed from uncleanness, the unclean came to the priest, and he cleansed them with legal rites (Lev. 11-15).

Civil laws. The image of government.

The form of government given by God through Moses to the Jews was theocratic (Divine government). God, as the King of the Jewish people, was constantly present among his people, having his throne on the cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant, gave laws and regulations to the Jews, carried out the supreme court, disposed of peace and war and provided leaders for his people. God revealed his will to the Jewish people through the high priest and through the prophets. Being an invisible King, God commanded the Jews that when they occupy the land of Canaan, they should establish for themselves an earthly king from among their brethren, according to the election of God, so that he would be the representative of God, sitting on the throne of the Lord (Deut. 17:14-20; 1 Chron. 29:23).

Laws for Admission into the Society of the Lord

. The following could not enter into the company of the Lord: eunuchs; people with some physical injuries; people are depraved, illegitimate, even their tenth generation; the seven Canaanite nations; the Ammonites and the Moabites, even their tenth generation. But the children of the Edomites and Egyptians in the third generation could enter into the congregation of the Lord (Deut. 23:1–8).

Estate laws

. Moses commanded that the plot of the promised land, given by lot to a certain tribe and clan, should belong to that tribe and clan forever. Therefore, the heiress of the land had to marry in their tribe, and the one who married the heiress had to go into the family of his father-in-law and be registered as his sons. Therefore, it was forbidden to move the boundary. Therefore, whoever bought inherited land from someone had to return it free of charge to the original owner in the year of jubilee. This law also applied to houses in villages293 (Lev. 25; Num. 27:1–11, 35, 36; Deut. 19:14). The firstborn son had the right to receive a double share of the inheritance and for this he was obliged, as the head of the family, to take care of the needs of not only his mother, but also his sisters until their marriage (Deut. 21:16, 17). Anyone who found something lost was to present it to the owner free of charge (Deut. 22:1–3).

Poor Laws

. God, through Moses, forbade the Jews, under fear of extermination, to oppress the poor, widows, orphans and strangers (Ex. 22:21–24); forbade, as robbery, withholding a hireling's wages until the morning (Lev. 19:13; Deut. 24:14, 15); commanded to help the poor in everything; do not reap the stripes in the field to the edge, do not pick the grapes from the vineyard, do not peel the olives, and provide the fruits left or forgotten in the field and garden to the poor; allow the poor to eat their fill of berries in someone else's vineyard, but do not put them in their own vessels; pluck the ears of corn in a foreign field with your hands, but do not bring a sickle to the harvest (Lev. 19:9–10; 23:22; Deut. 23:24–25, 24:19–22). He commanded that what was born in the field and in the garden without sowing or planting on the Sabbath Jubilee Year be given to everyone, and also to forgive the debts of poor fellow tribesmen during these years (Lev. 25; Deut. 26:12, 13). He commanded not to take growth (profit) and necessary things (for example, millstones) from poor fellow tribesmen as collateral; do not enter the poor man’s house to take a deposit from him, but wait at the door of the house until he takes it out himself; do not keep pawned clothes for the night, so that the poor have something to cover themselves from the cold of the night (Ex. 22:25–27; Lev. 25:36, 37; Deut. 23:19–20, 24:6, 10–13). If a poor Jew was sold to another or sold himself, then the master should not consider him his slave or impose slave labor on him; and in the seventh year of work he was to be released freely and not empty-handed, but by giving him fruits from the fields and gardens, but without a wife and children, if his master gave him a wife. If he himself wanted to stay with the master, loving him, his wife and children, then the master had to put him in front of the door or doorpost in the presence of judges and pierce his ear with an awl. After that he was obliged to stay with the master. In the year of jubilee, the master had to release all the Jews he had purchased with their wives and children. Only foreigners could be slaves to the Jews, but they also had to treat them humanely, for example, give them rest on Saturday, and not hand over to a cruel master a slave who had run away from him (Ex. 21:1–6; Lev. 25:39–55 ; Deut. 5:14–15, 23:15–16).

Compassionate Animal Laws

. In order for the Jews to be kinder, softer in soul, Moses gave special laws even about compassion for animals: he commanded not to muzzle (not gag) a threshing ox294 (Deut. 25:4), not to force cattle to work on the Sabbath (Deut. 5:14), to raise someone else's donkey or ox that has fallen under weight, not to take a mother from the nest along with her eggs or chicks (Deut. 22:4, 6-7), not to slaughter cows and sheep on the same day as their birth (Lev. 22:28 ), do not boil a kid in its mother’s milk (Ex. 23:19, 34:26), do not castrate (mutilate) animals (Lev. 22:24).

Laws of war and peace

. The Jews had to start a war and make peace only by asking the Lord. All men from 20 to 50 years old who were able to bear arms were required to go to war. But regarding those who recently married, the law said: “If anyone has recently taken a wife, then let him not go to war, but let him remain free in his house for one year and please his wife whom he has taken” (Deut. 24:5). There were to be no unclean people in the military camp and there had to be cleanliness so that God would not depart from the camp (Deut. 23:9-14). Before the battle, the officers had to announce to the people: “Whoever built a house and did not renovate it, let him go home; whoever planted a vineyard and did not use it, let him return to his house; whoever got engaged to his wife and did not take her, let him return to her; Let him who is fearful and cowardly go home, lest he make the hearts of his brothers timid.” Then military commanders were elected. Before the start of the battle, the priest had to approach the people and say: “Listen, Israel, you are now entering into battle with the enemies, do not let your heart fail, do not be afraid, and do not be embarrassed, and do not be dismayed at them, for the Lord our God goes with you.” to fight for you against your enemies and to save you” (Deut. 20:1-9). When the Jews marched against the enemy, the priests had to sound the alarm on silver trumpets, “That the Israelites may be remembered before God and saved from their enemies” (Num. 10:8–9). During the siege of an enemy city, it was forbidden to destroy and spoil fruit trees near the city (Deut. 20:19–20). If the enemy city was within the land of Canaan, then all its inhabitants had to be destroyed or expelled, so that they would not subsequently seduce the people of God to wickedness. If the city was outside the promised land, then the inhabitants, if they voluntarily surrender, would be taxed and enslaved; if they do not surrender, then, after taking the city, destroy them, except for women (Ex. 23:31–33, 34:11–16; Deut. 20:10–20).

Court laws

. The trial was very short. Local elders or judges, and in more important cases, along with the priests, considered the case on the spot, based on the testimony of witnesses, of whom at least two were required, and pronounced a verdict based on the facts (circumstances of the case)295 (Ex. 18:17-27; Numbers 35:30; Deut. 16:18, 17:6, 19:15, 21:1–9). In especially important and difficult cases, the case was presented to the decision of the priest serving at the tabernacle and the judge of the people. This decision was final; whoever did not recognize him was subject to death. (Deut. 17:8–13). The judgment was the same for everyone: for the native and for the stranger (Lev. 24:22). To conduct the trial, the priests and elders were given the Law of Moses (Deut. 31:9).

When a case could not be resolved by human judgment, it was brought before God's judgment. For example, if a husband suspected his wife of adultery, he brought her to the tabernacle: here, with some rituals, the priest gave her the water of reproof to drink, which made her sick if she was guilty of being unfaithful to her husband (Num. 5:11-31). If a murdered person was found in the field, then the elders of the nearest city had to wash their hands with some rituals as evidence that they were not guilty of the murder and did not know the killer (Deut. 21:1-9).

Punishment laws

.
The punishments for crimes by the Law of Moses were determined as follows: for crimes against the first four commandments
- blasphemers, seducers to worship false gods and idols, worshipers of false gods and idols, magicians, sorcerers, charmers, healers, ventriloquists, soothsayers, fortune tellers, sorcerers, conjurers of spirits, questioners of the dead were commanded to be stoned to death (Ex. 22:18, 20; Lev. 19:26, 20:2, 6, 27, 24:10–16; Num. 15:35; Deut. 17:2–7 , 18:9–22).
For seduction into idolatry, anyone was to be beaten, even if he was a prophet, dreamer, or miracle worker. Witnesses to his crime should have been the first to throw stones at him, even if he were their closest relative, dear friend; and after them the whole community had to carry out the execution (Deut. 13, 17: 2–7). The death penalty was imposed for violating the Sabbath (Ex. 31:14; Num. 15:32–35). Extermination from among the people of God was determined for abandoning circumcision (Gen. 17:14), the Passover celebration (Num. 9:13), fasting and repentance on the day of atonement (Lev. 23:29), for eating sour things on Passover (Exod. 12:19), for eating blood, for eating the fat of sacrificial animals (Lev. 7:25, 27) and for other violations of the ritual law, if these violations were done out of impudence (Lev. 19:8; Exod. 30:33, 38 ; Numbers 15:30). For a crime against the 5th commandment
: if parents brought their son to the elders and complained about him that he was not submissive, violent, slandered them, a spendthrift and a drunkard, then all the inhabitants of the city had to stone him.
If anyone did not recognize the judgment of the high priest or the leader of the people, then he was to be put to death (Ex. 21:15, 17; Lev. 20:9; Deut. 17:8–13; 21:18–21). For a crime against the 6th Commandment
: the malicious murderer was to be put to death.
If someone killed a thief breaking into a house at night, he was freed from trial. If anyone accidentally killed his neighbor, he had to hide in the cities of refuge until the death of the high priest, because the relatives of the murdered person had the right, as avengers of blood, to kill him296. But if the court found him guilty, it had to take him from the city of refuge and even from the altar and put him to death. If someone's ox, known for its vigor, killed a person, then the ox and its owner had to be killed or, instead of executing the death penalty on the owner, only the ransom imposed by the court should be taken from him. If the ox that killed the man was not gored, then only the ox should have been killed (Ex. 21:12–14, 28–32, 22:2; Lev. 24:17; Num. 35:16–34; Deut. 19:1–13). If anyone killed a slave, he was subject to punishment for murder; if the slave lived for a day after the beating, then the one who beat him was not punished as a murderer. Anyone who hit a neighbor in a fight so that he went to bed had to cure him and pay him for stopping his work. He who mutilated his neighbor was subjected to the same mutilation that he inflicted on his neighbor297. The one who mutilated the slave had to set him free. Anyone who struck a pregnant woman so that she miscarried, but did not suffer any other harm, had to pay a fine, which the woman’s husband would impose (Ex. 21:18–27; Lev. 24:20). For crimes against the 7th commandment
: for seducing someone's wife or betrothed, or for betraying a husband or betrothed, for marrying in a close relationship, it was determined to be stoned.
If anyone took a mother and daughter for himself, then it was decided to burn all three guilty persons. If someone seduced a girl, he had to give her a wife, marry her, and was deprived of the right to divorce her. If the girl’s father did not agree to marry his daughter to him, then he had to pay the father as much money as the girl’s money was due (Ex. 22:16, 17, 19; Lev. 18:22–30, 20:10–21 ; Deut. 22:13–30). For crimes against the 8th commandment
: someone who stole, but voluntarily confessed to the crime, had to return the stolen property to the owner with the addition of a fifth part.
The one who stole and was convicted of theft by others had to return double. Anyone who stole and slaughtered or sold an ox and a sheep had to pay five oxen for an ox, and four sheep for a sheep. If the thief could not pay for the theft, then he had to sell himself and pay for the theft to the one he robbed. Whoever stole a person, enslaved him and sold him into slavery should have been put to death. For loss, for embezzlement, for damaging someone else's property through negligence, the perpetrator had to pay as much as the property was worth. Anyone who did this out of malicious intent had to pay double. If this happened without any fault of the person, then he was exempt from paying (Ex. 21:16, 33–36, 22:1–15; Lev. 24:18; Deut. 24:7). For a violation against the 9th commandment
: whoever bore false witness against his neighbor was to be subjected to the punishment to which he intended to inflict on his neighbor (Deut. 19:16–21).

The death penalty was usually carried out through stoning and beating with a sword. If the corpse of an executed person was hung on a tree for shame, then it should not have been left on the tree overnight, but buried on the same day. If anyone was subject to punishment with sticks, then it was determined to give no more than 40 blows (Deut. 21:22-23, 25:1-3).

Education in the Pharaoh's Palace

By the will of God, the child ended up in the palace with Pharaoh’s wife Asiya, who took him into her care. The maids of the pharaoh's wife, seeing that a chest with a child was floating along the river, picked him up and took him to the palace, bringing the child to Asiya, who, seeing his face illuminated by the prophecy, begged her husband to leave the boy alive in the hope that the boy might be useful to them family. Pharaoh's entourage told him that this child could become a source of problems for him, so he should be thrown into the sea, but his wife did everything to save this child. Moses remained to live in the palace, but none of the nurses who were at the palace could feed this baby, since their breasts began to burn with fire, and then a Jewish nurse was found for the boy, who, at the behest of God, became Moses’ mother. The separation from his mother was short-lived: Allah Almighty fulfilled his promise and returned the child to his mother.

The pharaoh treated the child with distrust, and when one day the child grabbed him by the beard, almost tearing out a clump of hair, the pharaoh got angry and called the executioners to execute the baby. The wife begged for mercy on Moses and said that the baby did not yet understand what he was doing.

When Moses grew up and became an adult, the Lord sent him insight: Musa saw how much the ruler was oppressing his people, and then Moses began to denounce Pharaoh for being unfair to the Jewish people.

Creation of the first people.

“And God said: Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness;
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed that is on all the earth, and every tree that has fruit yielding seed: it shall be for you to eat; And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to every thing that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food. And so it became. And God saw everything that He had created, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning: the sixth day. Thus are the heavens and the earth and all their hosts perfect. And God finished on the seventh day His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.” The man's name was Adam and the woman's name was Eve. The Lord created them beautiful and happy. They loved their Creator very much, and God loved them. The Lord gave them all created creation. for them to take care of her. Having blessed Adam and Eve, “the Lord planted a paradise in Eden, in the east; and he placed there the man whom he had created.” The Lord instructed them to cultivate and maintain this garden. Adam and Eve were in constant communication with their Creator. In the picture you see that their eyes are turned to God - that's why they are happy. When our eyes and hearts are directed towards the Lord, we also become happy. —— *Why did God say: “Let us create?” Because God is one in three persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in the First Book of Moses, at the creation of man, God says in the plural: “Let us create.” - Page 1 -

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Death of a Kebitite at the hands of Moses

A case is described of how Moses was walking through the city and saw one of the Kebitites fighting with an Israeli who turned to the passing Musa for help. Moses hastened to help in order to prevent injustice and cruelty, because he knew that the Cebites, who at that time were considered an aristocratic category of the population, treated the Israelites cruelly. There is also a version according to which Musa confronted the Kebitite because he refused to pay the Israeli for his work. During the fight, Musa hit his opponent hard in the chest, and he fell dead. Musa had no intention of killing him, since this would cause problems not only for him, but also for the Israeli. Moses immediately repented of the unintentional murder and began to ask for forgiveness from the Almighty. This incident marked the beginning of the Sebitan uprising, which made Musa very nervous: he expected trouble every minute, because his fight became public knowledge.

People from Pharaoh's entourage and the priests expressed dissatisfaction with what Musa said and began to weave intrigues against him. And this event was told to Pharaoh, who gave the order to execute Moses. Pharaoh had a relative named Hezicles, who warned Moses about the danger threatening him. Musa hastily left the city and fled to the south of Sham to the city of Midian, since the power of the pharaoh did not extend to this city.

Musa helps the girls

Moses did not have any supplies, and he set off on the road, trusting only in the Almighty and praying to him that the Lord would save him from wicked people. It took Musa eight days to reach the land of Midian from Egypt - he walked all this way, ate the plants that he came across on the way, and the roots that he mined in the ground. Approaching Midian, he met several people near a well who were giving water to sheep. Among these people were two girls who stood aside and did not water the sheep, waiting for the men to leave. When the shepherds finished watering their cattle, they covered the well with a large stone, which would have required the strength of ten men to remove. Moses picked up this stone and moved it to the side, after which the girls were able to water their sheep, and Musa himself turned to the Almighty with a prayer: “ Lord! Truly, I need any good that You send to me " (Al-Qasas (Story), 24th verse).

After the girls returned to their father and told about what help the stranger had given them, their father, and this was the prophet Shuaib, told one of them, whose name was Safura, to go and invite this man to their house, so that Shuaib could thank him. Following the girl, Musa was embarrassed by the way the wind lifted the hem of her dress, and offered to go ahead of her, since the descendants of Yakub, to whom he counted himself, did not cast immodest glances at women.

Working as a shepherd and getting married

Prophet Shuaib met Moses with respect and hospitality and told him not to grieve in a foreign land, but to trust in God, and everything would definitely work out. The hadith of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ says that when Musa entered, Shuaib was sitting at the table and eating, but when he invited Musa to join him, he refused, because he was afraid that in this way Shuaib wanted to pay him for the help he provided to his daughters, and he did this not for payment, but out of good intentions. But Shuaib told him that it was their custom to show respect and hospitality to a guest, and only then did Moses sit down and eat with him.

Prophet Shuaib became a wise teacher for Musa, and Musa became a good student for Shuaib. When the daughter of the prophet Shuaib told him about how she and Moses walked home together, Shuaib concluded that Moses was a pious, good and faithful person, and invited him to marry one of his daughters, provided that Musa fulfilled one condition: he will need to hire himself out to the prophet Shuaib to work as a shepherd and serve with him for eight years. Moses accepted Shuaib's proposal and married his daughter Safurah, after which he took up cattle breeding, working for Shuaib. When the contract expired, Musa decided to return to Egypt.

After living for ten years in the house of the prophet Shuaib, Moses told him that he needed to return home to visit his family, his mother, and asked if he had earned anything by serving Shuaib. Then Shuaib answered him to take for himself every sheep that had a black and white color in the flock. And since this year all the sheep were black and white, Musa began to own the whole flock. When Musa and his family got ready to set off, he asked Shuaib to give him one of the staffs, and he offered to go to the house and choose a staff for himself. This staff is mentioned in the holy Book of the Koran: “ The Lord God said to Musa: “What is this in your right hand, O Musa?” Musa replied: “This is my staff; I lean on it when walking and use it to knock leaves off the trees for my sheep. It is also suitable for my other needs.” Allah commanded: “Throw him away, O Musa!” He threw it, and the staff turned into a huge snake that crawled. Allah commanded: “Take it and do not be afraid: We will return it to its previous state ” (Sura Ta Ha, verses 17-21).

Prophetic mission

Having gone to Egypt, Musa got lost along the way - he did not find the road and was unable to light a fire, with the help of which they could keep warm with their family and prepare food for themselves. This happened to him at the behest of Allah Almighty, because on that night the prophecy was destined to be sent down to Moses. When Musa saw the fire, he ordered his family to stay where they were while he climbed the mountain to ask for fire. They could not all go together because Moses' wife was pregnant and it was difficult for her to climb the mountain. Approaching the place where Moses saw the fire, he saw such a wonderful sight that of all the miracles described in the Koran, it was the most incredible: it was not fire - the light came from a large tree with thorns, and this sight greatly surprised Musa . When he approached this tree, he heard the Voice of God, and there are no words that could describe this direct speech between Allah Almighty and man, and it can only be compared with the speech of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ on the night of Isra wal Migraj.

The voice of God said: “ O Musa! Verily, I am your Lord. Take off your shoes. You are in the sacred valley of Tuva. In the valley called Tuva, on the mountain Tur ” (Sura Ta Ha, 12th verse). Then Prophet Musa (Moses) took off his shoes. Then Allah Almighty asked Musa what he had in his hand, and Musa replied that it was a staff on which he leans during the journey and knocks down leaves with it to feed the sheep, and also uses it for other purposes. Another verse says that the Almighty ordered Musa to throw away his staff. And Musa saw that the staff began to wriggle and move at a fast speed, turning into a snake. Musa got scared and ran away from that place, but the Almighty called him and ordered him not to be afraid, reassuring him that he was safe.

When Prophet Musa returned, the Almighty ordered him to take a staff, which turned into a snake, but Musa was afraid, because the snake was very large, but the Almighty ordered him not to be afraid and said that soon the snake would become a staff again.

Then the Almighty said: “ Press your hand to your side, and it will come out white, without traces of disease. Here's another sign for you! "(Sura Ta Ha, 22nd verse). And then Musa put his hand into the slit of his robe until it reached his armpit, and when he took his hand out again, light emanated from it. The Almighty ordered Moses to go to Pharaoh on a prophetic mission, saying that both of these miracles were evidence for Pharaoh and his nobles. The Lord said about Pharaoh and his entourage that they were wicked and transgressed the boundaries of what was permitted.

Then Musa turned to the Almighty with a prayer: “ Lord! Open my chest for me! Make my mission easier! Untie the knot on my tongue so that they can understand my speech " (Sura Ta Ha, verses 25-28), saying that his speech was not pure meant that he did not have sufficient eloquence, and people might not perceive him calls seriously. In response to his prayers, the Almighty did this when Musa began to call for faith and his speech flowed extremely eloquently, and when he simply talked, this eloquence left him.

Musa also petitioned Allah Almighty for his brother Harun (Aaron): “ Appoint me an assistant from my family - Harun, my brother. Increase my strength thanks to him, and let him share my mission with me, so that we glorify You many times and remember You many times. Verily, You see us ” (Sura Ta Ha, verses 29-35), and Allah Almighty appointed Aaron as an assistant to Moses, with the help of whom he increased the power of the prophet Moses and made his brother Aaron also a prophet so that he would share his mission with Moses.

short biography

Moses is the most famous of the Old Testament prophets, through whom God communicated with the Jews, as God's chosen people. The estimated period of life is 1500-1300 BC.

Origin

Moses was born in Egypt. His parents, Amram and Jochebed, were from the tribe of Levi. Like all Levites, the father was a priest and did not have land or livestock. The Jewish people, who had once voluntarily moved to Egypt and had significant benefits, by this time had been reduced to the status of slaves. Pharaoh, in order to limit the birth rate of the Jews, ordered the killing of newborn boys.

Moses' mother hid the child for 3 months, but was forced to put him in a basket and let him float down the Nile. A basket with a crying baby washed ashore in the place where the Pharaoh's daughter was bathing. She told the maids to get the baby. The name given to the child means “taken from water.”

Childhood and youth

Moses' older sister, Miriam, was nearby, watching to see who would see and take the basket containing the child. She invited the Pharaoh's daughter to find a nurse, to which she agreed. The child returned to his home, where no one could hurt him now.

When Moses was 2 years old, he was brought to the daughter of the ruler of Egypt, who made him her adopted son. Moses received a good education, having mastered the knowledge available to the Egyptians.

Life

Until the age of 40, he lived under the pharaoh, watching how his fellow tribesmen were oppressed. An incident of mistreatment of a Jewish overseer caused him to intervene and kill the Egyptian. Fleeing from punishment, Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he was sheltered by the local priest Raguel. Soon Moses married his daughter Zipporah.

thorn bush

40 years passed in the land of the Midianites. One day, Moses was tending sheep in the desert and saw fire on the sacred Mount Horeb. An irresistible force forced him to rise up. The sight of a thorn bush burning without heat, but not burning, horrified him. Moses heard a voice commanding him to take off his shoes and not approach the fire. Frightened Moses took off his shoes and covered his face with his hands. A voice from the thorn bush told him that he was the God of the descendants of Adam from his son Jacob and his name was Jehovah (Jehovah).

The Burning Bush became a symbol of the Holy Church: fire meant the suffering of the Jews, in the crucible of which it was purified, and a prototype of the Incarnation. God, who appeared to the shepherd, said that the groans of the Jews had reached him, and Moses’ duty was to save the people of Israel. The timid Moses humbly said that he was weak and tongue-tied, but he heard in response that God would always be with him and would put convincing speeches in his mouth.

As proof, God showed two miracles: he turned the staff into a snake, and leprosy appeared and disappeared on his hand. Thus, he gave Moses power over the Jewish people and endowed him with the ability to perform miracles. Jehovah assigned his elder brother Aaron to help Moses.

10 plagues

To fulfill the Lord's order, Aaron and Moses came to Pharaoh and, in the name of God, demanded that the Jews be released into the desert to perform holiday rituals. But Pharaoh did not recognize the faith of the Israelites and refused. To prove the power of the Lord, Aaron threw his rod on the ground, and it turned into a snake. The Egyptian priests did the same, and their rods were transformed into reptiles. But Aaron's rod swallowed up the rods of the Gentiles. Pharaoh did not heed the Lord's warning, and the Egyptians experienced the power of God's wrath.

Ten plagues were brought down by Jehovah on the people of Egypt before Pharaoh made concessions. First execution. Aaron struck the water of the Nile with his staff in front of the ruler and turned all the water in Egypt into blood. Only the Jews could take water from the river, and the Egyptians were forced to buy it from them. But Pharaoh was angry because he considered it witchcraft.

After 7 days, Aaron stretched out his hand and the earth was covered with frogs. Pharaoh began to ask Moses to beg God for deliverance from the frogs. Moses fulfilled his request, and the Lord cleansed the land. Pharaoh did not let the Jews go. Third execution. Aaron struck with his staff, and the Egyptians and their cattle were attacked by mosquitoes. Pharaoh did not take this as God's punishment, despite the beliefs of the priests.

The Lord told Moses to tell Pharaoh that if he did not fulfill his command, then the Egyptians would be attacked by dog ​​flies. And so it happened. The entire land of Egypt suffered from the invasion of fierce insects, except for the area where the Jews lived. The frightened ruler agreed to release the Jews and promised to make a sacrifice to God, but after getting rid of the flies he again did not fulfill his promise.

God carried out the fifth plague without the mediation of Moses and Aaron, unleashing a pestilence on the Egyptian livestock. Moses threw a handful of ashes over himself. The wind blew away the dust particles, and all the Egyptians and cattle were covered with boils. But the Lord hardened the ruler’s heart so that he would feel the heavenly punishment even more strongly. God told Pharaoh that tomorrow he would send hail and lightning such as the land of Egypt had never seen. Moses was the doer of punishment. All the fields and gardens of the Egyptians were destroyed by hail, the terrible peals of thunder resembled the voice of God. The lands where Jews lived were not affected. Pharaoh repented and prayed to the Lord. But God did not want him to let the Jews go out of fear and hardened him.

The eighth plague was an invasion of locusts, which was brought by the east wind after the direction of Moses' rod. Pharaoh was ready to repent again, but God sent hatred into his heart so that the Egyptians would remember the disasters that befell them until the end of time. Moses raised his hands, and a night fell on Egypt, lasting 3 days. In vain the priests appealed to the god Ra, darkness swallowed up the country of the pagans. Pharaoh agreed to release the Jews if they did not take their flocks, but Moses disagreed, declaring that the next punishment would be even worse.

The month of Abib has arrived (from mid-March to mid-April). The Jews were preparing for the exodus. God commanded them to slaughter a lamb on the 14th day of Abib and anoint the doors of their houses with its blood. On the night of the 15th, God sent the Angel of Death to the land of Egypt. He killed all the firstborn of people and livestock, passing by Jewish dwellings marked with the blood of the lamb.

Establishment of Easter holiday

From that time on, the Jews began to celebrate the day of the slaughter of the lamb as a holiday, calling it Pesach (Easter), which means “to avoid something.” On this day they do not eat yeast bread, but prepare unleavened bread (unleavened bread).

The Old Testament tradition has a symbolic meaning.

The blood of the lamb anticipates the blood shed by Christ on the Cross for the sins of people. The Lamb of God (Jesus Christ) with his death atoned for the original sin of Adam, protecting the human race from the wrath of the Lord.

Refusal to eat traditional yeast dough means that the people of Israel did not accept pagan traditions. A simple and quick recipe for preparing unleavened dough testifies to the power of God, with what speed he freed the people from oppression. Easter tradition also requires that the lamb be served whole, without the head removed.

Exodus

Frightened by God's Providence, Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and ordered them to lead the Jews out of Egypt. Before the start of the journey, the Lord commanded to baptize all the saved firstborns, from people to livestock. He decreed that the firstborn should be sanctified and given over to the service of God.

On the last night, the Jews celebrated Passover, took all their property, livestock, bones of the patriarchs, and more than two million people left Egypt. God determined the path to the promised land for the Jews. Day and night he moved in front of the column in the form of a pillar of fire. Pharaoh saw that his country was impoverished without the hardworking Hebrew slaves, and, forgetting about the punishments of the Lord, he gathered an army and set off after them.

Crossing the sea

Imminent death or return to Egypt threatened the Israelites: ahead was the sea, behind were the warriors of Pharaoh. The Lord commanded Moses to strike the water with his rod. A strong east wind blew, the sea parted, revealing the bottom. The Jews walked along the ground, between blocks of water frozen on both sides. When they had crossed half the sea, Pharaoh's army appeared on the shore. The ruler, without hesitation, gave the order to follow the Israeli column. Chariots with soldiers raced along the bottom of the Red Sea, but did not have time to catch up with the Jews. Finding himself on the shore, Moses struck the water with his rod again. The sea waves closed, leaving their pursuers in the abyss.

Arrival in Egypt and the miracles of Moses

Prophet Musa, having arrived in Egypt, tried to encourage Pharaoh to believe in Allah Almighty, showing him a variety of miracles, one of which was the miracle when the staff turned into a snake, and the hand of the Prophet Moses turned white after he took it out of his clothes. Pharaoh ordered to convene all the best sorcerers of Egypt, arrogantly declaring that the miracles of the prophet Musa were nothing more than witchcraft.

The sorcerers, having gathered with the pharaoh, asked him for a reward for themselves after they won the competition with Musa and received confirmation from the pharaoh, moreover, he promised to make them his close people. But the witchcraft that the Egyptian sorcerers tried to perform was dispelled, and the staff thrown by the prophet Musa and turned into a snake absorbed all the illusory snakes of the sorcerers. Having seen such a miracle, the sorcerers themselves realized the truth and immediately accepted the religion of the prophet Moses, falling on their faces and repenting of their witchcraft: “ The sorcerers fell on their faces and said: “We have believed in the Lord Harun (Aaron) and Musa (Moses)! "(Sura Ta Ha, verse 70).

As a result of Musa's prophetic mission, many believed in Allah, even Pharaoh's wife, but Pharaoh himself did not believe and began to persecute Musa and his fellow believers. God, as punishment, sent various disasters to Egypt, and then Pharaoh got scared and promised that he would release Moses, as well as his people, and allow them to leave Egypt, but the ruler did not keep his word.

Exodus of the Jews from Egypt, sending down the Torah (Tawra) on Mount Sinai

Moses had to lead his fellow Jews out under the cover of night, and when the Red Sea rose in front of them, the Prophet Moses, at the command of Allah Almighty, pushed the sea waves apart with a blow of his staff and crossed along the seabed with his people to the other shore. Pharaoh, having learned about the madness of the Israelites, gathered an army and gave chase, when Pharaoh's troops, led by the ruler, rushed after the Jewish people across the sea, the sea waters closed over them, and they died in its waves. Thanks to the help of the Lord, the exodus of the Jews from Egypt was successful and they were saved from torment and death from the Egyptians.

Pharaoh himself, seeing how the sea waves began to close over him and realizing his death, believed in the Lord, realizing His Power and his inevitable punishment, but his repentance was too late, the Lord preserved the body of Pharaoh as a sign for subsequent generations and this also became one from the great miracles: “ We carried the children of Israel (Israel) across the sea, and Pharaoh and his army followed them, rioting and acting hostile. When Pharaoh began to drown, he said: “I have believed that there is no God except Him in whom the children of Israel (Israel) have believed. I became one of the Muslims." Allah said: “Only now! But before, you disobeyed and were one of the spreaders of wickedness. Today We will save your body so that you may become a sign for those who will come after you.” Indeed, many people neglect Our signs ” (Surah Yunus, verses 90-92).

The vagaries of the weather

For thousands of years, the event described in the Bible for followers of Judaism, and later for Christians, was another proof of the limitless power of the Almighty, who performed a miracle. However, in the second half of the 20th century, English climate scientists, drawing attention to the biblical description of the wind that blew all night over the Red Sea, suggested that it was a powerful air flow that could influence the water level and thus contribute to the successful crossing of the Israelites. Already in this century, scientists from the St. Petersburg branch of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, developing the hypothesis of their English colleagues, stated that the passage of Moses described in the Bible could have occurred in the area of ​​the Gulf of Suez, separating Africa from the Sinai Peninsula. It is in this place, at a depth of seven meters, that there is a transverse reef, which in biblical times was most likely four meters higher. Mathematical calculations of the situation described in the Old Testament showed that in the event of a coincidence of such natural and climatic phenomena as low tide and hurricane winds, the speed of which should be at least 35-40 meters per second, the water level in the reef area can drop significantly within a few hours . As a result of this, there is a real possibility of draining the reef shoal, up to four kilometers wide, which is where the Israelis could have walked. The heavy chariots of the Egyptians who were catching up with them got stuck in the muddy bottom, after which a powerful return wave of the tide hit them, swallowing up the invincible army. However, such a coincidence of circumstances, according to scientists, happens extremely rarely, approximately once every 50 thousand years. And the fact that Moses and his fellow tribesmen found themselves on the seashore at that very time can, without exaggeration, be called a miracle.

Sending down the Torah

When the prophet Moses and his people reached Mount Sinai, the Lord God sent down to Moses on Mount Sinai the Torah or Taurat - this is God's Jewish sacred Scripture, which is also called the “Pentateuch of Moses” because it consists of five books. When Moses received the tablets on Mount Sinai on which the commandments were inscribed, Moses called on his people to follow him further, promising to lead them to the Promised Land.

The Holy Book of the Koran mentions how among the people of the Prophet Musa, during the transition through the desert, cases occurred when people abandoned the faith and even staged a rebellion, how they worshiped the golden calf and demanded to show them evidence that the prophetic mission of Moses was true . Due to the disobedience of the Israelites and their commission of destructive sins, the Jewish people, as punishment, had to walk through the desert for forty years in search of the Holy Land.

Exodus: Gods and Cylons

The television series “Battlestar Galactica,” or more precisely its second version from 2004–2009, with its rich mystical and religious overtones, can be viewed as the Book of Exodus in a space opera setting.
The remnants of humanity, destroyed by intelligent Cylon robots, in search of the legendary Land are, in general, the same chosen people on the way to the Promised Land. Only he has two Moses. The first is the commander of the cruiser Galactica, William Adama, who once told people that he would lead them to Earth, although he himself did not know where it was. The second, or rather the second, is the President of the Twelve Colonies, Laura Roslin, the messiah from the Pythian Prophecy (“the dying leader will lead humanity to salvation”). As predicted, terminally ill Roslyn managed to see the Earth before dying - just like Moses.

Prophet Musa and Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

The life story of the Prophet Musa most closely resembles the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who was also the leader of his community and made all his efforts to convert the Arab pagans in Mecca to monotheism.

The Holy Book of the Koran, telling the story of the life of Musa, draws parallels with the history of the prophetic mission of Muhammad ﷺ: Pharaoh did not want to listen to Musa, and the Meccans did not want to listen to Muhammad ﷺ. Like Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Prophet Musa brought into the world the great law of God, which was revealed to him on Mount Sinai.

For Muslims, Musa is a revered and great Prophet, the true bearer of the prophetic mission. From the history of Prophet Musa and his people, Muslims take many useful examples and instructions, which are given both in the Holy Quran and in the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.