Jeremiah said: While going up to Jerusalem, I lifted up mine eyes, and saw a woman sitting on the top of a mountain, clad in black garments, her hair dishevelled; she was crying and asking who would comfort her, and I was crying and asking who would comfort me. I drew nigh unto her, and said: ‘If thou art a woman, speak to me; if thou art a ghost, depart from me.’ She replied: ‘Dost thou not know me? I am she who had seven children; their father went away to a city across the sea. A messenger came and said unto me: “Thy husband died in the city across the sea.” While I went about weeping for him, another messenger came, and said unto me: “The house fell upon thy seven children, and killed them.” Now I know not for whom I should weep and for whom I should dishevel my hair.’ I said: ‘Thou art not better than my mother Zion, and yet she has become pasture for the beasts of the field.’ She answered and said unto me: ‘I am thy mother Zion, I am the mother of the seven, for thus it is written: “She that hath borne seven languisheth.”’[37] Jeremiah then said unto her: ‘Thy misfortune is like the misfortune of Job: Job’s sons and daughters were taken away from him, and likewise thy sons and daughters were taken away from thee; I[38] took away from Job his silver and gold, and from thee, too, did I take away thy silver and gold; I cast Job on the dunghill, and likewise thee did I make into a dunghill. And just as I returned and comforted Job, so shall I return and comfort thee; I doubled Job’s sons and daughters, and thy sons and daughters shall I also double; I doubled Job’s silver and gold, and unto thee I shall do likewise; I shook Job from the dunghill, and likewise concerning thee it is written: “Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem.”[39] A mortal of flesh and blood built thee, a mortal of flesh and blood laid thee waste; but in the future I shall build thee, for thus it is written: “The Lord doth build up Jerusalem, He gathereth together the dispersed of Israel.”’[40] 2. The Death of Moses[41] The Holy One said to Gabriel: ‘O Gabriel, Go, and bring Me the soul of Moses.’ But he replied: ‘Lord of the universe, how can I look upon the death of him who is equal to the sixty myriads of Israel? How can I cause anguish to such a man?’ God then said to Michael: ‘Go, and bring Me the soul of Moses.’ He replied: ‘Lord of the universe, I was his teacher, and he was my pupil; I cannot look upon his death.’ Whereupon God said to Sammael the wicked: ‘Go, and bring Me the soul of Moses.’ He immediately clothed himself with wrath, girded on his sword, wrapped himself in cruelty, and went to meet Moses. When Sammael perceived that Moses was sitting and writing the Ineffable Name, that the radiance of his countenance was like the sun’s, and that he resembled an angel of the Lord of hosts, he was afraid of him, and said: ‘It is certain that the angels are not able to take the soul of Moses.’