Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
And even yet the difficulties in Moses' way were not removed wholly.
The Egyptian magicians had stationed two golden dogs at Joseph's
coffin, to keep watch,. and they barked vehemently if anyone ventured
close to it. The noise they made was so loud it could be heard
throughout the land, from end to end, a distance equal to a forty day's
journey. When Moses came near the coffin, the dogs emitted their
warning sound, but he silenced them at once with words, "Come, ye
people, and behold the miracle! The real, live dogs did not bark, and
these counterfeit dogs produced by magic attempt it!" [3] What he said
about real, live dogs and their refraining from barking had reference
to the fact that the dogs of the Egyptians did not move their tongues
against any of the children of Israel, through they had barked all the
time the people were engaged in burying the bodies of their smitten
first-born. As a reward God gave the Israelites the law, to cast to the
dogs the flesh they themselves are forbidden to eat, for the Lord
withholds due recompense from none of His creatures. [4] Indeed, the
dogs received a double reward, for their excrements are used in tanning
the hides from which the Torah scrolls are made, as well as the Mezuzot
and the phylacteries. [5]
Joseph's coffin in the possession of Moses, the march of the Israelites
could begin. The Egyptians put no manner of obstacle in their way.
Pharaoh himself accompanied them, to make sure that they were actually
leaving the land, [6] and now he was so angry at his counselors for
having advised against letting the Israelites depart that he slew them.
[7]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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