Aggada -- Translations into English; Bible. Old Testament -- Legends; Jewish legends; Midrash -- Translations into English
Moses still cherished three other wishes: that the Shekinah might dwell
with Israel; that the Shekinah might not dwell with other nations; and
lastly, that he might learn to know the ways of the Lord whereby He
ordained good and evil in the world, sometimes causing suffering to the
just and letting the unjust enjoy happiness, whereas at other times
both were happy, or both were destined to suffer. Moses laid these
wishes before God in the moment of His wrath, hence God bade Moses wait
until His wrath should have blown over, and then He granted him his
first two wishes in full, but his third in part only. [288] God showed
him the great treasure troves in which are stored up the various
rewards for the pious and the just, explaining each separated one to
him in detail: in this one were the rewards of those who give alms; in
that one, of those who bring up orphans. In this way He showed him the
destination of each one of the treasures, until at length they came to
one of gigantic size. "For whom is this treasure?" asked Moses, and God
answered: "Out of the treasures that I have shown thee I give rewards
to those who have deserved them by their deeds; but out of this
treasure do I give to those who are not deserving, for I am gracious to
those also who may lay no claim to My graciousness, and I am bountiful
to those who are not deserving of My bounty."
Moses now had to content himself with the certainty that the pious were
sure of their deserts; without, however, learning from God, how it
sometimes comes to pass that evil doers, too, are happy. For God merely
stated that He also shows Himself kind to those who do not deserve it,
but without further assigning the why and the wherefore. But the reward
to the pious, too, was only in part revealed to him, for he beheld the
joys of Paradise of which they were to partake, but not the real reward
that is to follow the feast in Paradise; for truly "eye hath not seen,
beside the Lord, what He hath prepared for him that waiteth for Him."
[289]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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