event · E0009
Passing of Moshe פטירת משה רבנו
Moshe died at a hundred and twenty on the far side of the Yarden, his eye undimmed, his grave unknown — and the mesorah immediately learned what losing its head costs. The Gemara records that three thousand halachot were forgotten in the mourning for Moshe, and when the people demanded Yehoshua ask Heaven, the answer was "it is not in Heaven." From now on Torah would survive only by transmission.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- פטירת משה רבנו
- Also known as
- Death of Moshe Rabbenu
- Era
- bible
II. When
- Traditional
- 7 Adar 2488 AM
- Date range
- 1273 BCE (traditional)
- Precision
- exact
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moshe the servant of God died there in the land of Moav at a hundred and twenty years, "his eye undimmed and his vigor unabated," and no man knows his burial place to this day.
Confidence is for what the biblical text states. |
biblical | ★★★★★ | |
| Rav Yehudah said in the name of Shmuel: "שלשת אלפים הלכות נשתכחו בימי אבלו של משה" — three thousand halachot were forgotten in the days of mourning for Moshe. They said to Yehoshua, "Ask!" He replied: "It is not in Heaven." This is the first recorded loss of Torah — the mesorah shown fragile at its very first link.
Hebrew verified against the Sefaria text of Temurah 16a. |
rabbinic | ★★★★☆ | |
| Traditional dating 7 Adar 2488 AM, at the close of the forty wilderness years, per the Seder Olam framework.
Schematic traditional dating; see Moshe (Moshe), dated 2368–2488 AM. |
tradition | ★★★☆☆ |