ABSTRACT
Existential philosophers, anthropologists, psychologists, and educators have emphasized that cultural and religious discourse about death reflects and articulates the ways in which people live; how they approach meaning in their lives. This chapter explores the some questions through the medium of midrashic reflections on the death of Moses, the “man of God,” who lived until “one hundred and twenty” and at one point clearly wished to go on living. The end of Deuteronomy is about the warnings and blessings Moses gives to the people of Israel who are about to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. But the midrashic tradition turns it partially into the saga of the great teacher’s last day. This midrashic drama is rich in profound reflections upon life and death. The death of a person is part of his or her life. It cannot be thought about or understood outside of that context.
