There’s a powerful story in the Talmud about what happened after Moses passed away. During the mourning period for Moses, 3,000 laws of the Torah were forgotten. The people were understandably upset and didn’t know what to do. So, over generations they turned to the leaders of their time, hoping someone could help them recover these laws.
First, they went to Joshua, Moses’s closest student and his immediate successor. They asked him to use the Urim ve’Tumim, the special breastplate worn by the High Priest, which could be used to get answers from G-d. But Joshua said, “The Torah is not in heaven anymore.” He explained that once the Torah was given to us at Mount Sinai, it became our responsibility. G-d doesn’t just give us all the answers anymore. We have to study and figure things out ourselves.
Next, we read about the people going to Samuel the Prophet. Even though Samuel actually lived long after Joshua, the Talmud mentions him second because of his unique greatness. Samuel was considered as important in his generation as Moses and Aaron were in theirs, so it made sense for the people to turn to him in this story. They thought maybe he could use prophecy to recover the lost laws. But Samuel told them, “These are the commandments that G-d gave to Moses.” In other words, no prophet—not even someone as great as Samuel—can add to or change the Torah. It’s complete just as G-d gave it to Moses.
Then they turned to Pinchas and Elazar, two other respected leaders who were alive during Moses’s time. Like Joshua, Pinchas had access to the Urim ve’Tumim because he was a High Priest. The people hoped he could ask G-d directly through this special tool. But Pinchas, like Joshua, responded, “The Torah is not in heaven.” Elazar, Moses’s nephew, gave the same answer as Samuel, “These are the commandments that G-d gave to Moses.”
The people asked these leaders in a specific order, based on how close each one was to Moses and the Torah.
First, they went to Joshua. He had learned directly from Moses and had been chosen as the next leader of the Jewish people. If anyone could help, it seemed like Joshua was the best choice.
Next, they turned to Samuel. Even though he lived much later, Samuel’s greatness as a prophet and leader put him high on the list. He was known for clarifying tricky laws, so the people thought he might be able to recover the forgotten ones.
Then came Pinchas, who was both a High Priest and a prophet. The people knew he had access to the Urim ve’Tumim and had stepped up in difficult situations before.
Finally, they asked Elazar, Moses’s nephew and student, and a prophet in his own right. Elazar had also proven himself in the past, like when he reminded the people about certain laws that even Moses had momentarily forgotten.
This story isn’t just about something that happened long ago. As always, there is a lesson in it for us today.
When G-d gave the Torah, He handed us a responsibility. He didn’t want us to rely on miracles or wait for Him to give us all the answers. Instead, He wanted us to work together—study, ask questions, and figure things out as a community.
The people had access to incredible tools like prophecy and the Urim ve’Tumim, but the leaders all gave the same message: The Torah isn’t about shortcuts or miracles. It’s about effort, learning, and personal responsibility.
Sometimes we might feel like we don’t know enough or that life’s challenges are too hard to handle. But this story reminds us that G-d believes in us. He gave us the tools we need—the Torah, our brains, and each other—to find the way forward.
The Torah isn’t in heaven anymore. It’s right here, in our hands. Let’s do our part to learn it, live it, and keep it alive for future generations.
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