The Zohar Ha’kadosh states that Moshe Rabbeinu died on Shabbos at Minchah time. Similarly, according to the Zohar, Yosef Ha’tzaddik and David Ha’melech also died on Shabbos during Minchah time. It is specifically for this reason that we recite three pesukim which begin with the word l,esm, Your righteousness, as a form of ihsv eusm, which constitutes acceptance of Hashem’s judgement at this time.
Horav Nissan Alpert, z.l., questions the reference to the time of Moshe’s death. The Torah states that Moshe told Bnei Yisrael, “I am one hundred and twenty years old today.” This implies that Moshe reached this age on the very day of his demise. If, as it was stated in the Zohar, this day was Shabbos, how was Moshe permitted to write thirteen sifrei Torah? It would be chillul Shabbos, a desecration of the sanctity of Shabbos!
Horav Alpert suggests the following novel response. Moshe Rabbeinu, in fact, died two deaths, a spiritual demise followed by physical cessation of life. On the sixth day of Adar, which was Erev Shabbos, Moshe Rabbeinu ceased to be Rabbon Shel Kol Yisrael, the Rebbe of all Klal Yisrael. His vast storehouse of Torah knowledge was transferred to Yehoshua on that day. On the next day, which was Shabbos, Moshe stood before Bnei Yisrael as an ordinary Jew in preparation for physical death. Someone of Moshe’s sublime spiritual stature, a unique leader whose soul has been intrinsically bound up with the future of Bnei Yisrael, did not experience mortality in the common sense. His physical being was as pure as his spiritual essence. On the seventh day of Adar, Moshe “disappeared” from this earth.
