As a rabbi I have had the privilege of being present at many lifecycle events for numerous families. While of course attending a wedding or any joyous occasion is preferable to a funeral, nevertheless there is something very precious in helping a family deal with a loss.

Being there to comfort them, to help provide for their emotional needs and sometimes even to assist with all the arrangements is an important function of being a rabbi.

In Jewish tradition, most people wait until a year passes before erecting a tombstone or matzeiva in Hebrew to stand as a memorial to the deceased.

What about Moses?

We know that he was mourned when he died by the people but where is his matzeiva (tombstone)?

In fact, the Torah tells us that Moses died and “nobody knows his burial place until this day.” (Deut 24:6)

It seems sad that the greatest leader that the Jewish people ever had does not even have a tombstone! Is there an explanation?

The Torah portion this week begins with the words, “Atem nitzavim hayom kulchem…” You are all standing here today. As Moses is in the last days of his life he gathers the entire nation together-from the leadership down. Everyone was there.

The Hebrew word nitzavim, which is translated as standing, also has another meaning. The word nitzavim is drawn from the word matzeiva (tombstone).

Imagine the scene. The entire nation of Israel is gathered one last time before their beloved leader Moses will die. He is the person that brought an end to their slavery, he led them out of Egypt, he brought them to Mt. Sinai to receive the Torah, he defended them when God was angry at them, and he brought them to the edge of the land of Israel.

As they stand there Moses tells them that “all of you who are standing here today, and also those who are not here today,”—you are all my matzeiva, you are my tombstone! You will serve as the vehicle through which I will be remembered. The living and breathing body of the entire Jewish people until the end of time serve as a living memorial to our greatest leader, Moses.

The Torah is referred to as Torat Moshe, the Torah of Moses. Moses’s greatest wish and desire was that the people would follow the words of the Torah that he sacrificed so much for. From the moment he accepted his mission to lead the Jewish people, his life was dedicated to being a leader, yet he is remembered most of all as Moshe Rabbeinu—Moses our Teacher.

What greater memory can be bestowed upon a teacher than the students learning and living their lessons?

While we have cemeteries filled with tombstones, ultimately it is the lives that we, the living, that create memorials to those who have come before us. Nobody wants to be remembered merely for what is written on their grave. We all want to make a contribution to this world that is everlasting just like Moses did.

He did not need a tombstone—if you are reading this then you are studying Torah which means that Moses’s message is still getting through today.