"the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom of gold, the seat of
it purple." With him is Elijah. He takes the head of Messiah, and
places it in his bosom, and says to him, "Be quiet, for the end
draweth nigh." On every Monday and Thursday and on Sabbaths and
holidays, the Patriarchs come to him, and the twelve sons of
Jacob, and Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, and all the kings of
Israel and of Judah, and they weep with him and comfort him, and
say unto him, "Be quiet and put trust in thy Creator, for the end
draweth nigh. "Also Korah and his company, and Dathan, Abiram,
and Absalom come to him on every Wednesday, and ask him: "How
long before the end comes full of wonders? When wilt thou bring
us life again, and from the abysses of the earth lift us?" The
Messiah answers them, "Go to your fathers and ask them"; and when
they hear this, they are ashamed, and do not ask their fathers.

In the sixth division dwell those who died in performing a pious
act, and in the seventh division those who died from illness
inflicted as an expiation for the sins of Israel.[97]


THE FOURTH DAY

The fourth day of creation produced the sun, the moon, and the
stars. These heavenly spheres were not actually fashioned on this
day; they were created on the first day, and merely were assigned
their places in the heavens on the fourth.[98] At first the sun
and the moon enjoyed equal powers and prerogatives.[99] The moon
spoke to God, and said: "O Lord, why didst Thou create the world
with the letter Bet?" God replied: "That it might be made known
unto My creatures that there are two worlds." The moon: "O Lord: