could also tell time by the occupation of the angels, for by day they
prepared manna for Israel, and by night they sent it down to earth.
The prayers he heard in heaven served him as another token
whereby he might know the time, for if he heard the recitation of
the Shema' precede prayer, he knew that it was day, but if the
prayer preceded the recitation of the Shema', then it was night.
[254]

During his stay with Him, God showed Moses all the seven
heavens, and the celestial temple, and the four colors that he was
to employ to fit up the tabernacle. Moses found it difficult to retain
the color, whereupon God said to him: "Turn to the right," and as
he turned, he saw a host of angels in garments that had the color of
the sea. "This," said God, "is violet." Then He bade Moses turn to
the left, and there he saw angels dressed in red, and God said:
"This is royal purple." Moses hereupon turned around to the rear,
and saw angels robed in a color that was neither purple nor violet,
and God said to him: "This color is crimson." Moses then turned
about and saw angels robed in white, and God said to him: "This is
the color of twisted linen." [255]

Although Moses now devoted both night and day to the study of
the Torah, he still learned nothing, for hardly had he learned
something from God when he forgot it again. Moses thereupon
said to God: "O Lord of the world! Forty days have I devoted to
studying the Torah, without having profited anything by it." God
therefore bestowed the Torah upon Moses, and now he could
descend to Israel, for now he remembered all that he had learned.
[256]