VAETCHANAN_DEUTERONOMY III,23 – VII,11

Moses will lead the people to the limits of Canaan but will not cross the Jordanriver. That was the Lord’s command. Vaetchanan, and Moses begged that the severe ruling be modified, but his prayers did not get the desired answer. Mipnei mah nitaveh Moshe likanes le’Erets Israel, “why did Moseswant to enter the Land of Israel?“, questions the Talmud. In the search for an answer, the possibility that Moses longed to revel in the abundant and wonderful fruits of that land is ruled out. After all, the character who exemplifies devotion to an ideal and total surrender for his people will refrain from attempting to alter the Divine will for personal gain. The Chachamim maintain that Moses knew that many Mitsvot were applicable only in Erets Israel and had an irresistible desire to fulfill them and be able to observe all the ordinances of the Creator.

The Chachamim describe a dialogue with God in which Moses argues that the One who saved the Jews of Egypt is the One who must accompany them in the conquest of the Promised Land. But God answers him, Shishah avonot asita, you Moses are guilty of six errors and therefore you cannot enter Canaan. What were the faults of Moses?

The first infraction refers to the fact that, at the beginning of his designation to save our ancestors, Mosesreacts by saying Shelach na beyad tishlaj, send Your messages by the hand of him whom You will send. This was a manifestation of Moses’ apathy to fulfill the Divine mandate. Perhaps what comes to light this time is a dose of shyness and lack of self-esteem and, therefore, Moses should not be blamed. However, the lesson it could teach us is that the call of an overwhelmed and suffering society must take precedence to any personal consideration.

Moses‘ impatience in his negotiations with Par’o, who is the Pharaoh, is the subject of his second mistake. Moses’ intervention before Par’o results in the cessation of the delivery of certain materials and yet demands from the Hebrews the daily elaboration of the same number of bricks. Because of this, Moses exclaims, “from the moment I appeared before Par’o to speak to him in Your Name, the situation of this people worsened”, Vehatsel lo hitsalta et amecha,“and You did not liberate Your people”.

Moses is unaware of the scope of the Divine plan which includes the “hardening” of Par’o’s heart, for didactic purposes, probably. We are faced with one of the main unknowns of any theological system because limited human intelligence cannot encompass the ultimate purpose of infinite Divine wisdom. We come to our conclusions on the basis of limited knowledge, while the deity makes a momentary display of the historical events of humanity. 

The aforementioned reaction of Moses in this case is a manifestation of insufficient faith in the Divine conduct of events. Certainty in God’s Providence requires trusting in Kol mah deavid Rachmana letav avid, that the purpose and result of all Divine interventions are good.

Moses shows the third doubt when the people demand meat, for being fed up and tired of the Man, the manna that descended from the heights. Moses’ hesitant reaction to his people’s request demonstrates uncertainty about the divine capacity to provide the flesh that the people ask for in the wilderness.

During the episode of the rebellion in the desert, Moses proclaims publicly that if Korach dies of natural death it can be concluded that lo HaShem shelachani, that it was not God who sent me. It follows then that in the event of Korach’s natural death, Mosesceases to be God’s envoy and becomes a political leader who appeals to the national feelings of the people.

From the biblical prism, there is no separation between faith and nationalism. For example, the Regalim, religious holidays, have at the same time a national meaning. Samuel Belkin, the late president of Yeshiva University in New York, teaches us that, for Philo, the ideal system of government for the Jewish people is a theocracy, that is, democracy based on the principles of Jewish religious tradition.

In the episode of Marah when the people complained about the lack of water, Moses hits the rock for the precious liquid to sprout. In the opinion of some, in this case, the transgression consisted of hitting the rock, instead of talking to it, as the Lord had indicated. Others opine that Mosessinned when he referred to our ancestors with the expression Shim’u na hamorim, “listen to me now, rebels”.

A leader must not disrespect his people and cannot belittle the dignity of his followers. The hamorim epithet, which means rebels, was a demonstration that Moses was losing objectivity, worse still, respect for his followers whom he apparently did not properly value. He who leads the destinies of a nation and wants to inspire the masses must first show appreciation and love for his people.

Moses’sixth and final mistake was his contempt for the relay generation that had to broaden, deepen, and entrench tradition and the newly acquired notion of freedom. Moses refers to the children of those who left Egypt as Tarbut anashim chata’im, those of you who want to follow the path of your sinful parents.

However, the reasons mentioned, the punishment that Moses receives of not entering the land of Canaan is very severe. According to our Chachamim, Moses presents an additional argument in his dialogue with God. Mosesreasons as follows: Yosef, who devoted his entire life to the development of Egyptian society and nation, was buried in Israel. It is therefore unjust that he, Moses, who devoted all his energies to leading the chosen people to the chosen land, should be buried outside of Israelin an unknown place.

God’s answer is cutting and hurtful. Mi shehodeh be’artso nikbar be’artso, he who recognizes his land (his origin) is buried in his land. Yosef is identified at all times as a Hebrew. Potiphar’s wife knows him as such, as does the baker and cupbearer of Par’o, whom Yosef tells Gunov gunavti me’erets ha’ivrim, “I was kidnapped from the land of the Hebrews. At first, however, Moses does not reveal himself as a member of the enslaved people. Upon receiving the help of Moses, Yitro’s daughterstell their father: Ish mitsri hitsilanu, an Egyptian man saved us, because Moses did not let them know that he was Hebrew.

Yosef was born in Canaan but educated and prospered in Egypt. It is clear that the impact of his childhood and youth had become indelible. Therefore, our Chachamim suggest that the carts that Yosef sends his elderly father after seventeen years of absence, remind Yaacov of the Law of egla arufa that both had commented on years ago. Because Girsa deyankuta dela mishtakchei, the learning of youth is not forgotten and apparently Yosef still remembered the subject of the last lesson he studied with his father.

Moses, on the other hand, was born in Egypt and his cultural environment was the Egyptian Royal Court. In the course of his adult life, Moses searches for and finds his ancestral roots. There follows a metamorphosis in his personality. But Moses’ Girsa deyankuta, the guardianship, and care he received in his childhood at the court of Par’o are also part of his personal makeup. Moses acquired a royal personality during the formative years at the side of the daughter of Par’o, which then allowed him to speculate on the possibility of directing the exodus of the Jewish people from slavery to freedom. The years in the palace were surely decisive and left a mark that led him to a total identification with the destiny of his people.

MITSVAH: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARASHAH

CONTAINS 8 POSITIVE MITZVOT AND 4 PROHIBITIONS

1. Deuteronomy 5:18 Not desiring what belongs to another Jew
2. Deuteronomy 6:4 Believing in the Oneness of God
3. Deuteronomy 6:5 Loving God
4. Deuteronomy 6:7 To study the Torah
5. Deuteronomy 6:7 Reciting Shema Israel every morning and every night
6. Deuteronomy 6:8 Tying the tefilin over the arm
7. Deuteronomy 6:8 Place the tefilin on the head
8. Deuteronomy 6:9 Affixing a Mezuzah on the jamb of our homes
9. Deuteronomy 6:16 No to test in an unreasonable manner an authentic prophet
10. Deuteronomy 7:2 To eliminate the 7 nations that occupied the Land of Israel
11. Deuteronomy 7:2 Not to have positive feelings for idolaters
12. Deuteronomy 7:3 Not to marry idolaters