Deuteronomy · Chapter 3

Then we turned and went up the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan came out to meet us, he and all his people, to do battle at Edrei.

ונפן ונעל AND WE TURNED AND WENT UP — every journey towards the north (from the wilderness towards Canaan) is “uphill”.

ונפן ונעל, “we turned around and ascended; from the south to the north.” דרך הבשן, “on the way to Bashan,” which is situated between the river Jordan and the land of the Bney Ammon. Anyone travelling from the south to the north in that region is automatically ascending.

And Hashem said to me: Do not fear him, for into your hand I have delivered him and all his people and all his land; and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites who dwelt in Heshbon.

אל תירא אתו DO NOT FEAR HIM — In the case of Sihon, however, it did not feel it necessary to state, “Do not fear him״!? But in the case of Og Moses feared lest the merit that he (Og) had been of service to Abraham might avail him, as it is said, (Genesis 14:13: see Rashi thereon), "And the fugitive came", and that was Og (Genesis Rabbah 42:8; see Rashi on Numbers 21:34).

And Hashem our God delivered into our hands also Og king of Bashan and all his people, and we struck him down until no survivor remained to him.

"He left him none" — [referring to] each individual Israelite. This is a past-tense verb.

ויתן ה׳ אלוקינו בידנו, G'd delivered into our hands, etc. This verse is best explained by reference to Berachot 54 describing Og as uprooting a mountain of 12 kilometers (equal to the size of the encampment of the Jewish people) and trying to throw it onto the camp of the Israelites. G'd frustrated this plan. Thereupon Moses, who was ten cubits tall, took an axe ten cubits long and threw it at Og, hitting his ankles and killing him. The words ויתן ה׳ refer to G'd making the mountain Og had uprooted drop on his own neck, whereas the word בידנו refers to Moses personally having killed Og using his own hands. Although Moses used only a single hand, the Torah describes his acts by referring to "hands," using the plural ending, much as G'd has been described in Genesis 1,26 as in the plural when He was about to create Adam and said: "let us make a human being, etc." Moses' hand was considered as equivalent to the combined hands of all the Jewish people.

And we captured all his cities at that time — there was not a city that we did not take from them — sixty cities, all the region of Trachonitis, the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

חבל ארגב [ALL] THE LINE OF ARGOB — We render this in the Targum by בית פלך טרכונא Now I have seen that the Jerusalem Targum of the Scroll of Esther terms a palace טרכונין. I learn from this that חבל ארגב signifies “the province of the Royal Palace”, denoting that the province is called after its name (after the name of the palace). Similarly, also the term ארגוב found in the Book of Kings (2 15:25) where the meaning is that Pekah the son of Remaliah slew Pekahia the son of Menahem near the king’s palace (את ארגוב), I learn that thus (after the palace) was the province named.

"The region of Argob" — the Aramaic Targum's rendering is well known. Some say it is a personal name: a certain man had this region as his portion from his father's inheritance. Others say that the alef is a prosthetic letter and the word derives from the root of [the phrase] "and clods of earth cling" (Job 38:38) — though this derivation is far-fetched.

כל חבל ארגוב, “the whole district of Argov;” according to Rashi the word refers to “a province;” other commentators believe that Argov is the name of an individual who used to own this strip of land, having inherited it, and that it had been measured with a rope to determine its boundaries, hence the word חבל ארגוב. Onkelos translates it as בית פלך טרכונא, “the resi-dence in a district by that name, i.e. a famous palace.” Our verse then would refer to the province in which the palace was situated.

ארגוב, the meaning of this word depends on the context in which the word appears.

All these cities were fortified, encircled by high walls, with gates and bars, besides a great many unwalled towns.

מערי הפרזי [BESIDES] UNWALLED CITIES — unconfined and open, i.e. without a wall. Similar is, (Zechariah 2:8) “As open spaces (פרזות) shall Jerusalem be inhabited”.

לבד מערי הפרזי, “apart from the ‘open’ cities;” the ones scattered throughout the countryside, not protected by a wall. The word occurs in connection with Jerusalem in Zecharyah 2,8 where the prophet suggests that in the future Jerusalem will not need a wall around it to protect it against invaders.

And we utterly destroyed them, as we had done to Sihon king of Heshbon — utterly destroying every city: the men, the women, and the little ones.

החרם — This has a present frequentative meaning: going on and destroying (see Rashi on Numbers 25:17).

And all the livestock and the spoil of the cities we took as plunder for ourselves.

בזונו לנו, “we looted for ourselves.” In 2,35 the mode of the verb used for the same word “looting” is בזזנו. Why the difference? Our ages say that in chapter 2 the loot was universally acclaimed as something very welcome. Here, the Torah wanted to convey that the people already related with disdain, בוז, to the loot. This is also why here the Torah adds the words וכל הבהמה, an expression not found in

And we took at that time the land from the hand of the two kings of the Amorites who were on the far side of the Jordan, from the Wadi of Arnon to Mount Hermon.

מיד means, FROM THE CONTROL OF.

The Sidonians call Hermon Siryon, and the Amorites call it the Snow Mountain.

צידנים יקראו לחרמון וגו׳ THE SIDONIANS CALL HERMON SIRION — But in another passage it states, (Deuteronomy 4:48) “Even unto Mount Sion which is Hermon”. So you see it had four names. And why had they all to be written in Scripture? To tell the praise of the land of Israel: that there were four kingdoms (kings) priding themselves in this — one saying, "After me shall it be named", and another saying, "After me shall it be named" (Sifrei Devarim 37:10; cf. Chullin 60b). שניר SHENIR — This signifies "snow" in the German language (Schnee) and in the Canaanite (Slav) language (Snih).

HERMON, THE SIDONIANS CALL SIRION, [AND THE AMORITES CALL IT SENIR]. “But in another place Scripture states, even unto Mount Sion which is Hermon. Thus you see that the mountain has four names [Hermon, Sirion, Senir and Sion. Scripture’s reference to this multiplicity of names is] to tell the praise of the Land of Israel because there were four kingdoms priding themselves in this; this one saying ‘After me shall it be called,’ and another saying, ‘After me shall it be called.’” This is Rashi’s language from the words of Agadah. It is indeed possible that this praise [that four nations were vying for this mountain] is correct but the main purport of the verse is to state that the Sidonians, children of Canaan’s firstborn, called Mount Hermon “Sirion” when it was formerly in their possession; and the Amorites, who now dwelled there and from whom Israel was to capture it, called it “Senir.” [Senir] is a Canaanite word for “snow,” as Rashi testified about it, and as Onkelos also rendered it, [“mountain of snow”]. And because it is a mountain of snow, also on account of its frigid temperature causing it to be bleak [and unapproachable], it is called Hermon [from the word cherem — “banned”], this being a surname of the mountain. Perhaps the name “Sirion” in the Sidonian language indicates this characteristic while the real name of the mountain [as mentioned by the Torah further on] is Sion. The verse stating, from the top of Senir and Hermon [which would seem to indicate that these were two separate mountains], really refers to two surnames of the [same] mountain and thus means “from the top of the snow and the bleakness,” or it may mean “from the top of Senir and from the whole mountain.” Similarly, that which is stated in the Book of Chronicles, And the children of the half-tribe of Menasheh dwelt in the land, from Bashan unto Baal-hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon where they increased also means “and Senir and the whole mountain which is Mount Hermon.” Baal-hermon, however, was a city or a tower which they called “Baal,” or perhaps it was the name of one of the Baal-idols that was worshipped there. It is possible that after Israel was in the Land, names of places were somewhat changed; this mountain was large — and they called the highest part of its summit Senir, and the second part thereof they called Hermon. Or they may be other mountains which people after the [period of the] Torah called by these names [Senir, Hermon — and they really represent two separate mountains, but the names mentioned in the Torah indicate different names of but one mountain, as explained above]. There are many cases like this. So also, and the Hermons from the hill Mizar [would indicate that there were other mountains by the name of Hermon, for otherwise we have no explanation why they called “the Hermons,” in the plural].

צידונים יקראו לחרמון שריון והאמרי יקראו לו שניר, “The people of Tzidon would call Mount Hermon Siryon, whereas the Emorite would refer to it as Senir.” We find here three separate names seeing that in Deut. 4,48 Mount Hermon is also called Siyon. Why did the Torah have to record all these names of Mount Hermon? It was to give us an idea of the prominence and esteem in which the land of Israel was held. Everyone of these respective nations (their kings) would refer to his own land by a name reflecting a location in the land of Israel. [By calling his capital Mount Hermon in their language, they would pay tribute to that Mountain in Israel and to their own standing in Israel. Of course, in their arrogance, they would make believe that the Israelites had named their mountain to correspond to the capitals of their own respective countries. Ed.] (Sifri Eykev 37).

צדונים יקראו לחרמון שריון, “The people of Tzidon referred to Mount Hermon as “Siryon. Nachmanides explains that the principal intent of this verse is to inform us that the Tzidonim, the descendants of Tzidon the firstborn son of Canaan, called Mount Hermon while they were still in possession of it, “Siryon.” The Emorite, i.e. the fourth son of Canaan who occupied that region at the time when the Israelites were in the desert, having wrested it from their cousins the Tzidonites recently, called that Mountain Snir, another word for שלג, snow. They, called it thus to indicate that this mountain is almost all the time capped by snow. Seeing that it is so cold up there, it is without vegetation, חרב hence the letters חר in the name חרמון. Perhaps in the dialect spoken by the Tzidonim, the word שריון also reflects the fact that it is freezing cold up on that mountain.

All the cities of the plain and all of Gilead and all of Bashan, as far as Salcah and Edrei — cities of the kingdom of Og in Bashan.

ערי ממלכת עוג בבשן....כי רק עוג מלך הבשן נשאר, the reason why he ruled in that district was because he was the only one remaining from the Refaim of old. Ever since the war between Amrafel and his allies who defeated the Refaim on their way to Sodom at Ashterot Karnayim (Genesis 14,5), there were numerous individual Refaim remaining. These defeated the Ammonites as mentioned in 2,21. During that war against the Ammonites only Og survived. Seeing that he was a famous hero, equaling the combined power of all the other Refaim, he was the one who ruled.

For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the giants. Behold, his bed — a bed of iron — is it not in Rabbah of the Ammonites? Nine cubits is its length and four cubits its breadth, by the cubit of a king.

מיתר הרפאים [ONLY OG … REMAINED] OF THE REST OF THE REPHAIM whom Amraphel and his allies slew in Ashteroth-Karnaim (Genesis 14:5), and he (Og) escaped from the battle, as it is said, (Genesis 14:13) "And the fugitive came", and that was Og (Genesis Rabbah 42:8; cf. Rashi on Genesis 14.13.1). באמת איש AFTER THE CUBIT OF A MAN — i.e. after the cubit of Og.

FOR ONLY OG KING OF BASHAN REMAINED OF THE REMNANT OF THE REPHAIM; BEHOLD, HIS BEDSTEAD WAS A BEDSTEAD OF IRON etc. The purport of the verse is to tell that this Og was called the king of the Amorites because he ruled over them, but he himself was of the Rephaim. And in order to tell of his height and strength, since the Rephaim were a people great, and many, and tall as the Anakim, it states that his bedstead was a bedstead of iron, no bedstead of wood being able to support him as it does other people. It is in the city of Rabbah which was his dwelling place, and when the children of Ammon destroyed the Rephaim as is mentioned above, and his city [Og’s capital, Ashtaroth] was captured, he alone was saved from the hands of the Ammonites. It is this which is stated, For only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim. His bed was left there in Rabbah which now belongs to the children of Ammon, and the Ammonites preserved it as testimony that they destroyed a great and tall people; and the mighty man whose height was like the height of the cedars, and he was strong as the oaks — from him they captured his kingdom. This is the sense of the word behold [behold, his bedstead …], meaning: “behold, the proof of [Og’s strength] still exists; it is the iron bedstead, very long and wide, and is to be found in Rabbah of the children of Ammon,” since his bedstead, which was in Ashtaroth, was plundered and lost. NINE CUBITS WAS THE LENGTH THEREOF [of Og’s bedstead], AND FOUR CUBITS THE BREADTH OF IT, AFTER THE CUBIT OF A MAN. The meaning of after the cubit of a ‘man’ is that of the biggest man [i.e., Og], just as the expression, be thou strong and show yourself a man [which means “a strong man”]. And in the opinion of Onkelos, after the cubit of ‘a’ man means “after the cubit of ‘the’ man,” and the translation thereof [in Aramaic] is “the king” [indicating that no ordinary man is meant here — “the” man means the king]. Similarly, eth hakeves echad [which literally means: “the one lamb” — should be eth hakeves ha’echad: “the one ‘specific’ lamb”]; balailah hu [should be: balailah hahu — “in ‘that’ night”]. There are many similar cases. That is to say, [after the cubit of a man means] after the cubit of [“the” man] — Og himself.

"By the cubit of a man" — that is, by the cubit of any person. The expression is thus doubled [with two words for man]. It cannot mean "by his own cubit," for what would the verse then be teaching us? Moreover, [if it were his own cubit,] the bed would not conform to a human form at all.

באמת איש; according what the Refaim had adopted as their standard cubit, i.e. a much longer one than that of average sized citizens. Such subjective, as opposed to standard. measurements, are mentioned in Isaiah 56,11 where the prophet speaks of איש לבצעו מקצהו, “every one has done his own thing.” The word איש also occurs describing such individual feats in Kings I 20,20 ויכו איש אישו, “each man struck the opponent facing him.” There are other verses in which the word איש does not mean “man,” but is a simile for the individual nature of something, No doubt there were many “cubits” other than the one described here as 9 times the length of the cubit of an average sized individual. The reason the Torah relates this historically hardly important information is to impress the reader with the extraordinary size of these Refaim. The strength of such giants can be imagined once we are aware of their size. The fact that the Ammonites had been able to defeat a nation whose warriors were of such proportions gives us a clear indication that it must have been G’d’s will that they were able to do so. (compare our commentary on 2,21).

הנה ערשו ערש ברזל, “behold, his bedstead was a bedstead made of iron.” This need not be understood literally; it means that the materials used in constructing the city walls were as sturdy as if they had been made out of strong metal. (B’chor shor) The word ערש occurs in Amos 3,12 as meaning: the leg of a bed. תשע אמות ארכה “it was nine cubits long.” (about 5,4 meters.) This is the average height of the walls of walled cities in those days, while depth of the wall was four cubits (about 2.4 meters). באמת איש, measurements applied to fully mature men.

כי רק עוג מלך הבשן נשאר מיתר הרפאים, “for only Og, King of Bashan, was left of the remnants of the giants” whom Amrafel and his colleagues had killed, as we read in Genesis 14,5: “they killed the Rephaim in Ashtarot Karnayim.” Og had escaped from the battle; this is why the Torah reports “the escapee” as reporting to Avram that Lot had been taken captive (Genesis 14,13). Our sages in Tanchuma Chukat 25 identify this “fugitive” as having been Og. באמת איש, “by the standard measure “cubit” applied to everybody else.” Onkelos translates this as אמת מלך, “by the measure known as “cubit” in the country under control of that king.” The measure was called after this king who had established it. The word מלך when used by Onkelos is a defective spelling for the word מלכא, King, in Aramaic. Onkelos alludes to the fact that Og was the only survivor of the descendants of Kayin whose giants had been introduced to us by the Torah in Genesis 6,2 as בני אלוהים. (Compare author’s comments at the end of Numbers, 21,34 and this Editor’s translation.)

כי רק עוג מלך הבשן נשאר מיתר הרפאים, “for only Og, the King of Bashan remained from the remnant of the Refa-im;” Nachmanides feels that the message of the verse is that in spite of the fact that at that time, Og was the King of Bashan, his origin had been among the Refa-im. In order to suitably impress the reader with the physical dimensions of these Refa-im, of whom Og was typical, the Torah describes the size and raw material that his bed was made of. Any wooden bedstead would have collapsed under his tremendous weight. He lived in a city called Rabbah, which became his capital after the Ammonites had destroyed the Refa-im including his capital city, he was the only one who had escaped at that time. The purpose of telling us all this is that the Ammonites must have been a very powerful people if they had succeeded in defeating a race of giants of the dimensions of Og. The Israelites are reminded of the historical testimony of the achievements of the Ammonites down to their own period.

'כי רק עוג מלך הבשן וגו, because he had survived from the time when giants walked the earth, G’d told Moses not to be afraid of him. (verse 2) הנה ערשו, his crib when he was still growing up; ערש ברזל, he was already so strong when he was still quite young that when he stretched out his bed frame would collapse. As a result, they made an iron bedstead for him. An adult would not have needed this as he would have known how to move around in it without breaking it. הלה היא ברבת עמון, it has still been preserved on the site where he had grown up in order for anyone seeing it to be amazed by it. One does not make a spectacle of the bedstead of an adult in one location as adults move around and sleep in many different beds at different times. באמת איש, of a fully grown man. [the אמה is the length from one’s elbow to the fingertips. Naturally, this differed in length at different times in one’s adolescence. Ed.]

And this land we took possession of at that time: from Aroer which is on the Wadi of Arnon, and half of Mount Gilead and its cities, I gave to the tribe of Reuben and to the tribe of Gad.

ואת הארץ הזאת AND THIS LAND mentioned above (v. 8), "from the brook of Arnon to Mount Hermon", ירשנו בעת ההוא WE POSSESSED AT THAT TIME. מערער אשר על נחל ארנן FROM AROER, WHICH IS BY THE BROOK ARNON — this must not be connected with the first part of this verse (defining הארץ הזאת) but with its conclusion — with נתתי לראבני ולגדי I GAVE TO THE REUBENITES AND TO THE GADITES; however, as respects possession (taking by conquest) that was "[from the brook of Arnon] to Mount Hermon" (v. 8).

AND THIS LAND — “this land mentioned above, from the brook of Arnon unto Mount Hermon — WE TOOK IN POSSESSION AT THAT TIME. FROM AROER, WHICH IS BY THE BROOK ARNON — this is not connected with the beginning of the verse [defining this land] but with the end thereof: I gave unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites. But as regards the possession, it was unto Mount Hermon.” This is Rashi’s language. The correct interpretation appears to me to be that the verse is stating: “and this land ‘which’ we took in possession at that time [I allocated in the following way]: from Aroer [etc.] I gave unto the Reubenites.” So also is the verse, and thou shalt let them know the way they shall walk therein [means “the way ‘which’ they shall walk therein”]. There are many similar cases.

ואת הארץ הזאת ירשנו, “and this land we have inherited;” this phrase is abbreviated; the line should have begun with the words: ‘”and this land which we have inherited at that time ...as well as its towns, I have given to the tribe of Reuven.” All of this has been explained in Numbers 32,33.

ואת הארץ הזאת ירשנו בעת ההיא, “and we inherited this land at that time.” Rashi says that the words ואת הארץ הזאת refer to the land mentioned just previously. The words מערורר אשר על נחל ארנון, are not connected to what has been described previously, but introduce a new section, seeing that the people of Israel inherited more territory, lands inherited by the tribes of Reuven and Gad mentioned at the end of the verse. This is clear from the fact that Mount Hermon is situated far to the north of the river Arnon. Nachmanides writes that in his view the words הארץ הזאת אשר ירשנו בעת ההיא וגגו' were all regions given to the tribe of Reuven.

And the rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half-tribe of Manasseh — all the region of Trachonitis, all that Bashan, which is called the land of the giants.

ההוא יקרא ארץ רפאים IT IS THAT WHICH IS CALLED THE LAND OF REPHAIM — it is that which I gave to Abraham (cf. Rashi on 2:20).

ALL THE REGION OF THE ARGOB — ALL ‘HAHU’ (THAT) BASHAN IS CALLED THE LAND OF REPHAIM. The meaning thereof is: “and all the region of the Argob — all ‘the’ Bashan ‘asher’ (which) is called the land of Rephaim” [I also gave to the half-tribe of Menasheh]. This usage [a letter hei meaning asher (which) or (who)] is also found in the following verses: And all ‘hahikdish’ Samuel the Seer, and Saul the son of Kish, [meaning: asher hikdish — “‘which’ he dedicated”]; ‘hahoshivu’ foreign women [meaning: asher hoshivu — “‘who’ had married”]. In all these cases the letter hei is in the place of asher (which or who). There are many similar examples. Now [Argob] was considered part of the land of Rephaim because of Og who ruled over it, or because it originally belonged to the Rephaim and was left to Og because he and the people that dwelled in it were of the remnant of the Rephaim. Va’ethchanan

ההוא יקרא ארץ רפאים, "this is what is known as the land of the Rephaim." I have explained earlier that the meaning of the word is that this land though referred to as "land of the Rephaim" was not the land of the Rephaim in the true sense of the word, i.e. the land promised by G'd to Abraham as the land of the Rephaim. If you were not to understand the verse in this manner and the lands of Sichon and Og would have to be considered as the true lands of the Rephaim, then the Baraitha in the Sifri where we were told that the words "which the Lord your G'd is about to give to you" mean that the lands on the East Bank of the Jordan which you have taken for yourself" are excluded, would be incompatible with what is written here. When you add to this the fact that we have been told in Bereshit Rabbah 44, that the Rephaim were identical with the tribe known as Chivi, and we find that the Chivi is one of the seven tribes the Israelites were to dispossess on the West Bank (compare Exodus 3,17) surely it is impossible to consider the lands occupied by Og as the lands known as "the lands of the Rephaim." You may reply that we also find that the Emorite was mentioned among the seven tribes which G'd would dispossess when the Israelites left Egypt, and this included Sichon as we know from Numbers 21,21 where Sichon was described as the "king of the Emorites." Moreover, the Torah continued in verse 25 of that chapter to describe the Israelites as settling in the towns formerly belonging to the "Emorites." In view of this the question against the Sifri appears to have been resurrected! This is no problem at all. The cities of the Emorite listed in Numbers as having belonged to Sichon are not what G'd had promised to Abraham. In fact the Torah had been at pains in Numbers 21,26 to describe even Cheshbon, the capital of Sichon, as a city which had a chequered past; it had once belonged to the Moabites, and had subsequently been conquered by Sichon from the first king of the Moabites. In other words, the Torah offers clear proof that the land over which Sichon ruled at the time was actually Moabite land. The only reason it was called "Emorite" was because king Sichon who belonged to the tribe of the Emorites had acquired it by force. It had never been part of the original lands of the tribe of the Emorites. As a result, it could not have been included in the lands of the Emorite promised by G'd to Abraham. Furthermore, all the lands mentioned in the Torah as belonging to the Rephaim are included in what G'd had promised to Abraham when He said "ואת הרפאים" in Genesis 15,20. The lands of Sichon and Og were also included in that promise for the Torah refers to them as "the land of the Emorite and the land of Og." It is also called the land of the Rephaim as the Rephaim were identical with the Chivi. When the Baraitha quoted in the Sifri (reference Deut. 7,13) stated that the lands of the East Bank were not included in what G'd had promised to Abraham, this stateme...

ההוא יקרא ארץ רפאים, “the land called ‘the land of the Rephaim,’” i.e. the land G’d allocated to Avraham.

כל חבל הארגוב לכל הבשן ההוא יקרא ארץ רפאים, “the entire region of the Argov comprising all of Bashan, that is what used be called the land of the Refa-im.” Nachmanides trying to justify the letter ה [normally representing a definitive article, implying that the noun following is familiar to the reader, Ed.] in the word הארגוב, writes that Bashan and Argav are lumped together as a contiguous region, seeing that both regions formed part of the land of the Refa-im, the reader is familiar with what Moses is describing here. The region still bore that name at that time due to the fact that it was ruled over by the last of the famous Refa-im, the giant Og. It is also possible that Moses wanted to let us know that the region retained its original name although ownership had changed repeatedly.

ההוא יקרא ארץ רפאים. A tribe mentioned to Avraham at the time of the covenant between the pieces. (Genesis chapter 15). I have already commented on the significance of this verse on 2,20

Jair son of Manasseh took all the region of Trachonitis as far as the border of the Geshurites and the Avkorsites, and called them — that is, Bashan — by his own name: the villages of Jair, to this day.

"Jair son of Manasseh" — I have explained that he was actually from the children of Judah. "The Geshurites and the Maacathites" — two [distinct] nations.

And to Machir I gave Gilead.

"And to Machir" — this is self-explanatory.

And to the tribe of Reuben and to the tribe of Gad I gave from Gilead as far as the Wadi of Arnon, the middle of the wadi and its border, and as far as the Jabbok, the wadi that is the border of the Ammonites.

תוך הנחל וגבול THE MIDST OF THE BROOK AND THE TERRITORY, i.e., all the brook and in addition, land on its opposite bank. The words therefore are as much as to say, עד "unto” the Brook of Arnon, ועד "and” that which is mentioned as being "unto” (i.e. the Brook itself) is included (by the words תוך הנחל), and even more than this (namely, the גבול, land on the other side of the brook).

"The middle of the wadi and the border" — that is, his border. Similarly [the phrase] "and the Jordan and the border" [follows the same construction].

And the Arabah and the Jordan and its border, from Ginnosaur as far as the Sea of the Arabah — the Salt Sea — beneath the outlet of the heights, to the east.

מכנרת FROM CHINNERETH — This is on the western side of Jordan. The inheritance of the children of Gad was in the east side of the Jordan, and there fell as their lot the width of the Jordan, adjoining their territory, and in addition, land on its opposite bank up to Chinnereth. This is the meaning of what is said here, "And the Jordan and the territory thereof”, i.e. the Jordan and some land on its opposite bank.

And I commanded you at that time, saying: Hashem your God has given you this land to possess it; you shall cross over, armed, before your brothers the children of Israel — all who are girded for war.

ואצו אתכם AND I COMMANDED YOU — He now addresses himself to the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad. לפני אחיכם [YE SHALL PASS OVER EQUIPPED] BEFORE YOUR BRETHREN — they used to go in front of the other Israelites into battle because they were mighty men, and the enemy fell before them, as it is said of Gad, (Deuteronomy 33:20) "He tears the arm together with the crown” (cf. Rashi on Numbers 32:17).

"And I commanded you" — Moses is speaking to the children of Reuben and Gad. Because they were included within all Israel, he said "you" rather than "them." The inverse case is: "And Moses commanded the Levites: Take this Book of the Torah" (Deut. 31:25–26) — for [the passage] "I know your rebelliousness" (Deut. 31:27) is not addressed to the Levites alone but to all Israel; yet because the Levites were included among them, he spoke to them [as representatives of the whole].

ואצו אתכם, “I commanded you;” Moses addresses the tribes of Reuven and Gad. The reason he used the pronoun אתכם, “you,” instead of as we might have expected אותם, “them,” is because these two tribes remained part of the Jewish nation made up of twelve tribes owning ancestral land. (Ibn Ezra)

ואצו אתכם בעת ההיא, ”I commanded you at that time, etc.” Moses was now speaking to the tribes of Gad and Reuven. Seeing that they were part of the people of Israel, Moses used the pronoun אתכם, “you,” as if his commandment applied to all the tribes. Actually, it would have been less misleading if he had used the pronoun אותם, “them.” (compare Ibn Ezra). We find something similar at the end of the Torah where Moses “officially” addresses the Levites (Deut. 31,25-27) commencing with “Moses comman-ded the Levites ... to take the Torah scroll and to place it at the side of the Ark; “I have known your rebelliousness and stiff neck, etc.” Although Moses is reported as speaking to the Levites, he addresses the whole people. [The Levites most certainly did not have an exclusive on being rebellious, rather the reverse. Ed,]

Only your wives and your little ones and your livestock — I know that you have much livestock — shall remain in your cities that I have given you.

Until Hashem grants rest to your brothers as to you, and they too take possession of the land that Hashem your God gives them on the far side of the Jordan; then each of you shall return to his inheritance that I have given you.

And Joshua I commanded at that time, saying: Your eyes have seen all that Hashem your God has done to these two kings; so will Hashem do to all the kingdoms to which you are crossing over.

ואת יהושוע צויתי, "And I commanded Joshua, etc." Moses meant that he commanded Joshua not to be afraid of these nations, as we find at the end of verse 22: לא תיראום "you must not be afraid of them." Moses did not repeat the words "your eyes are seeing" at the end of verse 22, as this is not something which forms the subject of a command. The reason Moses preferred to record these instructions here instead of after the conquest of the lands of Sichon and Og and the settlement of the tribes of Reuven and Gad in those lands, is because the conditions which were attached to the settlement of these lands by these tribes, etc. This could have created the impression that Joshua required the assistance of the heroic men of those tribes before he would undertake the mission of conquering the land of Canaan. Seeing that it was G'd who would conduct the actual battles, Moses did not want a false impression to be created. He introduced the paragraph with the words ואת יהושוע, "and Joshua," to hint that Joshua's part was incidental, as suggested by the conjunctive letter ו. This is also why Moses concluded this paragraph with the words "for your G'd will fight on your behalf." Moses underlined the word הוא, "He Himself," to make it even less plausible for someone who had heard that the men of the tribes of Gad and Reuven had to cross the Jordan in full armour to conclude that this was an indication that the wars of conquest would be dangerous. I have already explained the purpose of that command in my commentary on Parshat Mattot. You may also wish to read my comments on the words את כל. בעת ההיא לאמור, "at that time saying, etc." The time referred to is the time when Moses imposed his conditions on the tribes of Reuven and Gad. The word לאמור in this context may mean that Moses did not tell Joshua all this verbatim, but he told him words to this effect. I have shown that there are other instances when the word לאמור is employed in a similar fashion. It is also possible that the meaning is for Joshua to relay such a command to the Israelites at the time they would ready themselves to battle the seven Canaanite tribes, in order to remove fear from their hearts. את כל אשר עשה, "all that He has done, etc." This statement incorporates the reason Moses insisted that the tribes of Reuven and Gad cross the river Jordan armed, ready to join the other tribes in the conquest of the West Bank. Moses says that G'd will do to the tribes on the West Bank what He had done to the Emorite Kings Sichon and Og. Just as G'd's help against those kings had been predicated on all of the tribes having readied themselves to do battle, so in order for G'd to do battle on behalf of the Israelites against the 31 kings on the West Bank, all the tribes had to be present in battle formation. In both instances it was G'd who did the actual fighting. In view of the above Moses was not able to say to Joshua "your own eyes have observed what G'd did to these two kings, etc." until after th...

ואת יהושע צותי, “and I have commanded Joshua;” this is what has been written in Numbers 27,23: ויסמוך ידיו עליו ויצוהו, “he (Moses) placed his hands firmly upon him, and he commanded him.”

עיניך הרואות את כל אשר עשה ה' אלו-היכם לשני המלכים האלה, כן יעשה ה' לכל הממלכות, “your eyes who have witnessed all that the Lord your G’d has done to these two kings, thus will the Lord do to all the kingdoms.” Moses reinforced the people’s confidence regarding the battles ahead by recalling to them what they had themselves experienced in the war against Sichon and Og. This would give them the necessary faith in G’d that they would easily overcome the 31 kings who would be defeated before the Israelites under the leadership of Joshua. Also Joshua’s heart was strengthened by these reminders of Moses that it would be he who would enter the land that Moses himself had not been allowed to enter. A Midrashic approach (Midrash Tehillim 136) Sichon and Og were more difficult to overcome than Pharaoh and his armies at the time. Seeing that the people had celebrated their victory over Pharaoh by reciting a song of thanksgiving to the Lord, they should most certainly have done so also after their victories over Sichon and Og. Since they failed to do so, David made up for this omission in psalm 136, 17-20: “Who struck down great kings, His steadfast love is eternal; Sichon, king of the Emorites, Og king of Bashan, and gave their land as an heritage to His servant Israel for His love is eternal.”

Do not fear them, for it is Hashem your God — His Memra wages war for you.

לא תיראום, "do not fear them!" Moses used the plural ending here even though he spoke only to Joshua as he meant to include the whole people in his instruction not to be afraid of the kings of the Canaanites seeing that G'd was going to do the fighting. As far as my comments on the word לאמור are concerned, Moses said that word in order for Joshua to tell the Israelites to have faith in the Lord.

And I prayed before Hashem at that time, saying:

ואתחנן — All forms of the verb חנן signify an ex gratia gift. Although the righteous might make a claim to reward depend Upon their good deeds, yet they solicit from the Omnipresent only an ex gratia gift. [Because He had said to him, (Exodus 33:19) “I will show grace (וחנתי) unto him to whom I will show grace”, he (Moses) when referring to his entreaty of God uses the expression (lit., spoke to Him) "I implored grace (ואתחנן)” (Midrash Tanchuma 5:2:3] — Another explanation is that the idea of an ex gratia gift is not to be stressed; but this is merely one of the ten terms by which prayer is described, as are enumerated in Sifrei Devarim 26:7. בעת ההוא [I IMPLORED GRACE OF GOD] AT THAT TIME — After I had subdued the land of Sihon and Og I thought that perhaps the vow that I should not enter the land was annulled, since this was part of the land of Canaan (cf. Sifrei Devarim 26:8 and Rashi on Numbers 27:12). לאמר TO SAY (i.e. that God should say) — This is one of the three occasions where Moses spoke before the Omnipresent: I will not let You go until You tell me whether You will fulfill my request or not (Sifrei Devarim 26:9; cf. Rashi on Numbers 12:13).

AND I BESOUGHT THE ETERNAL AT THAT TIME, SAYING. [The time referred to, is] when Moses mentioned the conquest of the lands of Sihon and Og. He said, And I commanded Joshua at that time, intimating, that “I [Moses] will not go over there, for I besought the Glorious Name [to rescind the decree forbidding me to enter the Land], but He hearkened not to me and He commanded me to charge Joshua, for he shall go over before this people.”The purport of the expression at that time is that it alludes to the time of the decree that he mentioned, Also the Eternal was angry with me [for your sakes, saying: ‘Thou shalt not go in thither’], though [Moses’] supplication is not mentioned there on the day of that event. The correct interpretation, however, is that the expression at that time refers to the time mentioned: “when I conquered Sihon and Og and I began to war against the nations given to Israel and I allocated the land to the two tribes [Reuben and Gad].” In that case, this supplication [referred to here] was offered when it was said to Moses, Get thee up into this mountain of A barim, for it was then that he sought mercy in the matter and entreated this supplication. And when G-d did not hearken to his voice, he again prayed, Let the Eternal, the G-d of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, as is mentioned there. It is this verse, And charge Joshua [that constitutes the answer to Moses’ second request]. Now, there [in the Book of Numbers] Scripture mentioned the prayer on which he was affirmatively answered [namely, the appointment of a successor] and here he mentioned this [unsuccessful prayer] in order to inform the people that, although the Land was beloved to him, he did not merit [to enter] it because of them. All this was part of his reproof.

"And I pleaded" — the meaning is: I had already pleaded. For when Moses mentioned Joshua and said that he had commanded him, the reason was that Moses himself was not crossing with them — because he had pleaded with Hashem to cross with them. The reason [Moses had grounds to plead] is that there is no limit to Hashem's greatness, as it says, "New every morning — great is Your faithfulness" (Lam. 3:23).

ואתחנן אל ה׳ בעת ההיא לאמור, "I pleaded with G'd at that time, saying, etc." Why did Moses have to say "at that time?" Sifri writes that when Moses saw how Sichon and Og had fallen, he believed that the fact that he had lived to see this was proof that G'd had relented in His decree against him and that this was an opportune time to plead to be allowed to enter the West Bank. If we accept this interpretation the words בעת ההיא refer to the time of the wars with Sichon and Og. Moses excused himself saying that had it not been for what he had been allowed to witness at that time he would not have pleaded for G'd to rescind His decision seeing he was aware that the decree was final. According to the sages in the Sifri even the word לאמור is part of Moses' plea. Moses challenged G'd to tell him if He was prepared to let him enter the Holy Land. I believe that all these comments are merely homiletics. The words בעת ההיא refer to the time when G'd had sworn that except for Joshua and Calev no one who had been over 20 at the time of the Exodus would see the land of Israel. Moses had referred to that date in 1,37 when he had mentioned that G'd had been angry at him also, saying that he too would not get to the Holy Land. At that time Moses had pleaded to cancel His decree and to release Himself from the oath as alluded to by the words: "You have begun to show your servant Your greatness, etc." Our sages interpreted these words as a reference to an invalidation of an oath, as I shall discuss shortly. The reason Moses inserted this paragraph at this point was so that the people should not suspect him of having pleaded only on his own behalf and that he was not concerned with G'd cancelling the decree He had sworn concerning the entire generation. By saying בעת ההיא, Moses indicated that he prayed before the decree had begun to be executed. Even though we do not find in Moses' opening words that he prayed also on behalf of his people, his intention had been to pray on behalf of the people as soon as G'd had hearkened to his own prayer concerning himself. This would be relatively simple as we have a principle that once part of a vow has been cancelled, the entire vow is no longer valid (Nedarim 66). The word לאמור in our verse indicates that Moses was concerned not only with himself but also with additional words he was going to say. He thought he acted wisely as he assumed that it would be easier to obtain a cancellation of the part of the decree which referred to him personally not entering the Holy Land. After all, he, personally, had not committed a sin involving lack of faith as had his peers. All of Moses' words demonstrate that he considered G'd as having acted righteously. Moses' entreaty also demonstrated four conditions which are necessary in order for one's prayer to be accepted. 1) One needs to pray in a manner similar to a poor man who knocks on a door in order to obtain some alms or some food as a hand-out, as we have been taught in Proverbs...

ואתחנן, “I pleaded;” the root חנן when used in the reflexive conjugation occurs in this sense also in Genesis 42,21 when Joseph is described as pleading with his brothers. According to Rashi, who considers the root of the word to be חנם, the final letter ן at the end, should really have been a final ם.

מלוה ה' חונן דל וגמולו ישלם לו, “G’d is a lender to him who is gracious to the poor; He will recompense him.” (Proverbs 19,17) In this verse Solomon explained to us the usefulness (on a functional level) of practicing charity and the great reward in store for performance of this commandment both in this life and in the world to come. It is a well known fact that the eyes of the wealthy person are turned inwards towards his wealth or to the many people whom he believes to be his friends. Solomon himself said in Proverbs 14,20 that the rich have many friends. The poor on the other hand, has no one to focus his eyes on except Hashem. He cannot rely on his personal wealth, seeing he does not have any. He cannot turn to his friends either, seeing that the poor do not have many friends. Even if he had friends from before he became poor, they will likely abandon him as they do not want to be associated with “a loser,” a person whom they now perceive as a failure. Solomon already taught us this piece of human psychology in Proverbs 19,7: where he said: “all the brothers of a poor man hate him; how much more is he shunned by his one time friends. He pursues them with words but they are not to be found.” In verse 4 of that same chapter Solomon had already said that a poor man finds himself separated from his friend. Solomon means that even if he had one solitary friend left, this one too soon turns his back on him. Seeing the poor is shunned by his peers, G’d loves him instead. This point is made succinctly in Isaiah 14,32: “in it (Zion) the needy of His people shall find shelter.” Seeing that the Jewish people (Zion) act as lenders to Hashem in supporting the poor when they perform charity, Hashem in turn is indebted to them and has to repay them both in this life and in the hereafter. It is not the custom for the Book of Proverbs to mention commandments explicitly written in the Torah unless a new dimension of that commandment is added to our understanding of it thereby. When Solomon speaks about חונן דל instead of מרחם, in Proverbs 19,17 “granting grace to the poor, instead of extending mercy to the poor,” the reason is that the word חונן suggests חינם, extending help for free, without demanding any sort of recompense from the recipient. Even when the recipient did not have a claim on such largesse, G’d extends it “without strings attached.” He had explained this as being one of His attributes when He told Moses at Mount Sinai וחנותי את אשר ארחם, “I reserve the right to extend My grace to whomsoever I will extend My mercy” (Exodus 33,19). We are commanded to emulate this attribute of Hashem when the Torah writes in Deut. 28,9: והלכת בדרכיו, “you shall walk in His ways,” i.e. just as G’d extends His mercy not asking for anything in return, we too must relate to the poor without asking anything in return. When someone practices this commandment and he makes certain requests from Hashem in the course of his prayer, his prayer will be favorably received. We have proof of this In Psalms 30,9 where David says: “I called to You my Lord, to my Lord I made appeal.” The repetition is an explanation of why David thinks he has a right to make such an appeal. Moses did something similar in the first verse of our portion when he describes himself as having pleaded with G’d, i.e. ואתחנן. He was busy for 40 days and 40 nights praying and none of his prayers was responded to positively until he used the תחנה prayer. ואתחנן אל ה' בעת ההיא לאמור, “I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying:” the words בעת ההיא, “at that time,” refer to the aftermath of the defeat of Sichon and Og, whose lands were given to the Israelites. At that time Moses had dared hope that maybe the decree that he would not be allowed to enter the Holy Land had been canceled. This verse is a continuation of verse 21 when the Torah mentioned ”these two kings.” לאמור, “to say.” This expression is strange as who was G’d to say this to? The fact is that the word לאמור here refers to the movement of the lips of Moses during prayer. We have encountered a similar construction in Numbers 12 13: ויצעק משה אל ה' לאמור, “Moses cried out to Hashem saying.” On that occasion I already commented on the meaning of the word לאמור at that juncture. A Midrashic approach to the words ואתחנן אל ה' בעת ההיא לאמור; Moses said to G’d: “You have called me ‘servant,’ seeing You have said to Miriam and Aaron: “not so My servant Moses” (Numbers 12,7). I am Your servant and Leviathan is Your servant. I am pleading with You and Leviathan is pleading with You. We know that Leviathan is pleading with You from Job 40,27: “Will he plead with you at length? Will he speak soft words to you?” You have accepted the pleadings of Leviathan [why else would Job be unable to catch the Leviathan unless G’d had responded to its pleas? Ed.] Moses continues: “Leviathan apparently has made a covenant with You to remain Your lifelong slave.” Moses argued that seeing G’d had also said to him that He had made a covenant with him (Exodus 34,10) why should G’d listen any less to his entreaty than to that of the Leviathan?” Moses added that apparently G’d did not mean to keep this covenant with him else why did He tell him that he would die on the mountain he would ascend (Deut. 32,3)? There is another verse in Exodus 21,6 that if the slave does not want to leave the master and go free that he will have his ear pierced and serve the master forever? Moses claimed this right for himself in his prayer. He complained that G’d did not apply that rule to him. G’d answered him: רב לך, meaning: “as far as you are concerned Your adversary, i.e. Adam, the first human being, already caused the decree that you or any human being cannot live forever seeing he had eaten from the tree and he and his descendants have been condemned to become mortal. The very Job whom you have cited as discussing the fate of Leviathan already said (Job 31,35) concerning Adam: ‘O that I had someone to give me a hearing; O that Shaddai would reply to my writ; or my accuser draw up a true bill!’” Which was the book he talked about? The ספר תולדות אדם, the Book of the descendants of man (Genesis 5,1). Thus far the Midrash.

“And I pleaded with the Lord at that time, saying.” Rashi explains that although the righteous have reason to rely on their good deeds, nevertheless they only request a free gift [from God] (Sifrei Vaetchanan 23). This explanation is difficult: Why would we think they would rely on their good deeds that they have already performed? Surely a person never has any claim against the Holy One, blessed be He, for all the commandments that a person performs are insufficient to repay even a fraction of what God has done for them, as it is written, as He repays according to their deeds, so He will repay (Isaiah 59:18). All His acts of kindness towards a person began from the day they were born, as elaborated in Duties of the Heart (Gate of Trust, chapter 4). And our Sages (Berakhot 10b) criticized Hezekiah for relying on his deeds when he said, Remember now how I have walked before You in truth (Second Kings 20:3). They attributed his salvation to the merit of others, as it says, And I will defend this city for My own sake and for the sake of My servant David (Second Kings 20:6). For from heaven they showed him that he had no merit of his own because he had already consumed it, and in him was fulfilled the statement, I am unworthy of all the kindnesses (Genesis 32:11). For Jacob acknowledged and said that he was small and poor in commandments compared to all the kindnesses he had already received. So how could they say that “although the righteous have reason to rely on their good deeds”? And the proof brought from the verse I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious is not relevant here, because this verse only teaches us that even someone who has no merit, the Holy One, blessed be He, treats with grace. But Moses, who was punished for his sin by not being allowed to enter the land, how does this verse apply to him? For he is certainly in a worse position than someone who has neither merit nor guilt. And the answer to all this is that what they said that the righteous have [reason] to attribute [their requests] to their good deeds, does not mean to the good deeds that they have already done, but rather to the good deeds they will do in the future. Because presumably, every righteous person does not ask for any physical pleasure except as a means to fulfill some commandment. This is what Rabbi Simlai expounded (Sotah 14): “Did Moses need to eat from its fruit? Rather, he said, ‘Many commandments are dependent on the Land [of Israel].’” Therefore, he should have attributed his request to those good deeds that he would perform through this request. And this is genuinely true that justice dictates that God should fulfill the desires of his heart since he desires only what God wants from him. And even though he was punished for his sin, nevertheless, we do not punish the sinner by saying, “Go perform a service that is foreign to you,” adding transgression to his sin. Therefore, out of his great humility, he did not want to attribute his request to those good deeds that he would do through entering the land, because perhaps he would enter and not perform the commandments, receiving only physical pleasure without receiving the good. Therefore, he asked in the language of grace — an unconditional free gift. That is why it says at that time, saying.“ Because he made his request based on his current state, where he still had no merit in hand, without looking toward the future where he might end up fulfilling commandments — for perhaps he would reach that state or perhaps not. Therefore, he said in the language of I pleaded [va’etchanan], because he needed to ask for a free gift for that time, as mentioned. At that time, to say. We have already written that the prayer and supplication was about that time, without him attaching his request to good deeds that would come later, and he said to say for [future] generations that every righteous person should ask for supplication as a free gift. And some say that Moses said, “I will not leave You until You tell me yes or no,” and about this it is said at that time, to say, meaning that He should give him an answer immediately at that time. And some say that this is in the way of O Lord, open my lips, etc. (Psalms 51:17), that he asked Him to give him the opportunity to say his words, as it is written, and You have not withheld the request of his lips, Selah (Psalms 21:3). And Rashi explained, “At that time.” After I conquered the land of Sichon and Og, I thought perhaps the vow had been annulled. It seems that Moses thought the reason for the vow was because you did not believe in Me. [You did not cause Israel to believe in Me through seeing this explicit miracle.] And in the war against Sichon, Moses made the sun stand still, and through this explicit miracle, without doubt, they became believers, and he fixed what he had damaged. And especially according to the view of the Ikkarim, who wrote regarding the sin of Mei Merivah that Moses should have spoken to the rock on his own before God commanded him to, since every prophet decrees and it is established for him, as Elijah and Elisha did, etc. And similarly, Joshua said, Sun, stand still at Gibeon (Joshua 10:12) — all this is the essence of the Rabbi’s words. And now Moses did as Joshua did and made the sun stand still, because since we learn through the gezera shava of “begin, begin” that Moses made the sun stand still like Joshua, the comparison is not partial — just as Joshua did so on his own initiative, Moses also did so on his own initiative. And through this, God’s name was sanctified, he corrected what he had damaged, and strengthened faith. Therefore, he thought the vow had been annulled. And it was not because he attributed it to the conquest of the land of Sichon and Og, because initially this was not included in the oath, as it is said Therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them (Numbers 20:12). This refers to the lands of the seven nations that He had already given to their forefathers, but the land of Sichon and Og was never included in this promise.

ואתחנן, “I pleaded;” Nachmanides writes that when Moses mentioned the conquest of the lands of Sichon and Og, (3,21) adding the words ואת יהושע צויתי וגו', “and I commanded Joshua” (in preparation for his becoming his successor) it was because he wanted to stress that he himself was not going to cross the Jordan. He now added the reason why he felt sure about this, namely that he had already pleaded with Hashem to allow him to at least cross that river, but his plea had not been accepted. It was therefore his duty to pray to Hashem to give Joshua the strength without which no one could successfully lead the Jewish people. בעת ההיא, “at that time;” at the time when the decree that he himself would not cross the Jordan had become final and irrevocable. He had not made mention of his plea on the day it had been rejected. Rashi explains the words בעת ההיא as the period during which the armies of Sichon and Og were crushed and their lands conquered. When G’d had not accepted his prayer, Moses tried once more, including the request to appoint a suitable successor for himself. This was the prayer that he alludes to here, i.e. a prayer that had been well received by Hashem. In other words, only the opening words of our paragraph ואתחנן אל ה' are a reference to his plea on his own behalf. The only reason he made a public reference to his personal plea at all was to let the people know that he valued the merit of being allowed to set foot in that land so highly that he even had asked to revoke the decree that denied him entry, even as a private. He hinted that his not being allowed to enter that land was (at least partially) the people’s fault.

ואתחנן אל ה, “I pleaded with the Lord. The holy tongue knows of seven different names, each referring to a different category of prayer. They are as follows: תפלה, תחינה, נפילה, פגיעה, רנה, צעקה, זעקה. Of all the types of prayer at the disposal of Moses, why did he choose only one category, i.e. תחינה? When Moses had asked G–d to reveal more of His attributes, especially His method of dealing with sinners, in Exodus 33,13, after answering Moses in part, He had concluded with: וחנותי את אשר אחון, (verse 19 there) He made it clear to Moses that whenever and howsoever He forgives a sinner or reduces the punishment for which that sinner is in line, it is a gift a תחינה. It is not something that the recipient had a claim to. Moses wanted G'd to know that though he pleads, he is aware that even if G–d responds favourably to his plea, he will never forget that this would be an outright gift rather than something he had been entitled to. Letting him cross the Jordan would be an outright gift. (Compare Tanchuma, section three on our parshah). Another reason for Moses’ choice of the word: ואתחנן, is that the numerical value of the letters in that word וחנותי we quoted from Exodus 33,19, is the same as that of ואתחנן.

Hashem, God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand; for You are the God whose Shechinah is in the heavens above, and who rules on the earth; and there is none who can do as Your deeds and as Your mighty acts.

אדני אלהים O LORD, GOD — O Thou Who art. merciful (ה׳) in judgment (אלהים) (cf. Sifrei Devarim 26:10). אתה החלות להראות את עבדך THOU DIDST BEGIN TO SHOW THY SERVANT an opening to stand and offer prayer, although the decree has been enacted; he said to Him: I learned to do so from Thee, for Thou didst say to me, (Exodus 32:10; cf. Rashi thereon) "And now, leave Me alone”. Was I, then, holding Thee? But Thou didst say this to open the door and to show that it depended upon me to pray for them. Just so do I think to act now (Sifrei Devarim 27:2). את גדלך [TO SHOW] THY GREATNESS — This means Thy attribute of goodness. Similarly it states, (Numbers 14:17, 18) "And now, I beseech Thee, let the strength of my Lord be great, [according as thou hast spoken, saying: The Lord is long-suffering and of much mercy, etc."]. ואת ידך AND THY [STRONG] HAND — This refers to Thy right hand which is extended to all who enter the world (all human beings) [to receive them in penitence] (Sifrei Bamidbar 134:5). החזקה [THY] STRONG [HAND] — I speak of it as Thy strong hand, because by showing mercy Thou forcibly (בחזקה) subduest the attribute of strict justice (Sifrei Bamidbar 134:5). אשר מי אל וגו׳ FOR WHAT GOD IS THERE [… WHO CAN DO ACCORDING TO THY WORKS] — Thou art unlike a mortal king who has counsellors and assessors who would prevent him when he wishes to show kindness and to forgo, what is due to him: Thou, however, — there is none who can prevent Thee if Thou pardonest me and dost annul Thy decree (Sifrei Devarim 27:6). But according to its plain sense it means: "Thou hast begun to show Thy servant the war with Sihon and Og, as it is written, (Deuteronomy 2:31) “Behold I have begun to give [Sihon and his land] before thee"; let me behold also the war with the thirty-one kings of Canaan.

G-D THE ETERNAL — “merciful in judgment.” This is Rashi’s language. Now, the Rabbi did not consider that the first Divine Name is spelled with the letters Aleph Dalet and the second Name is spelled with the letters Yod Hei [i.e., the Tetragrammaton]. In this regard [i.e., the Tetragrammaton], the Rabbis have said: “Wherever Scripture states ‘the Eternal’ [i.e., the Tetragrammaton] it signifies the attribute of mercy, and [wherever it mentions] ‘G-d’ (Elokim) it indicates the attribute of judgment.” Rather, the Divine Names written here mean: “Lord in the attribute of mercy.” And so the Rabbis have said in [Midrash] Yelamdeinu: “Moses said to G-d: ‘Master of the worlds! If it is justly requested by me [that You grant my supplication] give it to me, and if it is not justly requested by me, have mercy on me,’ just as Abraham said, O Lord Eternal, what wilt Thou give me etc.” Also in the case of Abraham, the Divine Names are written in this order: the first one with Aleph Dalet, and the second with Yod Hei. And the purport of the section [before us] will be understood [by the fact that the Divine Names are written in this particular order]. For Moses stated va’ethchanan (and I besought) and he did not say va’ethpaleil (and I prayed), since he spoke in “supplication” [to the Glorious Name], saying: “O Lord in Whom is the mercy, Thou hast begun to show Thy servant. Such was the beginning of my prophecy that You showed me Your glory — as it is written [at Moses’ first vision of G-d’s glory], And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon G-d — together with the greatness and the power, and I learned to know what deity is there in heaven or on earth from whom could come forth like Thy great works and Thy mighty prowess?” From here you will further understand the matter concerning which the Glorious Name was angry with Moses. However, the language of the Sifre is as follows: “Wherever Scripture mentions ‘the Eternal’ it signifies the attribute of mercy, as it is said, The Eternal, G-d, gracious and merciful, [and wherever it mentions] G-d (Elokim) it indicates the attribute of judgment, as it is said, before ‘ha’elohim’ (the judges) shall come the word of both. ” And the intent [of the Sifre] is to explain that the second [Divine] Name mentioned here indicates the attribute of mercy, this being the Proper Divine Name, while all other Names signify the attribute of judgment, like Elokim which is also a term for judges, and certainly the Name Aleph Dalet which is an expression of lordship. Thus Moses completed the words of reproof with this episode in which he informed the people that their fathers caused themselves evil, and also caused him [Moses] to suffer punishment preventing them from going over into the Land. They, the children, however, will go over and inherit it, if they will not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation. Therefore he now began to warn them about the principles of the commandments that they should not ad...

"You have begun" — one of the sages said: You have begun to show Your greatness in heaven and on earth through the acts by which the world is governed. "And Your strong hand" — through the signs that were performed through Moses, until it became known throughout the world that there is no God but Hashem alone. The meaning is: He is mighty in the heavens, where the angels and the heavenly hosts are, and on the earth, where the living creatures and human beings are. "Like Your works" — which are all [fashioned] with wisdom. "And like Your might" — in power. The intent of this passage is to foster love of the Land of Israel, for if the Land is beloved to them, they will observe Hashem's commandments so that they not be exiled from it.

ואת ידך החזקה, demonstrated by overriding well known laws of nature. No one but the Creator of the universe is able to do this. Moses credits G’d with having done all this only in order to be able to bring the Jewish people to the Holy Land. In view of the length to which G’d had gone to do this it behooves the people to do everything in order to justify their remaining in that land.

א־דני אלוקים אתה החילות להראות, "O Lord G'd, You have begun to show, etc." This (א־ד־נ־י) form of address may be understood as similar to Samuel I 3,18 where the High Priest Eli after being told by his pupil Samuel that G'd said that He would exact retribution from the house of Eli, reacted by saying: "My Master (א־ד־נ־י) will do whatever seems good in His eyes." Eli meant that when a master loses a servant such a loss is keenly felt by him; as a result, The Master would not agree to lose the servant unless He had good reason. When Moses used the word א־ד־נ־י in this instance he meant to say that his own success and wellbeing was a matter for his master (G'd) to evaluate. He also used the 4-lettered name of G'd with the vowels of the attribute of Justice, i.e. אלוקים. Rashi comments as follows: רחום בדין, (the word א־דני means) "the One who is merciful even while dispensing judgment." I have seen that Nachmanides criticises Rashi claiming that he overlooked the fact that the first word א־ד־נ־י is written with the letters א־ד, whereas the second name of G'd is spelled with the letter י־ה, and that our sages have said that whenever this combination of letters in the name of G'd occurs it refers to the attribute of Mercy. Thus far Nachmanides. [According to Rabbi Chavell, Nachmanides meant that only the combination of the letters י־ה describe the attribute of Mercy. Ed.] I believe that Rashi did not refer to the word א־ד־נ־י at all when he made his comment. Rather, he referred to the fact that although the vowels in the Ineffable Name Moses used here are the ones used for the attribute of Justice, i.e. elokim, the fact remains that even when G'd dispenses justice there is always an element of mercy present. This is the reason for the strange vowelling in this instance. Sifri also understands the word in this sense when the author commented: "הויה always means mercy, whereas אלוקים always means justice." Sifri clearly refers to the relative spelling (i.e. consonants) and reading (i.e. vowels) meaning different attributes. The reason Moses employed a name for G'd which incorporates both attributes becomes clear when you refer to my explanation of the word לאמור at the end of the last verse. I explained that as soon as Moses' own prayer had been accepted he meant to pray on behalf of the whole generation. Moses felt that the degree against himself could be voided merely by an appeal to the attribute of Justice, whereas in order to void the decree against the people of the Exodus it required the application of G'd's attribute of Mercy. Tanchuma illustrated this with a parable. [the version of this parable in my edition of the Tanchuma is substantially different, but I am quoting the version the author describes. Ed.] A king who wanted to marry a certain lady dispatched messengers to examine the lady in question and to present her with his marriage proposal. The messengers went and came back with the report that they could not have found an uglier pe...

ה' אלוקים, the first name of G-d here is a reference to the attribute aleph dalet, not to the tetragram, (an attribute that can be used normally only by the High priest in the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement). The second attribute used by Moses here is the tetragram. (Nachmanides) אתה החלות להראות, “You have begun to show;” Moses refers to the conquest of the lands of Sichon and Og by the army of the Israelites, a feat which would have been unthinkable without G-d’s active intervention. Since he had been permitted to witness this, he pleaded to also be permitted to witness the conquest of the lands occupied by the other five Canaanite tribes. כמעשיך, “as Your (other) works;” all of which demonstrate Your superior wisdom. וכגבורתך, ”and Your superior abilities.”

אדוני אלו-הים אתה החילות להראות את עבדך את גדלך...אעברה נא ואראה, “My Lord, G’d You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness...please let me cross so that I may see, etc.” There are a number of puzzling points in this entreaty by the foremost prophet that ever lived. How does the fact that G’d showed Moses some of His greatness relate to his desire or entitlement to cross the river Jordan into Eretz Yisrael? According to the plain meaning of the text the words: “You have begun,” refer to the giving of the Torah, the performance of which is man’s purpose on this earth. This was the reason Moses injected the words את עבדך, “Your servant,” to point out his function on earth to keep the laws of the Torah, [some of which he could most certainly not keep if denied entry into Eretz Yisrael. Ed.] The word את גדלך, “Your greatness,” Moses chose seeing that in connection with the giving of the Torah, the Torah itself spoke about את כבודו וגדלו, “G’d’s having manifested Himself in His glory and greatness” on that occasion (Deut. 5,21). The words את ידך החזקה are also a reference to what occurred on that occasion at Mount Sinai as we know from that same verse where the Torah writes: ואת קולו שמענו מתוך האש as well as 4,36: מן השמים השמיעך את קולו ליסרך ועל הארץ הראך את אשו הגדולה אשר יעשה כמעשיך; all these quotations of G’d’s attributes Moses mentioned, the Torah had mentioned in connection with the revelation at Mount Sinai. The word מעשיך refers to G’d manifesting Himself in the heavens, the word גבורותיך, to G’d manifesting Himself on earth. This is the reason that Moses addressed two attributes of G’d at the beginning of his plea when he said “Lord-G’d.” When G’d commenced the decalogue He introduced Himself as אנכי י-ה-ו-ה- אלוה-יך. You may best understand the sequence of the verses to which Moses referred as follows: “seeing that You G’d have begun to give the Torah through me, and the Torah in the main cannot properly be observed except in the land of Israel, and we have a principle that if someone commences to fulfill a commandment he is given an opportunity to complete it, it follows that I should be allowed to cross the Jordan in order to complete fulfilling the commandment which I began fulfilling when You G’d gave us the land of Sichon under my leadership”. This is the way my great and revered teacher Rabbi Shlomo Aderet explained Moses’ prayer. It is possible to view Moses’ prayer as a plea to allow him to translate into terrestrial reality his spiritual accomplishments in understanding the structure of the emanations. The words אתה החילות להראות are a reference to the enlightenment in these matters he had been granted; by saying אעברה נא ואראה, Moses asks to be allowed to relate all these insights to what needs to be done on earth to bring these two spheres, the celestial and the terrestrial, into tandem. [I have paraphrased this paragraph and condensed it. Ed.]. A Midrashic approach, based on Devarim Rabbah 2,8: the words אתה החילות are a reference by Moses to G’d Who was the first One to refer to the Israelites as rebellious when He said in Numbers 17,25 למשמרת לאות לבני מרי, “as a sign for the rebellious ones,” (the Israelites who had challenged the appointment of Aaron). Seeing that G’d had decreed Moses’ punishment on account of his having addressed the Israelites as שמעו נא המורים, “listen please you rebellious ones,” (Numbers 20,10) and immediately thereafter G’d had decreed that Moses could not enter the land of Israel, Moses now argues that he had been entitled to use this word seeing G’d Himself had already called the Israelites by that adjective. A kabbalistic approach: with the words ”you have begun to show me Your greatness, etc.,” Moses refers to his first encounter with G’d at the burning bush. When he goes on to describe G’d’s attributes, he means that it had been his privilege to acquaint the Jewish people with these attributes of G’d and His accomplish-ments in his capacity as His prophet. (David uses similar language in Psalms 86,8) Seeing that this has been so, Moses begs to be allowed to see the Holy land with his own eyes. The reason the name of G’d is spelled א-ד-נ-י in his plea here is that Moses alluded to Psalm 114 7-8 in which G’d is called אדון חולי ארץ, in connection with turning the rock into a lake of water. That verse referred to the incident at the rock where Moses had become guilty of this punishment. He now begs forgiveness by alluding to his sin in this indirect way. The word י-ה-ו-ה with the vowels of “elo-him” are an aspect of the attribute of Justice which contains a large measure of the attribute of Mercy. The word ואתחנן is used next to the attribute of Justice by Moses as when one asks forgiveness one does not address the attribute of Mercy but first has to assuage the attribute of Justice. We also learn this from Job 8,5: אם אתה תשחר אל א-ל ואל שדי תחנן, “if you want to pray to the Lord (to forgive your sins) first plead with the attribute Shaddai.”

You have begun to show Your servant, etc. Rashi explains: an opening [petach] to stand and pray. The letter peh of patach [began] is punctuated with a segol, and this is its interpretation: [God] began to show — what did He show him? An opening, like one who opens a doorway to something, and afterward he explains what kind of opening He showed him — to be standing and praying. But those who read patach [he began] with the peh vowelized with a kamatz are mistaken, because what is this teaching us? Certainly he did not finish his prayer before he began it. Why use the language of “began” [patach]? It should have said “he was standing and praying.” And our Sages said (Berakhot 32a) that a person should always arrange praise of God before praying, for Moses did so when he began with praise of God, as it says, You have begun to show Your servant [Your greatness], etc., and afterwards he said, Let me cross over, please. The explanation is that every righteous person should request a gift of grace and recognize within themselves that everything the Holy One, blessed be He, does for them is kindness throughout the day, for the Holy One, blessed be He, always initiates good deeds for a person from the day of their birth. And all the good deeds that a person accumulates are merely done as repayment, while the Holy One, blessed be He, the Great Merchant, extends credit and continues to give on credit to one who has paid their first debt, as it is written Who has preceded Me that I should repay him? (Job 41:3). This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, is the One who precedes and initiates all good things, and this is the praise and glory of God, blessed be He, which one who prays needs to arrange before praying, so that in all prayer and supplication, one should request nothing but a gift of grace. For we find with Moses that before he said, Let me cross over, please, he said, You have begun [to show Your servant], etc., teaching that the Holy One, blessed be He, initiates all good things and has no debt toward him, and he was requesting a gift of grace. And this is what Rashi explained: Your greatness refers to Your attribute of goodness, and Your strong hand that subdues the attribute of judgment, for according to the strict line of judgment, He owes him nothing, and in His abundant goodness, He bestows kindness upon one to whom He owes nothing. And this is a precious explanation.

החלות, as mentioned earlier in 2,25 היום הזה אחל תת פחדך, “from this day on I begin to place the fear of you, etc.” The letter ח in the word החלות is the reason why the letter ה preceding it has the vowel patach underneath it. Similar vowel patterns are observed when the letter ה precedes the letter ע, as in Isaiah 41,25 העיירתי מצפון, “I have roused him from the north.” We have the same pattern in Deuteronomy 30,19 when Moses says העידותי בכם היום, “I call as witness against you this day, etc.” Isaiah 9,3 is another example of this anomaly. When the letter following the letter ה does not belong to the group known as אחה"ע we would generally find a chataf patach under the letter ה.

Let me cross over now and see the good land that is on the far side of the Jordan — this good mountain and the Sanctuary.

אעברה נא LET ME PASS OVER, I PRAY THEE — The term נא is a term of request (it does not here signify "now"). ההר הטוב הזה THAT GOODLY MOUNTAIN, i.e. Jerusalem (that was situated on hills) (Sifrei Bamidbar 134:5). והלבנן AND LEBANON — this is a term for the Temple (Siphre).

אעברה נא, in order to exterminate all the inhabitants of the land of Canaan in order that the Jewish people will never be exiled from that land. (compare our author on 1,34) ואראה את הארץ הטובה, let me see it so that I can bless it with the blessing that its goodness be at the Jewish people’s service for ever.

אעברה נא, "please let me cross, etc." Why did Moses say נא? Besides, why did he say: "so that I will see?" Is seeing the land not a natural result of crossing the Jordan? Perhaps Moses wanted to rebut reasons which had prevented him from entering the Holy Land. Our sages say that there had been two such reasons. 1) The time for Joshua to reign had arrived, and the rule of one monarch must not overlap with the rule of a second monarch by as much as a hair's breadth (Berachot 48). 2) G'd foresaw that the Israelites would sin in the future and He would have to pour out His wrath at them. He therefore preferred to use the Holy Temple as the object on which to pour out His wrath rather than on the people themselves. We have dicussed this in connection with Psalms 79 where Assaph appears to write a hymn in honour of the destruction of the Holy Temple (my translation page 1766). We explained that if Moses had crossed the Jordan the Temple he would have built would have stood forever, and whenever the Israelites would sin G'd would have to vent His wrath on them rather than on the Temple. Compare my commentary on Deut. 1,37. This is why Moses referred to these two scenarios with his words. Concerning the fact that the time of his reign must not overlap with the time assigned to Joshua, he said "let me cross," i.e. he did not ask to cross in his capacity as the leader but was content to cross as a simple citizen; he did not expect to be given any special honour. Concerning the eventuality of the Temple becoming the excuse for G'd venting His wrath on the people in any future sinfulness by the people, he said: ואראה, "in order that I may see the land," i.e. he had no aspirations to build the Temple. Moses was thus careful to forestall any argument against granting his wish. As to his using the expression נא, this means that he was ready to abdicate his position as king immediately. It is also possible that Moses pleaded for the Israelites to cross the Jordan river immediately before the end of the day so that he could cross at a time when his crossing would not interfere with the period G'd had ordained for Joshua's reign. If you accept my interpretation that the words בעת ההיא referred to the time immediately after G'd decreed that the generation of the spies would not enter the Holy Land, there would not have been any problem with the time, as that event took place 38 years prior to the period when Moses addressed the people here. From Moses' words it is easy to surmise that he prayed on behalf of the whole people seeing that G'd had only decreed that they would die in the desert. He had not decreed that they would die prematurely, i.e. before reaching the age of 60 which would have meant that they died by the karet penalty. If Moses were to enter the Holy Land at that time (38 years ago) it would be understood that the people would enter with him as G'd had not decreed that they had to die prior to age 60. There is another way of explaining Moses' ch...

אעברה נא ואראה את הארץ הטובה, “please let me cross and see first hand the good land;” the question asked by most commentators is if Moses really only wanted to cross the Jordan for the mundane purpose of enjoying the fruit that grew in the Holy Land. It appears unbelievable to them that this could be the correct interpretation of this verse. They therefore conclude that the meaning of Moses’ plea was that he wished to be able to fulfill the many commandments of the Torah that can be fulfilled only while the person doing so is on the soil of the Holy Land. והלבנון, “and the Lebanon.” The word: הלבנון here is a simile for the permanent Temple. (Ibn Ezra) Seeing that Solomon used the cedar wood of that region to line the inner walls of the Temple that he built, this interpretation is not as far fetched as it might appear to some.

הארץ הטובה,ההר הטוב, “the good land, the good mountain.” Tanchuma Va-etchanan 1 explains Moses’ words by means of a parable. A king who wanted to marry a certain lady sent some of his trusted messengers to look over the prospective bride. When the messengers returned they reported that the bride was the most ugly woman they had ever seen. A friend of the king who overheard this report by the king’s emissaries upbraided them by saying: “how can you have the nerve to give such a report seeing that the girl in question is extremely beautiful, unmatched in fact!” When it came to the wedding, the father of the bride told the king’s emissaries that none of them would be allowed to participate in the wedding feast seeing they had slandered the bride. When the friend of the king was about to enter the wedding feast the father of the bride told him that he too was not welcome. To this, the friend of the king said: ‘how can you deny me entrance seeing that I have praised your daughter without even having seen her whereas the other messengers of the king described hers as indescribably ugly!’ Now I want to see her to see if perchance the messengers had spoken the truth or if I have been right all along!” This is what happened when Moses prayed to cross the Jordan. As long as the spies who had been sent to evaluate the bride (the land of Canaan) had issued a negative report saying that this land ate up its inhabitants, and Moses had been full of praises to the people of Israel concerning that land, he had done so merely on faith. Now he asked G’d for a chance to see if he had been right all along. This is why he said: “please let me cross the Jordan so that I can see the good land and the good mountain with my own eyes.” ההר הטוב הזה והלבנון, “this good mountain and the Lebanon.” These words are similes for the Temple which “whitewashes,” מלבין, the sins of the Jewish people (Sifri Vaetchanan 28).

“I will cross over, please, and see the good land, etc.” Why did he insert the word please [na] between I will cross over [e’evrah] and see [v’er’eh], and why did he make two divisions and mention the land on its own, and this good mountain and Lebanon separately? The explanation of the matter is that Moses asked for two things: one for the sake of Israel, and one for himself. And the response came, And the Lord was angry with me for your sake, because in matters concerning you, the Lord did not grant my request. But concerning what pertains to me, He granted it and said, Enough for you. It is enough with the thing that shall be for you alone, and yet you wish to ask for them as well?These two things are the two types of possession which God granted to Abraham. For at first, God said to Abraham, Please lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward, etc., for I will give it to you and to your descendants forever (Genesis 13:14-15). This implies that by sight alone he acquired it. But afterwards, He changed from this and said, Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its breadth, for I will give it to you (Genesis 13:17). This implies that by sight alone He did not want him to acquire it, but rather by treading its boundaries and taking stronger possession of it. Furthermore, He did not say “and to your descendants forever,” but only to you alone. And what is meant by look from the place where you are? Is it conceivable that he would see from a place where he was not standing? Moreover, there the term please [na] is used: Please lift up your eyes and see, specifically regarding something acquired through sight, and not regarding something acquired through complete possession. And here it says, I will cross over, please, using the term please specifically regarding something that requires actual crossing over with one’s feet. Is this not a significant point? And look to the right and see that from the Holy Land there is both physical and spiritual benefit. The physical benefit is that which depends on the entire area of the land, to eat from its fruit and be satisfied from its goodness, for it is a land flowing with milk and honey. And this is the thing that is only acquired through actual possession by walking its boundaries, as is the law for anyone who buys a field (Bava Kamma 9). And about this it was said to Abraham, Arise, walk through the land in its length and in its breadth. And the term “please” [na] was not mentioned in this because “na” is only a request, and since the physical nature of man naturally yearns for the love of [physical] pleasures, as every person desires life and loves days to see good. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not need to speak using the language of “please” — a language of request — because, on the contrary, it is man who makes the request using the term “please,” as Moses said regarding this acquisition that requires crossing, using the term please, as it says let me cross over, please. And when a person requests it from God, certainly God does not need to request it from the person, as one depends on the other. And regarding this acquisition, He did not mention “to you and to your descendants forever” because the land is not acquired by his descendants forever no matter what, for it is given conditionally — if they keep His statutes and observe His laws. And the spiritual benefit does not come from the entirety of the land’s area, but rather from “this good mountain and the Lebanon” below, which is aligned with the [celestial] Temple above, and there is the hidden strength of the Divine Presence. The place is called The Lord will see (Genesis 22:14) because anyone who merely sees that holy place acquires perfection of soul and becomes clothed in a spirit of holiness and purity, for his eyes shall behold the King in his beauty. Just as one comes to see there, so too does one come to be seen. And regarding this acquisition, He said to him, Lift up your eyes and see from the place where you are, etc. For at that time, Abraham was in Bethel, and Bethel is the Temple, because from the Temple flows abundance to all four directions of the world, for from that well all spirits are watered, as explained above in Parashat Lech Lecha (Genesis 13:17). And because the spiritual benefit is not something that people naturally desire, therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, Please lift up — using language of request, just as they said regarding Adam, that He enticed him to enter the Garden of Eden. For a person needs enticement to accept something spiritual where the pleasure is not immediately felt. In contrast, Moses said let me see and did not say “let me please see” with language of request, because people by their nature do not ask for this so much; rather, it is the Holy One, blessed be He, who needs to request it of them. And although for those who are perfected like Moses and Abraham, it is not appropriate to say this, nevertheless they spoke in the common language of people. And regarding this acquisition, God said to Abraham, and to your offspring forever. For that holy place is eternally in its state of holiness since it is aligned with the Temple above. And even if the one below is destroyed, nevertheless, that place remains aligned with the Temple above, which bestows holiness upon that place, and this holiness never departs in any generation. For in the days of the Patriarchs, when there was no Temple built there, nevertheless, the holiness was there. And thus our Sages interpreted (Yoma 72a) the verse acacia wood standing to mean that they stand for all eternity. And in the tractate Megillah (28a), our Sages said regarding the verse I will make desolate your sanctuaries (Leviticus 26:31) that even in their desolation, they still stand in their sanctity — meaning that nothing is lacking from their original sanctity. And as it is written, Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God, Selah (Psalms 87:3), and the word Selah indicates eternity. And with this approach everything will be resolved because Moses asked for both. Because when he said let me cross over please, he was asking about actually acquiring the land to give it to Israel with full possession, and he mentioned the word na because everything given to a person in worldly possessions is God’s kindness all day long. And he didn’t ask for this crossing over for himself, but rather for Israel in His kindness, that if He would give them the land as an inheritance, it would be theirs permanently. And afterwards he also asked for himself saying and let me see, because for himself he only asked for spiritual perfection that is acquired through seeing. And afterwards he explained point by point: when I said let me cross over please it refers to the good land — for the purpose of giving the entire land as a whole to Israel. And when I said and let me see it refers to this good mountain and Lebanon — because the spiritual perfection it contains is acquired through seeing. And he interrupted with the word na so that the term na only refers to the crossing over, for the reason that has been explained. “And the Lord was angry with me for your sakes.” Regarding the matter that I requested for your sake, to acquire the land for you, the Lord did not respond to me and said to me, It is enough for you, meaning that it is sufficient that I grant your personal request, which is the viewing [of the land]. And regarding this, He said, Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift your eyes westward and northward, etc. You should understand and know that with Abraham, [God] began with the northern direction, while here [with Moses] He began with the westward direction. This is because the primary purpose of this viewing, which imparts additional holiness, is through seeing the Divine Presence that resides in the Western Wall, as it is written And they shall fear the name of the Lord from the west (Isaiah 59:19). But Abraham, who stood in that place and spoke about the divine abundance flowing from there to all four directions, began with the northern direction, which is dark and therefore in greatest need of receiving this divine abundance. And the reason why God did not want Moses to give them the inheritance of the land, is because it is concluded (in Deuteronomy Rabbah 8:1) that if a prayer is not fully answered, it is answered halfway. And so Moses’ prayer for Aaron was partially effective. Similarly here, half of his request was granted, and the physical request was rejected in favor of the spiritual one. And from the fact that he said for your sake, we can infer that Israel was not worthy for Moses to give them the inheritance, because Moses’ face was like the face of the sun — just as the sun’s light is constant without interruption, so too all of Moses’ gifts would have been eternal, as proven by the acquisition of the Torah through him. But Joshua was like the moon, whose light is not constant. Similarly, the land that he gave them as an inheritance — sometimes when the children of Israel are worthy, there is light in their dwellings, and when they are not worthy, I looked at the land, and behold, it was formless (Jeremiah 4:23), distress and darkness, gloom in its skies (Isaiah 5:30). And some say that Moses asked to see the land, so that he would not be included in and all those who despised Me shall not see it (Numbers 14:23). And some say [regarding] Enough for you [rav lakh]: the word lakh [numerically] equals 50 because Moses himself said “The days of our years are 70 years,” and he had already lived 120 years, which is 50 more than what is natural. And now he asked to live longer; therefore, [God] said to him Enough for you [rav lakh] — those 50 years that were added to you. And there are those who say, that Moses said that the decree was only that he would not bring the congregation, etc., and since Joshua was leading them, therefore he [Moses] could enter the land as one of the people. And [God] replied to him, Enough for you! in astonishment, [meaning] “Is it fitting for you that your student should sit and expound while you sit and watch?”

But wrath came from before Hashem against me on your account, and He did not accept from me. And Hashem said to me: It is enough for you; speak no more before Me again concerning this matter.

ויתעבר ה׳ This means, GOD WAS FILLED WITH WRATH (Sifrei Bamidbar 135). למענכם ON ACCOUNT OF YOU — You caused this for me (that God was wroth with me); similarly it states, (Psalms 106:32) “And they provoked Him at the waters of Meriba, and He did evil to Moses on their account". רב לך LET IT SUFFICE THEE (i.e. pray no more), so that people should not say, “How harsh is the Master, and how obstinate and importunate is the disciple" (Sotah 13b). Another explanation of רב לך (lit., there is much for you) — more than this is reserved for you; much is the goodness that is stored up for thee (Sifrei Bamidbar 135).

ויתעבר ה' בי למענכם, G’d was angry at me for trying to ensure your permanent stay in that land while He had already decreed that at a certain point in history your descendants would be exiled among the gentiles.

ויתעבר ה׳ בי למענכם, "But G'd became angry with me because of you, etc." Moses repeated himself by first citing G'd as becoming angry with him and then saying G'd would not listen to him. He interrupted himself by adding the words "on your account;" we would have expected him to say: "G'd became angry at me and would not listen to me." Besides, seeing Moses had already said in 1,37 that "G'd became angry at me on your account," we must try and understand what he meant to add here. I have explained earlier that the words "on your account" in 1,37 were an allusion to Moses' intention to offer a prayer on behalf of the whole people בעת ההיא, at that time, in addition to the plea he made on his own behalf. At this point Moses said ויתעבר ה׳ בי למענכם, meaning that as far as the prayer on Israel's behalf was concerned G'd remained angry; as far as the prayer on his own behalf was concerned, G'd did not listen to him. He did not use the term עברה, "anger," concerning G'd's reaction to the prayer on his own behalf as what he had asked for himself was not based on G'd having been angry at him for something he had done. Another meaning of this verse could be as follows: "G'd was angry at me, i.e. insisting that I die before crossing the Jordan, למענכם, "for your sake," i.e. so that I will eventually become your redeemer. We have to understand the word ויתעבר in the sense that the prophet Tzefaniah used it in Tzefaniah 1,15 where the יום עברה is a reference to the day on which the people who are the victim of this "anger" will die. When Moses added: "G'd did not listen to me," he meant that G'd was not willing for him to cross the Jordan even temporarily, even on condition that he would return to the East Bank and be buried there. ויאמר ה׳ אלי רב לך, אל תוסף, G'd said to me: "enough for you, do not continue, etc." Why did G'd say to Moses both: "enough for you, and "do not continue, etc.?" G'd answered both parts of Moses' request. Concerning the part of Moses' prayer in which he asked to personally be allowed to cross the Jordan, G'd said: רב לך, "enough for you." G'd meant that He did not accept that Moses only wanted to cross the Jordan in order to fulfil certain commandments there. Moses had already fulfilled so many commandments that he did not need the additional merit which would accrue to him from fulfilling מצות התלויות בארץ, the kind of commandments which require one to be in the land of Israel in order to fulfil them. G'd would give him such a great reward that he would not miss out on anything by not having attained this particular merit. Concerning the prayer Moses offered on behalf of the people, G'd silenced him by saying that he should not continue to harp on that subject. Alternatively, G'd implied that all the people who would fulfil the commandments which could only be fulfilled in the land of Israel would share the merit they acquired with Moses because he had been the one who had instructed them to observe these commandments. This i...

ויתעבר ה' בי למענכם, “but the Lord was angry at me for your sakes;” G-d had said to Moses: “if you cross the Jordan into the Holy Land, people will say that the decree against the generation which had come out of Egypt to die in the desert was because they had forfeited their claim on an afterlife. If I now allow you to enter the Holy Land in response to your prayer, they will say that Moses was not concerned with anyone but himself. Therefore you will be buried where they are buried, and both you and they will rise at the time of the resurrection and live in the Holy Land.” This is the meaning of: ויתא ראשי עם in Deuteronomy 33,21: “they (the tribe of Gad) positioned himself at the head of the fighting men of the people”, i.e. as the pioneers. Moses, by agreeing to be buried in the fields of Moab displayed his total identification with the fate of his people. רב לך, “it is enough for you;” the fact that you merited to experience the conquest of the lands of Sichon and Og.“As far as your request to cross the Jordan is concerned, do not continue to belabour this subject with Me. As far as your request to see the land with your own eyes, is concerned, I am willing to grant that wish of yours.”

ויתעבר ה' בי למענכם, “the Lord was angry at me on your account.” According to the plain meaning of the text G’d became filled with anger on account of your many complaints. We have a similar verse in 4,21 where the wording is והתאנף ה' בי על דבריכם, “the Lord was angry at me on account of your words. Moses’ own reaction to some of the Israelites’ complaints was described in similar language, such as in Psalms 106,32: “and Moses suffered on their account.” [His error had been caused by the Israelites’ annoying G’d. Ed.]. A Midrashic approach to these words: The word ויתעבר is basically the same as ויעבור in Exodus 34,6 ויעבור ה' על פניו, “the Lord passed in front of Moses.” Moses refers to the time after the sin of the golden calf when, seeing that G’d had endowed him with greatness on account of the Jewish people and “G’d passed before him,” he pleaded with G’d to forgive his own sin as well, but G'd did not accept his plea. A kabbalistic approach: the word ויתעבר contains an allusion to the mystical dimension of calculating the lunar calendar. This idea is reinforced by Moses using the word בי instead of the word עמי, “with me.” On other occasions when the word התעבר is used as an expression of G’d’s anger such as in Psalms 89,39 the preposition used is עם, i.e. התעברת עם משיחך, “You were angry with Your anointed.” It is common knowledge that the expression סוד העבור, is chosen as it depicts an element of עברה, זעם, i.e. Divine anger. The mystical dimension of all the orbits, the constant revolutions of celestial bodies which are a feature of this present imperfect universe (עולם הזה), are manifestations of the attribute of Justice. This is also the mystical dimension of Exodus 34,20 that G’d is פוקד עון אבות על בנים, that He remembers and punishes the sons if the sins of their fathers have not been expiated I have alluded to this principle when I discussed that verse and subject. Another meaning of the expression פרשת העבור is that offered in Berachot 29, where Rav Chisda says that even when G’d is angry the needs of a pregnant woman, עוברה, are constantly part of His concern. Moses prayed that G’d should not allow His anger to blot out any other consideration. Some commentators in the Talmud there read instead of באשה עוברה, “at,” or “of” a pregnant woman,” כאשה עוברה “like a pregnant woman.” This error is responsible for these people misunderstanding the Talmud, as they thought G’d’s anger is compared to a pregnant lady. There can be no doubt that the correct text is באשה עוברה. This is also the view of the famous Kabbalist of Gerona, Rav Yitzchak the blind. [Incidentally, his house is the only trace of a Jewish presence ever in Gerona. This editor visited Gerona]. The reason that the science of calculating the time when the moon renews itself month after month is known as סוד העבור is that G’d knows all developments in human history long before they occur as well as the dates on which they will occur, as we know from Isaiah 41,4 קורא הדורות מראש, “He Who announced the generations from the start (of history).” [If the sages who calculate our calendar would err with the date the new moon is to appear and fix our calendar according to their faulty calculations this would cause confusion and play havoc with G’d’s plans seeing He authorized the Jewish sages to determine the calendar. Ed.]. This is why the סוד העבור is also known as כח הדורות, “the force determining human development.” All manifestations of trans-migrations of souls derive from the concept that G’d has foreseen all developments and finds ways of achieving His objectives in spite of man’s freedom of choice. The word עבור is also closely related to the word רבוע, “square, divided into four equal parts,” (same letters differently arranged), an allusion to such transmigrations of souls being limited to a total of four such lives i.e. the original and a maximum of three transmigrations. Another mystical dimension of the word עבור is that such transmigrations do not occur outside, (beyond) the original family of the body the soul lived its original life in [if I understand the author correctly. Ed.] רב לך אל תוסף, “enough for you; do not carry on.” According to our sages (Sifri Pinchas 135) G’d meant: “what has been reserved for you as reward in the hereafter is sufficient.” The word רב is understood by Sifri in the same sense as Psalms 31,20: “how abundant is the good that You have in store for those who revere You.” A Midrashic approach by Tanchuma Vaetchanan 6: when G’d said to Moses רב לך אל תוסף, Moses replied: “not only did my mother have to gnash her teeth when she had to throw me in the river, but now she even has to gnash her teeth in death (when I die).” G’d answered that this is the way He had decided in His מחשבה, and this is the way of the world, i.e. everyone has to die. [If I understand this, the Midrash refers to the word אל תוסף, interpreting these words as G’d saying to Moses: “do not add new rules to the way the world is run.” Ed.]

רב לך, these words introduce G–d’s reply to Moses’ plea which had been based on G–d having released Moses from a vow given to his father-in-law Yitro not to circumcise one of his sons. (as explained by Rashi according to Yalkut Shimoni on our portion item 814.) [Since the author of the Midrash lived at least 100 years after Rashi’s death he could not have quoted him. Ed.] G–d reminded Moses that no one could cancel his own vows. He had been able to do this for Moses, as He was his superior. Since He, G–d, had no superior to do this for him, He could not comply with that request. Yet another way of understanding the words רב לך , with which G–d tells Moses to desist from continuing with his plea: G–d quotes words which Moses had used when denying Korach his request to be elevated to the priesthood. רב לך אל תוסף דבר. [I am summarising Moses’ plea and G–d’s reply. In order to appreciate what follows the reader is advised to read chapter 40 in Job. Ed.] Moses quotes G–d, Who had described him as closer to Him than any previous human being and had made a covenant with him. He hints that G–d is reneging on that covenant if he has to die before crossing the Jordan. G–d replies that mortality has been decreed on every human being, dating back to the time when Adam had sinned, and that He therefore cannot violate that decree by making an exception for him. His time had come to die, and it was therefore futile for him to implore G–d further.

Go up to the top of the height and lift up your eyes to the west and to the north and to the south and to the east, and behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross this Jordan.

וראה בעיניך [LIFT UP THINE EYES …] AND SEE IT WITH THINE EYES — Thou didst request of Me, (v. 25) “Let me see the good land”; I will let thee see the whole of it (not the good territory alone), as it is said, (Deuteronomy 34:1) “And the Lord showed him all the land״ (cf. Sifrei Bamidbar 135).

"Go up to the top of the Pisgah" — it is the valley that is in the field of Moab, at the top of the Pisgah.

וראה בעיניך, "and behold it with your eyes." The word בעיניך is necessary especially after G'd had told Moses שא עיניך "raise up your eyes!" G'd meant to tell Moses that whatever he had hoped to accomplish by walking in the land, He, G'd would enable him to accomplish by means of his eyes alone. There was no need for him to traverse the land in order to become familiar with it. Moreover, we know that there are techniques by means of which distant objects can be brought closer to one's eyes, such as telescopes and binoculars. G'd told Moses that he would see the Holy Land with his very own physical eyes, and not through a median of any sort.

עלה על ראש הפסגה, “ascend to the top of the summit;” if you were to ask who it is that will cross the Jordan with these people, command Joshua to do so. [The reader must appreciate that when Moses tells the people here that he had pleaded with G-d, his plea had been made immediately after he had been told that he would not be allowed to cross the Jordan, after he had struck the rock. (verse 28) 'עלה ראש הפסגה וגו, this is what G-d had told Moses already in the portion of Pinchas, Numbers 27,12 when He had said to him: עלה אל הר העברים, “ascend to the top of Mount Avarim.”

ימה וצפונה ותימנה ומזרחה, “westward, northward, southward and eastward.” We do not find that the Bible describes the four directions of the wind in a uniform manner. Sometimes the Bible commences by mentioning the direction “east,” such as in Job 23,8: הן קדם אהלך ואיננו ואחור ולא אבין לו שמאל בעשותו ולא אחז יעטוף ימין ולא אראה, “but if I go (forward) East — He is not there; and backward (West) — I still do not perceive Him; “on the left hand (North) where He does work — since He is concealed, I do not behold Him; on the right hand (South) He is hidden, and I cannot see Him.” This is the appropriate order in which the directions should be referred to seeing they represent two straight lines, East to West and North to South. The sequence we find in Job also corresponds to the promise G’d made to Yaakov in his dream (Genesis 28,14) “you will spread out West and East, North and South.” On other occasions such as Genesis 13,14, North is mentioned first, such as when G’d said to Avraham: “raise your eyes please and look from the place where you are standing, to the North, to the South, to the East and to the West.” It is possible that the reason that in the case of Yaakov and Moses the reason why the Torah commences by mentioning West first is that the Shechinah which descended with Yaakov to Egypt (Megillah 29) is perceived as being in the West (Baba Batra 25). Here too, Moses addresses the Shechinah in the first instance and mentions תימנה as “southward,” instead of the more customary נגבה. The reason may be that in this way he was able to include one half of the Holy Name, i.e. either י-ה, or ו-ה in each of the four directions he made mention of. Had he said ונגבה, the second י-ה would have been missing. We must remember that Moses had previously exalted G’d by calling Him א-ל אלו-הי הרוחות, “the Lord G’d Who presides over the winds (directions of the earth). The reason why G’d used the words עיניך twice when He responded to Moses’ prayer and why He told him to “raise” his eyes before looking and to physically ascend the summit is because from that location he would be able to behold the four corners of the land with his physical eyes and at the same time understand by means of focusing with his mental eyes on the four-lettered name of Hashem which symbolizes the highest מרכבה, on all directions of the world. You should appreciate that the four directions of the world, i.e. מזרח, מערב, צפון, דרום, are known by three names each. מזרח, (East) is known as מזרח, קדם or פנים. West is known as either מערב, ים or אחור. South is known as דרום, נגב or ימין. North is known as צפון, אסתן or שמאל. the meaning of these various terms for these directions is as follows: The reason the Hebrew word מזרח means East, is that the sun “shines” זורחת in the morning from the East. The reason it is also called קדם is because it proceeds in a forward direction from the East as it spreads its light over more parts of the globe. It is also called פנים (face) as when G’d created man he made him face East after completing him. His back faced westward, his right side southward, and his left side northward. The name מערב for West, i.e. “mixing,” derives from the fact that the sun sets in the West; it is a time when the shadows merge, become confused and indistinct. It is also called ים as the great Sea, the Mediterranean, is the western boundary of the Holy Land. It is also called אחור, “rear,” seeing its counterpart, East, is also known as קדם, “front.” Incidentally, Onkelos calls the Mediterranean the ים האחרון, “the Sea of the rear,” or “the ים המערבאה, the Sea of the West.” The word אחור, meaning “West” occurs in the verse from Job 23,8-9 we quoted earlier. The South is known as דרום, seeing that at its highest point at midday the sun is high in the sky. The word דרום is a combination of the two words דר רום, “residing on high.” Alternatively, we may view the word as an acrostic of דרך רום from Chabakuk 3,10 רום ידהו נשאת ”lifted up his hands on high.” The reason South is called נגב, is that that direction is very dry, exposed to extreme heat of the sun which spreads out over that region more than on any other. This is what Solomon referred to when he said (Kohelet 1,6) “it travels toward the South and then describes a turn moving northward.” Solomon uses the verb הלך in connection with the sun’s motion while shining, whereas he uses the verb סבב, “turning,” when describing the sun’s motion when out of view of man’s eyes. We have been told by the “scientists” that it happened once that someone living in the South forgot a wooden bowl outside and left it lying outside in the midst of the sun’s rays in the middle of the summer. When he returned to pick it up in the evening he found it completely dried out, shrunk as if it had been burned by the fire. This is why the South is called נגב i.e. ”dried up.” We know this from Judges 1,15 where Calev’s daughter complains to her father that the land she was given was parched, dried out, deprived of water, and she requested sources of water to offset it. The Targum there renders the words ארע דרומא, normally translated as “southern land,” as ימין, the right side, seeing that it is on the right of man as he was when first created, i.e. facing East. It is also possible that the reason for this translation is that the sun always has the south on its right. We have a verse in Daniel 1,5 וימן להם המלך, “the king provided for them.” This is the reason the provisions the Israelites received in the desert from heaven were called מן. The word reflects the fact that it was ready for them on a daily basis, i.e. available like “provisions.” The North is also called צפון because the sun is perceived as “hiding” in that region while invisible to man at night. Furthermore, the northern extremes of the globe are known to be unfit for human habitation. Our sages in Baba Batra 25 interpret Job 26,7 נוטה צפון על תהו to mean that ”He stretches Tzafon over chaos” means that the north wind does not operate there. The word אסתן is not a Biblical term but one coined by our sages occurring as a proverb in Ketuvot 23 and meaning that when someone’s witnesses are in an inaccessible, “hidden” region, how can they be relied on? Rashi understands the word as meaning “north.” The author quotes some sources showing that the north wind is associated with therapeutic qualities, [maybe freezing kills the bacteria. Ed.]. At any rate, this would agree with the tradition that the Israelites did not circumcise their children while in the desert due to the absence of this North wind and its therapeutic effects on wounds. The reason North is also known as שמאל, left, is that when man faces East, as we said, North is always on his left. It may also be due to the fact that it is on “the wrong side” of the sun, i.e. the sun never shining in that direction. The “left,” basically is associated with negative connotations, something inferior. The word, phonetically speaking, is related to סומא, “a blind person.” When we speak about something hidden, the Talmud uses the term סמוי מן העין, “hidden from the eye.” According to a Midrash quoted in Tosafot Baba Batra 25 the reason that David spoke about Adam describing himself as having been created “both forward and backward” (Psalms 92,8), was because he faced forward toward sources of light, whereas his rear faced darkness, an absence of light, i.e. the rear of the sun being perceived as having no light to radiate. His right side, the one always exposed to the light of the sun was called “right,” his left, the northern side, always out of reach of the sun was called שמאל. This is the side with which man does not perform his work. כי לא תעבור את הירדן הזה, “for you are not going to cross this Jordan.” G’d meant that even Moses’ remains would not cross the river Jordan (Sifri Pinchas 135). This is what Moses had in mind when he said in 4,22: “I am going to die in this land, I will not cross the Jordan.” Seeing that if he were dead he could not cross the Jordan, the last part of the verse means that even his bones would not be put to rest in Eretz Yisrael. If Moses had not previously been informed of this decree, surely he would have commanded Joshua and Eliezer to bring his remains for burial in the Holy Land. Or, he could have commanded the entire Jewish people to see to it that he would be buried in Eretz Yisrael, just as Joseph had done, and just as he must have done seeing he had carried Joseph’s coffin with him all these 40 years in the desert. Yaakov, the last of the patriarchs, one of the supports of the מרכבה, was afforded burial of his entire body in Eretz Yisrael. Joseph only had his bones buried there. Moses, who surpassed both Yaakov and Joseph in his relationship with G’d, did not merit to have any part of his body interred on holy soil. It was G’d’s wish that none of Moses’ body be interred in Eretz Yisrael as a form of respect for the entire generation of Jews who had died in the desert and whose remains had also not been interred in Eretz Yisrael. Also, it was a consolation for all the many hundreds of generations of Jews throughout the Diaspora who died and were buried in exile. The souls of all these people are in G’d’s care pending the resurrection, at which time not only Moses but the vast majority of them will also be resurrected.

And charge Joshua, and strengthen him and encourage him, for he shall cross before this people, and he shall give them possession of the land that you will see.

וצו את יהושע AND GIVE JOSHUA CHARGE regarding the cumbrance, the burdens and strifes that he will have to bear (cf. Deuteronomy 1:12). וחזקהו ואמצהו AND STRENGTHEN HIM AND MAKE HIM FIRM through thy words, so that he may not become faint-hearted, saying, “Just as my master was punished on account of them, so eventually will I be punished on account of them and not enter the land. I promise him “that he shall pass over [before this people] and he shall cause [them] to inherit [the land]”” (cf. Sifrei Devarim 29:9). כי הוא יעבר (this may mean: if he passes) — If he will pass before them, they will possess the land, and if not, they will not possess it. So, indeed, you find that when he sent some of the people against Ai and he remained in the camp, “the men of Ai smote of them [thirtysix men]” (Joshua 7:5). And when he fell on his face, He said to him, קם לך: the verb is written קם (without ו, so that it may be read קָם) i.e. “It is thou who standest in thy place and sendest My children to war, who hast brought about this defeat. Why is it that thou fallest on thy face? Did I not thus tell thy master, Moses: If he will pass, they will pass on, but if not, they will not pass on? (Sifrei Devarim 29:9).

וצו את יהושע, "and command Joshua, etc." What precisely was Moses to command Joshua? Yalkut Shimoni item 823 quoting Sifri on Pinchas claims that Moses was to command Joshua not to be taken in by the Gibeonites. Another opinion cited claims that Moses warned Joshua concerning possible strife amongst the people. There is no hint in the text of this and unless it is based on tradition we do not have to accept this explanation. I believe that the plain meaning of the verse may be understood in light of Samuel I 13,14: ויצוהו ה׳ לנגיד על עמו, "the Lord appointed him as ruler over His people." The word means "he appointed." Please refer to what I have written on Exodus 6,13 ויצום אל בני ישראל. Moses simply told Joshua to exert authority over Israel already while he was still alive. He personally would support him in this before the eyes of the whole nation.

And we dwelt in the valley opposite Beth-peor.

ונשב בגיא וגו׳ SO WE ABODE IN THE VALLEY [OVER AGAINST BETH PEOR], — and ye associated yourselves with idol-worship, yet, however, ועתה ישראל שמע אל החקים NOW, O ISRAEL, HEARKEN TO THE STATUTES and everything will be forgiven thee. But I — I was not privileged that it was forgiven me (Sifrei Devarim 30:2).

"And we dwelt in the valley" — the meaning is: we had already dwelt in that valley, which is at the top of the Pisgah, for from there they journeyed to the plains of Moab. That valley is in the Abarim mountains, as is explicitly stated. Now [Moses] begins to speak of the commandments; and because they were situated opposite Beth-Peor, he began with the subject of idolatry.

ונשב בגיא, "we abode in the valley, etc." What did Moses want to tell us with this verse? How is it connected to either the previous verse or to the one following? Rashi, quoting Sifri, says that Moses reminded the people that they had become attached to the idol Baal Pe-or and that he exhorted them that all would be forgiven provided they would from now on hearken to G'd's statutes as per 4,1. If we accept this, we still have not explained the word ונשב as the verse only wishes to remind us of the sin of בעל פעור. Even the words מול בית פעור, opposite the temple of the פעור does not appear to make sense. If Moses referred to what had happpened there he should have used the language used by the Torah in Numbers 25,3 ויצמד ישראל לבעל פעור. I believe that what Moses meant was that with this verse he concluded the subject with which he had commenced when he said: "I pleaded with G'd" in 3,23. He concluded by saying that his prayer did not help, that instead of both he and the people crossing the Jordan at once, they remained encamped opposite the temple of Pe-or. The expression ישב always means a stay of indeterminate length [the author says: עד עולם, i.e. forever. I do not know the source for this although the Talmud in Megillah 21 states that the word means "a delay." The proof offered there is based on Deut. 1,46 which was certainly not "forever" but for a period of 19 years according to most commentators. Ed.] The reason Moses described the location as being "in the valley" is that the land of Israel is situated at a higher level than all other countries, as we know from Numbers 13,17 "ascend here from the South." Moses added that the place was opposite the temple of Pe-or as he hinted at the place where he would be buried (Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer chapter 45). We are told there that when this idol and accuser of Israel looks at Moses' grave he is scared to raise his voice against Israel (as Moses had fought him successfully on numerous occasions).

ונשב בגיא, “we settled down in the valley.” Moses refers to Numbers 25,1, 'וישב ישראל בשיטים ויחל העם לזנות וגו, Israel settled down at Shittim, and the people began to indulge in harlotry, etc.” At that time, 24000 of them fell victim to a plague as a result of their misconduct. As a result of this we are still stuck here.

ונשב בגיא מול בית פעור, “We stayed on in the valley across from Bet-Peor.” We had already been encamped there, as this was the ראש הפסגה Moses had mentioned in verse 27; seeing this was where the people had committed idolatry and adultery. Moses warns them once again concerning the sin of idolatry in the following paragraph.

ונשב בגיא, until now when we find ourselves facing the Beyt Peor in the Arvot Moav. What you have seen happen there should serve as a lesson to you; the details are described in 4,3-4.