במדבר כז: יב,יג - ויאמר ה' אל־משה עלה אל־הר העברים הזה וראה את־הארץ אשר נתתי לבני ישראל. וראיתה אתה ונאספת אל־עמיך גם־אתה כאשר נאסף אהרן אחיך.
Bemidbar (Numbers) 27:12,13 record that G-d told Moshe to go up to Mount Avarim to see the land of Israel, and then afterwards Moshe would be gathered to his people. This command to go up to Mount Avarim is recorded again in Devarim 32:48-52, prior to Moshe’s ascent and death. Afterwards, 27:14-23 records that Moshe appointed Yehoshua to be the next leader of the Jewish people.
The command for Moshe to go to Mount Avarim is surprising since Moshe did not die until the end of the book of Devarim, which was approximately in another two months. Does 27:12 mean that Moshe was to go up to Mount Avarim two months before he died or, as argued by the Ramban (on 27:12, see also explanation by Rabbenu Saadiah Gaon on 27:12, and comments by Rav Kapach on R. Saadiah’s commentary, 1984, p. 162), the command in Bemidbar 27:12,13 was not for Moshe to go up immediately, but later when he was about to die in approximately two months.
The Ramban also argues that the command to appoint Yehoshua was also only applicable before Moshe died, and not in the book of Bemidbar. Yet, if the command to go up the mountain was only relevant two months later, why is it recorded in 27:12? Why would G-d give this command for Moshe to ascend the mountain at this point in the Torah if it was not relevant to the events in the book of Bemidbar? In addition, the language of 27:12-23, especially with regard to the appointing of Yehoshua, 27:22,23, seems to be referring to some present action and not to the future.
Abravanel (2008, pp. 230-232) differs from the Ramban and suggests that the command to go up on Mount Avarim in 27:12,13 was for Moshe to go up (and down) immediately when Moshe heard the command and, afterwards on several occasions, to give Moshe several opportunities to see the land of Israel. However, Moshe was not to die immediately since 27:12,13 does not state that Moshe would die on the mountain. On the other hand, Devarim 32:50 does refer to Moshe dying, but this is because Devarim 32:50 is referring to the last time that Moshe was to go up on the mountain.
Elhanan Samet (2004, pp. 278-298) rejects Abravanel’s approach for several reasons. One, 27:13 refers to Moshe being gathered to one’s people, which indicates that the verse is referring to Moshe’s death, i.e. the future, and not the present. Two, Samet asks what need was there for Moshe to have several opportunities to see the land of Israel since it was sufficient for Moshe to have one vision of the land? Three, the Torah does not state that Moshe fulfilled this command at this time, as he argues that 27:22 does not state that Moshe went up, only that he appointed Yehoshua.
Samet, following the Ramban and Rabbenu Saadiah Gaon, maintains that Moshe only fulfilled this command to go up Mount Averim two months after he was commanded, but he suggests that the Torah recorded this command in the book of Bemidbar, to help the future readers of the Torah understand why Moshe requested for G-d to appoint Yehoshua as the next leader in the ensuing narrative, 27:15-23. This answer is difficult. If Moshe did not go up on Mount Avarim in the “book of Bemidbar,” as Samet claims, then there was no need to transfer any authority to Yehoshua. One might argue that Yehoshua had to be designated as the heir apparent to Moshe even when Moshe was alive, but it was obvious that Yehoshua was to be the people’s future leader since he had not sinned by the spies and he was Moshe’s top aide. Even if one believes that this was not obvious, and Yehoshua had to be designated as the heir apparent, still there was no need to include the command for Moshe to go up on Mount Avarim (27:12) in the Torah just for the sake of the future reader of the Torah. From 20:12, the reader knows that Moshe was not going to accompany the people into Israel, and hence the reader would not be surprised that a future leader would be designated.
In addition, this “extra information” (27:12-14) for the reader, as argued by Samet, actually confuses the reader as to why Moshe made this request for new leader. According to Samet, the true sequence of events, is that Moshe asked for G-d to appoint a leader before he was told to go on the mountain and die, while from the sequence of events as recorded in the Torah, the reader will think (and rightly so) that Moshe only asked for a leader to be appointed after he was told to go up on the mountain. (Even Samet, footnote 25, acknowledges that his explanation could confuse the reader, though for a different reason, but he claims in the end the reader will not be confused.)
I like Abravanel’s approach. The simple reading of 27:12-14 is that Moshe was to go up on Mount Avarim in the book of Bemidbar immediately when he was commanded since otherwise there is no reason for the command to be recorded in the book of Bemidbar. Also, 27:15-23 implies that Yehoshua was appointed the leader of the people in the book of Bemidbar.
I would change the rationale for Moshe’s ascent of the mountain. The ascent was to give Moshe a short break from being the leader of the people before he died, either because he needed some time to himself before he died, or he needed time to prepare his great speech of the book of Devarim. 27:12,13 refers to Moshe going up on the mountain to see the land of Israel, which might be considered a “cover” for Moshe to separate from the people, but more likely, when a person can see great distances, this can cause a person to reflect and ponder. (This experience has happened to me when hiking by myself to beautiful vistas.) If Moshe did not have this break, then he would have worked up to the last day of his life (Devarim 31:2) without any break.
This break by going up to Mount Avarim was not very long, a week or so, but it was the beginning of Moshe’s separation from the people. While Moshe remained the leader of the people, and he would come down from the mountain when needed, as for example by the war with Midyan (Bemidbar 31) and the case of the children of Gad and Reuven, (Bemidbar 32), he was no longer to be in charge of the day-to-day issues in the camp. Instead, Yehoshua would be in charge of the day-to-day issues, and this gave a small overlap to help Yehoshua become the next leader.
This variation of Abravanel’s approach answers Samet’s questions. One, the phrase “gathering to one’s people” in 27:13 indicates that in Bemidbar, Moshe was starting the process of dying since he was beginning his separation from the people, and starting to step down from his role as the leader of the people. Note the phrase “like you brother Aharon” could be because maybe Aharon also had a short break before he died when he was no longer the high priest, see our discussion on 20:26-29, “Where did Aharon die?” Two, Moshe did not really need many opportunities to see the land. Only when Moshe was commanded to go to the peak of the mountain range, Mount Nevo, Devarim 3:27, 32:49, was he specifically going to see the land of Israel because from the peak he would have the best view of the land. Three, 27:22, which states that Moshe did as he was commanded by G-d, can be understood that Moshe went up on Mount Avarim. Even if one argues that 27:22, refers only to appointing Yehoshua, this appointment implies that there was a transfer of some authority to Yehoshua, which in turn implies that Moshe could take a break. Furthermore, once the Torah records that Moshe did what G-d commanded him and appointed Yehoshua, 27:22, this presumes that Moshe also fulfilled G-d’s other command and went up on the mountain.
This idea that by Moshe going up the mountain he was relinquishing the day-to-day responsibilities of being a leader can explain Moshe’s request to G-d to appoint the next leader of the people in 27:16,17. 27:16,17 records that Moshe wanted a successor to be appointed since otherwise he thought, "the people would be like a flock that had no shepherd." While many commentators understand that Moshe was concerned that the people needed a military leader, I doubt this since the metaphor of sheep does not conjure up military actions. (Friedman, 2003, p. 521, notes that the reference to a shepherd corresponds to Moshe's vocation prior to being the leader of the Jewish people.)
A different idea is that his request for a successor was because he feared that without a leader the people would disperse, just as sheep do without a shepherd. Yet, was it not obvious that the people would need a leader to take them into the land of Israel? Instead, maybe Moshe’s request of G-d should be understood to mean that Moshe was asking for G-d to appoint someone to be the administrative head of the people, while Moshe took his break from the people. Moshe was still the leader of the people, but he was concerned that there would be nobody to take care of the day-to-day issues that might arise. This was not an obvious request since in theory there could have been no leader when Moshe was on the mountain, as Moshe could descend from the mountain when needed. G-d agreed to Moshe’s request, and in 27:18-22 Yehoshua was appointed as the administrative head of the people in the book of Bemidbar. Later, in Devarim 31, when Moshe was just about to die, Yehoshua’s leadership roles were expanded, as then he was appointed as the political and religious leader of the people.
This idea of Moshe taking a break before he dies also suggests a connection between 27:12-14 and the previous verses that record the daughters of Tzelofhad’s request for land in the land of Israel, 27:1-11. My guess is that within the Torah, Moshe’s happiest moment was by the crossing of the Yam Suf, when he sang his song, Shemot 15:1-18. Afterwards, the Torah records complaints and sins of the people, as for example by the golden calf, when he came down with the tablets, and when the people sinned by the spies. Also, when he finished building the ohel moed, the ceremony was marred by the deaths of his nephews, Vayikra 10:1,2. After he finally brought the people to the verge of going into the land of Israel, they sinned with the women of Moav, 25:1. Even when he finishes his speech in Devarim, it ends pessimistically that he knows that the people are going to sin in the future, Devarim 31:29. Moshe might have doubted if the people would ever go into the land of Israel, and then whether his life’s work had been futile. The most positive act that the people were preparing to go into the land of Israel, and wanted to go into the land of Israel, was when the daughters of Tzelofhad requested to have land. This was a brave request since they had to make this request before the leaders of the people and whole assembly, 27:2, and they exhibited this bravery since they wanted to go to the land of Israel. For Moshe, their request might have brought him great satisfaction since he knew that his life’s work would succeed after he died. Thus, immediately after he had this good feeling, G-d told him to go to Mount Avarim to take a break from being the leader of the people. Moshe was then leaving on a “high” which would give him a positive feeling when he would think about his life and prepare for his speech in the book of Devarim.
Bibliography:
Abravanel, Yitzhak (1437-1508), 2008, Commentary on Bemidbar, Jerusalem: Horev Publishing.
Friedman, Richard Elliott, 2003, Commentary on the Torah with a new English translation and the Hebrew text, New York: HarperSanFrancisco.
Kapach, Yosef, 1984, Commentary of Rabbenu Saadiah Gaon on the Torah, Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.
Samet, Elchanan, 2004, Studies in the Weekly Parasha, Mitzpeh Nevo: Machon Maliyot.
Abravanel (2008, pp. 230-232) differs from the Ramban and suggests that the command to go up on Mount Avarim in 27:12,13 was for Moshe to go up (and down) immediately when Moshe heard the command and, afterwards on several occasions, to give Moshe several opportunities to see the land of Israel. However, Moshe was not to die immediately since 27:12,13 does not state that Moshe would die on the mountain. On the other hand, Devarim 32:50 does refer to Moshe dying, but this is because Devarim 32:50 is referring to the last time that Moshe was to go up on the mountain.
Elhanan Samet (2004, pp. 278-298) rejects Abravanel’s approach for several reasons. One, 27:13 refers to Moshe being gathered to one’s people, which indicates that the verse is referring to Moshe’s death, i.e. the future, and not the present. Two, Samet asks what need was there for Moshe to have several opportunities to see the land of Israel since it was sufficient for Moshe to have one vision of the land? Three, the Torah does not state that Moshe fulfilled this command at this time, as he argues that 27:22 does not state that Moshe went up, only that he appointed Yehoshua.
Samet, following the Ramban and Rabbenu Saadiah Gaon, maintains that Moshe only fulfilled this command to go up Mount Averim two months after he was commanded, but he suggests that the Torah recorded this command in the book of Bemidbar, to help the future readers of the Torah understand why Moshe requested for G-d to appoint Yehoshua as the next leader in the ensuing narrative, 27:15-23. This answer is difficult. If Moshe did not go up on Mount Avarim in the “book of Bemidbar,” as Samet claims, then there was no need to transfer any authority to Yehoshua. One might argue that Yehoshua had to be designated as the heir apparent to Moshe even when Moshe was alive, but it was obvious that Yehoshua was to be the people’s future leader since he had not sinned by the spies and he was Moshe’s top aide. Even if one believes that this was not obvious, and Yehoshua had to be designated as the heir apparent, still there was no need to include the command for Moshe to go up on Mount Avarim (27:12) in the Torah just for the sake of the future reader of the Torah. From 20:12, the reader knows that Moshe was not going to accompany the people into Israel, and hence the reader would not be surprised that a future leader would be designated.
In addition, this “extra information” (27:12-14) for the reader, as argued by Samet, actually confuses the reader as to why Moshe made this request for new leader. According to Samet, the true sequence of events, is that Moshe asked for G-d to appoint a leader before he was told to go on the mountain and die, while from the sequence of events as recorded in the Torah, the reader will think (and rightly so) that Moshe only asked for a leader to be appointed after he was told to go up on the mountain. (Even Samet, footnote 25, acknowledges that his explanation could confuse the reader, though for a different reason, but he claims in the end the reader will not be confused.)
I like Abravanel’s approach. The simple reading of 27:12-14 is that Moshe was to go up on Mount Avarim in the book of Bemidbar immediately when he was commanded since otherwise there is no reason for the command to be recorded in the book of Bemidbar. Also, 27:15-23 implies that Yehoshua was appointed the leader of the people in the book of Bemidbar.
I would change the rationale for Moshe’s ascent of the mountain. The ascent was to give Moshe a short break from being the leader of the people before he died, either because he needed some time to himself before he died, or he needed time to prepare his great speech of the book of Devarim. 27:12,13 refers to Moshe going up on the mountain to see the land of Israel, which might be considered a “cover” for Moshe to separate from the people, but more likely, when a person can see great distances, this can cause a person to reflect and ponder. (This experience has happened to me when hiking by myself to beautiful vistas.) If Moshe did not have this break, then he would have worked up to the last day of his life (Devarim 31:2) without any break.
This break by going up to Mount Avarim was not very long, a week or so, but it was the beginning of Moshe’s separation from the people. While Moshe remained the leader of the people, and he would come down from the mountain when needed, as for example by the war with Midyan (Bemidbar 31) and the case of the children of Gad and Reuven, (Bemidbar 32), he was no longer to be in charge of the day-to-day issues in the camp. Instead, Yehoshua would be in charge of the day-to-day issues, and this gave a small overlap to help Yehoshua become the next leader.
This variation of Abravanel’s approach answers Samet’s questions. One, the phrase “gathering to one’s people” in 27:13 indicates that in Bemidbar, Moshe was starting the process of dying since he was beginning his separation from the people, and starting to step down from his role as the leader of the people. Note the phrase “like you brother Aharon” could be because maybe Aharon also had a short break before he died when he was no longer the high priest, see our discussion on 20:26-29, “Where did Aharon die?” Two, Moshe did not really need many opportunities to see the land. Only when Moshe was commanded to go to the peak of the mountain range, Mount Nevo, Devarim 3:27, 32:49, was he specifically going to see the land of Israel because from the peak he would have the best view of the land. Three, 27:22, which states that Moshe did as he was commanded by G-d, can be understood that Moshe went up on Mount Avarim. Even if one argues that 27:22, refers only to appointing Yehoshua, this appointment implies that there was a transfer of some authority to Yehoshua, which in turn implies that Moshe could take a break. Furthermore, once the Torah records that Moshe did what G-d commanded him and appointed Yehoshua, 27:22, this presumes that Moshe also fulfilled G-d’s other command and went up on the mountain.
This idea that by Moshe going up the mountain he was relinquishing the day-to-day responsibilities of being a leader can explain Moshe’s request to G-d to appoint the next leader of the people in 27:16,17. 27:16,17 records that Moshe wanted a successor to be appointed since otherwise he thought, "the people would be like a flock that had no shepherd." While many commentators understand that Moshe was concerned that the people needed a military leader, I doubt this since the metaphor of sheep does not conjure up military actions. (Friedman, 2003, p. 521, notes that the reference to a shepherd corresponds to Moshe's vocation prior to being the leader of the Jewish people.)
A different idea is that his request for a successor was because he feared that without a leader the people would disperse, just as sheep do without a shepherd. Yet, was it not obvious that the people would need a leader to take them into the land of Israel? Instead, maybe Moshe’s request of G-d should be understood to mean that Moshe was asking for G-d to appoint someone to be the administrative head of the people, while Moshe took his break from the people. Moshe was still the leader of the people, but he was concerned that there would be nobody to take care of the day-to-day issues that might arise. This was not an obvious request since in theory there could have been no leader when Moshe was on the mountain, as Moshe could descend from the mountain when needed. G-d agreed to Moshe’s request, and in 27:18-22 Yehoshua was appointed as the administrative head of the people in the book of Bemidbar. Later, in Devarim 31, when Moshe was just about to die, Yehoshua’s leadership roles were expanded, as then he was appointed as the political and religious leader of the people.
This idea of Moshe taking a break before he dies also suggests a connection between 27:12-14 and the previous verses that record the daughters of Tzelofhad’s request for land in the land of Israel, 27:1-11. My guess is that within the Torah, Moshe’s happiest moment was by the crossing of the Yam Suf, when he sang his song, Shemot 15:1-18. Afterwards, the Torah records complaints and sins of the people, as for example by the golden calf, when he came down with the tablets, and when the people sinned by the spies. Also, when he finished building the ohel moed, the ceremony was marred by the deaths of his nephews, Vayikra 10:1,2. After he finally brought the people to the verge of going into the land of Israel, they sinned with the women of Moav, 25:1. Even when he finishes his speech in Devarim, it ends pessimistically that he knows that the people are going to sin in the future, Devarim 31:29. Moshe might have doubted if the people would ever go into the land of Israel, and then whether his life’s work had been futile. The most positive act that the people were preparing to go into the land of Israel, and wanted to go into the land of Israel, was when the daughters of Tzelofhad requested to have land. This was a brave request since they had to make this request before the leaders of the people and whole assembly, 27:2, and they exhibited this bravery since they wanted to go to the land of Israel. For Moshe, their request might have brought him great satisfaction since he knew that his life’s work would succeed after he died. Thus, immediately after he had this good feeling, G-d told him to go to Mount Avarim to take a break from being the leader of the people. Moshe was then leaving on a “high” which would give him a positive feeling when he would think about his life and prepare for his speech in the book of Devarim.
Abravanel, Yitzhak (1437-1508), 2008, Commentary on Bemidbar, Jerusalem: Horev Publishing.
Friedman, Richard Elliott, 2003, Commentary on the Torah with a new English translation and the Hebrew text, New York: HarperSanFrancisco.
Kapach, Yosef, 1984, Commentary of Rabbenu Saadiah Gaon on the Torah, Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook.
Samet, Elchanan, 2004, Studies in the Weekly Parasha, Mitzpeh Nevo: Machon Maliyot.
No comments:
Post a Comment