“But the Lord has not given you a heart to know, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, until this day” (Deuteronomy 29:3). What is, “but the Lord has not given you a heart to know”? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: When Israel stood at Mount Sinai and said: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7), the Holy One blessed be He said: “Would that this heart will be for them [to fear Me and to observe all My commandments forever, so that it will be good for them and for their children forever]” (Deuteronomy 5:26).
Israel heard, and they were silent. Rabbi Yehuda ben Levi said: To what is the matter comparable? It is to a powerful snake charmer who saw a certain powerful serpent. He said: ‘Who is able to charm this one?’
They said to him: ‘Are you not the snake charmer? It is all from you.’ So, when the Holy One blessed be He said: “Would that this heart will be for them,” they should have said: Master of the universe, You make it so. That is why Moses said: “But the Lord has not given you a heart to know.”
Another matter: “Would that [this heart will be for them]” (Deuteronomy 5:26) – Rabbi Meir said: Who is greater, the thief or the one who was robbed?26Meaning, did Israel, the thief, really mislead God when they proclaimed that they would be faithful to the covenant, or was God aware of their intent and nevertheless accepted their proclamation? (Etz Yosef). You must say: The one who was robbed is greater, as he knows that he was robbed, and he is silent.
So it is written: “But they beguiled Him with their mouth and lied to Him with their tongue. Their heart was not steadfast toward Him, nor were they faithful to His covenant” (Psalms 78:36–37),27All this despite the fact that they said: “We will perform and we will heed.” as it were, and He says: “Would that this heart will be for them.” “I have led you forty years in the wilderness; your garments did not become worn out from upon you, and your shoe did not become worn out from upon your foot” (Deuteronomy 29:4).
Another matter: “But the Lord has not given you a heart to know” (Deuteronomy 29:3) – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: It was for his own sake28So that he would be allowed to enter the Land of Israel. that Moses said this matter to them. How so? The Holy One blessed be He decreed two matters, one on Israel and one on Moses. One on Israel – when they performed that act.29The sin of the Golden Calf.
From where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “Let Me be and I will destroy them” (Deuteronomy 9:14). And one on Moses – when Moses sought to enter the Land of Israel, the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “You will not cross this Jordan” (Deuteronomy 3:27). Moses requested from the Holy One blessed be He to void both of them.
He said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, “Please pardon the iniquity of this people in accordance with the greatness of Your kindness”’ (Numbers 14:19), and the Holy One blessed be He voided it [His decree to destroy them], but Moses’s [prayer to forgive them] was fulfilled. From where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “I have pardoned in accordance with your word” (Numbers 14:20). When he came to enter the Land of Israel, he began saying: “Please let me cross, and I will see the good land” (Deuteronomy 3:25).
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Moses, you already voided Mine and I fulfilled yours. I said: “I will destroy them” and you said: “Please pardon.” Now, I seek to fulfill Mine and to void yours.’30Now, when you request to enter the Land of Israel, I seek to fulfill My decree to destroy them and void you request to forgive them, since you can't have it both ways (Maharzu). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: Moses, you do not know what to do; you wish to have it both ways.31Literally, “you wish to hold the rope by both ends.”
He said to him: ‘If you seek to have “please let me cross” fulfilled, void “please pardon.” If you seek to have “please pardon” fulfilled, void “please let me cross.”’ Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: When Moses our master heard this, he said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, let Moses and one hundred like him die, and let not the fingernail of one of them be damaged.’ Rabbi Shmuel bar Yitzḥak said: When Moses was nearing death, and they did not ask for mercy on his behalf so he could enter the land, he assembled them and began rebuking them.
He said to them: ‘One redeemed six hundred thousand with the calf; could six hundred thousand not have been able to redeem one person?’ That is, “but the Lord has not given you a heart to know.” He said to them: ‘Do you not remember everything that I did when I led you in the wilderness, as it is stated: “I have led you forty years in the wilderness…”’