When the Torah says, “Command the children of Israel, and say to them: For you are coming to the land of Canaan; this will be the land that will fall to you as an inheritance” (Numbers 34:2), it's not just about the land itself. It's about a panoramic view of history.
The text suggests that God showed Moses everything – everything that was and everything that would be. Imagine that for a moment. According to the Midrash, he saw Samson rising from the tribe of Dan, Barak son of Avinoam from Naphtali. He witnessed every generation – its teachers, its judges, its leaders. But not only the righteous. He saw the transgressors too.
It’s a breathtaking vision, isn’t it? Each generation unfolding before his eyes.
This idea finds further support in Deuteronomy 34:4, “The Lord said to him: This is the land regarding which I took an oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying: To your descendants I will give it; I have let you see it with your eyes." But according to Sifrei, Devarim 357, what exactly did God show him? Gehenna. Gehenna, often translated as hell, the place of punishment.
Can you imagine the impact of seeing that? Moses asks, naturally, "Who is sentenced in it?" And God replies, "The wicked and those who betray Me," echoing Isaiah 66:24: “They will emerge, and they will see the corpses of the people [who betray Me]."
Suddenly, the weight of leadership, the burden of responsibility, must have felt crushing. Moses, witnessing the fate of the wicked, began to fear Gehenna himself. But God reassures him: “I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross into there” (Deuteronomy 34:4).
So, what's the meaning of "this is the land [regarding which I took an oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob], saying"? The Holy One, blessed be He, says, according to Bamidbar Rabbah: ‘Go and say to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: The oath that I took to you, I have fulfilled for your descendants.’ That’s why "saying" is emphasized. God isn't just showing Moses the future; He's fulfilling a promise made long ago.
It all comes down to covenant. A promise kept across generations. A vision granted to a leader not just of land, but of the consequences of our choices.
What does this mean for us? Perhaps it's a reminder that our actions have repercussions that ripple through time. Or maybe it's a testament to the enduring nature of God's promises. Either way, Bamidbar Rabbah offers a glimpse into a moment of profound revelation, a moment that forever changed Moses and continues to challenge us today.