Kommentar zu Dewarim 29:14

ואת אשר איננו פה [NOT WITH YOU ALONE DO I MAKE THIS COVENANT … BUT WITH HIM THAT STANDETH HERE …] AND ALSO WITH HIM THAT IS NOT HERE — i.e. with the generations that will be in future (i.e. Moses is not referring to persons who happened to be absent from the assembly, for it states, v. 10, that all were present: “You are standing this day all of you before the Lord”) (Midrash Tanchuma, Nitzavim 3).

AND ALSO WITH HIM THAT IS NOT WITH US THIS DAY — “that is, also with the future generations.

ואת אשר עמנו פה עמנו היום, a reference to future, as yet unborn generations. You will therefore have to explain to these unborn generations in due course that you yourselves only received this land on the understanding that subsequent generations of Jews would remain loyal to the terms of your acceptance. They will continue to inherit the land from you only on that basis.

ואת אשר איננו פה עמנו היום, “as well as those who are not here with us this day.” All these as yet unborn generations of the Jews participating in this assembly are included in this oath/covenant to be undertaken at this time.

Even with the generations destined for the future. You cannot explain the verse according to its straightforward connotation, that those who are not here had left, because it is written, “You stand, this day all of you. Also, you could [refute this explanation and] say: How can one contract a covenant with someone who is not present? Perhaps if he came back from where he went and was here, he would not accept the covenant! But if it refers to those who will be in the future, there is no difficulty as even if their bodies were not there, their souls were there and accepted the covenant. Another explanation is that “a son is the extension [lit., leg] of his father,” and being that the fathers accepted [the covenant], the sons who come after them are also included in the covenant.