Musar zu Bamidbar 10:29

The Torah now resumes its narrative of the Israelites' journeys from Mount Sinai, the first such journey having as its objective entrance into the Holy Land, which substitutes for the original גן עדן into which original Adam had been placed. This was in line with the promise recorded in Ezekiel 36,35, concerning the future: "This very land which was desolate has become a Garden of Eden." The advantages of ארץ ישראל are described in the next paragraph (10,29), when חובב בן רעואל in, Moses's father-in-law, is invited to remain with the Jewish people with the unusual words "we are travelling towards the place of which G–d has said: "I will give it to you." The difficulty in this episode is that originally Moses had told his father-in-law that if he would remain with the people, they would let him share the good that G–d had said that He would bestow on the people. Yitro had declined this offer, saying he preferred to return to his own land and birthplace. When Moses repeats his invitation, he describes this טוב, goodness, that G–d would bestow upon the people as something that they in turn would bestow on him (10,32). In what way was Moses' second invitation designed to sway his father-in-law? What did he offer that he had not offered previously? Another difficulty is the repetition of the word טוב אשר ייטיב, "the good which G–d will do good?" A third difficulty is the clumsy wording in verse 29. It would have sufficed to speak of כי ה' דבר טוב על ישראל, "for G–d has spoken well concerning the future of Israel." Why did Moses have to say first "which G–d had said "I will give it to you?"