Halakhah sobre Números 31:2

Two additional traditional sources about the quality of life relate to Moses. One homiletical passage states that if Moses had wanted to live many more years he could have lived, for the Holy One, blessed be He, told him, "Avenge the vengeance of the children of Israel of the Midianites; afterward thou shalt be gathered unto thy people" (Numbers 31:2), making his death dependent upon the punishment of Midian.¹³Numbers Rabbah 22: 2. Had he delayed waging war with Midian, he could have prolonged his life. But Moses decided not to delay. He thought: Shall Israel's vengeance be delayed that I may live? He immediately ordered the Israelites "Arm ye men from among you for the war" (Numbers 31:3). Why did not Moses wait? One must conclude that the desire or need to avenge Jewish honor took precedence over increasing his life span. Sanctity of life is not the supreme value in Judaism. The quality of life of his nation, which had been degraded by the Midianites, who led Jewish youth to lechery and idol worship, had to be restored in preference to a longer personal life for Moses.