Pensamiento judío sobre Deuteronómio 34:4

G'd showed Moses the whole land of Gilead etc. and said: "This is the land...you have seen it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it." (Deut 34,4) If this was intended as a consolation, why did G'd arouse Moses' grief at not having realised what he had been allowed to view? Our sages, who were keenly aware of this, interpreted the first verse in the chapter, i.e. "vaya-al, he ascended, as emphasizing that Moses, as distinct from other mortals, always ascended. Jewish history knows of many ascents and descents. The statement describing Moses as being shown the land, must be understood as a vision into time, into the future, not as a vision into space.