Le Deutéronome 31:1 Commentaire : Chizkuni, Ramban, Ibn Ezra & Kli Yakar

וילך משה, “Moses went;” from near the Tabernacle where he had his residence, as we know from: והחונים לפני משכן ה' משה אהרן ובניו, “and the ones encamped in front of the Tent of meeting: Moses, Aaron and his sons.”He now went from each tribe to the next to advise them of his impending death. He assured them that they had nothing to fear from his impending death, but that they should take heart and support their new leader Joshua. Why did Moses feel that he had to address and reassure each tribe separately? Why did he not merely use his trumpets and call a great assembly of the whole nation? According to Rabbi Joshua in the name of Rabbi Levi of Sakkinon, the trumpets which Moses had made in the desert, G-d hid them so that no one, not even he himself, would ever blow them again, as it would have been unseemly to do so on the day when he knew he was going to die. On that day Moses’ control over events had come to an end.

AND MOSES WENT. When Moses concluded his words, all who stood before him, and the young children, and the women returned to their own tents. It was not necessary for Scripture to mention this [that they returned to their tents], for it already stated, Ye are standing this day all of you before the Eternal your G-d;¹Above, 29:9. that thou shouldest enter into the covenant of the Eternal thy G-d,²Ibid., Verse 11. and [it is self-understood that] after having entered the covenant they would go away from him [Moses]. And so Scripture now states that Moses went from the camp of the Levites to the camp of the Israelites in order to show them honor, like someone who wishes to take leave of his friend and comes to ask permission of him.

went He went to each tribe, to inform them that he was going to die, so that they would not be frightened, and to hearten them with respect to Joshua (this is the reason for the passage which immediately follows: “… you will divide it among them” [: 7]). It is also my belief that this is when Moshe blessed the tribes, even though it is recorded later [cf. 33: 1 ff.].