Les Nombres 10:36 Midrash : Devarim Rabbah, Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition) & Midrash Tanchuma

Another matter: “I pleaded” – this is what the verse said: “He changes the times and the seasons…” (Daniel 2:21). Rabbi Avin said: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a close friend who would appoint generals, governors, and commanders. Sometime later, they saw that he was requesting from the gatekeeper to enter the palace, but he would not let him. Everyone was astonished and said: Yesterday he was appointing generals, governors, and commanders, and now he requests from the gatekeeper to enter the palace, and he does not let him? They would say to him [the questioner]: ‘His time has passed.’ So, Moses would issue a decree on the Holy One blessed be He, and He would fulfill it: “Arise Lord” (Numbers 10:35), “return Lord” (Numbers 10:36), “but if the Lord creates a creation [yivra Hashem]” (Numbers 16:30) – if an opening was created for it from the six days of Creation, that is fine, but if not, “may the Lord, create [yivra Hashem].”³Moses asked God to open the ground and have it swallow up Koraḥ, Datan, and Aviram. This in fact occurred. “Yivra Hashem” by itself can be understood as meaning, “Let the Lord create.” But now, he is pleading and prostrating himself [in prayer] to enter the Land of Israel, but his [request]is not accepted; his time has passed: “At that time, saying.”⁴He prayed “at that time,” asking to enter the Land of Israel, but the time in which he had God’s favor had already passed.

Variantly: "before the eyes of all the people": We are hereby apprised that if they lacked (in unity of heart) even one, they could not receive (the Shechinah). R. Yossi says: Even if they numbered 22,000, they could receive it, it being written (Numbers 10:36) "And when it (the ark) rested, he (Moses) would say: 'Return, O L–rd (to) the (two) ten thousands (two) thousands of Israel.'"

Our Rabbis were taught (Num. 10, 36) And when it rested, he said, 'Return O Lord to the myriads and thousands of Israel.' (Fol. 64) Infer from this that the Shechina does not rest upon less than two myriads and two thousands Israelites. Suppose Israel numbered twenty-two thousand less one, and there be one amongst them who did not marry, is he not the cause which prevents the Shechina from resting upon Israel? [Hence the sin of being unmarried is great]. Abba Chanin said in the name of R. Elazar: "Such a man is subject to a penalty of death, as it is said (Ib. 3, 4) And they had no children, — this allows the inference that if they had had children they would not have died." Others again say that such a person causes [directly] the Shcehina to depart from Israel, as it is said (Gen. 17, 7) To be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee; i.e., as long as there are seed after thee, the Shechina will rest; but if there are no seed after thee, then upon whom else shall it rest, upon the woods or the mountains?