אֲשֶׁר־יֵצֵ֣א לִפְנֵיהֶ֗ם וַאֲשֶׁ֤ר יָבֹא֙ לִפְנֵיהֶ֔ם וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר יוֹצִיאֵ֖ם וַאֲשֶׁ֣ר יְבִיאֵ֑ם וְלֹ֤א תִהְיֶה֙ עֲדַ֣ת יְהוָ֔ה כַּצֹּ֕אן אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵין־לָהֶ֖ם רֹעֶֽה׃
yang akan maju di depan mereka dan pulang di depan mereka, dan yang akan membawa mereka keluar dan membawa mereka masuk, supaya umat Yang Mahakekal tidak menjadi seperti domba yang tidak mempunyai gembala.”
Midrash Tanchuma
"Lord God, You have begun" (Deuteronomy 3:24): There is a [relevant] parable: To what is this comparable? To a king that saw an orphaned woman and sought to marry her. He sent to propose to her. She said, "I am not fit to marry the king." He sent [again] and proposed seven times, but she did not listen to him. After a while, she married the king. [Later,] the king got angry with her and sought to divorce her and marry another [woman]. The first one said, "I have no shame if you divorce me, as it is you who sought me to begin with. However since you are divorcing me, I plead with you, do not do to this [wife] like what you have done to me." So [too] did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to Moshe. He seduced him for seven days. And [Moshe] said to him (Exodus 4:10), "I am not a man of words." After a while, the Holy One, blessed be He, appeased him. [So] he went on His mission, and all of the miracles happened through him. In the end, [God] said to him, "For 'you shall not enter [the land]'" (Deuteronomy 32:52). [So] Moshe our teacher said to Him, "Master of the world, if You do not want me to bring them to the land, I have no shame, as 'You began,'" which is an expression of beginning; "but since You have decreed this upon me, do not do to the one who brings them like You have done to me, 'That he should go in front of them [...] and that he bring them' (Numbers 27:17)." "And the Lord said to me, 'It is enough (rav) for you; do not add'" (Deuteronomy 3:26). As your opponent has preceded you. As so did Iyov state (Job 31:35), "O that I had someone to give me a hearing; O that the Omnipresent would reply to my writ, or my opponent (eesh rivi) write a book (a bill of charges)!" And which book [is that]? "This is the book of the generations of Adam" (Genesis 5:1, as Adam brought death to the world). What did Job say? "Small and great are there, and the slave is free of his master" (Job 3:19). Therefore, "It is enough."
Bamidbar Rabbah
“Who will go out before them, and who will come before them, and who will take them out, and who will bring them in, that the congregation of the Lord will not be like a flock that has no shepherd” (Numbers 27:17).
“The Lord shall appoint” – this is analogous to a king who saw a certain orphan woman. He sought to take her as a wife. He sent to propose to her. She said: ‘I am not worthy to marry the king.’ He sent to propose to her seven times but she did not want to do so. Ultimately, she married him. Sometime later he grew angry at her and sought to divorce her. She said to him: ‘I did not seek to marry you; you sought me. Since you decreed to divorce me and to take another, do not do to that one as you did to me.’ So it was with the Holy One blessed be He. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: For seven days,21See Vayikra Rabba 11:6. the Holy One blessed be He was enticing him to go on His mission, but he said to Him: “Please send by means of whom You will send” (Exodus 4:13). “I am not a man of words, neither yesterday nor the day before, [nor since You have spoken to Your servant]” (Exodus 4:10) – these are seven days. Sometime later, the Holy One blessed be He placated him, and he went on His mission, and He performed all those miracles by his means. Ultimately, He said to him: “You will not bring [this assembly into the land]” (Numbers 20:12). Moses said to Him: ‘Master of the universe, I did not request to go.’ Likewise he says: ‘“You began to show Your servant…” (Deuteronomy 3:24). Since this is what You decreed upon me, the one who will enter, do not do to him as You did to me. Rather, “who will take them out, and who will bring them in.”’
“The Lord said to Moses: Take you Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lay your hand upon him” (Numbers 27:18).
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Take for you Joshua, the son of Nun.” Moses did so generously, as it is stated: “The generous man will be blessed” (Proverbs 22:9). This is analogous to a king who said to a member of his household: Give so-and-so a se’a of wheat. He went and gave him two se’a. He said to him: One se’a from the king’s and one se’a from mine. So, the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “And lay your hand upon him” – one hand. What did Moses do? “He laid his hands [upon him] and commanded him” (Numbers 27:23) – to realize what is stated: “The generous man will be blessed.” This is why: “The guardian of a fig tree will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 27:18).
Why was the Torah likened to a fig tree? It is because the olive tree, the vine, and the date tree are each harvested at one time, but the fig tree is harvested a bit at a time. The Torah, too, one studies a bit today and a lot tomorrow, because it is not learned in one year and not in two years.
“A man in whom there is spirit” – because he had said: “God of the spirits” (Numbers 27:16); as You know the spirit of each and every one of Your creations, and You should appoint a person who knows how to conduct himself with each and every one of them in accordance with his own disposition.
“And lay your hand upon him” – like one kindling from lamp to lamp. “You shall confer from your grandeur [upon him]” (Numbers 27:20) – like one pouring from vessel to vessel.
What you said: “An inheritance shall not pass from one tribe to another tribe” (Numbers 36:9) – this honor will not move from your patrilineal house, as, even Joshua who is standing in your stead, “before Elazar the priest he shall stand” (Numbers 27:21).
“The Lord shall appoint” – this is analogous to a king who saw a certain orphan woman. He sought to take her as a wife. He sent to propose to her. She said: ‘I am not worthy to marry the king.’ He sent to propose to her seven times but she did not want to do so. Ultimately, she married him. Sometime later he grew angry at her and sought to divorce her. She said to him: ‘I did not seek to marry you; you sought me. Since you decreed to divorce me and to take another, do not do to that one as you did to me.’ So it was with the Holy One blessed be He. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: For seven days,21See Vayikra Rabba 11:6. the Holy One blessed be He was enticing him to go on His mission, but he said to Him: “Please send by means of whom You will send” (Exodus 4:13). “I am not a man of words, neither yesterday nor the day before, [nor since You have spoken to Your servant]” (Exodus 4:10) – these are seven days. Sometime later, the Holy One blessed be He placated him, and he went on His mission, and He performed all those miracles by his means. Ultimately, He said to him: “You will not bring [this assembly into the land]” (Numbers 20:12). Moses said to Him: ‘Master of the universe, I did not request to go.’ Likewise he says: ‘“You began to show Your servant…” (Deuteronomy 3:24). Since this is what You decreed upon me, the one who will enter, do not do to him as You did to me. Rather, “who will take them out, and who will bring them in.”’
“The Lord said to Moses: Take you Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom there is spirit, and lay your hand upon him” (Numbers 27:18).
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Take for you Joshua, the son of Nun.” Moses did so generously, as it is stated: “The generous man will be blessed” (Proverbs 22:9). This is analogous to a king who said to a member of his household: Give so-and-so a se’a of wheat. He went and gave him two se’a. He said to him: One se’a from the king’s and one se’a from mine. So, the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “And lay your hand upon him” – one hand. What did Moses do? “He laid his hands [upon him] and commanded him” (Numbers 27:23) – to realize what is stated: “The generous man will be blessed.” This is why: “The guardian of a fig tree will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 27:18).
Why was the Torah likened to a fig tree? It is because the olive tree, the vine, and the date tree are each harvested at one time, but the fig tree is harvested a bit at a time. The Torah, too, one studies a bit today and a lot tomorrow, because it is not learned in one year and not in two years.
“A man in whom there is spirit” – because he had said: “God of the spirits” (Numbers 27:16); as You know the spirit of each and every one of Your creations, and You should appoint a person who knows how to conduct himself with each and every one of them in accordance with his own disposition.
“And lay your hand upon him” – like one kindling from lamp to lamp. “You shall confer from your grandeur [upon him]” (Numbers 27:20) – like one pouring from vessel to vessel.
What you said: “An inheritance shall not pass from one tribe to another tribe” (Numbers 36:9) – this honor will not move from your patrilineal house, as, even Joshua who is standing in your stead, “before Elazar the priest he shall stand” (Numbers 27:21).
Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer
Rabbi Reuben said: The entire body follows the head, and when the shepherd goes astray the sheep go astray after him, as it is said, "For the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin" (1 Kings 15:30). When the shepherd is good, all follow after him. Moses began to sing, and to utter praises before the Holy One, blessed be He, and all Israel followed him, as it is said, "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel" (Ex. 15:1). Miriam began to sing and to utter praises, before the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the women followed her, as it is said, "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel… and all the women went out after her" (Ex. 15:20). Whence did they have timbrels and chorus in the wilderness? But the righteous always know and conciliate (God), and are assured that the Omnipresent, blessed be He, performs for them miracles and mighty deeds. Before (the time of) their departure from Egypt they prepared for themselves timbrels and chorus.