Commento su Deuteronomio 31:2

וילך משה וגו' ... אנכי היום AND MOSES WENT ... I AM [HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS OLD] THIS DAY — Today my days and my years become full: for on this day (the seventh of Adar; cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 1:3) I was born and on this day I must die (Sotah 13b).

AND HE SAID UNTO THEM: ‘I AM A HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS OLD THIS DAY.’ This was to comfort them concerning his condition [i.e., about his approaching death], as if to say, “I am old and you have no more benefit from me. Moreover, G-d has commanded me that I should not go over there. Do not dread and do not be fearful, for the Eternal will go over with you; He will not remove His Presence from you on my account [i.e., because of my absence], and Joshua, he shall go over before³Further, Verse 3. you in my place.” Now, although Moses our teacher retained his vigor and health, as Scripture testifies, his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated,⁴Ibid., 34:7. he told them this [“I am old and you have no more benefit of me”] in order to comfort them [over the transfer of leadership to Joshua].
Now, Rashi wrote: “I can no longer go out and go in, because the Eternal hath said unto me: Thou shalt not go over this Jordan.” But it is not correct.⁵The text reads: ‘Vashem’ (‘and’ the Eternal) said unto me. Now, Rashi explains that the connective vav, which generally means “and,” signifies “because.” It is this interpretation which Ramban considers incorrect because vav always means “and,” not “because.” Mizrachi, too, raised this objection to Rashi and left it unanswered. See, however, in Ma’aravi where a different version of Rashi’s text is cited, in which the connective vav has its usual meaning. And in the opinion of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra the expression I can no longer go out and come in means to war, because his powers weakened in his old age. This too, is not correct.⁶For Scripture testifies: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated (further, 34:7). And our Rabbis have said:⁷Sotah 13b. “This teaches us that the well-springs of wisdom were stopped for him.” This was a miraculous event in order that Moses should not be troubled [about the transfer of leadership to Joshua] and [G-d] bestowing honor upon Joshua in his [Moses’] presence.⁸See further, Verse 14.

בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום, Moses mentions his age to remind the people that there is no reason to be sad that someone of his age has to die. According to any life expectancy and law of nature, he was no longer fit to go on living by natural means.

לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא, "I am no longer able to go out and come in" (lead you in war). Moses attributed his inability to do so to the fact that he had already lost control over his soul the one which bore his name, as we explained in the name of the Zohar. It had already departed from him.

This explains I cannot any longer, etc. It is as if he said, Because Hashem has said to me, ‘You will not cross over [the Yardein], etc. Yehoshua will cross.’ But it is not because his strength had weakened, for it is written, His appearance was not dulled and his freshness did not fade [Devarim 34:7]. For one cannot say, for Hashem is [a phrase] on its own, as if it had said, I am no longer able, and furthermore, for Hashem said to me, because the meaning of I am no longer able is I have no permission, if so that is the meaning of that the Holy One, Blessed Is He said to me do not cross. Therefore [Rashi] explains that for Hashem said is an explanation. As if to say, I am no longer able because Hashem said, etc. The [letter] vav [meaning and] of And Hashem means because, as in [the verse] And there was no man (Bereishis 2:5) which means Because there was no man.

V. 2. לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא .ויאמר וגו׳. Obgleich Kap. 34, 7 es von Mosche heißt, dass לא כהתה עינו ולא נס לחה, dass trotz seines hundertundzwanzigjährigen Alters seine Kräfte nicht abgenommen hatten, so war dies doch nur eine besondere Gnadenverleihung Gottes für die Zeit seiner Wirksamkeit. Da diese aber geschlossen sein sollte, so durfte er fernerhin nur die seinem Alter entsprechende natürliche Schwäche erwarten, und war ganz berechtigt zu sagen, dass er sich nicht zu beklagen habe, wenn er, der Hundertundzwanzigjährige, nicht mehr auf die Kraft zu einer öffentlichen Wirksamkeit rechnen dürfe. וד׳ אמר אלי וגו׳. Und wie nach dem natürlichen Lauf der Dinge seine Wirksamkeit ein Ende gefunden hatte, so hat auch der ausdrückliche Wille Gottes derselben ein Ziel gesetzt.

בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא, “I am one hundred and twenty years old today, I can no longer go out and return home.” One reason I cannot do so is my age; another reason is the fact that G–d has forbidden me to cross the river Jordan. You will not suffer a setback by my not crossing the Jordan, as G–d, personally, will cross with you, and He will destroy etc.;” i.e. כי ה' הוא עובר לפניך והוא ישמיד וגו'. I do not feel weak, but I must obey G–d’s command.

אמר אלי לא תעבור את הירדן הזה, “He had said to me: you will not cross this river Jordan.” You, the people, will not lose anything by that fact, as G-d Himself will cross the river Jordan ahead of you, leading you. (verse 3)

לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא I CAN NO LONGER GO OUT AND COME IN — One might think that this was because his physical strength failed him! Scripture, however, states (Deuteronomy 34:7) “His eye was not dim nor his natural force abated!” What then is the meaning of לא אוכל? It means: “I am not permitted” (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 12:17 and Deuteronomy 24:4), because the power (leadership) is being taken from me and given to Joshua. — Another explanation of לצאת ולבוא is: I can no more take the lead in the matter of the Law; this teaches us that the traditions and the well-springs of wisdom were stopped up for him (cf. Sotah 13b).

לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבא, even if I were still able, I would not be able to function physically as a leader should, such as leading you in he conquest of the Land of Israel as I am suffering from symptoms of old age.

This teaches that he was sealed off from the masoretic teachings, etc. The reason is so that he should not be upset that the greatness was taken from him and given to Yehoshua. For once the traditions of wisdom were blocked from him, why would [he wish to continue to] live? If you ask: Why does Rashi switch [the verse] and first explain I cannot any longer go forth and return and afterward he explains I am today [One hundred and twenty years old] which is not in the order [written] in the verse? And another question: This another interpretation should have been said immediately, before I am today. One can answer in the manner of pilpul: I cannot any longer go forth and return, ‘perhaps, etc.’ until ‘for Hashem has said to me, etc.’ And Rashi asks on this: If you were to ask, that the midrash says that Today my days [and years are completed], etc., which implies that if not for this reason For Hashem said to me, etc. he would not have been able to go forth and return! And he answers, Really, etc. as I explained. And what you asked, that the Midrash says Today my days [and years] were completed, etc. which implies that without this reason of For Hashem has said to me, etc. he would not have been able to go forth and return! One can answer that the Midrash explains to go forth and return in a different manner, [as Rashi himself explains in the] alternative answer: To go forth and return, “with respect to words of Torah, etc.” [in the name of Maharitz]. According to the alternative answer one must explain For Hashem has said [to me], etc. according to its plain meaning, that Hashem said. [Re”m]

He also wanted to explain to the people why he was convinced that he would die on that day. While we have already supplied the reason for this, it is not in the nature of the righteous to let on to their peers that they have some superior perceptions; this would be arrogant. This is why Moses cited two different reasons. 1) I am unable to lead you in war, i.e. I no longer have G'd's permission to do so. This permission has now been given Joshua. 2) G'd has told me: "you will not cross this river Jordan." From these two indicators it was clear to him that he had outlived his usefulness and was about to die.

לצאת ולבא ist der allgemeine Ausdruck für die öffentliche Wirksamkeit einer Volksleitung (siehe zu Bamidbar 27, 17).

וה' אמר אלי — This (according to the previous comment) is the explanation of לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא: I can no more go out and come in because (ו = because) the Lord has said unto Me, [Thou shalt not pass over this Jordan].

וה' אמר אלי לא תעבור, furthermore, G’d had said to me a while ago: “you will not cross;” even if I were physically capable of leading you, the fact that G’d told me that I would not cross the Jordan would have made my leadership pointless. You are therefore better off without me so that you will be able to cross.

The letter ו before the word השם is to be understood as the reason for the word היום Moses had used immediately before.

The sequence of the words וה׳ אמר אלי, "and the Lord had said to me, etc." which follow so closely on Moses' statement: I cannot go out, etc." indicate his loyalty as a servant of the Creator. He suggested by this sequence that if, per chance, this same G'd would now give him instructions to cross the Jordan, he, Moses, would gird himself and be ready to lead the Israelites across though he did not feel capable of doing so at this moment. The only reason he did not insist on doing so was that G'd had told him not to.