Midrash su Deuteronomio 34:4

And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre (Gen. 18:1) May it please our master to teach us: How many benedictions must a man pray each day? Thus do our masters teach us: A man must pray the eighteen benedictions (of the Amidah) each day. Why eighteen? R. Samuel the son of Nahman stated: This number corresponds to the eighteen instances in which the names of the patriarchs are mentioned simultaneously in the Torah.¹Cf. Y. Berakhot 84c, Y. Taanit 82b. The first being: And God will surely remember you, and bring you out of this land to the land which he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob (Gen. 50:24), and the last: The Lord said to me: This is the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob (Deut. 34:4). However, if someone should insist that the patriarchs are actually mentioned nineteen times, since it is written: God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it (Gen. 28:13), inform him that this verse is not counted, since Jacob’s name is not included (in the verse).

(Numb. 34:1–2:) THEN THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING: COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL <AND SAY UNTO THEM>: WHEN YOU COME INTO THE LAND OF CANAAN, <THIS IS THE LAND THAT SHALL FALL TO YOU AS AN INHERITANCES <THIS IS THE LAND>⁶These words occur also in Deut. 34:4 (cited below). The midrash, therefore, interprets the two passages together. What follows in Numb. 34:3ff. describes what Israel is about to receive, while Deut. 34:4 (cited below) speaks of the promise to Israel’s future seed and adds that Moses shall see it. teaches that the Holy One showed Moses all that had been and all that was going to be.⁷Tanh., Numb. 10:4; Numb. R. 23:5. He showed him Samson arising from Dan and Barak, from Naphtali. So also it was for every generation with its expounders, every generation with leaders,⁸Gk.: pronoos. every generation with its sages, every generation with its wicked, every generation with its righteous.

(Deut. 34:4:) AND THE LORD SAID UNTO HIM: THIS IS THE LAND WHICH I SWORE TO ABRAHAM, TO ISAAC, AND TO JACOB, SAYING: <I WILL GIVE IT TO YOUR SEED; I HAVE LET YOU SEE IT WITH YOUR OWN EYES….> The Holy One said to Moses: The oath that I swore to them I have fulfilled for their children. It is therefore stated (in Numb. 34:1): SAYING.⁹The Hebrew here can imply the giving of one’s solemn word.