Musar su Deuteronomio 3:26

I want to add a few words in connection with 22,1 that we must not idly watch the ox or lamb of a fellow-Jew outcast. Let me preface my remarks with a comment by the Kabbalists on the transmigration of souls. The words of the saintly Rabbi Solomon Alkabez [who composed the famous Lecha Dodi which we sing every Friday night, Ed.] describe these concepts in the clearest terms. I have therefore chosen to quote from his works: "On the day the Lord created Adam (Man) on earth He equipped him with 248 luminaries [in the sense of inspirations. Ed.] which contained the details of the highest spiritual regions, אצילות, within which are found His statutes, social laws, and moral instructions. The function of the positive commandments is not only to enable man to live in this spiritual world, but also to enable him to live on this earth as a form of secondary existence, i.e. בצלם. G–d also created man with 365 sinews corresponding to the 365 negative commandments. When G–d "blew" the soul of life from the most refined spiritual regions into Adam's nose, Adam, so to speak, brought a soul equipped with all these מצות into this earthly existence. These מצות formed the attire of Adam's soul and not a single one was missing. Becoming guilty of "losing" even one of all these מצות is a mortal sin which results in one's soul's inability to attain the place assigned to it in the highest Spiritual Spheres. The distance one will be short of in attaining one's goal is in direct ratio to the number of מצות one has not fulfilled. If one has not only failed to fulfill all the positive commandments but has even become guilty of transgressing negative commandments, the result is an even greater distance between the place one occupies and the place one should have occupied in the Spiritual Regions. G–d, in His great pity for His creatures, has made thoughtful provisions so as not to totally cast out a sinner. This is why He established the principle of re-incarnation, i.e. transmigration of souls. By allowing a soul to return to earth once more, it is given a "second chance" to rehabilitate itself and recapture its original place in the world of the spirits. This principle of transmigration of souls is applied in three different ways, corresponding to the attributes in which our three patriarchs excelled respectively. Some souls do not return to earth because they have to rehabilitate themselves for positive commandments neglected or for negative commandments which they transgressed when they were on earth previously. The only reason they return to earth is in order to perform acts of kindness for the people of their respective generations. Details of this are explained in ספר הפליאה, ספר התמונה, and ספר לבנת ספיר. The Torah alludes to this in Deut. 3,26: ויתעבר ה' בי למענכם. The term עבור is compared to גלגול, both meaning a kind of "transfer." Moses is in effect telling the Jewish people that his being transferred from this world at that time and place was for their own good. This paralleled the attribute of חסד which Abraham excelled in.

He continued by emphasizing ואראה את הארץ הטובה, "So that I may see the good land." I have already mentioned that there are many different levels of sanctity. Even though Moses thought that the lands of Sichon and Og were already part of the Holy Land, he was well aware that the West bank was of a higher level of sanctity than the East bank of the Jordan. Terrestrial ארץ ישראל is situated "opposite" ארץ ישראל של מעלה, Celestial Eretz Yisrael. The most holy part of terrestrial ארץ ישראל may be presumed to be "opposite" the holiest part of Celestial ארץ ישראל. Moses longed for the holiest part of ארץ ישראל למטה in order to be closest to the holiest part of ארץ ישראל למעלה. This is why he spoke of "the good Mountain, Lebanon," meaning the Temple Mount and site of the Holy of Holies on that Mount. He wished to be able to fulfill the commandments calling for one's presence in the Holy Land and, more specifically, in the Temple. When Moses continued (3,26) ויתעבר ה' בי למענכם, this means that G–d denied Moses' request precisely because granting it would result in the whole people being spiritually raised to a level even with Moses who had despised the angel. Israel was simply not worthy of such a level on its own merits. Only under Joshua, who enjoyed the assistance of the angel (Joshua 5,14) who introduced himself with the words "now I have come," could the conquest of the remainder of the land proceed. Moses had rejected that very angel in Exodus 33,15 as an inadequate level of Divine guidance. Moses therefore had to tell the people that his departure was due to their not meriting direct Divine guidance such they had enjoyed during his leadership. The scholars who specialize in רשומות, see in the respective first letters of the words גם בי התאנף ה' בגללכם an allusion to גרשוני מסתפח בנחלת ה' "G–d has expelled me from participating in His heritage."

When G–d told Moses not to belabor the point any further, we must understand this reply on two levels, as G–d addressing Himself to two arguments. First G–d addressed Moses' desire to enter terrestrial ארץ ישראל in order to fulfill מצות התלויות בארץ. Concerning this request he told Moses "רב לך." Rashi explains this as G–d telling Moses that there is a great deal more in store for him where he was going (עולם הבא) than he could hope to achieve by performing commandments in the land of Israel on earth. These words of Rashi need further elucidation.