Musar su Giosuè 5:78

I have explained the deeper meaning of this commandment elsewhere at length. However, we cannot simply pass by this opportunity to comment on such an important commandment and some of the secrets contained in that מצוה. This is especially so in view of the Torah relating the fulfillment of this commandment to Israel's possessing the Holy Land, seeing that G–d said to Abraham: "I shall give to you and to your descendants after you the land in which you sojourn, the whole of the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession; I shall be their G–d" (Genesis 17,8). Our sages comment that G–d told Abraham: "If your offspring will observe the commandment of circumcision they will enter the Holy Land; if not, they will not enter." (Compare Rashi on Joshua 5,4) We observe that the land of Israel is closely tied up with the rite of circumcision, the relevant verse in Scriptures (Deut. 32,9) being כי חלק ה' עמו, יעקב חבל נחלתו, "For the Lord's portion is His people, Jacob His own allotment (the "allotment" being the land of Israel).

Exodus 3,5, tells Moses to remove both his sandals, whereas in Joshua 5,15, we find the latter commanded to remove only one of his sandals. Why? There are three differences in the two stories. A) Moses is asked to remove "your sandals," i.e. plural. B) Here we read that the earth Moses stands on is holy, i.e. אדמת קודש. In the book of Joshua the word "soil," אדמה is missing. C) In the book of Joshua, it is reported that Joshua complied, i.e. ויעש כן, he did so. This comment is missing in the case of Moses.

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."

Moses therefore had good reason to complain that G–d had not indicated whom exactly He was going to send with him now -since the promise in 23,20 referred to the angel who would accompany Joshua when he invaded the land of Canaan. When the angel arrived in Joshua's time he identified himself as the angel G–d had spoken about in 23,20 saying "now I have come" (Joshua 5,14). He implied that he had not had permission to come during the lifetime of Moses. Although Moses had not yet been told that Joshua would lead the Jewish people in the conquest of the Holy Land and still thought that he himself would conduct that campaign, he did realise that the statement by G–d that He would send an angel presaged a sin on the part of the Jewish people and that as a result the שכינה would announce that G–d's direct Presence would not accompany them, just as Rashi explains. At that time Moses thought that the sin referred to would be something Israel would become guilty of in a far distant era, a time when the Temple would be destroyed and would subsequently be rebuilt and that at the time of this future redemption an angel would accompany the people of Israel back out of exile. He was certain, however, that as far as the present was concerned, G–d personally would lead the Jewish people in their ascent to the land of Canaan. This is why he was non-plussed saying: "You have not informed me," because he was not willing to accept the promise in 32,2 as, adequate. He explained the reason for his dissatisfaction with the words: "You have told me that I am persona grata." You might ask why it should have mattered so much whether an angel or G–d's personal presence would accompany the Jewish people on this journey. Moses reiterated that G–d had told him that he had become close enough to His Ineffable Name, i.e. ידעתיך בשם. This expression reflected the דבקות, affinity with G–d, which had been achieved. When the people left Egypt the plan had been to march to the land of Canaan without delay, a land in which the Ineffable Name is at home.