Parshas Ha’azinu is primarily a song,
broken into different sections of Hashem (through Moshe) congratulating Bnei
Yisrael on accepting the Torah upon themselves and reminding them of the
advantages and responsibilities that face them for the rest of time. Near the
end of the parsha, when the song is finished, Hashem tells Moshe to hike up the
mountain to his final resting place. It was from this spot that Moshe gave Bnei
Yisrael their final brachos, which we find in the next parsha, V’Zos Habracha.
After Hashem tells Moshe to go up the
mountain, He continues and says, “וּמֻת בָּהָר אֲשֶׁר
אַתָּה עֹלֶה שָׁמָּה וְהֵאָסֵף אֶל עַמֶּיךָ” “And die on the mountain upon which you are climbing and be
gathered to your people” (Devarim 32:50). The Ohr HaChaim says that the structure
of the word “וּמֻת” means that Hashem
was asking Moshe to want to die at this time. (Remember, we mentioned in
Parshas Vayeilech that even though Moshe couldn’t enter Eretz Yisrael with the
nation, he didn’t necessarily have to die.) This request was made because
according to the medrash, Hashem does not kill any tzaddik unless the tzaddik
is ready to die. Therefore, He had to ask Moshe to want to die in order to be
able to do so.
The Ohr HaChaim gives
three reasons why Moshe had to die and why in this place on Har Nevo. The first
is based on a gemarah in Sotah (14a) that says Moshe was buried on Har Nevo
directly opposite Beis Peor, the location where Bnei Yisrael sinned with the Moabite
women. Every so often, the angel of Peor rises up towards the heavens to
prosecute Yisrael for their sin, but every time he reaches the kever of Moshe,
he stops, bows his head, and turns around. Moshe was buried there for that
exact purpose.
The second reason is
more metaphysical. Hashem tells Moshe to go up, “אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה
עֹלֶה שָׁמָּה” “(the mountain) upon which you are climbing”. He is telling
Moshe to “go up” and take the reward that he cannot gain in this world. Even
though dying is hard, Moshe could leave this world with the knowledge that all
of his hard work was about to be rewarded.
The final reason has
to do with the final part of our quote from the pasuk, “and be gathered to your
people”. The standard translation for this line in the Torah is that the newly
deceased person follows in the footsteps of the righteous people of previous
generations and enters Gan Eden. The Ohr HaChaim explains that here is a
special case. Moshe was deeply connected with the generation of people who we
brought through the desert, more than any leader and nation have been connected
in any point throughout history. This connection lasted even after Moshe’s
death. Because of this connection, the people of that time were all brought
into Gan Eden, without exception, through their connection with Moshe! However,
if Moshe hadn’t been in Gan Eden first, the rest of the nation couldn’t have
followed; therefore, Moshe had to die too. But, as we mentioned before, Hashem
would not have done that unless Moshe agreed. So Moshe agreed, and made his
last sacrifice for the Jewish People.
Shabbat Shalom!
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