Parshat Vaetchanan 5770

Rabbi Ari Kahn

Why Couldn’t Moshe Enter the Land of Israel?

Parshat Vaetchanan starts with a prayer - Moshe’s plea that he be permitted to cross the Jordan and enter the Promised Land:

דברים ג :כג- כה

וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל ה’ בָּעֵת הַהִוא לֵאמֹר: ה’ אלקים אַתָּה הַחִלּוֹתָ לְהַרְאוֹת אֶת עַבְדְּךָ אֶת גָּדְלְךָ וְאֶת יָדְךָ הַחֲזָקָה אֲשֶׁר מִי אֵל בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה כְמַעֲשֶׂיךָ וְכִגְבוּרֹתֶךָ: אֶעְבְּרָה נָּא וְאֶרְאֶה אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן הָהָר הַטּוֹב הַזֶּה וְהַלְּבָנֹן:

And I pleaded with God at that time, saying, Almighty God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness, and Your mighty hand; for what god is there in heaven or earth, that can do Your works or has Your might? I beg You, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond the Jordan, that goodly mountain region, and the Levanon. (Devarim 3:23-25)

But Moshe was rebuffed, his plea rejected: