The Lesson That Moshe Rabbeinu Taught us on his very last days

 

This past Shabbos, the Baal Korah read Parshas Ve’eschanan.where Moshe Rabbeinu begins with the words:

‘’ןאתחנן אל ה’ בעת ההיא לאמר’’ ‘’I pleaded to G-d at that time’’

Commentaries discuss why Moshe specifically used the word ואתחנן a word that corresponds numerically to 515. They say this comes to teach us that Moshe pleaded to G-d that he enter Eretz Yisrael with 515 different individual prayers.

But what was missing in Moshe’s resume? After all, he dedicated his entire life to the Jewish people and in addition he was the greatest prophet that ever lived, the entire Torah is named after him as it says: ‘’זכרו תורת משה עבדי’’ ’’remember my servant’s  Moshe’s Torah’’ 

So why did he need to plead so much to enter Eretz Yisrael? What was he missing?

After all, Moshe was instrumental into bringing  the ten plaques on the Egyptians, split the Yam Suf, brought down the Luchos, made sure that the Jewish would have what to eat in the desert, was victorious in the war against the Amalekites, and was able to speak to Hashem פה אל פה face to face, so to speak, and Hashem Himself  testifies that ‘’בכל ביתי נאמן הוא’’ ‘’in My entire house he is the trusted one’’

So what else was missing?

With all his accomplishments and his righteousness, he still had to plead to Hashem with 515 different individual prayers... all by himself with no other Jew pleading on his behalf …. 

Why all those prayers? Let’s remember that all these prayers were for only one reason to be able to enter Eretz Yisrael, but why?

One of the great commentaries says that Moshe  wanted to pass on to us a great lesson. 

Moshe Rabbeinu wanted us to know the worth of Eretz Yisrael. 

Moshe is saying to us:

‘’My dear children, not being able to enter Eretz Yisrael, I will never be complete, I will forever have a part of me missing’’

This is the lesson the greatest teacher of the Jewish people, wanted to impart upon us, Eretz Yisrael isn’t a real-estate transaction, and it’s not settlements. Eretz Yisrael is a Land that is very Holy; the Torah itself bears witness to this:

,,עיני ה’ אלוקיך בה מראשית השנה ועד אחרית שנה’’

"The eyes of Hashen your G-d is upon her (Eretz Yisrael) from the beginning to the end of the year"

We all can enter where Moshe couldn't. Hashem made it possible for every single Jew to come and live in Eretz Yisrael; you are never complete if you never make that move, or at least instil the love of this Land of "milk and honey"  to your children and grandchildren.

From this parsha we learn, how much we have to thank and praise our Creator for those of us who have the merit to live and grow in a country that ‘’עיני ה’ אלוקיך בה’’