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'''Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold with thine eyes; for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.''' {{hcite|p/pt/pt0503.htm#27|Deut 3:27}}
  
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After Moshe our teacher pleads with God, and requests to cross over into '''the good land that is beyond the Jordan''' {{hcite|p/pt/pt0503.htm#25|ibid. 25}}, He answers him that he shall not cross over -- but he can ascend that mountain and view the Land.
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It is very interesting that Moshe is told which direction to look: '''westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward''', that is to say, every direction.  But he is standing next to the east bank of the Jordan river, and it says, '''thou shalt not go over this Jordan'''!  If he is standing to the east of the Land of Israel, for what reason did God command him to look eastward?
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Two weeks ago we read, '''Thus your south side shall be…''' {{hcite|p/pt/pt0434.htm#3|Num 34:3}}, '''And for the western border…''' {{hcite|p/pt/pt0434.htm#6|ibid. 6}}, '''And this shall be your north border…''' {{hcite|p/pt/pt0434.htm#7|ibid. 7}}.  But regarding the eastern border it states, '''And ye shall mark out your line for the east border…''' {{hcite|p/pt/pt0434.htm#10|ibid. 10}} (the Hebrew is better translated as "you shall desire for yourselves an eastern border").  Why is it not written in the same kind of assertive language as the three previous ones?
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It seems to me the reason is simple: for the present, the Jordan river is indeed the eastern border.  But in the future, the border will be farther east: '''Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates'''{{hcite|p/pt/pt0115.htm#18|Gen 15:18}}, and '''for in Isaac shall seed be called to thee'''{{hcite|p/pt/pt0121.htm#12|Gen 21:12}}
  
 
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Revision as of 21:34, 14 August 2008

Vaetchanan 5768 - ואתחנן תשס"ח
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עֲלֵה רֹאשׁ הַפִּסְגָּה, וְשָׂא עֵינֶיךָ יָמָּה וְצָפֹנָה וְתֵימָנָה וּמִזְרָחָה--וּרְאֵה בְעֵינֶיךָ: כִּי-לֹא תַעֲבֹר, אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן הַזֶּה.  (דברים ג:כז)

לאחר שמשה רבינו התחנן לפני ה' וביקש לעבור אל תוך הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה, אֲשֶׁר, בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן  (שם כה), השיב לו ה' שלא יעבור -- אבל יוכל לעלות את ההר ההוא ולצפות בארץ.

ומעניין מאד שנאמר אל משה לאיזה כיוון יסתכל: יָמָּה וְצָפֹנָה וְתֵימָנָה וּמִזְרָחָה, דהיינו לכל כיוון. אך עומד הוא ליד הגדה המזרחית של הירדן, ונאמר כִּי-לֹא תַעֲבֹר, אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן הַזֶּה! אם הוא עומד מזרחה מארץ ישראל, מה הסיבה שה' ציווהו להביט גם מזרחה?

לפני שבועיים קראנו וְהָיָה לָכֶם פְּאַת-נֶגֶב…  (במדבר לד:ג), וּגְבוּל יָם…  (שם ו), וְזֶה-יִהְיֶה לָכֶם, גְּבוּל צָפוֹן…  (שם ז). אבל בגבול המזרחי כתוב: וְהִתְאַוִּיתֶם לָכֶם, לִגְבוּל קֵדְמָה…  (שם י). למה לא כתוב באותה לשון של וודאות שלשלושת הקודמים?

נראה לי שהסיבה פשוטה: שלעת עתה, הירדן אמנם גבול מזרח. אבל לעתיד לבוא, הגבול יהיה מזרחה: לְזַרְעֲךָ, נָתַתִּי אֶת-הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת, מִנְּהַר מִצְרַיִם, עַד-הַנָּהָר הַגָּדֹל נְהַר-פְּרָת  (בראשית טו:יח), ו-כִּי בְיִצְחָק, יִקָּרֵא לְךָ זָרַע  (בראשית כא:יב).

עברית

English

Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold with thine eyes; for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.  (Deut 3:27)

After Moshe our teacher pleads with God, and requests to cross over into the good land that is beyond the Jordan  (ibid. 25), He answers him that he shall not cross over -- but he can ascend that mountain and view the Land.

It is very interesting that Moshe is told which direction to look: westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, that is to say, every direction. But he is standing next to the east bank of the Jordan river, and it says, thou shalt not go over this Jordan! If he is standing to the east of the Land of Israel, for what reason did God command him to look eastward?

Two weeks ago we read, Thus your south side shall be…  (Num 34:3), And for the western border…  (ibid. 6), And this shall be your north border…  (ibid. 7). But regarding the eastern border it states, And ye shall mark out your line for the east border…  (ibid. 10) (the Hebrew is better translated as "you shall desire for yourselves an eastern border"). Why is it not written in the same kind of assertive language as the three previous ones?

It seems to me the reason is simple: for the present, the Jordan river is indeed the eastern border. But in the future, the border will be farther east: Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates (Gen 15:18), and for in Isaac shall seed be called to thee (Gen 21:12)



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