Devar/5768/Ekev
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< Devar | 5768
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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