Dutifully, Moses chronicled the desert years—highs and lows. When complete, he charted the circuitous
trek which had begun in Egypt and continued until the plains of Moab. Standing close to the Jordan
River, the prophet understood that he had reached the end of his road, his journey. God told him
explicitly that he would not be crossing the Jordan into Israel with his brethren. Perhaps with not a little
poetic justice, the camp rested in Avel Shittim. In Hebrew “Avel” means “a mourner.” Moses knew for
whom the nation would soon mourn.

“And God spoke to Moses saying. Command the Children of Israel, and
say to them: When you come into the land of Canaan, this shall be the
land that shall fall unto you for an inheritance, even the land of Canaan
according to the borders thereof.”

Here in Chapter 34, according to Abravanel, we find an unrecorded conversation between the Maker
and His prophet, Moses. His mood was one of queasy unrest—quite absorbed and distracted.
Unplugged, Moses muttered to himself:

I have toiled but found no peace. I brought this people out of Egypt. I have led and guided them for forty
years in efforts to bring them into Canaan. Here I stand on banks of the Jordan. And yet I am deprived of
crossing over it and have not merited to settle my people there. The task goes to another man; he will
situate them.

A fig orchard I have harvested but shall not taste its fruit. Joshua, my attendant, will delight in the sweet
fruit. The land will be called by his name. Armies he will conquer. And he will bequeath the same to the
Children of Israel. Forgotten shall be my name, a name to be cast aside and buried.

Sullen and dejected, Moses sank lower and lower. God sought to buoy His sullen servant’s sagging spirit.
Of course, He knew exactly what would comfort and revive him: fulfilling commandments.

So, God gave Moses directives, specifically those obligations that are dependent upon the Holy Land like
those associated with its conquering and division among the tribes. In so many words, the Creator
explained that besides granting him an unobstructed view of Canaan, He would outline for the prophet
those things he yearned to perform, if only given a chance. God neatly divided Moses’ presumed wish
list into five broad categories.

  • To search, destroy, and displace the enemy and rid the land of idolatry
  • To establish geographical borders along Israel’s length and breadth
  • To apportion territory to the twelve tribes
  • To grant the Levites, his fellow tribesmen, cities within Israel
  • To complete the designation of cities of refuge, a process he began on the East Bank

Light shone in. Moses heard God say that even had he traversed the Jordan, the only realistic way to
accomplish these worthy goals would come by way of enlisting other’s help. Finding, hiring, and
directing lieutenants proved key. As project manager, if you will, the enterprises would bear Moses’
name since he had set the machinery in motion. Should he put together a team and command them to
implement those five areas delineated above, then Moses’ funk would lift commensurately. Without a
tad of hyperbole, it would be akin to his having physically been there in person, overseeing the
operations.

This unrecorded exchange, according to Abravanel, takes readers behind the scenes. Here is the context
whereby Moses takes charge and wraps up crucial operations, the subjects of the final chapters in
Numbers.