Questions: [1] Why is Moshe described by the name of "the servant of Hashem", and Yehoshua as the servant of Moshe, here, more than elsewhere?

And it came to pass. This means that as long as Moses was alive, Joshua could not cross the Jordan for two reasons: 1] Joshua could not command the army during Moses’ lifetime. 2] Crossing the Jordan was impossible because of the oath that Moses would not cross it. After Moses’ death, however, both these obstacles were removed, and therefore, Hashem said to Joshua. He explains that Joshua merited both prophecy and leadership of the people because he had been Moses’ attendant, for serving a sage is greater than studying under him (Berakhot 7b). He calls Moses “the servant of Hashem” to indicate that even after his death he continued to bear this title, as our Sages said: “Just as he stood and served here, so he stands and serves there” (Sotah 13b). This means that the righteous person who works only to perfect himself ceases his service at death. But one who works for the perfection of his generation and future generations both acquires merit and brings merit to others, down to the last generation. The service that continues through his influence even after his death is attributed to him, as it says, “And his righteousness endures forever” (Psalms 111:3). Thus, even after Moses’ death, he remained “the servant of Hashem.”

The Questions (2) Why did He say to him, “Moses My servant is dead,” when he already knew this? And the repetition, “to them—to the children of Israel,” is unusual wording.

Moses My servant is dead. Thus, the two obstacles mentioned above have been removed: 1] Previously, crossing the Jordan was impossible; now, arise and cross the Jordan. 2] Previously, you could not take the lead; now, arise and cross at the head, with all this people following you. (For, as explained, wherever the pronoun is repeated explicitly, it is the principal focus of the statement.) To the land. He says: Although you will command the army, and conquerors ordinarily give the conquered land the name of the commanding general or conquering king, who has the right to divide it and do with it as he pleases, this land will be different. Rather, to the land that I am giving to them—and He specifies, to the children of Israel. The pronoun repeated before the noun indicates that it is specifically for the children of Israel, not for you.

Every place. This verse already appears in the portion of Ekev (Deuteronomy 11:24). Our Sages explained (Sifrei, there) that it means: Even if you tread upon places outside the Land of Israel to conquer them, they will become yours, and the sanctity of the Land will apply there. But from the wilderness, etc., shall be your border—that is the territory you are commanded to conquer, whereas conquest outside the Land is optional. Moreover, you may not conquer territory outside the Land until you have conquered the Land of Israel. It is already known from the words of our Sages (Sifrei Devarim 7) that had Moses crossed over and conquered the land, they would not have needed warfare; wherever their feet trod, their enemies would have fallen slain before them. Thus, He told Moses, “Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread”—by merely treading upon it, you would acquire and conquer it, and it would become yours. Although sin caused them now to require warfare, the word of Hashem would not return unfulfilled. He therefore says that even now, every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, etc., I have given to you, as I spoke to Moses. This, however, depends upon the condition that from the wilderness, etc., shall be your border—that you conquer the whole Land of Israel. This, in turn, depended upon their improving their deeds, as it says, “These are the nations that Hashem left to test Israel through them” (Judges 3:1). Since He saw that their hearts were not wholly devoted to Hashem, He left some of the nations to test them. Had their hearts been wholly devoted to Him, so that they required no testing and could conquer their entire territory, matters would then have been as they would have been under Moses: they would have needed neither sword nor warfare.

Every place. This verse already appears in the portion of Ekev (Deuteronomy 11:24). Our Sages explained (Sifrei, there) that it means: Even if you tread upon places outside the Land of Israel to conquer them, they will become yours, and the sanctity of the Land will apply there. But from the wilderness, etc., shall be your border—that is the territory you are commanded to conquer, whereas conquest outside the Land is optional. Moreover, you may not conquer territory outside the Land until you have conquered the Land of Israel. It is already known from the words of our Sages (Sifrei Devarim 7) that had Moses crossed over and conquered the land, they would not have needed warfare; wherever their feet trod, their enemies would have fallen slain before them. Thus, He told Moses, “Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread”—by merely treading upon it, you would acquire and conquer it, and it would become yours. Although sin caused them now to require warfare, the word of Hashem would not return unfulfilled. He therefore says that even now, every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, etc., I have given to you, as I spoke to Moses. This, however, depends upon the condition that from the wilderness, etc., shall be your border—that you conquer the whole Land of Israel. This, in turn, depended upon their improving their deeds, as it says, “These are the nations that Hashem left to test Israel through them” (Judges 3:1). Since He saw that their hearts were not wholly devoted to Hashem, He left some of the nations to test them. Had their hearts been wholly devoted to Him, so that they required no testing and could conquer their entire territory, matters would then have been as they would have been under Moses: they would have needed neither sword nor warfare.

No man shall stand. He promised him two things: 1] No man shall stand before you—to assume authority or speak against you. (Know that there is a distinction between yityatzev lefanekha, with the letter lamed, which denotes an inferior standing before a superior on equal footing, as in “He shall stand before kings” (Proverbs 22:29) and “Who, then, can stand before Me?” (Job 41), and yityatzev befanekha, which denotes rising up to fight against someone, as in “No man shall stand against you” (Deuteronomy 7:24; 11:25).) He promised him that throughout his lifetime he would lead the people, and no one would raise his head independently of him. 2] Regarding his attachment to the Divine, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you—to cause My Divine Presence to rest upon you through miracles and wonders, as with Moses. He explains: Corresponding to the first promise, He says, “I will not let go of you,” meaning that I will hold your right hand to strengthen you continually. Corresponding to the second, He says, “I will not forsake you,” so that My holy spirit will not depart from you. For the opposite of physical strengthening is loosening one’s hold, as in “I held him and would not let him go” (Song of Songs 3:4), while the opposite of the resting of spiritual influence upon someone is abandonment.

The Questions (6–9) Why does He repeat the exhortation to courage and strength three times? Why does He add the word “very” the second time? What does He mean by “Have I not commanded you?” Why does He repeat His admonitions to observe the Torah? And why does He first say, “So that you may act wisely,” and afterward, “For then you will prosper, and then you will act wisely”?

Be strong. He now explains His words. Corresponding to the first promise, “No man shall stand before you,” you must strengthen yourself and take courage. (The initial awakening of valor is termed ḥizzuk, strength, while its maintenance and persistence, which constitute steadfastness of heart, are termed immutz, courage. This is the distinction between them everywhere.) For help from above comes in proportion to human preparation. He explains, “For you shall apportion the inheritance,” and this requires strength, so that no one will stand before you in matters concerning the inheritances, over which quarrels and disputes will arise. He explains that Joshua should strengthen himself and not fear for three reasons: 1] On account of yourself, for you, and no one else, will apportion the inheritance. 2] On account of those receiving it, namely, this people, the chosen people. 3] On account of the inheritance itself, namely, the land that I swore to their fathers; and My oath will not go unfulfilled.

Only. Corresponding to the second matter, attachment to the Divine, concerning which He said, “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you,” you must strengthen yourself even more, for true might consists in conquering one’s inclination. He also means that physical strength depends upon spiritual strength through observing the Torah. He explains that this strengthening consists of: 1] Observing—guarding yourself against violating the prohibitions. 2] And doing—fulfilling the positive commandments. Only in accordance with all the Torah—meaning that you should observe them not because your reason dictates them, but because the Torah commands them. Thus He says, which Moses My servant commanded you. Nor is it sufficient to observe only part of the Torah, for you must observe the whole Torah.

Do not turn aside from it—from the book. “To the right” refers to adding; and to the left, to subtracting. That is, you must neither add to it nor subtract from it.

So that you may act wisely wherever you go. He explains that the commandments of the Torah differ from human laws in two respects: 1] Most human laws lack a rational basis that leads to the desired end. The Torah’s commandments, however, are rational commandments leading toward happiness and perfection. Thus He says, “So that you may act wisely.” 2] Even rational human laws encompass only general principles, not every detail and aspect of conduct. The Torah’s commandments, however, teach a clear path through all the ways of human life. Therefore He says, “Wherever you go.”

It shall not depart. He explains that there is another condition besides practice: contemplation and study of the Torah. 1] It shall not depart from your mouth—engaging in learning and reviewing the Torah’s laws and commandments. 2] And you shall meditate upon it—continually reflecting upon and examining the Torah’s theoretical teachings. The purpose of contemplation and study must be practice: to observe the prohibitions and to fulfill the positive commandments, and only in accordance with all that is written in it. For even the teachings received through the Oral Torah will, upon examination, be found written and indicated in the Written Torah, according to the rules of language and the principles by which the Torah is interpreted.

For then you will prosper. There is a distinction between prosperity and wise conduct. One who consistently uses his reason and understanding to choose good means leading to the desired end is called wise; one whose fortune favors him, so that he consistently attains his desired end by chance, is called prosperous. The wise person has a keen and penetrating intellect, enabling him always to choose the most direct route to his goal. The prosperous person enjoys good fortune and a favorable configuration of the stars. He says that through studying the Torah, you will prosper, for Hashem will continually turn your fortune toward the good; and you will also act wisely, using your intellect to choose what is good. Furthermore, you will prosper in worldly matters and act wisely in matters of the soul.

Have I not. He has commanded him to be strong in distributing the inheritances and observing the Torah, but has not commanded him here to be strong in warfare against his enemies. He therefore answers, Have I not commanded you?—meaning: I have already commanded you to strengthen yourself in warfare, as it says, “He commanded Joshua and said: Be strong and courageous” (Deuteronomy 31:23). Corresponding to “Be strong,” He says, Do not be terrified; and corresponding to “Be courageous,” which means maintaining strength in the heart, He says, Do not be dismayed—meaning: Never fall from your level of resolve.

For Hashem your God is with you wherever you go. Even when you go to war against the enemy, Hashem your God is with you to deliver your enemy into your hand. Therefore, He did not say, “For I am with you,” since this refers back to what Moses told him: “Hashem is the One Who goes before you; He will be with you” (Deuteronomy 31:8). Here He repeated what He had spoken through Moses.

And Joshua commanded. I shall explain (in verse 12 and in chapter 2, verse 1) that before the word of Hashem came to him, Joshua was afraid. He spoke with the Reubenites and Gadites, asking them to go ahead as armed troops to assist him, and also secretly sent spies to investigate and gather information. He intended to wait until the spies returned. Now, however, upon hearing the word of Hashem, he took courage and no longer wished to wait for the spies, but commanded that the following proclamation be made:

Prepare provisions for your journey. For on the morning of the second day they departed from Shittim (3:1). Preparing the provisions consisted of grinding the manna in mills and pounding it in a mortar.

The Questions (12) Why does he alter the word order, placing the noun before the verb? The usual narrative wording would be, “And he said to the Reubenites,” for such is the rule of the language.

And to the Reubenites. Hebrew ordinarily expresses the past by using future-tense verbs prefixed with a vav, which converts the future into the past: and he said, and he saw, and he separated, and he called. This applies specifically to narrative statements that preserve the chronological sequence of events, and is called the sequential past. But when the text wishes to recount something that began or occurred before the event previously narrated, it uses the verb alone and always places the noun before the verb. This is called the anterior past, as the grammarians have written. Thus Rashi explains “And Adam knew” (Genesis 4:1) as “he had already known,” and “And Hashem remembered Sarah” (ibid. 21:1) as occurring before He healed Abimelech. We have already discussed this in various places. Accordingly, since it does not say, “And Joshua said to the Reubenites and Gadites,” it is clear that the text does not follow chronological order here. Rather, and to the Reubenites he said means that he had said this previously. That is, even before the word of Hashem came to him, Joshua had been considering how to conquer the land. Being afraid of the war, he told the Reubenites and Gadites to cross over armed before their brothers, and likewise sent spies—all because of his fear and apprehension. Thus, the entire account from here until chapter 3 took place before the preceding event, when Hashem spoke to him. For when Hashem saw that he was dismayed at heart, He told him to cross the Jordan without waiting for the spies he had sent, to be strong and courageous, and not to rely upon the might of the Reubenites. Therefore, immediately after this Divine address, Joshua commanded the people to prepare provisions, for within three days they would cross the Jordan, although he did not then know that the spies would return within those days. This resolves the difficulty concerning the reckoning of the three days, as will be explained at the beginning of the next chapter.

The Questions (13–15) Did not Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, stipulate with them (in the portion of Mattot) only that they should cross over armed and remain until the conquest was complete? Why, then, did Joshua add that they must remain until after the land had been apportioned and settled? Why does he repeat, “Hashem is granting you rest” and “He has given you this land”? And why does he say again, “Which Moses gave you beyond the Jordan,” words that appear superfluous? According to the rules of the language, he should have said, “You shall return to the land of your possession, which Moses gave you, and take possession of it” (as I explained this rule in my commentary on the Sifra, Vayikra 1, concerning the phrase “Which is at the entrance of the Tent of Meeting”).

Remember the word. He refers to what is stated: “I commanded you at that time, saying: Hashem your God has given you this land to possess it; you shall cross over armed,” etc., “Only your wives and your little ones,” etc., “Until Hashem grants your brothers rest as He has granted you” (Deuteronomy 3:18–20). That is, in the condition he stipulated with them, he said, “And the land shall be subdued before Hashem, and afterward you may return” (Numbers 32:22; likewise verse 29), obligating them to remain only until the conquest was complete. In Deuteronomy, however, he recalled commanding them to remain there until the division of the land. Although he had not originally stipulated this, he said that fairness required them to do so. There is another reason for this, as I explained in my Torah commentary on the portion of Mattot: Moses repeatedly stipulated that they should go armed “before Hashem,” as it says, “Every armed man among you shall cross over before Hashem,” and “The land shall be subdued before Hashem” (ibid., verses 21–22). For he thought that the conquest would take place miraculously, in which case they would need to remain only until the conquest was complete. In Deuteronomy, however, he saw that the warfare would follow a more natural course. Therefore, he said, “You shall cross over armed before your brothers,” without specifying that they would cross “before Hashem.” They consequently needed to remain until the division was complete, when warfare would cease entirely. Joshua likewise explains here: Hashem your God is granting you rest—meaning that you enjoy two benefits: 1] Rest, for your wives and little ones dwell peacefully and no longer wander from place to place. 2] And He has given you this land, which you requested. He clarifies his meaning as follows:

Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land. They will not wander like your brothers’ wives. Therefore, fairness requires that you cross over armed before your brothers. (According to our explanation that “before your brothers” means the warfare would follow a natural course, he specifies that the mighty warriors should cross over. Had they crossed “before Hashem” in miraculous warfare, the entire people would have needed to cross, not specifically the mighty warriors.)

Until Hashem grants your brothers rest as He has granted you. You must remain here until after the division of the land, so that they will have rest and an inheritance just as you do. Corresponding to “Hashem your God is granting you rest,” he says, “Until Hashem grants rest”; and corresponding to “He has given you this land,” he says, “And they too shall take possession,” etc.

Which he gave. This means that he gave it to you only on this condition: that you would take possession of it if you did not abandon your brothers.

All. This means: You need not remind us of Moses’ command, for your own command is sufficient for us to act accordingly. And not only in this matter, which fairness obligates us to fulfill, but also wherever you send us, we will go, provided that:

Only if Hashem is with you as He was with Moses. Then you will have the same standing in our eyes as your teacher. And not only this, but also:

Any man who rebels against your command shall be put to death. In accordance with the law governing rebellion against royal authority. They said, “Anyone who rebels”—doing the opposite of what he was commanded—and also, “Who does not obey”—failing to do what he was commanded. For rebellion concerns violating a prohibition, while disobedience concerns failing to carry out a positive command. They said, in whatever you command us—even in a minor matter, he is liable to death under the law governing rebellion against royal authority.

Only be strong. Provided that you show the strength befitting the leader of the people. Notice that they, too, mentioned the two things Hashem had told him: “No man shall stand against you,” and “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” Concerning both, they told him, “Be strong and courageous,” as I explained above.