Moshe did his share and it was time to move on

This week’s Torah portion, Vaetchanan, begins in the middle of Moshe’s explaining how, after he appointed Yehoshua as the next leader, he once again beseeched G-d for permission to enter the Promised Land. The response from the Almighty was “Rav Lakh” (“do not speak to me any more about this”). (3:26)

The words “Rav Lakh” are translated by ArtScroll as “It is too much for you,” by Hertz as “Let it suffice thee,” and by Aryeh Kaplan as “Enough!”

The simplest explanations of the phrase come from R Samson Raphel Hirsch and Netziv in Haamek Davar. Hirsch: “You did yours. Through fulfilling your mission on earth … you’ve achieved your portion in seeing the greatness and strength of my ways.” Netziv: “You did much for the benefit of the community. There’s nothing you can add in the dissemination of Torah.”

These perspectives suggest that G-d is telling Moshe that your destiny was to get this far, you’ve achieved what your life was all about, and now it is someone else’s turn. There is nothing to discuss.

But the fact is that the term “rav lakh” has many interpretations, not just in terms of the specific meaning of the words, but in terms of the tone that G-d was employing. Was He angry or empathetic? Was He exasperated with Moshe, or was He trying to soothe Moshe and ease the pain of the harsh reality that his dream of entering the land had no chance of being realized?