One of the saddest moments in the Torah walks hand in hand with one of its most selfless. In this week’s parasha, after counting the Jewish People who will shortly possess the Land of Israel, Moshe is reminded that he will not. They will travel on without him:

God said to Moshe, “Go up to this Mountain of Avarim[1], and see the Land which I have given to the Children of Israel. And you shall see it, and (then) you shall be gathered to your people…” (Bamidbar 27:12–13)

This is followed by an unprecedented moment in the Torah; after forty years of God giving Moshe commands, Moshe makes one in return:

Moshe spoke to God, saying, “Let God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation: who will go out before them, and who will go in before them, and who will lead them out, and will bring them in; so that the congregation of God will not be as a flock that does not have a shepherd.” God said to Moshe, “Take Yehoshua the son of Nun, a man who has spirit in him, and lay your hand upon him…” … Moshe did as God commanded him: and he took Yehoshua… (Ibid 15–18, 22)

Moshe puts People over pride. He might not be allowed to be the leader, but he insists that the People will have a leader regardless. His dedicated student Yehoshua will succeed him. A lifetime of hard work and commitment has paid off for Yehoshua. His unceasing learning from, and shadowing of, Moshe, has made him his successor. A remarkable individual though he was, he was not Moshe. The Talmud makes a profound analogy:

The face of Moshe........

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