"Moshe's Prayer" Parshat Va'etchanan Connections to History

(26) But the LORD was wrathful with me on your account and would not listen to me. The LORD said to me, “Enough! Never speak to Me of this matter again!

(1) ויתעבר ה' בי למענכם, “the Lord was angry at me on your account.” According to the plain meaning of the text G’d became filled with anger on account of your many complaints. We have a similar verse in 4,21 where the wording is והתאנף ה' בי על דבריכם, “the Lord was angry at me on account of your words. Moses’ own reaction to some of the Israelites’ complaints was described in similar language, such as in Psalms 106,32: “and Moses suffered on their account.” [His error had been caused by the Israelites’ annoying G’d. Ed.]. (2) A Midrashic approach to these words: The word ויתעבר is basically the same as ויעבור in Exodus 34,6 ויעבור ה' על פניו, “the Lord passed in front of Moses.” Moses refers to the time after the sin of the golden calf when, seeing that G’d had endowed him with greatness on account of the Jewish people and “G’d passed before him,” he pleaded with G’d to forgive his own sin as well, but G'd did not accept his plea. (3) A kabbalistic approach: the word ויתעבר contains an allusion to the mystical dimension of calculating the lunar calendar. This idea is reinforced by Moses using the word בי instead of the word עמי, “with me.” On other occasions when the word התעבר is used as an expression of G’d’s anger such as in Psalms 89,39 the preposition used is עם, i.e. התעברת עם משיחך, “You were angry with Your anointed.”
It is common knowledge that the expression סוד העבור, is chosen as it depicts an element of עברה, זעם, i.e. Divine anger. The mystical dimension of all the orbits, the constant revolutions of celestial bodies which are a feature of this present imperfect universe (עולם הזה), are manifestations of the attribute of Justice. This is also the mystical dimension of Exodus 34,20 that G’d is פוקד עון אבות על בנים, that He remembers and punishes the sons if the sins of their fathers have not been expiated I have alluded to this principle when I discussed that verse and subject.
Another meaning of the expression פרשת העבור is that offered in Berachot 29, where Rav Chisda says that even when G’d is angry the needs of a pregnant woman, עוברה, are constantly part of His concern. Moses prayed that G’d should not allow His anger to blot out any other consideration. Some commentators in the Talmud there read instead of באשה עוברה, “at,” or “of” a pregnant woman,” כאשה עוברה “like a pregnant woman.” This error is responsible for these people misunderstanding the Talmud, as they thought G’d’s anger is compared to a pregnant lady. There can be no doubt that the correct text is באשה עוברה. This is also the view of the famous Kabbalist of Gerona, Rav Yitzchak the blind. [Incidentally, his house is the only trace of a Jewish presence ever in Gerona. This editor visited Gerona].
The reason that the science of calculating the time when the moon renews itself month after month is known as סוד העבור is that G’d knows all developments in human history long before they occur as well as the dates on which they will occur, as we know from Isaiah 41,4 קורא הדורות מראש, “He Who announced the generations from the start (of history).” [If the sages who calculate our calendar would err with the date the new moon is to appear and fix our calendar according to their faulty calculations this would cause confusion and play havoc with G’d’s plans seeing He authorized the Jewish sages to determine the calendar. Ed.]. This is why the סוד העבור is also known as כח הדורות, “the force determining human development.” All manifestations of trans-migrations of souls derive from the concept that G’d has foreseen all developments and finds ways of achieving His objectives in spite of man’s freedom of choice.
The word עבור is also closely related to the word רבוע, “square, divided into four equal parts,” (same letters differently arranged), an allusion to such transmigrations of souls being limited to a total of four such lives i.e. the original and a maximum of three transmigrations. Another mystical dimension of the word עבור is that such transmigrations do not occur outside, (beyond) the original family of the body the soul lived its original life in [if I understand the author correctly. Ed.]