In other words, only Hashem was mechadeish [innovated] that there is such a thing as teshuva, but if man does not set out on a new path and break away from his evil ways, he has nowhere to flee from his sins—they will pursue him in this world and the next; if not now, then in the next gilgul [reincarnation], and so on, infinitely. Rav Zimmerman cites the verse: “Therefore, He teaches the sinners in the way.” Meaning, to prevent them from the wickedness of sin, Hashem shows sinners the proper way.

What was Moshe’s message to us in Sefer Devarim? What does he do on the last day of his life? He came to change our outlook on rebuke, to emphasize for us that it is good and straight. He did not mean to inflict pain or belittle us, chalila [God forbid].

In Parshas [the Torah portion of] Va’Eschanan [And I Pleaded] we see an additional phase of the elevated form of rebuke of Moshe Rabbeinu. In the previous parsha, at the outset of Sefer Devarim, Moshe calls upon the nation directly to mend their ways, but in Va’Eschanan, his rebuke is one of exaltation and chizuk [encouragement], calling upon us to reach greatness, showing how we are beloved to Hashem, as it states in the 9th of Drashos Haran [the Sermons of the Ran]. (In the chapter, The Prominence of Klal Yisrael, we discuss this Ran at length.)

We can add that in Va’Eschanan, Moshe shows Klal Yisrael that Hashem did not forgive him for having lessened the honor of Yisrael at Mei Meriva [Waters of Contention], and because of that he would not be allowed into Eretz Yisrael, despite his fervent protestation.

My father would always tell me that a Rav [rabbi] has to be without blemish. He has to meet the highest standards, and so too, when thinking about Klal Yisrael as a unit, we must envision the Jewish people as a reality that is impossible to criticize, one that is without blemish, above any possible chance for rebuke.

Therefore, when Klal Yisrael sinned, it was necessary to look at the nation in a different way. This is because Klal Yisrael is impossible to criticize, as the Ramchal [Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto] said, that when a rasha [wicked person] does something good, we say that it is bad, and when a tzaddik [righteous person] does something bad, we search for the good in it. This is the depth of the claim against Moshe Rabbeinu, and this is the message he wanted to impart to the nation he was taking leave of—how much they were beloved to Hashem, and that it was not even remotely possible to criticize them or judge them.