Until 120 Years...

(ג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֗ה לֹֽא־יָד֨וֹן רוּחִ֤י בָֽאָדָם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ם בְּשַׁגַּ֖ם ה֣וּא בָשָׂ֑ר וְהָי֣וּ יָמָ֔יו מֵאָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃

Genesis 6:3

(3) The LORD said, “My breath shall not abide in man forever, since he too is flesh; let the days allowed him be one hundred and twenty years.”—

דברים ל״א:ב׳

(ב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם בֶּן־מֵאָה֩ וְעֶשְׂרִ֨ים שָׁנָ֤ה אָנֹכִי֙ הַיּ֔וֹם לֹא־אוּכַ֥ל ע֖וֹד לָצֵ֣את וְלָב֑וֹא וַֽיהוָה֙ אָמַ֣ר אֵלַ֔י לֹ֥א תַעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֥ן הַזֶּֽה׃

Deuteronomy 31:2

(2) He said to them: I am now one hundred and twenty years old, I can no longer be active. Moreover, the LORD has said to me, “You shall not go across yonder Jordan.”

ספורנו על דברים ל״א:ב׳:א׳

(א) בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום ואין להתעצב על מיתתי שלא הייתי ראוי להיות עוד בטבע:

Sforno on Deuteronomy 31:2:1

(1) בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום, Moses mentions his age to remind the people that there is no reason to be sad that someone of his age has to die. According to any life expectancy and law of nature, he was no longer fit to go on living by natural means.

רש"י על דברים ל״א:ב׳:ב׳

(ב) לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא. יָכוֹל שֶׁתָּשַׁשׁ כֹּחוֹ, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "לֹא כָהֲתָה עֵינוֹ וְלא נָס לֵחֹה", אֶלָּא מַהוּ לא אוכל? אֵינִי רַשַּׁאי, שֶׁנִּטְּלָה מִמֶּנִּי הָרְשׁוּת וְנִתְּנָה לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ. דָּ"אַ — לצאת ולבוא. בְּדִבְרֵי תוֹרָה, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁנִּסְתְּמוּ מִמֶּנּוּ מָסוֹרוֹת וּמַעְיְנוֹת הַחָכְמָה (סוטה י"ג):

Rashi on Deuteronomy 31:2:2

(2) לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא I CAN NO LONGER GO OUT AND COME IN — One might think that this was because his physical strength failed him! Scripture, however, states (Deuteronomy 34:7) “His eye was not dim nor his natural force abated!” What then is the meaning of לא אוכל? It means: “I am not permitted” (cf. Rashi on Deuteronomy 12:17 and Deuteronomy 24:4), because the power (leadership) is being taken from me and given to Joshua. — Another explanation of לצאת ולבוא is: I can no more take the lead in the matter of the Law; this teaches us that the traditions and the well-springs of wisdom were stopped up for him (cf. Sotah 13b).

ראש השנה י״א א:י״ב

מ"ד בניסן נולדו בניסן מתו מ"ד בתשרי נולדו בתשרי מתו שנאמר (דברים לא, ב) ויאמר אליהם בן מאה ועשרים שנה אנכי היום שאין ת"ל היום ומה ת"ל היום היום מלאו ימי ושנותי ללמדך שהקב"ה יושב וממלא שנותיהם של צדיקים מיום ליום מחדש לחדש שנאמר (שמות כג, כו) את מספר ימיך אמלא

Rosh Hashanah 11a:12

The Gemara continues: The one who said that in Nisan the Patriarchs were born also holds that in Nisan they died. The one who says that in Tishrei they were born also holds that in Tishrei they died, as it is stated about Moses on the day of his death: “And he said to them: I am one hundred and twenty years old today” (Deuteronomy 31:2). As there is no need for the verse to state “today,” since it is clear that Moses was speaking on that day, what is the meaning when the verse states “today”? It is to teach that Moses was speaking precisely, as if to say: Today my days and years are exactly filled and completed. This comes to teach you that the Holy One, Blessed be He, sits and fills the years of the righteous from day to day and from month to month, as it is stated: “The number of your days I will fulfill” (Exodus 23:26). Similarly, the Patriarchs merited that their years be fulfilled to the day, and so they died on the same date they were born.

דברים ל״ד:ז׳

(ז) וּמֹשֶׁ֗ה בֶּן־מֵאָ֧ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֛ים שָׁנָ֖ה בְּמֹת֑וֹ לֹֽא־כָהֲתָ֥ה עֵינ֖וֹ וְלֹא־נָ֥ס לֵחֹֽה׃

Deuteronomy 34:7

(7) Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated.

רש"י על דברים ל״ד:ז׳:א׳

(א) לא כהתה עינו. אַף מִשֶּׁמֵּת:

Rashi on Deuteronomy 34:7:1

(1) לא כהתה עינו HIS EYE WAS NOT DIM — even after he had died (Sifrei Devarim 357:34).

רש"י על דברים ל״ד:ז׳:ב׳

(ב) לא נס לחה. לַחְלוּחִית שֶׁבּוֹ, לֹא שָׁלַט בּוֹ רִקָּבוֹן וְלֹא נֶהְפַּךְ תֹּאַר פָּנָיו:

Rashi on Deuteronomy 34:7:2

(2) ולא נס לחו means, nor did the life-sap that was in him depart (Sifrei Devarim 357:35): decomposition had no power over him (had no effect on his body), and the appearance of his face had not changed.

Vayelech by Rick Lupert

Moses at one hundred and twenty one years

feels he can no longer come and go,

and so he will stay while every one else goes.