Parshas Va'Eschanan Haara 5783

(כו) וַיִּתְעַבֵּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֥ה בִּי֙ לְמַ֣עַנְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א שָׁמַ֖ע אֵלָ֑י וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֤ה אֵלַי֙ רַב־לָ֔ךְ אַל־תּ֗וֹסֶף דַּבֵּ֥ר אֵלַ֛י ע֖וֹד בַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃

Deuteronomy 3:26

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

The simple understanding of this word is that Moshe was telling Klal Yisrael that he was being denied entry into Eretz Yisrael because of what they did (on their account) because their complaining caused Moshe to become angry with them and hit the rock which is what disallowed him to enter Eretz Yisrael. This is how Rashi Onkelos renders the translation of the word and how Rashi explains the passuk.

The Medrash learns differently, and the explains that this word means for their sake. In other words, Hashem was telling Moshe that he was being denied entry into Eretz Yisrael for Klal Yisrael's sake.

דברים רבה ב׳:ט׳

(ט) כִּי לֹא תַעֲבֹר אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן הַזֶּה (דברים ג, כז), אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה, אִם אַתָּה נִקְבַּר כָּאן אֶצְלָן, בִּזְכוּתְךָ הֵן בָּאִין עִמָּךְ. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי, לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה, לְאֶחָד שֶׁנִּתְפַּזְּרוּ מְעוֹתָיו בִּמְקוֹם אֲפֵלָה, אָמַר אִם אוֹמֵר אֲנִי הָאִירוּ לִי שֶׁאֲקַבֵּץ מְעוֹתַי, אֵין בְּרִיָה מַשְׁגַּחַת עָלַי, מֶה עָשָׂה נָטַל זָהוּב אֶחָד וְהִשְׁלִיךְ בְּתוֹכָם, וְהִתְחִיל צוֹוֵחַ וְאוֹמֵר הָאִירוּ לִי, זָהוּב אֶחָד הָיָה לִי וְנָפַל מִמֶּנִּי כָּאן, וְהֵאִירוּ לוֹ. מֶה עָשָׂה, מִשֶּׁנָּטַל אֶת הַזָּהוּב אָמַר לָהֶן, בְּחַיֵּיכֶם הַמְתִּינוּ לִי שֶׁאֲלַקֵּט אֶת הַמָּעוֹת, וְלִקְטָן, בִּזְכוּת הַזָּהוּב נִתְלַקְטוּ הַמָּעוֹת. כָּךְ אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה, אִם נִקְבַּר אַתָּה אֶצְלָם בַּמִּדְבָּר הֵן בָּאִים בִּזְכוּתְךָ וְאַתְּ בָּא בְּרֹאשָׁם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים לג, כא): וַיַּרְא רֵאשִׁית לוֹ וגו' וַיֵּתֵא רָאשֵׁי עָם.

Devarim Rabbah 2:9

...

The Medrash focuses on the Hashem's explanation to Moshe as to why it is in Klal Yisrael's best interests to be buried in the desert.

The Chizkuni says a similar approach but the line of reasoning is more focused on Hashem explaining to him that he needed to be buried in the desert to preempt any accusations from Klal Yisrael that would be hurled against him if he were to go into Eretz Yisrael.

חזקוני, דברים ג׳:כ״ו

(א) ויתעבר ה׳‎ בי למענכם אמר הקב״‎ה למשה אם אתה עובר בארץ, יאמרו מה שנגזר על דור המדבר שלא ליכנס לארץ, היינו לפי שאין להם חלק לעולם הבא!

ואם תכנס לארץ בתפלתך יאמרו לא חש משה אלא על עצמו!

אלא תיקבר אצלם ותביא עמך לעתיד היינו ויתא ראשי עם.

Chizkuni, Deuteronomy 3:26

(1) ויתעבר ה' בי למענכם, “but the Lord was angry at me for your sakes;” G-d had said to Moses: “if you cross the Jordan into the Holy Land, people will say that the decree against the generation which had come out of Egypt to die in the desert was because they had forfeited their claim on an afterlife. If I now allow you to enter the Holy Land in response to your prayer, they will say that Moses was not concerned with anyone but himself. Therefore you will be buried where they are buried, and both you and they will rise at the time of the resurrection and live in the Holy Land.” This is the meaning of: ויתא ראשי עם in Deuteronomy 33,21: “they (the tribe of Gad) positioned himself at the head of the fighting men of the people”, i.e. as the pioneers. Moses, by agreeing to be buried in the fields of Moab displayed his total identification with the fate of his people.

Perhaps this is why Chizkuni doesn't quote from the Medrash, even though it is a similar approach, because his approach is not what the Medrash is saying. (Artscoll Onkelos p. 44 converges the two, but I humbly disagree according to what I see)

A parenthetical haara according to the Chizkuni and the Medrash:
According to them, this passuk is already intimating that Moshe is not going to be buried in Eretz Yisrael. If so, the Medrash's statement brought in Rashi later in the parsha would seem to be superfluous. Rashi says:

רש"י על דברים ד׳:כ״ב

(א) כי אנכי מת וגו' אינני עבר. מֵאַחַר שֶׁמֵּת מֵהֵיכָן יַעֲבֹר? אֶלָּא אַף עַצְמוֹתַי אֵינָם עוֹבְרִים (ספרי במדבר כ"ז):

Rashi on Deuteronomy 4:22

(1) כי אנכי מת וגו' אינני עבר BUT I MUST DIE [IN THIS LAND], I MUST NOT PASS OVER [THE JORDAN] — Since he was to die, how could he pass over? But he meant: I must die and even my bones will not pass over (Sifrei Bamidbar 135).