Bava Batra 119B

שמגלגלים זכות על ידי זכאי, וחובה על ידי חייב.

that merit is brought about by means of one who is meritorious and liability by means of one who is liable. Accordingly, the daughters of Zelophehad merited that the Torah portion concerning a positive matter be written through them, and the wood gatherer deserved that a portion concerning a negative matter be written through him. This concludes R' Ḥideka’s citation of R' Shimon HaShikmoni.

ואי סלקא דעתך ארץ ישראל מוחזקת, מאי קא מסתפקא ליה?

The Talmud states its objection: And if it enters your mind to say that Eretz Yisrael was already in possession of the Jewish people even before the land was assigned, what was Moses uncertain about with regard to the right of Zelophehad’s daughters to collect a double portion; after all, Hepher’s portion in the land was in his possession, and Zelophehad was the firstborn?

היא גופה קא מסתפקא ליה ⁠– דכתיב: ״ונתתי אתה לכם מורשה אני ה׳״⁠ – ירושה היא לכם מאבותיכם; או דלמא, שמורישין ואינן יורשין?

The Talmud answers: This matter itself is what Moses was uncertain about, as it is written: “And I will give it to you for a heritage [morasha]: I am YHWH” (Exodus 6:8). Moses was unsure if the verse should be understood: It is an inheritance [yerusha] for you from your fathers, such that it is considered in the possession of those who left Egypt; or perhaps the verse indicates another matter, that the generation of those who left Egypt bequeath [morishin] the portions to others but they do not inherit [yoreshin] the portions themselves, because they are destined to die in the wilderness.

ופשטו ליה תרוייהו: ירושה לכם מאבותיכם, ומורישין ואינן יורשין. והיינו דכתיב: ״תביאמו ותטעמו בהר נחלתך״⁠ – ״תביאנו״ לא נאמר, אלא ״תביאמו״; מלמד שמתנבאין, ואינן יודעין מה מתנבאין.

The Talmud continues: And God resolved the question for him: The verse teaches both of them. It is an inheritance for you from your fathers and is considered in your possession; and also the generation that left Egypt bequeath but they do not inherit. And this is the meaning of that which is written in the song that the Jewish people sang after the splitting of the Red Sea: “You will bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance” (Exodus 15:17). It is not stated: You will bring us in, rather: “You will bring them in,” which teaches that in their song, the Jewish people were prophesying that their generation would never enter Eretz Yisrael, but they did not know what they were prophesying.