I am aware that the Talmud discusses a debate as to who wrote the last few verses in the Torah about Moses's death.
Near the end of the story about mahn, in Shmot (Exodus) 16:35, the verse says that B'nai Israel ate mannah for 40 years in the desert. It seems quite obvious that that verse must have been written many years after the event of the mahn happened, so I assume that this fact must have been written, later. If G-d conveyed to Moses to write this in the Torah immediately, people then would have known future events.
Did Moshe write this verse at the beginning of the 40 year travel in the desert, perhaps with God revealing when the mahn would stop, or did Joshua write it at the point or just after the man actually did stop? In short, who wrote Shmot 16:35?
Answer
B"H Via Google and Da`at, I found R' Yizhaq Avrabanel addressing this question (my translation) although he doesn't seem bothered by the revealing of future events and chalks it up to Omniscience.
ומהם אמרו שזה הפסוק כתב יהושע בתורה ואין הדבר כן. אבל משה רבינו כתב כל זה עם היותו עתיד להיות מפני הגבורה שצוהו לכתוב כן כמו שכתב ויעל משה וימת שם משה כפי הדעת האמתי וכמו שאבארו במקומו בע"ה
And some say Yehoshua` wrote this verse - and this is false. Rather, Moshe Rabbe'inu wrote all this despite it being in the future for [HaShem] commanded him to write like so, just as he wrote "And Moses went up [...]. And Moses [...] died there" (Devarim 34:1,5) according to the "True Knowledge" [Lee: Divine Omniscience] as I will clarify in its place B"H.
B"H Via Google and Da`at, I also found R' Yosef Shani addressing this question (my translation). In summary, he concludes that Moshe Rabbe'inu wrote the verse and that, only retroactively, it came to refer to the forty years in the desert decreed after the Sin of the Spies.
ויש להבין מתי נכתב פסוק זה והלא טרם נגזרה גזירת המרגלים והיו אמורים להכנס לארץ מיד.
ואפשר שפסוק זה נכתב מיד ברדת המן כי רצה ה' שישראל יאכלו מן ארבעים שנה. כי את המן לא אכלו מחוסר מזון, כי לא חסר להם מזון במדבר מהגויים שהביאו ומכרו להם, וכמו ערב רב שלא ירד להם מן אכלו ושתו, כך גם ישראל יכלו לאכול ולשתות. גם אחרי שכבשו ארצות סיחון ועוג שהיו משופעים בתבואות ומקנה המשיך המן לרדת. ואעפ"י שנאמר בו "את המן אכלו ארבעים שנה עד בואם אל ארץ נושבת" ,לא התפעלו ולא פחדו משה וישראל כי פירוש הפסוק היה שונה, כי יהושע לא כבש אפי' חצי מא"י בשבע שנים שכבשו ושבע שחלקו, וכמ"ש "ויאמר ה' ליהושע עוד רב הארץ וכו'".
ואולי שאם לא היו חוטאים במרגלים היו צריכים לכבוש את כל הארץ ולחלקה בארבעים שנה, ובמשך כל הזמן הזה לאכול מן. ואז היה ביאור הפסוק "את המן אכלו ארבעים שנה, עד בואם אל ארץ נושבת" שהכוונה עד שיישבו את ארץ ישראל אחר כבוש וחלוק. "עד בואם אל קצה ארץ כנען". כשהכוונה לקצה השני של סיום כל הכבוש והחלוק, אבל לאחר חטא המרגלים כשנגזרה גזרת הארבעים שנה, הפך פירוש "קצה ארץ כנען" להיות הקצה הראשון של תחילת הכבוש.
We must understand when this verse was written for the decree of the Spies had not taken place and [Bene'i Yisra'el] were to enter the Land immediately.
And it is possible that this verse was written immediately upon the Mahn falling since HaShem wanted them to eat Mahn for forty years. For they did not eat the Mahn due to lack of food - for they didn't lack food since the surrounding peoples brought and sold them food or as a result of the `Erev Rav who ate and drank [food] since they didn't have Mahn fall for them, so too [Bene'i Yisra'el] could have eaten and drank. Furthermore, after they conquered the lands of Sihon and `Og, who were blessed with crops and livestock, Mahn [nevertheless] continued to fall.
And despite the verse stating that "[Bene'i Yisra'el] ate the Mahn for forty years until their arrival at the inherited land", Moshe and [Bene'i] Yisra'el did not marvel or fear since the verse was interpreted differently since Yehoshua` didn't even conquer half of Erez Yisra'el in the seven years they conquered and the seven years they allotted as it is stated, "And HaShem said to Yehoshua` the land is still large".*
And perhaps if they had not sinned at the Spies they should have conquered the entire Land and allotted her in forty years, eating Mahn the entire time. And then the verse would be interpreted "they ate the Mahn for forty years until their arrival at the inherited land" with the intent being until they settled Erez Yisra'el after conquering and allotting [it]; "until their arrival at the border of Erez Kena'an" with the intent being until the other border after completely conquering and allotting. But, after the Sin of the Spies when the forty years in the desert were decreed, the interpretation of "the border of Erez Kena'an" became the Eastern [lit. first] border of the beginning of the conquest.
* I could not find a verse like this. I think the verse being recalled is Yehoshua` 13:1.
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