This mishna in Yevamos (6:6, discussed on daf 61b/61a) says that a man needs to bring two children into this world in order to fulfill the mitzvah of "be fruitful and multiply". Technically, the mitzvah is to make reasonable efforts to have children. The Torah obligation continues until one has two children, but Chazal obligated a man to always endeavor to bring more children into the world. Beis Hillel says it needs to be one male and one female. Beis Shammai says you are good to go with two boys. As usual, we pasken like Beis Hillel, though in this case it leads to a stringency. So far so good.
Our sages, of course, were not arguing opinions, but bringing support for their position from precedent from the Oral and Written Law -- Our Holy Torah. Following Rashi, the essential points of discussion are as follows: Beis Shammai learns from Moshe Rabbeinu, who had two sons before he separated from his wife. Beis Hillel learns from the creation of the world, namely: HaShem created a man and a woman.
The gemara presses on both sides. Why doesn't Beis Shammai learn from the creation of the world? Because we don't learn the possible from the impossible. Since it would be impossible to populate the world without both male and female, there is nothing to learn from that regarding our obligations nowadays. Cool. And why doesn't Beis Hillel learn from Moshe Rabbeinu? Because Moshe Rabbeinu had his own reasons for separating from his wife. It was one of the three things he did on his own, to which HaShem agreed with his decision. (The other two are adding an additional day of preparation for Matan Torah and breaking the first set of tablets.)
Since we pasken like Beis Hillel, we are left with this very uncomfortable conclusion: Moshe Rabbeinu did not fulfill the mitzvah of "be fruitful and multiply." This mitzvah applies even to non-Jews and was, in fact, given quite explicitly to the first two people. Moshe Rabbeinu, though, chose not to fulfill this mitzvah. Moshe Rabbeinu. The same Moshe Rabbeinu who davened 515 unique t'filos to be allowed into Eretz Yisrael. Why did Moshe Rabbeinu want so desperately to enter Eretz Yisrael? Chazal tell us -- because there are mitzvos that can only be performed in Eretz Yisrael. Moshe Rabbeinu ardently wanted to fulfill all the mitzvos of the Torah. In the end he only stopped davening because HaShem commanded him to stop.
But "be fruitful and multiply", Moshe Rabbeinu decided on his own to give up. What's up with that?
I don't know and I couldn't find anyone who discussed it. Here is a thought: Why did Moshe Rabbeinu separate from his wife? Because Moshe Rabbeinu -- unique among the prophets -- could be in communication with HaShem at any moment. Moshe Rabbeinu didn't want to ever be in the position of not being ready for a command performance. And why was that important? Why was that more important to Moshe Rabbeinu than to all the other prophets and even to our exalted Avos? I would like to suggest: because the entire Torah we have -- Written and Oral -- is wholly and only from Moshe Rabbeinu, Moshe Rabbeinu was ardent in his desire to perfect himself in all dimensions; to perform all of the mitzvos of the Torah. 515 t'filos to have a few more opportunities.
But Klal Yisrael needed Moshe Rabbeinu to be ready at any moment for an audience with the Creator of the World. Moshe Rabbeinu sincerely and ardently sought perfection and completion, but not at the expense of depriving nor even delaying Klal Yisrael from a single dimension of Torah.
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