DEVARIM: VAYELECH: 31:1-30
With just 30 verses, Vayelech has the fewest verses of any Parashah,
At 31:2, Moshe says: "...Today I am one hundred and twenty years old. I can no longer go or come, and the Hashem said to me, "You shall not cross this Jordan."
Rashi explores these statements:
A – Today is the exact day that my days and my years have become complete; on this day I will die. — [Talmud Tractate Sotah 13b]
B – “I can no longer go or come” is: I can no longer negotiate in
matters of Torah. The channels of
transmission and the well-springs of wisdom were closed up
C - Hashem did not permit him to go and come before the people, God had taken away the authority from Moses.
D – Moses will not be able to cross the Jordan.
Moses transfers leadership to Joshua; he writes the Torah in a scroll; entrusts it to the Levites for safekeeping; and they place it in the Holy Ark..
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From the Hebrew verb haqhêl הַקְהֵ֣ל, "assemble" comes the Mitzvah Hakhel.
At 31:10–12 we read:
"At the end of every seven years, at an appointed time, in
the Festival of Sukkot the year of Shemitah. When all Israel comes to appear
before Hashem, your G‑d, in the place He will choose, you shall read this
Torah before all Israel, in their ears.
Assemble the people: the men, the women, the children, and your
stranger in your cities..."
The Hakhel ceremony was conducted on the first day of Chol HaMoed
Sukkot, Trumpets would sound and a large wooden platform was erected. The king
would sit on this platform and all in attendance would gather around him.
The High Priest, who would present a Torah scroll to the
king The king began the reading with the same blessings over the Torah
that are recited before every Aliyah in synagogues today.
The reading consisted of the following sections from the
Book of Deuteronomy:
From the beginning of the book through Shema Yisrael (6:4);
The second paragraph of the Shema (11:13-21);
"You shall surely tithe" (14:22-27);
"When you have finish tithing" (26:12-15);
The section about appointing a king (17:14-20);
The blessings and curses (28:1-69).
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At 31:6, Moshe says to Joshua:
חִזְק֣וּ וְאִמְצ֔וּ , Be
strong and resolute.
Moshe repeats at 31:23
In the Book of Joshua at 1:6,7 and 9, Hashem tells Joshua to be
strong and resolute.
The Tribes of Reuven, Gad and ½ of Manasseh also repeat to Joshua
at 1:18.
And finally, Joshua tells us at 10:25 to be strong and resolute.
The verse – “Be strong and resolute” חֲזַ֣ק וֶֽאֱמָץ occurs nine times in Devarim and the Book of Joshua.
ֽאֱמָץ has
nuanced meanings: courageous stubborn, obstinate, hardened, determined, steadfast and
patient.
Be strong and Courageous is also found at the conclusion of
Psalm 27, verse 14.
In many synagogues from the start of the month of Elul until the very end of Sukkot we read Psalm 27, sometimes twice daily.
Take it to heart; חֲזַ֣ק וֶֽאֱמָץ is a message for us right now.
That message for the Jewish people 3,000 years ago persists until
today:
חִזְק֣וּ וְאִמְצ֔וּ , Be strong and resolute.
By now Iran, Turkey, Qatar, Lebanon, Syria and the Houthi's are aware of this message.
At 31:14-19 Hashem commands Moses and Joshua to enter the
Tent of Meeting. Hashem appears and informs them that a time will come when the
Jews will abandon Him.
At that time, Hashem will hide His face, and we will be
subjected to evils and troubles.
Hashem says to them: "Write for yourselves this song, and
teach it to the Children of Israel. Place it into their mouths, in order that
this song will be for Me as a witness..." This 'song' is narrated in next
week's Torah reading.
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When Parshat Vayelech is read separately, the Haftarah for the Parashah is Isaiah 55:6–56:8.
This year when Parshat Vayelech occurs between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur it is called Shabbos Shuva, the Sabbath of Return.
The Haftarah reading is from Hosea 14:2-10 and Micah 7:18-20.
Hosea14:2-3 :
2 - Return, O Israel, to the Hashem your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity.3 - Take words with yourselves and return to the Lord. Say, "You shall forgive all iniquity and teach us good, and let us render bulls our lips.
18 - Who is a God like You, Who forgives iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not maintain His anger forever, for He desires loving-kindness.
19 - He shall return and grant us compassion; He shall hide our iniquities, and You shall cast into the depths of the sea all their sins.
20 - You shall give the truth of Jacob, the loving-kindness of Abraham, which You swore to our forefathers from days of yore.
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