Parashat Vayelech - Sixth Aliyah
Read the biblical text and try to understand it on your own, before reading the commentary.
The song remains even in times of plenty
The aliyah goes on explaining why the song is needed as a witness for the generations. The Torah describes a situation in which Israel enter the good land, eat, are satisfied and reach abundance. Precisely out of that fullness a danger may arise: the people may turn to other gods, serve them and break the covenant with God.
When evils and troubles come upon the people, the song they learned will not disappear. It will remain in the mouth of the generations and stand as a witness that reminds Israel of the way, of the covenant and of the connection between their choices and what they go through. The Torah stresses that this danger does not appear by surprise, but that the inclinations of the people are already known even before the entry into the land.
Moses does not settle for receiving the command. He writes the song on that same day and teaches it to the children of Israel. In this way it passes at once from command to action and from writing to the memory of the people.
After that Joshua is strengthened again ahead of his role. He is to bring the children of Israel into the land that was promised to them, and God will be with him. The aliyah ends with Moses completing the writing of the words of the Torah in a book to the very end, a moment that shows how much the end of his leadership goes together with preparing the Torah and the people for the road ahead.
Insights from the aliyah
Abundance itself can become a test
The danger does not appear out of want. The Torah describes a state in which a person eats, is satisfied and grows fat, and then may drift away. At the level of the idea, success sometimes demands more awareness than crisis, because it can create the feeling that there is no longer any need for memory and dependence.
The song was meant to survive periods of distance
The people may forget the way, but the song remains in the mouth of the generations. This teaches that a strong tradition needs to be built so that it keeps speaking even when the spiritual bond weakens.
Memory can awaken precisely in a time of crisis
When evils and troubles come, the song becomes a witness. At the level of the idea, things learned in good times may take on new meaning precisely at the moments a person needs them most.
Moses writes and teaches right away
There is no gap between the command and its fulfillment. Moses writes the song and teaches it on the same day. This teaches that when we understand that something is vital for the next generation, we do not put off passing it on.
A new leader needs strengthening even after being appointed
Joshua has already been presented as the next leader, and still he receives words of strengthening again. At the level of the idea, a formal appointment does not remove the need for support, trust and strengthening before a great task.
The Torah remains even when Moses goes
The aliyah ends with the completion of the writing of the Torah. Moses stands before the end of his life, but the main thing he leaves behind is not only his personal memory, but a written and handed down Torah that will keep accompanying the people.
A personal ending becomes a new national beginning
Moses completes his writing, Joshua prepares to lead, and the song is handed to the generations. In this way a moment that looks like an ending actually becomes a whole system that makes continuity possible.
More Questions on the Parsha
More questions on this parsha are on the way. In the meantime, explore our daily Torah learning.
Daily Torah learning