Parashat Vayelech - Seventh Aliyah
Read the biblical text and try to understand it on your own, before reading the commentary.
The Torah scroll beside the ark, and the song in the hearing of the whole assembly
The aliyah closes the parasha with the placing of the Torah scroll and with Moses’ last message before the song is spoken. Moses commands the Levites who carry the ark of the covenant of God to take the book of the Torah and to place it beside the ark of the covenant. The book is meant to remain there as a witness within Israel, so that the covenant will not depend only on human memory or on a particular generation.
Moses speaks with pain about what he has already seen during his leadership. He knows the rebelliousness of the people and their stiff neck, and understands that the danger of drifting from the way may be even greater after his death. So he does not settle for handing down the Torah in writing, but asks to gather to him the elders of the tribes and the officers and to speak the words in their hearing.
Moses calls the heavens and the earth to witness against Israel and warns that after his death the people may act corruptly and turn aside from the way they were commanded. He describes the evil that will come as a result of doing evil and distancing from God.
The parasha ends with a direct passage into the song. Moses speaks in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel the words of the song to the very end. All the preparations of parashat Vayelech, the handing of leadership to Joshua, the writing of the Torah, giving it to the Levites and the warnings for the future, now flow into the song that will accompany Israel in the coming generations as well.
Insights from the aliyah
The Torah remains even when the leader is gone
Moses stands before his death, but the Torah scroll remains beside the ark of the covenant. At the level of the idea, real continuity is created when the way does not depend on one person alone, however great that person may be.
Memory needs a fixed anchor
Moses knows that human memory can weaken, and so the Torah is kept as a witness. This teaches that when we want to preserve values across generations, we need to build them a stable framework and not rely only on momentary enthusiasm.
Responsible leadership does not ignore weaknesses
Moses does not paint a flattering picture in order to end his way in comfort. He speaks honestly about the difficulties he sees in the people. At the level of the idea, real preparation for the future includes facing weak points and not only talking about hope.
Elders and officers are needed to carry the responsibility onward
Before the song Moses gathers the leadership of the people. He does not leave the message only on the personal level, but brings it into the public system that is meant to keep the direction after him as well.
A warning is also a form of preparation
Moses knows that the people may stray, and so he leaves in advance a testimony, a Torah and a song. At the level of the idea, recognizing a danger is not pessimism if it leads to creating tools that will make repair possible in the future.
The heavens and the earth symbolize continuity beyond one generation
Moses calls witnesses against Israel that do not belong only to the present moment. At the level of the idea, the covenant is understood here as something that crosses the life of the individual and continues from generation to generation.
Vayelech ends with words that need to be heard
The Torah scroll is placed as a witness, but the song is also spoken in the hearing of the whole assembly. The Torah passes both through writing and through the voice. In this way the tradition is kept not only in what is found in the book, but also in what the people hear, remember and pass on.
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