The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon.
This week’s Torah portion occurs near the very end of the book of Deuteronomy, and it represents one of our final glimpses of the prophet Moses before he dies. Vayeilech contains just 30 verses, the fewest verses of any parashah in the Torah — and yet, Moses’ words are imbued with profound meaning and deep import for the people of Israel, both then and now.
At the start of the Torah portion, Moses addresses his community with a stark message: “I am now 120 years old, I can no longer be active. Moreover, the Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go across yonder Jordan. The Lord your God himself will cross over before you … Joshua is the one who shall cross before you.’” (Deuteronomy 31:2-3)
On one hand, Moses acknowledges the reality that he is too old to lead the Israelites any farther or for any longer period of time. Even if he did have the physical ability to do so, God has already told him that he is not permitted to enter the Promised Land, that his earlier misbehaviors and errors in judgment had disqualified him from that prized role.
On the other hand, Moses assures his people that there is a succession plan, and that they will not be abandoned. At first, the prophet tells the Israelites that God himself will lead them into Canaan; then, a few words later, Moses adds that Joshua will lead the charge, as well. It will be a Divine-human partnership that will ultimately guide them into the next chapter of their lives.
As if to anticipate (and assuage) the collective anxiety that his followers will likely experience — hearing that they will lose their spiritual and national leader of the past 40 years — Moses goes on: “Be strong and of good courage, be not in fear or in dread….” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
Moses’ famous and reassuring words, “Be strong and of good courage,” are spoken in the plural: chizku v’imtzu. They are meant to be heard by, and comforting to, everyone: young and old, men and women, foot soldiers and religious leaders.
Moses is deeply concerned with the emotional well-being of his people. This is a far cry from the younger Moses, the Moses who is depicted earlier in the Torah as, at times, angry, violent, authoritarian and remote. By the time of this parashah, Moses seems to have matured. He appears older, wiser, more at peace with himself and more connected to the community he leads.
After addressing his people collectively, Moses now turns to Joshua specifically and publicly, and singles him out with a similar charge using almost the same words:
“Be strong and of good courage, for it is you who shall go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their fathers to give them, and it is you who shall apportion it to them. And the Lord himself will go before you. He will be with you; He will not fail you or forsake you. Fear not and be not dismayed!” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)
As Joshua stands before his assembled people, about to accept (perhaps trepidatiously) the mantle of leadership from his larger-than-life predecessor, Moses reassures and comforts him. Moses reminds Joshua that he will not be alone, that God will be with him. The prophet tells his successor that, in the end, there is nothing to fear.
And then Moses offers one more measure of reassurance and guidance to his community. He tells Joshua and the Israelites that they are to read and hear the words of Torah every seven years and that those words, that instruction, will provide sustenance and direction to them as they venture into and settle the Promised Land.
This Torah portion teaches us that people can change. Even great, longstanding leaders can change. With maturity, many of us can often find wisdom, peace and empathy.
Moses knows that he is about to die, that his people will break the covenant and that they will at times distance themselves from God. And so, in addition to trying to comfort them, Moses also tries to inspire them.
The next Torah portion, Haazinu, is a poem. It is a poem, spoken by Moses, that highlights the future misdeeds and shortcomings of the Israelites, but it is also about the special bond between God and his people. God will ultimately redeem us, no matter our sins and transgressions.
At the cusp of his own death, Moses offers his people — as well as all future generations of Jews — a vision of hope. May that ancient vision continue to comfort and inspire each of us today.