Time for Change

Va Yelech

Deuteronomy 31:1-31:30

Précis: The death of Moses approaches, and he transfers his mantle of leadership to Joshua as his successor. Moses orders regular reading of the Law, and then transfers the written Torah into the hands of the Levites for safekeeping, in the Ark of the Covenant.

Deuteronomy 31:7 “Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance.’” 

We read this parasha on the Shabbat (Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return) before Yom Kippur. The concept of change is at the center of our thoughts. The story of the transition from the leadership of Moses to that of Joshua offers some guidance about change. In the verse cited above, Moses models how change is made by a great leader. He gives his blessing to Joshua, his successor. He encourages his successor, and does so in public. Moses gives Joshua some direction, but critically leaves it to Joshua how to achieve his mission. Moses demonstrates for us all of the important external parts of change for a leader.

We may recall that Moses previously had bitterly complained to the People that it was “their fault” he could not lead them into the Promised Land. Now he understands that the time for a change is now, and he makes his peace with it graciously.He has changed within. The verse teaches us that in order to be real, human change must be both internal and public.

Benjamin Disraeli once remarked that “Change is inevitable. Change is constant.” But is change really “inevitable?” Is it “constant?” Change has been constant for the last 100 years, but prior to that, change was never constant at all. It was the norm for hundreds if not thousands of years for the grind of daily life to remain unchanging. Recently, anthropologists have found evidence of human cave art that is at least 40,000 years old. This means that for tens of thousands of years there was no significant change in the human condition. In the last hundred years or so, of course, the pace of change in the world has been stunning and even overwhelming.

So the rate of change is not constant. But is change inevitable? In terms of human leadership (like Moses), some change is certain, since all human life comes to an end. But what about the kind of change we are seeking during the Yamim Noraim? Internal change is not inevitable unless we make it so.

Here is the test of real change for us: can we become more gracious, more accepting, and more caring of those who need help? Can we become better parents and children and spouses? Can we help our communities even more than we do? Can we accept the kind of change which our tradition offers us? With faith in God and faith in our ability to change, perhaps we can. May you be sealed in the Book of Life for a year of health, happiness, and prosperity.