Be strong and resolute

VaYelech

Deut. 31:1-31:30

Précis: The Israelites are instructed to annihilate the seven Canaanite nations and take possession of the Promised Land. 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.

Deut. 31:1-11 “Moses went and spoke these things to all Israel. He said to them: I am now one hundred and twenty years old, I can no longer go out and come in, for God has said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’ ... ‘Joshua is the one who shall cross before you, as Adonai has spoken….Be strong and resolute’…Moses wrote down this Teaching and gave it to the priests, sons of Levi, who carried the Ark of Adonai’s Covenant…and instructed them as follows: ‘When all Israel comes to appear before Adonai…you shall read this Teaching aloud in the presence of all Israel.’”

           

            We read this parasha on Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a time of intense introspection. God has told Moses that his greatest desire, to enter the Land at the head of the People, has been denied and that the leadership has been transferred to a new generation and a new individual. Moses knows that he will die without reaching the goal he has spent more than 40 years seeking. He encourages his successor, and encourages the entire People to study Torah.

            On Rosh Hashanah, we read the prayer “unitanef tokef” in which we ask, painfully, who shall live and who shall die, who shall prosper and who shall not prosper. It is a prayer which Moses did not need for himself, knowing full well that at age 120, his life was about to end. He transfers leadership and he imparts courage to all of the People,

            As we approach the Day of Judgment, we can ask whether these 10 days of awe provide sufficient time for us to really achieve t’shuvah – repentance – to avoid the “severe decree.” Yes, our tradition says. “Be strong and resolute” in the eternal battle between good and evil, between satisfaction and a resolve to live better, to love more, and to live lives worth living in the year to come.

            I extend my best wishes for a g’mar tov, a good and fitting conclusion to your personal journey in this New Year.