Past and Prologue

Haazinu

Deut. 32:1-52

Précis: The parasha, the shortest in the Five Books, containing only 52 verses, begins with the “Song of Moses,” a hymn sung by Moses within sight of the Promised Land. The song contrasts God’s fidelity with the faithlessness of the People, and the need of the People to learn from their history under God’s care. Moses predicts that Israel’s enemies will be overcome. He is told to climb a mountain to see the Promised Land he will not to enter, as he prepares for his death. This is the last parasha read on Shabbat in the annual cycle: the final parasha (V’zot Habracha) is read traditionally on Simchat Torah.

Deut. 32:1 “Give ear, skies, so that I may speak and let the earth hear what my mouth says.”

             We usually read this parasha with a feeling of pity for Moses, whose dreams of leading the People into the Land of Israel are ended, and we connect with his evident disappointment when he is limited to looking where he will not go. Rabbi Kerry Olitzky has offered (MyJewishLearning.com, 9/22/15)  a markedly different interpretation of Moses’ last days. He finds this week’s reading contains a subtle difference from the usual way the parasha is viewed.

            He notes that Moses will not be allowed to enter, primarily because of his disobedience when he angrily struck the rock for water (Num. 20: 2-13). However, Moses is allowed to see the future from atop Mt. Nebo, a privilege no one else is given. Olitzky ponders whether this is indeed a punishment, or rather a precious gift: Moses is able to “see” that his work has succeeded. Unlike those of us who have recently contemplated our mortality for the coming years, Moses is assured that although his life will end, his purpose in life has succeeded.

            Moses’ last song teaches another important lesson: the past is never to be forgotten, even when terrible. The past has been a step towards where we have come and to where we will go. Moses devoted more than 40 years of his life to the Exodus and the travails of the Wilderness. Olitzky suggests that reaching the Promised Land was the goal, and that the Torah would not have provided so much detail about the journey if it was not also important.

            Those of us who are continuing the Jewish journey should “give ear” to the past, while we look towards the future of the Jewish People. 

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.