While Parashat Nitzavim (“standing” as compared to “and he went/walked”) focuses on the “crossing over” of the Hebrew people, Parashat “Va’yelech” starts with… the “going” of Moshe: “va’yelech Moshe”, that is “and Moses went”, and continues with: “and spoke these words to all Israel” (31:1). These words of introduction, “Moses went”, regarding the statements that the elderly leader was about to make to his compatriots is quite curious. Was it a hint of his impending departure, and that he was ready to proclaim this fact to all Yisrael? Indeed, Moshe continues: “I am a hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. Also YHVH has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan’” (31:2, italics added). Notice the elderly leader’s words, “I can no more go out and come in”, which in Hebrew is: “la’tzet ve-lavo” [literally “to go out” and “to come in”). The previous Parashot [plural for Parasha], Ki Tetze, “when you go out”, and Ki Tavo”, “when you come in”, seem to be related (respectively) to these words of Moshe about “going out to war” (Deut. 21:10), and “coming into the land” (26:1). Thus, paraphrased, Moshe is implying the following: “I am not able to lead you in war, and neither am I able to enter the land with you”.
But whereas Moshe will not be accompanying the people, he
consoles them, saying that “YHVH your Elohim will cross before you” – which is
once more the familiar “over” (a.v.r – the root of “Hebrew”). “He
will destroy these nations before you”, and in addition, Yehoshua will also “go
– pass, cross - “over” - before you” (v. 3). Verses 6, 7, and 8, spoken
to Yisrael and to Yehoshua summarize all of the above: "’ Be
strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them [the people of
the land]; for YHVH your Elohim is the One who goes with you. He
will not leave you nor forsake you’. Then Moses called Joshua and said to
him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and of good courage, for you
will be the one to go with this people to the land which YHVH has sworn to
their fathers to give them and you shall cause them to inherit it. And
YHVH is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will
not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed". Notice the
repetition of “be strong and of good courage”, and of “YHVH is the
One who goes with/before you”. YHVH is with His people, He is
also with their leader, and at the same time is also
going before/ahead of both.
The third expression, which is repeated in the above passage: “He will not fail you nor forsake you” is, “lo yar’pecha, ve-lo ya’az’vecha”. “Yar’peh” – translated as “fail” - is rooted in r. p/f. h (resh, pey/fey, hey), meaning to “become weak, let go, be negligent, or remove”. In Tehilim (Psalms) 46:10 it says, “Be still and know that I am YHVH”. However, in Hebrew the rendering is “harpu”, literally “let go”, or “become weak”. Because YHVH will not “let go” of His people, they are the ones who must do the “letting go” and become “weak” before Him, and in so doing they will know that He is the Elohim who alone can give them strength. Shaul (Paul) echoes this when he says: “And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness’. Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weakness, that the power of Messiah may overshadow me” (2nd Corinthians 12:9 italics added). The next verb (of the above-mentioned expression, “lo yar’pecha ve-lo ya’az’vecha”) is azav (ayin, zayin, bet/vet), and means, “leave, abandon or forsake”. It is also used elsewhere in our Parasha, although in a different connotation, as we shall see at once.
Thus verses 16 and 17 of Dvarim 31 record: “And YHVH said
to Moses, ‘Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. And this people shall
rise up and go lusting after the gods of the strangers of the land into which
they are going, into their midst. And they will forsake Me –
ve’azavani - and break My covenant which I made with them. Then My anger
shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them
- ve’azavtim…’” (Italics added). Verse 5 reveals to us that there is a
condition to being preserved by YHVH: “…do to them [the nations in Cna’an
- Canaan) according to all the commandments which I have commanded you”,
to not “go lusting after [their] gods”, thereby forsaking the true One.
Nevertheless, in verse 16 we read that, “This people shall rise up…”
which is “ve’kam”. In Parashat Nitzavim (Det. 29:13) it
said: “…that He may establish you today for a people to Himself…” which is
literally “that He may raise you up… - hakim”.
Hence, it is the very people, whom YHVH was raising up –
establishing - who “shall rise up and go lusting after the
gods of the strangers…” (italics added), while the people themselves will own
to the fact that, “have not these evils come upon us because our Elohim
is not among us?” (v.17b italics added). Clearly, while the people are
‘engaging’ with false deities, YHVH, Yisrael’s Elohim, cannot be
present among them!
In the two examples above (and in many similar ones
throughout the Tanach, some of which we examined very recently), we see the
usage of identical words, or derivatives of the same root, for the purpose of
conveying contrasting messages. This method highlights or enhances an idea and
at times adds a touch of irony and a moral to the story or to the description
at hand.
YHVH is commanding Moshe to call on Yehoshua in order for
both to “present”
themselves in the Tent of Meeting (31:14); a command which is designated by the
imperative “(ve-hit)yatzvu”, of
the root y.tz.v that we encountered in Parashat “Nitzavim”.
In presenting himself,
Yehoshua is to make a “firm stand” and a commitment.
Mentioned in Nitzavim are "the hidden things –
"nistarot") that "belong to YHVH", while
"those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children
forever, that we may do all the words of this law (29:29). This renders
the Torah laws as not hidden or mysterious; in other words, "doable".
In Parashat Vayelech, the sins that Yisrael will be committing will incur the
"hiddenness"… of YHVH's face from them (31:17). Whereas in 29:29
there is a promise that YHVH will be taking care of that which is hidden,
relieving His people of certain burdens, now it's their lack of obedience that
will cause Him to hide His face from them.
Further connection to Parashat Nitzavim is evident in the
concept of “witness” – testimony – “ed”, masculine, and “eda”, feminine. In the
previous Parasha, heaven and earth were mentioned as witnesses (30:19). Now the
“Song” (which constitutes the following Parasha), the book of the Torah (which
of course includes the "Song"), and heaven and earth (again) are
singled out as witnesses. The “Song”, in particular, is to “testify as a
witness” against the people, “when many evils and troubles have found them”
(31:21). “Testifying” in
this particular case is “an’ta” (of
the root a.n.h – ayin, noon, hey), meaning to “respond or answer”, as
according to verse 19 the “Song” will be “in the mouths of the Children of
Israel”. Therefore, when they recite this Song, their own words shall “respond”
to, or echo, their evil actions and become a testimony against them. This
brings to mind Parashat Nitzavim’s: “The word is very near you, in your mouth and
in your heart, so that you may do it” (30:14 italics added), which is the
other side of the same proverbial coin. Another usage of “ta’aneh”, “respond”,
in relation to “witness” is found in Sh’mot (Exodus) 20:16 and Dvarim
(Deuteronomy) 5:20, where it says: “You shall not bear – “ta’aneh”- respond” -
a false witness against your neighbor”. In view of this, we may ask: Are the
things we say and do mere responses, or answers that bear testimony to a
‘Primary Cause’ (be it YHVH or the adversary)?
In 31:10-11 we read: “And Moses commanded them, saying, ‘at
the end of seven years, at the set time of the year of release, in the Feast of
Tabernacles, when all Israel has come to appear before YHVH your Elohim in the
place which He shall choose, you shall read this law before all Israel in their
hearing’.” The word for “read” is “kara” (k.r.a, kof, resh,
alef), meaning to "read, recite, call”. At the end of the
Parasha, in verse 29, it says: “For I know that after my death you will become
utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you. And
evil will happen to you in the latter end of the days…” Moshe predicts
that “evil” will “happen to
you”, which is rendered here ve’karat, and shares the same root as the
aforementioned “kara” (“read”). However, as a rule the spelling for “happen”
(albeit of the same sound as “read” or “recite”), is different and therefore
has another root. Thus, the special rendering and spelling of “happen” in
this particular case incorporates, as it were, the verb for “reading”.
Hearing the Torah read while
turning away from it and from its Giver will result in evil befalling
or happening to
those who know better yet choose to rebel against its Giver (and against their
own better judgment).
Finally, the ironic vein reappears
in verses 28 and 29, when compared with verse 12, through the use of the
verb “gather” in its imperative form. In the first instance,
it is the command to gather all the “people, men and women,
and little ones, and the stranger… that they may hear and that they may learn
to fear YHVH your Elohim and carefully observe the words of this Torah” (that
is, in the 7th-year gathering at Succot). In the second instance, “all the
elders of your tribes, and your officers” are to be gathered “that I may
speak these words in their hearing and call heaven and earth to witness against
them”. The object of this second gathering is to predict that after Moshe’s
death “You will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I
have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days, because you
will do evil in the sight of YHVH, to provoke Him to anger through the work of
your hands" (verse 29). Whereas the first gathering is of the entire
people, the second is addressing only the ones with leadership
responsibilities. Thus, if the first gathering will not yield the desired
results, it will become necessary for the second one to take place.
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