Shabbat Parashat Vayeilech - 5783

Shabbat Parashat Vayeilech - 5783

Rabbi Hal Miller

Moshe went and spoke these words to all of Israel. [Devarim 31:1]

What does the Torah mean, "Moshe went"? Where did he go, from where, and

why did he go?

Abarbanel notes that in Devarim 29:1 we are told that Moshe called all of Israel

together to teach. If all of them were there, why should Moshe need to go anywhere

in order to talk to them now? Ramban answers that after Moshe completed what he

had to say then, everyone went back to their tents. Now before he died, Moshe

went to the people to part from them. Ramban proves this noting that when Moshe

finished speaking, everyone left him to pass into the covenant, then they just

continued on from there. Moshe himself returned to the Levite camp at that point.

Sforno says that the word vayeilech can mean that someone acts on their own

initiative. At this point, Moshe had told them everything God gave him to tell, so any

further discussion would be what Moshe himself chose to say. Rav Hirsch takes

this same approach, that Moshe was saying farewell and presenting his successor.

Since this was in his own name, he did not call the people to him, but went to them.

Most of the commentators agree that Moshe went out from the Levite camp in this

verse. But to where? Yonatan ben Uziel says the study hall. Rashi explains this

that Moshe "could not go out and come in" means that he could no longer give

Torah lectures, so he went to listen to others do so. Most others say he went out to

the people, tribe by tribe. Ibn Ezra understands that the blessings related in v'zot

ha'beracha were given at this time, for each tribe as he visits them.

Nachshoni cites "various Chassidic works" that Moshe 'went' and entered into the

soul of each Jew.

Rav Moshe Feinstein writes that a tzaddik does not leave the world until he has

accomplished his task, but Moshe was going to do just that, since he was not allowed

to cross the Jordan. He felt a need to explain this to the people, that Yehoshua would

pick up for him in that task.

One minor difficulty in these explanations is that they tend to rely on Moshe having

completed relating all God's laws before making his farewell tour. But there are still a

couple of commandments to go. This isn't a big issue, as a farewell tour does not

really preclude one last gathering after it, just a point to note.