Parashat Vayelech (וילך) — Devarim 31:1 – 31:30. Read on Shabbat, September 25, 2027 (together with Nitzavim).
Summary of Parashat Vayelech
Moshe speaks to all of Israel. He is one hundred and twenty years old and can no longer go out and come in; G-d has told him that he will not cross the Jordan. He assures the people that G-d will cross over before them and destroy the nations, and that Yehoshua will lead them. He calls Yehoshua before all of Israel and tells him: “Be strong and courageous,” for G-d will go before him and will not forsake him. Moshe writes this Torah and gives it to the kohanim, the sons of Levi, who carry the Ark of the Covenant, and to all the elders of Israel. He commands that at the end of every seven years, during the festival of Sukkot in the year of release, the entire people — men, women, children and strangers — be assembled to hear the reading of the Torah: this is hakhel. G-d calls Moshe and Yehoshua to present themselves in the Tent of Meeting, and appears in a pillar of cloud. He tells Moshe that after his death the people will go astray and forsake the covenant, and that He will then hide His face. He commands that a song be written and taught to the children of Israel, so that it may serve as a witness. Moshe writes the song that same day, then commands the Levites to place the book of the Torah beside the Ark of the Covenant. He gathers the elders and the officers, and speaks the words of the song in the hearing of the whole assembly.
The themes
- Handing over leadership to Yehoshua
- The assembly of hakhel
- The writing of the Torah
Rav Raphaël Benizri’s lectures on Vayelech
There is no lecture by the Rav on this parasha yet. You can find all the available lectures on the Weekly Parasha page.
A question for the Shabbat table
Moshe hands his mission over to Yehoshua, telling him “Be strong and courageous”: what encouragement would we like to receive as we begin a new stage?
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Summary by the Pensées Juives editorial team. The Rav’s teachings are in his lectures, linked above.