Hebraic Studies - Parashat Vayelech
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Y-H-V-H, which we usually pronounce as “Adonai” or “HaShem”.
*“This is My Name forever,
and this is My memorial to all generations.”
Shemot - Exodus 3:15.
Although some minor alterations have been made relating to names and attributes having been corrected.
Please Note: Verse numbers may at times vary in non Jewish Bibles.
Parashat Vayelech
Davarim Deuteronomy Chapter 31
- “G’mar Tov”
or “Chatimah Tovah” wishing that you be sealed
for “A good year in the book of
life’”.
Along with this greeting,
many of us wish each other “an easy fast”. This greeting, while
kind and thoughtful, has often struck me as a little odd. I would never wish a
difficult fast on anyone, but I always wonder if an easy fast kind of misses
the point. If it was supposed to be easy, would we really be fasting at all?
The mitzvah to fast is given in Leviticus 16 where we are told
“Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement, ‘there shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls’” Vayikra – Leviticus 16:27 (JPS - Jewish Publication Society version of the Torah).
The words “Afflict your souls” 
- V’ini’tem et Naf’sho’tei’chem - can be translated as “you shall
afflict your souls, deprive yourselves and practice self denial”. But,
the truth is Yom Kippur is not a sad fast
day as most of the other fast days on our Jewish calendar are. We are not
fasting in mourning. Yom Kippur is also known as the ‘white fast’,
and is a day of hope, and in many traditions it is one of outright joy. When we
fast on Yom Kippur, it is in service of allowing ourselves to focus on the
spiritual work that needs to be done, not to be distracted from that work by
the joy of the Yom Tov that eating would normally demand.
The transition we make on
Yom Kippur from the old year into the new beautifully mixes the emotions of
joy, awe, regret, resolve, fear and hope. Like life itself, Yom Kippur does not
allow us to compartmentalize the pleasant from the difficult. It comes all at
once.
The Parsha read on Shabbat Shuvah, ‘Vayelech’ mixes these emotions as well. Moshe goes out to the people, to tell them that he has reached the
end of his one-hundred and twenty year lifespan, and is passing the mantle of
leadership to Yahushua - Joshua. He
reminds that Elohim, blessed be He, will be with them, both ahead of them as they forge
ahead into the new land and among them in their camp. Moshe urges the people
and Yahushua - Joshua to be strong and courageous and not to fear on this next part of
their journey.
“And Moshe called unto Yahushua, and
said unto him in the sight of all hath sworn unto their fathers to give them and
thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And , He it is that doth
go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake
thee; fear not, neither be dismayed” Devarim - Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (JPS).
These words resound
through history and into our own time - 
- “Chazak V’ematz”
- “Be strong and of good courage”. We hear them added on to the charge we
give B’nei Mitzvah as we call them up for their Aliyah.
Traditional commentaries
wonder at the first word of this Parsha, why are we told that Moshe went and told the people “Be strong and of good
courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them”
verse 6. Why is going to them
important? Some explain that Moshe is trying to allay the people’s fear
of the transition. There are some who feel it was much like a gracious guest
making sure to say goodbye to their host before taking leave, thus also Moshe
was personally taking leave of his people. Of course the very opening word in Ivrit of this
chapter ‘Vayelech’ followed by
Moshe’s name, indicates that he was bringing this message to the people
of his own accord, and he was doing this very much to ease the transition
because what was about to happen. He saw the moment of their fulfilling the
covenant by entering Eretz
The truth is life is like
that, for we do not get our joy and our grief’s in perfectly arranged
little boxes. We cannot easily separate the emotions that come in our
complicated lives. Although, I really cannot imagine that Moshe thought his
personal farewell to the people would make his loss any easier for them. But, knowing of
the powerful moment of joy and accomplishment that was coming, maybe he hoped
that he could make his passing and their entry into the Promised Land
meaningful, shifting the focus more to the joy rather than the sorrow.
So, too, it is with the
awesome, powerful, heart-breaking and the heart-lifting High Holy Day of Yom
Kippur.
Our practice of self-reflection and self-denial, be it with us fasting etc, should be neither difficult, nor easy. It should help us draw our attention to what will make this very special day meaningful and Elohim willing transformative, thus being able to change for the better!
Wishing you and your
loved ones a meaningful Yom Kippur and a …
- G’mar Chatimah Tovah.
Elohim, blessed be His Sanctified Name, is the
one who gave us our Life!”
Rabbi Reuven Ben-Avraham.
