Sefer
Devarim is Moshe’s farewell address to Bnei Yisrael. In it he reviews
everything that happened to the nation from after they left Mitzrayim until
this point as well as most of the mitzvos. In this week’s parshah, Parshas
Va’eschanan, we have several famous passages such as the parshah of Ve’ahavta
from the daily Shema, the Aseres Hadibros (with a few changes from the original
in Parshas Yisro) and Ve’haya Ki Yiveacha, one of the parshiyos contained in
Tefillin, which highlight key mitzvos and events. Even without these important
and famous parshiyos we could easily deduce that whatever is contained in Sefer
Devarim must be extremely important as this is what Moshe chose to give over
right before he died. However, sometimes it’s not only what we see from Moshe’s
words, but from his actions that we learn the greatest lessons from.
At the
beginning of Shlishi, the pasuk says, “אָז יַבְדִּיל מֹשֶׁה שָׁלֹשׁ עָרִים בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן” “Then
Moshe separated three cities on the side of the Jordan” (Devarim 4:41). These
cities are in connection to the Arei Miklat (Cities of Refuge), the
collection of cities where someone who killed accidently would run to and live
until the death of the Kohen Gadol. There were three of these cities in Eretz
Yisrael and three on the other side of the Yarden, the Jordan River, where the
tribes of Reuven, Gad, and half of Menashe lived. The pasuk says that Moshe set
aside the three cities outside of Eretz Yisrael before he died. Rashi adds
something which makes this seemingly side detail unbelievable. The Gemarah in
Makkos (10a) says that the three Arei Miklat outside of Eretz Yisrael
had no significance at all until the three cities in Eretz Yisrael were set up.
If someone killed accidently in the meantime, they did not go to those three
cities. This means that Moshe’s efforts at this time were wholly unnecessary
from a practical point of view. We learn from here that when you have the
opportunity to participate in a mitzvah, or even just the planning of a
mitzvah, you should do as much of it as you can.
We see
this same idea by Dovid Hamelech, even after Hashem told him that he would not
be the one to build the Beis Hamikdash, he still collected many of the
materials needed for its construction to give to his son Shlomo. Another
example would be an old man planting an esrog tree. Since esrog trees take a
few years to mature, by the time the fruit would be ready to use for the
mitzvah, the old man may have already passed away. However, his planting the
tree for other people to use is his contribution to the mitzvah even if planting
the tree is not a mitzvah.
The Kli
Yakar uses this to explain the language of the pasuk immediately before ours.
It says, “וְשָׁמַרְתָּ אֶת חֻקָּיו וְאֶת מִצְוֹתָיו אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִיטַב לְךָ וּלְבָנֶיךָ אַחֲרֶיךָ”
“And you shall observe his laws and his
commandments, which I command you this day, that it may be well with you and
your children after you…” (4:40). The word “אַחֲרֶיךָ” “after
you” seems to be extra, why can’t the pasuk just say “and your children”? He explains that the mitzvos that you do are
not only for you and your children, they are potentially for your children many
generations later! This is why the pasuk used the words “אָז יַבְדִּיל מֹשֶׁה”, it connects
it directly to the pasuk before where we discussed doing mitzvos
for even after your lifetime. We see in the very next pasuk Moshe doing this
very thing.
The Kli
Yakar explains further that in Pasuk 44 when it says, “וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל” “And this is the teaching which Moshe set before the
children of Yisrael” (4:44), it is referring to this very idea.
We should preform every mitzvah in this way, in preparation not only for
ourselves but for future generations of Jews.
With
all the lessons that we learn from Moshe in Sefer Devarim, this one resonates the
most. We always prepare for later in life in order to be set up for when we can
no longer take care of things. Perhaps we should do the same with mitzvos.
Let’s start to look around and see what steps we can take in order that we will
always have mitzvos ready and waiting for us. And if it doesn’t end up being
for us, then let’s make sure that someone else will be able to produce a
mitzvah from our efforts. As we see from Moshe Rabbeinu and Dovid Hamelech, we
must always strive to do mitzvos even if we know that we won’t be the ones fulfilling them. With that attitude,
the performance of mitzvos in Bnei Yisrael will only increase bringing mashiach
closer and closer.
Shabbat Shalom!
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