Parshas Vayeilech contains the last few
moments of Moshe’s time as the leader of Bnei Yisrael. While he still has to
give last words of guidance and bless to the nation, this week’s parsha is
where we begin to see his authority removed. But this did not stop him one bit,
as the parsha begins, “וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ משֶׁ֑ה” “And Moshe went” (Devarim 31:1). Where did he go? He
went to accomplish, he went to teach and guide, he went to help his people as
much as he could.
The end of the parsha contains a pasuk
that, while famous, is perhaps overlooked in its true significance. It
illustrates that even when he was no longer the complete leader of Bnei
Yisrael, Moshe was still an important figure; this includes nowadays as well. “וַיְהִ֣י |
כְּכַלּ֣וֹת משֶׁ֗ה לִכְתֹּ֛ב אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֥י הַתּוֹרָֽה־הַזֹּ֖את עַל־סֵ֑פֶר עַ֖ד
תֻּמָּֽם” “And it was, when Moshe finished writing the words of this
Torah in a scroll, until their very completion.” (ibid: 24). The pesukim following
this one write that Moshe told the Leviim to take the completed Torah scroll
and place it by the Aron, to remain there eternally as a testimony to its
truth.
Interestingly, if you
look earlier in the parsha, in Pasuk 9, there’s a similar idea taking place. “וַיִּכְתֹּ֣ב משֶׁה֘ אֶת־הַתּוֹרָ֣ה הַזֹּאת֒ וַיִּתְּנָ֗הּ
אֶל־הַכֹּֽהֲנִים֙ בְּנֵ֣י לֵוִ֔י” “Then Moshe wrote this Torah, and gave
it to the Kohanim, the sons of Levi.” What is the difference between this
earlier Torah that was given to the Kohanim and the Torah in Pasuk 24? The
Ramban points out a distinction in the pesukim that shows the major difference
between them. Pasuk 24 ends with the phrase “עַ֖ד
תֻּמָּֽם”, “until their completion”; pasuk 9 makes no mention of any
completion. The Ramban explains the significance behind this difference. The
mitzvos had been (almost) entirely given over by pasuk 9, therefore, Moshe
wrote over a copy of the Torah to be used, probably as a master teaching guide.
However, he didn’t tell the Kohanim to place it anywhere specific, like he did
with the Torah from pasuk 24, since it was not intended to be a testimony. Why
not? Because it wasn’t finished yet.
There was still another section of the
Torah that had to be written. “וַיִּכְתֹּ֥ב משֶׁ֛ה
אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֥ה הַזֹּ֖את בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא” “And Moshe wrote
this song on that day” (ibid: 22). These last few parshiyos make up this
song, and even though they may not contain mitzvos (actually, pasuk 19 in
Parshas Vayeilech is considered the final mitzvah in the Torah, the commandment
to write a Sefer Torah), they are still part of the Torah. Pasuk 24 is Moshe
writing a fully completed Sefer Torah. At this point, the Torah portion of the
Written Torah was closed, sealed, nothing more could be added to it. Finally,
it was ready to be used as testimony; hence, it was deposited by the Aron.
While it’s cool to see
exactly when the Torah became the Torah, there is another point to be
made here concerning Moshe Rabbeinu. Moshe is the greatest leader in our
history. After leading the Bnei Yisrael for all those years, this parsha shows
us he was still committed to bringing out the best in every person, even after he
was no longer the official leader. Perhaps that is why his title historically
is not as our leader, but our rebbi; our master, teacher, and guide. One of the
final acts Moshe did in his lifetime was putting the final stamp on the written
Torah. A book written entirely under the auspices of Hashem Himself, something
which can never be edited, changed, or discarded. The most important
historical, law, and spiritual document we have today. Finished and sealed with
the approval of Hashem, by Moshe Rabbeinu.
Shabbat Shalom!
Click here for a previous year's Dvar Torah for Parshas Vayeilech
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