This parshah discusses preparations for Moses’ death. Last week we discussed how parshat Nitzavim set forth the emotional distress Moses was in at facing the fact that he would not bring the Jews into Israel, their destiny. He was distraught because he foresaw that the Jews would continue to sin, and he would not be alive to intervene on their behalf with G-d.
This week’s parshah addresses this distress in Moses. G-d tells Moses to complete the Torah and that the Torah would be held for posterity for the Jews. Every seven years the Jews would have to come together, unite, to listen to the reading of the Torah. [Remembering that in those days there was only one Torah and there were no bibles, so if one wanted to know what was written in the Torah, he would have to hear it once every seven years.]
The coming together every seven years was termed “Hakhel”, unite as one. This is G-d’s answer. The Jews would stray and go after other G-ds and G-d would punish them and force them off of the land. The resolution is this:
- Every seven years the Jews would unite;
- They would read the entire Torah; and
- They would memorize the song that is in next week’s parshah, Parshat Haazinu.
How is this a resolution? Let’s look, as an example, to Megilat Esther. The Jews sinned by eating unkosher food, among other things. Esther told Mordechai that the Jews have to fast and repent, turn back to G-d. When they did this, the Megillah tells us that “Nikhalu Hayehudim vamod al nafshosam/The Jews united and stood for their lives.”
When the Jews unite, they take responsibility for one another, they encourage each other to follow the Torah and stay away from sin. That is why in the Torah, the verse that states that we should reprove our friend is juxtaposed to the verse love they neighbor as you love yourself, because when you love someone, you want what is best for them, you want to encourage them to stay away from evil and sin, that is the benefit of the Jews being united, we watch out for our brethren.
We sin in two ways, between man and his fellow man, and between man and G-d, uniting Jews to read the Torah is the antidote to sinning. It brings the Jews together, so they are not against each other but supporting each other, and they are listening to G-d’s words of love and reproof. These acts should work prophylactically.
Then when they do sin, and Moses is not there to defend them, G-d tells us to memorize the song, and for all generations if we sing the song and allow the song to penetrate our souls, so we repent and reunite, we, as the Jewish Nation can and will survive.
This is why we read this Parshah during the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It sets forth prophylactic steps to prevent sinning, and provides us the means of repenting after we have sinned.
I don’t have the words to share with you the awe and fear I feel during these ten days. G-d has come down from His chair to be with us, but I feel it is like the principal at school scrutinizing our every action. We have much to fear, we have much to ask of from G-d, most of all good health, world peace, that He act with us as children with mercy and love, our Father and King/Avinu Malkeinu.
A Gmar Chasimah Tovah to you my dear friends. May we all be sealed for the coming of Mashiach bimhayrah biyamenu/Messiah speedily in our days.
Shabbat Shalom.
-Suri