Parshat Nitzavim-Vayelech; Deuteronomy 29:9 – 31:30 By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger
We are in the closing chapters of the Torah. This week’s double portion, Nitzvaim-Vayelech truly prepares both Moses and Joshua and the People of Israel for the grand transition of leadership. Moses and Joshua are given very specific instructions that will help to transfer knowledge and transfer power from Moses to Joshua. God summons them to the Tent of Meeting so that God may be Joshua’s teacher. As in any transition it is good for the younger executive to be brought into the loop of leadership. Thus Joshua begins to assume his duties alongside Moses who is also present during this session in the Tent of Meeting. God’s Divine Presence descends upon the Tent of Meeting.
We must imagine the significance of this in the eyes of the people. Moses has already announced that his days are numbered and that Joshua will become the new leader. He has written down the Torah and given it to the priests. So imagine the image of Joshua accompanying Moses’ into the Ohel Mo’ed and God’s Divine Cloud surrounding them. It is a final seal upon Joshua’s selection. For previously this Divine Glory had been reserved for Moses and occasionally Aaron. But now Joshua can come to know and be enveloped by the Holy Glory of God. If any of the people doubted his selection as the next generation of leader—this moment would silence those doubts!
But Moses is still in charge and his task is not yet complete. He is charged with writing down the poem that will fill the verses of the upcoming parasha, Ha’aazinu. It is a final charge and blessing to the people and indeed a bit of a prophetic warning. This is important for Joshua to hear and witness as well. For God shares with Moses and Joshua the future that Israel though successful in conquering the land will stray from their covenant. For Joshua it is a foreshadowing of his real work. That even as they cross over the Jordan and establish the Land of Israel there—his real work will be maintaining the faith of the people in the covenant of God!
This has also been Moses’ challenge throughout his days as the Eved Adonai, Servant of God. Most days he succeeded. Some days he failed. But he always tried to serve God with complete commitment. Even in his disappointment at not being able to cross over the Jordan River and complete the task of delivering the people into the Promised Land, he delivers something much greater that will outlive land and borders. Moses delivers the words of the Torah. This work inspires our faith, records our stories and encounters with one another and our encounters with God. Our torah which Moses commands the Levites to place in the Ark of the Covenant is the symbol of our faith both in the land and out!
This is an important lesson for Joshua as well. For in the Ark of the Covenant, the very footstool of God, is the true inheritance of the People. It will be his task to lead the people to cherish its words and its mitzvoth in the Land. And he will have the influence to remind the People of Israel of its sacred nature. Today we too need that reminding. The Torah which we keep in the Aron HaKadosh, the Holy Ark continues to inspire us and guide us and we pray, keep us loyal to our covenant. In this coming year let us learn Torah in order to keep our covenant with God vibrant, fresh and enduring.
Posted by Aaron at September 4, 2007 11:09 AM
