This D’var Torah should be a Zechus L’Ilui Nishmas my sister, Kayla Rus Bas Bunim Tuvia A”H, my maternal grandfather Dovid Tzvi Ben Yosef Yochanan A”H, my maternal grandfather Dovid Tzvi Ben Yosef Yochanan A”H, my paternal grandfather Moshe Ben Yosef A”H, my paternal grandmother Channah Freidel Bas Avraham A”H, my uncle Reuven Nachum Ben Moshe & my great aunt Rivkah Sorah Bas Zev Yehuda HaKohein,
It should also be in Zechus L’Refuah Shileimah for:
-My father Bunim Tuvia Ben Channa Freidel
-My grandmother Shulamis Bas Etta
-MY BROTHER: MENACHEM MENDEL SHLOMO BEN CHAYA ROCHEL
-HaRav Shlomo Ben Shayna Zelda
-Mordechai Shlomo Ben Sarah Tili
-Noam Shmuel Ben Simcha
_R’ Simcha Yitzchak Ben Mirela Yudka
-Chaya Rochel Ettel Bas Shulamis
-And all of the Cholei Yisrael, especially those suffering from COVID-19 and the Meiron tragedy.
-It should also be a Z’chus for an Aliyah of the holy Neshamos of HaRav HaGa’on V’Sar HaTorah Shmaryahu Yosef Chaim Ben HaRav Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky A”H, Dovid Avraham Ben Chiya Kehas—R’ Dovid Winiarz ZT”L, Miriam Liba Bas Aharon—Rebbetzin Weiss A”H, as well as the Neshamos of those whose lives were taken by terrorists (Hashem Yikom Damam), COVID-19, and the Meiron tragedy.
-It should also be a Z’chus for success for Tzaha”l as well as the rest of Am Yisrael, in Eretz Yisrael and in the Galus.
בס”ד
The rest of my audio content can be found here:
https://jewishpodcasts.fm/thedatabeis
Parsha Paradise/פרשה פרדס – Vayeilech: Where Did Moshe Go? Why? Who Cares?🚶🏻♂️
Audio:
https://jewishpodcasts.fm/thedatabeis/42886
Parshas Vayeilech tells us that Moshe “went,” but doesn’t tell us where he went, why he went, and why we should care. The Torah does not disclose a location. But, the M’forshim do.
P’shat:
Ramban and Ibn Ezra among others explain simply that Moshe went out to the camps of the B’nei Yisrael to bid them farewell.
Sforno explains that “Vayeilech” does not have to refer to literal walking, but can refer to the figurative propelling of oneself to action, as we might colloquially say, to “go ahead” and do something. Sforno compares this expression to the one in Shemos which describes Amram “re-marrying” Yocheved, “Vayeilech,” that he “went ahead” and took initiative. In this case, Moshe took the initiative to comfort the B’nei Yisrael over his impending death so as not to disturb the celebration of their entering into a new covenant with Hashem.
Remez:
Ba’al HaTurim offers two comments on our opening phrase, the first, a Remez which serves as a mnemonic to determine when Vayeilech is read alone and when it is read with Nitzavim as a double-Parsha. The Remez is: בג המלך פת וילך which literally means “the food of the King, split Vayeilech.” The term “פַּת־בַּ֣ג הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ” appears in Daniel 1:13 as a reference to the king’s slice of food, his portion. Here though, the word ” בַּ֣ג” is a combination of the second letter and third letter of the alphabet, alluding to the Monday and Tuesday, the second and third days of the week. This is to tell us that when the day of “HaMelech,” i.e. Rosh HaShannah falls out on Monday or Tuesday, then Vayeilech is “פַּת” or split and read by itself the following Shabbos which is Shabbos Shuvah.
Ba’al Haturim also comments on the juxtaposition between the beginning of this Parsha and the end of the previous Parsha which referenced the Avos. Ba’al HaTurim, based on the Midrash, uses this juxtaposition to explain where Moshe went. He argues that Moshe went to the Avos to inform them that Hashem had kept his promise to enter their children into Eretz Yisrael.
Drash:
Kli Yakar, based on Rashi (based on Sotah 13B), explains that Moshe physically went around and walked among the Jews to demonstrate a key point of his speech. He was about to tell the B’nei Yisrael that “I am unable to go out and come in.” However, this could be taken as an admission to physical decline, perhaps due to bad health and old age. This was not the case. Moshe merely was “unable” because he was not allowed. By walking about, Moshe displayed his physical strength. There was no physical decline. These M’forshim however do suggest there may have been spiritual decline, that Hashem had begun to close off the wellsprings of Torah wisdom to Moshe, indicating that he was at the end of his mission. That was why he was “unable” to go.
Sod:
Kedushas Levi demonstrates the above point further in his explanation which begins with Chazal’s two different ways of referring to one who Davens for the Amud as the Chazan or Shliach Tzibur. Sometimes, he is referred to as the one who “descends before the Teivah (Ark).” Other times, he is referred to as the one who “passes over before the Teivah (Ark).” What is the difference between the terms? Kedushas Levi explains that the first refers to a Tzaddik who is bound by the system of Tefilah and relies on the text, the written word (also referred to as a “Teivah”). Based on the Zohar, Kedushas Levi explains that during Moshe’s tenure, he was on the higher level of one who is not bound, but “passes over” before Ark. However, at this moment, Moshe was “descending” as the wellsprings of Torah were closing. Thus, the Torah tells us that “Vayeilech Moshe Vayidabeir”-“Moshe went and he spoke,” i.e. he went down to the level of reliance on the pre-written word.
We should be Zocheh to follow in Moshe’s footsteps and keep “going” as much as we can, to have both our spiritual strength and physical strength, and Hashem should grant us access to the wellsprings of Torah wisdom as well as entry into book of Life, meritorious of Geulah, Bimheirah Biyomeinu! Have a wonderful Shabbos Shuvah!
-Yehoshua Shmuel Eisenberg