Veyelech

Vayelech is the fifty-second Torah Portion. It is read on the Sabbath before Rosh

Hashana. In this portion, we can almost hear the sorrow in the prophetic voice of this great leader Moses, as he come to the end of his leadership. He reminder the people “And I shall bring them to the land flowing with milk and honey, of which I swore to their fathers, and they shall eat and be satisfied and be fat, then they shall turn to other mighty ones, and they shall serve them, and scorn Me and break My covenant,  And it shall be, when many evils and distresses come upon them, that this song shall answer before them as a witness. For it is not to be forgotten in the mouths of their seed, for I know their thoughts which they are forming today, even before I bring them to the land of which I swore to give them.”

          In this portion called Vayelech we see that Moses himself prophecy little hope for Yisrael, much the same way the sages after the destruction of the Temple 70 ad they despaired at the spiritual future of mankind. But in the face of all this darkness, Rabbi Shimon BarYochai revealed the Zohar. He himself stood up against doubt and fear, reminding those who remined that their truth would not be forgotten.

As we experience the Sabbath of Vayelech, we see that one of its greatest lessons is to appreciate the gift of the Soul of Messiyah Yahushua and Moses. The Sabbath of Vayelech reminds us that when we connect to the Torah, we are not just reading it as the Constitution of the Heavenly Kingdom, but that is also a Legacy of Moses.

As we come to the end of another Torah Cycle where we strengthen our bond with the Messiyah and ABBA YAHVEH, then all our spiritual works will not be forgotten, nor will our prayer fall on deaf ears.

In this chapter Moses, having finished his sermon,

I.                           Encourages both the people who were now to enter Canaan verses 1-6), and Joshua who was to lead them verses 7, 8, 23.

II.                        He takes care for the keeping of these things always in their remembrance after his decease, 

1. By the book of the law which was, Written. 

(2.) Delivered into the custody of the priests verses 9, and 24-27. 

(3.) Ordered to be publicly read every seventh year verse 10–13. 

2. By a song which Yahweh orders Moses to prepare for their instruction and admonition. 

(1.) He calls Moses and Joshua to the door of the tabernacle verses 14, 15. 

(2.) He foretels the apostasy of Yisrael in process of time, and the judgments they would thereby bring upon themselves verse 16–18. 

(1.)           He prescribes the following song to be a witness against them verse 19–21.

(2.)      Moses wrote it verse 22. And delivered it to Yisrael, with an intimation of the design of it, as he had received it from YAHVEH verse 28, etc.

Deu 31:1  And Mosheh went and spoke these words to all Yisra’ĕl, - Every true spiritual leader, should speak all of the Words of EL YAHVEH to the people. There are some churches who only preach some of the Word, just enough to keep the people captivated.

Deu 31:2 and he said to them, “I am one hundred and twenty years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. And יהוה  has said to me, ‘You do not pass over this Yardĕn.’ - Moses does so to the children of Yisrael: not because he was ask to go to Father יהוה, but because he was asked to leave them, fearing that when he had left them they would leave YAHVEH.

He had finished what he had to say to them by way of counsel and exhortation: here he calls them together to give them a word of encouragement, especially with reference to the wars of Canaan, in which they were now to engage in.

It was a discouragement to them that Moses was to be removed at a time when it seems like he could not be spared: though Joshua was continued to fight for them in the valley, they would want Moses to intercede for them on the hill, as he did, Ex. 17:10.

But there is no remedy: Moses can no more go and come. Not that he was disabled by any decay either of body or mind; for his natural force was not abated, ch. 24:7.

But he cannot any longer discharge his office; for. He is 120 years old, and it is time for him to think of resigning his honor and returning to his rest. He had fulfilled his role, he had achieved Spiritual Maturity, it was time for him to go and for someone else to develop their leadership skills.

He that had arrived at so great an age then, when seventy or eighty was the ordinary stint, as appears by the prayer of Moses (Ps. 90:10), might well think that he had accomplished as a hireling his day. He is under a divine sentence: You shall not go over Jordan.

Deu 31:3 יהוה  your Elohim Himself is passing over before you. He shall destroy these nations from before you and you possess them. Yehoshua himself is passing over before you, as יהוה  has spoken. - He encourages the people; and never could any general animate his soldiers upon such good grounds as those on which Moses here encourages Yisrael.

He assures them of the constant presence of יהוה  with them: יהוה thy God. that has led thee and kept thee and will go over before thee; and those who would follow were sure that they had יהוה  for their leader. He repeats it again verse 6 with an emphasis.

YAHVEH our EL, the great Elohim, who is in covenant with you, it is HE and no less, HE and no other, that goes before you; not only who by his promise has assured you that HE will go before you; by His ark, the visible token of His presence, shows thee that He does actually He will go before you.’’ And He repeats it with enlargement:

 "Not only he goes over before us at first, to bring us in, but He will continue with us all along, with us and our see; he will not fail thee nor forsake thee; He will not disappoint thy expectations in any strait, nor will he ever desert thy interest; be constant to him, and he will be so to thee.’’

This is applied by the apostle to all Yah’s spiritual Yisrael, for the encouragement of their faith and hope; unto us is this gospel preached, as well as unto them He will never fail thee, nor forsake thee, Heb. 13:5. 2. He commends Joshua to them for a leader: Joshua, he shall go over before thee.

One whose conduct, courage, and sincere affection to their interest, they had had long experience of; and one whom YAHVEH had ordained and appointed to be their leader, and therefore, no doubt, would own and bless, and make a blessing to them. See Num. 27:18. It is a great encouragement to a people when, instead of some useful instruments that are removed, YAHVEH raises up others to carry on his work.

Deu 31:4 “And יהוה shall do to them as He did to Siḥon and to Oḡ, the sovereigns of the Amorites and their land, when He destroyed them. - Two things might encourage our hopes in this: The victories that we have already obtained over Sihon and Og, from which we might infer both the power of יהוה , that He could do what He had done, and the purpose of יהוה , that He would finish what He had begun to do.

Deu 31:5 “And יהוה  shall give them over to you, and you shall do to them according to all the command which I have commanded you. – Every word of Torah must improve our conscious experience. The command יהוה  had given them to destroy the Canaanites (ch. 7:2; 12:2), to which He refers here in this verse, that you may do unto them according to all which I have commanded you), and from which they might infer that, if יהוה  had commanded us to destroy the Canaanites, no doubt He would put it into the power of our hands to do it.

Deu 31:6 “Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be afraid of them. For it is יהוה  your EL who is going with you. HE will not fail you nor forsake you.” - What יהוה  has made our duty we have reason to expect opportunity and assistance from him for the doing of. So that from all this he had reason enough to bid them be strong and of a good courage. While they had the power of יהוה  engaged for them they had no reason to fear all the powers of Canaan engaged against them.