Parshiyot Netzavim and Vayelekh 5770
Rabbi Ari Kahn
Gather the People
As Moshe’s speech draws to an end, he addresses some of the practical, pragmatic issues at hand; one such item is the issue of succession:
דברים לא: ז-ח
וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו לְעֵינֵי כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ כִּי אַתָּה תָּבוֹא אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע ה' לַאֲבֹתָם לָתֵת לָהֶם וְאַתָּה תַּנְחִילֶנָּה אוֹתָם: וַה' הוּא הַהֹלֵךְ לְפָנֶיךָ הוּא יִהְיֶה עִמָּךְ לֹא יַרְפְּךָ וְלֹא יַעַזְבֶךָּ לֹא תִירָא וְלֹא תֵחָת:
And Moshe called Yehoshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel: 'Be strong and of good courage; for you shall go with this people into the land that God has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it. And it God Himself goes before you; He will be with you, He will not fail you or forsake you. Have no fearor trepidation.' (Devarim 31:7-8)
Moshe will no longer lead the people; Yehoshua will take over the mantle of leadership. This message is echoed several verses later, when God speaks for the first time in the book:1
