On the day he was to die (by tradition, on the seventh of Adar), Moses assembled everyone in order to bring them into the covenant with G-d. A warning was issued to anyone who thought that the curses pronounced in the previous parsha, would not apply to them. Moses predicts that the people will rebel again, and be scattered and then returned to the promised land. Once again, the people are given a choice between life and death; good vs. evil. In parsha Vayeilech, Moses is 120 years old and announces that he will soon die. Joshua is anointed his successor. He will lead the people to conquer the land of Canaan. Moses committed all of the Law to writing and handed it to the kohanim and the Elders. When a king is appointed over the people, he will be charged with reading the Law publically on Succos during the year after the Shemittah year to all the people. In this way, everyone would be reminded about their duty to learn Torah and perform the mitzvos of G-d. The Book of the Law was placed by the Levites in the Aron HaKodesh. The people were prepared to hear the final ending of Moses’ farewell prayer and address.

These two short parshyot are often read as a double portion. They have profound lessons for all of us. The torah states that Moses assembled all of the people in order to bring them into the covenant with G-d. United, they made a profound force for the good of mankind. However, once in Canaan, the daily miracles of the desert would stop. Joshua would lead them and possess power of prophecy, but it was a different people that crossed the Jordan River than the one that left Egypt forty years earlier.
This is the lesson for us today. If we, the Jewish people, remain united in the fight against terrorism, on all fronts, then we cannot be defeated. Inter-denominational conflicts, fighting over the settlements on the West Bank will only lead to civil discord. In our own synagogue, we must strive to make it a center for Jewish learning and living. We will not always agree on the best methods to achieve this.
These two parshayot are usually read near the High Holidays. Also known as the Yomim Nora’im, the Days of Awe, call on us to reflect on the past year. A good Jew is a striving one, who always attempts to move up the rung of spirituality. We may not make to the top, but the goal is not as important as the journey itself.
Moses informs the people that they can return to G-d whenever they want. Teshuva is a topic that is fresh on everyone’s minds these days. The root word “shuva” means to “return” and the Shabbos between Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbos Shuva. The Haftorah for that day begins “Shuva Yisroel…” Return, O Israel…”

We all possess that divines spark that enables us to return to G-d. Saying, “I’m sorry”, is not the proper frame of mind for the days of atonement. We must each feel a sincere desire to ask forgiveness for our sins from G-d and Man. Yom Kippur, the sages tell us, atones for sins between man and G-d. For sins committed between Man and his fellow, we must seek forgiveness from those we have wronged.

The story is told about Rabbi Yisroel Salanter, the founder of the Mussar movement. It seems that once he went to a shoemaker to have his shoes repaired. The day was late, darkness was approaching, and the Rabbi was hesitant to put the shoemaker out in order to make him fix the Rabbi’s shoes. The shoemaker told Rabbi Salanter not to worry. He said, “I can always use a candle. As long as I have a little light to work with, I can always repair shoes well into the evening.” With this insight, Rabbi Salanter understood the inner meaning of teshuva. As long there is some “light” within us, that is, as long as the inner light of Torah, righteous, and spirituality is within us, we can all repair our souls (so to speak) through the process of teshuva). The sages say: “Repent one day before your death.” Since nobody knows there day of death, the sages mean that it is never too late to begin the process of teshuva because who knows what will happen tomorrow. We must reflect, they say, on our deeds everyday as though it were our last on Earth.

In parsha Vayeilech, we get a hint that G-d will “remove his face” from us. This means that we could no longer expect the explicit miracles witnessed by the generation that left Egypt and the one that immediately followed it. Instead, G-d’s role would be hidden (The Book of Esther does not even mention G-d explicitly in the entire story!) and not revealed. The challenge for us, is to recognize that G-d is present in the world. The whole world is His Glory (meloh kol ha’aretz k’vodo). Look at the night sky, watch a baby being born, reflect on the awesome spectacle and majesty of the Earth, and we can witness daily miracles all the time. The trick, is knowing where and how to look. Open your eyes, and they are as clear as a summer’s day!