Future generations are already contained, in potential, within those who stand before Moshe. The שורש, the root, the generation standing before Moshe can therefore bring the future ענפים, branches, future generations, into the covenant.

Rabbeinu Bachya then offers a deeper explanation based upon the teaching of Chazal that כל הנפשות שנבראו מבראשית היו שם, all the souls that had been created from the beginning were present, although their bodies had not yet been created. He reads Moshe’s words with remarkable precision: ואת אשר איננו פה – בגוף, עמנו היום – בנפש. Those future generations were “not here” with us in body, but they were with us that day in soul.

Indeed, Rabbeinu Bachya suggests that the word עמנו, “with us,” should be connected back to עִמָּנוּ עֹמֵד הַיּוֹם “standing with us today.” It is as though the Torah were saying: ,ואת אשר איננו פה עמנו עומד היום even the one who is not physically here is nevertheless standing with us today.

Rabbeinu Bachya compares this spiritual standing to the language used for the malachei hashareis: בין העומדים האלה, “among those who stand here” (Zechariah 3:7). He further cites Chazal that all the future prophets received their prophecy at Sinai, although they were not given permission to deliver that prophecy until their appointed time. Therefore, one can be “standing” spiritually present long before it becomes manifest within the course of history. Likewise, the future Jew who has not yet been born into this physical world but had a neshamah already stood within the covenant.

The Zohar presents this idea even more vividly: all the souls of every future generation destined to enter the world were present there: כֻּלְּהוּ קַיְּימוּ תַמָּן, אֶלָּא דְּלָא אִתְחֲזוּ לְעֵינָא “They all stood there, but they were not visible to the eye.” Their absence was only from human sight.

Not with us, but with Hashem

The Kli Yakar adds another dimension to this understanding. The Torah refers to one who is אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה עִמָּנו, “not here with us,” yet he is still included in the covenant. The Kli Yakar explains this with a striking phrase: עמנו איננו אבל ישנו עם ה׳ — “He is not with us, but he is with Hashem” (Kli Yakar, Devarim 29:13). The neshamos are always present before Hashem.

Rabbeinu Bachya and the Kli Yakar thus illuminate the pasuk from two complementary perspectives. Rabbeinu Bachya teaches that the future Jew is איננו פה בגוף, he is absent in body, yet עמנו היום בנפש, present with us in soul. The Kli Yakar shifts the perspective still further: עמנו איננו אבל ישנו עם ה‘  from our human vantage point, he has not yet entered history, but before Hashem his existence is already present. The future Jew therefore is not represented by his ancestors alone but rather possesses a spiritual presence within the covenant itself. What appears to us as אֵינֶנּוּ is יֶשְׁנוֹ before Hashem.

The hidden “yes” within absence

Perhaps there is an additional remez in Moshe’s choice of the word אֵינֶנּוּ. In Aramaic, אִין means “yes.” Chazal teach that Moshe explained the Torah בשבעים לשון, in seventy languages (Rashi, Devarim 1:5). Perhaps Aramaic allows us to hear another dimension in Moshe’s words: וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה refers to the future Jew who appears not to be present. Yet within אֵין, “absence,” we can hear the Aramaic אִין, “yes.” He is איננו, and yet, on another level, he is present.

The Torah places these two states side by side: אֲשֶׁר יֶשְׁנוֹ פֹּה  and אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה. From our perspective, there is אֵין: the future generation is not yet visible. But before Hashem, ישְׁנוֹ – he is already present. Within the apparent אֵין lies an אִין an affirmation that the future Jew already stands before Hashem within the covenant.

The hidden “yes” within absence

Perhaps we may suggest a remez in the word אֵינֶנּוּ. In Aramaic, אִין means “yes.” Chazal teach that Moshe explained the Torah בְּשִׁבְעִים לָשׁוֹן, in seventy languages (Rashi, Devarim 1:5). Perhaps Aramaic allows us to hear another dimension in Moshe’s words.

The Torah says וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה, referring to the future Jew who appears not to be present. Yet within אֵין, “absence,” we can hear the Aramaic אִין, “yes.” He is אֵינֶנּוּ, and yet, on another level, he is present.

The Torah places these two states side by side: אֲשֶׁר יֶשְׁנוֹ פֹּה and אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה. From our perspective there is אֵין: the future generation is not yet visible. But before Hashem, there is already יֶשְׁנוֹ. Within the apparent אֵין lies an אִין, an affirmation that the future Jew already stands before Hashem within the covenant.

The future generations stand before Hashem

The Tiferes Shlomo carries this idea a step further. He brings together the opening words אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי ה׳ with Moshe’s declaration that the covenant embraces אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה. He explains that:גַּם דּוֹרוֹת הַבָּאִים כֻּלָּם יִזְכּוּ לִבְחִינָה זֹאת כשישמעו הדיבור מפי הצדיק הדור שהוא בחי‘ משה  “All the future generations will also merit this aspect when they hear the words from the mouth of the tzaddik of their generation, who is the aspect of Moshe…” (Tiferes Shlomo, Nitzavim). What is בחינה זאת, “this aspect”? It is the state described at the beginning of the parashah: כֻּלְּכֶם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם לִפְנֵי ה׳. The future generations are therefore not merely bound by a covenant forged long before they were born. They themselves attain the state of standing before Hashem that Moshe describes. They attain it through the Moshe of their generation.

The progression of the meforshim is remarkable. Rabbeinu Bachya teaches that the future Jew who is not yet present בגוף is nevertheless עמנו היום בנפש. The Kli Yakar teaches that although he is איננו עמנו, he is already ישנו עם ה׳. The Tiferes Shlomo then teaches that those future generations themselves attain the state of כֻּלְּכֶם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם לִפְנֵי ה׳.

What does “today” mean?

The Sfas Emes takes this still further. The word הַיּוֹם appears repeatedly throughout this passage. Moshe speaks of אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם, of those who are עֹמֵד הַיּוֹם לִפְנֵי ה׳, and even of those who אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה עִמָּנוּ הַיּוֹם. On its simplest level, “hayom” refers to that historic day toward the end of Moshe’s life when Bnei Yisrael entered this covenant.

The Sfas Emes, however, teaches that הַיּוֹם has a meaning that transcends that particular day  …הַיּוֹם כו‘ פֵּירוּשׁ בְּכָל יוֹם “Hayom means every day…” (Sfas Emes, 5634). In a teaching delivered a year later, the Sfas Emes explains: כִּי הכְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל לְעוֹלָם עוֹמְדִין לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא… וְזֶה הַיּוֹם הוּא בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם. Klal Yisrael stands before Hakadosh Baruch Hu eternally, and “this ‘hayom’ is every single day” (Sfas Emes, 5635). With this, the Sfas Emes is adding a powerful principle. Since the Torah states אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים, and the words of Torah are eternally true, this cannot describe a reality that existed only once and then disappeared. In his words elsewhere (Sfas Emes, 5638), he says,  כָּל הַכָּתוּב בַּתּוֹרָה הוּא קַיָּם לָעַד, “everything written in Torah exists eternally.” Thus, Moshe’s words are not merely a historical description: “You stood before Hashem then.” They remain in the present tense: אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם, “You stand before Hashem today.”

A covenant beyond time

In yet another place, in a discussion on the words לְעָבְרְךָ בִּבְרִית ה׳, the Sfas Emes explains that through the bris with Hashem, Bnei Yisrael receive a connection to a reality that transcends time: וְהֵם לְמַעְלָה מִן הַזְּמַן בְּכֹחַ זֶה הַבְּרִית, “Through the power of this covenant they are above time” (Sfas Emes, 5658).

Accordingly, the words of the meforshim join together. Rabbeinu Bachya teaches that the future Jew who is not yet present בגוף is nevertheless עמנו היום בנפש. The Kli Yakar teaches that the future generation, although אֵינֶנּוּ עִמָּנוּ, is already יֶשְׁנוֹ עִם ה׳ וְעוֹמֵד לְפָנָיו. The Tiferes Shlomo teaches that those future generations themselves attain the state of כֻּלְּכֶם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם לִפְנֵי ה׳ through the continuing dibbur of the tzaddik of their generation. And the Sfas Emes explains how a covenant made on one historic day can remain present for every generation: הַיּוֹם הוּא בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם, “hayom” refers to each and every day, because through this bris, Klal Yisrael possesses a dimension that is לְמַעְלָה מִן הַזְּמַן, above time. The future Jew is therefore not merely an heir to the covenant made by his ancestors. He is himself a participant in its continuing הַיּוֹם. Those who were invisible to Moshe’s generation eventually enter history. When they do, the Torah does not address them in the past tense. It speaks directly to them in the present:  אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם.

From “el kol Yisrael” to “kol ish Yisrael”

This idea of Moshe addressing all generations of Klal Yisrael may illuminate the structure of Sefer Devarim as a whole. Moshe’s words in the final sefer of the Torah begins:

אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל
“These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Israel.”
(Devarim 1:1)

The Kli Yakar notes that this wording itself is unusual: לֹא מָצִינוּ בְּכָל הַמִּקְרָא שֶׁמֹּשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּאֶחָד “We do not find anywhere in all of Scripture that Moshe addressed all of Israel together as one.” Ramban explains that Moshe’s exposition of Torah had to occur במעמד כל ישראל, in the presence of all Israel, “For the exposition of the Torah and the completion of the [giving of the] mitzvos had to take place in the presence of all Yisrael, just as at Matan Torah” (Ramban, Devarim 1:1).

The expression then reappears at major turning points of Sefer Devarim. Before reviewing the Aseres HaDibros, וַיִּקְרָא מֹשֶׁה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל (Devarim 5:1). As he approaches the final covenant, Moshe again calls אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל  (Devarim 29:1). And then comes the culmination: אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם… כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Perhaps Nitzavim reveals the full meaning of the  כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵלwhom Moshe has been addressing throughout Sefer Devarim. It is not only the generation that was physically present. Moshe himself tells us: וְלֹא אִתְּכֶם לְבַדְּכֶם. Not you alone. His audience includes אֲשֶׁר יֶשְׁנוֹ פֹּה and אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה, those who stood before him then and those who would stand before Hashem in every generation to come. כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל  becomes more than a description of everyone physically assembled before Moshe. In the covenant of Nitzavim, it embraces Klal Yisrael across the generations.

Moshe Rabbeinu’s words for all generations

Sefer Devarim contains Moshe Rabbeinu’s final words to Klal Yisrael. Although he would not be entering Eretz Yisrael with them, his parting words were not meant only for that generation. They were given as part of the Torah for Klal Yisrael in every generation.

This may also explain why, after the covenant of Nitzavim comes the mitzvah of Hakhel. Future generations were to gather once every seven years to hear the readings from Sefer Devarim:

בְּבוֹא כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵרָאוֹת אֶת פְּנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ… תִּקְרָא אֶת הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת נֶגֶד כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאָזְנֵיהֶם.
“When all Israel comes to appear before Hashem your G-d… you shall read this Torah before all Israel, in their hearing.”

(Devarim 31:11)

Those who were once included in אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה later gather as  כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵלand stand לִפְנֵי ה׳. The Torah of Moshe is then read before them anew. In this way, Hakhel gives practical expression in each generation to the covenant of Nitzavim.

We are standing today

As human beings, we can only see what stands before us today. We see the יֵשׁ, that which has already entered the world and is present before our eyes. Those who have not yet been born are, from our perspective, אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה; they are not yet visible to us. Yet the covenant of Nitzavim teaches that their absence from our sight does not mean their absence from the covenant. What is not yet present with us is already present before Hashem, and every generation is included in Moshe Rabbeinu’s words.

Moshe Rabbeinu therefore speaks to כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל—not only to those standing before him at that time, but to Klal Yisrael in all generations. In Moshe’s ‘hayom,’ we were included among אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה. In our own time, we have become אֲשֶׁר יֶשְׁנוֹ פֹּה.

The covenant is therefore not merely an event that took place with the earlier generation. As the Sfas Emes says, every generation has its own ‘hayom,’ and every generation stands before Hashem anew. Thus, those who are אֵינֶנּוּ in one generation become יֶשְׁנו in another, for the covenant extends continually to those who have not yet appeared.

And so, Moshe Rabbeinu’s words remain forever in the present tense. They were spoken to כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, including us:

אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם.

You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem your G-d.

Parashas Vayelech

Moshe’s final words: From rebuke to encouragement

וַיֵּלֶךְ מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל

“Moshe went and spoke these words to all of Israel.”

(Devarim 31:1)

The opening words of Parashas Vayelech sound remarkably familiar. Sefer Devarim itself began: אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, “These are the words that Moshe spoke to all of Israel” (Devarim 1:1). The similarity is difficult to miss. Sefer Devarim opens with הַדְּבָרִים that Moshe spoke to כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, and now, as Moshe enters the final day of his life, the Torah again tells us Moshe spoke הַדְּבָרִים to כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל.

This parallel, however, is framed by a clear contrast. At the beginning of Sefer Devarim, Moshe approaches כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל with tochachah (rebuke). Rashi explains that he refers to their sins only by allusion, מִפְּנֵי כְבוֹדָן שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, because of the honor of Israel (Rashi, Devarim 1:1). It is rebuke, but it is the gentle and respectful rebuke of a leader who loves his people. Now, near the conclusion of the sefer, on the last day of his life in this world, Moshe again speaks אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, but the dominant tone is one of warmth and encouragement. Moshe knows that he will not accompany them across the Yarden. He must prepare them to enter Eretz Yisrael without the leader who has guided them for forty years, and his words are therefore filled with chizuk.

חִזְקוּ וְאִמְצוּ אַל תִּירְאוּ וְאַל תַּעַרְצוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם כִּי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ הוּא הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּךְ לֹא יַרְפְּךָ וְלֹא יַעַזְבֶךָּ

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear and do not be broken before them, for Hashem your G-d, He is the One Who goes with you; He will not weaken you nor forsake you.”

(Devarim 31:6)

The resemblance between the opening of Devarim and the opening of Vayelech is not just a matter of similar wording. In explaining the phrase אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל  here, the Kli Yakar explicitly refers back to the first pasuk of Devarim. He explains that there it says “to all Yisrael,” and here it says “to all Yisrael. Just as there, the words were words of mussar, so too here, before speaking about his departure, Moshe spoke to them words of mussar and teshuvah. Indeed, points out the Kli Yakar, it says וַיְדַבֵּר, which indicates דִּבּוּר קָשֶׁה שֶׁל מוּסָר, stern words of rebuke. Elsewhere, the Kli Yakar points out that the word וַיֵּלֶךְ  further teaches that Moshe went personally among the people to stir them to teshuvah (Kli Yakar, Devarim 31:1). The two ideas, words of rebuke on the one hand and words of encouragement on the other hand, need not conflict. Moshe’s final words still contain mussar and a call to teshuvah, but as he prepares to leave his people, he also recognizes their need for confidence, courage, and reassurance. There is a time to address the past, and a time to strengthen people for the future.

Answering the fear of the Meraglim

As we consider Moshe’s words of chizuk (encouragement), another parallel emerges. Near the beginning of Sefer Devarim, Moshe recounts the tragedy of the Meraglim at length. The spies had returned from Eretz Yisrael and destroyed the confidence of the nation. They had frightened the people into believing that the land Hashem had promised them could not be conquered. Moshe then tried to reassure and strengthen them:

לֹא תַעַרְצוּן וְלֹא תִירְאוּן מֵהֶם. ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם הוּא יִלָּחֵם לָכֶם

“Do not be broken and do not fear them. Hashem your G-d, Who goes before you, He will fight for you.”

(Devarim 1:29-30)

But the people did not listen. Fear had already overwhelmed them, and that entire generation lost the privilege of entering Eretz Yisrael. Now, on the final day of Moshe’s life, he speaks to their children in almost the same language: חִזְקוּ וְאִמְצוּ אַל תִּירְאוּ וְאַל תַּעַרְצוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם, “Be strong and courageous. Do not fear and do not be broken before them” (Devarim 31:6). The connection is clear, the language is almost identical: לֹא תַעַרְצוּן וְלֹא תִירְאוּן מֵהֶם has now become אַל תִּירְאוּ וְאַל תַּעַרְצוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם, and ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם הַהֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם is now ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ הוּא הַהֹלֵךְ עִמָּךְ. The Ramban himself places these two passages alongside one another. In explaining why Moshe’s fear of Og could not have been an ordinary fear of military strength, the Ramban points to Moshe as the one who had warned Israel, אַל תִּירְאוּ וְאַל תַּעַרְצוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם (Devarim 31:6), and who had earlier rebuked them for their fear following the sin of the Meraglim, saying, לֹא תַעַרְצוּן וְלֹא תִירְאוּן מֵהֶם… ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם הוּא הַנִּלְחָם לָכֶם (Devarim 1:29–30) (Ramban, Bamidbar 21:34).

Perhaps Moshe is deliberately returning to the moment when the first generation failed. Thirty-nine years earlier, he had urged their fathers not to fear, and they did not accept his words. Now he stands before their children, once again at the threshold of Eretz Yisrael, and delivers the message again. This time, however, he begins with two words of strength and active encouragement: חִזְקוּ וְאִמְצוּ. Be strong. Have courage. The first generation had heard voices telling them that they could not succeed. Moshe’s final message to their children is that they can succeed, and with Hashem’s help, they will succeed.

The emissary who remained faithful

There is another remarkable dimension here, at this moment. After strengthening the nation, Moshe calls Yehoshua forward:

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

“Moshe called Yehoshua and said to him before the eyes of all Israel: Be strong and courageous, for you shall come with this people to the land that Hashem swore to their fathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.”

(Devarim 31:7)

The change from plural to singular is significant. First Moshe told the people חִזְקוּ וְאִמְצוּ. Now he is telling their new leader חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ. Yehoshua, in addition to being Moshe’s successor, is also one of the two surviving witnesses to the very episode whose damage Moshe now seems determined to overcome. Yehoshua had been one of the twelve emissaries. When the others frightened Klal Yisrael, Yehoshua and Kalev stood before the people and declared: וְאַתֶּם אַל תִּירְאוּ אֶת עַם הָאָרֶץ… וַה׳ אִתָּנוּ אַל תִּירָאֻם, “Do not fear the people of the land… Hashem is with us; do not fear them” (Bamidbar 14:9).

Yehoshua had already delivered his own message of chizuk to the people: אַל תִּירְאוּ… וַה׳ אִתָּנוּ. But no one had listened. The people had become so consumed by fear that they threatened to stone Yehoshua and Kalev. Now, nearly forty years later, the very man whose words of encouragement had been rejected stands beside Moshe. This time he will not merely tell Klal Yisrael that they can enter the land—he will lead them there.

This connection is already indicated near the beginning of Sefer Devarim. In Moshe’s retelling of the sin of the Meraglim, he recalls Hashem’s instuction: יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן הָעֹמֵד לְפָנֶיךָ הוּא יָבֹא שָׁמָּה אֹתוֹ חַזֵּק כִּי הוּא יַנְחִלֶנָּה אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, “Yehoshua bin Nun, who stands before you, he will enter there; strengthen him, for he will cause Israel to inherit it” (Devarim 1:38). The command is אֹתוֹ חַזֵּק, “strengthen him.” Now, on Moshe’s final day, that is instruction is fulfilled: חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ… וְאַתָּה תַּנְחִילֶנָּה אוֹתָם. The same account that records the failure of the Meraglim already identifies Yehoshua as the future leader and commands that he be strengthened. In Parashas Vayelech the same faithful representative who had said from the beginning that the land could be conquered, is now strengthened publicly to guide Klal Yisrael into it.

Before the Eyes of All Israel

The Torah begins its account of Moshe’s final transfer of leadership by emphasizing that it occurred לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, and it later concludes the entire Torah with those identical words. Ramban teaches that the transfer of leadership to Yehoshua had to occur publicly so that the people would trust him and accept his leadership (Ramban, Bamidbar 27:19). The Kli Yakar goes further: the eyes of Israel are upon their leader, וּמִמֶּנּוּ יִרְאוּ וְכֵן יַעֲשׂוּ, from him they will see and so will they do (Kli Yakar, Devarim 31:7). The courage of the leader becomes the courage of the people.

Perhaps, then, the repetition of לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל suggests a defining quality of Moshe’s leadership. At one defining moment, when the survival of the nation demanded it, he had been prepared to shatter the Luchos לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. And at the end of his life, he was equally prepared to strengthen his successor לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל and publicly transfer the leadership to him. One moment required the courage to break something precious. The other required humility and strength to build up the person who would replace him. In both instances, Moshe acts not for himself, but for the future of Klal Yisrael.

Rashi famously explains the Torah’s final words, אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה מֹשֶׁה לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, as referring to Moshe’s breaking of the Luchos before their eyes (Rashi, Devarim 34:12). I have not found a mefaresh who explicitly connects the two appearances of לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, but the verbal parallel is striking. In Vayelech, moreover, the public strengthening of Yehoshua is particularly important in light of the Meraglim. The people had once refused to believe Yehoshua, when he assured them that Hashem was with them and that they could conquer the land. Now Moshe makes certain that the next generation sees Yehoshua differently. He places him before them, strengthens him before their eyes, and publicly establishes him as the leader who will bring them into the land.

Moshe will not go, but Hashem will

There is a particularly moving point we may discern from Moshe’s words. He has just told the people, בֶּן מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי הַיּוֹם לֹא אוּכַל עוֹד לָצֵאת וְלָבוֹא וַה׳ אָמַר אֵלַי לֹא תַעֲבֹר אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן הַזֶּה, “I am one hundred and twenty years old today; I can no longer go out and come in, and Hashem has said to me: ‘You shall not cross this Yarden’” (Devarim 31:2). Near the beginning of Sefer Devarim, in the recounting of the tragedy of the Meraglim, Moshe had already mentioned that he too would not enter the land: גַּם בִּי הִתְאַנַּף ה׳ בִּגְלַלְכֶם לֵאמֹר גַּם אַתָּה לֹא תָבֹא שָׁם, “Hashem became angry with me as well because of you, saying: You, too, shall not come there” (Devarim 1:37).

That reality has now arrived. Moshe cannot cross the Yarden. Nevertheless, when Moshe speaks here, the emphasis is not placed on his inability to enter, but on the fact that Klal Yisrael will not be left without guidance. He tells them, ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ הוּא עֹבֵר לְפָנֶיךָ, “Hashem your G-d, He is crossing before you” (Devarim 31:3), and he tells Yehoshua, וַה׳ הוּא הַהֹלֵךְ לְפָנֶיךָ הוּא יִהְיֶה עִמָּךְ, “Hashem, He is the One Who goes before you; He will be with you” (Devarim 31:8). Moshe will not go before them, but Hashem will.

That is perhaps one of Moshe Rabbeinu’s greatest acts of leadership. He prepares the nation to succeed without him. He does not make their confidence dependent upon his presence. He directs their confidence toward Hashem, while publicly strengthening the leader who will take his place. The leadership changes, but the Divine guidance remains.

Moshe’s voice will remain

וַיִּכְתֹּב מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת וַיִּתְּנָהּ אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי לֵוִי הַנֹּשְׂאִים אֶת אֲרוֹן בְּרִית ה׳ וְאֶל כָּל זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, “Moshe wrote this Torah and gave it to the Kohanim, the sons of Levi, who carry the Ark of Hashem, and to all the elders of Israel” (Devarim 31:9). Moshe’s physical leadership will end, but his Torah will remain.

He commands that at the conclusion of every Shemittah cycle, Klal Yisrael must gather: בְּבוֹא כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵרָאוֹת אֶת פְּנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֶיךָ… תִּקְרָא אֶת הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת נֶגֶד כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאָזְנֵיהֶם, “When all Israel comes to appear before Hashem your G-d… you shall read this Torah before all Israel, in their hearing” (Devarim 31:11). Moshe makes the gathering comprehensive: הַקְהֵל אֶת הָעָם הָאֲנָשִׁים וְהַנָּשִׁים וְהַטַּף וְגֵרְךָ אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ, “Gather the people, the men, the women, the children, and your stranger who is within your gates” (Devarim 31:12). Chazal teach that at Hakhel, the king reads selections from Sefer Devarim (Mishnah Sotah 7:8). Every seven years a new כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל assembles, and Moshe’s words are heard once again.

Moshe declares at the covenant of Nitzavim: אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶם… כֹּל אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל and revealed that his covenant extends even to אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה עִמָּנוּ הַיּוֹם, the generations not yet physically present. Vayelech now tells us what happens when those generations arrive. They too gather לֵרָאוֹת אֶת פְּנֵי ה׳, and they too hear הַתּוֹרָה הַזֹּאת. The Sfas Emes taught regarding Nitzavim that הַיּוֹם הוּא בְּכָל יוֹם וָיוֹם, the hayom of Moshe’s covenant is renewed in every generation. Hakhel gives that idea, physical expression. The generation that had once been אֵינֶנּוּ פֹּה now stands before Hashem and hears Moshe’s Torah for itself.

From אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל to לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל

There is a distinct structure across final Sefer of Torah’s.Moshe It begins, אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. Near the end, וַיֵּלֶךְ מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. Moshe then strengthens Yehoshua לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, establishes Hakhel נֶגֶד כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאָזְנֵיהֶם, and the Torah concludes Moshe’s life with the words לְעֵינֵי כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל.

At the beginning of Sefer Devarim, Moshe recalls the past and reviews the places where Klal Yisrael had erred, including the episode of the Meraglim and the fear that followed it. On his final day, however. in Parashas Vayelech, as the entry into Eretz Yisrael draws near, Moshe directs Klal Yisrael toward the future. He strengthens the nation with חִזְקוּ וְאִמְצוּ, strengthens Yehoshua with חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ, assures Kal Yisrael that Hashem will go before them, leaves them the Torah, and establishes נֶגֶד כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּאָזְנֵיהֶם the mitzvah of Hakhel, which will continue speaking to כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל long after Moshe’s physical presence has left us.

The first generation had stood at the border of Eretz Yisrael and said in despair that they could not enter. Moshe’s final message to their children is resolute: Do not be afraid. Hashem is with you. You can go forward, Yehoshua will lead you, and you will enter the land. With strength and confidence. חִזְקוּ וְאִמְצוּ