Vayelech

Vayelech, Vayeilech, VaYelech, Va-yelech, Vayelekh, Va-yelekh, or Vayeleh (וילך — Hebrew for "then he went out", the first word in the parshah) is the 52nd weekly Torah portion ("parshah") in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the ninth in the book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes ) Moses exhorted the Israelites to be strong and courageous, for God would go with them and would not forsake them. () Moses told them to assemble all the people — men, women, children, and strangers — that they might hear, learn, fear God, and observe the law as long as the Israelites lived in the land that they were going over the Jordan to possess. () God directed Moses therefore to write a song and teach it to the Israelites so that the song might serve as a witness for God against the Israelites. () And God charged Joshua to be strong and courageous, for he would bring the Israelites into the land that God had sworn to them, and God would be with him. ()

Moses called the elders and officers to assemble, so that he might call heaven and earth to witness against them. ()

Key words

Words used frequently in the parshah include:
*Moses — 11 times ( [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0531.htm#7 7,] [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0531.htm#9 9,] [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0531.htm#11 11] (2 times), [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0531.htm#19 19] (2 times), [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0531.htm#22 22,] [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0531.htm#23 23,] [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0531.htm#30 30.] )

In classical rabbinic interpretation

31:1–9 — "Be strong and courageous"

The Gemara interpreted Moses’s words “I am a hundred and twenty years old "this day"” in if observing it conflicted with the Sabbath. ( [http://www.moreshet.net/oldsite/mishna/1-10-00/sunday.htm Mishnah Megillah 1:3.] )

The Gemara noted that the command in and that a deaf person was not required to appear at the assembly. And the Baraita deduced from the words “that they may learn” in that one who was deaf in one ear was exempt from appearing at the assembly. (Babylonian Talmud Chagigah 3a.)The Mishnah explained how the Jews of the Second Temple era interpreted the requirement of up through the shema (), the portion of the king ( (regarding tithes) and “mighty in strength that fulfill His word,” speak of those who observe the Sabbatical year (mentioned in says regarding observance of the Sabbatical year, “And this is the "manner" ("dabar") of the release,” and argued that “"dabar"” means the observance of the Sabbatical year in both places. (Leviticus Rabbah 1:1.)

31:14–30 — writing the law

Rabbi Akiba deduced from the words “and teach it to the children of Israel” in that the teacher must wherever possible explain to the student the reasons behind the commandments. Rav Hisda cited the words “put it in their mouths” in to teach that Israel will never forget the Torah. (Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 138b.)

Commandments

According to Maimonides and Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are two positive commandments in the parshah.
*To assemble the people to hear Torah after the end of the Sabbatical year ( That haftarah is the seventh and concluding installment in the cycle of seven haftarot of consolation after Tisha B'Av, leading up to Rosh Hashanah.

Further reading

The parshah has parallels or is discussed in these sources:

Biblical

*Jeremiah [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1130.htm 30:1–3] (God's instruction to write).

Early nonrabbinic

*Assumption of Moses 1st Century. Reprinted in, e.g., "The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Volume 1: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments". Edited by James H. Charlesworth, 919–26. New York: Anchor Bible, 1983. ISBN 0-385-09630-5.
*Josephus, "Antiquities of the Jews" [http://www.interhack.net/projects/library/antiquities-jews/b4c8.html 4:8:12, 44.] Circa 93–94. Reprinted in, e.g., "The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition". Translated by William Whiston, 117, 123–24. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1987. ISBN 0-913573-86-8.

Classical rabbinic

*Mishnah: [http://www.moreshet.net/oldsite/mishna/1-10-00/sunday.htm Megillah 1:3;] [http://www.moreshet.net/oldsite/mishna/5761/10-06-01/wednesday.htm Sotah 7:8.] Land of Israel, circa 200 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., "The Mishnah: A New Translation". Translated by Jacob Neusner, 317, 459. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-300-05022-4.
*Jerusalem Talmud: Sheviit 1a–87b; Maaser Sheni 53a. Land of Israel, circa 400 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., "Talmud Yerushalmi". Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, vols. 6a–b, 10. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006–2008.
*Babylonian Talmud: Shabbat 138b; Eruvin 27a 54b; Yoma 5b, 52b; Rosh Hashanah 11a, 12b; Megillah 5a; Moed Katan 2b, 17a, 28a; Chagigah 3a, 5a–b; Ketubot 111b–12a; Nedarim 38a; Sotah 13b, 41a; Gittin 59b–60a; Kiddushin 34a–b, 38a; Bava Batra 14a–15a; Sanhedrin 8a, 21b, 90b; Chullin 139b. Babylonia, 6th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., "Talmud Bavli". Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 vols. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.

Medieval

*Deuteronomy Rabbah 9:1–9. Land of Israel, 9th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., "Midrash Rabbah: Leviticus". Translated by H. Freedman and Maurice Simon. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
*Rashi. "Commentary". [http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=9995&showrashi=true Deuteronomy 31.] Troyes, France, late 11th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Rashi. "The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated". Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, 5:319–28. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-89906-030-7.
*Maimonides. "Mishneh Torah", [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/p0000.htm#2 Intro.:2.] Cairo, Egypt, 1170–1180.
*Zohar [http://www.kabbalah.com/k/index.php/p=zohar/zohar&vol=50 3:283a–86a.] Spain, late 13th Century. Reprinted in, e.g, "The Zohar". Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1934.

Modern

*Thomas Hobbes. "Leviathan", England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. Macpherson, 319, 418, 548, 687. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. ISBN 0140431950.
*Samson Raphael Hirsch. "Horeb: A Philosophy of Jewish Laws and Observances". Translated by Isidore Grunfeld, 444–46. London: Soncino Press, 1962. Reprinted 2002 ISBN 0-900689-40-4. Originally published as "Horeb, Versuche über Jissroel’s Pflichten in der Zerstreuung". Germany, 1837.
*Emily Dickinson. Circa 1860. Circa 1862. In "The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson". Edited by Thomas H. Johnson, 79–80, 293–94. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1960. ISBN 0-316-18414-4.
*Martin Buber. "On the Bible: Eighteen studies", 80–92. New York: Schocken Books, 1968.
*Lawrence H. Schiffman. “The New Halakhic Letter (4QMMT) and the Origins of the Dead Sea Sect.” "Biblical Archaeologist". 53 (2) (June 1990): 64–73.
*Aaron Demsky. “Who Returned First — Ezra or Nehemiah?” "Bible Review". 12 (2) (Apr. 1996).
*Jeffrey H. Tigay. "The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation", 289–98, 498–507. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1996. ISBN 0-8276-0330-4.
*Baruch J. Schwartz. “What Really Happened at Mount Sinai? Four biblical answers to one question.” "Bible Review". 13 (5) (Oct. 1997).
*William H.C. Propp. “Why Moses Could Not Enter The Promised Land.” "Bible Review". 14 (3) (June 1998).
*Michael M. Cohen. “Insight: Did Moses Enter the Promised Land?” "Bible Review". 15 (6) (Dec. 1999).

External links

* [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0531.htm Masoretic text and 1917 JPS translation]
* [http://Bible.ort.org/books/torahd5.asp?action=displaypage&book=5&chapter=21&verse=10&portion=52 Hear the parshah chanted]