As we approach the Yamim Nora’im, everyone is talking about teshuvah—it’s the theme of the times and central to the parshiyos. But there’s another message in the names of these parshiyos that we may be missing.
Nitzavim—we were all there, standing together, listening to Moshe. At that moment, every Jewish soul throughout history was present and entering into the bris with Hashem. This isn’t only about our ancestors; it’s about all of us, right now, standing firm in our connection to Hashem and to each other.
Then we reach Vayelech, where Moshe tells us he won’t be going with us into Eretz Yisrael. His journey is ending, with the leadership passing to Yehoshua. It’s a moment of transition. More than Moshe’s departure, this is about what comes next for us. The message is clear that we need to move forward by taking everything we learned in the midbar and using it to build our future in Eretz Yisrael.
Turns out, it wasn’t a smooth transition. After Moshe’s passing, Yehoshua forgot 300 halac…
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