Vayeilech – Peninim on the Torah

וידבר משה באזני כל קהל ישראל את דברי השירה הזאת עד תמם

Moshe spoke the words of this song into the ears of the entire congregation of Yisrael, until their conclusion. (31:30)

Ad tumam, until their conclusion, implies that the Torah is teaching us a novel chiddush. Moshe Rabbeinu taught the entire Torah – from beginning to end. This chiddush begs elucidation. How could one think that Moshe abridged the Torah, that he did not recite it in its entirety? Horav Moshe Feinstein, zl, explains ad tumam to mean that Moshe’s recitation went beyond verbalization. He did not just read words; rather, he provided an in-depth explanation, analysis and synthesis of the various approaches toward understanding the Torah’s lessons and message. He guided the people toward a clear and undiluted understanding of…

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ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

Sruly Schnair In 5786, Vayeilech

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

The last mitzvah in the Torah is the command to write a Sefer Torah. It is striking that the Torah refers to itself as a Shirah, song. One would have expected that the seminal corpus of Jewish law, the blueprint for Jewish life and living, the repository of Divine wisdom, which Hashem authored to be described as a Sefer, a body of law, a teaching, even a guide, but a song? Who would have thought? Perhaps the answer is to be found in the unique nature of music. Recently, I was exercising together with a friend, each of us listening…

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ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Vayeilech

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

Hashem commanded Moshe Rabbeinu to write the Torah and teach it to the nation. The Torah is referred to here as a shirah, song. (Alternatively, shirah applies to Shiras Haazinu.) Writing the Torah is the last (613th) mitzvah, for the climax of all the mitzvos is their redactment followed by teaching and studying. This comes across as enigmatic. We would think that writing the Torah should be the first mitzvah. It is almost as if a child goes to school, studies all year, and, at the end of the year, receives a textbook. Should it not be the other way…

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ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פני ביום ההוא

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Vayeilech

I will surely hide My face on that day. (31:18)

The first lesson to be derived from this pasuk is that Hashem’s Presence is otherwise always revealed. If we do not see His choreography in our lives it is either because we refuse to look, or we are plagued with myopic vision when it involves spirituality. If Hashem must “hide” His Presence, then it is always out in the open. Hester Panim, Divine Concealment, when suffering and confusion reign, one mistakenly may feel abandoned and alone. He is not. We find another seminal Anochi, which, superficially, is the opposite of this Anochi. Anochi Hashem Elokecha asher hotzeischa mei’eretz Mitzrayim, “I…

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וילך משה וידבר את הדברים האלה אל כל ישראל

Sruly Schnair In 5785, Vayeilech

Moshe went and spoke all these words to all of Yisrael. (31:1)

Ramban writes that, on the last day of his life, Moshe Rabbeinu went from camp to camp to comfort the Jewish people (individually) concerning his leaving this world. He said, “I am already of an advanced age, and you have very little benefit from me.” (Moshe was in perfect health, but he wanted to play down the void that would be left with his passing.) Horav Meir Tzvi Bergman, zl, observes the unparalleled level of derech eretz, proper conduct/common decency/respectful behavior/courtesy, manifest by Moshe. It was the last day of his life, the day on which the punishment preventing him…

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וילך משה וידבר את הדברים האלה אל כל ישראל

Sruly Schnair In 5784, Vayeilech

Moshe went and spoke these words to all of Yisrael. (31:1)

Moshe Rabbeinu first sealed the new covenant with all of Klal Yisrael. Then, he went from tribe to tribe to bid farewell to each of them. Ramban teaches that it was more than a mere “good-bye.” He came to console them regarding his imminent death. It was critical that their sadness concerning his departure from this mortal world not becloud the inherent joy accompanying the sealing of the covenant. Let us attempt to grasp the depth of our quintessential leader’s actions on the last day of his mortal life. This was the day that the punishment resulting from the mei…

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והיה כי תמצאן אותו רעות רבות וצרות וענתה השירה הזאת לפניו לעד

Sruly Schnair In 5783, Vayeilech

It shall be that when many evils and distresses come upon it, then this song will speak up before it as a witness. (31: 21)

The word v’hayah, it shall be, is used to imply simchah, joy. We wonder what the portent of ra’os rabos v’tzaros, many evils and distresses, has to do with joy? On the surface, it comes across as a period which clearly does not denote simchah. Horav Yitzchak Yedidyah Frankel, zl (Rav of Tel Aviv), offers an inspiring explanation for the placement of the term v’hayah in connection with tzaros rabos. He quotes Chazal (Pesichta Eichah Rabbah) who relate a powerful dialogue that ensued between Avraham Avinu and “representatives” of the alef–beis, Hebrew alphabet. The Midrash relates Avraham Avinu’s defense of…

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ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

Sruly Schnair In 5783, Vayeilech

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

The last mitzvah in the Torah is the command to write a Sefer Torah. This mitzvah is incumbent upon everyone. If one cannot personally write a Sefer Torah, he should commission its writing. The poskim teach that any sefer, especially one which is a collection of his own chiddushim, original thoughts, has greater significance. Furthermore, one who is unable to write should designate a room in his house to serve as a study which houses his seforim. Indeed, the most important room in his home should be where his seforim are kept. We are the People of the Book. We…

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ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת ולמדה את בני ישראל

Sruly Schnair In 5783, Vayeilech

So now, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to Bnei Yisrael. (31:19)

The shirah, song, to which the Torah is referring is Shiras Haazinu, which is called a song because it is written in the form of poetic verse. The Rambam (Hilchos Sefer Torah 7:1) implies from here that it is a mitzvah for every Jew to write a Sefer Torah for himself. Although the Torah here says only to write a song, it is incumbent on us to write the entire Torah. It seems that the Torah is being written in order to write Shiras Haazinu. Why should the mitzvah of kesivas Sefer Torah, writing a Torah scroll, be presented in…

Home -> Vayeilech -> 5783

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

Sruly Schnair In 5783, Vayeilech

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

The Rambam in Hilchos Tefillin, Mezuzah V’Sefer Torah (7:1) writes, “It is a mitzvah from the Torah incumbent upon each and every Yid to write a Sefer Torah for himself, as it says in the pasuk, “V’atah kisvu lachem es ha’Shirah ha’zos.” (Since one cannot write parshiyos, chapters of the Torah, at various intervals and put them together, the exhortation to write Shiras Haazinu implies that it should be written as part of the entire Torah.) “Even if his forbears left him a Sefer Torah, he still has a mitzvah to write his own Sefer Torah. If he writes it…

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וידבר משה באזני כל קהל ישראל את דברי השירה הזאת עד תמם

Moshe spoke the words of this song into the ears of the entire congregation of Yisrael, until their conclusion. (31:30)

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פני ביום ההוא

I will surely hide My face on that day. (31:18)

וילך משה וידבר את הדברים האלה אל כל ישראל

Moshe went and spoke all these words to all of Yisrael. (31:1)

וילך משה וידבר את הדברים האלה אל כל ישראל

Moshe went and spoke these words to all of Yisrael. (31:1)

והיה כי תמצאן אותו רעות רבות וצרות וענתה השירה הזאת לפניו לעד

It shall be that when many evils and distresses come upon it, then this song will speak up before it as a witness. (31: 21)

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת ולמדה את בני ישראל

So now, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to Bnei Yisrael. (31:19)

ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת

So now, write this song for yourselves. (31:19)

YEARS

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