Parashat Vayelech: How Does Moshe’s Last Message to His People Apply to Israel During Our Current War?

 

Parashat Vayelech
How Does Moshe’s Last Message to His People Apply to Israel During Our Current War?

Why Don’t We No Longer Run to Our Protected Spaces at the Sound of the Siren?

I just got off the phone with my mom, who has a flight ticket to visit us in Israel during Chanukah. “Looking forward to seeing you during Chanukah, Mom!” I exclaimed. “If only the war would be finished then!” she responded with a sigh. My mother is brave enough to come anyway, and she has already visited more than once during these two challenging years of war. This long-winding war – the longest in Israel’s 77-year history, marked by relentless harassment by the barbaric enemy challenging Israel’s right to exist – has become a heavy backdrop to our lives. Yet daily life in most of Israel goes on almost as usual. We have grown so accustomed to the sirens that we no longer run for shelter, but instead meander calmly to our safe space.

Although this has become part of our weekly routine, I take a moment to reflect: why don’t the sirens stir even a trace of fear in me anymore? I recently told my students, “Remember, every single time we walk out of a bomb shelter is a huge miracle. Hashem is surely sending His protective Presence to shield us from the many enemy missiles.”

We see Hashem’s hand when we hear of rockets intercepted at the very last second – like the missile that broke apart harmlessly over a crowded Jerusalem market, or the barrage aimed at the Tel Aviv area that left no injuries. Again and again, reports surface of missiles veering off course or warheads failing to detonate. These are not random technical glitches; they are modern-day echoes of the miracles that saved our ancestors.

Whenever we feel down or overwhelmed, we must remember it is not just the Iron Dome, the Minister of National Security, or our bomb shelters that save us. Hashem is the true Protector of Israel. Each missile that misses its mark, each soldier who comes home safely, each narrow escape that becomes a story of thanksgiving – all are daily miracles in plain sight.

The end of this war and its outcome are in no one’s hands but Hashem’s. As we approach the new year, we continue to pray and dedicate Torah learning for our brave soldiers, while strengthening our trust in Hashem to encompass every aspect of our lives.

Who is Leading Israel to Inherit the Land, Hashem or Yehoshua?

As Moshe bids the Israelites farewell on the very last day of his life, he instills in them the courage to conquer the Promised Land, trusting that Hashem will walk before them and lead them to victory.

ספר דברים פרק לא פסוק ב
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם בֶּן מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי הַיּוֹם לֹא אוּכַל עוֹד לָצֵאת וְלָבוֹא וַהֵשֵׁם אָמַר אֵלַי לֹא תַעֲבֹר אֶת הַיַּרְדֵּן הַזֶּה: (ג) הֵשֵׁם אֱלֹהֶיךָ הוּא עֹבֵר לְפָנֶיךָ הוּא יַשְׁמִיד אֶת הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵלֶּה מִלְּפָנֶיךָ וִירִשְׁתָּם יְהושֻׁעַ הוּא עֹבֵר לְפָנֶיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר הֵשֵׁם:

“He [Moshe] said to them, Today I am one hundred and twenty years old. I can no longer go or come, and Hashem said to me, ‘You shall not cross this Jordan.’ Hashem, your G-d – He will cross before you. He will destroy these nations from before you so that you will possess them. Yehoshua – he will cross before you, as Hashem has spoken” (Devarim 31:2-3).

There seems to be a contradiction in verse 3. First, it states that Hashem will cross before the Israelites, and then it says that Yehoshua will cross before them. Yet a few verses later, it repeats beautifully, assuring us: “Hashem – He is the One Who goes before you; He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor forsake you. Do not fear and do not be dismayed” (Devarim 31:8).

Rabbi Moshe Schreiber explains that these verses describe two stages of Divine guidance. As long as evil still exists in the world – meaning the Canaanites, Hamas, and their impurity – Hashem Himself goes before Israel to destroy their enemies. Once the conquest is complete and the immediate danger has passed, leadership passes to Yehoshua, in the spirit of “their king shall pass before them – while Hashem at their head” (Michah 2:13). Yet even as Yehoshua leads, Hashem remains at Israel’s head and within every one of us, our constant strength and guide, accompanying and strengthening from within (Chatam Sofer, Devarim 31:3). The Ohr HaChayim sums it up: Just as it was never Moshe’s own strength but Hashem who fought the battles. Yehoshua would lead only as Hashem’s instrument.

How Can We Trust Our Worthiness for Hashem’s Protection in War?

Moshe’s words at the end of his 120-year life in Parashat Vayelech, “and he went” – not only capture the spirit of movement and transition that defines this brief yet profound Torah portion, but moreover seem to speak directly to us today, strengthening our trust in Hashem. Just as Moshe encouraged and assured the Israelites that Hashem would stand by their side during the first conquest of the Land, so his words reverberate over the millennia – reaching the soldiers of the IDF in Gaza and each of us as we reflect in our safe spaces. Every word of Moshe’s farewell – as he longed so deeply for Eretz Yisrael despite its dangers – charged the people to cross the Jordan and live faithfully on the holy soil promised to their ancestors. That same charge fortifies our faith today that Hashem is with us in the current war, safeguarding Israel’s sovereignty in the Promised Land.

Hashem’s soothing protection truly surrounds us. He not only walks before us but also behind us, as Rabbi Ya’acov Turim observes: “Hashem your G-d – He will cross before you.” Verse 3 begins and ends with the Name of Hashem, to teach that the Holy One, blessed be He, goes before Israel and follows after us,” as it is written, “For Hashem will go before you, and the G-d of Israel will gather you in” (Yeshayahu 52:12; Ba’al HaTurim, Devarim 31:3).

Another comforting layer in this verse is the repetition of the word “He,” which Rabbi Chayim Attar explains was meant to reassure Israel after Moshe’s passing. The people feared losing not only their faithful leader but also the powerful shield of his prayers, which had saved them from destruction after the sin of the Golden Calf and the spies. Therefore, the verse repeats, “Hashem your G-d – He will cross before you,” and uses the word עֹבֵר/over with its hint of עבֵירָה/aveirah – “transgression” – to teach that Hashem Himself passes before us to forgive our sins, making us worthy of His protection in war and of inheriting the Land. It was always His power that moved Moshe to intercede on Israel’s behalf, and so will it continue to protect us even after Moshe passes on.

This message of emunah strengthens us at every turn in life. Today, even as we trust in Hashem’s power of protection, doubts about our own worthiness can creep into our hearts, weakening our trust that Hashem will fight our wars and protect us. That is when we need  Moshe’s message of faith reminding us that our true protection and victory come from Hashem alone, the Master of both power and compassion, who forgives and fights for Israel in every generation (Ohr HaChayim, Devarim 31:3).

How Can We Trust the Current Leaders of Israel to Lead Us in the Way of G-d?

ספר דברים פרק לא פסוק ז וַיִּקְרָא משֶׁה לִיהושֻׁעַ וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו לְעֵינֵי כָל יִשְׂרָאֵל חֲזַק וֶאֱמָץ כִּי אַתָּה תָּבוֹא אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע הֵשֵׁם לַאֲבֹתָם לָתֵת לָהֶם וְאַתָּה תַּנְחִילֶנָּה אוֹתָם:

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall come with this people into the Land that Hashem swore to their fathers to give them” (Devarim 31:7).

At a time of war and national danger, the people of Israel must stand behind the leader endorsed by Hashem and not disempower him – a lesson often forgotten amid today’s protests against Israel’s elected leadership. Rashi, based on the Talmud, teaches that Yehoshua was commanded to make the people go to war and conquer the Land even against their will: “Everything depends on you; if necessary, take a rod and compel them. There can be only one leader for a generation” (Sanhedrin 8a); (Rashi, Devarim 31:7).

This principle applies in every generation. “Let the generation that comes be in your eyes as the generation that has gone… anyone appointed as leader over the community – even if he is the least of the least – is in his time like the mightiest of the earlier mighty ones” (Midrash Kohelet Rabbah 1:8). Every generation must honor and follow the Torah leaders and judges of its own time. Even if they seem lesser than the great sages of the past, Hashem considers them fully empowered for their generation’s needs.

Moshe also foresaw that after his passing, the people would sometimes break the covenant and experience hester panim – the hiding of Hashem’s face (Devarim 31:17). Yet even when the Divine presence seems concealed, the Land remains the arena for ultimate return. Hashem’s very hiding awakens the heart to seek Him more deeply, turning challenges into seeds of renewal.

Although Moshe himself did not enter the Land, his final walk empowered every generation to keep walking – to keep moving forward in its mission. His life shows that the greatest spiritual achievements may not be personally completed, yet they prepare the way for others. So too, each of us in Eretz Yisrael today continues Moshe’s journey, turning promise into reality through steadfast Torah living and trust in Hashem’s eternal protection.