Written by Hindy, ה תשרי תשפ”ב, September 30, 2022
This week’s parsha, Vayelech, is a continuation of Sefer Devarim, with Moshe continuing his farewell address to Bnei Yisrael, now aware that his death is imminent. Moshe Rebbenu, who was equipped with the greatest level of humility, doesn’t immediately accept Hashem’s judgement in this particular scenario. Instead, he continued to plead with God to just give him more life. Why?
Moshe, arguably so, is one of the most prominent characters in Jewish History. He lived for the freedom of Bnei Yisrael, the establishment of the Torah, and to lead a God fearing nation. He answered grievances, supplied guidance, explained, and engaged The Nation of Israel in the midbar-wilderness, and before that he was the one who had been picked by God to lead The Exodus from Egypt. He had accomplished all this, and yet he was still unsatisfied. Even with all he had done, and with all the good he had contributed to Bnei Yisrael, he did not think he had done enough. He begged Hashem continually in this parsha to live longer, just so he could do more.
The more mitzvot and Torah we do and learn, the more schar-merit we receive in Olam Ha’Ba, in The World to Come. In that case, Moshe, with his bounty of Torah and mitzvot would have an unmistakably large portion in The World to Come. Yet, Moshe didn’t run after it. He didn’t immediately tell God he was ready, to bask in all of the Spiritual glory which comes along with the World to Come, instead Moshe asked and requested and asked and requested God to simply give him more time on Earth. The reason for this was for Moshe to do more mitzvos, to learn more Torah, to become as spiritual as he could in a physical world, before lying down to rest in a world which we cannot work on ourselves in.
Moshe knew that it was only his chance in this world to earn schar, and that is all he wanted to live for. How much more so does this lesson apply to us? A people who can constantly improve, grow, and gain spirituality in a physical world such as our own? We have the opportunity to do mitzvot and to learn Torah now-an opportunity we will not have forever. Let us take that opportunity to work on ourselves, and to begin this new year with a path of growth.
May we all be written and sealed in The Book of Good, and of Life, so that we can all learn in our Torah and do more mitzvot.
Shabbat shalom,
Hindy