The name of the Parshah, "Nitzavim," means "Standing," and it is found in Deuteronomy 29:9. The name of the Parshah, "Vayelech," means "And [Moses] went," and it is found in Deuteronomy 31:1.
The Parshah of Nitzavim includes some of the most fundamental principles of
the Jewish faith:
The
unity of Israel: “You stand today, all of you, before the L‑rd your G‑d: your
heads, your
tribes, your
elders, your
officers, and
every Israelite man; your
young ones, your
wives, the
stranger in your gate; from your
wood-hewer to your
water-drawer.”
The
future redemption: Moses warns of the exile and
desolation of the Land that will result if Israel abandons G‑d’s laws, but then he prophesies that in the end, “You will return to the L‑rd your G‑d . . . If your outcasts shall be at the ends of the heavens, from there will the L‑rd your G‑d gather you . . . and bring you into the Land which your fathers have possessed.”
The
practicality of Torah: “For the mitzvah which I command you this day, it is not beyond you, nor is it remote from you. It is
not in heaven . . . It is not across the sea . . . Rather, it is
very close to you, in your
mouth, in your
heart, that you may
do it.”
Freedom of choice: “I have set before you life and goodness, and death and evil: in that I command you this day to love G‑d, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments . . . Life and death I have set before you, blessing and curse. And you shall choose
life.”
The Parshah of Vayelech (“
and he went”) recounts the events of Moses’ last day of earthly life. “I am one hundred and twenty years old
today,” he says to the people, “and
I can no longer go forth and come in.” He transfers the leadership to Joshua, and writes (or concludes writing) the Torah in a scroll which he entrusts to the Levites for safekeeping
in the Ark of the Covenant.
The mitzvah of Hakhel (“
gather”) is given: every seven years, during the festival of Sukkot of the first year of the
shemittah cycle, the entire people of Israel—men, women and children—should gather at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, where the
king should read to them from the Torah.
Vayelech concludes with the prediction that the people of Israel will turn away from their covenant with G‑d, causing Him to
hide His face from them, but also with the promise that the words of the Torah “
shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their
descendants.”
Learn:
Nitzavim-Vayelech in Depth
Browse:
Nitzavim-Vayelech Parshah Columnists
Prep:
Devar Torah Q&A for Nitzavim-Vayelech
Read:
Haftarah in a Nutshell
Play:
Nitzavim-Vayelech Parshah Quiz
