The Weekly Shtikle - Vayeilech

As this week's parsha begins, Moshe is giving his final charge to the nation at large. He assures them that HaShem will vanquish their foes on the other side of the Jordan river, just as He has done to Sichon and Og. He demands of them (31:6) with familiar words – chizku ve'imtzu – to be strong and resolute, not to show any fear. He subsequently calls on Yehoshua to give him his own personal charge in front of the nation. Although there is an aliyah break in between, one barely needs to be paying attention to notice that the words of this charge are almost identical.

The message that is conveyed by this seeming repetition is simple, almost obvious, as touched upon by Ibn Ezra. If Yehoshua is to impress upon the nation a certain frame of mind as they head into battle, the example needs to come from the top. Moshe was making it  very clear that if he wanted to ensure that the nation crossed into the land with no fear and no doubts about HaShem being behind them, this was a virtue that he needed to exude himself.

There are a few discrepancies between the two charges. Moshe warns the people at large with "al," denoting a command, whereas Yehoshua is told "lo," which may denote a promise. See a previous Dikdukian post for a discussion of that nuance. Additionally, the nation is told "al ta'artzu" whereas Yehoshua's command is "lo seichas" in its place. Some commentaries simply say that the words are identical in meaning. Even the Targum Onkelos is the same for both. However, Ha'amek Davar differentiates between the two and explains how ha'aratzah is applicable specifically to individuals in battle not being discouraged by the faltering of one particular battalion. Malbim also offers an explanation for the change in language.

Have a good Shabbos and a gemar chasimah tov.

 

Eliezer Bulka

WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Weekly Shtikle: Skipping around the Haftarah of Shabbas Shuvah

Dikdukian: A Happy Ending

Dikdukian: Don't you Worry

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