Episode 14
Vayeilech: Handing On, Hiding Face, Holding Song
Moses is 120 and still in motion. Vayeilech is a study in endings that make beginnings: leadership passes, Torah is written and handed to the Levites, and a “song” is commanded as Israel’s enduring witness. The parsha names the hard truth—failure will come, and God will at times “hide the face”—yet insists on a path of return. As Shabbat Shuvah hovers between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we talk about aging with purpose, leaving well, and why a covenant survives by becoming music on our lips.
We unpack:
• The art of departure: Moses models finishing strong and making space for the next generation
• “Write this song”: Why Ha’azinu’s poetry becomes the nation’s memory device and moral alarm
• Hester Panim: Divine hiddenness, the Esther echo, and faith when the light is veiled
• Covenant realism: Foreknowledge of backsliding without cynicism, because teshuva is always near
• From scroll to sound: Oral tradition, shared tunes, and how community carries Torah forward
Parshat - Vayeilech 5785
Torah: Deuteronomy 31:1 - 30
Haftarah: Shabbat Shuvah
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