A thought on Parshas Vayelech

"...ki ata tavo es ha'am ha'zeh..." "...and you shall go with this nation..." (31:7) Moshe prepared his successor, his disciple Yehoshua, to take charge of the nation after his demise. Yehoshua would lead the nation into Israel and guide them in place of his great teacher Moshe Rabbeinu. Many of the commentaries note that Moshe advises Yehoshua to go with the people - tavo. However, in verse 23, when HaShem endorses and repeats this instruction, He says "you shall bring the people" - tavie. What is the difference in meaning between those to forms of the root word bo which means to come or to go? The Bechor Shor suggests that Moshe, known for his exemplary modest and humble style, intended that his disciple Yehoshua would also lead the nation with such humility. Namely, in instructing that he should "go with the nation", Moshe meant that Yehoshua should conduct himself with a humbled demeanor, seeking counsel and input from the nation's elders. HaShem envisioned a different role for Yehoshua, however. His role was more than leading the nation as a shepherd leads a flock. His mission was once of conquest, of preparing the young nation to inhabit its own homeland and to develop its spiritual and its material might and welfare. This demanded of Yehoshua a strong command presence, a sense of power and empowerment, and that needed a unilateral imposing rule unlike that which Moshe had developed with the people in the desert. Even though Yehoshua had mirrored the humility of his great teacher during those years, he was equal to this new task and its demands. The Bechor Shor closes with the observation that each generation needs its own leader, and the generation which entered the Promised Land needed a strong and autonomous ruler. It is said that Rav Schach zt'l was always found in a corner learning during the long years of the formation of Yeshivas Ponovezh. He kept a low profile and was exclusively involved in learning Torah. He did not seek a role other than that of immersion in studying the Word of HaShem. Yet, when the time came and he was summoned to take the helm of that great yeshiva, and as a central figure in Orthodox Torah Judaism, he made his way forth. We might consider, in this new year, whether we each plan to continue doing what we do best, and to do so as we always have, or whether there are new challenges, new opportunities, beckoning us to come forth and mold ourselves according to the demands of our situation and to the needs of our nation. Good Shabbos. Gmar Tov. D Fox