Vayeilech (And He Went)
       (Sefer Devarim) Deuteronomy 31:1 - 31:30

   31:1- “And Moshe went and spoke these words unto all Yisrael.

     2-  And he said unto them, I am an hundred and twenty years old this day; I can no more go out and come   

          in: also YHVH has said unto me, Thou shall not go over this Yarden.

     3-  YHVH thy Elohim, He will go over before thee, and He will destroy these nations from before thee, and

          thou shall possess them: and Yehoshua, he shall go over before thee, as YHVH has said.

     7-  And Moshe called unto Yehoshua, and said unto him in the sight of all Yisrael, Be strong and of a good

          courage: for thou must go with this people unto the land which YHVH has sworn unto their fathers to

          give them; and thou shall cause them to inherit it.

     8-  And YHVH, He it is that does go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake

          thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

     9-  And Moshe wrote this Torah, and delivered it unto the kohanim the sons of Levi, which bore the ark of 

          the covenant of YHVH, and unto all the elders of Yisrael.

   10-  And Moshe commanded them, saying, At the end of every seven years, in the solemnity of the year of     

          release, in the feast of Sukkot,

   11-  When all Yisrael is come to appear before YHVH thy Elohim in the place which He shall choose, thou

          shall read this Torah before all Yisrael in their hearing.

   12-  Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates,

          that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear YHVH your Elohim, and observe to do all the

          words of this Torah:

   13-  And that their children, which have not known anything, may hear and learn to fear YHVH your Elohim,

          as long as ye live in the land whither ye go over Yarden to possess it.

   14-  And YHVH said unto Moshe, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Yehoshua, and present

          yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Yehoshua went, and

          presented themselves in the tent of meeting.

   23- And he gave Yehoshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of a good courage: for thou

          shall bring the children of Yisrael into the land which I swore unto them: and I will be with thee.

   24-  And it came to pass, when Moshe had made an end of writing the words of this Torah in a book, until

          they were finished,

   25-  That Moshe commanded the Levites, which bore the ark of the covenant of YHVH, saying,

   26-  Take this book of the Torah, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of YHVH your Elohim, that

          it may be there for a witness against thee.

   27-  For I know thy rebellion and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been

          rebellious against YHVH; and how much more after my death?

      28-  Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their   

             ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them.”

“Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting

 covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have given him for a witness to the

 people, a leader and commander to the people."
                                                                                                            (Isaiah 55:3-4)
“Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time and declared it? ye are even my

 witnesses. Is there an Elohim beside me? yea, there is no Elohim; I know not any."
                                                                                                            (Isaiah 44:8)
“Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me,  I delight to do thy will, O my

 Elohim: yea, thy Torah is within my heart."
                                                                                                            (Psalms 40:7-8)
“Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between

 me and thee."
                                                                                                            (Genesis 31:44)

"And he said to them, Set your hearts to all the words which I testify among you This day which

 ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of this Torah."
                                                                                                            (Deuteronomy 32:46)
”The Torah of YHVH is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of YHVH  is sure, making wise the

 simple."
                                                                                                            (Psalms 19:7)

"Therefore said we, that it shall be, when they should so say to us or to our generations in time to

 come, that we may say again, Behold the pattern of the altar of YHVH, which our fathers made,

 not for burnt offerings, nor for sacrifices; but it is a witness between us and you."
                                                                                                            (Joshua 22:28)

Vayeilech - Summary:
1.    The Witness of Torah Testifies of a Covenant Strength:

          As Moshe reiterates the value of hearing Torah, knowing full well that the flock, he has led, had time and again demonstrated resistance, parasha Vayeilech solidifies the testimony of an account of a covenant people and their Elohim, which intrinsically define both the weakness of human determination and the strength of the Eternal’s everlasting pact.  Foremost in these instructive verses is the imperative that the words, transcribed within, remain familiar with the nation.  Well aware of a history of constant lapses in their faith , Moshe therefore gives command to the sons of Yisrael that his words were to be heard throughout their generations.  With utmost conviction, Proverbs 6:23 relates:

   “For the commandment is a lamp; and Torah is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.”
          Chronicled in history, the words of Torah have indeed been fulfilled; evident in Daniel 9:11-12, the record of the nation's rebellious state was expressed in the following manner:  

   “Yea, all Yisrael have transgressed Thy Torah, even by departing, that they might not obey Thy voice;

      therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the Torah of Moshe the servant of Elohim, because we have sinned against Him.  And He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil...”
Repentance would, however, be reawakened as the days of Babylonian exile had ended.  Nehemiah 8:8-18 bears witness of the Torah's empowerment to the soul when it is heard, verse 8 beginning the process, viz.:
   “So they read in the book in the Torah of Elohim distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”
Upon the rediscovery of the will of HaShem for His people, verses 14 & 15 confirm the need to regularly recite and hear the Torah of Moshe, as it written:

  “And they found written in the Torah which YHVH had commanded by Moshe, that the children of Yisrael should dwell in sukkot in the feast of the seventh month: And that they should publish and proclaim in all their cities, and in Yerushalayim, saying, Go forth unto the mount, and bring in olive branches, and pine branches, and myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make sukkot, as it is written.”
Even as Moshe had prescribed, as revealed in this sedra, Nechemiyah's account in verse 17 & 18 wondrously relate that auspicious occasion when the people did respond obediently to those ancient words, declaring:
   “And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made sukkot, and sat under the sukkot: for since the days of Yeshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Yisrael done so.  And there was very great gladness.   Also day by day, from the first day unto the last day, he read in the book of the Torah of Elohim.  And they kept the feast seven days.”

2.    The Witness of Yehoshua Testifies of True of Leadership:

         Within HaShem's own testimony, “Even as I was with Moshe, so will I be with you,” is the stellar reflection of Yehoshua as Moshe's faithful disciple and successor.  Retaining both the fervency for living out his faith and leading the people with an uncompromised unction for Divine will, Yehoshua would eerily echo the words of Moshe as he too understood the hearts of this stiff-necked nation.  Paralleling the dogmatic rebukes of those found in the latter chapters of Deuteronomy, the words of son of Nun would close in similar fashion.  In Joshua 24:22-23, there is no patronizing of the populous as Yehoshua poignantly proclaims:

  “Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you YHVH, to serve Him…Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto YHVH...”

         Likewise, this mighty man of Elohim takes no reservation in providing Yisrael with no excuse. Just as Moshe would leave written evidence against a people upon his departure from his leadership, so too would Yehoshua make an ardent effort to warn the people against rebellion, as is documented in Joshua 24:26-27: 
  “And Yehoshua wrote these words in the book of the Torah of Elohim, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak…And Yehoshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it has heard all the words of YHVH which He spoke unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your Elohim.”