Parashah 52: Vayelekh ·And he went· 31:1-30
31
In regular years read with Parashah 51; in leap years, read separately
1 Moses [Drawn out] went and spoke these words to all Israel [God prevails]. 2 He said to them, “I am one hundred twenty years old today. I can no more go out and come in. Adonai has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan [Descender].’ 3 Adonai your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them. Joshua [Yah Salvation] will go over before you, as Adonai has spoken. (LY:2) 4 Adonai will do to them as he did to Sihon and to Og, the kings of the Amorites [Descendants of Talkers], and to their land; whom he destroyed. 5 Adonai will deliver them up before you, and you shall do to them according to all the mitzvot ·instructions· I have enjoined you. 6 Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or scared of them; for Adonai your God himself is who goes with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you.” *
(RY:5, LY:3) 7 Moses [Drawn out] called to Joshua [Yah Salvation], and said to him in the sight of all Israel [God prevails], “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land which Adonai has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it. 8 Adonai himself is who goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. † Don’t be afraid. Don’t be discouraged.”
9 Moses [Drawn out] wrote this Torah ·Teaching·, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi [United with], who bore the ark of Adonai’s covenant, and to all the elders of Israel [God prevails]. 10 Moses [Drawn out] enjoined them, saying, “At the end of every seven years, in the set time of the year of release, in the festival of Sukkot ·Booths·, 11 when all Israel [God prevails] has come to appear before Adonai your God in the place which he will choose, you shall read this Torah ·Teaching· before all Israel [God prevails] in their hearing. 12 ‡ Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones, and the foreigners who are within your gates, that they may sh'ma ·hear obey·, and that they may learn, and fear Adonai your God, and observe to do all the words of this Torah ·Teaching·; 13 and that their children, who have not known, may sh'ma ·hear obey·, and learn to fear Adonai your God, as long as you live in the land where you go over the Jordan [Descender] to possess it.”
(RY:6, LY:5) 14 Adonai said to Moses [Drawn out], “Behold, your days approach that you must die. Call Joshua [Yah Salvation], and present yourselves in the Tent of Meeting, that I may enjoin him.”
Moses [Drawn out] and Joshua [Yah Salvation] went, and presented themselves in the Tent of Meeting.
15 Adonai appeared in the Tent in a pillar of cloud, and the pillar of cloud stood over the Tent’s door. 16 Adonai said to Moses [Drawn out], “Behold, you shall sleep with your fathers. This people will rise up, and play the prostitute after the strange deities of the land, where they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant ·binding contract between two or more parties· which I have made with them. 17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, ‘Haven’t these evils come on us because our God is not among us?’ 18 I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they have done, in that they have turned to other deities.
19 § “Now therefore write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the children of Israel [God prevails]. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel [God prevails]. (RY:7, LY:6) 20 For when I have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat; then they will turn to other deities, and abad ·serve· them, and despise me, and break my covenant. 21 It will happen, when many evils and troubles have come on them, that this song will testify before them as a witness; for it will not be forgotten out of the mouths of their descendants; for I know their ways and what they are doing today, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.”
22 So Moses [Drawn out] wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel [God prevails].
23 He enjoined Joshua [Yah Salvation] the son of Nun, and said, “Be strong and courageous; for you shall bring the children of Israel [God prevails] into the land which I swore to them. I will be with you.”
24 When Moses [Drawn out] had finished writing the words of this Torah ·Teaching· in a book, until they were finished, (LY:7) 25 Moses [Drawn out] enjoined the Levites [Descendants of United with], who bore the ark of Adonai’s covenant, saying, 26 “Take this book of the Torah ·Teaching·, and put it by the side of the ark of Adonai’s covenant your God, that it may be there for a witness against you. 27 For I know your rebellion, and your stiff neck. Behold, while I am yet alive with you today, you have been rebellious against Adonai. How much more after my death? (Maftir ·Conclusion·) 28 Assemble to 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 witness against them. 29 For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have enjoined you; and evil will happen to you in the latter days; because you will do what Adonai sees as evil and provoke him to anger by your deeds.”
30 Moses [Drawn out] spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel [God prevails] the words of this song, until they were finished.
Haftarah Vayelekh ·Taking leave· ·And he went·:
Hoshea / Hosea 14:1-9, Mikhah / Micah 7:18-20, Yo'el / Joel 2:15-27
B'rit Hadashah ·New Covenant·: Luke 24:13-43
* 31:6 . Quoted in Heb 13:5 † 31:8 . Quoted in Heb 13:5 ‡ 31:12 . Deut 31:12 (Deut 31:9-13) (#4.358): T. Assemble all the people in your towns to hear Torah ·Teaching· at the end of the seventh Year, the Sabbath Year, the Sh'mitta ·Release· Year / R. To assemble all the people on the Sukkot ·Tabernacles· following the seventh Year, the Sh'mitta ·Release· Year § 31:19 . Deut 31:19 (Deut 31:19-22, 32:1-43, 32:44-45) (#1.59): T. Every man to write this song and teach it to your children / R. Every man is to write a Sefer Torah ·Book Instructions·