Parashat Nitzavim/Vayeilech (Deuteronomy 29:9 - 31:30)

A weekly Torah exploration for families by Michael S. Raileanu, M.A.Ed.

A weekly Torah exploration for families by Michael S. Raileanu, M.A.Ed.

So here we are in Parashat Nitzavim/Vayelech, Deut 29:9 - 31:30. We have the final double portion of the year and we are getting to the very end of the entire Torah. Also, Moshe's closing speech to the Jewish people is reaching its end. We start out by hearing the bad things we are going to do and the bad things that are going to happen to us as a result. Then Moshe begins the real ending of his speech, he begins to say, "Goodbye" to us.

Deut. 30:20 says that we need to "...love the Lord your God, to listen to His voice, and to stick with Him..." What does is mean to us today to listen to God's voice?
Later on in Deut. 31:18 God says, "I will surely hide My face on that day because of all of the evils which they have done..." What does it mean when God says He will hide His face? When do we see His face? Do we know it when we see it? Why or why not?
Right after that line (in #2) the Torah says, "Write for yourselves this song and teach it to the children..." Song? What song? Is the Torah a song? What does that mean to you? Of what other song might Moshe be speaking? How else can the word song be used?
Joshua gets introduced as the new leader of the Jewish people. What do you know about Joshua? Why was he selected as the leader? What do you think it would be like to be the leader who followed Moshe? How is Joshua different from Moshe? How is he like Moshe?
If Moshe hired you as his speech-writer, what would you put into his final speech? Why doesn't he mention his own wife and kids at any point in any of these closing remarks?