Vayelech - Moshe, Messiah, Life & Death

This Shabbat’s Torah portion, Vayelech, means “and he went.”

The root of this word means “to walk,” and it is also related to the words:

“halakhah,” or the legal part of the Talmud, which delineates the way we as Jews should walk,

“hehlekh,” meaning “traveler,”

“halikh,” which means “step,” “walk,” or “conduct,” and

"mahalakh," which means “journey.”

Another Torah portion also shares this root, parshat “Lekh L’kha,” which means “go forth for yourself.”

“Hit’halekh” means “to walk continuously with.”

MOSHE, MESSIAH, LIFE AND DEATH

So Moshe went and spoke these words to all Israel. And he said to them, "I am a hundred nd twenty years old today." - Devarim 31:1-2

The Talmud, in tractate Rosh Hashanah 11a, states that HASHEM told Moshe "Behold the time for you to die is near" (Devarim 31:14) on Adar 7.

(Adar is the month of the holiday of Purim, which is either month 12 or 13 depending on whether it is a leap year.)

This was Moshe's birthday, and he was 120 years old, and it is also known as the yahrzeit, the anniversary of his death.

According to Torah, he went up Mt. Nebo and surrendered his soul to the Creator who gave it to him at birth.

However, in Midrash (Jewish legend), Moshe puts up a fight and argues vehemently for his life.

Why would a Jewish hero like Moshe be so resistant to death?

Remember Moshe in Devarim (Deuteronomy 30:19) exhorts Israel to "Choose life in order that you may live."

Judaism is a religion of life.

It is a religion about repairing the world that we live in today.

Although we believe in the afterlife, our focus is to bring heaven to earth, and to restore the state of paradise it was once in as much as possible.

Although "to be absent from the body is to be home with the Lord" according to 2 Corinthians 5:8,

We also know that "The last enemy to be destroyed is death" (1 Corinthians 15:26).

Even Yeshua, although he willingly submitted himself unto death, plead with God first, saying, "Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me!" (Matthew 26:39)

HASHEM made man for immortality, "He has set eternity in our heart" (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

When HASHEM tells Moshe in Devarim 31:2, "You shall not cross this Jordan," Midrash states that Moshe asked HASHEM to reverse his decree.

HASHEM replied, "Moshe, once before you annulled My decree and I granted your request."

HASHEM reminded Moshe of when HASHEM threatened to destroy Israel over the sin of the golden calf and make a new nation from Moshe's descendants only.

Moshe pleaded on Israel's behalf and saved them for complete destruction.

Continuing with the Midrash, HASHEM offers Moshe to reverse Israel's pardon over the sin of the golden calf.

He offered to go back to his original decree to destroy the nation of Israel and make a new nation from Moshe's descendants, so that he could live and enter the land.

Upon hearing this offer, Moshe rescinded his request and reinstated his love for Israel. Devarim Rabbah 7:10 says,

"When Moshe our teacher heard this, he exclaimed before God, "Master of the Universe, let Moshe and a hundred like him die rather than allowing the injury of even a single fingernail of one [Israelite]."

Interestingly, although Moshe had children, the genealogy of his descendants ceased to be recorded after him. Yeshua similarly had no children according to the gospels. Both lived and died for the lives of the nation of Israel. Both were hated and faced persecution from the people they loved, and labored to save them from destruction. But Moshe and Yeshua, the prophet like unto Moshe, did not desire death, and even prayed against their own incumbent deaths. However both were willing to lay down their own lives for the lives of others.