The final moments of a leader’s life are etched in today’s chapter that stands its own as the shortest Torah portion with the loaded title which is the first word of the chapter: Va’Yelech - And Moses Went.
He went to tell his people - my time is up. At 120 years old he will hand over the reins to Joshua, complete the writing of the Torah and make sure that the scroll is safely housed inside the tent of time. He also instructs the people to gather every seven years to listen to the words of Torah read out loud. This is his final commandment. And these are the final gestures of the leader/author making sure the words outlive him and the rituals of storytelling live on, in cycles of sevens, forever.
The handing over of leadership to Joshua shows up twice in this chapter, preceded by one more mention in the Book of Wilderness. The three scenes are not identical and scholars have been curious over generations to find out why this crucial moment has such different representations. Dr. Zeev Farber writes:
“The three scenes overlap with each other and seem unaware of each other’s existence. Each one seems to be a self-standing description of the appointment of Joshua. Source critical scholars have attributed each scene to a different source (P, D, and E).” Farber goes on to compare the three versions, proving that not only do these represent different historical approaches to the question of leadership, they also demonstrate how the Torah was redacted several times over, to reflect the norms and needs of each historical moment in its formation. What constitutes a leader at one moment in history does not always count as critical at another. Moses makes sure the people know that they are in good hands:
וַיִּקְרָ֨א מֹשֶׁ֜ה לִיהוֹשֻׁ֗עַ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֵלָ֜יו לְעֵינֵ֣י כׇל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ חֲזַ֣ק וֶאֱמָץ֒ כִּ֣י אַתָּ֗ה תָּבוֹא֙ אֶת־הָעָ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה אֶל־הָאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֧ע יְהֹוָ֛ה לַאֲבֹתָ֖ם לָתֵ֣ת לָהֶ֑ם וְאַתָּ֖ה תַּנְחִילֶ֥נָּה אוֹתָֽם׃
“Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: “Be strong and courageous, for it is you who shall go with this people into the land that Adonai swore to their ancestors to give them, and it is you who shall apportion it to them.”
Perhaps the most glaring difference is between the scene described back in chapter 27 of the BaMidbar and today’s chapter. Moses’ choice to prioritize the temple and the priestly leadership seems to be at play here, too.
In BaMidbar, Joshua is placed alongside Elazar, Aaron’s heir as the new High Priest. Both younger men are blessed by the elder Moses but it is clear that Joshua will be subservient to Elazar when the time comes for them to cross the Jordan. Whenever Joshua is to need divine authority he will turn to Elazar who will consult the oracle worn on his heart - the Urim and Thummim.
But none of that shows up in our chapter. No Elazar, and no oracle. The Divine will be with Joshua, and the Torah will travel with the people. Even when bad times follow, and they will, the old man warns - be strong and courageous, and listen to the words of the Torah.
What happened to the High Priest?
Aaron’s sons represent the spiritual technology of temple and dynasty, sacrifices and an embodied sense of the divine - pagan, ancient, now gone. But Moses, who has no direct biological heir, hands over the leadership to Joshua who in turn will hand it over to the next leaders based not on bloodlines but on the ability to lead. These are two very different religious-political models and they are at the heart of the tensions that will take us all through the Bible and beyond - kings or prophets, generals and rebels, priests vs. rabbis, and so on. When it comes to today’s chapter, Farber illustrates that the choice to de-center the High Priest may have to do with the political reality of the redaction of this chapter, a reflection of specific leadership norms:
“The three references to Joshua’s inauguration stem from three separate sources. These sources did not necessarily remain in a pristine condition, but later redactors added material to them. In Numbers 27..the latest redaction concentrated on adding Elazar into the hierarchy in a way that placed him above Joshua. Most scholars believe that this text in its final form dates from the Persian era- Second Temple period, though it may incorporate some First Temple material. During the Persian period, the province of Judea was ruled both by a governor appointed by the Persians and a high priest. It seems likely that the interest in placing Elazar in such a prominent role in comparison to Joshua could be linked to the desire to place the high priest in a position of authority—at least religious authority—in comparison with whatever government official may have been the titular leader of Judea. “
The religious leader during that period may have been Ezra, the priest and scribe, the man who will one day be known as ‘The Second Moses” - possibly the one to write the Torah or at least be its editor. Was he the one to reduce the role of the priests so that we elevate the scribes - and did he get the final word?
These are all speculations. The chapter ends with Moses telling us that there will be new leadership, but that we must be self-reliant and must be attentive to the words that come next -- we move from prose to poetry. The final words of Moses? Coming tomorrow: It’s a song.
Ready for Joshua?? On 10/25 we bury Moses, close the Torah, cross the Jordan River into Canaan along with Joshua, entering ‘Prophets’ - the second section of the Hebrew Bible. The Book of Joshua is 24 chapters long and I invite you for a one-month journey of politics and myth, power and conquest, then and now. What’s at stake when land becomes a homeland?
On 10/24 1pm ET I will be joined by Dr. Rachel Havrelock, author of The Joshua Generation and Rabbi David Kline, to get ready for the Journey with Joshua.
Join us to get ready on this free 60 min. Zoom conversation:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85448738911?pwd=dmRIRndNNDhjaXZsVjh5K3dSYUdLQT09
Meeting ID: 854 4873 8911
Below the Bible Belt: 929 chapters, 42 months, daily reflections: Join Rabbi Amichai’s 3+ years interactive online quest to question, queer + re-read between the lines of the entire Hebrew Bible, with daily reflections, weekly videos and monthly learning sessions. January 2022-July 2025
#Deuteronomy #D’vraim #fifthbookoftorah #notinheaven #decentralizationofthesacred #Moses #Dvarim31 #Joshua #Elazar #thetorah #hebrewbible #whowrotethebible? #Ezra #leadershiphandover # #hebrewmyth #929 #torah #bible #hiddenbible #sefaria #929english #labshul #myth #belowthebiblebelt #postpatriarchy #hakhel