Parashas Vayeilech - Hashem Said To Me...

When I was young, I was taught a few very important halachos in Judaism: (1) It's forbidden to eat pig. (2) If you eat meat, you must wait six hours to eat anything dairy. (3) When Bar Mitzvah-ed, you must wear tefillin, everyday! And a few other things... (FYI, I am a ba'al teshuva; I did not grow up religious.)

Regarding the above mentioned, I had such will power to abide by those “rules.” I didn't think twice about violating them. Well, maybe I craved dairy chocolate after eating meat, but it was only like a fly buzzing in my ear. Meaning, I had the thought, but then I reminded myself how important it was for me to keep this halacha, and so the thought of eating chocolate went away. I knew dairy chocolate was off limits. Like a little fly, I quickly swatted it away from my ear (rather swat the thought away from my mind.)

In the very beginning of this week's parasha, Moshe addressed Klal Yisroel and told them, “I am 120 years old today, I can no longer go forth and return; for Hashem said to me: You will not cross this Yardein.”

Rashi asks, “Is it possible his strength weakened? The Torah taught us that Moshe's appearance was not dulled and his freshness did not fade. Rather, what does it mean when Moshe said, I can no longer go forth? He was saying: I no longer have permission to continue, for authority was removed from me and presented to Yehoshua. For Hashem said to me, I can no longer go forth.”

Hashem told Moshe he can not travel any further with Klal Yisroel to Eretz Yisroel. “If that's what Hashem wants (even though I greatly want to go to Eretz Yisroel) then I will do as He says,” He thought.

When Moshe was commanded to do something, it wasn't even a thought to violate Hashem's words. You might say Moshe didn't have a Yeitzer Hara but we know he did. Ironically, the reason why Moshe wasn't allowed to cross the Yardein was because of the sin he did when hitting the rock (instead of talking to it, as Hashem commanded him to.) That was the only sin Moshe did. Perhaps this was Moshe's way of repenting from his sin; perhaps this is what Moshe meant when he said, “I can no longer go forth, for Hashem said to me...”

These are the days of asseres yemei teshuva; this is the time to repent. We should look back and see if we've done anything Hashem might have been disappointed about and correct it in a way that will appease Hashem.

Just like Moshe who said, “For this is what Hashem said to me,” and corrected the mistake he did when Hashem told him to talk to the rock instead of hitting it, so too, we should find ways to correct the mistakes we've done.

Gmar Chassima Tova and have a wonderful Shabbos,
Nisso