Moses took a walk – Vayelech
The sidra begins Vayelech Moshe, “And Moses went” (Deut. 31:1).
Where did Moses go? The easy answer is, “He proceeded to tell the people what he wanted them to know and to take to heart”.
Ibn Ezra, Ramban and Sforno however all take the word Vayelech literally and say that Moses physically went somewhere. Where did he go? He went from tribe to tribe amongst the camp of Israel and told them that his days were almost at an end.
He wanted them to know that the moment for his departure from the earth was imminent. He was unable to defy the command of God and had to go.
They should not grieve or lament. Life had to continue without him and their task was to remember and honour his teachings… and to hearken to his successor and follow his leadership.
