Vayeilech, Aliyah 7 וילך, שביעי

לקח. כְּמוֹ זָכוֹר (שמות כ') שָׁמוֹר (דברים ה'), הָלוֹךְ (ירמיהו ב'):

Take. Like “remember,” “keep,” “going.”

מצד ארון ברית ה'. נֶחְלְקוּ בוֹ חַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּבָבָא בָּתְרָא (דף י"ד), יֵשׁ מֵהֶם אוֹמְרִים דַּף הָיָה בוֹלֵט מִן הָאָרוֹן מִבַּחוּץ וְשָׁם הָיָה מֻנָּח, וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים מִצַּד הַלּוּחוֹת הָיָה מֻנָּח בְּתוֹךְ הָאָרוֹן:

On the side of the ark of Adonoy’s . . . covenant. There is a difference of opinion here among the sages of Yisroel, in tractate Bava Basra. Some of them say, there was a shelf which extended outside the ark, and it was placed there. Others say, it was placed alongside the tablets, inside the ark.

הקהילו אלי. וְלֹא תָקְעוּ אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם בַּחֲצוֹצְרוֹת לְהַקְהִיל אֶת הַקָּהָל, לְפִי שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר י') "עֲשֵׂה לְךָ", וְלֹא הִשְׁלִיט יְהוֹשֻׁעַ עֲלֵיהֶם, וְאַף בְּחַיָּיו נִגְנְזוּ — בְּיוֹם מוֹתוֹ — לְקַיֵּם מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר (קהלת ח') "וְאֵין שִׁלְטוֹן בְּיוֹם הַמָּוֶת" (תנחומא ויחי ובהעלותך):

Assemble to me. They did not sound the trumpets, that day, to assemble the community, since it is said, “Make for yourself,” he did not empower Yehoshua to use them. And even during his own lifetime they were concealed before the day he died [Another text: on the day he died], in fulfillment of that which is said, “there is no sovereignty on the day of death.”

ואעידה בם את השמים ואת הארץ. וְאִם תֹּאמַר הֲרֵי כְּבָר הֵעִיד לְמַעְלָה — "הַעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם וְגוֹ'"? הָתָם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אָמַר, אֲבָל לַשָּׁמַיִם וְלָאָרֶץ לֹא אָמַר, וְעַכְשָׁו בָּא לוֹמַר "הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וְגוֹ'"(דברים ל"ב):

And invoke as witnesses against them heaven and earth. But, one might contend, he already invoked them as witnesses above — “I invoke as witnesses against you, today, etc.” There, he spoke to the Israelites, but did not address heaven and earth. Now, however, he wanted to say, “Hearken, O heaven, etc.”

אחרי מותי כי השחת תשחיתון. וַהֲרֵי כָּל יְמוֹת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לֹא הִשְׁחִיתוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וַיַּעַבְדוּ הָעָם אֶת ה' כֹּל יְמֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ" (שופטים ב')? מִכָּאן שֶׁתַּלְמִידוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם חָבִיב עָלָיו כְּגוּפוֹ, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁיְּהוֹשֻׁעַ חַי הָיָה נִרְאֶה לְמֹשֶׁה כְּאִלּוּ הוּא חַי:

After my death, that you will become depraved. Yet, throughout all the days of Yehoshua, they were not depraved, as it is said, “The people worshipped Adonoy all the days of Yehoshua.” [We derive] from here that a man’s disciple is as precious to him as his own person, for, so long as Yehoshua was alive, it appeared, to Moshe, as if he was alive himself.