Rebuff Moshe Rabbeinu And Keep It A Secret? On the day Moshe Rabbeinu was supposed to pass on from this world, he cried to Hashem and said, “Let Yehoshua take my leadership, but let me remain alive.” Hashem agreed and said, “Now go to Yehoshua and act like he does to you.” Moshe ran to Yehoshua’s house and Yehoshua became frightened. “Rebbi, come with me,” said Moshe. When they came to the Ohel Moed the cloud of the Shechina descended on Yehoshua and Moshe was left outside. When the cloud lifted, Moshe asked Yehoshua to tell him what Hashem had said. Yehoshua replied, “When Hashem appeared to you, did I know what you spoke about?” Moshe screamed, “Let me die one thousand deaths and not have an ounce of jealousy.” (Medrash Devarim Rabba 9:9) Moshe preferred to die rather then be jealous, but why didn’t Yehoshua want to tell Moshe what Hashem said? Rav Shimon Schwab answers with a Rashi in Vayeilech (31:7). Moshe told Yehoshua, “Ki Ata Savo Es Ha’Am HaZeh,” which the gGemara Sanhedrin (8a) explains that Moshe told Yehoshua to lead Bnei Yisrael together with the Zikeinim. However, Hashem disagreed, as later in the parsha (31:23) Hashem told Yehoshua, “Ki Ata Savi,” meaning that you will lead alone and by force, as each generation can have only a single leader. Rav Schwab says that Hashem told him this when he was in the Anan. Yehoshua did not want to repeat this to Moshe because he didn’t want him to feel bad that Hashem gave him different instructions, and for Moshe’s honor, he refused to tell him what Hashem said.
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It’s Talking About the Little Girls The mitzva of Hakhel requires the attendance of men, women, and children. The Gemara (Chagiga 3a) comments that we understand why the men and women need to hear the King read the Torah, but why the children? The Gemara answers that this is to give a reward to the parents for taking them. Rav Chaim Kanievsky was asked (Derech Sicha) “Why doesn’t the Gemara answer that it is because the young boys will soak in the atmosphere of Torah which will enrich their neshamos.” In fact the Yerushalmi says that Rebbi Yehoshua’s mother would bring his crib to the Bais Medrash so his ears should hear Torah, proving the power of the words of Torah on little children. Rav Chaim answered that it is certainly true that the Torah can have a strong impact even on a baby. In fact in the Gemara (Pesachim 96b) Rebbi Yehoshua says that he once heard a certain halacha regarding Hilchos Temura. Rav Chaim says that the word says that this is a Halacha he heard in his crib in the Bais Medrash! “Therefore,” Rav Chaim answers, “the Gemara’s question is not on the boys. They have good reason to go. Rather, the question is on the little girls who must also come to Hakhel.”
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A King In Front Of The People The Meshech Chochma says that we know that a king is commanded not to be haughty, “LiVilti Rum Livavo.” He must deal with every individual with love and compassion. However, this is only in private. Publicly he must show a tough exterior and may not be Mochel on his Kavod. We even see that Shaul Hamelech was punished for being too soft and compassionate. There is a remez to this from the pasuk (VaYeilech 31:7) where Moshe called Yehoshua and said to him, “L’Einei Kol Yisroel Chazak V’Ematz.” In a play on words the Meshech Chochma says, “Before the eyes of the people, that is when you must be strong and bold.”
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Denying Yourself A Ticket To Freedom Rebbi Yochanan cried when he read the Pasuk (VaYeilech 31:21), “VHaya Ki Simtzena Oso Ra’os Rabos; it will be when a great deal of bad finds you.” He cried and said, “A slave whose master makes him lots of trouble, is there any hope for him?” (Chagiga 4b). Rav Meir Shapiro asks, “On the contrary, a slave goes free when his master knocks out his eye or any other major organ. Why is he despondent? The misery inflicted upon him carries the hope of freedom!” He answers that the halacha is that the slave only goes free, if he says that the master knocked out his eye. If, however, he says that it fell out by itself, he does not go free. A careful reading of the pasuk says, not that Hashem inflicted upon him great troubles, but rather the troubles found him. He does not admit that they came from Hashem as a punishment for his aveiros, but merely bad luck. In that case, he is like a slave whose eye is knocked out by his master, but he will never go free. Over this pathetic suffering, yet hard headed Eved, Rebbi Yochanan cried.

Created By Rov Avrohom Sherman
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