Parshat Vayelech By: Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron בס”ד
לשכנו תדרשו Inviting the Holy Presence in Our Holy Land
And Now You Shall Write this Song
Every year we read parshat Vayelech in conjunction with the Days of Awe, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. In this parsha are the two last commandments in the Torah: 1. Hakhel – gathering all the people once in seven years to hear the reading of the Torah by the king 2. To write a Torah scroll. Regarding writing a Torah scroll we see a similar commandment that precedes this commandment, the obligation upon a king to write a Torah scroll. In regard to a king it says that the king should read in his personal in order to “learn to have awe of Hashem.” It seems then that the commandment for every person to write a Torah scroll comes to signify that every Jew is like a “mini-king”, i.e a prince before our Father in Heaven, the King of the Universe, so that we all have awe before our King in Heaven. Also the commandment of Hakhel, the Torah teaches us, is directed to the people so that have awe of Hashem, and this ceremony is also lead by the king. Therefore, it becomes obvious that there is a clear connection between the Days of Awe, the days we place emphasis on Hashem as King, and parshat Vayelech which emphasizes the same themes.
Hebron is the Cradle of Israel’s Kingship and sovereignty upon the Land of Israel, for it is here that King David was directed by Hashem to take rule upon all Israel, thus uniting all Israel, Hebron=unity (hibur) under a central power. This is Hebron the City of the Kingdom United.
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Real Stories from the Holy Land
After praying and pleading before the G-d of Avraham, Yizhak and Yaacov, Rabbi Avraham Azuli immersed himself in the mikve and dressed in white garments, the traditional dress of the dead. He set forth to the Cave of Machpelah. With a rope tied around his waist, Rabbi Azuli was lowered into the cave. When his feet hit the ground, Rabbi Azuli looked around him and found, standing by his side, three bearded men. “We are your forefathers”, they told him, “Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaacov”. Rabbi Azuli, was dumbfounded. Finally he said to them, “Why should I leave here and go back above. I am elderly, and here I have found my Forefathers. I desire only to stay here with you.” The Patriarchs insisted, “You must return the sword to the Sultan. If not, the entire Jewish community of Hebron is liable to be wiped out. But have no fear. In another seven days you will return here, to be with us.” So the saintly Rabbi returned to the Yitzhak Hall, above the cave of the Patriarchs, and with him, the Sultan’s sword. The Sultan was pleased. Upon seeing their beloved Rabbi return alive, the Jews of Hebron declared the day a holiday. Rabbi Avraham Azuli spent the next week with his students, teaching them all he knew, all the esoteric teachings of Torah. Day and night he learned with them, instructing them, imparting to them all that he knew. Seven days after being lowered into the Cave of Machpelah, Rabbi Avraham Azuli, returned his soul to his Maker, dying peacefully in his home. He was brought to rest in the ancient Jewish cemetery in Hebron, overlooking the final resting place of his beloved Forefathers, Avraham, Yitzhak and Yaacov.
[Adapted by Yerachmiel Tilles from www.hebron.co.il