parshaמפרשי הפרשה

כלי יקר — וילך משה / לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא

'וילך משה' — every commentator struggles with this opening, because no destination is given. Where did Moshe go?

לפי שרצה משה לומר 'לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא', ומלת 'לא אוכל' יש לו שני פנים, או לא אוכל ממש מבלתי יכולת, או לא אוכל איני רשאי מלשון 'לא תוכל לאכול בשעריך'. ובאמת שכאן פירושו איני רשאי עוד לצאת ולבוא לפי שכבר ניתנה הרשות ליהושע, והיה משה ירא פן יבינו ישראל 'לא אוכל' כמשמעו... מה עשה משה? הלך לפני כל ישראל בזריזות לאורכה ולרוחבה כי בזה הראה להם כי ככוחו אז כן עתה.

1 source · all verified

Opens as a working sheet — explore, annotate, and export.

Source 1 · Acharonim

Verified

כלי יקר

כלי יקר על דברים ל״א:א׳

Kli Yakar on Deuteronomy 31:1

Vayeilech

Q — 'וילך משה' — every commentator struggles with this opening, because no destination is given. Where did Moshe go?

A — Kli Yakar refuses to fill in a destination. Moshe didn't go *somewhere* — he went, period. The act *was* the message. Moshe was about to tell Bnei Yisrael 'לא אוכל עוד לצאת ולבוא,' but 'לא אוכל' is ambiguous: either 'I am physically unable' or 'I am not permitted' (the same construction as 'לא תוכל לאכל בשעריך' — Devarim 12:17). With Yehoshua now formally appointed, the correct meaning is 'I am not permitted' — Moshe's vigor is intact. So Moshe walked briskly in front of all Yisrael, demonstrating that his strength was undiminished. Only after that demonstration could 'לא אוכל' land correctly: 'I'm not permitted,' not 'I'm not able.' The aimless walk has a destination — it's the *demonstration* itself.

Full text on Sefaria ↗

Related sheets

Yamim Tovimימים טובים

Teshuvah, Community, and the High Holidays

Rosh HashanahYom Kippur

Sources on repentance, divine compassion, and communal responsibility during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The sources address the spiritual foundations of the Days of Awe, the stages and accessibility of teshuvah, the role of interpersonal reconciliation, and the place of collective turning toward God in High Holiday observance.

View Sources42 sources

Tefillahתפילה

Childhood Prayer Memories and Present Spiritual Focus

Sources explore whether nostalgic recollection of earlier worship experiences can deepen present prayer and faith or risks becoming a distraction from current intention. The texts collectively address the relationship between memory, emotional resonance, and kavvanah in authentic avodas Hashem.

View Sources26 sources

Machshavaמחשבה

Free Will and Divine Foreknowledge in Jewish Thought

These sources explore the philosophical reconciliation of human free will with divine omniscience and causality. They address how human choice operates within a framework of divine governance, necessity, and providence, examining whether freedom is absolute or constrained by circumstance and the nature of divine knowledge.

View Sources25 sources

Yamim Tovimימים טובים

Asking Mechilah Before Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur

These sources establish the halakhic requirement to seek forgiveness from those one has wronged before Yom Kippur, clarifying that divine atonement on Yom Kippur does not extend to interpersonal offenses without prior reconciliation. The sources span biblical, rabbinic, and codified law, emphasizing practical steps for appeasement.

View Sources25 sources

Tanakhתנ״ך

Moses's Repetition of Torah and Mesorah

These sources explore why Moses repeats the Torah's teachings in Deuteronomy and how this repetition relates to transmitting Torah to the next generation. They discuss the relationship between Moses's own rebuke and instruction, the divine command to restate these matters with sacred authority, and the process of conveying Torah wisdom according to the recipients' capacity to receive and internalize it.

View Sources21 sources

Mussarמוסר

Receiving Every Person With a Pleasant Face

This teaching from Pirkei Avot, explored across rabbinic and Jewish ethical literature, emphasizes the importance of greeting and treating others with a warm, cheerful demeanor as a fundamental interpersonal virtue. The sources examine how a pleasant countenance reflects inner character and serves as a cornerstone of ethical conduct between people.

View Sources21 sources

Explore more

Teshuvah, Community, and the High Holidays Childhood Prayer Memories and Present Spiritual Focus Free Will and Divine Foreknowledge in Jewish Thought

Find sources for your own idea