The  Leadership Is Transferred to Yehoshua

The pasuk states (Devarim 31:7), “Moshe summoned Yehoshua and said to him before the eyes of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you shall come with the people to the Land that Hashem swore to their forefathers to give them, and you shall cause them to inherit it.” Rashi expounds that Moshe was telling Yehoshua that the elders of the generation would be with him, and he should follow their opinion and advice. But Hashem told Yehoshua that he would bring Bnei Yisrael into the Promised Land, even against their will. This act would be according to Yehoshua’s opinion. How could Moshe differ from the word of Hashem?

Hashem told  Yehoshua that  he could  bring  the nation  into  the Land without  the help of the elders, on one condition.  That is, if he had the same level of faith in Hashem as Moshe before him. Moshe knew his disciple well. He knew that Yehoshua was exceedingly humble  and did  not  have the authority to lead the nation  on his own. Therefore, Moshe suggested that Yehoshua should take along the elders for added support.

We previously  asked how  Moshe could  have written  the  Sifrei Torah  on  the  day  he  died,  since  it was  Shabbat. In  truth,   he committed  the words to writing  not on the day of his actual death, but  the day he realized that  his death was imminent.  Part of his preparation for death included writing these Sifrei Torah. Until then, he did not believe he would be taken.

With full realization of the fantastic powers which he had, Moshe believed he would remain alive. But when he saw that his prayers were not accepted on High, it dawned on him that he would soon die. He prepared himself properly,  day by day. This is in fulfillment of our  Sages’ injunction (Avot  2:10), “Repent one day before you die.”  With  supernatural  strength,  he wrote  thirteen  Sifrei  Torah before Shabbat descended.

Everything  comes  from  Hashem.  Every  step  of  our  lives  is pre-ordained  on High, possible  only  with  siyata  di’Shemaya. One must feel this  in all areas of life. Waking up in the morning,  once again given the gift of sight, is nothing short  of a miracle. All is in the hands of Heaven, except fear of Heaven (Berachot 33b). And when a person aspires to greater spirituality, exerting himself to do a mitzvah, he receives assistance (see Shabbat 104a). For this reason, we are told  not  to postpone  doing a mitzvah  (see Yalkut Shimoni, Shemot 201). Although  one’s level of yirat Shamayim is in his hands, there is an element of siyata di’Shemaya at play, as well. But one must make the first  move. Moshe taught the nation, prior to his death, that  those who are involved  in Torah are above the laws of nature.