“And Moshe went and spoke these words ….” (Devarim, 31:1) The verse says specifically “and Moshe went” and “going,” halicha, signifies being disturbed.37Perhaps because when one is disturbed by something he may be inclined to move his place. It was difficult for him to understand how man could fix the deficiency imprinted on the root of his soul from the day of his birth passed on from his mother and father, for his mother conceived him in sin.38This phrase is borrowed from Tehilim 51:7. The idea needs investigation. Was he not conceived in the mitzvah of pru u’vru, [be fruitful and multiply]? Yet this is something that is very easily contaminated because of its great holiness. So this statement, especially when someone on the level of David haMelech says it about himself, is quite revealing of the human predicament. It seems here that along with the fixings needed for physical union, he is also talking about everything inherited from our parents that needs fixing. However, when the commandment to gather the people was said to him (Devarim, 31:12, “Gather the people, the parents, the children … that they may learn, and fear God”), it was intimated to Moshe that man may fix the sin he is born with, which comes from his root and the root of his parents. Then joy filled his being, as it is written (Yirmiya, 4:1), “If Israel will return … return unto Me.” When a man commits a transgression, God forbid, then in his mind he is ashamed before his friend. Even though his friend does not know about it, he is anyhow uncomfortable because he feels that his friend is better than he is. This is not teshuva shleimah, complete return to the Torah. This is why the prophet said, “you shall return to Me,” meaning that one should rather be ashamed before God so as not to do something that God did not command. God commanded 613 mitzvot, and each one is advice to Israel as to how one may remove the evil desires rooted in his heart, rooted there due to the impurity of mortal existence. This is as it says in the Gemara (Kiddushin, 40b), “[Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Tsaddok said: What is a Tsaddik compared to in this world? A tree that exists in a place that is wholly pure,] yet part of it turns to a place of impurity.” So therefore, God gave man advice as to how he may remove himself from desires, such as the mitzvah of tsitsit, which reminds man to have the fear of God, and tefillin, which teaches of the tekifut (unbridled strength) of Kedusha, a notion previously explained (see above, Devarim, 17:13). Yet, in response to the evil attributes that are imprinted in man from the day of his birth derived from the root of his father and mother, as the prophet said (Yesahya, 48:8), “For I knew that you would surely act treacherously, and you were called a sinner from the womb,” we received the section of “gather your people” (Devarim, 31:12). This is as it says in the Gemara (Chagiga, 3a), “Why did the infants also come? To reward those who brought them.” This means, by means of the longing of the father and mother to bring words of Torah into the ears of the infant—even though he does not understand anything at all. An example of this is found in the Talmud Yerushalmi (Yevamot, 1:6), “See who teaches knowledge. Rabbi Yehoshua’s mother would bring him in his cradle into the house of study so that his ears would absorb Words of Torah.” This shows how it is possible to fix even the attributes imprinted in man from his mother’s womb. This longing on the part of the parents is called “serving the Torah is greater than studying it,” for by means of this he may heal what came before. This is “[to reward] those who brought them,” meaning that even the father and mother are also fixed by this, since it fixes what came before, namely the desire of the father and mother at the moment of conception, and then it follows that he was clean regarding his mother. When Moshe Rabeynu understood this, he was filled with simcha (joy).
וַיֵּלֶךְ מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה כוּ׳. הֲלִיכָה הוּא לְשׁוֹן טִרְדָּה, כִּי הָיָה קָשֶׁה בְּעֵינָיו, אֵיךְ יוּכַל הָאָדָם לְתַקֵּן הַחֶסְרוֹן הַמּוּטְבָּע בְּשׁוֹרְשׁוֹ מִיּוֹם הִוָּלְדוֹ מִצַּד אָב וָאֵם אֲשֶׁר בְּחֵטְא יֶחֱמַתְנוּ אִמּוֹ, אַךְ כַּאֲשֶׁר נֶאֱמַר לוֹ פָּרָשַׁת הַקְהֵל שֶׁנִּרְמַז לוֹ, כִּי הָאָדָם יָכוֹל לְתַקֵּן גַּם כֵּן הַחֵטְא הַנּוֹלָד בּוֹ אֲשֶׁר יָבֹא לָאָדָם מִשּׁוֹרְשׁוֹ וְשׁוֹרֶשׁ אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ, אָז נִתְמַלָּא בְּשִׂמְחָה, כִּי נֶאֱמַר (ירמיה ד',א') "אִם תָּשׁוּב יִשְׂרָאֵל כוּ׳ אֵלַי תָּשׁוּב", כִּי הָאָדָם כְּשֶׁעוֹשֶׂה עֲבֵירָה ח"ו אָז יֵבוֹשׁ בְּדַעְתּוֹ נֶגֶד חֲבֵירוֹ אַף שֶׁאֵין חֲבֵירוֹ יוֹדֵעַ בּוֹ, מִכָּל מָקוֹם אֵין הוּא בְּנַיְיחָא מִפְּנֵי שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ שֶׁחֲבֵירוֹ טוֹב מִמֶּנּוּ וְזֶה אֵינוֹ תְּשׁוּבָה שְׁלֵימָה, עַל כֵּן אָמַר הַנָּבִיא "אֵלַי תָּשׁוּב", הַיְינוּ שֶׁיִּתְבַּיֵּישׁ הָאָדָם מִפְּנֵי הַש"י שֶׁלֹּא יַעֲשֶׂה מַה שֶּׁלֹּא צִוָּה ה', כִּי הַש"י נָתַן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל תַּרְיַ"ג מִצְוֹת שֶׁהֵם עֵצוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֵיךְ יוֹצִיא מִמַּחְשַׁבְתּוֹ תַּאֲווֹת הָרָעוֹת שֶׁהֵם מְשׁוֹרָשִׁים בְּלִבּוֹ, מֵחֲמַת שֶׁהוּא בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה הַנִּקְרָא מְקוֹם טֻמְאָה כִּדְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא [קידושין מ':] וְנוֹפָהּ נוֹטֶה לִמְקוֹם טֻמְאָה, לָכֵן נָתַן הַש"י עֵצוֹת לָאָדָם אֵיךְ לְהָסִיר מֵאִתּוֹ הַתַּאֲווֹת, כְּגוֹן מִצְוַת צִיצִית שֶׁיִּהְיֶה לָאָדָם יִרְאַת ה' וּמִצְוַת תְּפִילִּין שֶׁמּוֹרָה עַל תַּקּוּפוּת כְּמוֹ שֶׁמְּבוֹאָר בִּמְקוֹמָם, אַךְ בַּמִּדּוֹת הָרָעוֹת הַנִּטְבָּעִים בָּאָדָם מִיּוֹם הִוָּלְדוֹ שֶׁבָּא לוֹ מִשּׁוֹרֶשׁ אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ וַעֲלֵיהֶם אָמַר הַנָּבִיא (ישעיה מ"ח,ח') "וּפֹשֵׁעַ מִבֶּטֶן קֹרָא לָךְ", עַל זֶה נִתְּנָה פָּרָשַׁת הַקְהֵל כִּדְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא (חגיגה ג'.) "וְטַף לָמָּה בָּאוּ כְּדֵי לִיתֵּן שָׂכָר לִמְבִיאֵיהֶן", הַיְינוּ שֶׁעַל יְדֵי הַתְּשׁוּקָה שֶׁבְּאָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ שֶׁיִּכָּנְסוּ דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה בְּאָזְנֵי הַתִּינוֹק אַף שֶׁאֵינוֹ יוֹדֵעַ מְאוּמָה כְּאִמּוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּר חֲנַנְיָא כִּדְאִיתָא בַּגְּמָרָא [ירושלמי יבמות פ"א ה"ו] עַל יְדֵי זֶה יְתוּקַּן בָּאָדָם אַף הַמִּדּוֹת שֶׁנִּטְבְּעוּ בּוֹ מִבֶּטֶן אִמּוֹ, וְהַתְּשׁוּקָה הַזֹּאת נִקְרֵאת שִׁימּוּשָׁהּ שֶׁל תּוֹרָה שֶׁהִיא גְּדוֹלָה מִלִּימּוּדָהּ שֶׁעַל יְדֵי זֶה יָכוֹל לְרַפְּאוֹת אֶת הַקּוֹדֵם, וְהַיְינוּ לִמְבִיאֵיהֶן שֶׁגַּם אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ יְתוּקְּנוּ גַּם כֵּן, וְעַל זֶה יְתוֹאַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּר חֲנַנְיָא בְּמַעֲלוֹת אַשְׁרֵי יוֹלַדְתּוֹ (אבות פ"ב, מ"ח) לְפִי שֶׁהוּא תִּיקּוּן אֶת הַקּוֹדֵם הַיְינוּ תְּשׁוּקַת אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ שֶׁהָיְתָה לָהֶם בִּשְׁעַת זִיוּוּג, וּמִמֵּילָא הָיָה נָקִי אַגַּב אִמּוֹ, וְכַאֲשֶׁר רָאָה מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם אֶת זֹאת אָז נִתְמַלָּא בְּשִׂמְחָה.
“And Moshe went and spoke these words ….” (Devarim, 31:1)
The verse says specifically “and Moshe went” and “going,” halicha, signifies being disturbed.37Perhaps because when one is disturbed by something he may be inclined to move his place. It was difficult for him to understand how man could fix the deficiency imprinted on the root of his soul from the day of his birth passed on from his mother and father, for his mother conceived him in sin.38This phrase is borrowed from Tehilim 51:7. The idea needs investigation. Was he not conceived in the mitzvah of pru u’vru, [be fruitful and multiply]? Yet this is something that is very easily contaminated because of its great holiness. So this statement, especially when someone on the level of David haMelech says it about himself, is quite revealing of the human predicament. It seems here that along with the fixings needed for physical union, he is also talking about everything inherited from our parents that needs fixing. However, when the commandment to gather the people was said to him (Devarim, 31:12, “Gather the people, the parents, the children … that they may learn, and fear God”), it was intimated to Moshe that man may fix the sin he is born with, which comes from his root and the root of his parents. Then joy filled his being, as it is written (Yirmiya, 4:1), “If Israel will return … return unto Me.” When a man commits a transgression, God forbid, then in his mind he is ashamed before his friend. Even though his friend does not know about it, he is anyhow uncomfortable because he feels that his friend is better than he is. This is not teshuva shleimah, complete return to the Torah. This is why the prophet said, “you shall return to Me,” meaning that one should rather be ashamed before God so as not to do something that God did not command.
God commanded 613 mitzvot, and each one is advice to Israel as to how one may remove the evil desires rooted in his heart, rooted there due to the impurity of mortal existence. This is as it says in the Gemara (Kiddushin, 40b), “[Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Tsaddok said: What is a Tsaddik compared to in this world? A tree that exists in a place that is wholly pure,] yet part of it turns to a place of impurity.”
So therefore, God gave man advice as to how he may remove himself from desires, such as the mitzvah of tsitsit, which reminds man to have the fear of God, and tefillin, which teaches of the tekifut (unbridled strength) of Kedusha, a notion previously explained (see above, Devarim, 17:13). Yet, in response to the evil attributes that are imprinted in man from the day of his birth derived from the root of his father and mother, as the prophet said (Yesahya, 48:8), “For I knew that you would surely act treacherously, and you were called a sinner from the womb,” we received the section of “gather your people” (Devarim, 31:12). This is as it says in the Gemara (Chagiga, 3a), “Why did the infants also come? To reward those who brought them.”
This means, by means of the longing of the father and mother to bring words of Torah into the ears of the infant—even though he does not understand anything at all. An example of this is found in the Talmud Yerushalmi (Yevamot, 1:6), “See who teaches knowledge. Rabbi Yehoshua’s mother would bring him in his cradle into the house of study so that his ears would absorb Words of Torah.” This shows how it is possible to fix even the attributes imprinted in man from his mother’s womb. This longing on the part of the parents is called “serving the Torah is greater than studying it,” for by means of this he may heal what came before. This is “[to reward] those who brought them,” meaning that even the father and mother are also fixed by this, since it fixes what came before, namely the desire of the father and mother at the moment of conception, and then it follows that he was clean regarding his mother. When Moshe Rabeynu understood this, he was filled with simcha (joy).