Hello and welcome to another episode of Covenant and Conversation with me, Rabbi Sachs.

In each new episode, we'll explore a Jewish idea from the Hebrew Bible based on the Torah reading of the week.

Vallelech, the Torah as God's song. At the end of his life, having given the Israelites

at God's behest 612 commands, Moses gave them the last. Now therefore write down for yourselves

this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths that this song may be

my witness against the people of Israel. According to the plain sense of the verse, God was

speaking to Moses and Joshua and was referring to the song in the following chapter,

Hazinu Hashemi, Moses' song in Hazinu.

However, the oral tradition gave it a different and much wider interpretation, understanding it is a command for every Jew to write,

or at least take some part in writing a Sepah Torah. The Comorian Sanhedrin says,

Rabah said, even though our ancestors have left us a scroll of the Torah, it is our religious

duty to write one for ourselves, as it is said, now therefore write down for yourselves

this song. The logic of the interpretation seems to be first that the phrase write down for

yourselves could be construed as referring to every Israelite, not just Moses and Joshua. Secondly, the passage goes on to say Moses finished writing in the book the words of this law from beginning to end.

The Talmud offers a third reason.

The verse goes on to say that this song may be my witness against the people, implying the

Torah as a whole, not just the song in Chapter 32.

Thus understood, Moses' final message to the Israelites was,

it is not enough that you have received the Torah from me, you have to make it new again

in every generation.

The covenant wasn't to grow old.

It had to be periodically renewed.

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