Torah as song. Moses' long and tempestuous career is about to end. With words of blessing and

encouragement, he hands on the mantle of leadership to his success in Joshua, saying I'm

120 years old today, I may no longer go out and come in, since the Lord has said to me,

you will not cross this Jordan as

Rushie notes he says I may not not I cannot he is still in full bodily vigor his

eye undimmed and his natural energy unabated but he has reached the end of his

personal road the time had come for another age and new generation and a different kind of

leader. But before he takes leave of life, God has one last command for him and through him for the

future. Vata, kithulahem at Ashehira, Zodin now write for yourselves song, and teach it to the children of Israel,

put it in their mouths that this song may be a witness for me among the children of Israel.

The plain sense of the verses that God was commanding Moses and Joshua to write out that song

that follows, that of Haazinu, so Rashi and Ahmadinejee's understand it.

But the oral tradition read it differently.

According to the sages, now write for yourselves applies to the Torah as a whole.

Thus, the last of the 613 commands is to write, or at least take part in writing, even

if only a single letter, a Torah scroll.

Here is how Maimonides states the law.

Every Israelite is commanded to write a Torah scroll for himself as it says.

Now therefore, write this song, meaning write for yourselves a complete copy of the Torah that contains this song,

since we don't write isolated passages of

the Torah but only a complete scroll. Even if you have inherited a Torah scroll from your parents,

nonetheless it's a mitzvah to write one for oneself and one who does so is as if he had received

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