Miller's Musings Parshas Vayelech: It's The Way You Tell 'Em

As the baton of leadership was about to pass from master to disciple, from Moshe to his foremost student Yehoshua, Hashem instructs His devoted servant to summon Yehoshua to the Tent of Meeting so that Hashem can “command him”.  The difficulty here lies in the fact that as the Parsha continues, we so no such instructions being given to Yehoshua, rather they are all directed at Moshe.  Added to that, if we carefully inspect that which Moshe is told, it seems like information that is entirely irrelevant to him, foretelling of what will transpire when the Jewish people enter the Holy Land, something Moshe regrettably would never be a part of. 

If we try for a moment and envisage how Yehoshua must have felt at that moment, on the cusp of being entrusted with the daunting undertaking of leading the Jewish people into the Promised Land, we can imagine that the overriding feeling that he would have been experiencing would be one of trepidation.  Not only was he being tasked with tending to Hashem’s chosen people.  Not only was he responsible for ensuring they followed the dictates of Hashem and claimed their precious inheritance exactly as proscribed.  But added to all this, he was replacing the greatest human being and most supreme leader of men the world had ever known.  Can you imagine the apprehension and sheer panic that must have been coursing through Yehoshua?  If this was as I have suggested, maybe we can propose that the intended recipient of this entire message, that was seemingly given to Moshe, was in fact Yehoshua.  Perhaps it was directed at Moshe and relayed in this way, with Yehoshua still very much in attendance, so as to in some way diminish for Yehoshua the impact and force of the realisation of the magnitude of what lay ahead of him.  Aiming these words at Moshe let Yehoshua feel one step removed from the prospect of all that was to come, thereby reducing the anxiety of such a monumental moment. 

Whether you are an educator, a parent or simply a friend, there are times when you feel it necessary to impart a message to another.  We may think that the central focus must be on the message itself, when in fact our attention must be entirely on the person receiving it.  Sometimes we may convince ourselves that it is a necessity for the other, when in truth we are being entirely disingenuous and the true motivation for speaking is our own ego.  Careful consideration must be given to whether it truly should be conveyed and, if it is required, in which manner it should be expressed so as to have the most profound impact whilst eliminating the possibility of negative consequences to the one we are attempting to help.  Communication is an absolute necessity for any relationship, but like all the most powerful weapons we possess, it must be handled with supreme care.  As long as we are single-minded in our sincere devotion to others, it will be wielded with precision and purpose for the betterment of those who need us and the good of those we need. 

*May this Shabbos speak to us as only Hashem’s holy Shabbos can.* 

לעילוי נשמת לאה בת אברהם