Parashat Vayelech: Be Strong and Resolute

Moses, now one hundred and twenty years old, prepares to transfer leadership to Joshua. Before stepping aside, he gathers the people and tells them not to fear the wars ahead: “Be strong and resolute; be not in fear or in dread of them, for it is indeed the Lord your God who marches with you – who will not fail you or forsake you. Then Moses called Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel: ‘Be strong and resolute, for it is you who shall go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their fathers to give them, and it is you who shall apportion it to them. And it is indeed the Lord who will go before you. [God] will be with you – and will not fail you or forsake you. Fear not and be not dismayed.’” (Deuteronomy 31:6-8)

God reinforces this blessing to Joshua: “Be strong and resolute: for you shall bring the Israelites into the land that I promised them on oath, and I will be with you” (ibid., 23). The blessing echoes throughout Joshua’s opening chapter: “Be strong and resolute, for you shall apportion to this people the land that I swore to their fathers to assign to them. But you must be very strong and resolute to observe faithfully all the Teaching that My servant Moses enjoined upon you. Do not deviate from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Let not this Book of the Teaching cease from your lips, but recite it day and night, so that you may observe faithfully all that is written in it. Only then will you prosper in your undertakings and only then will you be successful. I charge you: Be strong and resolute; do not be terrified or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:6-9)

The plain meaning

The blessing “be strong and resolute” means the ability to stand with great resilience in the face of challenges, to cope with internal and external difficulties, to act decisively despite fear. Such a blessing is fitting before a change of leadership and before a series of wars. We all know how much this blessing is needed in such moments.

A troubling critique

Yet the writer and Israeli politician Yizhar Smilansky (1916–2006), known by his pen name S. Yizhar, rejected this blessing. In an article titled “Against Joshua” (Yedioth Ahronoth, December 1992), Smilansky showed that the Book of Joshua describes a deeply problematic reality: launching war against those who had not attacked or threatened you, along with instructions for conducting that war in a way that upholds neither the value of human life nor the purity of arms. S. Yizhar argued that all this “be strong and resolute” and “do not be dismayed” is encouragement to carry out terrible deeds.

One might justify these wars by saying God Himself commanded them. Only the All-Knowing can make such calculations. But the children of Israel had to execute the destruction. How could they do such a thing?

1. Yizhar understood that the blessing “be strong and resolute” means something different here – not strength in the face of an enemy seeking to destroy you, but strength to overcome your own human heart, which surely recoils at God’s commands. It is a kind of deal: receive a good land, but in exchange harden your heart. Adopt an outlook that justifies harsh deeds without being destroyed from within.
2. Yizhar knew this was common practice in the Biblical times. The basic rule of war was destroying what your sword could reach. But S. Yizhar still wonders whether, after the Tablets of the Covenant, after “justice, justice shall you pursue,” after “you shall not murder,” we might not have expected the people of Israel to conduct themselves differently.
   
   Soul searching

1. Yizhar’s words can be infuriating and painful. Yet in these final days of Elul, during peak soul-searching, we are called upon to hear harsh rebukes. S. Yizhar offers an original angle for understanding “be strong and resolute” – one that challenges us deeply.

I hope we are always blessed with true strength and resolve, never cursed with it.

Lior Tal Sadeh is an educator, writer, and author of “What Is Above, What Is Below” (Carmel, 2022). He hosts the daily “Source of Inspiration” podcast, produced by Beit Avi Chai.

For more insights into Parashat Vayelech, listen to “Source of Inspiration” (in Hebrew).

Translation of most Hebrew texts sourced from Sefaria.org

 Main Photo: Moses Speaks to the Children of Israel\ Wikipedia