Moses speaks to the People of Israel, and he says some very important things for us to learn from:

Jewish Unity

Everyone is standing together, the great scholars with the woodcutters and water-drawers. This teaches us that every single person is important in G‑d's eyes, and everyone has a vital role to play. It also shows us the importance of unity—the Jewish people are one and must be always united.

The Future Redemption

If the Children of Israel sin, the G‑d will punish them and their land will become dry and barren and stop producing its beautiful fruit. The Jews will have to suffer in exile. But a time will come when they will realize how wrong they've been and will turn back to G‑d, and then he will bring them back to the land. This will bring in a new, special time when everyone will want to do only good and the whole world will become a good place—there won't be any evil. This is called the time of Moshiach, the future redemption.

We Can Do It!

Sometimes it seems as if the Torah is very hard, and there are so many things we must do, and so many that we may not do, that it feels like the keeping the Torah is like crossing a great big ocean—almost too hard to be done. But G‑d told us keep the Torah because we really can. Because if we try, the Torah is not across the ocean, rather "the Torah is very close to you" and it's possible for us to do it right. And it's not just possible—it may even be easy! (In middle of all the mitzvot we've been learning these past few weeks, that's some much needed encouragement.)

It's Our Choice

The world is made up of good and bad, and the Torah tells us what is the good path to follow. But we must make the choice to do good. It's our choice what we want to do with our lives—and every moment of our day. And when we think about it, of course we will want to do only the best. So make the right choice—choose good.

Vayelech - And He Went

The Parshah of Vayelech tells us about the last day of Moses' life. He is exactly 120 years old (because he passed away on the same day that he was born—the 7th of Adar) and he knows that he will not be able to go into the land of Israel. He passes on the leadership to Joshuah and then finishes writing a Torah scroll that he gives to the Levites to put in the Ark.

Moses tells them that they will read from this Torah once every seven years on the festival of Sukkot. This will be in the year of Hakhel, the year following Shemittah, when all the Jews—men, women and children—gather together in the Holy Temple and the king reads from the Torah.

The Parshah ends with telling us that although there will be times when the Jews will turn away from G‑d, and G‑d will have to hide Himself from them, they or their children will always come back and the Torah will never really be forgotten.