This sheet on Deuteronomy 31 was written by Moses The Model Mentor for 929 and can also be found here
Moses is old. Very old. At the age of 120, in verse 2 of Chapter 31, Moses acknowledges his age, and the limitations associated with getting on in years. “I am a hundred and twenty years old today; I can no longer go out and come in.”
The Talmud Sotah 13b insists that this statement is not referring to Moses’ physical frailty. It cannot mean that Moses’ physical strength is waning in his old age because in another few chapters, when Moses passes away, the text tells us that he was full of strength and vigor right until the end (“his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” - Deuteronomy 34:7) . If that is so, then the verse here in Chapter 31, cannot be understood literally, that his old age prevented him from continuing his leadership.
So what is Moses saying, when he describes his inability to “go out and come in”?
Though Moses was at his full physical strength, the Talmud explains, he could no longer “go out and come in” with words of Torah - “The gates of wisdom were closed off to him.”
Moses is recognizing, at the end of his life, that he has shared all the wisdom that he can offer. His own leadership has run its course. It is time for him to step down and to pass the torch to the next generation.
It is hard for most of us to acknowledge when it is time to step back and allow someone else to take the helm, when a new perspective is needed. In so many contexts - career, volunteer work, family life - people often hold onto positions of leadership for too long, and miss the opportunity to effectively pass the torch. A congregant of mine, in her seventies, hosted her family’s very large seders for many decades.
She loved doing it, and she still had the strength and the ability to continue. However, she recognized that it was time to encourage her children - now grown, with families of their own - to take on the responsibility of hosting the seders. She wanted to make this transition while she would still be able to offer advice and help, as the next generation took on this important family tradition.
Moses had spent years mentoring Joshua, ensuring that the next generation of leadership would be strong. He understood that it was time for him to step back when his leadership had run its course, when his wisdom would no longer “go out and come in”, would no longer be effectively heard and heeded. Moses serves as a model for graciously offering mentoring and guidance to those who will come next, and then stepping back and showing trust that, even without you, the enterprise is in good hands.
The Talmud Sotah 13b insists that this statement is not referring to Moses’ physical frailty. It cannot mean that Moses’ physical strength is waning in his old age because in another few chapters, when Moses passes away, the text tells us that he was full of strength and vigor right until the end (“his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” - Deuteronomy 34:7) . If that is so, then the verse here in Chapter 31, cannot be understood literally, that his old age prevented him from continuing his leadership.
So what is Moses saying, when he describes his inability to “go out and come in”?
Though Moses was at his full physical strength, the Talmud explains, he could no longer “go out and come in” with words of Torah - “The gates of wisdom were closed off to him.”
Moses is recognizing, at the end of his life, that he has shared all the wisdom that he can offer. His own leadership has run its course. It is time for him to step down and to pass the torch to the next generation.
It is hard for most of us to acknowledge when it is time to step back and allow someone else to take the helm, when a new perspective is needed. In so many contexts - career, volunteer work, family life - people often hold onto positions of leadership for too long, and miss the opportunity to effectively pass the torch. A congregant of mine, in her seventies, hosted her family’s very large seders for many decades.
She loved doing it, and she still had the strength and the ability to continue. However, she recognized that it was time to encourage her children - now grown, with families of their own - to take on the responsibility of hosting the seders. She wanted to make this transition while she would still be able to offer advice and help, as the next generation took on this important family tradition.
Moses had spent years mentoring Joshua, ensuring that the next generation of leadership would be strong. He understood that it was time for him to step back when his leadership had run its course, when his wisdom would no longer “go out and come in”, would no longer be effectively heard and heeded. Moses serves as a model for graciously offering mentoring and guidance to those who will come next, and then stepping back and showing trust that, even without you, the enterprise is in good hands.
(ב) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֲלֵהֶ֗ם בֶּן־מֵאָה֩ וְעֶשְׂרִ֨ים שָׁנָ֤ה אָנֹכִי֙ הַיּ֔וֹם לֹא־אוּכַ֥ל ע֖וֹד לָצֵ֣את וְלָב֑וֹא וַֽיהֹוָה֙ אָמַ֣ר אֵלַ֔י לֹ֥א תַעֲבֹ֖ר אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֥ן הַזֶּֽה׃
(2) He said to them: I am now one hundred and twenty years old, I can no longer be active. Moreover, the LORD has said to me, “You shall not go across yonder Jordan.”
Rachel Kohl Finegold is the Rabba at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim in Montreal.
929 is the number of chapters in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, the formative text of the Jewish heritage. It is also the name of a cutting-edge project dedicated to creating a global Jewish conversation anchored in the Hebrew Bible. 929 English invites Jews everywhere to read and study Tanakh, one chapter a day, Sunday through Thursday together with a website with creative readings and pluralistic interpretations, including audio and video, by a wide range of writers, artists, rabbis, educators, scholars, students and more. As an outgrowth of the web-based platform, 929 English also offers classes, pop-up lectures, events and across North America. We invite you to learn along with us and be part of our dynamic community.
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