Parashat Vayelekh

Be Strong and Take Courage: Resilience as a Sacred Command

Moses concludes his leadership with what appears to be a devastating prediction: “For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck. Even while I am yet alive with you this day, you have been rebellious against God; and how much more after my death?” (31:27). Moses is basically saying, I know that you will become corrupt. This seems like a harsh finale to forty years of guidance, but Moses is not speaking from pessimism or despair. Rather, he is providing the Jewish people with something far more valuable than false comfort—he is giving them the strength to endure reality. The Torah does not encourage us to live in a sheltered world of naive optimism, where we assume everything will always work out perfectly. Instead, it begins with the acknowledgment that "the inclination of man's heart is evil from his youth" and prepares us for the inevitable descents that accompany every ascent in life.

Moses understands that those who are unprepared for difficulty suffer a double blow when tragedy strikes—the physical pain and the spiritual devastation of shattered expectations. Like native populations with no immunity to common diseases, people raised in overly protected environments often cannot survive even minor setbacks. The Holocaust struck Western European Jewry with particular force not only because of its physical brutality, but because many could not fathom that the civilized world of Beethoven and culture could perpetrate such atrocities. Moses' seemingly harsh words are actually an act of love, preparing his people for the reality that life contains both mountains and valleys.

The command "be strong and of good courage" appears repeatedly in this parasha and echoes in Psalm 27, which we recite during Elul and the Days of Awe. This is not merely a call for bravery, but for resilience—the ability to absorb blows and continue forward. The Talmud teaches that the righteous fall seven times and rise up, while the wicked fall once and remain down (Prov. 24:16). The difference lies not in avoiding failure, but in the capacity to recover from it. As we approach Rosh Hashanah, many of us make resolutions that we inevitably break, but the message of "be strong and take courage" reminds us that falling is part of the human condition—being "utterly cast down" is not.

In our current reality, as we face the ongoing trauma of October 7th and its aftermath, Moses' ancient wisdom speaks directly to our souls. We have witnessed evil that shattered our sense of security, yet we continue to stand. The families of hostages, the bereaved, our soldiers—all embody this divine command to be strong and take courage. We have fallen, but we are not utterly cast down. The Torah's honest optimism teaches us that acknowledging our vulnerability does not diminish our hope; it strengthens our capacity to endure and ultimately overcome. This Rosh Hashanah, we carry both our wounds and our resilience, knowing that even in our darkest moments, we possess the sacred ability to rise again.

Questions to Contemplate

When I face setbacks or failures, do I tend to collapse entirely, or do I find ways to rise again? What practices can help me develop greater resilience?

How can I transform my understanding of difficulty from seeing it as evidence of failure to viewing it as an expected part of the human journey that can actually strengthen my faith?