עלה סיום - Looking Forward

עלה סיום

Looking Forward

Based on Rav Moshe Sternbuch on Chumash Devarim

ויבכו בני ישראל את משה בערבת מואב שלשים יום וגו' ויהושע בן נון מלא רוח חכמה וגו'.

Bnei Yisrael bewailed Moshe in the plains of Moav for thirty days... Yehoshua Bin Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom (Devarim 34:8-9).

The pasuk describing the mourning over Moshe's passing is immediately followed by the description of Yehoshua's stature. Despite their great pain over Moshe's passing, Bnei Yisrael did not remain consumed by grief over the past. Instead, they looked toward the future and accepted Yehoshua's leadership.

The Jewish way is to move forward after tragedy. Rather than remain fixed on the pain of the past, a Jew must look ahead and continue building for the future.

When Rachel passed away during childbirth, she named her newborn son Ben Oni, the son of my pain. Yaakov, however, called him Binyamin (Bereishis 35:18). Why did Yaakov not accommodate Rachel's final request?

Rachel wished to immortalize her suffering so that it would be remembered for all future generations. Yaakov understood that this was not the Jewish way. A Jew must move forward after tragedy, looking toward the future rather than dwelling on the pain of the past.

The Gemara (Moed Katan 25) relates that when Rabi Yaakov passed away, the stars shone by day. What was the message behind this unnatural phenomenon?

The light of the stars is always present, but during the day we cannot see it because the intense light of the sun overshadows them. Hashem was hinting to Rabi Yaakov's generation that they should not despair over the passing of the great tzaddik. There were other talmidei chachamim in the generation whose greatness had not been noticed during Rabi Yaakov's lifetime, but who were now ready to step forward and let their light shine.