Questions on Parshas Vayelech to think about and discuss:

1. What makes Parshas Vayelech stand out from the other Parshious?
2. What is the last of the 613 mitzvos that appears in Parshas Vayelech?
3. What other mitzva appears in Parshas Vayelech that is relevant to us this year (5775)?
4. What is the rule that sometimes Parshas Nitzovim and Vayelech are joined together and sometimes they are separate?
5. What is the special name given to this week and why?
6. Why is Shabbos Shuva called the week after Rosh Hashana and not the week before Rosh Hashana when some people have already been judged?
7. How was Moshe’s situation when he died different to other people?
8. What day of the week and when on it did Moshe die?
9. How do we know when Moshe died?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

1. Parshas Vayelech is the shortest parsha in the Torah only containing thirty pesukim.
2. It is (31:19) the obligation for every Jew to write a Sefer Torah. The Rosh says that nowadays people can also fulfill this mitzva by buying seforim from which they can learn Torah.
3. The mitzva of Hakhel (31:10-12) at the end of a shemitta year, on the second night of Sukkos all the people including women and children gathered to hear the king read the Mishne Torah, Sefer Devorim.
4. See the first Baal Haturim on Parshas Vayelech, and the source is mentioned in Shulchan Oruch O.C. 428:4. It depends on when in the week Rosh Hashana falls meaning if there will be two weeks between Rosh Hashana and Sukkos then Parshas Nitzovim and Parshas Vayelech are split. Otherwise, they are together.
5. It is Shabbos Shuva after the first word of the haftora that discusses teshuva. This is the Shabbos that falls during the Aseres Yemai Teshuva. Hence this is the subject matter.
6. Even though Tzadikim and Reshoyim have already been judged, the Gemora Rosh Hashana 16a brings the opinion that even after the decree has been finalised crying out and teshuva can still have an effect. However, we act nowadays like Beinoinim whose decree has not yet been finalised until Yom Kippur and therefore we assume that teshuva is still needed to make changes before the final decree.
7. See Rashi (31:2) that he was physically healthy but his death came about due to spiritual reasons. The understanding of Torah was taken away from him and this pain was too intolerable and therefore he was willing to die.
8. The Shulchan Oruch (O.C. 292:2) brings that the reason why we say three pesukim that start with tzidkoscha by Shabbos Mincha to remember three people who died at that time. They are Yosef, Moshe and Dovid. However, the commentaries point out that Moshe actually died on Erev Shabbos by Mincha. However, this seems to be contradicted by Rashi (Devorim, 32:48) that brings Moshe died at midday? Perhaps there is no contradiction. The earliest time to daven mincha, known as micha gedoila, is half an hour after midday. However, if one davens from midday then he has fulfilled his obligation. This means that mincha really starts at midday. Thus, when we say Moshe died at mincha and also at midday the two could mean the same time!
9. The Gemora Kiddushin 38a brings that by great people, they die on the same day that they are born. The example given is Moshe Rabbeinu who was born and died on the 7th of Adar. The question is that lots of great people have not died on the day of their birthday? The Chasam Sofer answers that even great people sin and when they repent they are like a new person. Their death follows this new birth date and therefore since we do not know when this happens it looks to as that their death date is different to their birth date. However, in reality this rule remains true based on their teshuva date!