A Thought on the Parasha
The Torah states: 'And Moshe came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Hoshea Bin Nun' (Devarim 32:44). If we pay attention, we find that in the book of Bamidbar, Moshe changed the name of
Hoshea to Yehoshua. Why does the Torah revert back to the name Hoshea?
We first need to understand that the reason for Hoshea's name change was to strengthen him during the episode of the spies. Yehoshua emerged victorious, able to thwart the plot of the spies, who were not
ordinary people; they were the leaders of each tribe and possessed a high spiritual level.
The Torah refers to Yehoshua by his old name to teach us the lesson of humility. Yehoshua was about to become the great leader of the Jewish people, yet he remained humble. Despite achieving
greatness, he saw himself as a child.
The quality of humbleness is particularly important during these ten days of repentance between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. We must view ourselves as humble yet significant enough to be considered Hashem's children. We learn from Moshe and
Yehoshua that no matter how great one becomes, humility should be maintained. However, we should not forget that we also possess the greatness needed to serve Hashem to the best of our ability. During this sacred time, we must cry out to Hashem like little children, imploring for another year of life in His service.
May we have the merit to gmar chasima toivah and a gut g'bentched yar!
Written by Yehuda B.
Based on the words from Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Schechter
