He Will Not Leave You
Erev Yom Kippur at the Western Wall
Parashat Vayelech, Deuteronomy 31:1–30
Matt Absolon, Beth Tfilah, Miramar, FL
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:6-8)
As we move through this sacred time of reflection and renewal from Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur, many of us carry questions that linger beneath the surface. As we bring our heartfelt petitions before the throne, perhaps the most tender of questions is this: Where is God in the midst of our suffering?
In this week’s portion, we find Moses speaking to our people on the edge of uncertainty. Fearful about the difficulties that lie ahead, twice he tells them: “Be strong and courageous.” But Moses doesn’t ask them to ignore their fear. Instead, he offers this assurance: “It is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
God does not promise to remove our fears, but to walk with us through them.
This same comfort echoes in the words of the prophet Joel in this week’s Haftarah:
You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I am the Lord your God and there is none else.
And my people shall never again be put to shame. (Joel 2:27)
The promise is much more precious than material provision. The promise is God’s presence. And for His people, the antidote to our fear is the presence of God.
In these days of war, with the ongoing engagement in Gaza and those in the diaspora facing a sharp rise in antisemitic vitriol and physical attacks, there is once again this fearful sense that we are standing on the edge of uncertainty. In these dark and challenging days, we are reminded that our true strength comes from the steadfast presence of our ever-faithful God.
This is why teshuva, returning to God, is so essential. It is not just about repentance for wrongdoing; it is about closeness. Teshuva draws us back into alignment with the One whose promise has carried us through the generations: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted” (Psa 34:18). We return to God not only to be forgiven, but to be near. To rest in that nearness. To know, once again, that we are not alone.
Many among us are carrying pain too deep for words. Some live daily with physical suffering. Some have lost loved ones in the current war. Some of us are praying for loved ones on the front lines. Others are walking the long, slow path of caring for a loved one with no certain future. And for some, the fear isn’t dramatic—it’s quiet, persistent: waking to a new day, stepping back into the burden, wondering how to once again carry the weight of tomorrow.
In these moments, there is no earthly wealth that can comfort us. No music, no words that can fully soften the heartache. But this one promise has never failed us: “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.”
As Yeshua was ascending to the Father for the final time, he gave no illusion of a life free from hardship. He promised no riches, no immunity from sorrow. But he did leave his disciples with this promise: “And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20). This is the same divine faithfulness, the same eternal nearness. Not a life without fear, but a life with God beside us, walking through the fear.
As we prepare for Yom Kippur, may our teshuva and our ma’asim tovim, our good deeds, open new space within us for God's presence to dwell. We seek forgiveness not simply to escape judgment, but to be drawn closer to the One whose nearness is life itself, and who gives us the strength to face our fears.
My prayer is that we may all be written and sealed for a good year; as we thrive in a future still full of uncertainty yet held together by His Presence.