Beginning and End

            Our parasha presents the last two of the 613 mitzvot. The final mitzva is the obligation to write a Sefer Torah, as derived from the verse:

And now, write this poem for yourselves and teach it to the Children of Israel, Put it in their mouth, so that this poem may be a witness for Me against the Children of Israel.                       Deuteronomy 31:19

            Many of the classical commentators apply the rule that a parasha ends with the same theme with which it began.

            The list of the 613 mitzvot began in Breishit, in the very first chapter of the Torah, with the command to be "fruitful and multiply" [Genesis 1:28], and in our parasha, the list is completed.

           Man's life is composed of physical and spiritual aspects. The 613 mitzvot begin with a mitzva which essentially guarantees the physical continuity of man and ends with a mitzva which is intended to help ensure man's spiritual continuity.

            My brother added the following comment: Given the cyclical nature of life and the Jewish year, it is appropriate to be reminded that the last of the mitzvot complements and completes what the Torah started with the first of the mitzvot. Although every ending is also a new beginning, we sometimes lose track of that connection because of the lapse between beginning and end. Thus, it's good to be reminded of the connection between beginnings and endings, and timely as we come to the end/beginning of another yearly cycle.