Question

Hello Rabbi Michael,

In the portion of Vayelekh there was a verse that puzzled me:

21 “And when many evils and troubles have befallen them, this song shall testify before them as a witness, for it shall not be forgotten from the mouths of their offspring; for I know their inclination, what they are doing today, before I bring them into the land that I swore.”

Rashi explained:
“For it shall not be forgotten from the mouths of their offspring” — this is a promise to Israel that the Torah will not be entirely forgotten from their descendants.

But in II Kings 22 it says:

10 And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book”; and Shaphan read it before the king. 11 And when the king heard the words of the book of the Torah, he tore his clothes. 12 And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam son of Shaphan, and Achbor son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant, saying: 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord on my behalf and on behalf of the people and on behalf of all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that has been kindled against us, because our fathers did not listen to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”

What is described there is a situation in which the Torah had been forgotten by Israel to such an extent that even the king and the High Priest were not aware of its contents. But that seems to contradict what is said in the portion of Vayelekh, doesn’t it?

Best regards,