V’zos HaBrachah – Page 11 – Peninim on the Torah

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

And by all the strong hand and awesome power that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Yisrael. (34:12)

And so ends the Torah. Moshe Rabbeinu, the greatest leader of Klal Yisrael dies, and nothing is known of his grave. We have no place to go to say Tehillim. What is left over from Moshe? With what do we memorialize him? His glory for all time is “van vag rat,” “that which Moshe performed.” The memory of Moshe is his achievement. The things that he did, his great accomplishment, that is his greatest glory. We respect the dead–but we venerate the living. By not revealing the site of Moshe’s grave, the Torah implies the significance of his life. Horav…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5756, V'zos HaBrachah

“And this is the blessing that Moshe the man of G-d bestowed upon the Bnei Yisrael.” (33:1)

The Midrash teaches us that prior to his death, Moshe Rabbeinu continued in the tradition which the Patriarchs had initiated. As Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov before him had blessed their sons before they took leave of this world, Moshe, likewise, blessed Bnei Yisrael, his spiritual children, before his death. The Midrash adds that the members of each ensuing generation began their blessing with the words with which the previous generation had closed. Hence, Avraham ended his blessing to Yitzchak with “nesinah,” “giving,” as is stated in Bereishis 25:6, “And Avraham gave all that he had to Yitzchak.” Yitzchak followed suit…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5756, V'zos HaBrachah

“And this is the blessing that Moshe… bestowed upon the Bnei Yisrael before his death.” (33:1)

Moshe was acutely aware that the end was near; these would be his final words. In his last mandate to the people, he blessed them. All of the tribes to whom he had devoted so much of his life passed before him to receive their final blessing from the individual who had been more than leader and prophet – he was a compassionate father who had sacrificed himself for his children. He was a father who wished to leave this world with words of consolation, encouragement, and hope with which his children could face the future. The Sifri states a…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5756, V'zos HaBrachah

“To Zevulun he said, ‘Rejoice, O’ Zevulun in your excursions and Yissachar in your tents.'” (33:8)

Zevulun and Yissachar maintained a unique partnership. While Zevulun engaged in the world of business, Yissachar devoted his entire time to Torah study. Zevulun supported his older brother in his life’s endeavor, thereby creating a relationship that has been adopted by many Jews throughout the ages. The Yissachar-Zevulun partnership has been emulated by those whose time is devoted to the world of finance, while they sustain those whose life’s work is the study and dissemination of Torah. Horav Moshe Yechiel Epstein, zl, the Admor M’ozrov, takes note of the fact that Zevulun is mentioned prior to Yissachar. He suggests that…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5756, V'zos HaBrachah

“So Moshe, servant of Hashem, died there… He buried him in the depression in the land of Moav…. Opposite Baal P’eor and no one knows his burial place to this day.” (34:5,6)

Rashi comments on the seeming paradox that Moshe reported his own death – during his lifetime. One explanation suggests that the last eight pesukim of the Torah were actually written by Yehoshua, Moshe’s faithful student, who succeeded Moshe as Klal Yisrael’s leader. In the Talmud Bava Basra 15a, however, Rabbi Meier states that Moshe, indeed, wrote the last eight pesukim himself. He wrote them with tears. This may be interpreted in one of two ways: His eyes may have been filled with tears as his emotions regarding his imminent demise poured over. Alternatively, his writing fluid might have consisted of…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5755, V'zos HaBrachah

“The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the congregation of Yaakov.” (33:4)

A number of issues regarding the text of this pasuk should be addressed. First, why is the Torah designated as the “heritage of Yaakov” — and not the heritage of Yisrael, a name which is used more commonly ? Second, why does the Torah use the term “kehillas Yaakov,” congregation of Yaakov, instead of sons of Yaakov in describing the Jewish people ? Horav Yaakov Kameneztsky, z.l., lends a profound insight into the matter. Our Torah is different from any other religious code. Our Torah belongs to every Jew, regardless of his intellectual acumen or socio-economic stature. Our Torah is…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5755, V'zos HaBrachah

“He became king over Yeshurun when the numbers/leaders of the nation gathered the tribes of Yisrael in unity.” (33:5)

Virtually all of the commentators translate “roshei am” as the leaders of the nation. Rashi, however, seems to disagree. He translates it as, “the numbers,” referring to the inclusion of all Jews under one unified banner. Regardless of definition, the pasuk emphasizes the need for unity in the midst of Am Yisrael in order to effect “Hashem becoming king.” Horav Aharon Rotter, Shlita, cites the “Eish Dos,” who contends that it is impossible to have a unified nation unless the people all follow the dictates of the gedolei ha’dor, Torah leadership of each generation. The Eish Dos uses this thesis…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5755, V'zos HaBrachah

“May Reuven live and not die, and may his population be included in the count.” (33:6)

Rashi explains that the tribe of Reuven should not have been counted among the census of the other brothers. Reuven is the only tribe for whom no material, spiritual or moral distinction is mentioned. The only exception is Shimon, who is not mentioned at all. The other tribes, however, are characterized by either their spiritual or moral activity or by their socio-economic status. Reuven, regrettably, had a distinction in neither the spiritual nor the material spheres, having lost his superior position as the firstborn. The tribe of Reuven was constantly exposed to attacks by its gentile neighbors on the east…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5755, V'zos HaBrachah

“And by all the strong hand, and all the great fear which Moshe did in the eyes of all Yisrael.” (34:12)

In the Talmud, Shabbos 87, Chazal interpret “And by all the strong hand,” as referring to Moshe’s act of breaking the luchos. It is notable that Moshe’s epitaph, the climax of the career of Klal Yisrael’s greatest leader, recorded the smashing of the luchos as his greatest moment. Should not Moshe have been remembered for a more “positive” act, rather than for an act of destruction ? Horav Eli Munk, z.l., infers from here that this was Moshe’s ultimate act of authority. He took a “positive” stand against the tide of alienation. He reacted angrily to a wave of liberal…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5753, V'zos HaBrachah

“Hashem came from Sinai, and rose from Se’ir unto them; He shined forth from Har Paran.” (33:2)

Chazal derive from this pasuk that Hashem offered every nation on earth the opportunity to receive the Torah, only to receive a rejection from all of them. Why, then, does the Torah mention only two nations, Se’ir and Paran, the descendants of Eisav and Yishmael, respectively? Horav Z. Sorotzkin, z.l., suggests the following explanation. Yishmael and Eisav had the opportunity to learn Torah and mitzvos from their parents. Yishmael spent his youth in Avraham’s home, while Eisav was able to study from both his father, Yitzchak, and his grandfather, Avraham. Because the background of Eisav’s children was more firmly infused…

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And by all the strong hand and awesome power that Moshe performed before the eyes of all Yisrael. (34:12)

“And this is the blessing that Moshe the man of G-d bestowed upon the Bnei Yisrael.” (33:1)

“And this is the blessing that Moshe… bestowed upon the Bnei Yisrael before his death.” (33:1)

“To Zevulun he said, ‘Rejoice, O’ Zevulun in your excursions and Yissachar in your tents.'” (33:8)

“So Moshe, servant of Hashem, died there… He buried him in the depression in the land of Moav…. Opposite Baal P’eor and no one knows his burial place to this day.” (34:5,6)

“The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the heritage of the congregation of Yaakov.” (33:4)

“He became king over Yeshurun when the numbers/leaders of the nation gathered the tribes of Yisrael in unity.” (33:5)

“May Reuven live and not die, and may his population be included in the count.” (33:6)

“And by all the strong hand, and all the great fear which Moshe did in the eyes of all Yisrael.” (34:12)

“Hashem came from Sinai, and rose from Se’ir unto them; He shined forth from Har Paran.” (33:2)

YEARS

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