V’zos HaBrachah – Page 3 – Peninim on the Torah

ברוך מבנים אשר יהי רצוי אחיו וטבל בשמן רגלו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, V'zos HaBrachah

Of Asher he said, the most blessed of children is Asher; he shall be pleasing to his brothers, and dip his feet in oil. (33:24)

What made Asher so special that he was considered “the most blessed of children”? Horav Shlomo Levenstein, Shlita, quotes Lechem Lefi HaTaf who explains that the word, shmeinah, richness, which Yaakov Avinu uses to describe Asher – Mei Asher shmeinah lachmo, “From Asher- his bread will have richness” (Bereishis 49:20), – is a reference to Asher’s land which will be so rich in olive trees that it will flow with oil like a fountain. The word shmeinah is comprised of the same letters which comprise the word Mishnah. This alludes to the true “richness” of Asher; his tribe was devoted…

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וימת שם משה עבד ד'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, V'zos HaBrachah

So Moshe, servant of Hashem, died there. (34:5)

The Talmud Kiddushin 22a states that before an eved Ivri, Hebrew bondsman, can have his ear bored with an awl, so that he be allowed to continue his servitude beyond the normal six years, he must twice say the required words, “I love my master, my wife, and my children. I shall not go free!” Since the vernacular in the Torah is, V’im amor yomar ha’eved, “But if the bondsman shall say” (Shemos 21:5), the words, amor yomar, imply that he says this twice. In his commentary to the Talmud, Horav Elchanon Wasserman, zl, (Kovetz Shiurim) cites the words of…

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ויקבר אתו בגי הארץ מואב מול בית פעור ולא ידע איש את קבורתו עד היום הזה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, V'zos HaBrachah

He buried him in the depression, in the land of Moav, opposite Bais-Peor, and no one knows his burial place to this day. (34:6)

Chazal teach that Moshe Rabbeinu’s grave had been ready for him since the six days of creation. Furthermore, his burial place has never been revealed. The fact that his burial place is one of the ten miraculous phenomena created during twilight on Erev Shabbos of the sixth day of creation endows it with a supernatural makeup. Thus, it has never been discovered. Rashi explains that Moshe was buried opposite Peor in order to atone for the incident of mass immorality which took place there. The sin committed with the pagan women of Moav undermines the very underpinnings of our faith….

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ולא קם נביא עוד בישראל כמשה אשר ידעו ד' פנים אל פנים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5776, V'zos HaBrachah

Never again has there been in Yisrael a prophet like Moshe, whom Hashem had known face to face. (34:10)

Moshe Rabbeinu merited an outstanding epitaph: the greatest prophet; an individual who spoke panim el panim, face to face, with Hashem. Yet, despite these accolades, Moshe was considered the most humble person to walk the face of the earth. To maintain one’s humility in the face of such incredible, singular praise is in and of itself an uncommon virtue. Surely, Moshe was acutely aware of his eminence. How did he maintain such humility? Veritably, the question applies to so many of our gedolim, Torah giants. These were men of unusual brilliance, who achieved unprecedented heights in Torah achievement. Yet, they…

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האומר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, V'zos HaBrachah

The one who said of his father and mother, “I have not favored him.” (33:9)

As Moshe Rabbeinu prepares to take leave of his flock, he blesses the members of each tribe. He points out their inherent positive qualities and he underscores those areas of their character which require improvement. To pat a person on the back and not inform him of his shortcomings can be self-defeating. In addressing Shevet Levi, Moshe notes the members’ incredible devotion to Hashem, their commitment which was revealed during the chet ha’eigel, sin of the Golden Calf. When everyone else sinned, they refrained from getting involved in the sacrilege. Moshe had then called out, Mi l’Hashem eilai, “Who is…

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ולנפתלי אמר נפתלי שבע רצון ומלא ברכת ד'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, V'zos HaBrachah

Of Naftali he said, “Naftali, satiated with favor, and filled with Hashem’s blessing.” (33:23)

Interestingly, prior to emphasizing that Naftali is filled with Hashem’s blessing, the Torah notes that he is a seva ratzon, satiated with favor, or, as we would probably translate it in Yiddish, A tzufridener mench, a happy person. Why does svias ratzon precede blessing? One who is not a “favorable” person does not appreciate the blessing in his life. Conversely, one who is satiated with favor does not require an abundance of blessing. To him, everything is a blessing from Hashem. We say in benching and in Sefer Tehillim 145:16, Poseach es Yadecha, u’masbia l’chol chai ratzon, “You open Your…

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וימת שם משה עבד ד' בארץ מואב על פי ד'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, V'zos HaBrachah

And Moshe, servant of Hashem, died there, in the land of Moav, by the mouth of Hashem. (34:5)

The underlying profundity of this pasuk is compelling. The greatest accolade that Moshe Rabbeinu earned for himself is eved Hashem, servant of Hashem. As a servant’s will is supplanted by the will of his master to the point that a servant does not have his own will, so, too, was it with Moshe. Actually, this should be the paradigm for all Jews to emulate – lived for the ratzon Hashem, the will of G-d. Hashem’s will, which was Moshe’s will, should also be ours. Concerning Moshe’s passing from this world “by the mouth of Hashem,” the Talmud Moed Katan 28a…

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לעיני כל ישראל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5775, V'zos HaBrachah

Before the eyes of all Yisrael. (34:12)

The Torah begins with the creation of the world, the creation of mankind, and concludes with death – with the passing of our quintessential leader, Moshe Rabbeinu. The life cycle, from cradle to grave, is exactly that – a cycle. A man is born, lives out his life, and returns sometime later to his source. One ends where the other one starts. A perfect circle is complete in the sense that it unites the beginning with the end. Indeed, there is neither a beginning to a circle, nor is there an end. If one selects a specific point and designates…

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תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהלת יעקב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, V'zos HaBrachah

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

The above pasuk contains the name of our quintessential leader, the Rabban Shel Kol Yisrael, Moshe Rabbeinu, and also that of the third Patriarch, the b’chir ha’Avos, chosen one of the Patriarchs, Yaakov Avinu. Does a relationship exist between these two, or is the mention of both in the same pasuk arbitrary? Horav Aryeh Leib Heyman, zl, observes that, in a similar instance, we find Yaakov’s name together with that of Yosef. True, they were father and son. In his commentary to Parashas Vayeishev, however, Rashi notes this, explaining that this association reflects a powerful verity: the events of Yosef’s…

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ולזבולן אמר שמח זבולון בצאתך ויששכר באהלך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5774, V'zos HaBrachah

To Zevulun he said: Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out, and Yissachar in your tents. (33:18)

Moshe Rabbeinu appears to be counting words. His blessings to the three Shevatim, Tribes, of Dan, Yissachar and Zevulun are quite brief. This is in stark contrast to the blessings given by Yaakov Avinu prior to his death. It is precisely these tribes whom he blessed profusely, sparing no words in showering them with eloquent and lengthy blessings. Why did Moshe choose the path of brevity, while Yaakov functioned on the other extreme? Furthermore, Moshe’s blessings do not seem to do justice to Yissachar, who abides in his tents. These tents are the tents of Torah, which produced the nation’s…

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ברוך מבנים אשר יהי רצוי אחיו וטבל בשמן רגלו

Of Asher he said, the most blessed of children is Asher; he shall be pleasing to his brothers, and dip his feet in oil. (33:24)

וימת שם משה עבד ד'

So Moshe, servant of Hashem, died there. (34:5)

ויקבר אתו בגי הארץ מואב מול בית פעור ולא ידע איש את קבורתו עד היום הזה

He buried him in the depression, in the land of Moav, opposite Bais-Peor, and no one knows his burial place to this day. (34:6)

ולא קם נביא עוד בישראל כמשה אשר ידעו ד' פנים אל פנים

Never again has there been in Yisrael a prophet like Moshe, whom Hashem had known face to face. (34:10)

האומר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו

The one who said of his father and mother, “I have not favored him.” (33:9)

ולנפתלי אמר נפתלי שבע רצון ומלא ברכת ד'

Of Naftali he said, “Naftali, satiated with favor, and filled with Hashem’s blessing.” (33:23)

וימת שם משה עבד ד' בארץ מואב על פי ד'

And Moshe, servant of Hashem, died there, in the land of Moav, by the mouth of Hashem. (34:5)

לעיני כל ישראל

Before the eyes of all Yisrael. (34:12)

תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהלת יעקב

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

ולזבולן אמר שמח זבולון בצאתך ויששכר באהלך

To Zevulun he said: Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out, and Yissachar in your tents. (33:18)

YEARS

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