V’zos HaBrachah – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

וזאת ליהודה ויאמר שמע ד' קול יהודה ואל עמו תביאנו ידיו רב לו ועזר מצריו תהיה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, V'zos HaBrachah

And this to Yehudah, and he said, “Listen, O’ Hashem to Yehudah’s voice, and return him to his people; may his hands fight his grievance and may You be a helper against his enemies.” (33:7)

The Talmud Sotah 7b, teaches that, during all of the years that the Jewish People sojourned in the wilderness, the bones of Yehudah were rolling around in his coffin. Moshe Rabbeinu then prayed on his soul’s behalf. He entreated Hashem, saying, “Who caused Reuven to confess – if not Yehudah?” Immediately, Hashem listened. Yehudah’s bones came to rest, but they were not permitted to enter into the Yeshivah Shel Maalah, Heavenly Academy. Moshe prayed again, requesting, “And return him to his people.” Hashem listened, and Yehudah’s neshamah entered the Yeshivah. He was unable, however, to establish a Torah dialogue with…

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האומר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו ואת אחיו לא הכיר ואת בנו לא ידע

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5772, V'zos HaBrachah

The one who has said of his father and mother, “I have not favored him”; his brothers he did not give recognition, and his children he did not know.” (33:9)

As Moshe Rabbeinu blesses Shevet Levi, he details their qualities and the perfection of their souls, which they exhibited while standing up for the Glory of Hashem and His Torah. They withstood enormous challenges to their spiritual persona and emerged better people, to the point that their individual personal lives had no meaning to them. They lived for Hashem. When Moshe stood in the midst of the Jewish camp following the tragic sin of the Golden Calf, he called out, Mi l’Hashem eilai! “Who is for Hashem should come forward and stand by me!” It was the tribe of Levi…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, V'zos HaBrachah

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

This pasuk, which claims that the Torah is our morashah, heritage, seems to contradict Rabbi Yossi’s statement in Pirkei Avos 2:12, “And prepare yourself to study the Torah, for it does not come to you by inheritance.” Is it a yerushah – or not? Horav Meir Lehmann, zl, Rav of Mainz, Germany, (1850’s-1890) explains that indeed, the Torah is the heritage of the community of Yaakov – but not an inheritance of the individual Jew. The Torah belonging to the Jewish community-at-large will never be lost. There will always be men who will see to it that it is transmitted…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, V'zos HaBrachah

He became King over Yeshurun when the numbers of the nations gathered – the tribes of Yisrael in unity. (32:5)

Hashem is Klal Yisrael’s King in the fullest sense only when the nation acts like a klal, united in each individual’s conviction and obedience to carry out His Will. When we received the Torah at Har Sinai it was as ish echad b’lev echad, “One man with one heart.” The nation was unified as one. We pray for that day to return. Unity among Jews is all-important. Without it, we cannot exist as a nation under G-d. Great tzaddikim have gone out of their way to promote achdus, unity. Horav Moshe Epstein, zl, the Admor of Ozrov, was a well-known…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, V'zos HaBrachah

And this to Yehudah, and he said, “Listen, O’ Hashem to Yehudah’s voice, and return him to his people; may his hands fight for him and may You be a Helper against his enemies.” (33:7)

The Talmud Sotah 7b, teaches that, during all of the years that the Jewish People sojourned in the Wilderness, the bones of Yehudah were rolling around in his coffin. Moshe Rabbeinu then prayed on his soul’s behalf. He entreated Hashem, saying, “Who caused Reuven to confess – if not Yehudah?” Immediately, Hashem listened. Yehudah’s bones came to rest, but they were not permitted to enter into the Yeshivah Shel Maalah, Heavenly Academy. Moshe prayed again, requesting, “And return/bring him to his people.” Hashem listened, and Yehudah’s neshamah entered the Yeshivah. He was unable, however, to establish a Torah dialogue with…

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5771

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5771, V'zos HaBrachah

The one who said of his father and mother, “I have not seen/favored him”; his brothers he did not recognize and his children he did not know.” (33:9)

As Moshe Rabbeinu blesses Shevet Levi, he details their qualities and the perfection of their souls, which they exhibited while standing up for the Glory of Hashem and His Torah. They withstood enormous challenges to their spiritual persona and emerged better people, to the point that their individual personal lives had no meaning to them. They lived for Hashem. When Moshe stood in the midst of the Jewish camp following the tragic sin of the Golden Calf, he called out, Mi l’Hashem eilai! “Who is for Hashem should come forward and stand by me!” It was the tribe of Levi…

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5770

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5770, V'zos HaBrachah

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

Ramban interprets this well-known pasuk to be a declaration of our inherent right to the Torah – as our unassailable possession – to be transmitted from one generation to the next. The word morashah can also be read as me’orasah, married, inspiring Chazal in the Talmud Pesachim 49b to expound that the relationship between the Jewish People and the Torah is similar to that of a chassan and kallah, a groom and his bride. We are wed to the Torah. In his derashos, the Maharal comments that this refers to the entire nation. Every Jew, rich or poor, pedigreed or…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5770, V'zos HaBrachah

They shall teach Your ordinances to Yaakov and Your Torah to Yisrael. (33:10)

S forno views this blessing as a prayer, an entreaty to Hashem that He grant Shevet Levi the qualities and character of the ideal Torah teacher: one whose piety, virtue and sincerity is such that people will seek him out and listen to what he has to say, as though he is Hashem’s messenger. This is consistent with the well-known statement of Chazal in the Talmud Moed Katan 17a, “If the rav is like an angel/messenger of Hashem, they will seek Torah from his mouth.” Sforno seems to be telling us that, despite the virtue of Shevet Levi, regardless of…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5770, V'zos HaBrachah

And no man knows his burial place. (34:6)

M uch has been written by the commentators to explain the meaning of the above pasuk. The Talmud Sotah 14a states that the word ish, man, is a reference to Moshe Rabbeinu himself, who is referred to as ish haElokim, man of G-d. Thus, the pasuk is teaching us that even Moshe did not know where he was buried. The Ben Yehoyada explains this based upon the Mishnah in Pirkei Avos 5:6, which lists Moshe’s grave as one of the ten things created during bein ha’shemashos, twilight of the sixth day of Creation. The grave is included among other preeminent…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5770, V'zos HaBrachah

Bnei Yisrael bewailed Moshe. (34:8)

Rashi notes that only the men wept for Moshe. This is indicated by the term Bnei Yisrael, sons of Yisrael, implying the male population. In recording the death of Aharon HaKohen, however, the Torah writes, “the entire House of Yisrael [wept]” (Bamidbar 20:29), which includes both men and women. Rashi explains that Aharon loved and pursued peace, creating harmony between husband and wife and man and his fellowman. Aharon’s relationship with the common man was more “common.” He was constantly with them, promoting peace. As the king, leader and quintessential rebbe of the entire Jewish People, the relationship of Moshe…

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וזאת ליהודה ויאמר שמע ד' קול יהודה ואל עמו תביאנו ידיו רב לו ועזר מצריו תהיה

And this to Yehudah, and he said, “Listen, O’ Hashem to Yehudah’s voice, and return him to his people; may his hands fight his grievance and may You be a helper against his enemies.” (33:7)

האומר לאביו ולאמו לא ראיתיו ואת אחיו לא הכיר ואת בנו לא ידע

The one who has said of his father and mother, “I have not favored him”; his brothers he did not give recognition, and his children he did not know.” (33:9)

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

He became King over Yeshurun when the numbers of the nations gathered – the tribes of Yisrael in unity. (32:5)

And this to Yehudah, and he said, “Listen, O’ Hashem to Yehudah’s voice, and return him to his people; may his hands fight for him and may You be a Helper against his enemies.” (33:7)

The one who said of his father and mother, “I have not seen/favored him”; his brothers he did not recognize and his children he did not know.” (33:9)

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

They shall teach Your ordinances to Yaakov and Your Torah to Yisrael. (33:10)

And no man knows his burial place. (34:6)

Bnei Yisrael bewailed Moshe. (34:8)

YEARS

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