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

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Vaeira, 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

And Hashem carried out the word of Moshe, and the frogs died–from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. (8:9)

It did not take long for Pharaoh to beg Moshe to implore Hashem to put a halt to the swarms of frogs that were literally infesting his entire country. Moshe prayed to Hashem and the frogs all died. Chazal tell us that the frogs who had entered the ovens miraculously did not die, either in the oven or afterwards! We may question the remarkable reward received by the frogs. After all, if they were commanded by Hashem to enter the ovens, where else should they have gone? A similar question may be asked regarding Chazal’s statement in the Talmud Pesachim…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

From His right hand He presented a fiery Torah to them. (33:2)

Rashi explains that Hashem presented the Torah to Klal Yisrael accompanied by a display of fire and lightning. The Sifri infers from this pasuk that Torah is analogous to fire. The nature of fire is such that if a man draws too close to it, he will be burnt. If he moves too far away, he will be cold. Similarly, a man can warm himself against the fire which emanates from talmidei chachamim. We live in a cold, uncaring world. To exist, we need the warmth of the Torah as our spiritual leaders teach it to us. In order to…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5757, V'zos HaBrachah

Never again has there arisen in Yisrael a prophet like Moshe. (34:10)

Moshe Rabbeinu was the quintessential teacher and prophet. The quality of his prophecy was unsurpassed. His leadership and guidance through Klal Yisrael’s infancy as a nation molded its character. Veritably, no one can ever achieve the level of spiritual stature that Moshe realized. The Rambam in Hilchos Teshuvah 5:2 writes, “One should never think that Hashem predetermines the spiritual direction one will take, whether he will be evil or righteous.” This is categorically not true. Indeed, every person has within himself to be a tzaddik as Moshe or a rasha as Yaravam”. Rambam’s statement demands elucidation. While undoubtedly the Torah…

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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)

Rashi explains that this refers to Moshe’s initiative to shatter the Luchos right before Klal Yisrael’s eyes. Moshe saw that the people were not ready to accept the Luchos at this point. They had compromised their faith. The Luchos cannot be given on compromise. One must make his whole-hearted commitment to Hashem and trust that He will be present for him at all times. We do not reject Hashem and look for new gods just because, in our minds, Moshe is a little bit late. Thus, Moshe shattered the Luchos for all to see. Horav Chaim Mordechai Katz, zl, was…

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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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And Hashem carried out the word of Moshe, and the frogs died–from the houses, from the courtyards, and from the fields. (8:9)

From His right hand He presented a fiery Torah to them. (33:2)

Never again has there arisen in Yisrael a prophet like Moshe. (34:10)

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

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)

YEARS

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