Join our weekly Peninim on the Torah list!

  • Reset
Category

Back to Home -> 5775 ->


Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5775

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…

Continue Reading

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5775

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…

Continue Reading

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5774

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…

Continue Reading

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5774

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…

Continue Reading

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5774

ולכל היד החזקה ולכל המורא הגדול אשר עשה משה לעיני כל ישראל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5774, V'zos HaBrachah

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

This pasuk seems to comprise Moshe Rabbeinu’s epitaph. Indeed, if there were to be an inscription on his tombstone, it would be the words of the above pasuk. Rashi explains that the mora gadol, awesome power, refers to his shattering of the Luchos, Tablets, when, upon descending the mountain, he confronted the revelry, debauchery, and rampant idol worship that had overtaken his spiritually lost nation. Moshe made a statement for all time: The Jewish People could not survive on a diet of mixed allegiances; it was either to be Hashem or a life of lewd idol worship. They could not…

Continue Reading

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5754

Sruly Schnair
In 5754, V'zos HaBrachah

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

Chazal expound upon the concept of Torah as an inheritance. Horav Mordechai Gifter, Shlita, differentiates between an inheritance which belongs to the heirs to transform as they please and a heritage which is to be transmitted to the next generation in its entirety. Reflecting this idea, parents have a demanding responsibility to transmit to their children the whole Torah excluding their own commentary and personal opinions. The Torah in its pristine form is the inalienable right of our children. To deny them this right is more than an infringement upon the right of possession. Rather, it is an impingement upon…

Continue Reading

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5754

Sruly Schnair
In 5754, V'zos HaBrachah

“And He buried him in Gai.” (34:6)

Rashi explains that Moshe was buried personally by Hashem. In the Talmud Sotah 14 Chazal remark how the final activity in the Torah is an act of chesed, loving-kindness.  They reflect upon the fact that the Torah begins with an act of chesed, Hashem clothing Adam and Chavah, and closes with Hashem burying Moshe. This is why the Torah is referred to as Toras Chesed, the Torah of loving-kindness. The Maharsha explains that Chazal are describing the true nature of Torah as the ultimate source of chesed.  Every commandment has its source in the development of chesed. The Me’il Tzedakkah…

Continue Reading

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5754

Sruly Schnair
In 5754, V'zos HaBrachah

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

This last pasuk in the Torah is also Moshe Rabbeinu’s epitaph. It is a tribute to Klal Yisrael’s quintessential leader and Rebbe. Rashi explains that “yad chazakah,” strong hand, refers to the luchos which Moshe received on Har Sinai in his hands. He shattered these luchos “before the eyes of all Yisrael.” He took it upon himself to perform this courageous deed, an act which was affirmed by Hashem. Why does this act serve as such a great testimonial to Moshe’s character of leadership? Is it more critical than his role in the exodus from Egypt and the ensuing forty…

Continue Reading

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5773

ד' מסיני בא וזרח משעיר למו הופיע מהר פארן

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5773, V'zos HaBrachah

Hashem came from Sinai having shone forth to them from Seir, having appeared from Har Paran. (33:2)

Sifri teaches that, prior to giving the Torah to Klal Yisrael, Hashem offered it to the nations of the world. “Are you willing to accept the Torah?” Hashem asked, “What is written in it?” was the immediate reply. No gentile nation was willing to accept a legal system and guide which they thought would be incompatible with its chosen lifestyle. Thus, once the citizens of the three dominant nations of the world heard that moral deviation, theft and murder were prohibited forms of activity, they wanted no part of the Torah. These sins constituted a way of life for them….

Continue Reading

Home -> V'zos HaBrachah -> 5773

תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה קהלת יעקב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum
In 5773, V'zos HaBrachah

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

The Torah does not belong to a select few, to a spiritual elite who acknowledge, appreciate and value everything that it has to offer. The Torah belongs to Kehillas Yaakov, the entire congregation of Yaakov. All Jews have a portion in this inheritance. What are we doing about it? The story is told that one Simchas Torah, the venerable sage, founder of the mussar, ethical/character refinement, movement, Horav Yisrael Salanter, zl, was engrossed in lively dancing with his students. The mood was electrifying. Suddenly, for what seemed to be no reason, Rav Yisrael stopped dancing, and his mood turned pensive…

Continue Reading

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

Join our weekly Peninim on the Torah list!

You have Successfully Subscribed!