V’zos HaBrachah – Page 9 – Peninim on the Torah

וימת שם משה עבד ה'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5764, V'zos HaBrachah

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

Moshe Rabbeinu was certainly a uniquely gifted individual. In fact, he must have been exceedingly brilliant by anyone’s standard. To have learned the entire Torah in forty days is no simple feat. It required acumen above the realm of an ordinary man. He had this plus the gift of Hashem’s Divine Inspiration. Yet, as Horav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, Shlita, notes, when the Torah praises Moshe, it only lauds his humility. “Now the man Moshe was exceedingly humble, more than any person on the face of the earth!” (Bamidbar 12:3). Apparently, success in Torah is not measured by the yardstick of…

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ויהי בישרון מלך בהתאסף ראשי עם יחד שבטי ישראל

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5763, V'zos HaBrachah

He became King over Yeshurun when the members of the nation gathered — the tribes of Yisrael in unity. (33:5)

Rashi explains that Hashem is Klal Yisrael’s King in the most complete sense only when the people unite to do His will. Just as achdus, unity, prevailed at Har Sinai when all of Klal Yisrael accepted the Torah, so, too, does Hashem reign only over a nation that maintains a sense of harmony in belief and action. The Navi writes in Melachim I 3:3, “And Shlomo loved Hashem, walking in the statutes of David, his father; only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places.” Rashi explains that while Shlomo acted in a manner similar to David Ha’melech, he deviated…

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וללוי אמר תמיך ואוריך לאיש חסידך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5763, V'zos HaBrachah

FOf Levi he said, ‘Your tumim and your urim befit Your devout one.’ (33:8)

First, Moshe Rabbeinu stressed Levi’s position as the tribe from which the spiritual leadership, the Kohanim, of the nation emanated. Then, Moshe turned to the tribe as a whole, focusing on its bravery and steadfast loyalty in the desert. He then blessed the Leviim as the teachers of the nation. The commentators note the omission of Shimon from the blessings. This is due to the fact that Shimon was severely criticized by Yaakov Avinu for the tribe’s later participation in the worship and consequent moral deviation concerning the Baal Peor idol. The Sifri notes that at one time, Shimon and Levi…

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וימת שם משה עבד ה'

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5763, V'zos HaBrachah

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

According to one opinion in Chazal, the last eight pesukim of the Torah were written by Moshe, but, rather than using ink, he wrote the last words with tears. The Torah comes to an end with the passing of Moshe, the quintessential rebbe of the Jewish nation, the man who dedicated every fibre of his being to Klal Yisrael. This conclusion to the greatest volume that has ever been recorded is written with tears — Moshe’s tears. It is very difficult to accept that Moshe wept over the words, “So Moshe, servant of Hashem, died there.” Our leader led a…

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

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5763, V'zos HaBrachah

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

The Torah records every significant moment of Moshe Rabbeinu’s life that impacted his nation for all time to come. His activities — whether in the area of leadership or social justice, his relationship with the Almighty, or his character traits — are all presented either overtly or in the context of a subtle lesson. If we were to sum up his life’s endeavor and search for the crowning lesson — that action for which he is to be remembered for posterity — it would be found in the closing words of the Torah. The words that seemingly serve as our quintessential…

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וישכן ישראל בטח בדד עין יעקב

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5762, V'zos HaBrachah

“Thus, Yisrael shall dwell secure, solitary, in the likeness of Yaakov.” (33:28)

Horav Yitzchok Aramah, z.l., the Baal Akeidas Yitzchak related a story to interpret this pasuk. The king of France became very ill. Doctors were brought in from near and far, and no one could devise a therapy for the king’s illness. The king of Spain heard about the French king’s dilemma and sent a message that he had a brilliant physician who could care for the king. He was a Jewish apostate who had left his faith in pursuit of fame and fortune. The French king refused to accept this doctor. He explained that if he was truly so proficient, it…

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ויקבר אתו בגי... ולא ידע איש את קברתו עד היום הזה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5762, V'zos HaBrachah

“He (Hashem) buried him in the depression…and no one knows his burial place to this day.” (34:6)

Hashem did not want Moshe’s burial place to become a shrine for those who deify national heroes. This idea begs understanding. Should not Moshe Rabbeinu, the quintessential teacher and leader of Klal Yisrael, have some form of matzeivah, monument, erected in his memory? A monument is a symbol, a place where people can assemble, to daven, recite Tehillim, supplicate the neshamah, soul, of the deceased to intercede on their behalf. Should our great Moshe Rabbeinu not have a matzeivah just because some people might use his burial place inappropriately? I think the answer lies in the definition and purpose of a…

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וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה איש האלקים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5761, V'zos HaBrachah

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

Moshe Rabbeinu’s last official action as leader of Klal Yisrael was to bless the people prior to his leaving this world. The Torah calls him ish Elokim, man of G-d – a very impressive appellation. What did he do to deserve this title? Ish Elokim is a title comprised of two almost paradoxical aspects: ish, man, relating to people, interacting on an earthly level; and Elokim, G-dly, spiritual, divested of earthly contacts. It is a title that bespeaks his ability to be a person, and, simultaneously, to transcend the physical aspects, desires and emotions that are intrinsic to human beings….

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אף חבב עמים כל קדשיו בידך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5761, V'zos HaBrachah

“He also showed love to peoples, all its holy ones are in Your hands.” (33:3)

In an alternative explanation, Rashi explains that even at a time when Hashem demonstrates endearment towards the gentile nations who persecute the Jews, Klal Yisrael’s righteous ones remain true and continue to cleave to Hashem. They overcome the challenge to their faith as a result of their strong commitment to faith in the Almighty. The extreme devotion and commitment exhibited by the Klausenberger Rebbe, z.l., during the Holocaust years is legend. Regardless of the success of the Nazi’s, the Rebbe’s religious fervor never waned. He refused to eat anything that might not be kosher. During his entire stay in the…

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שמח זבולן בצאתך ויששכר באהליך

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In 5761, V'zos HaBrachah

“Rejoice, O Zevulun, in your excursions, and Yissachar in your tents.” (33:18)

Rashi explains that Zevulun should be happy and successful as he goes out to commerce, because Yissachar, his brother and partner, is studying in the tent of Torah. If Zevulun’s reason for joy is his support of Yissachar’s Torah study, should not Yissachar’s name have preceded that of Zevulun? Rashi says that this is specifically why Zevulun’s name precedes Yissachar’s. It was Zevulun’s support than enabled Yissachar’s Torah. Horav Aharon Kotler, z.l., offers another reason for the significance of Zevulun preceding Yissachar. He cites the pasuk in Mishlei 23:24 in which two forms of joy, gilah and simchah are mentioned: “The…

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וימת שם משה עבד ה'

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

ויהי בישרון מלך בהתאסף ראשי עם יחד שבטי ישראל

He became King over Yeshurun when the members of the nation gathered — the tribes of Yisrael in unity. (33:5)

וללוי אמר תמיך ואוריך לאיש חסידך

FOf Levi he said, ‘Your tumim and your urim befit Your devout one.’ (33:8)

וימת שם משה עבד ה'

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

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

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

וישכן ישראל בטח בדד עין יעקב

“Thus, Yisrael shall dwell secure, solitary, in the likeness of Yaakov.” (33:28)

ויקבר אתו בגי... ולא ידע איש את קברתו עד היום הזה

“He (Hashem) buried him in the depression…and no one knows his burial place to this day.” (34:6)

וזאת הברכה אשר ברך משה איש האלקים

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

אף חבב עמים כל קדשיו בידך

“He also showed love to peoples, all its holy ones are in Your hands.” (33:3)

שמח זבולן בצאתך ויששכר באהליך

“Rejoice, O Zevulun, in your excursions, and Yissachar in your tents.” (33:18)

YEARS

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