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…
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…
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…