Parashat Vzot Habracha

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Parashat Vzos Habracha is the final parsha in the Book of Divarim and of the entire Torah. It is read on the holiday of Simchas Torah. It contains 41 pesukim and is the smallest Parsha in terms of letters and words.

Contents

Blessing of Moshe

Moshe the Man of Hashem blessed the Jewish Nation before his passing. This was done very close to his the time of his passing, for if not then then when.[1] He started by first praising Hashem and then he addressed the needs of the Jews.[2] In the praise itself he mentioned the merit of the Jews, thereby appeasing Hashem that the Jews were worthy of having blessing rest upon them.[2]

Giving of the Torah

Moshe went on to say how Hashem came towrds them when they came to stand at the foot of Mount[2] Sinai, like a bridegroom goes to meet the bride.[2] This was after Hashem shone forth from Seir where He first offered the descendants of Esav to accept the Torah and they rejected it.[2] He appeared from Mount Paran, where He also offered the descendants of Yishmoel to accept the Torah and they rejected it.[2]. He then finally came to the Jewish Nation[2] with some[2] groups of his holy angels. Unlike a human who shows off all his power and wealth on the the day of his wedding, Hashem did not bring all His angels or even most of them.[2] Hashem then gave them from amidst the fire,[2] the Luchos[2] written by[2] His right hand. This was the fiery Law as it was previously written before Him in letters of black fire upon a background of white fire.[2]

Praise of the Jews

Moshe recalls how Hashem showed love for people by displayed great affection to the tribes, considering each one of them as its own Nation.[3] This was seen when Hashem blessed Yackov saying "A nation and a multitude of nations shall come into existence from you" and Binyamin was the only Tribe born following the blessing.[3].

Additionally all the souls[3] of His holy righteous[3] ones are in His hand, concealed with Him.[3] Additional all the righteous and good people clung to Hashem and did not turn away from Him, therefore He guards them.[3] The Jews are worthy of having their souls concealed with Hashem because they allowed themselves to be placed right in the middle of the bottom of Mount Sinai between Hashem's 'feet',[3] and also they placed themselves right in the middle and beneath Hashem's protective shadow.[3] There they bore upon themselves the yoke of the Torah[3] which was the utterances of Hashem and also gladly accepted Hashem's decrees and laws.[3] Additionally they would travel only based on the commands of Hashem[3][4]. Hashem's love for the Jews is at all times even when He displayed affection towards the nations of the world, showing them a smiling face, and delivered the Jews into their hands.[3]

The Torah that Moshe commanded us is a legacy for the congregation of Yackov as they have taken hold of it and will not forsake it.[5]

Blessings of the Tribes

Hashem[6] was King in Yeshurun, meaning the yoke of His Kingship was always upon them,[6] whenever they gathered in numbers.[6] They are therefore worthy that He should bless them.[6] However Hashem is only their King when they gather in a unified group, and there is peace among them and they are gathered together, but not when there is fighting among them.[6]

Blessing of Reuvain

May Reuvain live in This World[7] and not die in the Next World, as the incident involving Bilah will be forgotten.[7] and may his people be counted in the number amongst the other Tribes, despite the incident of Bilah.[7]

Blessing of Yehuda

After blessing Reuvain, Moshe skipped over Levi who was next in chronological order and proceeded to bless the Tribe of Yehuda, saying "May this also be for Yehuda" since they both had confessed their wrongdoings,[8] Reuvain in the incident of Bilah and Yehuda in the incident of Tomar.

Additionally during the entire 40 year journey in the desert, the bones of Yehuda were rolling in his coffin, because of the excommunication which he had accepted upon himself when he took responsibility for Benjamin saying that if he would not bring him back to Yackov he will be a sinner to him for all of the days.[8] By Moshe placing Yehuda near Reuvain he alluded to the merit of Yehuda being the one responsible for causing Reuvain to confess his sin.[8] Hashem should then listen to the voice of Yehuda and allow his bones to finally rest.

Moshe then blessed that Hashem should listen to the voice of Yehuda and hear the prayers of his descendants King Dovid, King Shlomo, King Asa during the Battle of the Africans, Kind Yehoshofot during his battle with the Ammonites and King Chizkiyah when he was attacked by Sancherev.[8] Hashem should bring him back from war in peace[8] to his people. May the hands of the Yehudim fight their battle and extract vengeance for them.[8] He should help them against their enemies, specifically King Yehoshafot when he cried out as he was about to be killed during the Battle of Ramot Gilad and Hashem helped him.

Blessing of Shimon

Moshe did not bless the Tribe of Shimon because he held against them what they[8] and their leader Zimri ben Salu had sinned in Shittim.[8] Despite this Moshe concealed and alluded a blessing for the Tribe of Shimon inside the blessing of Yehuda.[8] as it says 'שמע ה' קול יהודה'and 'שמע' has the same root as 'שִׁמְעוֹן'. Similarly when the Tribes later divided Eretz Yisroel, the Tribe of Shimon received their inheritance out of the lot of the Tribe of Yehuda.[8]

Blessing of Levi

Regarding[9] the Tribe of Levi Moshe addressed the Shechinah[9] requesting that the Tummim and Urim be given to the Tribe of Levi the 'pious man'. Additionally Moshe noted how in the indecent of Massah, when the Jews had camped in Refidim and were tested[9] with having no water. When the Jews complained of not having any water,[10] wondering why Hashem had taken them out to kill them, their cattle and kids in drought, the Tribe of Levi had passed the test and had not complained with the rest of the Jews.[9] Additionally in the incident of Kodesh[11] where the Jews were once again tested with not having water to drink and complained to Hashem, the Tribe of Levi did not.[12]

At the same time Moshe was addressing Hashem, asking him why false accusations had been made against, Ahron and Miriam[9] who were members of the Tribe of Levi and they had been punished more severely then they should have. For if he Moshe was punished with death and not permitted to enter Eretz Yisroel for calling the Jews rebels during the incident of Kodesh.[13] why were they punished[9] with the same just for not protesting.

When the Jews had sinned in the Incident of the Golden Calf,[14] Moshe had declared that whoever was for Hashem and had not sinned should come to him. When the entire Tribe of Levi gathered, Moshe had ordered them to kill all those guilty of worshiping the golden calf. They proceeded to do so, ignoring even their father and mother, in some cases even killing their grandfather from their mothers side who was from a different tribe[15] and had sinned. They pretended to not recognize their brothers and killed even their half brothers with the same mother who were from different tribes.[15] They pretended to not know their children and killed their own grandchildren, sons of their daughters from other tribes that had sinned.[15]. While only around 3,000 sinners had been executed by the Levim and the possibility of the above circumstances were rare, despite this even a few could have yielded a number of cases since there were time frames in Egypt where women would give birth to six children at once.[16]


They observed Your word and kept Your covenant.

References

  1. ^ Rashi Devarim 33:1
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Rashi Devarim 33:2
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Rashi Devarim 33:3
  4. ^ Unkeles Devarim 33:3
  5. ^ Rashi Devarim 33:4
  6. ^ a b c d e Rashi Devarim 33:5
  7. ^ a b c Rashi Devarim 33:6
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rashi Devarim 33:7
  9. ^ a b c d e f Rashi Devarim 33:8
  10. ^ Chumash SHemos 17:2
  11. ^ Chumash Bamidbar 20:3
  12. ^ Nachlas Yackov, Masikil L'Dovid Rashi Kepsuto Devarim 33:8
  13. ^ Chumash Bamidbar 20:10
  14. ^ Chumash Shemos 32:26
  15. ^ a b c Rashi Devarim 33:9
  16. ^ Shover Zadim Vezos Habracha


 
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