Dear Friends;
I hope you’ll enjoy the following Parsha summary followed by a Dvar Torah;
” Parsha in a Nutshell “
Parashat Vezot Haberacha begins by Moshe blessing the tribes of Israel before he passes away. Each tribe gets its own blessing, just like Yakov blessed each tribe individually. Reuven is blessed with life, Judah with success in battle, Levi with serving in the Temple and being teachers of Torah, Benjamin is beloved by G-d, Joseph is blessed by sweet fruits on his land, Zevulun with success in trade, Issachar with success in Torah studies, Dan with a might of a lion, Naftali with fertile land and sea and Asher with sons.
After blessing the people, Moshe goes up Mount Nebo and G-d shows him the entire “Eretz Yisrael”. Then Moshe passes away at the age of 120. He is buried by G-d, and until today, nobody knows his burial place. The Jews mourned for Moshe for 30 days, and then Joshua became the new leader, who was respected by the entire congregation, just like Moshe.
The Parsha, and the entire Torah, ends with describing Moshe’s greatness. ” There arose never again a prophet in Israel like Moshe, whom G-d knew face to face……. and the great awesome things which Moshe did before the eyes of the Egyptians and all Israel.”
” Dvar Torah “
Moses! The greatest prophet of all times! The Torah says, “Never again shall we see in Israel a prophet like Moses, whom Hashem has known face to face”. While G-d communicated with other prophets in a dream or trance, Moses on the other hand was fully conscious when he talked to G-d. The reason that the Torah has mistakenly, but rightfully, been given the name “Five books of Moses” is because four out of the five books of the Torah is dedicated to Moses’ life. The task of an average prophet was to deliver the word of G-d to his people, but Moses’ tasks were a lot more than that. He was given the roles of being a Priest, a King, a leader and a lawmaker too. He was such a special man that Hashem would consult with him his decisions regarding the Benei Yisrael and he would listen to him. So, what kind of special characteristics did Moshe have that Hashem loved so much, that earned him the title of greatest prophet of all times?!
In Parashat Vezot Haberachah, the Torah talks about the final moments of Moses’ life. The Torah says that Moses did not fade. The actual words of praise that the Torah gives him at the end of his long and eventful life is: “ Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes had not dimmed, and his vigor had not diminished”.
Somehow Moses defied the law of physics that states that all systems lose energy over time, including people. Keep in mind that Moses’ task was not easy at all. Dealing with the Benei Yisrael that the Torah calls them “stiff-necked people” can be very stressful and exhausting. There were times when Moses came close to burnout and despair. What then was the secret of his undiminished energy that lasted him till the end of his life?
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks gives an interesting explanation. He says that when the Torah says “his eyes had not dimmed, and his vigor had not diminished”, it does not mean that they are two separate descriptions, but rather, the first is an explanation of the second. Why was his energy undiminished? Because his eyes were undimmed. He never lost the vision and the enthusiasm of his youth. He was as passionate at the end as he was at the beginning. His commitment to justice, compassion, liberty and responsibility was unyielding, despite the many disappointments of his forty years as a leader. Moses never lost the vision of his first encounter with G‑d at the burning bush that burned but was not consumed. That is how Moses’ special character was developed: as the man who burned but was not consumed. So long as the vision of the burning bush stayed with him, as it did until the end of his life, he remained full of energy.
Looking back on his life, Moses must surely have asked if he had really achieved anything at all. He had led the people for forty years only to be denied the chance of reaching the destination, the promised land itself. He gave them laws they often broke. He performed miracles yet they continued to complain. Yet he did not become embittered or sad, though he had sufficient reason to be. Moses never gave up or compromised on his ideals. That is why, though he died, his words did not die. Physically old, he remained spiritually young. Moses never stopped learning, growing, teaching and leading. This was a man who never gave up the fight. And this was his special characteristic that Hashem adored so much — He never gave up! The mortal Moses achieved immortality. The good that he did lives on and never dies!
Yes my friends, you can learn a great lesson from Moses: never compromise on your ideals. If you find one way blocked, seek another way. If you find that one approach fails, there may be another. If your efforts do not meet with success, keep trying. More often than not, success comes just when you are about to believe that you have failed. So it was with Churchill. So it was with Lincoln. If achievement was easy, we would take no pride in it. Greatness demands persistence. The great leaders never give up. They keep going, inspired by a vision they refuse to lose.
Moses was not given the title of the greatest prophet of all times — he earned it! Because his compassion for achievements never died and his vision to grow never diminished!
Chag Sameach & Regards;
Martin