Dvar Torah Parsha HaBeracha 5784

Devarim 33:1 – 34:12

The Sweetest Kiss

So here we are, V’zot HaBeracha, the final parsha in Torah before we start over. Where so much of the latter parshat offer what could be considered lengthy scolding, here Moshe offers blessings to each of the twelve tribes. This parsha unlike the others is not read on Shabbat, rather on Simchat Torah. It is interesting that he offers his blessings not to his two sons by Zipporah named Gershom and Eliezer, but rather to the twelve tribes he has led through the desert.

He offers his blessings in the order where the tribes will reside, from Reuben where they cross to Judah in the south moving up to Asher in the far north. There also seems to be a relationship to maternal lineage, with 3 of 4 of Leah’ first 4 sons, followed by Rachel’s two sons, then Leah’s fifth and sixth son, followed by the four sons of handmaids Zilpah and Bilhah. Interestingly, the verse for Judah suggests he may need rescuing. Some have suggested that this blessing may have originally been intended for Simeon.

After the blessings, Moshe goes up Mt. Nebo to the summit of Pisgah (combining two traditions it would seem. Moshe views the land promised to his heirs and then he dies. What follows is a period of mourning for the next 30 days for this greatest of all the prophets. What a journey he had been on, dying at 120 after leading his people for 40 years in the desert. Through him, Hashem gave us the precious gift of Torah. Like Moshe Rabbenu, our lives are finite, but guided by Torah, we can choose Life. We can choose good rather than evil. We are imperfect, but we are on a journey every day of self-improvement.

I often think of Moses’ last moments on earth, looking over the land promised to Abraham and our people. His journey was imperfect, and he could not cross because of his misdeeds. Still, he had done so much more than most, putting his people before himself. Midrash suggests during the Exodus, while everyone else was looking for gold and silver to take on the journey, Moshe searched for Joseph’s bones and carried them on his own shoulders, I read a story in dvar offered by the URJ by Jonathan Stein, describing a midrash about Moshe’s death. It suggests G_d leans down from heaven and ends Moses’ life with a soft gentle kiss. This is derived from Devarim 34:5 where it is written, “So Moses, the servant of the Eternal, died there, in the land of Moab, at the command of the Eternal.” The Hebrew used says, “pi Adonai,” “by the mouth of the Eternal.”

I find that a fitting end in a story that has no end but leads up to this very day. Our journey in Torah of course begins again with Bereishit, Genesis. May each of us have a blessed journey through Torah which begins anew.

PROLOGUE

A year ago, I set out to write a dvar for each Torah parsha from Bereishit (Genesis) through Devarim (Deuteronomy. I have done this. I now will be moving to other writing tasks, though from time to time I am called to write a dvar and I will post them here when I do. It has been an amazing journey, and I’ve learned so much. Thank you so much to all who have read my posts over this time, and I hope my perspectives have in some way enriched your journey. Either way, Baruch Hashem!