V'Zot HaBracha

In this parsha

In the closing parsha of the Torah, read on Simchas Torah, Moshe blesses the tribes of Israel one by one before his death, opening with the giving of the Torah at Sinai as an inheritance for the people. He then ascends Mount Nevo, from which Hashem shows him the whole Land he may not enter. Moshe dies there by the divine kiss and is buried in a place no one knows. Israel mourns thirty days, Yehoshua assumes leadership, and the Torah affirms that no prophet ever again arose like Moshe.

Themes

• Torah sustains the world
• Guarding youthful strength
• Awe of Divine exaltedness
• Moshe's blessing to Israel
• Torah given as inheritance

Must-read teachings

1. 1Torah Sustains The WorldThere is a further explanation for the juxtaposition of the end of the Torah, "which Moshe performed before the eyes of all of Bnei Yisrael" (Devarim 34:12), with its beginning, "In the beginning" (Bereishis 1:1). The Sfas Emes asks why the…תרנ"ג
2. 2Guarding Youthful Strength ForeverOn the verse, "Iron and copper shall be your locks, and as your days, so shall your strength be" (Devarim 33:25). The Sfas Emes opens with the verse from Moshe Rabbeinu's blessing, which speaks of iron and copper locks and of one's strength…תרנ"ג
3. 3Awe From Divine ExaltednessThis is a continuation of the very end of the Torah — "and for all the strong hand and for all the great awe that Moshe wrought before the eyes of all of Bnei Yisrael" (Devarim 34:12) — which connects back to the opening, "In the beginning …תרנ"ג
4. 4Vezot Habracha תרנ"ג(Devarim 33:25) “May your locks be of iron and copper, may your days should flow”, Rashi explains that this means that the days of old age should be good like the days of one’s youth. The Chidushei Harim explained that the blessing of the d…תרנ"ג