The Torah’s last Parasha,
with its prophetic blessings upon the People of Yisrael and the individual
tribes, is also the last curtain for Moshe who takes his leave off the stage of
history. We have seen the Patriarchs bless their sons before their departure,
and now we view Moshe blessing the people whom he had carried in his bosom like
a father (sometimes in spite of himself, ref. Num, 11:12) for over forty years.
The opening statement, “ve’zot
habracha” (“and this is the blessing”), indicates that the first
and more general component of the blessing (33:2-5) is part and parcel of one
singular blessing that Moshe delivers as YHVH’s spirit rests upon him.
That is to say that each tribe’s blessing is not separate from the word
bestowed upon the nation as a whole. The very usage of “b’racha”, singular,
implies that YHVH is considering each individual tribe as part of a complete
entity.
The glorious and majestic
description of the giving of the Torah at Sinai is likened to an epiphany, if
you will, of YHVH Himself, denoted by His “coming,” “rising” and
“shinning forth” over physical and geographical locations (ref v.
2). An equivalent description, although underscored by a more specific
prophecy, found in Chavakuk (Habakkuk) 3:3, will perhaps help us realize that
this expose’ of YHVH may not be restricted only to the event which took place
at Chorev, as YHVH is not bound to, or limited by Time, even when He intercepts
our dimensionally-confined world. Thus, we may infer that a wider scope of
revelation of Yisrael’s Elohim is presented here. Interestingly, in “He came with ten thousands of saints” (v. 2), it is not the
usual “ba” (“came”), but rather the Aramaic “ata,” evoking the Aramaic
“maranatha” – or “maran ata” (Revelation 22:20) - that is, “Master come” or
“the Master has come.” The enigmatic
meaning of verses 2 and 3 is matched by the very words and syntax used, all of
which are difficult and extraordinary, presenting a task for the commentators with
which to grapple. The literal rendering, for example, of “ten thousands
of saints,” mentioned in verse 2, is “ten thousands of holiness,” the
word there being “kodesh.” Thus, if the text is referring to “ten
thousands of saints” or “holy ones,” why are “His holy ones” in the next verse
(v. 3) rendered as “k’doshav” (“kadosh” - “holy one”), plain and simple? If in
both cases the meaning is “His holy ones,” why are they not identical? Or, is
it possible that “ten thousands of holiness” is not a reference to “saints” (or
“angels” according to rabbinic interpretation) at all, but is a description of
His abode being “abundant in holiness”?
The next expression in the
same verse (2) is no less problematic. That which is translated either “firey
law” or “flashing lightning” is “eshdat” in Hebrew,
being a term that appears nowhere else. If broken in two it is: “e’sh” –
fire – and “dat” – “law, edict” or “manner of
things.” However, “dat” is found only in Esther, one time in Ezra and in
the Aramaic sections of Daniel, making its usage here, at such an early stage,
totally doubtful. According to the B.D.B Lexicon “eshdat” was originally
“esh yokeh-dat,” that is “burning fire” (with the first two
syllables now missing). [1]
According to this viewpoint we should read, “On His right (-that is, at the
right hand side) is a burning fire.”
Verse 3 reads: “Indeed, He
loves the people; all thy holy ones are in Thy hand, and they followed in Thy
steps, carrying your words.” This presents several problems. It changes
mid-sentence from third to second person. “He who loves the nations” or
“peoples” is described as “chovev amim.” The root ch.v.v. (chet, vet,
vet) – love dutifully – also forms the name Chovav, which is one of the
names of Moshe’s father-in-law (ref. Num. 10:29). According to Daat Mikra,
“even when He expresses love toward all peoples, ‘all His Holy ones’ are Yisrael
and they are ‘in Your hand.’” Therefore the change to second person in the
second part of the verse denotes YHVH’s closeness to His people. Daat Mikra
adds that the rest of the verse should read: “And they will be smitten
at Your feet, and receive Your Word,” [2]
whereas according to BDB the verb “tuku,” (“smitten”) is of dubious
meaning and should therefore be understood as: “will be assembled,” as it is
more compatible with the context. [3]
Yisrael’s present and
future destiny is defined in the next two verses (4 & 5). Since Moshe is
mentioned here in third person, the question arises whether he is speaking of
himself, or is the assembly intoning the following: “Moses charged us with
Torah, an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob. And there was a king in
Jeshurun” [remember last Parasha’s Yeshurun, “the one who has been straightened,”
in contradistinction to Ya’acov who is “winding or crooked”?]; when the heads
of the people were gathered, the tribes of Israel
At this point Moshe confers
on each tribe its respective prophetic blessing.
The first three tribes to
receive their blessings are the firstborn Reuven, who in spite of having lost
the birthright (ref. 1st Chronicles 5:1, 2), symbolizes here this
significant position; Secondly, Yehuda (Judah), who was to receive the kingly
position, while Levi is third to be given his blessing and stands for the
office of the priesthood. There is no mistake - this is the order of YHVH’s
Kingdom: the birthright comes first, ideally consisting of kingship and
priesthood. However, in the un-regenerated state the birthright had to be
divided up into its two offices (namely the ‘kingly’ and the ‘priestly’), which
were only brought together in Yeshua (ref. Zech. 6:13). But when YHVH’s kingdom
will be fully manifested upon the earth, His people will form the
long-awaited-for nation of priests (after the order of Malchitzedek) and kings
(e.g. 1st Peter 2:9).
Since Yehuda, according to
the blessing (v. 7), was destined to be “brought to his people,” it is apparent
that he will be separated from them at some point. This prediction became fact
when the ten northern tribes seceded from the united kingdom
Of
Levi it says (in verse 9): “who said to his father and to his mother, I have
not seen him; and he has not acknowledged his brothers, nor knew his own son,
for they have observed Your word and kept Your covenant.” The word for “acknowledge”
is “hekir,” also meaning to “recognize” and stems from the root
n.ch.r (noon, kaf/chaf, resh) used in “nochri,” “stranger,” and in the verb
“hitnaker,” to be “estranged.” This term describes Yoseph’s initial treatment
of his brothers in B’resheet (Genesis) 42:7. The Levites, who were also to
assume the position of judges, could not be “partial” to anyone, including
their own family members, or as the Hebrew has it, they could not (in their
official capacity) “recognize or acknowledge" their
relatives, but rather, had to become “estranged” from them. “Estrangement” and
“recognition,” although appearing to be contradictory, are in fact not that far
apart; at times it takes the former in order to achieve the latter (as was the
case with Yoseph and his brothers).
The description enumerating
Yoseph’s blessing (vs. 13 – 17) resembles a trail going up and down hills,
descending into valleys and underground resources and climbing mountain tops; a
journey, which while topographical and geographical, also crosses the
boundaries of Time and is ‘intercepted’ by the human element as well as by
heavenly bodies, such as the sun and the moon (recalling to mind Yoseph’s
dreams). “Meged” - translated “precious - is the leitmotif of this
passage, as it is repeated five times within a few verses. Its expanded meaning
is “excellence, glory, and gifts of choice” in reference
to nature.[4]
In verse 15, Yoseph’s hills and
mountains are termed “ancient” (“kedem” - “first, initial,
primary”), and “everlasting” (the word being “olam,” which
also means “futurity”). Both the heavens and the abyss are destined to
contribute toward Yoseph’s well being. That which the ground will produce for
him on a monthly basis will grow so fast, that it will seem as though “expelled”
(‘”the best yield” is “geresh”, g.r.sh, to “expel, force out”)
by the earth (v. 14). On the one hand “he shall push out the peoples” (v. 17). His
leadership position, however, is not likened to the prowess of a king or a
military leader, nor even to that of a typical priest, but rather to that of
the Nazarite (ref. end of v. 16 – “n’zir ehcav”, literally the “nazarite
among his brothers” and translated as “the one who was separated from his
brothers,” or “a prince among his brothers”). The title used here originates in
“nezer,” a “crown or a miter,” which is made up of the
nazarite’s uncut hair (as we saw in Parashat Nasso, in Num. 6). The “nazarite”
- or “nazir”- is one who takes upon himself an oath to abstain from worldly
pleasures.
Z’vulun (Zebulun) is told
to rejoice in his “going out” (v. 18). In Parashat Ki Tetze (in Deut. 21:10) we
already noted that “going out” many a time connotes going out to war (ref. 1st
Ch. 12:33), and in Z’vulun’s case also going out to sea (ref. Ya’acov’s
blessings to his sons, in Gen. 49:13). Yisas’char’s (Issachar) tent dwelling is
the antidote to Z’vulun’s “going out,” and refers to homestead and attachment
to the land (the tent dwelling here does not seem to suggest a nomadic life
style; cf. Jacob’s blessings, Gen. 49:14), and perhaps also to the wisdom and
discernment characteristic of this people (ref. 1st Ch. 12:32). The
mutual cooperation between these two neighboring tribes is captured by verse
19. Yisas’char “shall call the peoples to the
mountain. There they shall offer sacrifices of righteousness,” while
Z’vulun will make provisions of “the bounty of the
seas and treasures hidden in the sand.”
Naphtali
is “satisfied with favor,” which is “s’vah ratzon” (v. 23), while
Asher, who is “favorable in the eyes of his brothers,” is “r’tzooy echav”
(v. 24). Both these words emanate from the root r.tz.h., which is to “please,
accept, favor.”
In verse 15
we read about the “ancient – kedem – mountains,” while in verse 27 Elohim, who
is described as a “dwelling place” (“me’ona”), is also called
“Elohey kedem,” translated here as “eternal.” Thus, He who always
was from the very beginning, is also the One who will ever be and it is He who
will enable Yisrael to “dwell alone securely” (v. 28, literal translation; cf
Bil’am’s blessing, Num. 23:9), as He Himself is her dwelling place while
“underneath [her] are [His] everlasting arms” (v. 27).
Moshe’s last
words constitute an exhilarating exclamation: “Blessed are you, O Israel! Who
is like you, O people saved by YHVH, the shield of your help, and who is the
sword of your excellence! And your enemies shall be found liars to you, and you
shall tread on their high places” (33:29). It is most likely that Moshe himself
did not compose the last eight verses of D’varim (chapter 34, or even the
entire chapter, consisting of 12 verses). About his body it is said, “He buried
him…” (34:6), inferring the direct involvement of the Holy One of Yisrael in
the task. And although in Sh’mot (Exodus) 33:20 YHVH said to Moshe: “You cannot
see My face. For there no man can see Me and live,” here we read, in verse 10:
“And never since has a prophet like Moses arisen in Israel
[1] The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon, Francis Brown
Hendrickson. Publishers, Peabody,
[2] Da’at Mikra, A’ahron Mirski, Rav Cook Inst., Jerusalem
[3] The New Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon
[4] Ibid.
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