Rabbi Yerahmiel Barylka
We have reached the last chapter of the Torah, and custom dictates not to waste time and start again immediately. And that is what we do on Simchat Torah, when the children are also called to read directly from the scroll and everyone dances and rejoices.
Vezot Habrakha, the final parsha of the Torah, focuses on the death of Moshe Rabbeinu, Moshe our Teacher.
At the beginning of the book of Devarim, Moshe is informed that he will die without achieving his lifelong dream of entering the Promised Land. In Parsha Vaetachanan, we find a brief dialogue between Moshe and God: “Please let me cross the Jordan River,” says Moshe, “Let me cross over, I pray you, and see that good land that is beyond the Jordan, that good mountain. , and Lebanon.” (Devarim 3:25).
This is not an unreasonable request from a man who dedicated his life to shepherding a rebellious mass of 600.000 souls from the dregs of Egyptian slavery to a land flowing with milk and honey. But his aspirations to cross the Jordan River were not fulfilled, because: “.A. He was angry with me because of you, so he did not listen to me; and the Lord said to me: Enough, do not speak to me about this matter anymore” (Devarim 3:26). Essentially God says to the leader and prophet, “This is non-negotiable,” which precludes the possibility of further protests or rebuttals. However, in his mercy, God allows him a glimpse of the Earth: « Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes to the west, and to the north, and to the south, and to the east, and see with your own eyes; because you will not cross the Jordan. And command Yehoshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him; for he will pass before this people, and he will cause them to inherit the land that you will see” (Devarim 3: 27-28).
As we read further into Parsha Vaetachanan, we see that Moshe shares this news with all the people simply saying: “So I am going to die in this land, and I will not cross the Jordan; but you will pass over and possess that good land” (Devarim 4:22). Here we are left with the sense that Moshe accepts his fate with equanimity. It seems to be the end of the matter; There is no further discussion on the subject. Even in Parsha Haazinu, as Moshe reviews his life, he says nothing more about his imminent death. However, in the final verses of the Torah, God once again reminds Moshe of his destiny.
The midrashim discuss the topic at length. His love for Moshe is gigantic and could not be less. For this reason they bring us many comments, among them referring to Moshe's resistance to God's decree, because the wise cannot conceive of saying goodbye to the Great Teacher.
According to one of the wise men, Moshe prays to God to grant him favor and forgiveness for his sins. He tells God that he has been held to a higher standard and prays 515 times for the decree to be revoked. Moshe begs God to transform him and allow him to at least touch the earth, but God refuses. Then God allows Moshe to see the Promised Land.
Other midrashim also contain the same general theme. Devarim Rabbah 11:5, poetically describes the "conversation" that took place when the Angel of Death came to take Moshe's life. The angel informed Moshe that the time had come for him to leave this world, to which Moshe protested, saying, "Go away from here... for I wish to praise the Almighty."
The angel then responded, “Moshe, why do you boast? He [God] already has those who praise him; The heavens and the earth praise him at all times, as it says: “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament declares the work of his hands. One day he utters word to another day, and one night to another night he declares wisdom. There is no language, no words, nor is his voice heard. His voice went out throughout the earth, and his words to the end of the world. In them he put a tabernacle for the sun »(Tehillim 19: 2).
Moshe, however, insisted and told the angel: "I will silence them and give thanks..."
The Midrash grants Moshe a beautiful death.
In the end, God leans down from the heavens and ends Moshe's life with a soft, gentle kiss. This is derived from Devarim 34:5, where it is written: "And Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, at the command of the Lord." The Hebrew says, to pi .A., "through the mouth of the Eternal." Hence the legend that God kissed Moshe at the moment of his death. Merciful death that we all aspire for ourselves.
According to the Midrash, God wept after Moshe's death, as did the heavens and the earth. Devarim 34:6 tells us that “God buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, near Beth-peor; and no one knows his burial place to this day. Moshe deserved the honor of having God perform his burial because, says the Midrash, during the Exodus from Egypt, when everyone else was searching for gold and silver, Moshe was searching for Joseph's coffin. And when Moshe found him, he carried him on his own shoulders. Thus Moshe helped fulfill the oath made to Yosef in Bereshit 50:25: "Then Yosef made the children of Israel swear, saying, 'When God has noticed you, you will carry my bones from here.'" The respect that Moshe paid to Yosef's last wish to be buried with his ancestors is rewarded when God buries Moshe, in a singular divine act, in front of the space in which the people had sinned before a pagan god, to indicate the triumph of him.
Thus, we find that, although the decree of death cannot be annulled, God shows great compassion and empathy for the greatest prophet who ever emerged in Israel.
As we conclude this year's annual Torah reading cycle and complete our reading of Devarim, the fifth and final book of the Torah, we say, as we do when we finish each book: Chazak, Chazak venitchazek! “Be strong, be strong and let us be strong!” At each end of a fragment of the study we must receive reinforcement to continue moving forward, without wasting time. With much greater energy to reach the heights of understanding and discernment.
Therefore, after Chazak we begin Bereshit bará.
Personal note: With this parsha I end my weekly participation in Aurora by thanking this medium for having given me the opportunity to reach thousands of readers and for their loyalty, their criticism and their comments. Other tasks call me. May H' bless you.
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