V'Zot HaBerachah (parsha)

V'Zot HaBerachah (וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה, "And this is the blessing") is the 54th and final weekly Torah portion, and the last in Deuteronomy. It contains Moses' final blessings to the tribes of Israel and the account of his death on Mount Nebo, closing the Torah. Uniquely, this parasha is not read on a regular Shabbat; it is read on Simchat Torah, when the annual Torah cycle concludes and immediately restarts with Bereshit.

Introduction

The parasha opens: "And this is the blessing with which Moses, the man of God, blessed the children of Israel before his death" (Deuteronomy 33:1). Moses, now at the end of his life, gathers the people and bestows a blessing on each tribe, echoing Jacob's blessings in Genesis 49 but with a distinct voice — praising God's deliverance and Israel's destiny. The blessings are poetic, often cryptic, and have been interpreted throughout Jewish history.

Moses' blessings to the tribes

Moses begins with a theophany: "The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them; He shined forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the ten thousands of holy ones" (Deuteronomy 33:2). He praises Israel: "Yea, He loves the people; all His holy ones are in Thy hand" (33:3).

• Reuben: "Let Reuben live, and not die, in that his men become few" (33:6).
• Judah: "Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him in unto his people; his hands shall contend for him" (33:7).
• Levi: Blessed for teaching God's law and offering incense; "They shall teach Jacob Thine ordinances, and Israel Thy law" (33:10).
• Benjamin: "The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him" (33:12).
• Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh): The longest blessing — "Blessed of the Lord be his land... the precious things of heaven... and the precious things of the earth" (33:13-17).
• Zebulun and Issachar: "Rejoice, Zebulun, in thy going out, and Issachar, in thy tents" (33:18).
• Gad: "Blessed be He that enlarges Gad; he dwells as a lioness" (33:20).
• Dan: "Dan is a lion's whelp, that leaps forth from Bashan" (33:22).
• Naphtali: "O Naphtali, satisfied with favor, and full with the blessing of the Lord" (33:23).
• Asher: "Blessed above sons be Asher; let him be the favored of his brethren" (33:24).

Moses concludes with a hymn of praise: "There is none like unto God, O Jeshurun, who rides upon the heaven for thy help... The eternal God is a dwelling-place, and underneath are the everlasting arms" (33:26-27). "Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and that is the sword of thy excellency!" (33:29).

The death of Moses

Moses goes up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, opposite Jericho. "And the Lord showed him all the land: Gilead unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh... and all the land of Judah, unto the hinder sea, and the South, and the Plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto Zoar" (Deuteronomy 34:1-3). God says: "This is the land which I swore unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying: I will give it unto thy seed. I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither" (34:4).

"So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth-peor; and no man knows of his sepulcher unto this day" (34:5-6). Moses was 120 years old when he died; "his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated" (34:7). The Israelites mourned for thirty days. "And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands upon him" (34:9).

Epilogue: "Never again arose a prophet like Moses"

The Torah closes with: "And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face; in all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land; and in all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel" (Deuteronomy 34:10-12). This final passage is traditionally attributed to Joshua (or to Moses writing prophetically), and affirms Moses' unique status as the greatest prophet.

Major themes

• Final blessing: Moses' role as leader concludes with blessing, not command.
• Land and promise: Moses sees the land but does not enter — the promise is fulfilled for the people, not the leader.
• Transition of leadership: Joshua is commissioned; the era of Moses ends and the conquest begins.
• Uniqueness of Moses: The Torah's closing affirms no prophet will equal Moses.
• Death and burial: Moses dies alone, buried by God; his grave is unknown, preventing idolatry.
• Torah cycle: Read on Simchat Torah, linking ending to beginning.

Classical commentaries

Rashi

Rashi explains that Moses blessed the tribes in the order of their encampment. On Moses' death, Rashi notes that God "kissed" Moses (based on the word "al pi Hashem" — "by the mouth of the Lord," Deuteronomy 34:5). Rashi also explains that Moses' grave is unknown so that people would not make it a shrine.

Ramban

Ramban sees the blessings as prophecy about each tribe's future. He explains that Moses' death "by the mouth of the Lord" means a painless, divine death. Ramban also discusses whether Moses wrote the final verses.

Ibn Ezra

Ibn Ezra focuses on the geography of the land Moses saw from Nebo. He explains the blessings as relating to each tribe's territory and destiny.

Sforno

Sforno explains that Moses' blessings were not merely wishes but prophetic declarations. He emphasizes that Moses died with full strength, showing that his death was not from natural decline but from divine decree.

References

1. Deuteronomy 33:1 – 34:12 (Masoretic Text)
2. Rashi, Commentary on the Torah
3. Ramban, Commentary on the Torah
4. Ibn Ezra, Commentary on the Torah
5. Sforno, Commentary on the Torah
6. Talmud Bavli: Bava Batra 15a (authorship of final verses)
7. The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy (Jeffrey H. Tigay, 1996)
8. Sefaria.org, "V'Zot HaBerachah" (parasha)