V’Zos HaBerachah - 1st Portion

Join me as we learn Kumish for Sunday paras chapter 33 verse one. We are now at the final Torah reading of the Torah. [clears throat] The Torah reading of Sabra, the blessings that Moshe gives to the Jewish people before his passing. As Moshe now concluded the final uh poem and covenant that he made with the Jewish people and warning them about what's about to come and reminding them of how they should follow the God's commandments. He now uses the last moments of his life and his final opportunity to bless the Jewish people. Verse 30 verse one chapter 33. This is the blessing which Moshe the man of God has blessed the Jewish people before his death. What is it telling us before his death? What do you think he told them after he died? As what does this mean? Right before his passing because if not now when realizing that this is his final opportunity to bless the Jewish people. Verse two, he then said that why are the Jewish people worthy of a blessing? And he says as follows and he said God's presence came from Mount Si. He shown forth to them from se God came with only some of the holy uh angels of groups of angels. [snorts] And from his right hand he gave them the Torah of the law which the Torah calls as a fire. the fire and he gave this to them out of fire as we're going to see what this means. Rashi explains all these words. So he [snorts] appeared to them from Mount Pon with some of the holy angels and from his right hand he gave them the law a law with which came out of fire. Let's see as he explains these verses. Moshe begins first by praising God. and only afterwards does he talk about the needs of the Jewish people because with the praise that he mentions about God, he also mentions the needs and the merit that the Jewish people have. [snorts] And this is as we know that the the sages tell us in the tracted of Brahos that always a person to first uh organize his prayers by first saying praise and only afterwards asking for his needs. the this is all like an appeasing and a way to make to mention the Jewish people's merits this way that they should show to show that they are worthy to receive these blessings. What does it mean from Sai that God came to greet the Jewish people as they were standing at the bottom of Mount Si like a groom that goes out to greet the bride as it says by the giving of the Torah they stood greeting God to connect them that teaches us that God came out to greet him. What does it mean that he came from seer that what happened was is the medish tells us that God went to all the other nations of the world and offered them the Torah meaning that he offered the people of Seir as well the children of Asov if they want to accept the Torah and they refused. So therefore, God showed up for the Jewish people from the mount of that means that God went as well to the people of that he went to the people of Ishmael and they also didn't. So God went to the different nations offering them the Torah and they did not want it. And then God came the Israel to the Jewish people. [snorts] And with God came thousands of angels. Not all the angels. And not most of the angels. God did not act like a person of flesh and blood who shows off all this wealth and all this beauty on the day of his wedding. Over here, God only came with some of his angels as he as he met the Jewish people. Why does he call it a fire fiery law which is referring to the Torah? Because it was already written from beforehand, like with a black fire on top of white fire, like an ink on top of paper. This Torah is God gave on the stones written with God's right hand. Another explanation of what it means from his right hand. He gave this fiery law like the explains that from the fire that it was given to the Jewish people from the fiery blaze. As we know the mount si had this big fire on it when the ten commandments were given. Verse three. [snorts] Indeed, you showed love for for the nations. All the holy ones are in your hand. They are crowded at your feet and they bear responsibility to fulfilling your utterances. with extra love you have shown to the tribes that each one of them is called a nation on their own because with alone you could have had that even from one of the children you so told that he could have nations and nations come from him what does it mean that all the holy ones are in your hand that all the souls of the holy righteous are are are cherished and with you as it says in that the soul of my master is bound with the bound of life with God and they are uh and they are crowded at your feet. meaning the Jewish people are worthy that they should be able to get a portion in the world to come because they were at your feet meaning that they were standing at the bottom of that the terminology of that they were crowded. So Rashi is explaining over here the word um tuku where does it come from that they were gathered at the bottom of the mountain to meaning that they were at the bottom of the mountain to have mount si the foot of mount si and the word tuku means an action that they gathered there they responsibility for filling fulfilling your utterances over here as well as rashi explains the grammatical The word the letter me is close to the root word which is like we find so to over here when it says the word I was supposed to say to make sure that they hear it and tell it to them. So over here that these utterances that they should hear it translates this meaning that they would travel the word on the word like a sin exchanging it for a by traveling that they travel according to your words the me that's in it from it meaning it's not from the actual word but it's the me is a servant letter that helps you understand what the word is telling me Another way to explain this verse that even that this is referring to the nations of the world that Moshe was telling God that even at the time that God showed love to the other nations that you showed to the other nations also some love and a smile and you gave the Jewish people over into their hands all the righteous and good amongst the Jews. They stuck to you and they did not leave you. And you protected them from the nations of the world. They would stand right be by you and they would crowd by your feet. Meaning that they would want to be by your shade to be able to be connected to you even while the nations of the world were overcoming them. and they would accept your laws with joy. And they accepted your decrees and laws with joy. And these are the words, the following words that Moshe is about to say. [snorts] The following words that Moshe says in verse four, the words that every single Jewish child knows. In fact, the code of Jewish law states that the moment that a Jewish child is able to speak, his father is obligated to teach him these following words. The Torah that Moshe commanded us is a legacy is the legacy of the congregation of [snorts] this Torah that Moshe commanded us wasn't only given for that time alone. It is a legacy. It's something which is an inheritance for eternity for the people of Jacob, for the congregation of Jacob. We will hold on to it for eternity and never let go of it. And now you can understand why this is so important that a young child learn this verse the moment they begin to speak. Verse five, and thus you will always be the king over Yeshur, even when the totality of the people are gathered by the tribes of the Jewish people together with the tribes of the Jewish people. Now, this one he's talking about the king is not going back on what he said about Moshe, but it's actually referring to God. God always has his sovereignty on the Jewish people whenever they get together as a group and as a community which means the people the leaders like when they count the Jewish people they're worthy that they should be blessed another explanation of what this verse means when they gather when they get together as one nation as one people and there's peace amongst them whom Malcolm God says I am their king but not when there's unfortunately divisiveness now he begins by blessing the Jewish people and each tribe individually may Ruain live and not die and may his people be number what is he referring to rashi Mayu live in this world. Meaning [snorts] is he saying that is not going to die at all. Just that his tribe should continue and should never be disconnected. He should not die. Of course, if he's going to live, what does it mean he's not going to die? That means that he should be able to be by the resurrection. that it should not be continuously reminded him about this once in time error that he did that he moved the bed of Bah and after Raul passed and therefore that he should be forgiven for his sinar that he should be able to be counted together with his brothers. Similarly, we find the rashi says we find this that it said in the book of Genesis when it tells us about that that Ruv moved Bilah's bed. But right over there, the verse finishes off that Yakov had 12 tribes telling us that Ruv though he made a mistake a mistake that his father held him accountable for. Still in all he was accounted and he was not did not leave the count of the 12 tribes because of this error and because of this sin. Verse seven, and this is for should this be granted to Yehuda said Yehuda. God has heard God has heard the hark go. Oh God, hearken to the voice of Yehuda. Listen to the voice of Yehuda. Bring him to his people. May his hands do battle successfully for him. And may you be help against his ad adversaries. He puts right next to because both of them acknowledged and to the mistake that they did. Remember it says that when it talks about inov about where Ruain refers to the time when Ruain agreed acknowledge the sin that he did of that the scholars said and they did not deny from their fathers what they did and that they were given their land and no stranger went amongst them. is referring to Yehuda and Ruv that with their sins they acknowledged what they have done wrong and because of this reward when Moshe came to bless them he blessed them first another explanation was given because all the 40 years that the Jewish people were traveling in the desert so the bones of Yehuda were with them and was rolling around in the casket because of the uh ban that he took upon himself when he said that he would be the one to rescue Binyam when they go that he would take guarantor for when they went out to Egypt as he said I will send to my father all my days that if I don't bring back I will be banned and I will be excommunicated from this world and from the world to come and Moshe said me God who was the one that caused that should acknowledge what he did wrong Yehuda That was Yehuda because he acknowledged by the story of Tamar that he was guilty that he was the one that he she had an affair with. And therefore if Yehuda was the one that got Ruain to acknowledge it as well because Ruain learned from Yehuda. Therefore, when it says Yehuda is therefore what he says is this for Yehuda, is it really appropriate that Yehuda's bones should be just rolling around in desecration and the very fact in a coffin? Therefore, right away the next verse, the next part of the verse, he says Yehuda, God here, hearken to the voice of Yehuda. This is Moshe was asking about the children of Yehuda. This is for the prayer of King David and King because of those that came to wage war against the Jewish people because the Ammonites for the prayer that he did because was coming and attacking him. to bring him to his nation, meaning to peace because of the war that they should be able to but all the kings of Yehud that we just mentioned that they should be able to come back in peace and they should not be hurt and injured in war because the tribe of Yehuda they're going to have to use their power of the strength that they're going to be able to wage war and take revenge and they're not going to need help of and they should not need help of others. that means to be a help against his adversaries. This was referring to that Moshe prayed about his war in Gilad as explained in the book of Chronicles that he cried out and God came to help him. Another way of explaining this entire verse is as follows. God hearkened to the voice of Yehuda. here was actually giving a hint to the blessing of Shim while he's giving a blessing to Yehuda because even when they split the land of Israel and gave each person their allotted portions. So Shim got part of the parcel of Yehuda as well. It says that from the area from the border of the people of Yehuda was also the area of Shim. How come we don't find a blessing that Moshe gave to the tribe of Shim on their own? Because from the tribe of Shim, we know the story of Zimry and they caused the seduction of the Jewish people more permiscuity and of idolatry that happened in the time of Shitim. Therefore, Moshe had some type of uh complaint against them and therefore Moshe had to bear a grudge against the fact the fact that they were part of that and he did not give them a blessing clearly king of God this is the way it's explained in the medilim so therefore within the blessing of Yehuda he also includes the blessing of Shim because Yehuda and Shim they shared property parcels in the land of Israel this concludes the first Torah reading of the zra