V’Zos HaBerachah - 4th Portion

Join me as we learn Humash for Wednesday, Parshas V'Zos Habracha, verse 18, chapter 33, the continuing of the blessings that Moshe gives the tribes right before his passing. Yesterday we learned about the blessing that was given to Yosef and including Ephraim and Manasseh. Today we continue with the blessing that he gives to Zevulun and Issachar, Gad as well. To Zevulun and to Zevulun he said, Smach Zevulun b'tzeischa, rejoice Zevulun in your successful departure. V'Yissachar b'ohalecha, and Issachar in your tents. Rashi, what is he referring to? To Zevulun Eileh chamishah shvatim she'beirach b'acharonah, these five tribes that Moshe blesses at the end, Zevulun, Gad, Dan, Naftali and Asher, kaful shemeihem, you'll notice that he mentions their names twice. And the reason is, l'chazkeim, like we learned, to strengthen them, to give them um might. L'hafeisha yicholashim she'b'chol hashvatim, they were considered the weak ones of the tribes. Heim heim she'heilech Yosef lifnei Par'oh, these are the ones that Yosef actually presented before Pharaoh showing the weak eyes. She'ne'emar, "U'mikzei achav lakach chamishah anashim", that from of his brothers he took five, she'heiyu nil'ashim, because since they were weak, and therefore lo yasimeim b'cheil Hamitzri, you will not put him put them into the army. Smach Zevulun b'tzeischa v'Yissachar b'ohalecha, Zevulun v'Yissachar asu shutafus, Zevulun and Issachar had a partnership. I'm sure you've heard this once before. She'zeh Zevulun hayah ish kan'an, Zevulun was the businessman, he was the one that was dealing with the business, went to the boats. Yotzei la'av matya b'swinais, he went to do business with boats and yachts. U'mistakeir, and he would make a lot of money. V'nosein l'tichlifah l'Yissachar, he is and he would be the one to feed and support Issachar. V'heim yoshvim b'veit hamidrash, and Issachar was sitting and studying Torah without having to worry about their financial security. Well, the figure of Zebulun and Issachar, therefore he mentions Zebulun before Issachar, even though Issachar was greater and he was the one that was studying Torah. Because the only way that Issachar was able to study Torah was because Zebulun was out there doing business. Zebulun rejoice with leaving, meaning hatslachah betzeischa l'scher rejoice and be successful when you leave your home to go do business. Issachar and by Yissachar we shall have success in your study of Torah. As it was the job of the tribe of Issachar that they would sit and study Torah, that they would be the ones who would make and decide when the leap year and how the months should be situated. As it is as it says in the book of Chronicles of the Issachar that they knew the that from the children of Issachar they were the ones that knew the times and had to set the times. Their leaders were 200. They were from the leaders of the 200 of the Sanhedrin were from the tribe of Issachar who were busy with these setting up the calendar. According to them is when they set the calendar and the when they would make a leap year. Verse 19. Will call the tribes to the mountain. Will they offer up proper sacrifices. Because they will because they will be nourished by the abundance of the seas and by the caches of the valuable valuables hidden in in the sand. Of valuables that are hidden in the sand. Verse 19 Rashi. Is referring to all the nations and the tribes of the Jewish people. Harei yikro, lehar Moriah, they'll be gathered to Mount Moriah, say for they'll be gathered to let them know when they have to set the new year and the leap year and the months and so on. Kol asifah she yedei kriyah hi, every time you gather people, it's called kriyah, you're calling them to come together. Vesham har Moriah yizbachu begol zivchei tzedek, by knowing when the calendar is and knowing what day you have to bring the different sacrifices. Kishefa yamim yinoku, Yissachar u'Zevulun yeheileh hem penai lastik ba'Torah. Yissachar and Zevulun will then be able to be supported from the great abundance that's in the sea, and they will then have time to study Torah. U'Zevulun temunei cheil. Kisuye the temunei cheil, the very different the many different um caches of things that are be hidden in the seas. Tardis, we What is it referring to? Tardis is a type of fish, very important and expensive fish. Chilazon, which was the fish that they used, they would be able to snail their fish that they used to be able to dye the the make it blue. U'scheches levanah, and white glass, ayetzem min hayam u'min hachol, which comes from the sea and from the sand by the by the sea. Bechelkei shel Yissachar u'Zevulun hoyah, this was in the area and the parcel that Yissachar and Zevulun got, and from this they were able to make a lot of money. Kemo she'amar besechet Megillah, like it says in the tractate of Megillah, Zevulun am cheiref nafsho l'maves, mishum d'Naftali amrei mesadei sheli mitzrayim, Zevulun al chelkei. That Zevulun had to like fight for himself because Naftali would complain that they would complain Zevulun about that he had that because there was no um because it wasn't as good as Naftali is that it had vineyards and fields, and therefore he complained l'achi nasata sadeh sadeh u'chramim, that to my brother you gave him fields and uh if fields and vineyards, And what did I get? So, God tells him, "No, no, no, no. Whatever he's going to need, he's going to need the hillos and you're going to have he's going to have to come to you because you going to have certain things that he may not have. You look like a nice parcel. Zevulun looked like a good property, but you had he may have good real estate, but he's going to need the items that are in your area." S'vunei, the word s'vunei lashon kisei means to be covered, like things that were hiding. K'mashe nemer v'yispain es habayis, that after King Solomon built the Holy Temple, it says that he covered it. And the word is v'yispain. V'sof um bayis, he covered it with cedarwood v'tarkumei v'talalei kuryosav that he covered it with cedar tree. Davar acher, we can explain this entire verse in a different way. Amim hayu koru, the nations they pragmatim because of the business of Zevulun. The nations attacking the nations of the world they pragmatim Zevulun because of the business that Zevulun did. Tagri um al um al artzi, all the business, all the peddlers and business people would come from all the nations of the world would come to him. V'hu omed al hasafar, and he would be standing by the border, which means to do business with them. Heim emunim They're going to say, "Oh, as we already traveled all the way here, let us go to Jerusalem and see what is the God of the Jewish people. What is so special about this nation?" V'heim yiru im shekol Yisrael ovedim l'akeh v'ochlim achilah achas, they'll see that all the Jewish people serve one God, eat one food, they're not and they're very different than the nations of the world. Because in the nations of the world, one tribe one nation serves one God, another nation serves another God, and they all have different kinds of foods. V'heim emunim and then they will say, "Eino m'kashim k'azu, there's nobody special as this nation." Umisga'yim sham, they're going to want to convert. Meaning that their merit of Zevulun and Yissachar that are on the sea, they're going to be able to give so much money, and people are going to do so much business that so many nations are going to come and because of that convert and recognize the greatness of God. Verse 20. Will the God of and to God he said Blessed be the one who expands the territory of God. May he dwell like a fearsome lion tearing off the arm of the prey together with his head in one blow. Rashi This teaches us that the area of God was expanding towards the eastern side over his initial parcel. Because he was by the border of the land of Israel. Therefore they will bless like lions. Was by the border had to be as strong as a lion. How strong When they when they had to fight the enemy of Gainer That with one swipe they were able to knock off the head and the shoulder the head and the shoulder at once. Verse 21. When you're graciously And he saw that first portion be fitted him because there was the burial of the lawgiver. Suffolk was hidden there. He did with God he went at the head of his people. He did what God considered righteous and executed his judgments in Israel. Let's see Rashi verse 21. What is this referring to? God saw that he wanted to take the tribe of God in the land of Sika and Nog. She raises that That the beginning of what they were conquering the land of Israel. He saw in that parcel of land was going to the be the place where the one who sets the laws there was going to be buried, which is Mosha. That allotted portion is hidden and undisclosed that nobody knows where Mosha is buried as we going to read later on in chapter 34 that nobody knows where Mosha is buried. God and God then came. They were the ones that went in the front and fighting for the Jewish people and conquering the land because they were very strong and as it says they promised that they were going to do it they would go armed before all their brothers. They are righteous because they kept to their word and they kept to their promise and to cross the Jordan to the land which will be conquered and split and only then did they return home. Another way of explaining this that Mosha came with the leaders of the people meaning that telling us about the greatness of Mosha that when he told it to people of God that there he would be buried. >> [snorts] >> I'm talking about the righteousness that he led the Jewish people beyond the letter of the law. This concludes the fourth Torah reading of Parshat Ha'azinu.