Parshah 54 – V`zot HaB`rachah And this is the blessing D’varim (Deuteronomy) 3 3:1-34:12 B’rit Chadashah Reading: Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28-36; Jude 3-4, 8-10 The last Parshah of the Torah in the yearly study cycle is V`Zot HaB`rachah, literally “And this is the blessing.” In V’zot Habracha, Moshe, acting in a manner much like his ancestor Jacob who blessed his sons moments before his passing, stands before the nation of Yis`rael, a confederacy of tribes bound by the Torah, to bestow his final blessing upon the people moments before his death. A close look at one component of the blessing of Moshe provides us with an overall picture of the nature of his blessing, as well as a deep insight into the essence of environmental Torah. “And of Zebulan he said: Rejoice Zebulun in your departure and Isaachar in your tents.” Rashi (France, 1040-1105), the preeminent commentator on the Torah, tells us that the members of the tribe of Zebulan were merchants earning their livelihood on the Mediterranean Sea. With the money they earned they supported themselves and in addition, the tribe of Isaachar, whose task was to engage in constant Torah study. As a result of the devotion of Isaachar to Torah learning, the tribe produced many members of the supreme legal body in ancient Israel, the Sanhedrin. Among the many responsibilities, the Sanhedrin held was the calculation of the calendar cycle that determined the dates of the major Jewish festivals, which in turn had awesome implications for all of the tribes of Israel, as well as for the world. Each of the festivals, Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot, brought a gathering of all the tribes at the Temple in Jerusalem. These triennial meetings nurtured the formation of a spiritual center and strengthened our national consciousness. The gatherings at the Temple served as a focal point for the mission of the Jewish people, namely the bringing of a time where we will see, as the prophet Isaiah promises, the nations “beat their swords into plowshares.” This metaphor describes the ultimate vision of the Jewish people, which is no less than a perfecting of the world, a perfection known in Judaism as Shabbat (Sabbath) “…the day that will entirely be Shabbat and rest for a life of eternity.” We experience a microcosm of this with the celebration of each festival, as well as each week when we celebrate Shabbat. Looking once again at the relationship between Zebulan and Isaachar, it can be understood in environmental terms as an example of a bioregion. A bioregion is an association of residents of a definable natural or socially constructed region, be it a road, water body, landform, language, or common interest. Within the bioregion are several different social spheres: the self, the home, the community, the village/town/city. Moving beyond the bioregion it can be argued that a state is an aggregate of bioregions, which is the world. As we have seen throughout this weekly Torah portion project, the Torah forbids wanton destruction, limits the extent and the way in which we use the resources of the earth, encourages social justice and caring for the world that God has given us, and demands of us a constant awareness of our actions in this world and the sanctity that a life based on God-consciousness can provide. The beauty of the example of the tribes of Zebulun and Isaachar is that by each tribe fulfilling its specific role, caring for its own “bio-region” as it were, they affected powerful transformation for the nation, and laid the groundwork for the perfecting of the entire world. Certainly, the ecological crisis facing the world today is incredibly serious and of the utmost importance, but perhaps the most startling realization is that the ecological crisis is in actuality the manifestation of a deeper, more profound crisis: the deterioration of social relationships in the context of taking responsibility for, caring for, and giving to one another. This deterioration affects every fiber of the universe. The “social message” offered by the relationship of Zebulun and Isaachar is the essence of environmental Torah. If we each fulfill our specific role in the world, each of us caring for ourselves and for the other, care for the earth will follow as a natural consequence. This was the task of our forbearers, and this task still remains before us. The utopian vision of the future, a world of perfection that is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Yesha’yahu (Isaiah) and is embodied by the Jewish Shabbat, is a gift to the entire world — which can be made real by our own actions, taking care of each other, in the present. Just as in the natural world the integrity of an ecosystem relies upon the health and vitality of each of its components, the same is true for the Jewish people, and for humanity as a whole. We must each do our part to ensure that our social relationships are strong, healthy, and well maintained. In so doing, we will become a more whole people and a more whole world. As we learn in Pirkei Avot(Ethics of the Fathers), “…It is not incumbent upon you to finish the task. Yet, you are not free to desist from it...” In this light, we add another facet of understanding to the words of Yesha’yahu Isaiah, “…nations shall walk by your light, Kings by your shining radiance.” Our responsibility as humans and as Jews demands that we assume the mantle of leadership of caring for one another. Only in this manner can we ensure the viability of our care for the earth. The blessing of Moshe teaches us that only by fulfilling our mission as the people of HASHEM — taking on the responsibility of fully caring for one another as exemplified by Zebulan and Isaachar — only then can we be caretakers of the earth, and a light unto the nations. And that is the greatest blessing for which we can work and hope. As is customary when the end of a book of the Torah is reached: Chazak! Chazak! Venischazeik! Be strong! Be strong! And may we be strengthened! V`zot HaB`rachah Haftorah Commentary Ashkenazi — Y`hoshua (Joshua) 1:1-18 Sephardic — Y`hoshua 1:1-9 1It happened after the death of Moshe, servant of HASHEM, that HASHEM said to Y`hoshua son of Nun, the attendant of Moshe, saying, 2 “Moshe My servant has died. Now, arise, cross this Jordan, you and this entire people, to the land that I gave to them, to the Children of Israel. 3 Every place upon which the sole of your foot will tread I have given to you, as I spoke to Moshe. 4From the desert and this Lebanon until the great river, the Euphrates River, all the land of the Hittites until the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun will be your boundary. 5No man will stand up to you all the days of your life; as I was with Moshe so will I be with you; I will not release you nor will I forsake you. 6Be strong and courageous for it is you who will cause this people to inherit the Land that I have sworn to their fathers to give them. 7Only be very strong and courageous, to observe, to do, according to the entire Torah that Moshe My servant commanded you; do not deviate from it to the right or to the left, in order that you may succeed wherever you will go. 8This book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth; rather you should contemplate it day and night in order that you observe to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way successful, and then you will act wisely. 9Behold, I have commanded you, ‛Be strong and courageous,’ do not fear and do not lose resolve, for HASHEM, your God, is with you wherever you go.” (Y`hoshua 1:1-9) Our Haftorah, the very beginning of the second section of Scripture (the Prophets), tells of the beginning of the career of Y`hoshua as leader of the Jewish people, with three incidents kicking off his time at the helm of the nation. First, God comes to remind Y`hoshua of the tasks that face him and the tools to success. Now that Moshe has died, the Jews can cross the Jordan and begin conquering the Land of Israel. God “intends” for them to win those battles without any fight or resistance of any significance. For that plan to come to fruition, however, Y`hoshua will need to remember to follow the Torah, not to abandon it, to have it consistently in his mouth, and to think about it day and night. In doing so, he will know the right way to proceed. Note that Y`hoshua is here identified as “the servant” of Moshe, a title also used twice in the Torah. Radak understands this as explaining why he was selected leader after the death of Moshe. In serving his master rather than just studying with him, he learned aspects of the prophet/leader role ordinary students could not. Radak offers Elisha as another example, identified by Scripture as having poured water over hands of Eliyahu (Elijah), apparently a qualification for taking the place of one’s after his passing. The comment shows us that knowing God is one of those qualities best transferred through intimate acquaintance, not study. Great a scholar as R. Yohanan b. Zakkai was, R. Hanina b. Dosa was more adept at eliciting a positive response to prayer. Here, too, Y`hoshua steps into the shoes of Moshe because of his intimate service, not his intellect or military prowess. A more accurate version of the message would seem to be that the involvement of Y`hoshua with Torah should a) never be interrupted for a whole day or night, and b) that all his endeavors should be infused by and with the understanding of Torah. If he does that, he will succeed. In fact, that standard of conduct is what is assumed to have earned the Patriarchs and Moshe the title “my servant”; everything they did, even the most mundane, was for the sake of the worship of God, the actualization of Torah (broadly speaking) in the world. Y`hoshua Commands the People Y`hoshua sets himself to his task, sending word for the camp to prepare “provisions,” since they will be crossing the Jordan in 3 days. Rashi questions the reference to provisioning themselves, since they had manna; his question itself is striking, since Radak mentions the Talmudic tradition (which Rashi himself cites in his commentary on Exodus) that the manna stopped with the passing of Moshe, but the last batch lasted for more than a month. Presumably, Rashi meant that since they had manna prepared, there was no need for food provisioning. Y`hoshua also reminds the two and a half tribes that they had sworn to join the rest of the people in conquering Israel. They agree, but add that they will listen to him as they had listened to Moshe, that anyone who disobeys him should be punished, and close by saying “only be strong and of good courage.” These were the exact words God had twice said, an echo that cannot be coincidental (although I would not claim they knew what God had said). Radak reads them as meaning what God did, that the success of Y`hoshua depends on his doing what God wants, following the Torah, and so on. Ralbag (Gersonides) echoes that, but also suggests they meant to encourage him to be the strong kind of leader a people needs, dealing firmly with anyone who might stand up to him. Either way, the ears of Y`hoshua must have been ringing with the words “strength and courage,” qualities we all need to succeed at the essential task of the Jew—to be always involved with Torah, even while participating in the ordinary world. As we finish one cycle of the Torah and begin the next, we can wish ourselves the same strength of character and success being wished Y`hoshua. Shabbat Shalom
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 18:47:04 +0000
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