Vezot Habracha Answers

VeZot HaBeracha 5713
Alef.

The appellation “Ish HaElokim” is appropriate with regard to Moshe’s blessing and making predictions for the future of the Jewish people. After all, Moshe is only prophesying what HaShem Authorizes him to say. (Even if Abrabanel posits in his introduction to Devarim that most of the book consists of Moshe’s words based upon Devarim 1:1, 5, that might be with respect to reviewing the historical events as well as the Mitzvot that were given on Sinai. However, future predictions would have to originate with HaShem.)

On the other hand, referring to Moshe as “Eved HaShem” makes sense in the verses describing his death, since this is a description of the man’s entire life, regardless of what he was saying or doing, he was a loyal and humble servant of HaShem, as HaShem Himself Attests in BaMidbar 12:7-8.

Beit.

1. According to the Midrash, Moshe’ s last request was that there should be some sort of vision that would convince the people once and for all that HaShem was Unique and Incomparable to any other being in the universe. Since Moshe warns the people so many times that they are likely to gravitate towards Avoda Zora, the Midrash suggests that he wanted to exhaust all possibilities for preventing this from occurring.

2.  The verse in Kohelet is being used by the Midrash as an answer as to why once a person’s life expectancy is established, it cannot be extended, no matter how admirable and constructive what the extra time is designed to achieve.

3.  It seems to me that the Midrash is suggesting that uniqueness is established not by some visual experience, but rather by reflecting upon the actions that are perpetrated. Just as Moshe’s uniqueness as a prophet is established, according to HaShem, by the miracles that he “brought about”—it was actually HaShem Who Performed the miracles, but Moshe was the immediate and apparent catalyst—so too the miracles that are associated with HaShem outstrip any comparable claim made for some other deity, and therefore this should be sufficient to establish the Jewish people’s loyalty in believing in HaShem, to the exclusion of their following any other supposed divinity.

Gimel.

1. In Devarim 32:49, HaShem Ordered Moshe to climb Mt. Nevo in order to be shown the “land of Canaan.” This then creates a difficulty with 34:1, where the land is referred to as “Gilaad”, which in BaMidbar 32:1 is part of the area on the near side of the Jordan that eventually is inhabited by the tribes of Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe.

2.  RaShI: Gilaad, Dan and the other areas that are mentioned represent highs and lows in future Jewish history, rather than geographical areas.

   RaMBaN: Gilaad is to be taken geographically and since Moshe was standing in the Gilaad area which would eventually belong to the tribe of Reuven, when being shown the land prior to his death, and that is why Gilaad is the first place mentioned. An alternative interpretation is that Gilaad is a reference to the Lebanon area which was the far north of Israel.

3.  Siftei Chachamim  #6 states that the text, if it intended to just mention geography, could have more laconically said, “Et Kol HaAretz Ad Yom HaAcharon” (the entire land until the far sea). The fact that specific areas were mentioned suggested to RaShI that these were not just places, but rather loci of specific history.

4.  RaShI does the same thing at the beginning of the book of Devarim:

דברים פרק א

(א) אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן בַּמִּדְבָּר בָּעֲרָבָה מוֹל סוּף בֵּין פָּארָן וּבֵין תֹּפֶל וְלָבָן וַחֲצֵרֹת וְדִי זָהָב:

רש"י

במדבר - לא במדבר היו אלא בערבות מואב, ומהו במדבר, אלא בשביל מה שהכעיסוהו במדבר שאמרו (שמות טז ג) מי יתן מותנו וגו':

בערבה - בשביל הערבה שחטאו בבעל פעור בשטים בערבות מואב:

מול סוף - על מה שהמרו בים סוף בבואם לים סוף שאמרו (שם יד יא) המבלי אין קברים במצרים, וכן בנסעם מתוך הים, שנאמר (תהלים קו ז) וימרו על ים בים סוף, כדאיתא בערכין (טו א):

בין פארן ובין תפל ולבן - אמר רבי יוחנן [רשב"י] חזרנו על כל המקרא ולא מצינו מקום ששמו תופל ולבן, אלא הוכיחן על הדברים שתפלו על המן שהוא לבן, שאמרו (במדבר כא ה) ונפשנו קצה בלחם הקלוקל ועל מה שעשו במדבר פארן על ידי המרגלים:

וחצרות - במחלוקתו של קרח. דבר אחר אמר להם, היה לכם ללמוד ממה שעשיתי למרים בחצרות בשביל לשון הרע, ואתם נדברתם במקום:

ודי זהב - הוכיחן על העגל שעשו בשביל רוב זהב שהיה להם, שנאמר (הושע ב י) וכסף הרביתי לה וזהב עשו לבעל:

Daled.

In Devarim 32:52 Moshe is told that he will only see the land but will not enter it. This is before the miracle takes place and therefore it is appropriate for HaShem to set out the parameters about what will happen at the end of Moshe’s life. But in 34:4, the Tora has already described how Moshe was shown the land, it is not logical why HaShem should now again Iterate that Moshe will not be entering the land. HaKetav VeHaKabbala suggests that due to the placement of “Shama” (there) before “Lo Ta’avor” (you shall not pass over), something other than the simple meaning is being suggested, i.e., the fact that Moshe is being shown what will transpire in history is actually a benefit, in the sense that had he physically entered the land, human mortality would have prevented him from living long enough to actually see the positive events that he is now being allowed to see miraculously.