RR V’zot Ha’Berachah By Jeffery Freeman

Shabbat Shalom,

This week’s Parshah is our final Torah portion for the year and it comes
from Deuteronomy 33 and 34. The name comes from Deuteronomy 33:1
This is the blessing (v’zot ha’berachah) with which Moses, the man of
God, blessed Bnei-Yisrael before his death.

Parshah V’zot Ha’Berachah has two focuses, Moses’ blessings for the
tribes and the account of his death. In this reading, Moses bestows his final
blessing of strength, abundance and protection on the people, and he
recalls ADONAI’s glory and majesty at Sinai. He also gives prophetic
glimpses into the future of the nation. Moses ascends Mount Nebo where
he looks over the promised land from a distance, then he dies. ADONAI
buries Moses in a secret location known only to ADONAI. Full of the Spirit
bestowed on him by ADONAI through the hands of Moses, Joshua takes
command. Israel morns for Moses for thirty days.

The opening verses of Deuteronomy 33, before Moses begins his blessings
for the tribes, provide an interesting insight into how the Jewish people
have been able to hold onto their identity and their faith in ADONAI for
thousands of years despite near constant persecution.

Deuteronomy 33:3-4 Indeed, a lover of people is He (ADONAI) – all His
kedoshim are in His hand. They follow in Your footsteps, each
receiving Your words. Torah Moses commanded us – a heritage
(morashah) for the community of Jacob.

The Hebrew word morashah, translated here as “heritage” is more than
simply something from one’s family’s past. Morashah is the transmission of
belief from one generation to the next. It is a process of actively giving over
to or passing on the historical narrative, Torah, customs, and ethical values
given by ADONAI.

Morashah is not given or received all at one time. It is acquired
incrementally, through ongoing efforts to teach and reinforce Bible lessons
from an early age and throughout one’s life.

Deuteronomy 11:18-19 Therefore you are to set these words of mine in your heart and in your soul. You are to bind them as a sign on your
hand, and as frontlets between your eyes. You are to teach them to
your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when
you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.

This sounds a lot like the opening paragraph of the Shema, except it isn’t. In the opening paragraph of the Shema, this is the second paragraph.  In the first paragraph we are instructed to teach the commandments diligently or repeatedly (ve’shinnantom) to our children. Now, in the second paragraph, the LORD seems to be using a bit of diligence in teaching us our heritage.

For Orthodox Jews, the first two Torah verses taught to their children are
1. Deuteronomy 33:4 Torah zivah-lanu Moshe movi’rasha qehillat Ya’akov –
Torah Moses commanded us – a heritage for the community of Jacob.
2. Deuteronomy 6:4 Shema Yisrael ADONAI Elohenu, ADONAI echad – Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.

It is the dedication of each Jewish person to their morashah that ensures the continuity of the Jewish people.

Despite what some Christian communities assert, Torah is our morashah.
ADONAI gave it to all of us. When Paul penned his letter to the Ephesians,
he stressed teaching children properly. In verse 6:4 Fathers do not
provoke your children to anger but bring them up in the discipline and
instruction of the LORD.

Paul is teaching followers of Yeshua to bring up their children in the
discipline and instruction of the LORD. We are to morashah our children
and new believers in Yeshua.

Here is an important thing to know. When Paul wrote his letter to the
Ephesians, what “instructions of the LORD” did he use? Here is the
answer: In Paul’s letters there are 107 direct quotes from the Hebrew
Scriptures plus an additional 100 or so allusions or parallel ideas. It
appears that Paul embraced Torah as the heritage for Jewish and formerly
pagan followers of Yeshua.

Last thought. Torah is not exclusively for Bible scholars, rabbis and
preachers. Rather, it is meant to be learned and observed by everyone,
regardless of age or background. Torah is our morashah.  Shabbat Shalom

Daily Bread, reading plan by Lars Enarson (https://www.thewatchman.org/)
Sat      3 Oct 2026                22nd of Tishrei, 5787 Parashat Shmini Atzeret
De 16:9-17, Nu 29:23-28   1 Ki 8:54-9:1 [8:66] Eccl 1-12 Jn 7:53-8:12