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Nitzavim

Moses’ inclusion of all subsequent generations – “whoever is not
VezOt haberachah ה ָכ ָר ְּב ַה תאֹזְו here with us today” – substantially expands the covenant’s scope,
creating a bond and unity of purpose that links all Jews, in all places,
at all times. Despite being dispersed to the four corners of the earth
for nearly two millennia, the Jewish people were able to maintain
themselves as a distinct and unique people due to the covenant
£Moses Finds Grace Moses Finds Grace Moses Finds Grace between God and “all of you.”
££
in the Eyes of God The inclusion of “whoever is not here with us today” also has
in the Eyes of God
in the Eyes of God
profound Kabbalistic ramifications. According to the secrets of
reincarnation – the sod recorded in many Kabbalistic texts and
revealed by the Arizal, in particular – those souls that were redeemed
The Torah’s final portion, Vezot Haberachah, concludes with Moses’ from Egypt and stood at Mount Sinai were subsequently reincarnated
death: “And Moses, servant of God died there, in the land of Moab by repeatedly throughout history. The phrase “whoever is not here with
the word of God” (Deuteronomy 34:5). According to the Kabbalah us today” refers to the subsequent generations of Jews who would
there are fifty gates of understanding. Moses attained forty-nine of incarnate from the souls of those that did stand there. So, in a sense,
those levels during his life, and some commentators suggest that he these later Jews “who were not there” were also there.
so ardently wished to enter the Promised Land because he knew that
the fiftieth gate could only be found in the Land of Israel. Other In the rest of the portion, the Torah sums up all of Jewish history,
commentators suggest that Moses did in fact attain the fiftieth gate including the many exiles, the Jewish people’s estrangement from
when he died by the “kiss of God.” Above we translated the verse its homeland, and its ultimate return. The magnitude of the exile
describing Moses’ death as stating that Moses died by “the word of is hinted at by the unusually large letter lamed in the Hebrew
God”; however, it could also be translated as “by the mouth of God.” word translated as “cast you” (“and cast you into another land”;
Reading the verse literally, Rashi explains that Moses died with a Deuteronomy 29:27). The fact that the lamed, the tallest of all the
Divine kiss. letters, is also written especially large alludes to the long and bitter
exile that did in fact occur as the Torah predicted.
Before Moses’ death God instructs him to ascend Mount Nevo,
the mountain on which he would die. From this vantage point, After recounting the horror of these future exiles, the Torah
God showed him the entire Land of Israel “until the yam acharon” promises that after the blessings and the curses have all come to pass,
(Deuteronomy 34:1). The straightforward peshat meaning of the God will gather up all the Jews no matter how distant physically or
verse is that God allowed Moses to see the entire country, up to and spiritually from their true source and bring them back to the Land
including “the last sea” – the Mediterranean. However, quoting a of Israel where the nation of Israel will prosper as never before. This
homiletical derash interpretation from the Sifrei, Rashi states that prophecy has been repeated by all the prophets throughout history.
instead of vowellizing the phrase as yam acharon, which would mean We live in awesome times when we merit witnessing at least part of
“the last sea,” it could be vowellized differently and read as yom the prophecy being realized before our very eyes. May we witness
acharon, “the last day.” Based on this derash, the Sages suggest that the era when “all of you,” all of Israel, is once again assembled in the
God revealed to Moses the Jewish people’s entire history up until and Holy Land. However, let us pray that this time we will also merit
including “the last day,” the resurrection of the dead. This reading living in a redeemed and peaceful world.
supports the notion that Moses was permitted to enter the fiftieth

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