Parashat V'zot Habracha - Fourth Aliyah
Read the biblical text and try to understand it on your own, before reading the commentary.
Going out and the tent, strength and justice: the blessings of Zebulun, Issachar and Gad
The aliyah opens with a shared blessing for Zebulun and Issachar. Zebulun is blessed in his going out, while Issachar in his tents. Already at the start of the blessing a division is visible between two different ways of life: activity that goes outward on one side, and an inward, stable dwelling on the other. Both are presented as part of the blessing.
Next comes a connection to the mountain, to offerings of righteousness and to plenty that comes from the seas and from treasures hidden in the sand. The picture is of plenty that arrives both from visible sources and from hidden places, and that combines economic activity with a dimension of the service of God.
The aliyah then moves on to the blessing of Gad. Moses blesses the one who enlarges the territory of Gad, and describes the tribe with the might of a lion. Gad appears as a tribe of strength and of the ability to act.
The blessing continues and refers to the fact that Gad saw the first portion for himself, and later he appears together with the heads of the people. The end of the blessing stresses the doing of the righteousness of God and the keeping of his judgments with Israel. So Gad is described not only as a strong tribe, but also as one whose strength is bound to responsibility toward the whole.
Insights from the aliyah
There is more than one way to contribute to the people
Zebulun is described through going out and Issachar through the tents. On the level of the idea, a whole society needs both those who act outside and those who hold centers of depth, study and stability.
Blessing does not require uniformity
Two tribes receive a shared blessing, but each in its own way. This teaches that unity does not require everyone to fill the same role.
Plenty can also come from places that are not visible at once
The aliyah also describes treasures hidden in the sand. On the level of the idea, not every important resource is visible at first. Sometimes the greatest value requires searching, patience and the ability to recognize what lies beneath the surface.
Strength must be bound to responsibility
Gad is described with great might, but the blessing does not stop there. It continues on to the righteousness of God and to the judgments with Israel. On the level of the idea, strength takes on meaning when it is exercised as part of a moral and public responsibility.
Being first obligates more
Gad receives his portion first, but he also appears afterwards within the leadership of the people. On the level of the idea, one who receives an advantage or an early opportunity is required to use them for the good of the whole and not only for himself.
Going out and the tent are not opposites
Zebulun and Issachar can be seen as two complementary sides: activity and depth, movement and quiet, trade and inwardness. On the level of the idea, a whole life is often built precisely from the joining of these two poles.
The aliyah joins plenty with justice
With Zebulun and Issachar there appears plenty from the seas, and with Gad there appear righteousness and judgment. In this the aliyah hints, on the level of the idea, that plenty and strength do not stand on their own, but gain value when they are bound to a right path.
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