Parashat V'zot Habracha - Seventh Aliyah
Read the biblical text and try to understand it on your own, before reading the commentary.
Moses sees the land, and the Torah is sealed before the eyes of all Israel
The last aliyah of the Torah describes the final moments of Moses’ life and the transition to the leadership of Joshua. Moses goes up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of the summit facing Jericho, and from there God shows him the whole land, from Gilead and the north, through the land of Ephraim, Manasseh and Judah, and as far as the Negev, the valley of Jericho and Zoar.
God reminds Moses that this is the land promised to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, and lets him see it with his own eyes, but not enter it. After that Moses dies in the land of Moab and is buried in the valley facing Beth Peor, while the place of his burial is not known.
The Torah stresses that Moses was a hundred and twenty years old at his death, yet his bodily strength had still not faded. The children of Israel mourn him for thirty days, and after the days of mourning it also becomes clear that the leadership does not remain empty: Joshua son of Nun is full of the spirit of wisdom, after Moses laid his hands on him, and the people accept his leadership.
The last verses return to the figure of Moses and sum up his uniqueness: his special bond with God, the signs and wonders that were done in Egypt, and the great deeds that were done before the eyes of all Israel. So the Torah ends with the memory of Moses, the man who led Israel from Egypt to the threshold of the land.
Insights from the aliyah
Moses sees the destination even though he does not enter it
There is a deep moment of acceptance here. Moses devoted his life to leading Israel to the land, but he himself stops before the entrance. On the level of the idea, a person can complete a great mission even if others are the ones who carry on the final step.
True leadership cares for what will happen after it
The death of Moses does not create an absolute void, because Joshua is already ready for what comes next. On the level of the idea, one of the important tasks of a leader is to prepare the next generation and not to leave everything dependent on himself.
Mourning is given its place, but it does not stop the road
Israel weeps for Moses thirty days, and afterwards moves on. On the level of the idea, it is possible to give full place to loss and still allow life and the mission to continue.
The greatness of Moses is not measured only by miracles
At the end of the Torah the signs, the wonders and the great deeds are mentioned, but alongside them also his unique bond with God. On the level of the idea, outward might alone does not explain the figure of Moses. It is bound to the depth of the bond and the mission.
The ending returns us to the whole road
The last moment does not stand alone. When the Torah mentions Egypt, the signs and the deeds before the eyes of Israel, it is as if it looks back on the whole journey. On the level of the idea, only at the end of a long road can one see how far away the starting point was.
The generation changes, but the covenant does not change
Moses dies, Joshua takes up the leadership, and the people continue on to the land. This is a sharp transition between eras, but the spiritual and national direction continues. On the level of the idea, people change, yet a mission can pass from generation to generation.
The burial place of Moses remains hidden
The Torah notes that no one knows the place of his burial. Without adding an explanation that is not stated here explicitly, the fact itself creates a special ending: Moses leaves behind not a site of tangible memory, but a Torah, a people and a mission that continued after him.
The Torah ends before the eyes of all Israel
The last phrase returns the gaze to the whole people. Moses is not only a private figure, but a leader who acted before the eyes of Israel and for their sake. On the level of the idea, the ending stresses that the greatest legacy of a leader is seen in what remains within the people after he is gone.
Chazak chazak venitchazek (Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened)
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