CHAPTER 33
1. Now this is the blessing [V'zot haB'rakhah] with which Moshe, the man of Elohim, blessed the descendants of Israel before his death:
The man of Elohim: A title for prophets. (1 Kings 12:22; 13:1; 17:18; 20:28, etc.) This is the only time anyone is called this in the Torah. Moshe, being a very humble man (Num. 12:3), did not call himself this; Y’hoshua, who would soon become leader in his place, did. He wrote this epilogue to Moshe’s writing, and gave him his proper title. The one who spent his whole life as Moshe’s protégé and followed him even up Mt. Sinai, gave him the greatest compliment anyone could receive. Moshe was not sick, but he had been told he was going to die; he was actually commanded to die! Impending death has a way of clarifying one’s thoughts. Moshe wants to make sure that what he leaves behind is cared for. He has hundreds of thousands of children”. He is trying to tie up every loose end. He has appointed Y’hoshua his successor, since he knows how Moshe operates. With his last breaths, the man who has laid down his life for YHWH’s people expresses hope that they will return to his words after they go astray, as he knows they will do. It is as if he is giving them a map of the way back. He makes sure they know their history and what is expected of them because of the covenant they have with YHWH. “Bless” is a religious word, but in Hebrew it is not so mysterious. It means “to bend the knee”. Clearly we bend the knee to YHWH, but how, then, does He bless us? With the same joy and eagerness that a parent lowers himself to speak to his child on his level. One becomes the servant to the one he blesses, whether YHWH or one’s children. This is the last time Moshe is serving his people in this way. It is every bit as powerful as when he called down plagues or split the sea or brought water from the rock. Our blessing, too, can have genuine power if we walk in Torah. He gave us an example of how we can speak positive things into the lives of others, especially our children, telling them, “You can do it! This is where you do well and where you can excel.” Moshe, the man who heard YHWH’s own words and who struggled to speak Hebrew after 40 years in Egypt and 40 in Midyan, knows the importance of the right choice of words. He does not waste any; every one is exact and for a reason. Even a word as commonplace as “shalom” is a blessing; it is a wish that the person we are addressing will be made complete and have total well-being. It is more than a mere greeting). A blessing is not empty words; it genuinely can imbue our children with power and protection. What words he has heard in his lifetime—words that changed history forever and freed Israel, words that angered YHWH and words that gave Israel its covenant! The words that follow are those he chose to be his final words; they must be worthy of our attention:
2. He said, "YHWH came from Sinai, and broke out for them from Seir; He shone forth from the mountains of Pa'aran, and He arrived from [among] multitudes of holy ones. From His right hand [came] a flaming decree for them.
Seir: the mountains in the land of Edom, near Petra in Jordan today. Pa'aran: west of the Aravah, south of the main inhabited area of Kanaan. Multitudes: myriads (tens of thousands or even millions). He is bigger than the mountains He dwells on, and rises still higher than they. In ancient thought, an elohim was limited to the boundaries of his territory (compare 32:8). We might expect Him to "come from" Mt. Tzion or Moryah. But He chose exile from the Land until He brought His own people back with Him. He came out from these mountains and into Egypt and brought us out of there and into another Land. He was not bound by someone else's lines. Those who grew up in the wilderness would certainly have seen Him as at home there. Moshe gives the indication that even when we did not know it, YHWH was already caring for us and protecting us with His hand. There should have been much greater damage from our enemies or from our own actions than there was, and He already had His holy ones with Him when He brought the plagues on Egypt. He emphasizes that it is for Israel. It will eventually cover the whole earth, but we are the "guinea pigs" by which He tests it. When we get it right, it will set the course for the entire world to do so too. This "fiery ruling" is the whole Torah condensed into a very intense form: "Love YHWH with all your heart, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." As Hillel said, the rest is commentary.
3. "For certain, He loves the peoples; all His set-apart ones are in your hand, and assembled at your feet. [Each] is carried by your words."
Encamped: or assembled, settled down. The imagery in verse 2 is of flames shooting forth from His hand and blasting whatever they touch. Fire always has an effect—either purifying (separating off the slag or dross) or is an agent of destruction, and is sometimes both at the same time (killing off bacteria and sterilizing). A proper relationship with the fire can keep us warm, cook our food, or purify our water. The fire can either destroy the things that we hold onto that weigh us down, or it can bring us great discomfort, disfigure us, and even kill us if approached wrongly. If the flame is in His right hand and we are in His left, when He claps His hands together, we will be consumed. So He did not expose us to the fire until we set ourselves at His feet (an idiom for His festivals, per Exodus 23:14). The whole world may be in His hand, but the fire will inevitably come, and the place of safety is at His feet, where we learn to use His fire properly, to expose the profitless things to it and burn them away. The fire gives us light with which to view ourselves in the mirror of His Torah. Are we loving Him and our neighbors as we should? Are we ready to appear before the Judge of the Universe? If we ask ourselves the questions that each festival brings, we can learn to judge ourselves so we will not be judged when He brings judgment, for fire cannot burn the same place twice. If the shofar stirs you on Yom T’ruah, if you suppress your appetites on Yom haKippurim, dwell in a sukkah and rejoice on Sukkoth, and eat unleavened bread for the week beginning at Passover, you are loving YHWH. We are not just going to a confessional so we can be absolved and go back and sin again, but repent intensely during the season for it so that we can continue to repent more readily all year long. The “your” here may also refer to Moshe or Y’hoshua, who were given responsibility for the set-apart people—an evidence that YHWH loves them.
4. Moshe appointed instruction for us--[it is] the possession of the congregation of Yaaqov,
Possession: The Hebrew word means something to seize and occupy, not an inheritance like we have to wait until our fathers die to receive. This is not something down the road. The Hebrew word for “instruction” here is torah. That is the ultimate weapon: Love YHWH with all you are and have, and love your neighbor as yourself. This conquers the Land. We cannot wait for any situation to change before we start keeping the Torah. It is offered to us, not given, for no one can justly be forced into a legal contract. But we have to take responsibility for it before we can be given our inheritance in the Land of Israel. Notice also that it is only offered to the congregation as a whole, and not outside this context. If we are not assembling, we cannot possess the inheritance of the Torah. We cannot do the Sabbath or festivals in isolation, for they are called “called-out assemblies”. How can we love our Israelite neighbors if we have none? When we are all together, our theories are tested and we can tell whether we are really loving one another. We cannot play with fire, thinking only of “What’s in it for me?” We have to ask, “What’s in it for YHWH?” and “Who else has He given me to care for?”
5. and he became king in Yeshurun when the heads of the nation, the branches of Israel, had gathered themselves in unity:
King: the context leads us to surmise that it is Moshe that is being spoken of here, though we seldom think of him as a king as such. But he was in charge, and in order for all the tribes to again be united, we must be in submission to what Moshe wrote. YHWH was the truest King, but He had made Moshe the lawgiver. It appears that at that time, as will occur again, all Israel “appointed for themselves one head”. (Hoshea 1:11) There was only one time we were gathered: in the wilderness; after that we spread out. Yeshurun means “the upright one”--a name YHWH only called Israel by when all the tribes were united, as here, for Torah (often referred to as “Moshe”) is only king when we are gathered; after the exile, we were never called by this name again. But we can again be. Verses 4 and 5 are an explanatory parenthesis by Y’hoshua; now Moshe’s words resume:
6. "Let Re'uven live and not die, and let his persons be counted.
TThe only blessing Moshe offers this tribe is survival, but that is a large one in light of the fact that a son who took his father's concubine must die (Lev. 18:8; 20:11), and Re’uven did this. (Gen. 35:22) Because of his instability, Yaaqov had said he would not carry over (Gen. 49:3ff), i.e., that no Reuvenites would remain. This suggests that there were at least a vocal few who were as ambivalent toward Re’uven as Yaaqov was, apparently arguing for that tribe’s exclusion from the congregation, especially when Moshe had trouble from some of them (Num. 16:1). But Moshe, who seems to know Yaaqov’s children better than he did, takes back the curse and grants a pardon for his descendants (possibly since the Torah had not yet been given when Re’uven did this) so that they would not be barred from inheriting along with the other tribes. There is hope if his sons repent. (Compare Yeshayahu 56:3ff)
7. And the [same holds] for Yehudah: he said, "O YHWH, hearken to the voice of Yehudah, and bring him near to his people; his hands are strong for it, and You will be the One who helps [free] him from his oppressors."
Moshe confirms Yaaqov's blessing on Yehudah, which is the reason Jews have been so prosperous--so wealthy that they can tie their donkeys to a vine, either because it is so strong that they cannot pull it up, or because they have so many to spare that it does not matter. (Gen. 49:8ff) They have served the wealth a little too heavily, but this is also a blessing on his brothers. They will bow down to him, but he is expected to act on their behalf. Moshe wants to be sure his heart is toward his brothers. Yehudah prays daily for the outcasts to be regathered, and this includes all Israel, not just the Jews, but most Jews do not recognize this. Yehudah was already estranged from his brothers as early as Genesis 38--shortly after Yoseyf was taken to Egypt. Ever since then, his tribe has been inclined to shun or shy away from the rest of Israel (sometimes indeed for the sake of greater holiness), but Moshe prays that this can be healed. It is still a necessary prayer today, and we pray it with him. May Moshe's merit push it over the hump! One reason this tribe was given leadership over the others may have been to keep it together with the rest of Isreael. This worked for a while, but the unity must again be restored. (Yesh. 11:13) Though Yehudah has the crown, Yoseyf has a birthright (1 Chron. 5:2), which is why Efrayim could hold a separate crown for some time, but we have to be willing to again trust a Jewish king with both crowns. (Y'hezq'el 37:22) From his oppressors: or "out of his tight spots". Yehudah has survived as a distinguishable group throughout history, though every major power has tried to destroy them.
8. And for Levi, he said, "Your thummim and your urim are for your devout man whom you put to the test at Massah [the place of testing]; against him you contended over the waters of Merivah [strife]--
Massah and Merivah: where Moshe struck the rock and brought water the first time; the history is in Ex. 17:7. Thummim...urim: perfections and lights, which comprise part of the high priest's equipment. Devout man whom you proved: though this appears to be a negative aspect of Levi's history, here is a positive too:
9. "the one who tells his father and mother, 'I have not seen them.' Neither did he acknowledge his brothers or recognize his [own] children, because they have preserved Your utterance and [faithfully] kept guard over Your covenant.
Seen: i.e., considered. This sounds negative at first, but it refers to the fact that a high priest, and other priests to a lesser degree, could not even bury most members of his closest family (Lev. 21), because YHWH's work comes first. Though they started off poorly, they repented and were willing to forget even their own families to serve YHWH. Yahshua, who functioned as our high priest, was tested on this very point (Mat. 12:46ff), and this verse gave Him the authority to say that His truest family on earth was those who do YHWH's will. He passed on this same standard (that of the Levites) to His followers. (Mat. 10:34ff; Luke 14:26) Any who wish to follow him must agree to this job description. Also, all the Levites stepped across the line Moshe drew in the sand, and slew their fellows who rebelled. (Ex. 32:26; Num. 25:7ff)
10. "They will teach Your [proper legal] customs to Yaaqov, and Your instruction to Israel. They will set incense before You, and a whole burnt offering upon Your altar.
They (the priests) will teach: This is the authority for Malakhi 2:7.
11. "Bless, O YHWH, his substance, and accept the things done by his hands. Shatter the loins of those who rise up against him, and keep those who hate him from rising up [again]!
Moshe’s own tribe gets the biggest blessing because YHWH chose them. Shatter the loins: what Levi did that Yaaqov was not proud of. (Gen. 49:5) He did not accept the work of their hands, saying, “Make sure they do not get to use their hands; they are dangerous!” Moshe turned his curse of scattering to a positive usefulness. He said, “YHWH, make sure they get to use their hands; they’re skilful!” He even wrote the account of that event (Gen. 34) in such a way as to give Levi and Shim’on the last word: “Should they treat our sister like a whore?” Yaaqov did not respond, but Moshe did. Levi would indeed continue to shed blood for YHWH’s sake, but in a different way.
12. For Binyamin he said, "YHWH's beloved will dwell in confidence beside him, as a covering [shield] over him all day [long], and he shall dwell between His shoulders."
Beside: or "over". The threshing floor David (whose name means “beloved”) bought and on which the Temple was later built was located partly in Binyamin's tribal land. And the two tribes that have shouldered the burden best have been Yehudah and Yoseyf, and Binyamin has a strong connection to both: Yehudah promised to guarantee Binyamin’s safety. (Gen. 43:8; notice that it is “Yehudah and his brothers” who come to Yoseyf’s house to eat) But Yoseyf is his only full-blooded brother. So he is the connection point between the two, bringing the balance they need. He may be represented today by those who are bridging the gap between Jews and those returning from the Northern Kingdom.
13. For Yoseyf he said, "His land is that which is blessed by YHWH from the excellencies of heaven, from the dew, and from the depth that stretches out beneath,
Depth: or floods; beneath: both of Yoseyf's tribes have well-watered territories with many aquifers, the Golan (Bashan), Mt. Hermon, and the headwaters of the Yarden River
14. "and from the best products yielded by the sun, and for the precious things driven by the lunar cycles,
Lunar cycles: or months. This might refer to the sea tides, but also and probably more importantly, to the new moons and the significance they have in determining the times of YHWH's holy appointments each year Interestingly, it is the house of Yoseyf that is re-establishing the observance of new moons, more so than the house of Yehudah, though there has always been a remnant of the latter who marked them.
15. "and from the tops of the ancient [eastern] mountains and the best of the everlasting hills,
16. "and from the excellencies of the earth and its fullness, and the delight of the One who resides in the bush--may it come upon the head of Yoseyf and on the top of the head of the one kept separate [from] his brothers.
Fullness: Yaaqov prophesied that Yoseyf's son Efrayim (whose own name means “doubly fruitful”) would become "the fullness of the nations" (Gen. 48:19). The bush: the burning bush in which YHWH confronted Moshe. Separate from his brothers: not only historically in the man Yoseyf himself, but also his descendants, who have been apart from Yehudah for so long, yet have been given significant spiritual blessings as well. But physical blessings also followed Yoseyf around; this is an agricultural blessing, and the places his two sons have largely inhabited (Britain and the United States) have been the bread-baskets of the world, the most agriculturally-productive lands in history. The latter phrase is a direct allusion to Yaaqov’s own blessing in Gen. 49, for the word for “separate” is nazir—an untrimmed or untended vine left to grow on its own, which Yaaqov said would grow over a wall.
17. "His majesty is like the firstborn of his ox, and his horns are like the horns of a re'em. With them he shall push the peoples together [from the] edges of the Land, and they are the myriads of Efrayim and the thousands of Menashe."
Why would being like the firstborn of his ox (or bull) be a blessing? Because the firstborn belongs to YHWH, and the bull is the highest offering that can be brought to the Temple. One can never keep it for oneself or redeem it; it belongs to YHWH alone, and Yoseyf was born for exactly that purpose. That is a true blessing! Even the credit they tried to give him for interpreting dreams he diverted to its rightful source. Re'em: some say it is a unicorn, but the horns are plural here, so it is probably an extinct species of wild ox. Yoseyf's "horns" are his two sons, sent out into all the world to bring together the nations or ethnic groupings. Edges of the Land: i.e., for the unity of Israel and the preservation of the Land of Israel itself. Even Yehudah will become jealous over what Yoseyf does in this respect. Alt., ends of the earth. Those who have delved most deeply into the wanderings of the "lost" tribes (often all grouped under Efrayim in scripture) have deduced that Efrayim can largely be represented today by the British Empire, and Menashe by the United States--the two nations that have in the latter days sent more people to the "ends of the earth" (cf. Mark 13:27; Acts 1:8) for the purpose of placing all nations under one King, though only recently has it come back to light that the purpose is actually to regather all Israel to become a literal kingdom. Myriads (ten thousands) … thousands: Menashe was the larger tribe numerically, but Efrayim may be described as ten times more because Efrayim reigned over ten tribes. Horns in particular connote military power, and these two nations are two of the strongest militarily to this day.
18. To Z'vulun he said, "Be glad, O Z'vulun, in your going forth, and Issachar, in your tents.
These are military blessings. In Judges, we do not see these two tribes prove very strong militarily; it may be that they were given this blessing because they needed it the most. By calling them by a better name, they would be more likely to rise to the occasion.
19. "They will summon the people to the mountain; there they will slaughter sacrifices of justice, because they will suck bounty from oceans and treasures hidden [in] whirling sand."
The mountain: i.e., the Temple Mount. Whirling sand: or writhing dance.
20. For Gad he said, "Blessed is the One who widens Gad; he settles down like a [roaring] lion, and tears in pieces an arm--no, [even] more: [the] top of a head.
Widens: implicitly, to make more room for him. We are told that the scepter will somehow be hidden in Gad. An arm: forearm or shoulder, or, by extension, strength or forces. Top of a head: or scalp. The picture seems to be one of a person cringing into a fetal position with his arm over his head to defend it, and the lion biting through the arm into the head. Widens: Gad's territory could extend further east into the desert. Or is he talking about the latter days? (It does not expressly say so, as Yaaqov did.) Collins says Gad is found in modern-day Germany: Is this describing the German quest for "lebensraum" (living space)?
21. "He also eyes the choice part for himself, because there a portion of one who enacts decrees is hidden, and he arrived [as] heads of the nation; he carried out YHWH's justice and His rulings with Israel."
Eyes the choice [first, best] part--again, like a lion. A portion: or a slippery parcel of ground. A portion of [a lawgiver] is hidden: Rabbi Moshe Koniuchowsky links this "hidden scepter" with the "one who enacts decrees" in Gen. 49:10, noting that the scepter is in Yehudah's hands "until the one to whom it belongs comes"; then he (Messiah) may give it to whomever he wishes. We must not assume the right to make rulings remains in the hands of the Rabbinic successors to the P'rushim (Pharisees); Yahshua gave the "keys to the Kingdom" (Mat. 16:19) to his emissaries; maybe Shim'on Kefa, whom he was addressing directly, was of the tribe of Gad! We don't know; it was hidden. But the keys will be given back to Yehudah when Yahshua returns as the rightful heir to the throne. Yehudah being hidden in Gad may even be a prophecy of Yiddish (a form of German) being the chief language spoken by Jews for centuries, preserving much of the Torah lifestyle until Hebrew was revived as its native tongue.
22. For Dan he said, "Dan is a lion's cub; he will leap from the Bashan."
Bashan: today called the Golan Heights, and this is where the tribe of Dan later captured and inhabited a city (Laish), though it was not their original tribal territory. (Judges 18)
23. To Nafthali he said, "O Nafthali, abounding in favor and filled with the blessing of YHWH, take possession of the west and the south."
Take possession of: or occupy. West and south: or "the sea and southward". The tribal land of Nafthali stretched along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (Kinnereth). Could its later manifestation have been Spain (and its kin Portugal), which conquered much of the West, especially the southern part?
24. For Asher he said, "Asher is blessed with children; may he be pleasing to his brothers, and dip [plunge] his foot into oil.
Asher's tribal land is shaped like a shoe facing south, with the Karmel/Haifa Peninsula being the tongue and its bay the opening. American oilman "Hayseed" Stephens discovered oil reserves deep beneath the area which forms the "toe" of this shoe! And by another interpretation of the tribe's borders, John M. Brown of the Zion Oil and Gas Company) has been exploring the Haifa area, and found vast reserves, which also have not yet been exploited. Pleasing: or, acceptable.
25. "Your shoe-latches shall be iron and bronze; and as your days, so your affluence [will be].
Again the imagery of the shoe shows up in the first phrase! Affluence: possibly "strength", but apparently from a root meaning "to flow" and related to a verb meaning "to glide over". A shoe dipped in oil would certainly do that! What follows is now to all of Israel again:
26. "There is none like the El of Yeshurun, who mounts and rides the sky to [become] your help, and the clouds in His majesty.
What about Shim'on? Where is he in this blessing? He would be included either with Levi or Yehudah, having been scattered in the same way as Levi but without the special task Levi was given.
27. "The ancient Elohim is your refuge [dwelling-place], and underneath is the eternal shoulder. And He will drive out the enemy from before your face, and say, 'Annihilate!'
Despite how great the poetic description of these blessings is, what YHWH Himself is to us is the greatest blessing. Refuge: or dwelling place; connotes a place to be at home. No matter what political know-how, military might, or natural resources we may have, YHWH is our deliverer. That He wants to help us is the greatest advantage of all. Yet He sets up the ambush and tells us to finish the job. Shoulder: or arm, a symbol of strength. More than a mere safety net, He is a support so we will be strong and not fall to begin with.
28. "Then Israel can settle down in safety, separately. Yaaqov's fountain [eye] shall be on a land of grain and freshly-pressed wine; moreover, his skies will drop down dew.
When we make YHWH, not the U.S. or U.N., our refuge, we will not have to live side-by-side with enemies who do not keep their promises.
29. "O Israel, you are blessed! Who is like you, O people being liberated by YHWH? [He is] the defense shield surrounding you with help and the one who is the sword of your majesty! Those who treat you with hostility will cringe in feigned obedience to you, and you will march on their high ridges."
Blessed: the word is much richer in Hebrew than the English “happy”, which is related to mere "happenstance". It is based on advancing in a straight line, making progress, and being set right, not just being blessed materially. The final blessing is one of military victory—that we will overcome our foes, both those who keep us out of the Land and the things inside us that keep us out of the land. March on their high ridges: or "tread down their cultic worship platforms" (i.e., in desecration of their false elohim). There may be some reference here to the enemies Yehudah wants to hand over the high ground to based on the unlikely faithfulness to a promise to remain demilitarized. But our enemies are whatevertells us to worship anything but YHWH. Do not fight the wrong enemies, which do not really threaten us. He will liberate us, but we must tread down the false ideas about YHWH that hold so many in bondage, even if they are ideas that make people feel nice. The lies are strongest where they are closest to the truth, for they are harder to recognize. Pay no honor to what they worship. Cringe in feigned obedience: Hirsch, "renounce their principles to you"--a much wiser response! The fire in YHWH’s hand burns away our enemies, whether they be human, or simply bad habits, ignorance, apathy, wrong traditions, or bad teachings. Moshe’s final summation of all of his teaching is that we can overcome what opposes us, but YHWH will only do so when we set our hands to it. YHWH has bailed us out on so many occasions, as a father despite so much of what we had done. Now it is time for us to “grow up” instead of continuing to whine about our own personal preferences. Once we cross the Yarden, we will be held accountable for so much more; our debts will be our own, like a grown child’s. Whatever we do that disgraces YHWH will now have consequences. Moshe is trying to prepare us for this. He will take His Land back if we do not show enough appreciation for what He is giving us to come get it from Him. All religions speak of a “judgment day” at the end of the age, but only the Torah gives us one each year, so that we do not need to wait until we are dead to have our rough edges removes, though we do need to die to self and whatever else keeps us from loving Him and our neighbors. Then we can get even closer to His warming, life-giving fire.
CHAPTER 34
1. Then Moshe climbed from the desert-plains of Moav to the mountains of Nevo, to the head of the summit which faces Yericho, and YHWH let him see all the land--Gil'ad as far as Dan,
How did Y’hoshua know what Moshe saw? He was Moshe’s student. When Moshe is said to have ascended the mountain “alone”, Y’hoshua still turns out to have been there. Such an understudy seems inseparable from Moshe, so it is more than likely that he went at least part of the way with Moshe again. Desert-plains: Heb., aravot, the plural of the special term for the Rift Valley through which the Yarden River flows, so he appears to have left the rest of the people already down near the river, poised to cross over. Gil'ad: directly north of Mt. Nevo. Dan is a city at the extreme north of Israel, though originally its tribal land was on the coast near present-day Tel Aviv. The order in which he lists them indicates that Dan had already moved partially to the northern location before Y’hoshua wrote this epilogue. Nevo: related to the word for prophet—an appropriate memorial to Moshe, and giving it a new meaning, for in Babylon, Nevo was the name of a deity. Modern Babylon also worships the “prophet like Moshe”, legitimate as his true position is, and the prophetic in general is held in higher esteem than it warrants in the sense that everyone wants to know about tomorrow today. Speculators think they will be the rich ones if they can anticipate tomorrow’s conditions. But we are not even promised tomorrow, so Yahshua says not to worry about it. (Mat. 6:31ff) In Hebraic context the purpose of the prophet is to, as Moshe does here, see the Kingdom. YHWH used the manna, which was to be gathered for one day at a time, as a test of what we would do with tomorrow. (Ex. 16:4) Would we obey and trust Him, or serve a Security that ends up disappointing us with a stench that exudes death? When we need it, there is nothing left, whereas if we serve YHWH today, He will be there tomorrow when we need Him. Yes, a farmer must prepare for the harvest, but only YHWH can bring the harvest, so once we do our part, we can forget about it and take care of what we have been given today. Otherwise we rob YHWH of both today and tomorrow, for tomorrow we have already promised to the demon Security, so all we have to give YHWH is yesterday—our past failures that we hope He will forgive. But if we know the Kingdom is the reality of tomorrow, why do we worry about what we will eat tomorrow? “Tomorrow” is an unclean idea. Christianity, like the Egypt Moshe left behind, spends all its energy on preparing for the afterlife. But we cannot do anything for the Kingdom after we are dead. (Psalm 115:7) The Torah is about today! Walk in it, and tomorrow never comes. If we use the excuse that the Kingdom is tomorrow, we will put off the regathering of Israel that He has given us to do on the day that does exist—today. Getting caught up in eschatology has made many forget the battles of today, and thus they are not ready for them. We are not to wait on the Kingdom; we are to become it by loving those around us and thus acting like its citizens. That is the way it will arrive. If a bus driver waited at the bus stop for the bus to arrive, it never would, for it is his job to bring it there. Do not wait for Yahshua to do what He has given us to do. He has finished His part. We cannot wait for a spectacular cosmic event before we put the Kingdom first. Our return to being the people of Israel who make up the Kingdom is that event. Look for ways to love YHWH by loving our true neighbors, and we will not have time for tomorrow today. This is our test. Moshe climbed: Foreshadowing Yahshua, he was obedient even unto death, for he could have decided to stay in the desert-plains (literally the place of mixture) and stay alive a little longer. YHWH is also calling us from the mediocre plain of self where footing is more sure to the more dangerous terrain of community life, because from there we can see the Kingdom much more clearly. We have to die to self to get there.
2. and all Nafthali, the land of Efrayim and Menashe, the whole land of Yehudah to the sea beyond it [to the west],
The view from Mt. Nevo into Gil'ad.3. and the Negev, and the district of the plain of Yericho, the city of palm trees, to Tsoar.
City of palm trees: it still is that today. Plain: literally, a place torn or split open, which is exactly how the Rift Valley, in which Y'rikho sits, was formed during the S'dom and 'Amorrah catastrophe. Tsoar: the small town at the southern end of the Dead Sea to which Lot asked permission to flee temporarily after the destruction of S'dom. But the numeric value of the name is 360, suggesting trhat Moshe's life (let alone his panoramic view of the Land) had come "full circle". He only mentions the territories he would be able to see the face of from his vantage point. He had already seen Re'uven's land, and he was in Gad's at the time. Asher, Z'vulun, and Yissakhar's would be hidden behind the mountain range and the Galil; Nafthali's peaks would be visible on the far side of the Kinnereth. Binyamin's land would include Y'rikho, which is mentioned.here, just not by his name. And of course, Shim'on was "hidden" within Yehudah. Across the Dead Sea he could see the beginning of the Negev desert, which is just beyond Matsada. Of course, it must have been much less hazy then to be able to see to the Mediterranean! But his eye was not dim. (v. 7) Moshe may have even identified for Y’hoshua where some of the tribes should be placed.
4. And YHWH told him, "This is the land which I swore to Avraham, Yitzhaq, and Yaaqov, saying, 'I will give it to your descendants'. I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over to there."
Moshe’s obedience, even agreeing to YHWH’s punishment, is amazing. But seeing the Land of promise is a big thing as well. This is his reward for putting up with Israel’s constant griping and moaning for 40 years. He saw the territory of Efrayim and M’nasheh, who for 2,700 years did not see our connection to the Land, but are now looking toward it again, not as a thorn in the side of peace or something to slow down oil production, but as the Land of our ancestors and what our covenant is about. We can go beyond what Moshe was able to do, so let us make the most of this privilege.
5. Then Moshe the servant of YHWH died there in the land of Moav, according to YHWH's word.
He died, but we are not told how. If we did know how such an illustrious leader died, we would probably somehow build a doctrine around it, saying that the most spiritual would have to die in the same way, etc. It is noteworthy that the “word” that immediately preceded his death was, “You won’t be going there.” It is almost as if these last words of YHWH to him were what killed him. He died upon command; that is how obedient he was! With no argument, he died because YHWH told him to. As many couples who have been married for many decades end up dying around the same time, Israel in the wilderness in YHWH’s presence was Moshe’s mate, even more than his wife was, for she is hardly heard from once he begins this task. He clearly loves Israel, or he would not have put up with them when they disappointed him so many times. When he told YHWH, “If You are going to destroy them, destroy me too”, it was almost a wedding vow. This is what he put all of his time and affection into. Israel is YHWH’s bride, but Moshe was standing in as His surrogate. This stage of Israel’s history is about to end, and he knows it. When that relationship is no longer possible, his job is done; it was time to die, so Moshe remained in season. He understood that his part of the job was complete. It is a very wise man who knows when it is time to get out of the way. He has already seen their mouths watering for land and prosperity. YHWH did him a favor by not letting him see them scattered, even within the Promised Land; Moshe was just not made for that. This phase of our history is dying, so Moshe dies with it. He goes on to the Kingdom, the more mature version of the Israel he had known. Realizing that this was really a reward for him helps us deal with the sadness we feel about his death after leading us for 40 years. It is as if we are losing a father, for he invested so much of himself, from which we still benefit.
6. Then He buried him in a steep gorge in the land of Moav, toward Beyth-Pe'or [place of the cleft], but until this day no one knows the site of his burial.
He buried him: Since he did not die of natural causes (v. 7), did YHWH cause an earthquake that made him fall into the gorge and then an avalanche to cover him up--and in the process lower the mountain so that we can no longer see as far as one used to be able to see from there? Or does the "he" refer to Y'hoshua instead? No one knows: If Y'hoshua did bury him, he was not telling anyone where. He knew better. Yehudah (Jude) verse 9 upholds a tradition that the archangel Michael disputed with the devil about Moshe's body. Considering how the brass serpent he made became an object of idolization later, how much more would the body of Moshe be idolized? (See note on 3:26) And people would keep coming back out of the Land to pay him homage. He was buried in a valley so he would not be set too high. Yahshua was also buried in a borrowed tomb, and no one knows for sure where it was, but just as he was resurrected, Moshe is also already alive in the Kingdom, for Yahshua spoke to him (Mark 9:4), and it is against Torah to speak with the dead. So we should not seek the living among the dead, as the angels said.
7. So Moshe was 120 years old when he died; his eye had not grown dim, nor had his vigor departed.
Vigor: or freshness; literally, moisture. He was without the ravages of time. When he approached, his presence was still strongly felt. He was old, but not worn out or shriveled up. He died not due to frailty or sickness, but because it was time to die. He died not from being weak and worn out, but because it was time for Y’hoshua to take Israel into the Land. In Scripture, 40 years symbolizes a complete era, after which it is time for a transition. Moshe had lived through three different “lifetimes”, so now it was time for a new cycle to begin. An eye that is not dim is also a Hebrew idiom for selfless generosity (as Yahshua alluded to in Mat. 6:22). He was not thinking of himself, but of YHWH’s will. A different kind of leader is needed for the next task, but he delivered YHWH’s sheep right to the doorstep, to the border, as far as he could go. Then he rested, moving on to his reward. It took far longer than he had imagined, for such a journey should not have taken more than three months, if they were lollygagging and buying souvenirs! But he stuck with it and finished his task—a great accomplishment, considering that Y’hoshua and the rest of Israel have still not finished the next stage to this day! There has never been a time when all the enemies were removed from the Land. David came close, but not all the way. In contrast, Moshe got his job done. He could say “It is finished” and it was even more immediately true than when Yahshua said it, because the second or third generation of his followers got so far off track that his actual work of restoring the lost sheep of Israel is only starting to get done again today. Only Moshe got the job done in his lifetime.
8. Then the descendants of Israel bewailed Moshe on the plains of Moav for thirty days, then the days of weeping and the period of mourning for Moshe were completed.
Traditionally, this 30 days was from Adar 1 through Aviv 1. This seems short compared to the 70 days for Yaaqov (Genesis 50), though the 70 who entered Egypt came from him. But maybe by having 30-day mourning periods for both Moshe and Aharon (Num. 20:29), YHWH was correcting the excesses of the mourning for Yaaqov, which was, after all, done by an entourage from Egypt, which was obsessed with death. The typical minimal period of mourning is seven days, though a lesser degree of mourning is carried on for a year in Jewish tradition today. Of course, they did not have his body to anoint and prepare for burial. Since by tradition Moshe died on the new moon, they may have reasoned that with the next renewal, we should move on from death. They had truly lost a soul with whom they had exchanged energy; they had known him as leader all their lives. But there is a time to mourn, and a time to put mourning behind us. If they had just said they would sit there and die like Moshe had, Moshe would have failed. Y’hoshua brought them out of this and said, “Don’t fail Moshe! Do what he said to do!” They delayed their journey for 30 days—an honor Y’hoshua gave to his master. But there is also a season to stop mourning, and they remained in season. The next renewal was also the Aviv, which meant there were other issues pressing as well. We were now approaching Passover, so it was time to cross over, by the very definition of the day and its history. All but the priests would even “skip” the water, for the river would take a holiday too so they could cross on dry ground again. It would take at least a day for everyone to break camp and walk to the Yarden. This left less than two weeks to move, to cross over, and to be circumcised, which, at least by Levi and Shim’on’s reasoning, they would want to do at least three days before Passover because they would essentially be immobilized. Before they crossed over, Y’hoshua also sent the spies to Y’rikho, which took at least four days. So during these two weeks, they were quite busy. If they had learned anything from Moshe, it was “Keep moving!” Moshe had continued to walk when things looked hopeless and most would have given up. There are times to rest, but even the season to “stand still and see YHWH’s deliverance” only lasted a few minutes. (Ex. 14:10ff) Again, Y’hoshua told them to walk on. It was time to leave behind the other things they had invested themselves into, and not get stuck in their circumstances. If we fear anything, it should be to stay still when YHWH has kept moving. Neither hard times nor easy times constitute a reason to stop moving when the journey is only half-done. Sometimes we cannot slow down, no matter how we feel. Even while we await the next stage of our journey, we need to walk in YHWH’s commands, and He will then walk in our midst. (Lev. 18:3ff; 26:3-13) The shepherd had been struck, but this time the sheep were not scattered, because Moshe had appointed another shepherd to succeed him. There was another adventure waiting ahead. The next level is completely different, like each floor of a museum. We cannot say we have seen it all if we visited only one floor. So, not satisfied to merely be doing better than most people, they now turned to Y’hoshua and said, in essence, “Okay, boss? What now?” Moshe would be proud of them. They obeyed Y’hoshua, at least for Moshe’s sake:
9. But Y'hoshua the son of Nun became filled with the spirit of wisdom, because Moshe had leaned his hands on him, and the descendants of Israel listened to him, and did as YHWH had commanded Moshe.
Now Y'hoshua uses the name Moshe gave him, but still mentions his father in order to honor him. Moshe would be a hard act for anyone to follow. But Y'hoshua does not give any hint of competing for a "legacy". He simply uses well the authority he was given--an excellent example for us. He is realistic about the wisdom that he now possesses, but gives credit where it is due--an excellent example of the balance of true humility. He did not He was not trying to start something new, just like the one who later bore his name. He was turning a page, but still kept walking in Moshe's words, as Yahshua did. We, too, can credit Moshe for our wisdom. ("This [Torah] is your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, who will hear all these statutes and say, 'Surely this nation is a wise and understanding people!'" – Deut. 4:6) Moshe put his weight (an idiom for authority) on him so he could carry the weight of the Torah--though that burden is light when we divest ourselves of the dead weight of selfishness. The details of this event are found in Lev. 27:18ff. It did not come by magic, but by his experience and Moshe's instruction. Any fool who keeps the Torah can become wise.
10. And since then, there has not arisen a prophet like Moshe, whom YHWH recognized face to face,
Moshe is someone whose whole life we see in Scripture. For 40 years he probably received the best education anyone could have received in his day, but then he had the balancing experience of hard labor for his father-in-law for the next 40. Y’hoshua gives great tribute to his teacher, admitting that, though he groomed him well for his job, he does not have what he had. He sees the facts clearly, as any leader must. He does not have the same relationship with YHWH that Moshe had; he does not hear from YHWH face to face as Moshe did. Aside from the times he received direction from YHWH through the priests in regard to war decisions, he heard from YHWH through Moshe. Like the judges, he was also a prophet, speaking what YHWH had already spoken in the Torah—which is the test of any true prophet.
11. with respect to all the signs and outstanding miracles that YHWH sent him to do in the land of Egypt for Pharaoh and for all his servants and to all his land,
The basis of Moshe’s face-to-face relationship with YHWH is the fact that Moshe did these signs and wonders, not just the words that YHWH had put into his mouth. Apparently he had done such an impressive job of shepherding that YHWH asked him to do a job for Him as well. Here was a descendant of Yaaqov tending sheep! There were not many Hebrew shepherds left anymore, after Israel had lived so long in a place where they were despised. But here was one! YHWH must have felt some nostalgia for Avraham’s day. So the f ace-to-face meetings never stopped, for he did what YHWH needed done, even if hesitant at first, and before long, he was stretching out his hand and speaking fluent Hebrew. To really hear His voice, it takes deeds. The more we do, the more we hear, and the more clearly we hear, the less we are at arm’s length. He knew YHWH because he obeyed—and saw the results. When YHWH says, “Do this, do this, and do this; I am YHWH”, it is not that He is saying, “Just do it because I am the boss.” He is not interested in us jumping through hoops; He tells us to do these things because by doing them we will see His heart, and get to know who He really is. He wants with us what He had with Adam—friendship. So stop hiding like Adam. But none of us can give YHWH all He wants; we need each other. Moshe is one of very few people with whom we see YHWH having a personal relationship as such, and even in his case it was still really about Israel. When we are hesitant to do what YHWH’s word clearly says, many use the fact that “He knows my heart” as an excuse, but He knew Moshe’s heart through what he did, and it is no different for us. (See 8:2.) We can tell Him something all day, but if we do the opposite, we cannot pray our way into knowing YHWH. Yes, we need to talk with Him, or we cannot know Him, but without deeds, He “never knew us”. Words certainly matter (so do not overuse them), but they are not enough. We cannot pray a starving person full, as Yaaqov (James) said; we must pray, but we must put even more time into action. Even on Yom haKippurim, we cannot merely fast, Yeshayahu 58 says; we must use that day to make sure that others are able to eat afterwards. He tests us to see if we will walk in His commands, even if there appear to be miraculous proofs that we should follow something else. (13:1-6) What we do tells Him whether we are the kind of people He wants working for Him. How much we prove to care shows Him how much care He needs to put into us. The tests also tell us where we stand with YHWH. May we merit being allowed to stand before Him face to face as well!
12. and with respect to all the hand of firm grip and with regard to all the great awe-inspiring acts which Moshe carried out in the eyes of all Israel.
YHWH gives Moshe credit at the last, and never even mentions the reason why He said he had to die. (v. 5) He is depicted as very cooperative, even if reluctant. He ends on a positive note. But it is done before all Israel, so all of us could say, “I need to be like that.” Moshe said, “Look at me” not because he needed to be looked at (he did not want to be), but because he was what Israel needed to follow. “Emulate me” is a scary thing to say, for it entails much accountability, but we must be brave enough to say it when others need to know how it is done, and we know how to do it. YHWH redeems the people as a whole, but individuals must be redeemed by a kinsman. Moshe, like Yahshua after him, came to do just that. He gave us a map to follow so we can walk the same path. Again, we are telling the Church and any other false doctrines, "Let my people go!" The last word of the Torah is “Israel”. The first word is b’reyshith. The This book is not about the Church, personal salvation, or even the salvation of the world. It is about Israel. Creation was all for the purpose of men being in covenant with YHWH, which is what Israel is about. The Torah is not complete until Israel is functioning in its fullness. The Torah was given to Israel. A house not built on a rock cannot stand; without the foundation of the Torah, the “New Testament” has no authority. We are grateful for the prophets that point us back to the Torah, but the Torah is the heart of the matter. The last letter in the Torah is lamed; the first is beyth. Together they spell lev, the Hebrew word for “heart”. The Torah was written to reveal YHWH’s heart to us so our hearts could be changed. And there is more: Beyth means “house”, for the Torah is the blueprint of how to build YHWH’s house. Lamed is from the word lamad, which means “to learn”, and in another form, “teach” (cause others to learn). The final message Moshe leaves with us is a command to learn what YHWH’s heart is about, then show it to someone else who cares. Once the Torah becomes our heart and we do teach it to others, we will get back to the beginning and become the “House” of Israel again; then we can go back home. We are not quite ready to depart, but we are “putting our shoes on”. Let us not delay, but strengthen our grip and live it out properly as a unified people this time!
Parashat
V'Zot haB'rakhah
(Deuteronomy 33:1 - 34:12)
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