Addict Torah's Mission: To interrogate Torah deeply so as to create space, connection and safety for people with addictive patterns and behaviors that have led them to a crisis of the spirit to tell and shape their stories for the purpose of healing, growth, and a return to their whole selves.
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(א) וְזֹ֣את הַבְּרָכָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר בֵּרַ֥ךְ מֹשֶׁ֛ה אִ֥ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לִפְנֵ֖י מוֹתֽוֹ׃
(1) This is the blessing with which Moses, God’s man [my translation], bade the Israelites farewell before he died.
(א) וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ אִ֖ישׁ מִבֵּ֣ית לֵוִ֑י וַיִּקַּ֖ח אֶת־בַּת־לֵוִֽי׃
(1) A certain man [my translation] of the house of Levi went and took [into his household as his wife] a woman of Levi.
(4) When Moses charged us with the Teaching
As the heritage of the congregation of Jacob.
Because this verse is such a pithy expression of fundamental Jewish beliefs - that the Teaching was commanded by Moses, that it is a heritage, and that it belong to the entire people, not just to an elite group - the rabbis selected it and the first verse of the Shema (Deut. 6:4) as the first bible verses to be taught to a child when they are able to speak. It appears in Ashkenazic prayerbooks as part of a brief morning prayer for young children. In the Sephardic and Middle Eastern liturgy it is one of the verses recited when the Torah is lifted during the Torah-Reading service.
(יג) וּלְיוֹסֵ֣ף אָמַ֔ר מְבֹרֶ֥כֶת יְהֹוָ֖ה אַרְצ֑וֹ מִמֶּ֤גֶד שָׁמַ֙יִם֙ מִטָּ֔ל וּמִתְּה֖וֹם רֹבֶ֥צֶת תָּֽחַת׃ (יד) וּמִמֶּ֖גֶד תְּבוּאֹ֣ת שָׁ֑מֶשׁ וּמִמֶּ֖גֶד גֶּ֥רֶשׁ יְרָחִֽים׃ (טו) וּמֵרֹ֖אשׁ הַרְרֵי־קֶ֑דֶם וּמִמֶּ֖גֶד גִּבְע֥וֹת עוֹלָֽם׃ (טז) וּמִמֶּ֗גֶד אֶ֚רֶץ וּמְלֹאָ֔הּ וּרְצ֥וֹן שֹׁכְנִ֖י סְנֶ֑ה תָּב֙וֹאתָה֙ לְרֹ֣אשׁ יוֹסֵ֔ף וּלְקׇדְקֹ֖ד נְזִ֥יר אֶחָֽיו׃
(13) And of Joseph he said:
Blessed of יהוה be his land
With the bounty of dew from heaven,
And of the deep that couches below; (14)
With the bounteous yield of the sun,
And the bounteous crop of the moons;
(15) With the best from the ancient
mountains,
And the bounty of hills immemorial;
(16) With the bounty of earth and its
fullness,
And the favor of the Presence in the Bush.
May these rest on the head of Joseph,
On the crown of the elect of his brothers.
(28) Thus Israel dwells in safety,
Untroubled is Jacob’s abode,
In a land of grain and wine,
Under heavens dripping dew.
(כט) אַשְׁרֶ֨יךָ יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל מִ֣י כָמ֗וֹךָ עַ֚ם נוֹשַׁ֣ע בַּיהֹוָ֔ה מָגֵ֣ן עֶזְרֶ֔ךָ וַאֲשֶׁר־חֶ֖רֶב גַּאֲוָתֶ֑ךָ וְיִכָּחֲשׁ֤וּ אֹיְבֶ֙יךָ֙ לָ֔ךְ וְאַתָּ֖ה עַל־בָּמוֹתֵ֥ימוֹ תִדְרֹֽךְ׃ {ס}
(29) O happy Israel! Who is like you,
A people delivered by יהוה,
Your protecting Shield, your Sword
triumphant!
Your enemies shall come cringing before you,
And you shall tread on their backs.
One might note that the Torah ends with an inversion of the patriarchal narrative beginning; God tells Moshe, ‘you will not enter this land,’ as he first commanded Avram, ‘go from your home.’ The irony of those paired commands is unmistakable. Avram/Avraham will become uprooted as the first part of God’s promise to give his successors Eretz Yisrael. Yet his direct descendant, Moshe, will be denied entry into that very land, and the final fulfillment of the covenant with Avraham will not take place in the Torah at all (the process of conquering the land begins in the Haftorah).
(ה) וַיָּ֨מׇת שָׁ֜ם מֹשֶׁ֧ה עֶבֶד־יְהֹוָ֛ה בְּאֶ֥רֶץ מוֹאָ֖ב עַל־פִּ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ (ו) וַיִּקְבֹּ֨ר אֹת֤וֹ בַגַּי֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מוֹאָ֔ב מ֖וּל בֵּ֣ית פְּע֑וֹר וְלֹא־יָדַ֥ע אִישׁ֙ אֶת־קְבֻ֣רָת֔וֹ עַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃ (ז) וּמֹשֶׁ֗ה בֶּן־מֵאָ֧ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֛ים שָׁנָ֖ה בְּמֹת֑וֹ לֹא־כָהֲתָ֥ה עֵינ֖וֹ וְלֹא־נָ֥ס לֵחֹֽה׃ (ח) וַיִּבְכּוּ֩ בְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֛ה בְּעַֽרְבֹ֥ת מוֹאָ֖ב שְׁלֹשִׁ֣ים י֑וֹם וַֽיִּתְּמ֔וּ יְמֵ֥י בְכִ֖י אֵ֥בֶל מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (ט) וִיהוֹשֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֗וּן מָלֵא֙ ר֣וּחַ חׇכְמָ֔ה כִּֽי־סָמַ֥ךְ מֹשֶׁ֛ה אֶת־יָדָ֖יו עָלָ֑יו וַיִּשְׁמְע֨וּ אֵלָ֤יו בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ וַֽיַּעֲשׂ֔וּ כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה׃ (י) וְלֹא־קָ֨ם נָבִ֥יא ע֛וֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל כְּמֹשֶׁ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֙ יְדָע֣וֹ יְהֹוָ֔ה פָּנִ֖ים אֶל־פָּנִֽים׃ (יא) לְכׇל־הָ֨אֹתֹ֜ת וְהַמּוֹפְתִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֤ר שְׁלָחוֹ֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם לְפַרְעֹ֥ה וּלְכׇל־עֲבָדָ֖יו וּלְכׇל־אַרְצֽוֹ׃ (יב) וּלְכֹל֙ הַיָּ֣ד הַחֲזָקָ֔ה וּלְכֹ֖ל הַמּוֹרָ֣א הַגָּד֑וֹל אֲשֶׁר֙ עָשָׂ֣ה מֹשֶׁ֔ה לְעֵינֵ֖י כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃
(5) So Moses the servant of יהוה died there, in the land of Moab, at the command of יהוה. (6) [God] buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, near Beth-peor; and no one knows his burial place to this day. (7) Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died; his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated. (8) And the Israelites bewailed Moses in the steppes of Moab for thirty days. The period of wailing and mourning for Moses came to an end. (9) Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands upon him; and the Israelites heeded him, doing as יהוה had commanded Moses. (10) Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses—whom יהוה singled out, face to face, (11) for the various signs and portents that יהוה sent him to display in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his courtiers and his whole country, (12) and for all the great might and awesome power that Moses displayed before all Israel.
Before Isaac was born, no outward signs distinguished the chronological age of one person from another. So when Isaac and Abraham would go out together, Abraham would get carded, too, because no one could tell them apart. But Abraham, one hundred years old when his son was born, felt unappreciated for the person who he had become and the life he had lived. He asked, therefore, to be crowned with outward signs of his age – and thus it was as a reward that the physical signs of aging entered the world. Wrinkles and grey hair, then, are not of any inherent worth, but they are the outward markers of the older person – the experience in the vessel – and thus they are a crown of honor, not an excuse for Botox injections.
That Moses never died is deduced from the biblical verse that asserts that no one knows his burial place to this day (Deut. 34:6). As evidence that Moses is sleeping and not dead, Sifre on Deuteronomy reinterprets the verse Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died, his eyes were undimmed and his vigor unabated. Here the final phrase reads literally ‘his moisture had not dried up,’ and apparently implies that even at the advanced age when he died, Moses was still sexually potent. …one reason given for Moses avoiding death is that because he perfected himself during his lifetime, he rectified the sin of Adam that brought death into the world. Therefore he did not die.
But Israel were not the only mourners for Moses. God Himself wept for Moses, saying 'Who will rise up for Me against the evil-doers? Who will stand up for Me against the workers of iniquity?"
The ways in which the midrash says Moses dies and is buried:
- God buries Moses
- Moses buries himself (also in Islamic literature)
- Moses is buried by celestial beings
- Moses lies down in a grave that is being dug for him by angels
- Moses' grave is created in twilight on the sixth day of creation
- The Roman government looked for Moses' grave, but could not find it
- He disappeared into thin air
Rabbi Hayim Vital once dreamed that it was the ancient custom of Israel to bring the body of Moses to the synagogue on Simhat Torah. The reason for this custom is that Simhat Torah is the day of rejoicing with the Torah that had been given through Moses. Furhtermore, on this day the Torah portion that is read from Deuteronomy recounts the death of Moses. Now the day of the festival arrived, and they brought the body of Moses to the synagogue in Safed. It took many men to carry to body inside the synagogue for it was at least ten cubits long. Then the body, wrapped in a white robe, was placed on a very long table that had been prepared in advance. But as soon as the body of Moses was stretched out on the long table, it became transformed into a scroll of the Torah that was opened to its full length, like a long letter, from the first words of genesis to the end of Deuteronomy. And in the dream they began to read the words of the Torah, starting with the creation, and they continued until they reached the last words, “displayed before all Israel” “before the eyes of all Israel” (Deut 34:12 – last words of the torah)
The fact that Moses’ gravesite is unknown, poses a major challenge in the development of Judaism. Religions tend to develop as the glorification of some great man. …But here the message becomes, “Don’t look to Moses…it is really not about him…the Torah is about YOU.” Once I asked, “Show me where Moses is buried.” I was told: “It’s not out there. Moses is buried within YOU.” The challenge for each one of us is to plant and tend the seeds of prophesy. Each of us must stand up to Pharaoh, take our shoes off at the burning bush, receive the Divine Name, sweeten our bitter waters, and journey courageously through the wilderness. Each one of us must come to Sinai and receive Torah for ourselves.
(יז) וָאֶתְפֹּשׂ֙ בִּשְׁנֵ֣י הַלֻּחֹ֔ת וָֽאַשְׁלִכֵ֔ם מֵעַ֖ל שְׁתֵּ֣י יָדָ֑י וָאֲשַׁבְּרֵ֖ם לְעֵינֵיכֶֽם׃
(17) Thereupon I gripped the two tablets and flung them away with both my hands, smashing them before your eyes.
(א) ולכל היד החזקה. שֶׁקִּבֵּל אֶת הַתּוֹרָה בַּלּוּחוֹת בְּיָדָיו: (ב) ולכל המורא הגדול. נִסִּים וּגְבוּרוֹת שֶׁבַּמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא (עי' ספרי): (ג) לעיני כל ישראל. שֶׁנְּשָׂאוֹ לִבּוֹ לִשְׁבֹּר הַלּוּחוֹת לְעֵינֵיהֶם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "וָאֲשַׁבְּרֵם לְעֵינֵיכֶם" (דברים ט') וְהִסְכִּימָה דַעַת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְדַעְתּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "אֲשֶׁר שִׁבַּרְתָּ" (שמות ל"ד) — יִישַׁר כֹּחֲךָ שֶׁשִּׁבַּרְתָּ:
(1) ולכל היד החזקה AND IN ALL THAT STRONG HAND — this refers to the fact that he received the Torah that was on the Tablets, in his hands. (2) ולכל המורא הגדול AND IN ALL THAT GREAT TERRIBLENESS — the miracles and mighty deeds that were wrought in the great and terrible wilderness (cf. (Sifrei Devarim 357:45). (3) לעיני כל ישראל [WHICH MOSES SHOWED] BEFORE THE EYES OF ALL ISRAEL — This refers to the fact that his heart inspired him to shatter the Tablets before their eyes, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 9:17) “And I broke them before your eyes” (Sifrei Devarim 357:45), and the opinion of the Holy One, blessed be He, regarding this action agreed with his opinion, as it is stated that God said of the Tablets, (Exodus 34:1) אשר שברת "Which you have broken"/asher shavarta, [which implies] "May your strength be fitting (יישר; an expression of thanks and congratulation) / yishar kochacha she-shavarta because you have broken them" (Yevamot 62a; Shabbat 87a).
He is on the track of Canaan all his life; it is incredible that he should see the land only when on the verge of death. The dying vision of it can only be intended to illustrate how incomplete a moment is human life, incomplete because a life like this could last forever and still be nothing but a moment. Moses fails to enter Canaan not because his life is too short but because it is a human life.