Typically, V’zos Habracha isn't read on Shabbos. Instead, as I wrote last year, it's read right after Hoshana Rabba. However, this Shabbos, as we celebrate Shemini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, we will be reading V’zos Habracha. So let’s learn more about this final parashah.
Zig Ziglar once remarked:"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." A fresh start can inspire us to create positive change. It infuses our actions with purpose and do things that are more meaningful and focused. On the contrary, endings often leave us weary and seeking respite before starting again.
Yet, on Simchas Torah, moments after finishing the Torah, we quickly begin reading it again. How do we find the energy to restart so soon?
The answer lies at the conclusion of each Chumash, when we exclaim three powerful words: “Chazak Chazak Venischazeik!”
What is the significance behind this tradition?
To understand this let us take a look back at the last pesukim of the Five Books of the Tora…
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