Of Endings and Beginnings
A thought for Simchas Torah and V'Zos Habracha
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 Torah, there is an intriguing connection between all of them. Each of these pesukim alludes to challenges the Jewish people faced:
Bereishis concludes with the descent of the Jews into Egyptian exile, marking the onset of a significant challenge for the nation.
Shemos discusses the clouds of Glory and pillars of fire that supported the Jews through their strenuous desert trek.
Vayikra ends with the ominous curses of Parashas Bechukosai, underscoring the weight of responsibility and the challenges of upholding the mitzvos.
Bamidbar details the myriad challenges faced during the forty-year desert journey.
Devarim closes the entire Torah with the heartfelt pasuk: “all of the great might and awesome feats of Hashem that Moshe carried out in front of the Jews.” Chazal reference this to the sin of the Golden Calf, a disturbingly anticlimactic way to end the Torah?!
These Pesukim show a recurring theme: the Jewish people’s tenacity and unyielding perseverance in the face of challenge. This also brings us to the question: Why does V’zos HaBracha conclude with the sin of the Golden Calf, a moment of profound collective failure?
The Torah serves as the ultimate guide for our daily inspiration. The majority of pesukim in the Torah begin with the letter Vav. This letter means “hook” which signifies connection, flow, and continuance. The Torah charts our path forward, guiding us during tumultuous times. The last pasuk is meant specifically as the parting advice, the summary as to how to stay strong and focused in the times of challenge. Hashem sends many challenges into our lives and it is only through these tests that we bring out our otherwise dormant greatness.
We see that no matter the depth of our descent or magnitude of our failures, Hashem's arms remain outstretched, awaiting our return. This is His greatness and His awesome actions which the pasuk describes. A most powerful and relevant message indeed!
Just as the last Pasuk of the Torah shows us how to move forward in life, the concluding Parashah, V'zos Habracha, teaches us how the Jewish people should advance collectively.
Let’s go deeper into V’zos Habracha. This parashah is brief but pivotal, detailing Moshe Rabbeinu's final moments. It is here that Moshe delivered his parting words of blessing to the Bnei Yisrael.
Despite four decades of frequently reproaching them, Moshe, in his last moments, sought to extol the virtues of the Jewish people. Rashi uses the phrase “If not now, when” to explain the Bracha of Moshe.
While Moshe, or any other leader, may need to chastise the people to keep them on track. (And Moshe even took it so far that he faced his own mortality outside the Promised Land due to such rebukes). Nonetheless, it is imperative to uplift the spirit of the people as well. The time for Moshe to do that was in the moments before his death. His aim was not merely to be remembered as a disciplinarian but as a leader who recognized their worth, encouraged them and showed that they are worthy of Bracha.
Rav Yerucham Levovitz teaches1 that praise mirrors a bracha. Commending someone spotlights their deservingness for bracha. Historically, this approach has been a hallmark of our sages and leaders. While there are moments that necessitate admonition, it's crucial to sandwich them with praise.
One of the questions that we often ask ourselves as Jews is what is the secret of our survival?
We have suffered crushing losses and defeat throughout our history, yet we remain a people, we remain strong. How?
It is only through our Torah.
On Simchas Torah, we're reminded that while we yearn for the vibrant festivities in a fully restored Eretz Yisrael and Yerusahalayim and to rejoice in the Mikdash, still, even in galus, our bond with Hashem through the Torah remains unshaken. The Torah is a value system that spans continents, cultures and languages.
Rabbi Sacks poignantly observed2 the dichotomy of joy in Succos and Shemini Atzeres. While the former celebrates the tangible blessings of the Promised Land, by Simchas Torah, our joy pivots to the intangible: the Torah. Despite the colossal losses Jews faced over millennia, the Torah remained the beacon of hope. Rabbi Sacks remarked, "A people that can walk through the valley of the shadow of death and still rejoice is a people that cannot be defeated by any force or any fear... Simchat Torah was born when Jews had lost everything else, but they never lost their capacity to rejoice.”
Moshe's ultimate message was this: Despite the rebukes and the trials, the Jewish people remain worthy of blessings and praise. Their unwavering devotion to the Torah serves as a testament. They have the resilience to start afresh, and with each iteration, it can be even more enriching.
Chazak Chazak Venischazeik encourages us to bolster our resolve, and even if we falter, to find the fortitude to march forward. While harnessing this tenacity we are invigorated. We see on Simchas Torah that ending off Devarim with Chazak Chazak Venischazeik has an immediate effect and we can immediately start Bereishis again with renewed strength and resilience.
The exhilaration of concluding a book of Torah lies not just in the completion but in the anticipation of revisiting it with renewed insights. With the enhanced perception and wisdom acquired from our recent Torah reading, we eagerly embark on Chumash Bereishis once more, aiming to uncover deeper layers of understanding and grasp its teachings with even more depth and gratitude.
Chazak Chazak Venischazeik
Daas Torah, V'zos HaBracha