Parashat V’Zot HaBerachah (And This is the Blessing)
D’varim (Deuteronomy) 33:1-34:12
Maftir: Bamidbar (Numbers) 29:35–30:1
Haftarah: Joshua 1:1-18
Shemini Atzeret and Shabbat Simchat Torah

This Shabbat is a very special Shabbat in Israel. We have reached the eighth day following the seven days of Sukkot, which Scripture calls Shemini Atzeret. The Lord commanded the children of Israel:

On the eighth day you shall have a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work.
Numbers 29:35

The Hebrew name Shemini Atzeret (שמיני עצרת) comes directly from this verse. Shemini means “eighth,” while atzeret carries the idea of an assembly or gathering. After seven days of celebrating Sukkot, God appointed an additional day for His people to gather before Him. Although it is connected to Sukkot, Scripture identifies it as a distinct appointed day.

Here in Israel, Shemini Atzeret is also the day on which we celebrate Simchat Torah, which literally means “Rejoicing of the Torah.” Simchat Torah marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings and the immediate beginning of a new cycle. We finish with the final words of Deuteronomy, and then we return immediately to the opening words of Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” It is a time of great celebration in synagogues, where the Torah scrolls are taken out and carried around in seven circuits, known as hakafot, accompanied by singing and dancing.

It is important to make a distinction between Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Shemini Atzeret is an appointed time commanded by God in Scripture, while the celebration of Simchat Torah and its customs developed later through Jewish tradition. Yet I believe there is something beautiful about setting aside a time of rejoicing that is centered on God’s Word.

God’s Word is a precious gift to humankind. Through His Word, we learn who He is, what He has done, His character, His faithfulness, and His desire for our lives. We cannot separate knowing God from knowing what He has revealed about Himself in His Word. This is why reading, studying, remembering, and obeying His Word are so important.

The foundation for everything that follows in Scripture is found in the first five books, commonly referred to as the Torah. In these five books, we learn about Creation, the entrance of sin into the world, God’s covenant promises, the calling of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the birth of the people of Israel, the Exodus from Egypt, and God’s instructions to His people. We also begin to understand His holiness, His justice, His mercy, His faithfulness, and His desire to dwell among His people.

There is also something meaningful about the way the Torah reading cycle ends and begins again. We do not finish Deuteronomy, close the Torah, and say that we have completed God’s Word. We immediately return to Genesis and begin again because there is always more for us to learn and understand, and there is always more room for God’s Word to shape our lives.

This week’s reading makes that transition especially significant. In the final chapters of Deuteronomy, we come to the end of Israel’s long journey through the wilderness under Moses. Moses looks upon the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but he does not enter it. He dies there, and Scripture closes his life with these remarkable words:

Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.
Deuteronomy 34:10

Moses’ life and duty on this earth had come to an end, but the promise that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was still very much alive. God did not change His promise because Moses was no longer there. He had promised the Land to the children of Israel, and He now tells Joshua to get up, cross the Jordan, and lead the people into it.

Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, ‘Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.’
Joshua 1:1-2

I believe there is something very important for us to understand here. The story was never about Moses, nor was it about Joshua. It was, and still is, about the faithfulness of God to His Word and to His covenant.

Joshua was now called to lead the children of Israel across the Jordan and into the Land. God’s instruction to him was clear, as he was to remain faithful to the Word that God had already given through Moses:

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may achieve success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified nor dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:7-9

I believe these words are also very fitting for Simchat Torah. There is nothing wrong with rejoicing, singing, and dancing because of God’s Word, but the Word of God was given to us for much more than celebration. God told Joshua to keep His Word before him, to meditate on it day and night, and to be careful to live according to it. I believe the same challenge is before us today. It is one thing to say that we love God and His Word, but it is another thing to allow His Word to direct the way we actually live out our love for Him. Yeshua Himself said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

Moses’ life came to an end, and years later, Joshua’s life also came to an end. The same will be true for every one of us, but the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob remains. His Word remains, and the covenant promises that He made do not depend upon the lifespan of any man.

We can see this clearly in what we read this Shabbat. God made His covenant promises long before Moses was born. Moses faithfully served the Lord and led the children of Israel through the wilderness, but when his life and duty on this earth ended, God’s covenant continued. Joshua was then called to lead the next generation forward according to the same Word and toward the fulfillment of the same promise.

We then return to Genesis and read once again, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” As we return to the beginning, we are reminded that before Abraham, before Moses, before Joshua, and before the nation of Israel existed, God was already there.

He is the eternal God, His Word is eternal, and His covenant is eternal. What He has spoken, He will faithfully fulfill.

Shabbat Shalom, and Chag Sameach!

Moran