A Thought on Parshas Vzos Habracha
"...va'yamas sham Moshe eved HaShem...""...and HaShem's servant Moshe died there..." (34:5)
In all of the Torah with its many descriptions about Moshe, this is the only time where he is referred to as eved HaShem. It is intriguing that only upon his death does HaShem refer to him as His servant. Surely Moshe served HaShem while he was alive! How did he serve, or continue to serve, once he was no longer living?
Rabbeinu Bachya addresses this. He offers that great people draw close to HaShem during their entire life. Their work and reputations live on, even after they depart this life. They remain close to HaShem, closer than during the mortal phase of existence, once they have transcended to the realm of the spiritual and the numinous.
He notes that we find that the title "holy person" (kadosh) is also given after a person dies. The verse in Tehillim 16:3 refers to "the holy ones who are in the ground" about which the Midrash says that only with death does one cease their struggle with mortal conflicts and ascend to a higher existence. This is where their holiness will be demonstrated and will endure.
Rabbeinu Bachya closes with the interpretation that this is what we declare each time we recite the Kedushas HaShem section of the daily Amida: "Ata Kadosh, v'Shimcha Kadosh, u'kedoshim b'cal yom yehalelucha sela" - You are holy, and Your name is holy and holy ones praise You always and forever. The "holy ones" there do not refer to angels or celestial heavenly forces. The kedoshim are those whose souls are now elevated on High where their avoda is constant, enduring and eternal. Those of us down here may aim to be constant servants of HaShem but we are distracted by every stimulus and demand as well as by those diversions which we make for ourselves. It is a rare person who can be called a kadosh in this life. Still, if we aim to serve and if we value the concept of living as an eved HaShem, we place ourselves along the path of kedusha. Or, if we place ourselves out of the reach of our many distractions, this too can be a path toward kedusha.
This is the final sidra of the year and I am sending out these thoughts early since we will not be reading V'zos HaBracha on a Shabbos, and the next time we have a Shabbos parsha will be three weeks away when we begin Bereishis the day after Simchas Torah.
This marks my completion of the commentary of Rabbeinu Bachya on the Torah. I learned wonderful lessons through his insights and hope that you too have learned to appreciate this great Rishon. I will begin a new commentary with the onset of Bereishis with HaShem's blessing and help, and look forward to continue the learning and teaching of Torah each week.
Good Shabbos, good Yom Tov and good New Year. D Fox
In all of the Torah with its many descriptions about Moshe, this is the only time where he is referred to as eved HaShem. It is intriguing that only upon his death does HaShem refer to him as His servant. Surely Moshe served HaShem while he was alive! How did he serve, or continue to serve, once he was no longer living?
Rabbeinu Bachya addresses this. He offers that great people draw close to HaShem during their entire life. Their work and reputations live on, even after they depart this life. They remain close to HaShem, closer than during the mortal phase of existence, once they have transcended to the realm of the spiritual and the numinous.
He notes that we find that the title "holy person" (kadosh) is also given after a person dies. The verse in Tehillim 16:3 refers to "the holy ones who are in the ground" about which the Midrash says that only with death does one cease their struggle with mortal conflicts and ascend to a higher existence. This is where their holiness will be demonstrated and will endure.
Rabbeinu Bachya closes with the interpretation that this is what we declare each time we recite the Kedushas HaShem section of the daily Amida: "Ata Kadosh, v'Shimcha Kadosh, u'kedoshim b'cal yom yehalelucha sela" - You are holy, and Your name is holy and holy ones praise You always and forever. The "holy ones" there do not refer to angels or celestial heavenly forces. The kedoshim are those whose souls are now elevated on High where their avoda is constant, enduring and eternal. Those of us down here may aim to be constant servants of HaShem but we are distracted by every stimulus and demand as well as by those diversions which we make for ourselves. It is a rare person who can be called a kadosh in this life. Still, if we aim to serve and if we value the concept of living as an eved HaShem, we place ourselves along the path of kedusha. Or, if we place ourselves out of the reach of our many distractions, this too can be a path toward kedusha.
This is the final sidra of the year and I am sending out these thoughts early since we will not be reading V'zos HaBracha on a Shabbos, and the next time we have a Shabbos parsha will be three weeks away when we begin Bereishis the day after Simchas Torah.
This marks my completion of the commentary of Rabbeinu Bachya on the Torah. I learned wonderful lessons through his insights and hope that you too have learned to appreciate this great Rishon. I will begin a new commentary with the onset of Bereishis with HaShem's blessing and help, and look forward to continue the learning and teaching of Torah each week.
Good Shabbos, good Yom Tov and good New Year. D Fox
posted by Rabbi Dr. Fox at 2:50 PM
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