Vezot ha'Bracha (ןזאת הבְּרָכָה) This is the Blessing- Audio Podcast Oct 22, 2022

Just as the song recognizes the total harmony of God: past, future and the present, without conflict, in complete synchronization, the covenants of God also do not conflict or replace each other but add clarity to one another. All covenants stand with God

The song of Moses an invitation to covenant

In this week’s Torah portion we will continue to explore the significance of Moses’ legacy and the eternal work of God

Our Torah portion now includes a prayer after the song

Moses prays a blessing over each one of the children of Israel

My hope is that we understand the the prayer and the blessings of God

What they mean

And the prophetic nature of the blessings

Presentation

What does the Prayer of Moses tell us?

BLESSING OF MOSES

Deuteronomy 33:1 (NKJV)

Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

Moses continues tradition which began with Jacob - blessed the tribes before his death

Genesis 49:28 (NKJV)

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father spoke to them. And he blessed them; he blessed each one according to his own blessing.

This is a common and typical designation of a Prophet

Deuteronomy 33:1 (NKJV)

Now this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.

1 Samuel 2:27 (NKJV)

Then a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Did I not clearly reveal Myself to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?

1 Samuel 9:6 (NKJV)

And he said to him, “Look now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is an honorable man; all that he says surely comes to pass. So let us go there; perhaps he can show us the way that we should go.”

The man of God

The same title that applies to Moses in

Joshua 14:6 (NKJV)

Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: “You know the word which the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea.

The man of God who knew the words of God

Title: A prayer for Moses the Man of God

Psalm 90:1 NKJV

Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

For Moses, That is, a prophet. This designation suggests that Moses’ remarks about the tribes have the power of prophetic predictions and prayers.51

1 Jeffrey H. Tigay, Deuteronomy, The JPS Torah Commentary (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1996), 318.

These final words a combination of Blessing and Prophecy

The blessing for each tribe according to its national responsibilities and individual greatness

ןזאת הבְּרָכָה= These are the blessing

Is the way Jacob ends his blessing and the way Moses starts his

This is implies that this blessing is a continuation from Jacob’s

Blessed from the beginning of their existence to the beginning of their life in Eretz Yisrael.

This is also the word he uses in

Deuteronomy 4:44 (NKJV)

Now this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel.

Torah

ןזאת - teaching

This is the law - to remind them that the way to achieve the blessings of its Patriarch and Teacher is by studying and observing the Torah, learning from his own walk:

Because he was also told he would die because he failed to sanctify God’s name in the presence of the nation, remember?:

Deuteronomy 32:51–52 NKJV

because you trespassed against Me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Wilderness of Zin, because you did not hallow Me in the midst of the children of Israel. Yet you shall see the land before you, though you shall not go there, into the land which I am giving to the children of Israel.”

The leader is not only strong, wise, with principles, but he also needs to be saintly and kindly- able to sanctify the name of God

Able to be a Man of God

Next Verse

Deuteronomy 33:2 (NKJV)

And he said: “The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand Came a fiery law for them.

The Lord came

Moses praises God by recalling what makes Israel worthy of His blessing: God revealing Himself to Israel at Mount Sinai to give them the Torah

The Bible describes God surrounded by radiance and glory:

Psalm 104:2–3 NKJV

Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind,

Beams of Glory

Matthew 17:1–2 NKJV

Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.

Deuteronomy 33:2 (NKJV)

And he said: “The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand Came a fiery law for them.

And dawn on them from Seir (where Esau’s descendants live)

And shown forth Mount Paran (where the Ishmaelites dwelled)

Numbers 6:22–27 NKJV

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’ “So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them.”

Judges 5:4–5 NKJV

“Lord, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth trembled and the heavens poured, The clouds also poured water; The mountains gushed before the Lord, This Sinai, before the Lord God of Israel.

Habakkuk 3:3 NKJV

God came from Teman, The Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah His glory covered the heavens, And the earth was full of His praise.

Deuteronomy 33:2 (NKJV)

And he said: “The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand Came a fiery law for them.

And He came with 10 thousands of saints

His holy angels came with Him. He is the lord of hosts

Daniel 7:10 NKJV

A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.

Revelation 5:11 NKJV

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands,

Psalm 68:7–8 NKJV

O God, when You went out before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Deuteronomy 33:2 (NKJV)

And he said: “The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand Came a fiery law for them.

He came with a “fiery law to them”

Because it caused thunder and lightning every time He said something

Exodus 19:16–18 NKJV

Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire. Its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly.

Deuteronomy 4:11 NKJV

“Then you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire to the midst of heaven, with darkness, cloud, and thick darkness.

Daniel 7:10 NKJV

A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him. A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was seated, And the books were opened.

Matthew 25:32 NKJV

All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

2 Cor 3:7-9

Notwithstanding those awe-inspiring symbols of Majesty that were displayed on Sinai, the law was really given in kindness and love, as a means of promoting both the temporal and eternal welfare of the people. And it was “the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob,” not only from the hereditary obligation under which that people were laid to observe it, but from its being the grand distinction, the peculiar privilege of the nation.1

1 Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 141.

Next Torah Portion verses

Deuteronomy 33:3–4 (NKJV)

Yes, He loves the people; All His saints are in Your hand; They sit down at Your feet; Everyone receives Your words.

Moses commanded a law for us, A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.

His people will be at His right hand

They will sit down at His feet - just like Mary (John 12:1-3)

Everyone will receive His LAW

His people will not only be loyal to the teachings o the Torah, taught by Moses, but we will assure that it will remain with our children and theirs

Heritage:

We use both heritage and inheritance interchangeably sometimes.

R’ Mordecahi Gifter explains the difference:

INHERITANCE: belongs to the heirs to use and dispose of as they please

HERITAGE: is the property of the generations before and after, it is incumbent upon the heirs to preserve it intact.

In Hebrew,

מוֹרָשָׁה‎ (mô·rā·šā(h) = inheritance = possession

4627 מוֹרָשָׁה‎ (mô·rā·šā(h)): n.fem.; ≡ Str 4181; TWOT 920e—LN 57.125–57.141 possession, i.e., and inheritance that is received (Ex 6:8; Dt 33:4; Eze 11:15; 25:4, 10; 33:24; 36:2, 3, 5+)1

1 James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).

Sounds the same as

נְשׂוּאָה = married

Meaning that the Hebrew people and the Torah are considered like the bride and the groom. This is to be shared with every soul that joins the Hebrew nation and accepts the Torah - Ramban

Continue in our Torah Portion

Deuteronomy 33:5 NKJV

And He was King in Jeshurun, When the leaders of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together.

He was king (the Lord)

Jeshurun = Israel - means: straight, righteous - It defines Israel in its ideal state as God’s upright nation

Once Israel declared its eternal loyalty to the Torah, God became King of Jeshurun - because it is only among those who grasp and diligently involve themselves in the study that He is truly King

The Torah Himself is the King, for it is Israel’s ultimate authority

Judges 18:1 NKJV

In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking an inheritance for itself to dwell in; for until that day their inheritance among the tribes of Israel had not fallen to them.

When the scriptures lament that there was not king in Israel, It means that the people lagged in their obedience to the Torah.

For if anybody says he believes God but not in His Torah is the same as denying God Himself, because a king without authority is not a king

All people and the tribes gathered

God’s of Israel is King - especially of the people who are united to do His will, accepting God’s sovereignty, just like in Sinai

To gather with the nations to do what?

Before we answer this question let us consider that our Torah portion enters into the blessing Moses gives each one of the children of Israel. Each one of the children of Israel has a purpose and a meaning.

To further expand and present this we will intentionally skip the explanation on Reuben, the first born in Verse 6 and start with Judah in Verse 7

We will come back to Verse 6 at the end, and explain and expand the significance of that Verse.

12 Tribes Chart

Blessing of Tribes Chart

VERSE

TRIBE

BLESSINGS

MEANING

VERSE 7

JUDAH

Voice, hands for people. Bring together

Praise - Trumpet

VERSE 8

LEVI

Holy dedicated. Teach Judgements and Law

Keep and Observe LAW

VERSE 12

BENJAMIN

Safety between His shoulders

Protection

VERSE 13

JOSEPH

Land blessed. Dew. Fruit

Crown to guide people

VERSE 18

ZEBULUN - ISSACHAR

Joy – on the way and at home

Call to righteousness

VERSE 20

GAD

Justice and Law

Law Giver/ Executer

VERSE 22

DAN

Give birth/ jump into a new place

Rebirth

VERSE 23

NAPTHALI

Posses the West and South

Satisfied

VERSE 24

ASHER

Favored and strength – feet in oil

Strength

Missing Simeon

Gen 49:5-7

Joshua 19:1

Joshua 19:9

Deut 33:8-11

Numbers 26:14 (small and weak)

Genesis 34:30

Deut 27:11-12 (part of the blessings)

Deut 33:28-29

Back to

Deuteronomy 33:5 NKJV

And He was King in Jeshurun, When the leaders of the people were gathered, All the tribes of Israel together.

To gather the nations and Israel in unity?

What is the meaning of this?

How are we going to be unified?

What is that going to look like?

Deuteronomy 33:6 NKJV

“Let Reuben live, and not die, Nor let his men be few.”

Reuben’s Blessing:

that he would live in this world

that he would not die in the World to Come

He required this blessing because Jacob had chastised him for violating the bed of Bilhah

Genesis 35:22 NKJV

And it happened, when Israel dwelt in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard about it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve:

Moses blesses Reuben because:

He is firstborn

Genesis 46:8 NKJV

Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn.

First to receive a portion of the land

Moses would bless according to the order they conquer their portion (This is why you sometimes see a random order of the tribes)

Moses prays for him because he was destined to exile

Deuteronomy 29:27 NKJV

Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against this land, to bring on it every curse that is written in this book.

Leviticus 26:38 NKJV

You shall perish among the nations, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.

Moses prayed Reuben’s offspring always be included in the census of Jewish people

Deuteronomy 33:6 NKJV

“Let Reuben live, and not die, Nor let his men be few.”

Live in this world

Not die in the World to Come

Exodus 15:1 NKJV

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and spoke, saying: “I will sing to the Lord, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!

Deuteronomy 32:1 NKJV

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; And hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.

Deuteronomy 32:39 NKJV

‘Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; Nor is there any who can deliver from My hand.

Isaiah 26:19 NKJV

Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead.

Isaiah 30:25–31 NKJV

There will be on every high mountain And on every high hill Rivers and streams of waters, In the day of the great slaughter, When the towers fall. Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun will be sevenfold, As the light of seven days, In the day that the Lord binds up the bruise of His people And heals the stroke of their wound. Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar, Burning with His anger, And His burden is heavy; His lips are full of indignation, And His tongue like a devouring fire. His breath is like an overflowing stream, Which reaches up to the neck, To sift the nations with the sieve of futility; And there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the people, Causing them to err. You shall have a song As in the night when a holy festival is kept, And gladness of heart as when one goes with a flute, To come into the mountain of the Lord, To the Mighty One of Israel. The Lord will cause His glorious voice to be heard, And show the descent of His arm, With the indignation of His anger And the flame of a devouring fire, With scattering, tempest, and hailstones. For through the voice of the Lord Assyria will be beaten down, As He strikes with the rod.

Revelation 15:3 NKJV

They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: “Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!

1 Samuel 25:29 NKJV

Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the Lord your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling.

Luke 13:24–31 NKJV

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’ There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God. And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.” On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.”

Daniel 12:2 NKJV

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Job 19:25–27 NKJV

For I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

Mark 12:18–27 NKJV

Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying: “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. And the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.”

Acts 23:6–7 NKJV

But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!” And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.

Luke 24:5–7 NKJV

Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”

He is Risen

Hallelujah

Summary

Just like the song of Moses, the prayer and blessing of Moses shows the scope and depth of the covenant of God

All the tribes show a character of God in the covenant

God has come to an end of the completion of His covenant with the last step of the covenant

First born

Reuben is the first born

The Lord uses this blessing and praying to remind us of the resurrection was the plan from the very beginning

We owe this to the Pharisees

In Reuben we see the need to live and the need for a Saviour

In Yeshua we find that Saviour

Shabbat Shalom

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