| And this is the blessing with which Moses, G-d’s agent, blessed the children of Israel before his death. | Vezot Habracha asher beirech Moshe ish Haelokim et bnei Yisrael lifnei moto. | וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַךְ מֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי מוֹתוֹ׃ |
Moshe/Moses Gazing at the Land of Israel
Reading the Torah: EVERYONE is called to the Torah!
In Parashat Nitzavim, we read that ALL OF US received the Torah. The young and the old, the men and the women, the educated and the ignorant, the rich and the poor.
To remind us of this, in most synagogues EVERYONE gets an Aliya to the Torah, even children (though there may be an adult with them to make it official)! Some synagogues have group aliyas, some have many, many aliyas, but we are all part of the covenant, pursuant to which we received the Torah we are now celebrating!
This Parsha Nosh recalls this moment.
Torah Thoughts
Parashat Vezot Habracha, though a parsha in its own right, is never actually read on Shabbat unless that Shabbat falls on Simchat Torah (does it ever? There are some holidays that never fall on certain days). Rather, it is read on Simchat Torah, immediately after which we immediately begin reading again from Bereishit / Genesis. In this way, we learn that we never FINISH studying Torah; we always continue.
This emphasis on the cycle of life and learning is a constant in Judaism. Most familiar to readers will be the round Challah traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashana, showing that there is no end.
After we “finish” reading the Torah on Simchat Torah, we move forward in two ways: we begin again with Bereishit, but the Haftara is the beginning of the book of Joshua, the next chapter in our sagain in which the nation of Israel crosses in to the promised land, which is parceled out, as promised, with a portion to each adult male, plus to each of the daughters of Tzlofchad!
You may want to look ahead to Bereishit; some years (like this one) we have three days in a row, so you want to be prepared!