Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Have you ever wanted to be just like someone else? And because you want that so badly, you start acting like them, maybe dressing like them, doing your hair like them, talking like them, whatever. While that may not be the most healthy thing you can do, there's a form of imitation that is extremely healthy and will enrich your life. Want to know more? Stick around for this week's five minute Torah. You you welcome back to our tribe. You're watching the channel that connects disciples of Yeshua to the Eternal Torah of God. It's great to be back with you here today. This week's Torah portion is the very last portion in the Torah cycle. Yes. This week we are studying the portion of Vizot Habracha deuteronomy 33, one through 30 412. And here are the three things that you need to know about it. Number one no respect for Vizot habracha. If you don't attend a synagogue that celebrates Simchat Torah, then this Torah portion can easily fall off your radar. Vizot Habracha is the very last reading of the Torah wrapping up the Book of Deuteronomy. But you'll never see it as one of the weekly Torah readings. Why? Because it's always read on Simchat Torah, usually in the middle of the week, together with Genesis one one through two. Three, if you're not familiar, simchat Torah, which means joy of the Torah or rejoicing of the Torah, is when we celebrate the renewal of the Torah reading cycle. It always falls at the end of sukot. After we read the portion of Vizot Habraka, we immediately roll the scroll all the way back to Genesis and start our reading again, so that the cycle of Torah reading never ends. We never quote finish learning Torah. We simply renew our commitment and begin afresh. Number two final blessings and unequal inclusions. The entire chapter of Deuteronomy 33 consists of the final blessing of Moses upon the children of Israel, blessing each of the tribes of Israel individually. At the beginning and end of this series of blessings. Israel is called yesharund. If you're not familiar with this word or its significance, you'll want to check out my commentary on Parshat Hai Zinu right here. It's interesting to note that out of all of the tribes, joseph gets the lion's share blessings, but Simeon is curiously omitted entirely. Why? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it. Let me know what you think in the comments below. And number three the death of Moses, written by Moses. This is where skeptics of the Torah's authorship point out what seems to be an impossibility. Why? Because in chapter 34, Moses writes of his own death and burial. Well, think about it from a purely logical perspective. How can a person write about their own death when that hasn't happened yet? However, the Torah isn't a logical book. It's Supra logical, meaning that its logic is one that is superior to human logic. And it contains prophecy, something that skeptics automatically discount if we believe in prophecy, why can't we believe that God showed Moses His death and what would transpire afterward? Can you believe it? In just a few short weeks, we'll wrap up the Book of Deuteronomy and start back in Genesis with a brand new Torah cycle. Now is the time to prepare for the new cycle by picking up a copy of one of the Five Minute Torah commentaries. I've had several people ask me what the difference between these books are. The difference is that they each contain unique messianic commentaries on each of the weekly Torah portions. If you're looking for a quick, thought provoking insight into the weekly Torah portions for your shabbat table, your family devotions, your small group, et cetera, any of the volumes of Five Minute Torah would be a perfect choice. And by purchasing a copy of these resources, you can help support this channel and the ongoing creation of quality messianic resources. Thanks in advance for your support. This week's Torah commentary is called Imitating God and comes from my book five Minute Torah, volume Two. A fundamental concept within Judaism is that we are to imitate God in certain ways. This concept is described by Maimonides in his work Guide for the Perplexed as Imitatio Day or Imitation of the Divine. We can see this pattern in several places in the Scriptures, but one of the most explicit is Leviticus 19 two. It says, you shall be holy, for I the Lord your God, am holy. We imitate Hashem's holiness, his uniqueness, when we imitate his deeds. For example, we read about God clothing, Adam and Eve in their nakedness. Just as God gives clothes to the naked, so should we give clothes to those who need them. We see the Lord sending three angels to visit Abraham immediately after his circumcision. In Genesis 17 and 18. Just as God visits the sick, so should his children visit those who are ill. Just as the Lord watches over the orphan, the widow and the sojourner we are to do likewise. Just as the Lord ceased from his own labors and rested on the Sabbath, we are to do likewise. This week's Torah portion gives us another insight into how we can imitate God. When it was time for Moses to take his final retirement, God was compassionate towards Moses. When Moses died, the Lord took the responsibility to bury him. So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite bait peor. But no one knows the place of his burial to this day. Deuteronomy 34 five and six, the Torah says that Moses died, quote, according to the word of the Lord. In verse five, however, the Hebrew literally says that he died, quote by the mouth of the Lord. It's the Hebrew phrase alpiadonai. Our sages tell us that because god had such a close relationship with Moses, he had compassion on Moses and granted him a gentle death. The soul of Moses passed from this world into the next with a gentle kiss from the Almighty. Once he had received the soul of Moses, god took the responsibility upon himself to bury his body as one final act of kindness to his beloved servant. The Hebrew phrase gimilut hasadim means the bestowal of lovingkindness a person can participate in. Gimilut hasidim in many ways. Giving to charity is one way, an act of service is another. According to Jewish thought, however, the greatest act of lovingkindness a person can participate in is taking care of the dead. Why? Because it's an act of kindness that can never be repaid. All the other acts of kindness have the potential to eventually be repaid by the one receiving the kindness. The dead, however, have no means by which they can repay this deed. Moses potentially could have attempted to repay all of the other acts of kindness that the Lord bestowed upon him during his lifetime. Even if Moses could never have successfully repaid the Lord, there was always a possibility of doing something for the Lord during his lifetime. But once Moses left this life, he had no capacity to repay anyone. When we take care of the deceased, we imitate God. While a person is living, they have the capacity to repay our kindness. In some measure. However, when their soul departs and returns to its Creator, the body is left without any capacity for repayment. Whatever deeds that are done for this person at this point are done purely out of love, without the thought of whether or not the deed would be repaid. Yeshua taught his disciples this principle in a slightly different context. He said, when you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the cripple, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. This is Luke 1412 through 14. Yeshua's teachings are based on Proverbs 1917, which says, whoever is generous to the poor, lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. It's easy to bless our friends and those who are able to show their appreciation for our deeds, but when we are doing things for others who are unable to return the favor, not only are we taking to heart the words of our Master and imitating our Creator, but we're also bringing a little bit of heaven down to earth. We're building the kingdom of Yeshua. May the kingdom of our Messiah be established in our day through the selfless deeds of his disciples toward others. And as we say, when we complete any book of the Torah, be strong. Be strong. And may we be strengthened. Speaking of being strengthened, which five minute Torah commentary encouraged you the most over the course of this last Torah cycle and why? I'd love to hear your thoughts about what spoke to you the most. And also don't forget about my question about Simeon. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. Again. To VA. Happy New Year. May the Lord bless you in this wonderful new year. I'll see you again soon with another messianic insight into the eternal Torah of God. Blessings from Amet Hat Torah.
