As I
prepare to write this blog post about Simchat Torah and the last Portion of the
Week, in the wee morning hours of October 18, 2011, the first images of Gilad
Shalit returning to his home in Israel, after more than five years and three
months in Hammas captivity, begin to trickle across the wires. How truly
wonderful. One may be hard pressed to find a more fitting image – both for the
“joy” portion of Simchat Torah (“simcha” means joy, or happiness in Hebrew), or
the notion of “closing a circle” that accompanies us each time we finish the
reading of the entire cycle of the portion of the week – than that of the
return of the lost son, finally, back to his parents, his home, and his
country. No other nation in the world would have gone that far to release one
soldier; no other nation could experience the same kind of ultimate, unifying
wave of joy that has swept Israel ever since the deal was announced and reached
its peak this morning with the actual release of a single member of its army in
return for more than 1,000 enemy combatants. A truly remarkable moment.
The last Portion of the Week
– Ve’Zo t Ha’Bracha (literally, “And
this is the Blessing”) – is one of the most interesting of them all, despite
its somewhat cryptic nature. In a nutshell, it tells the story of the last
moments in the life of Moshe, the great prophet. Unlike the rest of us,
however, this prophet knows full well he is about to die. He heard it directly
from God. How does he act in the face of such monumental piece of knowledge? I
will dedicate a few words to that. Following that, I will attempt to compare
Moshe to a more modern prophet, who seems to have known about his impending
doom as well. That last prophet was finally immortalized this week in D.C. when
his memorial was dedicated by the President of the United States. I will
conclude with a word regarding Simchat Torah, the only Jewish holiday that has
“joy” as part of its title.
Moshe’s Last Private Act
Most
of this week’s portion – as its name suggests – is dedicated to the great,
elaborate, and somewhat cryptic blessing that Moshe bestowed upon each of the
twelve tribes prior to his death. This blessing, issued by “Moshe, the man of
God” (Deut. 33:1), as well its exact interpretation has been the topic of many
a discussion among biblical scholars, new and old. But today I do not intend to
discuss this blessing, which constituted the great leader’s last public act;
rather, I am much more interested in his last private act, described in
great detail in the beginning of Chapter 34, the very last of the Chumash:
“And
Moshe climbed up from the plains of Moab to very top of Mount Nevo, opposite
Jericho, and the Lord Has shown him the entire land – from the Gilad … to the
Negev.” (Deut. 34:1-3)
This was Moshe’s last act as a private person: Climbing, at
the age of 120, to the top of a mountain and taking in the incredibly scenic
views of the Promised Land. I find that fascinating. Most people tend to
understand this final act in terms of its symbolic nature - and we’ll examine one
such view in a moment. But here I would like to pause for a moment and
appreciate that act precisely for what it was – a hard-earned mountain climb
[the text takes pains to explain that Moshe went up all the way from the
“plains” of Moab to the “very top” of the mountain – an estimated elevation
gain of 2,713 ft in the Jordanian desert – hardly a walk in the park], followed
by the experience of internalizing some amazing views. As many people who went
through a similar experience may attest, seldom may one feel more humble in the
presence of God than on a top of a mountain (after a long climb) in the face of
such incredible views. Personally, I can think of very few ways to better
depart this world.
The text then continues to provide a very brief, though
unforgettable, eulogy of Moshe:
“And never again has a prophet like Moshe emerged in
Israel, whom God has Known face to face.” [Deut. 34:10]
Moshe’s American Incarnation
The other thing that always fascinated me about Moshe’s
final moments was the complete inner peace in which he seemed to have been
throughout. Despite knowing – from God – about his impending doom, Moshe just
goes on to climb, to observe the scenery – perhaps the most beautiful he has
ever seen – and to die peacefully. This true “man of God,” this one-of-a-kind
“slave of God” never seems to fear his coming death. This is remarkable, very commendable, and very rare.
And yet not long ago, historically speaking, in this very
country, another prophet came about. Now recall that the text assured us that
no prophet like Moshe would ever emerge in Israel; but nothing was said about
other people. And indeed, this person – though non-Jewish – was so unique that
Rabbi Heschel himself,
the great Jewish thinker, commented that “[He] is a sign that God has not
forsaken the United States of America. God has sent him to us.” I am talking,
of course, about Dr. Martin Luther King.
Despite being an ordained reverend, Dr. King should no doubt be considered
an honorary member of the Chosen People. He, too, was facing death (though for
a different reason). He, too, “heard” from God that his days are numbered. He,
too, faced that knowledge with incredible poise, calm, and courage. And what
were this special person’s last public words? What were the last words he chose
to tell his People the evening before being assassinated outside room 306 of
the Lorraine Motel in Memphis? Here are his exact words:
MLK’s
“Mountaintop” Speech, April 3, 1968:
Like anybody, I would like to live a long life.
Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to
do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked
over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want
you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man! My eyes have seen the glory of the
coming of the Lord!!!
Those
who read our Portion this week will easily recognize: these are the true words
of a man of God. And I could not think of a more befitting symbol for
recognizing this prophet’s life than the dedication of his monument this week
in Washington D.C., alongside the Founding Fathers and some of our greatest
Presidents, by the current (and first black) President of the United
States.
Simchat Torah
The term Simchat Torah means, literally, the joy of Torah.
It denotes the joyous occasion of ending the cycle of the Portion of the Week
and starting to read them anew at the beginning of each year, starting with the
incredible words “in the beginning.” I find it quite fitting that although
all the holidays are collectively called in Hebrew “Smachot” – which is the
plural form of “Simcha” (joy) – this is the only holiday that contains “joy”
or “happiness” in its actual title. Why, you may ask, is this holiday so
special that it merits such "joy"? What is so "joyous"
about reading the portions of the week? Well, to that I would not
like to provide an answer today. Perhaps over time, when we read together more
of those portions we may better understand the joy of ending – and restarting –
to read them again. Perhaps then we would be better able to understand why this
is the most "joyous" of occasions.
And finally, a word about blogging and the Torah. At first
blush, nothing seems more remote than the Torah on the one hand and
computer-published notes on the other. But upon a closer look one may argue that
few institutions lend themselves so fittingly to a weekly blog than the Portion
of the Week. Indeed, by allocating the text to the 52 weeks of the year (more
or less) our sages have understood the notion of “portion” – digesting every
week but a piece of the great whole. I hope this blog may serve this purpose
adequately.
Shabbat
Shalom,
Doron
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