V'Zot HaBracha

In the spirit of our tradition I intend to finish where I started with a second reading of V'Zot HaBracha next Simchas Torah. I'm posting this first blog from memory and will come back later and update it when I have a chumash in front of me.

Out of the entire parsha and commentary, I found two things most interesting and curious:

• The last eight sentences: The explanation that Joshua wrote the final eight sentences is, in my mind, the most elegant and reasonable. I don't believe it detracts from the spirit of authorship of the Torah and in many ways seems most appropriate. Joshua succeeded Moshe in leading the Jewish people and he started where Moshe finished. Further, the level of detail given and the fact that we don't know where Moshe was buried, makes Rashi's explanation challenging.

• The Blessing of Yisachar-Zevulun: Of all the blessings, this one caught my attention the most. I suspect that is because it resonates with a current real world issue. The pasuk is as follows - Rejoice, Zevulun, in your going out, and Yisachar in your tents. Rashi's basic explanation was that these two were paired together because Zevulun was to travel abroad as a merchant and support Yisachar who stayed home to learn Torah.
  

Over the past 20 years, there has been a growing trend of full-time learning within the Orthodox community. I, on the other hand, fall clearly into the Torah V'Avodah camp. So I found this commentary unsettling. Later in the week Rabbi Gil Student posted an alternate Midrash from Yalkut Shimoni which describes the relationship between Yisachar and Zevulun in symbiotic business terms; Yisachar, in this case, is a local merchant selling merchandise to Zevulun who sells abroad. This relationship allows Yisachar more time to study by virtue of staying close to home, but doesn't free him from the obligation to make an economic contribution and provide for his family and community.

There are two wonderful things about this pasuk and alternate midrash. First, I clearly prefer the Yalkut Shimoni's midrash as an explanation of the pasuk and believe it is a good example of the Torah giving us guidance on how to balance our lives. Call me biased. Second, and maybe more importantly, had I not invested the time in the parsha and Rashi, Rabbi Student's post would not have been as interesting or meaningful. I consider that a great dividend on my first investment.

You can find Rabbi Student's post here.

So that's a wrap. Standby for Bereishis...

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