BS”D

Vzos Habracha – Heavenly Banking

Dr Mori Bank

V’zos Habracha, the parsha we just read. We focused in last week on Ha’azinu. So what I would like to do this week is contemplate in a small way the insights of Vzos Habrocho. It is a very interest parsha and follows the tradition of Yaakov’s final brocho to Am Yisrael. Amazingly enough,Yaakov’s blessings end with vzos, implying that mosher’s blessings were a continuation of Yaakov’s. As if to say, the tribes were blessed at the beginning of their existence as a nation and again at the beginning of their aliya and entry to Eretz Yisrael. Moshe also uses the word Vzos. He began hi summation of the Torah before leaving this world, which summarises the way that Israel is to achieve the blessing of its patriarchs by delving as deeply ans strongly as possible into Torah. I would like to call this weeks parsha Heavenly Banking.

OK, as we discussed last week, the idea of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Sukkos, coming as a wave of 3 different levels of Tikun – first identifying H as Melekh, then we can go forward into judgment, hoping for a favourable judgement, because without that, Iy Efshar. Then having been through Yom Kippur, we know that the books, having been opened on Rosh Hashana and closed or signed on Yom Kippur and then on Succos the Angels are given their kvitle/petek and sent off to do their duty in the coming year. On which day and exactly what they will do, is unknown to man. It is only known too H’. So, depending on what we did on Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur and Succos, how we delved into the mitzvos, how we pleaded with H, how managed to tikun our heshbon in Shomayim, so will we experience for the coming year. Imagine on a physical level, a person has a bank account.. In one account he has certificates of deposit, certain assets and safe deposit boxes with diamonds and gold etc etc. In another he is running into terrible debts. $100,000, 200,000, half a million, a million. The bank manager calls him up, and he is screaming and calls him in for a meeting immediately to sort out everything. There is no way things can continue like this. The person goes into the chag spiritually speaking. Afterwards he trembles and calls up the bank manager and the bank manager answers him in the sweetest voice. He asks if he wants to meet him. The bank manager says, at your leisure, whenever you would like to. So the person is quite startled by this response after the fierce and vigorous behaviour of the bank manager before. He works up the courage and goes to meet him and sees all his assets are in tact. He checks the account with the devastating debts, the negative accounts and to his amazement, zero. There is no sign of any debt in that account. He trembles and goes to see the bank manager and says, you were telling me about this account, I just want to investigate a bit further what happened. The bank manager says, ‘Yes, Yes, an amazing thing happened and I wanted to ask you about it. I see that somebody has deposited $1,000,000 dollars in your account. I never saw sucha thing before. How was your tefilla on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur? How was your Succos? How was your chag?’ So the guy starts to think. He really cired out to H’. He was in terrible trouble. He felt a make hoshech. From the depths of darkness, he creid out to H’. Something beyond his wildest dreams happened. All those devastating debts that were hanging over his head evaporated in a split second. So that is the power of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

Succos also has a further power in that by going into the Sukkah – it is not only a chag zman simchaseinu, but it is also kaporo for being sent into exile. If you look historically at exile, each generation suffers statistically like the generation in the plague of darkness. Why? Because over the last 2000 years people that have investigated the numbers, show that in each generation, 8 out of 10 didn’t survive. Either shmad or maves. Either they were converted at the sword or murdered. So we see that that literally and spiritually, in a sense, was 2000 years of darkness in Golus, at the hands of the nations. So coming back to Israel is not a simple thing. Its a massive brocho every day that we are able to continue. These are the miracles that only H can bestow upon us, life and blessings. Ultimately, we are willing to go forward and grow in Torah with no limit on the goodness that h’ can shower on Am Yisrael. H’s hand is not short. We see this in Vzos Habrocho.

As it says at the beginning, ‘This is the brocho that Moshe the man of G-d bestowed on Moshe bestowed upon the Children of Israel before his death’. It goes forward and describes each of the 10 Tribes. The Sages expound homiletically that the word (Posuk daled) Morasha (inheritance) can be read as it is spelt, Meorasa – meaning that the Jewish people and the Toah are like a bride and groom (Maseches Pesachim 49b). This refers to the entire nation. Everyone. Rich and poor alike. There is an equal share in the Torah. So if the wealthy take their Torah as their exclusive right, as property for themselves and their children, without helping to provide for the children of the poor, or for kiruv, then the Torah cries out – as if it were that the wedding is not just to rich jews but to all jews. A certain group are trying to tear the Torah away from another group, from part of its soul of Am Yisrael. Lev ehad veguf ehad. So part of the soul is in a crisis, so to speak. This takes great responsibility on every single jew to provide Torah Education for those who lack funds, for those who lack the spiritual funds, so to speak. That they don’t know the power of Torah, for each and every jew that hasn’t experienced authentic Torah. It is our responsibility to do whatever we can to give them the etz haim, this tree of life. Of course, this leads into next week’s parsha – Bereishis, where the question is asked, where is the Tree of Life that was in the Garden of Eden? Where is the Garden of Eden? Where is the Tree of Knowledge? All these questions we have to answer.

Moshe Rabbeinu blesses all the different tribes. There is an amazing insight here. Every sentence is a pleasure. It says in posuk 5, ‘H became King over Yeshurun’ – when the numbers of the nations gathered the tribes of Israel together in Unity. It seems that only once in history Am Yisrael reached that level, of Yeshurun. The majority of History has been at the level of Yaakov. There have been rare moments when we have conquered the Sar of Esav, the guardian angel of Esav, as Yaakov did when he was about to enter the land, returning to fulfil all of H’s Torah in its full strength and glory. When we accomplish this, a third level develops. We see the Unity and achdus of Am Yisrael and that we are our brother’s keeper, as was the tragedy of kayin VeHevel, There was only once in History that they were united like this. When we defeat Esav and unify . This was the tragedy of Kain veHevel. When Kain slayed hevel, he said, when H said, where is your brother? His first response was, am I my brother’s keeper? That is exactly what he was. He was his brother’s keeper, but instead of being his brother’s keeper, he was his brother’s murderer. So his blood criend out from the ground and H brought a curse to the world for it. We see tremendous complications that can be tikuned through Torah guidance and navigating with H’s ratzon. (10.46)

Once Am Yisrael declared their loyalty, H became King of Yeshurun. This is literal and spiritual. Because it is only amongst those who grasp and involve themselves totally in the Torah, that he truly becomes King. Can a person truly become King without people listening to His decrees? Can a person honour the King without doing what the King wants of him? Can a person bring honour to the King by behaving in a way that is the antithesis of what the King wants and what the other nations see that the King wants? So when somebody is rebelling he commits an act of treason. As we saw in Haazinu, the witnesses, the other nations of the world, many times do the work that tragically history has documented when, hester panim, H hides His face.

So we go forward and try to explore, in a very shallow level, because there is so much to explore, but we will touch on certain specific points.

When we look at the different Tribes, we see that it starts off with Reuven. ‘May he live and not die. May his number be included in the count’. This is really a prayer from Moshe Rabbeinu that Reuven will do Teshuva, and be saved as part of the nation from where he was initially, the instability of moving his father’s bed.

Then it moves onto Yehuda. ‘Hearken, H, to Yehuda’s voice and return him to his people. May his hand fight his grievences and may he be a helper against his enemy. May you, H, be the helper against his enemy’. Yehuda basically represents Am Yisrael right now. Yehudi – Jew.

Then it goes on to Levi, it says ‘Your Urim and Your Tumim, befit your devoted one, whom you tested at Massa and challenged at the waters of Meriva. The one who said of his father and mother, I have not favoured him, his brother he did not give recognition, and his children he did not know. For they the Leviim have observed your word and your covenant that they preserve. They shall teach your ordinances to Yaakov and you Torah to Israel’. So, at whatever level it is, the teaching continues. Whethewr it is Yaakov in Galus or Yisrael in Israel, and once we graduate to the point of the Mikdash, when the Beis Hamikdash is returned to this world, they shall place incense before Your presence and burn offerings on your alter. Bless, H, His resources and favour the work of his hands. Smash the loins of his foes, his enemies, that they may not rise again. So we see really that whoever is opposed to the Cohen Gadol, and the Cohanim and the Leviim, working the ratzon H’, doing H’s will in the Beis Hamikdash, or the Mishkan – that is the prayer of Moshe Rabbeinu and what we have seen through history is that the enemies will be smashed.

Then it goes very interestingly into Binyamin. May H’s beloved dwell securely by H. H hovers over him all day long. And rests between his shoulders. It is amazing that Binyamin comes immediately after Levi. In the commentaries they describe that the zchus of Binyamin – the Temple was located in Binyamin’s portion of Jerusalem. So Binyamin’s blessing follows that of Levi, the Tribe that performed the avodas H in the MIshkan.. Since the Mishkan in Shilo was in the portion of Yosef’s offspring, Ephraim, for 200 years, Yosef’s blessings follow Binyamin’s. From the day Yerushalayim was chosen as the site for the Temple, H’s presence has rested in Jerushalayim and hovers over Binyamin all day, forever. H will never rest His shechina anywhere else. He was zoche this for 3 reasons. 1. He was the only tribal ancestor born in Eretz hakodesh. All the others were born in aram under the sword, so to speak, of Lavan, while Yaakov worled for Lavan. Secondly, he had no part in the sale of Yosef – that is an amazing important zchus. And thirdly, he comforted Yaakov. He was zoche to comfort his father in his father’s old age. Accordingly Binyamin was the one whose rememberance entirely free from the breath of any opposing thought, corresponds to the virtues of the site of the Beis Hamikdash, and the Mishkan, and was therefore dedicted in the zchus of Binyamin. According to Rav Hirsch.

Now it also says, Ubein Ketefav Shachen. And rests between his shoulders. The Temple was built in the Judaean Hills as if it was on Binyamin’s shoulders (Zevachim 54b, Yoma 31a). It was not built on the highest point, but slightly lower just at the shoulders below the head. The shoulders carry the weight of the nation so to speak. The head is the pinnacle, the thought process, the malchius. At the end of sdays, the navi Zecharya describes, in the Haftora foir Succos, it describes how all the other Towers, all the high places and tall mountains will all collapse and the Torah’s place in the world will be Har Hamoriah. So we see that this will be the true time of Ki Mitzion Tetze Torah u’dvar H miyerushalayim.

Yosef’s blessing includes Ephraim and Menashe. In many ways it parallels Yaakov’s blessing of the tribe. Of Yosef, Moshe Rabbeinu prayed, ‘blessed of H is his land with the heavenly bounty of dew. From the deep waters crouching below. With the bounty of the sun’s crops and bounty of the moon’s yield, with the quick ripening crops of themoutnains and the bounty of the eternal hills. The bounty of the land and its fullbness. By the favour of him that rested upon the thorn bush,’ that was H resting on the thorn bush that wasn;t consumed by the fire when Moshe Rabbeinu saw him, so h is being referred to by Moshe Rabbeinu at a time when he didn’t consume that bush, that Moshe Rabbeinu pleads not to consume from this Tribe or from this nation ‘may this blessing rest on YOsef’s head and the crown of him that was separated from his brothers. The sovereignty is his, ox like one. Majesty is his, for his glory will be like the horns of the Re’im. For them shall he gore nations together, to the ends of the land, and they are the thousands of Ephriam and the myriads of Menashe. This is an amzing brocho. We see that it has the gashmius and the ruchnius – water is also compared to mayim. The heavenly bounty of dew, that soft limud of Torah, and the deep waters coruching below – that could be very deep wellsprings of Torah that aren’t revelaed to the world that have to come forth through Yosef, that the crops of the earth, through the sun and the moon will give a tremendous bounty in its yield,. This was Yosef’s dream and his blessing, at the very outset, and the bounty of the land and its fullness, because of H’s favour and it will rest on Yosef’s head. The crown of him who was separated from his brothers. So in a way Am Yisrael will recongise the blessing and the leadership qualities of Yosef. And aspire to them. The rest of the world that will try to damage Israel and attack it, it seems that Yosef will be like a m\ighty animal that can gore and tear its enemies to pieces. So we see that this blessing goes out to Ephraim and Menashe.

While Zevulun, it says, rejoice Zevulun in your excursions, Yissaachar in your tents. So there is the famous relationship between Issachar and zevulun, being a successful person in business or successful tribe in maritme bsuness and the other learning Torah, as a teacher, judge and cultivator of spiritual treasures for Am Yisarael. This relationship, many times, different KOlels and Yeshivos apply to the business world to continue this relationship. Issachar and zevulun had a unique and isnspiring partnership, referred to in Divrei Hayamim (Alef, perek 12). Although Yissachar was older, Zevulun is mentioned first because he made Yisachar’s study and Torah leanring possible (Tanchuma, Rashi Bereishis 49, 30). The tradition of the partnership has been emulated many times over the years with tremendous success, even drawing formal contracts that both will merit the learning that will be shared in the nexty world as well. Themeir t of Zevulun’s support for Torah study – he will rejoice when he leaves this world. The Vilna Gaon maintains that the ultimate joy comes when one obtains a higher level of understanding. When he supoports OTrah and leaves this world there will be an incredible rejoincing. According to Rav Aharon Kotler - They will not only be rewarded for their charity, buit they will gain the privilege of knowledge and understanding of all the Torah learning that they supported and made possible.

Ohalecha, in your tents, studyting Torah. And also the symbolism of Sukkos. (22.52). hoshana rabba, with the all night learning program, the desxcendants f Yissachar had a special understanding of the complex depths of torah learning and even plumb the depoths of the Jewish luach. According to scientists, even when the nasa space rocket landed on the moon, and they put a laser receiver, a disc, on the moon and it transmitted exactly to the Nasa space station on earth when the moon would arrive at the exact same position each month and it worked out that it matched exactly the Jewish luach, (23.32) which we’ve had for 3,300 years, this wisdom that has been known and given over to Am Yisrael through the Torah, the rest of the world are coming into focus. They are getting the message. They know exactly when to add a 13^th month to the leap year. This year is a very rare time that that happens. Most times in history, wherever a 13^th month is added to the year, they make every effort to add it to a year that isn’t Shmitta. This year it absolutely has to be the Shmitta. In a way just like Yom Kippur was on Shabbos, so a person says, look at that, all the suffering and the struggling that has to go on, that a person is commanded to enjoy Shabbos but a person is commanded to atone for his soul on Yom Kippur. So on a simple level a person could understand it that he is being afflicted. On a higher level, it is well known that it is a higher reward. That he is showing that the accusing angel can’t say, see H’, your nation only keeps Shabbos because its very easy. Its a day of relaxation, good food and celebration. So H shows us and the accusing angel, ‘not true at all. Look what happens when Yom Kippur falls on Shabbos. Look at how they afflict themselves. Look at how they guard the Yom Kippur with all their might’. In this zchus it shows us that even on Yom Kippur, if it falls on Shabbos we keep the ratzon H’. The ratzon h overrules any ratzon that the accusing angel may have claimed Israel keeps the Shabbos with ulterior motives. There were 200 heads of the Sanhedrin, the Beis Din HaGadol, whose halachic rulings were accepted by the entire nation. There is a Medrash based on Divrei Hayamim (12, 32). So we see also that the incredible blessing of Zevulun through his support of Torah. Also in Maseches Megillos he cries out to H when he hears what he is blessed with, desert, sand and the ocean. So it seems an impossible land to farm. Zevulun is very taken aback by this and very sad, and he cries out to H, saying what can you do with such parched soil? Even if that’s not enough, he has been given the desert of the Sea, upon which almost nothing grows. So we see here that Yissachar and Zevulun will be nourished by the sea, which will yield them tremendous wealth. According to Rashi Hiniku and temunei hol. Buried things in the sand. What are these? Precious ea shells etc. When Zevulun discovered this, he got a terrible pachad, that the next brocho would be stolen from him. From this we get a tremendous secret that exists until today, he was told he would have sea shells and valuable things and also the hilazon. Hilazon is a miraculous creation, a crustacean or a fish. It is not clear to us in this generation, but the Gemoro describes it like this. The blue dye for the tzitzis would only come from the Hilazon. This amphibious creature used to dye glass and wool was used and only it could be used authentically in the tzitzis. So anybody who has blue in their tzitzis today, according to Rav Moshe Sternbuch, it may be blue but it is not pesil techeles. Tcheles can only be received from the tribe of Zevulun, when we return to our borders, spiritually and physically. That means in Torah and come back to the Land of Israel and put it in the correct state. H will reveal who is the tribe of Zevulun. Zevulun cried out to H and said, maybe some other people will want to come and steal this brocho because it will be a most fantastic and valuable brocho.

Your devout ones who you tested carried your Urim VeTumim. H communicated through his trusted ones. Without the Levi and Urim VeTuimim it seemes impossible that the Am vould be blessed. In Hutz La’Aretz the Ch\ohanim bless the people 3 times a year. In Israel the Coihanim bless the people every day. Even under the pmost difficult conditions. Yidden living in Hutz Laaretz are deprived of this priceless brocho every day.

His needs will be completely satisfied with favour from H’. Its south sure included the Sea of the Kinneret. Also a narrow strip of land around the South of the Kinneret.

Asher – the most blessed of brothers is Asher. This sia very cxurious blessing. Lets eplore it. Asher was a large tribe. Moshe blessed them that they should remain so. I do not know, according to Rashi, how this was so. Was it that his children were exceptional in quality or in health. Rashi – no of descendants. Ramban – provided tribes with such abundance they all blessed him. Asher supplied his brothers with oil. Symbolically it was so overflowing that he had to walk through it as though it was water – a metaphor for great blessing. His daughters were beautiful and many of them were martried to Cohanim, to the Cohen Gadol, anointed with sacred oil. This money would be money for Torah and th teachers would light up the world, like the menorah on Chanuka. Cars covered with dew. See crops in tremendous abundance.

In this epilogue which is the conclusion of all the blessings that H gives to Am Yisrael.

Asher will defend these important areas as though they are sealed with bars of steel.

Yeshurun – Moshe told the people that when they conduct themselves in the highest manner, H will ride across the heavens if they behave correctly but not if they behave otherwise.

They remain straight and upright in undiluted loyalty to H, kimei H al haaretz.

Moshe takes leave of the people with tremendous love and praise.