Torah Portion of the Week

Building Character through the Themes of the Weekly Torah Portion

Torah

Deuteronomy 33:1–34:12

Next Reading:

October 15, 2025

23 Tishrei, 5786

Haftarah

Joshua 1:1-9

וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַךְ מֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי מוֹתוֹ׃

V’zot ha-b’ra-khah a-sher be-ra-kh Mo-sheh ish ha-E-lo-him et–b’nei Yis-ra-el lif-nei mo-to.

And this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the Children of Israel before his death.

Deuteronomy 33:1

VeZot HaBerachah means “and this is the blessing”—the blessings that Moses blessed each of the Twelve Tribes of Israel with before his death. This is the final Torah portion in the Book of Deuteronomy as well as in the whole Torah. It is typically read on the holiday of Simchat Torah (“Rejoicing in Torah”); immediately afterwards, the Torah portion cycle is renewed as the first chapter of the first Torah portion, Bereishith, is read from the Book of Genesis. This way, both the completion and the beginning of the Torah’s reading cycle are celebrated.

Moses’ Legacy

After blessing the Twelve Tribes individually, Moses ascended Mount Nebo, where God showed him all of the Promised Land. Moses then died at the age of 120. The entire Torah then concludes with a beautiful, stirring eulogy for Moses:

And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face; in all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land; and in all the mighty hand, and in all the great terror, which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel.

(JPS 1917, Deuteronomy 34:10–12)

To be called the greatest prophet that Israel had ever known—what a great honor to receive at the end of a great life.

After killing an Egyptian, Moses had fled to Midian where he married his wife Zipporah and tended his father-in-law’s flock. He was there for approximately forty years when God gave him a great mission that would change the rest of his life: to bring the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt and lead them into the Promised Land. He was hesitant, even afraid, to take on such an extraordinary task. But God assured him that He would be with him and that he would succeed.

At the end of his life, this once hesitant Moses would become known as the greatest of all leaders and the greatest of all prophets. He left a legacy that has impacted generations up until this day.

Sometimes you may find yourself faced with challenges that change your life… challenges that you can’t ignore. Your life may take a turn onto a path that you never thought you’d have to walk, and you may end up with responsibilities that you don’t even know how to handle. Like Moses, you might be hesitant, you might ask God to send someone else. But what would have happened if Moses had hid from this great task? When God called him, he was free, not suffering from the slavery in Egypt. But this wasn’t the case for his brethren, and he had to do something about it.

Moses knew that God was the One Who had equipped him with all of the tools needed for the great responsibility that was put before him. He used his talents, gifts, and experiences to complete his God-given task. He never gave up, even when things got hard. Likewise, you can put your complete trust in God knowing that whatever lies ahead of you, He has given you all you need to complete the mission He has given to you personally. You can look at every challenge as a gift—a gift to understand and help others who are going through the same thing, a gift to do something great in this world, a gift to make an impact, to make a difference. Don’t give up. Keep moving forward.

Chazak, chazak, v’nitchazek—Be strong, be strong, and may we be strengthened!

A Glance of Hebrew | VeZot HaBerachah STBM Messer

Pronunciation Guide for Transliterated Hebrew Words

a

[a] as in arm

ai

[ai] as in Thailand

e

[e] as in red

ei

[ei] as in eight

i

[i] as in ski

o

[o] as in score

oi

[oi] as in oil

u

[u] as in rule

ui

[ui] as in gluing

ch/kh

[ch] as in the Scottish loch

g

[g] as in good (not as in giant)

tz

[ts] as in hats

short “eh” or “uh” sound

The Hebrew Scriptures in this text have been derived from the Westminster Leningrad Codex (WLC), and the English translation is based off of the JPS 1917 Tanakh.