Ve-zot Ha-berakha | The Blessing of the Man of God

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I. The Bookends of Moshe’s Orations

Towards the end of the book of Devarim, Scripture returns to chronicling events in its usual manner, in the third person. It closes the bookends of Moshe's orations, which began:

These are the words which Moshe spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan; in the wilderness, in the Arava over against Suf, between Paran and Tofel, and Lavan, and Chazerot, and Di-Zahav. (Devarim 1:1)

and conclude:

And Moshe went and spoke these words to all Israel. (Devarim 31:1)

In our shiur on Parashat Ha'azinu, we noted that in a sense, the song of Ha'azinu is portrayed as an external text that was added after the Torah already concluded. Several commentators paint Moshe's blessings in Ve-zot ha-Berakha as a direct continuation of the song, serving as a counterweight that balances the calamity about which the song warned.[1] If so, it turns out that the Torah’s concluding text contains "a blessing and a curse." Thus the Rashbam writes:

"And this is the blessing" – this refers to what was stated above: "And Moshe spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished" (Devarim 31:30), "Give ear, you heavens" (32:1) – "And this is the blessing." After the rebuke of Ha'azinu, he went back to bless them before ascending the mountain to die there. That is to say: This is the song and this is the blessing. (Rashbam, Devarim 33:1)

A parallel examination of the opening of the song and the opening of the blessing reveals an interesting difference between them. Scripture emphasizes several times that the song is a "heavenly document," which must be transmitted in its precise language. Moshe's role is explicitly limited to the narrow technical dimension of writing and distributing the song:[2]

Now therefore write this song for you, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel… So Moshe wrote this song the same day, and taught it to the children of Israel. (Devarim 31:19-22) 

This is strikingly different from the beginning of our parasha, where Moshe is portrayed as the source of the blessing:

And this is the blessing with which Moshe the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. (Devarim 33:1) 

The commentators notice that Moshe, in his role as pronouncer of the blessings, is presented here with a new title: "man of God." This expression is so common in the stories of the prophets that we get the impression it is an integral part of biblical language as a whole. However, in fact, the phrase "man of God" does not appear in the Torah until its very end.

Rabbi Yosef Bekhor Shor explains the necessity of this designation specifically against the background that we noted:

"And this is the blessing" – He now spelled out the rebuke with which he reproached them, as the Holy One, blessed be He, had commanded him, as it is written: "Moshe spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them" (Devarim 1:3); "Now therefore write this song for you" (ibid. 31:19). And he taught it to them, for thus God commanded him to write this song "and teach it to the children of Israel, and put it in their mouths" (ibid.). And this is the blessing with which he blessed them, also with the holy spirit. And this is the meaning of what is stated: "the man of God." That is to say, a messenger of God. And similarly at the beginning of the book: "Moshe spoke to the children of Israel, [according to all that the Lord had given him in commandment to them]" (ibid. 1:3). And Rabbi Y. Kara explained that this is why he is called here "the man of God." That is to say, that at the word of the Holy One, blessed be He, he blessed them. "Before his death" – close to his death… And so did our patriarch Yaakov; when he came to take leave of his sons, he blessed them. And the blessings of these great men – it is a prophecy and things that will happen in the future. (Rabbi Yosef Bekhor Shor, ad loc.)

II. “And There Has Not Arisen Another Prophet in Israel Like Moshe”

However, the concluding remarks at the end of the blessing present a difficulty for this explanation:

So Moshe the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moav, according to the word of the Lord. And he was buried in the valley in the land of Moav over against Bet-Peor; and no man knows of his grave to this day… And Yehoshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moshe had laid his hands upon him; and the children of Israel listened to him, and did as the Lord commanded Moshe. And there has not arisen since a prophet in Israel like Moshe, 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 Moshe wrought in the sight of all Israel. (Devarim 34:5-12)

Moshe is described here with two additional terms: "servant of the Lord" and "prophet." We will address the term "the servant of the Lord" below, but for the moment, it may be noted that Moshe had earlier referred to himself with the designation "prophet":

A prophet will the Lord your God raise up to you, from the midst of you, of your brothers, like me; to him you shall listen; according to all that you did desire of the Lord your God in Chorev in the day of the assembly, saying: Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord said to me: They have well said that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a prophet from among their brothers, like you; and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I shall command him. (Devarim 18:15-18) 

It seems it would have been possible to suffice with the familiar designation "prophet," as highlighted by Rabbi Yosef Bekhor Shor. Indeed, Targum Onkelos translates the term "man of God," in the opening verse of this section, precisely in that manner:

And this is the blessing with which Moshe the prophet of God blessed the children of Israel before his death. (Targum Onkelos, Devarim 33:1)

In light of this, the question of why the Torah chose to crown Moshe with a new title at this point becomes more acute. I will offer two answers that can also be seen as a single answer with two stages.

III. “The Man Moshe Was Very Meek, More Than All Men”

Thus far, the Torah has designated Moshe as a "man" three times. It is possible that the phrase "man of God" in our parasha is meant to bring to mind one of these earlier appearances of Moshe as a "man":

And when the people saw that Moshe delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aharon, and said to him: Up, make us a god who shall go before us; for as for this Moshe, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him. (Shemot 32:1)[3]  

Here, the people seek an alternative to Moshe, who has disappeared, and this request leads them to degenerate to the worship of the golden calf. When turning to Aharon, the people differentiate "Moshe, the man" from the desired god; the man left a void and they wish to fill it with the making of a "god."

Commentators focus on deciphering the nature of the "god" that the people sought to make, and its theological significance. Little attention has been paid to the relationship between describing Moshe as a "man" and requesting a "god." The exception is the Abravanel  (and also the Alshikh), who relates to this point in the course of a long explanation of the substance of the sin of the golden calf.

Therefore, they gathered around Aharon, thinking that since he too was a prophet and the brother of Moshe, he would know his secret and he would straighten their paths with it. This is what they meant when they said: "Up, make us a god who shall go before us; for as for this Moshe, the man" (Shemot 32:1). That is to say, Moshe, because he is a man, is subject to decay. We do not know what happened to him, whether the fire at the top of the mountain burned him, or he died, or was injured, or was taken captive, with nobody seeing. Therefore, they did not want a man to lead them further, a man in whom there is no help, whose breath goes forth, and he returns to his dust. Thus, they apologized to Aharon, explaining why they did not appoint him as governor and commander in place of Moshe – because they did not want another human, because of what happened to Moshe since he was a man. Therefore, they made for themselves another god, the intention being that they should have a higher force to tell them the future and to perform for them signs and wonders and to stand before them in place of Moshe to lead them and to inform them about what will happen to them, as was the case at that time in Egypt with their forms. (Abravanel, Shemot ad loc.)

The Abravanel explains that even if we assume the people did not seek to abandon the Creator, they expressed their lack of confidence in a human being's capacity to ensure long-term stability in relation to Him. From this perspective, there is no point in establishing a spiritual connection between the people and their Creator based on a man of flesh and blood. For this reason, the people did not turn to Aharon, who should have been the natural alternative for leadership in the absence of Moshe. Thus, in one sentence, the people made it clear that "man" and "God" do not come together. Moshe's reappearance did not refute the claim per se, but only its application to the specific case of Moshe's disappearance – seeing as he returned.

However, at the twilight moment, when Moshe is about to truly disappear, the Torah finds it appropriate to publicly refute their earlier argument. Crowning him with the term "man of God" indicates that a human being is indeed capable of maintaining a connection with both God and man.

As noted above, the Torah deliberately ends with a dual, forward-looking discourse – both in terms of content (blessing and calamity) and in terms of its spokesmen, God and Moshe. The inclusion of man in the presentation of the word of God was possible precisely because Moshe was a "man of God."

It seems, however, that there is room to reveal another layer of meaning.

IV. “She Shall Be Called Woman, Because She Was Taken from Man”

Let us go back through the book of the generations of man to its very beginning, where a careful reading reveals something interesting in Bereishit chapter 2.

From the moment that man is created, he is always referred to by the name “Adam”:

And God said: Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. (Bereishit 1:26-27) 

The meaning of this name is indicated at the beginning of Chapter 2:

Then the Lord God formed man [ha-adam] of the dust of the ground [min ha-adama], and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man [ha-adam] became a living soul. (Bereishit 2:7) 

Later in the chapter, God takes care to find the man a helpmate:

And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helpmate for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the place with flesh instead of it. And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from the man, He made a woman, and brought her to the man. And the man said: This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman [Isha], because she was taken from Man [Ish]. Therefore shall a man [ish] leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife [ishto], and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man [ha-adam] and his wife [ishto], and were not ashamed. (Bereishit 2:20-24)

The man wakes up and discovers another human alongside him, and he calls her "woman" (isha) as a derivative of his own name, "man" (ish). The Torah glides over man's crowning of himself with the designation “ish,” when we know that his Creator had already assigned him a different name (adam). We do not yet know whether God was pleased with man’s initiative in assigning himself this name, but indications emerge from a careful reading of the verses that follow.

Note that the Torah ignores the name ish in the above passage, and immediately goes back to calling man "adam." At a certain point, however, the term "ish" reappears:

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also to her husband [le-ishah] with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves girdles. And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden toward the cool of the day; and the man [ha-adam] and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called to the man [ha-adam], and said to him: Where are you? And he said: 'I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said: Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you that you should not eat? And the man [ha-adam] said: The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat…  To the woman He said: I will greatly multiply your pain and your travail; in pain you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband [le-ishekh], and he shall rule over you. (Bereishit 3:6-16) 

It is striking that the man is referred to as an "ish" precisely in the context of sin. We may assume that this designation was conceived and born on a foundation of sin. This assumption is confirmed by what we read at the end of the chapter: 

And the man [ha-adam] called his wife's name Chava, because she was the mother of all living. (Bereishit 3:20)

At the end of the day, the circle closes. In light of the dismal experience that they went through, the man finds a new name for his partner. The name "Chava" indicates that she is simply a "living soul" just like him, only of the female gender. Even without trying to understand the meaning of the name "ish" and what flaw there was in the man's initiative,[4] we can surely discern the tension that exists between the names "adam" and "ish."

V. “To Remember the Everlasting Covenant”

It seems that this tension finds its balance generations later. Humanity deteriorates, and most of it is wiped off the face of the earth. Thus, the face of creation is renewed, and this time "the first man" is Noach. Immediately after the making of the covenant between God and mankind, we encounter an expression that takes us back to the past:

And Noach, the man of the earth [ish ha-adama], began, and planted a vineyard. (Bereishit 9:20)

It turns out that, while it was man who crowned himself with the designation "ish," this was justified – provided that he would recognize his connection to the earth from which he was formed.

Now, let us try to close the circle and connect the end of the Torah to its beginning. It is true that the word "ish" became synonymous with the word "adam," and as such it is quite prevalent in the Bible, without bearing any additional meaning. However, it is reasonable to argue that when we encounter a new designation that we never encountered before, we should broaden our perspective and seek the term’s meaning across Scripture.

I would like to suggest that the term "man of God" is a direct continuation of the designation "man of the earth," in that it symbolizes a rise in standing. In fact, the whole story of the human race lies in the line drawn between the "man of the earth" and the "man of God." The Creator created His world and entrusted it to man. His handiwork failed and was rejected – but returned to the picture as a "man of the earth" and overcame the hurdle. Then the Creator chose for Himself a particular branch of his children and guided them in the path of truth, through a descendant of that man of the earth. That person would be called "man of God," because he was taken from the "man of the earth."

It is possible to summarize the two propositions put forth here, according to which the designation "man of God" alludes to the two greatest failures of mankind: of the father of the race at the beginning of his journey, and of the people who were chosen from among his children when they fell from their greatest height. The term comes to express that in the end, despite human missteps, their journey was considered a success – under the leadership of a human being. If so, the human race and creation have justified themselves. For this reason, the Torah refrained from using the term "prophet," even though it bears the same meaning as “man of God,” since it does not reflect this historical journey.

Now, let us address the additional description assigned to Moshe at the end of our parasha.

VI. “So Moshe the Servant of the Lord Died There"

Rabbeinu Bachye comments on the verse cited in the title of this section, in which we encounter for the first time the designation "servant of the Lord":[5]

He was not called "servant" until he died. During his lifetime, Scripture called him "man of God” at the beginning of the parasha, and now at the end of the parasha, after his death, it calls him "servant of the Lord," a name that we do not find anywhere in the five books of the Torah. It reflects his elevated standing and the extent of his comprehension, for a servant is accustomed to be with his master, and goes in with him to his inner chambers and ministers to him at all times. Chazal explicitly stated: "The righteous are greater in their deaths than during their lifetimes" (Chullin 7b). Similarly, we find that Adam was not called "holy" until he died. This is what is written: "As for the holy that are in the earth" (Tehilim 16:3). (Rabbeinu Bachye, Devarim 34:5)

One might object to Rabbeinu Bachye’s premise, since we do find that Moshe is already called God's servant twice during his lifetime:

And Israel saw the great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord; and they believed in the Lord, and in His servant Moshe. (Shemot 14:31)

And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the tent, and called Aharon and Miriam; and they both came forth. And He said: Hear now My words: if there be a prophet among you, I the Lord do make Myself known to him in a vision, I do speak with him in a dream. My servant Moshe is not so; he is trusted in all My house; … why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant, against Moshe? (Bamidbar 12:5-8)

However, Rabbeinu Bachye refers to the precise term "servant of the Lord," a phrase that indeed we have not yet encountered. Note that it is precisely this term that stuck to Moshe from now on. It is repeated many times over the course of the book of Yehoshua, already from its very beginning:

Now it came to pass after the death of Moshe the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Yehoshua the son of Nun, Moshe's minister, saying: Moshe My servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you, and all this people… Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moshe My servant commanded you… And to the Reuvenites, and to the Gadites, and to the half-tribe of Menashe, Yehoshua spoke, saying: Remember the word which Moshe the servant of the Lord commanded you, saying: The Lord your God gives you rest, and will give you this land. (Yehoshua 1:1-13)

Rabbeinu Bachye does not bring support for his assertion, but his argument is proven by Scripture's formulation regarding Yehoshua. Regarding him as well, we find this term only at the time of his death: [6]

So Yehoshua sent the people away, every man to his inheritance. And it came to pass after these things, that Yehoshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being a hundred and ten years old. (Yehoshua 24:28-29)

VII. “My Servant Moshe” 

It is possible that it is precisely the previous appearances of the designation “servant” in the Torah that will help us establish its meaning. Note that this designation appears on occasions when there is a challenge to Moshe's relationship with God and speculation about the implementation of His instructions. Just before the parting of the Yam Suf, the Torah relates:

And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes, and, behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were sore afraid; and the children of Israel cried out to the Lord. And they said to Moshe: Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? why have you dealt thus with us, to bring us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying: Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians? For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness. (Shemot 14:10-12)

The people cry out to God, and at the same time they complain about Moshe. Thus, at the end of the story, Scripture informs us that the people were satisfied and therefore “they believed in God and in Moshe His servant” (ibid. 31),” who does His word.  

In the second appearance of the phrase, in the case of Aharon and Miriam, there is no need to say very much. They themselves clearly expressed their challenge to Moshe:

And they said: Has the Lord indeed spoken only with Moshe? has He not spoken also with us? And the Lord heard it. (Bamidbar 12:2) 

We can conclude that the designation "servant of the Lord" comes to confirm that Moshe implemented God’s words to him precisely as they were stated, due to Moshe's absolute obedience to his Creator.

To summarize our journey, we can say that with the setting of Moshe's sun, the Torah wishes to fold his personality between the two expressions. On the one hand, he is the "man of God," a human prophet who has reached the pinnacle of comprehension. He stubbornly drags the people along with him and does not abandon them even when God threatens to destroy them for their misdeeds. On the other hand, all this does not detract in any way from his full obedience and submission to his Creator, as God Himself testifies after Moshe completed his mission.

(Translated by David Strauss)