Dancing Into the World of Moshiach!

We are living in unique times. We are—despite our shortcomings as individuals—the most spiritually unique generation as well. In addition to the cumulative effect of all the generations before us, our generation has been given unique challenges. For better or for worse, we have met these challenges and we, as a nation, have everything of which to be proud.

Moses: The Man of G-d and the one who Blessed Israel

The Torah concludes with the parsha called “Beracha”—the parsha that we read on Simchas Torah—which means blessing. Indeed, this parsha contains Moses’ final talk to the Jewish people in which he blesses each of the twelve tribes.

The Midrash states that Moses is referred to here as “the man of G-d.” Nowhere else is this appellation used to describe Moses. The Midrash asserts that only after he blessed Israel did he receive this title.

Several questions come to mind:

First, why is it that Moses did not acquire this title “man of G-d” until he blessed the Jewish people?

This question is especially strong in light of the fact that Moses had a direct line to G-d and it was through Moses that G-d performed all the miracles of the Exodus, and most notably, Moses was the one through whom the Torah was given to the Jewish people. Indeed, in this week’s parsha Moses is described as the commander of the Torah: “The Torah which Moses commanded us is an inheritance for the assembly of Jacob.” Why then did he not earn the title “man of G-d” previously, considering his unparalleled closeness to G-d.

Second, if blessing the Jewish people carried so much weight and accorded Moses this unprecedented title “man of G-d,” why did he wait until the end of his life to bless the Jewish people?

The Anatomy of a Blessing

The answer to these questions lies in a better understanding of the nature of these blessings. Blessings, especially from a G-dly person, are not just an expression of one’s good wishes for another. And while expressing good wishes to another is commendable because it demonstrates closeness and positive feelings for the other it does not capture the essence of a blessing.

A blessing is the means by which we enable the other to realize their full potential.

Removing Roadblocks and Discovering New Vistas

However, our potential changes from day to day. When we live a vacuous life and fail to capitalize on our potential, we place roadblocks on our own road to realizing that potential in the future. We now need more than the standard blessing to actualize our potential. We now possess a new—greatly reduced potential.

Conversely, when we make the right choices in life and especially when we instill our souls with more G-dly energy through the observance of G-dly Mitzvos, we open up new vistas of spiritual opportunity. And paradoxically two changes occur:

On the one hand, we do not need as much of a blessing to assist us to realize our original potential, but, on the other hand, we need a more potent blessing to reach the new, uncharted reservoirs of G-dly energy that were made available due to our positive choices.

A New Order of Blessing

With this introduction we can understand why Moses waited to bless the Jewish people until the last day of his life.

There is no question that Moses, as a “faithful shepherd” was continually inspiring and blessing his people. However, the blessings we read about in this week’s parsha are qualitatively of a different order.

At this point in Moses’ life he saw the progress his generation had made as a people, notwithstanding all of the negative things that transpired previously. Indeed, Moses acknowledges their progress in a previous parsha where he describes how after forty years they finally realized the full import of what they’ve been taught at Sinai.

Moses now had to give them a completely new and more potent blessing commensurate with their new potential and mission for the future as a people who were poised to enter into the Holy Land.

This was to be the beginning of a journey that would last them for the next 3,000 years until the coming of Moshiach. At this juncture, Moses had to elicit the most G-dly aspects of his soul to give them an unprecedented blessing.

Hence Moses was now given the title “a man of G-d” because at no time before had Moses needed to elicit his own G-dly power as he did now. His blessing was going to determine the future of the Jewish people for all times.

Are We the Lowliest Generation of the Highest?

We are living in unique times. There are many who look askance at our generation. Some see our generation as the lowliest of all times considering all the negative phenomena that we have witnessed in the most recent years.

In truth, the Rebbe has asserted on many an occasion that we are—despite our shortcomings as individuals—the most spiritually unique generation as well.

In addition to the cumulative effect of all the generations before us, our generation has been given unique challenges. For better or for worse, we have met these challenges and we, as a nation, have everything of which to be proud.

However, the very fact that we are so spiritually advanced suggests that we have new and unprecedented potential and challenges that goes way beyond that which we had in the past. And to meet these new challenges we need new inspiration and blessings.

We are, as our ancestors in Moses’ time, poised to enter into the Messianic Age, and for that we need and have received unique blessings.

Indeed, our generation has been fortunate that we have merited the leadership and inspiration of the Rebbe, who like Moses, has given us his G-dly blessings, enabling us to be aware of the new challenge and the wherewithal to meet it.

Cumulative Joy

This Simchas Torah, we will dance with the Torah and rejoice even more than we did in the first eight days of the Holiday, despite the fact that Simchas Torah is only a rabbinical holiday and the extensive dancing and celebration on this day “merely” a Jewish custom. One might have thought that the culmination of the Holiday is when the joy wanes and its significance is diminished.

In truth, Simchas Torah we have the cumulative joy and inspiration from the preceding eight days, plus its own unique brand of spiritual joy. Just as the last generation of exile seems to be the lowliest but in actuality has the greatest potential, similarly, Simchas Torah provides us with the greatest potential for it is blessed by Moses, whose perennial blessings we will read on Simchas Torah.

Our task now is to recognize the incredible challenge to be joyous on this Holiday and to “imbibe” the spiritually intoxicating forces that will give us the strength and stamina to dance into the world of Moshiach!

From the book Light from the Future: Simchas Torah by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.