Visible to All Jewish Eyes

The name of this parsha read on Simchas Torah, is Beracha, which means blessing. This captures the essence of Torah which is the the ultimate blessing. The Torah is not only the greatest form of blessing it is the ultimate source of all blessings!

Anomaly

The last section of the Torah is an anomaly. This parsha, entitled “V’zos Haberacha-And this is the blessing,” or just “Beracha-Blessing,” is never read on a Shabbos. Instead it is read on Simchas Torah (which never occurs on a Shabbos).

It maybe suggested that by not reading this parsha on a Shabbos, as we do for all other Torah portions, our Prophets and Sages (who instituted the division of the Torah into sections and assigned them to be read on a weekly basis) intended to convey a profound message.

Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (the founder of the Chabad movement, the author of the Tanya, known as the Alter Rebbe) made the famous declaration that “a Jew must live with the times.” His son and successor, Rabbi Dovber (known as the Mitteler Rebbe) explained that declaration as meaning that we must live with and draw guidance from the weekly Torah portion. The key word “time” means time within the context of Torah.

To be sure, all of Torah is relevant to all of us at all times in all places. Nevertheless, there is a special and more pronounced connection between the weekly Torah portion and our lives in the particular week when that portion is read and studied.

It may therefore be suggested that there is a lone exception to this rule, where the message is strongly relevant for every week. This is Berachah, the only parsha we don’t read on a Shabbos. This parsha contains a general message that relates to every parsha and every week.

This thesis is further buttressed by the fact that our Sages state “everything follows the seal.” The end or seal of a prayer, blessing or Torah reading encapsulates all of what has been said before. Moreover, as a seal it protects and preserves that which precedes it.

Torah: The Source and Vessel of Blessing

The name of this parsha, which means blessing, captures the essence of Torah. The theme of blessing is also alluded to in the first letter of the Torah, the letter beis, which is the initial of the word beracha-blessing. However, while the concept of blessing is merely hinted in the beginning of the Torah, it is made explicit at the end.

The message that we can derive thus far is that Torah is the ultimate blessing. Moreover, the Torah is not only the greatest form of blessing it is the ultimate source of all blessings!

This notion is based on two premises:

First, our Sages state that the Torah is the “blueprint of creation.” Thus, if there can be any blessing in the world it must have been present in the Torah. King David would find comfort in all of his travails when he reflected that all of existence derives its energy from one iota of Torah.

Second, the Talmud concludes with the statement, “G-d could not find a vessel that contains blessing other than the Torah, as it says, “’G-d gave strength to His nation, G-d blessed them with peace.” In other words, Torah is the source of peace and peace is the vessel for all blessings. Hence, all blessings can only be contained with Torah.

In effect, Torah serves a dual role in relation to blessing: It is the source and fountain-head of blessing and it is the vessel or instrument through which all blessings can be received.

The Receptacle of the Receptacle

If we take this premise to the next level, it follows that the essence of the blessing associated with Torah is contained in its very last words: “…in the eyes of all Israel.”

At this point one may ask what blessing is contained in these final three (in the original Hebrew, that is) words?

Israel

Let’s begin with the last word, “Israel.” This word can be understood as the ultimate manifestation of the Torah’s blessing.

This too is based on two premises:

When G-d introduced the Divine wisdom of Torah to our world, it was predicated on the Jewish people accepting the Torah at Mount Sinai. If we had said no to the Torah, the way other nations responded, the world would have reverted to nothingness. A world without Torah is not the world G-d had in mind when He created it. Without Torah, the world’s reason to exist disappears.

In other words, while Torah is the receptacle for all blessings, the Jewish nation is the receptacle for the Torah.

Reciprocity

But, there is a deeper aspect of the relationship between Torah and Israel.

The Zohar describes the relationship between Israel, G-d and the Torah in the following manner:

“There are three knots that are knotted to one another, Israel, Torah and the Holy One, Blessed is He.”

The question has been raised: How could the Zohar state that there are three knots, when it would seem that there are only two knots or connections: Israel, with Torah and Torah with G-d!

Chassidic teaching explains that there is a third connection; the connection of G-d directly with Israel which transcends the connection G-d has with Torah.

The reason we need the connection to G-d through Torah, although we have our own innate connection, is that Torah has the power to reveal and actualize latent powers. Without Torah our direct connection with G-d would have remained undeveloped or dormant. Torah is the force that reveals the most powerful connection we have with G-d.

However, once we activate our transcendent connection with G-d through Torah, we then invest some of that transcendence into Torah. Israel, while starting on the receiving end from Torah, eventually reverses its position and generates a higher Divine energy back into Torah.

What emerges from this analysis is that Israel is both the ultimate vessel and receptacle for the blessing of Torah and in the end it is the source of blessing even in relation to Torah.

“Eyes of All Israel”

So far we have explained how the end of the Torah conveys the message of blessing and how the ultimate blessing is through Torah, and the ultimate blessing through Torah is through the Jewish people.

Still, how do the last three words tie in with the idea of the ultimate blessing?

To understand this let us reflect on the entire verse, which extols Moses’ greatness:

“…and to all of his mighty acts or great and awesome acts which Moses performed before the eyes of all Israel.”

Why is the fact that he performed these wonders before the eyes of all of Israel emphasized? Isn’t his praise based on the fact that he performed the wonders? Would the wonders have been less impressive if he had not performed them before all of Israel?

G-d’s Essence for All

The answer is that the difference between G-d’s essence being revealed versus a glimmer of Divine light is expressed by the degree to which all others are aware of it.

The Rebbe, in the last discourse he distributed, explains that if G-d’s presence was revealed to every individual sans one, it would mean that G-d’s essence is still hidden from everyone. When G-d’s essence is fully revealed, everyone will be able to see it.

This then is the ultimate blessing, one which distinguishes exile from Redemption. In exile one can be exposed to the most sublime G-dly light, but not His essence. This explains the disparity in the way people perceive G-dliness. Every person perceives light in a different fashion. In the Messianic Age, G-d’s essence will be revealed to all and our essential bond with G-d will be fully apparent. That will be the ultimate blessing We can now also understand the connection of this parsha, Berachah, to Simchas Torah. Simchas Torah has a dual translation: We rejoice with the Torah and the Torah rejoices with us. We rejoice with the Torah because the Torah reveals our superior relationship with G-d, which, in turn, causes the Torah to rejoice with us because of what we contribute to Torah.

When we dance on Simchas Torah, we should reflect on the ultimate blessing conferred on us by the Torah and the blessing we confer on the Torah as well.

All Eyes Open

This reciprocal relationship will reach its zenith and perfection when these mutual blessings will be made visible for all of Israel with the imminent coming of Moshiach and the Final Redemption!

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