V’zot Ha’Brachah
Deuteronomy 33:1-34:12
Joshua 1:1-1:18
The Jewish wish for long life is “ad meah v’esrim,” that we should reach the ripe old age of 120. This is the age attributed to Moses upon his death. In this week’s Torah portion, V’zot Ha’Bracha (And This is the Blessing), Moses dies and leadership is handed over to Joshua. A new generation of Israelites is poised to enter the Promised Land.
The portion, and thus the Torah, concludes with a secret: “No one knows [Moses’] burial place to this day.” (Deuteronomy 34:6) The place of Moses’ burial is concealed from human eyes for all generations to come. Why? While Jewish tradition acknowledges the greatness of Moses — even calls him a prophet — the unmarked grave is a sign of Moses’ humility. People could not adorn or enshrine it. Rather, generations to follow would need to find some other way to honor and remember Moses’ legacy.
God’s secret burial act reminds us that Moses’ greatness rested in his ability to pass on the values of Torah and to teach a new generation of people what it means to have a covenant with God. Moses’ final act is to bless the children of Israel — “Torah tziva lanu Moshe” — “This is the Torah that Moses passed on to us.” (Deuteronomy 33:4)
Today, recent North American studies have shown that there is cause for concern about our ability to pass on Torah and Jewish tradition to the next generation. In the face of rising trends in assimilation, Jewish leaders and educators must continue to find ways to make Judaism palatable and relevant. We can turn to Moses’ success and to other places in our tradition for a response to today’s challenges to Jewish continuity.
The Talmud (Bava Metzia 85b) tells the tale of another great leader and teacher whose burial place is hidden from the human eye. The rabbinic sage Resh Lakish was marking the graves of the rabbis and became upset when he could not find the grave of Rabbi Chiyya. Thinking it is due to his own lack of knowledge that he cannot find the grave, Resh Lakish approached God, saying, “Master of the Universe, did I not debate about Torah like him [Rabbi Chiyya]?” At that moment, “a heavenly voice went forth and said, ‘You debated about Torah like him, but you did not spread Torah like him.'”
What was Rabbi Chiyya’s ingenious method of spreading Torah and ensuring Jewish continuity? The Talmud explains: “I go and sow flax, and I weave nests from it to catch deer, and I give their meat to orphans. I then prepare scrolls and write the five books of the Torah and I go to a town and teach five children the five books … And I say to them, ‘Until I come back, teach each other Torah.’ And thus I make sure that the Torah is not forgotten in Israel.”
Rabbi Chiyya’s calculated method offers a response to the fear, God forbid, that Torah could be forgotten in Israel. He ultimately teaches the children to become the teachers of Torah for each other (and performs a nice mitzvah along the way!) He no longer needs to be physically present in that town, since he has successfully passed on his wisdom to others.
It is interesting that the burial sites of these two great teachers, Moses and Rabbi Chiyya, are unknown. Both stories come to teach us about the Jewish wish for long life, and the Jewish response to what makes for a lasting legacy. Although Moses is said to have lived until 120, it is not the length of our days that matter, but rather what we do during the time that is given us; our actions and our values. It is our ability to pass on these values that enables the next generation to remember us as they move into their Promised Land.
Of course, we need constant reminders of this lesson. This weekend we will celebrate the holiday of Simchat Torah, when we complete the reading of the Torah and start all over again. A year from now we will be reminded again of Moses’ legacy. For now, though, it is time to rejoice in our own abilities to study and to teach. Moadim L’simcha — may we find joy in this season of return and renewal.
Rabbi Karen S. Citrin is the associate rabbi at Reform Peninsula Temple Beth El in San Mateo.