V'Zot HaBracha
Deuteronomy 33:1 – 34:12
In his final act, Moses blesses each of the twelve tribes individually, echoing Jacob's deathbed blessings in Genesis yet with a distinctly national and prophetic tone. The blessings celebrate each tribe's unique gifts and destiny — Judah's leadership, Levi's teaching, Joseph's abundance, Benjamin's divine shelter. Moses then ascends Mount Nebo, where God shows him the entire Land from Gilead to the Negev. Moses dies there at age 120 — 'his eye was not dim, nor his vigor diminished' — and God buries him in an unknown grave. The Torah concludes with the declaration that no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom God knew face to face.
Key figures
- Moses — Blesses the tribes, views the Land from Nebo, dies at 120
- Joshua bin Nun — Filled with the spirit of wisdom, succeeds Moses as leader
- God — Shows Moses the Land, buries him in an unmarked grave
Famous verses
- 33:1 And this is the blessing with which Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.
- 33:27 The eternal God is a dwelling-place, And underneath are the everlasting arms; And He thrust out the enemy from before you, And said: "Destroy."
- 34:5-6 So Moses the servant of Hashem died there in the land of Moab, by the mouth of Hashem.
- 34:10 And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom Hashem knew face to face;
Haftarah: {'ref': 'Joshua 1:1-18', 'connection': "Immediately after Moses's death, God commissions Joshua to lead Israel across the Jordan, directly continuing the narrative — 'Moses My servant is dead; now arise, cross this Jordan.'"}
Total gematria 134,008 is divisible by 7, the number of completion.