The name of the Parshah, "V'Zot HaBerachah," means "And this is the blessing," and it is found in Deuteronomy 33:1.
The
Sukkot and
Shemini Atzeret
Torah readings are from
Leviticus 22-23,
Numbers 29, and
Deuteronomy 14-16. These readings detail the laws of the moadim or "
appointed times" on the
Jewish calendar for festive celebration of our bond with
G‑d; including the
mitzvot of dwelling in the
sukkah (branch-covered hut) and taking the "
Four Kinds" on the festival of Sukkot; the
offerings brought in the
Holy Temple in
Jerusalem on Sukkot, and the obligation to journey to the Holy Temple to "to see and be seen before the face of G‑d" on the three annual pilgrimage festivals —
Passover,
Shavuot and Sukkot.
On
Simchat Torah ("Rejoicing of the Torah") we conclude, and begin anew, the annual Torah-reading cycle. First we read the Torah section of
V'zot HaBerachah, which recounts the blessings that
Moses gave to each of the
twelve tribes of Israel before his
death.
Echoing Jacob's blessings to his twelve sons five generations earlier, Moses assigns and empowers each tribe with its individual role within the community of Israel.
V'zot HaBerachah then relates how Moses ascended Mount Nebo from whose summit he saw the
Promised Land. "And Moses the servant of G‑d died there in the Land of Moab by the mouth of G‑d... and no man knows his burial place to this day." The Torah concludes by attesting that "
There arose not a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom G‑d knew face to face... and in all the mighty hand and the great
awesome things which Moses did before the eyes of all Israel."
Immediately after
concluding the Torah, we begin it anew by reading the
first chapter of Genesis (the beginning of
next Shabbat's Torah reading) describing G‑d's
creation of the world in six days and His ceasing work on the seventh—which He sanctified and blessed as
a day of rest.
Learn:
From the Rebbe's Talks
Browse:
V'Zot HaBerachah Parshah Columnists
Prep:
Devar Torah Q&A for V'Zot HaBerachah
Read:
Haftarah in a Nutshell
Play:
V'Zot HaBerachah Parshah Quiz
