V'zot HaBerachah 5786 - What if the Torah, and not The Land, is our true inheritance?

ByRabbi Anita Josefa Barzman MD Founder, micro-mishkan.net

V'zot HaBerachah - "and this is the blessing" - is the final, and brief, portion in our Torah. It is read on Simchat Torah, followed immediately by the return back to the start, to Beresheit.
Similarly to the previous parsha - Ha'azinu - this final portion is written largely in poetic language. The first five verses are effectively an introduction to the farewell blessings that Moses will offer to each of the tribes before his death.

דברים ל״ג:א׳-ה׳

(א) וְזֹ֣את הַבְּרָכָ֗ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר בֵּרַ֥ךְ מֹשֶׁ֛ה אִ֥ישׁ הָאֱלֹקִ֖ים אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לִפְנֵ֖י מוֹתֽוֹ׃ (ב) וַיֹּאמַ֗ר ה׳ מִסִּינַ֥י בָּא֙ וְזָרַ֤ח מִשֵּׂעִיר֙ לָ֔מוֹ הוֹפִ֙יעַ֙ מֵהַ֣ר פָּארָ֔ן וְאָתָ֖ה מֵרִבְבֹ֣ת קֹ֑דֶשׁ מִימִינ֕וֹ (אשדת)[אֵ֥שׁ דָּ֖ת] לָֽמוֹ׃ (ג) אַ֚ף חֹבֵ֣ב עַמִּ֔ים כׇּל־קְדֹשָׁ֖יו בְּיָדֶ֑ךָ וְהֵם֙ תֻּכּ֣וּ לְרַגְלֶ֔ךָ יִשָּׂ֖א מִדַּבְּרֹתֶֽיךָ׃ (ד) תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ מֹשֶׁ֑ה מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַעֲקֹֽב׃ (ה) וַיְהִ֥י בִישֻׁר֖וּן מֶ֑לֶךְ בְּהִתְאַסֵּף֙ רָ֣אשֵׁי עָ֔ם יַ֖חַד שִׁבְטֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

Deuteronomy 33:1-5

(1) This is the blessing with which Moses, God’s agent, bade the Israelites farewell before he died. (2) He said: ה׳ came from Sinai, And shone upon them from Seir; [God] appeared from Mount Paran, And approached from Ribeboth-kodesh, Lightning flashing at them from [God’s] right. (3) Lover, indeed, of the people, Their hallowed are all in Your hand. They followed in Your steps, Accepting Your pronouncements, (4) When Moses charged us with the Teaching As the heritage of the congregation of Jacob. (5) Then [God] became King in Jeshurun, When the heads of the people assembled, The tribes of Israel together.

In this commentary I wish to focus on one particular verse:

דברים ל״ג:ד׳

תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ מֹשֶׁ֑ה מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַעֲקֹֽב׃

Deuteronomy 33:4

When Moses charged us with the Teaching
As the heritage of the congregation of Jacob. (JPS translation)

my translation:

"Moses commanded the Torah for us, to us... commanded us to engage with the Torah, which is the true inheritance, the true possession, of all Jews."

Translating מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה (morashah) as "heritage" (as in the JPS translation here) rather than "inheritance" or "possession" (as I have done) obscures the connection of this word with the semantic cloud in Tanakh that underlies the idea possession / dispossession: the verbal root of מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה is √ירש (yarash) - to possess / dispossess. Most often, this verbal root appears in the context of "The Land" as Jews' inheritance or possession. I am interested in exploring how we can understand our inheritance as being something other than "The Land".

Because of its connection to this verbal root, I suggest that מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה is a challenging word that requires exploration and wrestling: what does it mean that the Torah is Jews' מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה ?

Although the word מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה is a rare one in Tanakh (only 3 occurrences), its verbal root √ירש (yarash) is a frequent one (232 occurrences). As mentioned, this verbal root - √ירש (yarash) - is at the heart of the notion of "the land" as Jews' promised and inevitable inheritance. However, there are other colorings to this word in Tanakh; and at this critical time in history and in the history of Judaism, there is an urgent need to deeply explore possible ways of understanding our inheritance that go beyond Zionism.

The first appearances of the verbal root √ירש (yarash) are in the middle of Parashat Lech Lecha (to which we will come in a few weeks), the third portion in the Book of Genesis. Abram (not yet Abraham) is conversing with God.

בראשית ט״ו:ג׳-ח׳

(ג) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אַבְרָ֔ם הֵ֣ן לִ֔י לֹ֥א נָתַ֖תָּה זָ֑רַע וְהִנֵּ֥ה בֶן־בֵּיתִ֖י יוֹרֵ֥שׁ אֹתִֽי׃ (ד) וְהִנֵּ֨ה דְבַר־ה׳ אֵלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א יִֽירָשְׁךָ֖ זֶ֑ה כִּי־אִם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֵצֵ֣א מִמֵּעֶ֔יךָ ה֖וּא יִֽירָשֶֽׁךָ׃ (ה) וַיּוֹצֵ֨א אֹת֜וֹ הַח֗וּצָה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ הַבֶּט־נָ֣א הַשָּׁמַ֗יְמָה וּסְפֹר֙ הַכּ֣וֹכָבִ֔ים אִם־תּוּכַ֖ל לִסְפֹּ֣ר אֹתָ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ כֹּ֥ה יִהְיֶ֖ה זַרְעֶֽךָ׃ (ו) וְהֶאֱמִ֖ן בַּֽה׳ וַיַּחְשְׁבֶ֥הָ לּ֖וֹ צְדָקָֽה׃ (ז) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אֵלָ֑יו אֲנִ֣י ה׳ אֲשֶׁ֤ר הוֹצֵאתִ֙יךָ֙ מֵא֣וּר כַּשְׂדִּ֔ים לָ֧תֶת לְךָ֛ אֶת־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַזֹּ֖את לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃ (ח) וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אדושם ה׳ בַּמָּ֥ה אֵדַ֖ע כִּ֥י אִֽירָשֶֽׁנָּה׃

Genesis 15:3-8

(3) Abram said further, “Since You have granted me no offspring, my steward will be my heir.” (4) The word of ה׳ came to him in reply, “That one shall not be your heir; none but your very own issue shall be your heir.” (5) [Then in the vision, God] took him outside and said, “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them”—continuing, “So shall your offspring be.” (6) And he put his trust in ה׳, who reckoned it to his merit. (7) Then [God] said to him, “I am ה׳ who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to assign this land to you as a possession.” (8) And he said, “O lord ה׳, how shall I know that I am to possess it?”

Notably, in these verses - the first appearance of √ירש (yarash) in Tanakh - we see a polarity of meanings: heirs / descendants | land that can be possessed. I will note that in Verse 5, when God responds to Abram's questions about "who will be my heirs?" we read a different word in the response: God refers to Abram's seed - זַרְעֶֽךָ - not his heirs / possessions. (I will return to this in an upcoming commentary about Parashat Lech Lecha.)

Consider a verse from Isaiah where we have this verbal root two times:

ישעיהו ס״ה:ט׳

(ט) וְהוֹצֵאתִ֤י מִֽיַּעֲקֹב֙ זֶ֔רַע וּמִֽיהוּדָ֖ה יוֹרֵ֣שׁ הָרָ֑י וִירֵשׁ֣וּהָ בְחִירַ֔י וַעֲבָדַ֖י יִשְׁכְּנוּ־שָֽׁמָּה׃

Isaiah 65:9

(9)I will bring forth offspring [seed] from Jacob,

From Judah heirs to My mountains;

My chosen ones shall take possession,

My servants shall dwell thereon.

I suggest that in this verse we also see hints of the polarity between literal possession of land and inheriting a set of values.

Returning to our word מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה from V'Zot HeBereachah:

דברים ל״ג:ד׳

(ד) תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ מֹשֶׁ֑ה מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַעֲקֹֽב׃

Deuteronomy 33:4

(4) When Moses charged us with the Teaching As the heritage of the congregation of Jacob. (JPS)

"Moses commanded the Torah for us, to us... commanded us to engage with the Torah, which is the true inheritance, the true possession, of all Jews." (my translation)

The other verses in Tanakh in which מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה appears:

עובדיה א׳:י״ז

(יז) וּבְהַ֥ר צִיּ֛וֹן תִּהְיֶ֥ה פְלֵיטָ֖ה וְהָ֣יָה קֹ֑דֶשׁ וְיָֽרְשׁוּ֙ בֵּ֣ית יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב אֵ֖ת מוֹרָֽשֵׁיהֶֽם׃

Obadiah 1:17

(17)But on Zion’s mount a remnant shall survive,

And it shall be holy.

The House of Jacob shall dispossess

Those who dispossessed them.

איוב י״ז:י״א

(יא) יָמַ֣י עָ֭בְרוּ זִמֹּתַ֣י נִתְּק֑וּ מ֖וֹרָשֵׁ֣י לְבָבִֽי׃

Job 17:11

(11) My days are done, my tendons severed, The inheritances of my heart.

Rashi's comment on מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה in this verses is illustrative: note how Rashi understands"the inheritances of my heart"

רש"י על איוב י״ז:י״א:ג׳

(ג)נִתְּקוּ מוֹרָשֵׁי לְבָבִי. מַחֲשָׁבוֹת שֶׁלִּבִּי מוֹרִישַׁנִי, שֶׁהָיָה לִבִּי אוֹמֵר לִי לִירַשׁ טוֹבָה לְפִי דַרְכִּי:

Rashi on Job 17:11:3

(3)the thoughts of my heart have been broken off. מורשי, lit. the inheritances of. The thoughts which my heart gave me to possess, for my heart said that I would inherit good because of my [righteous] way.

Rashi's comment offers a lens through which to understand this word - and I suggest, the verbal root from which it derives - as the inheritance of our own understanding and intellect.

The verse from Isaiah where מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה occurs:

ישעיהו י״ד:כ״ג

(כג) וְשַׂמְתִּ֛יהָ לְמוֹרַ֥שׁ קִפֹּ֖ד וְאַגְמֵי־מָ֑יִם וְטֵאטֵאתִ֙יהָ֙ בְּמַטְאֲטֵ֣א הַשְׁמֵ֔ד נְאֻ֖ם ה׳ צְבָאֽוֹת׃ {ס}

Isaiah 14:23

(23) and I will make it a home of bitterns, pools of water. I will sweep it with a broom of extermination—declares GOD of Hosts.

Steinsaltz renders this verse thusly:

ביאור שטיינזלץ על ישעיהו י״ד:כ״ג

(כג)וְשַׂמְתִּיהָ — את ארץ בבל לְמוֹרַשׁ קִפֹּד, כנראה מין עוף לילי וְאַגְמֵי מָיִם. וְטֵאטֵאתִיהָ בְּמַטְאֲטֵא הַשְׁמֵד, נְאֻם ה׳ צְבָאוֹת. בבל תושמד, ולא יישארו ממנה אלא חורבות, ביצות ושממה.

Steinsaltz on Isaiah 14:23

(23)I will render it, Babylon, a possession of the fish owl and pools of water; I will sweep it with the broom of destruction–the utterance of the Lord of hosts. Babylonia shall be utterly destroyed; nothing will remain of it except destroyed cities, swamps, and desolation.

In the verse from Obadiah where מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה occurs, we clearly see the contranymic aspect of possession / dispossession in the verbal root from which מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה derives:

עובדיה א׳:י״ז

(יז) וּבְהַ֥ר צִיּ֛וֹן תִּהְיֶ֥ה פְלֵיטָ֖ה וְהָ֣יָה קֹ֑דֶשׁ וְיָֽרְשׁוּ֙ בֵּ֣ית יַֽעֲקֹ֔ב אֵ֖ת מוֹרָֽשֵׁיהֶֽם׃

Obadiah 1:17

(17)But on Zion’s mount a remnant shall survive,

And it shall be holy.

The House of Jacob shall dispossess

Those who dispossessed them.

I have explored the challenging contranymic nature of this verb in a number of other commentaries here on Sefaria; its semantic field includes possessing, dispossessing, and becoming dispossessed / impoverished oneself.

In particular, please see:

Va'etchanan 5784 The Contranymics of Possession
Va'etchanan 5784 The Contranymics of Possession |
Sefaria

(And please feel free to explore my other commentaries on Sefaria regarding the phenomenon of contranyms in the Torah and the moral / ethical explorations into which they invite us.)
Our Torah is replete with wisdom, with complexity, with challenging passages that have invited Jews for millennia to wrestle and discuss, agree and disagree...I suggest that this is our true מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה (morashah), our true and enduring inheritance, far more than land / The Land, beyond Zionism. The endless universe of Torah: this is our true inheritance. We can dwell in Torah, and Torah can dwell in us.

שמות כ״ה:ח׳

(ח) וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃

Exodus 25:8

(8) And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.

When the Torah dwells inside of us, when we actively engage with and grapple with its precepts, its challenges, its beauty and its problems, we can find guidance to participate in making this world a better world for all. I suggest that this is our most enduring and true inheritance.

משנה אבות ה׳:כ״ב

(כב)בֶּן בַּג בַּג אוֹמֵר, הֲפֹךְ בָּהּ וַהֲפֹךְ בָּהּ, דְּכֹלָּא בָהּ. וּבָהּ תֶּחֱזֵי, וְסִיב וּבְלֵה בָהּ, וּמִנַּהּ לֹא תָזוּעַ, שֶׁאֵין לְךָ מִדָּה טוֹבָה הֵימֶנָּה:

Pirkei Avot 5:22

(22)Ben Bag Bag said: Turn it [the Torah] over, and turn it over, for all is in it.

And look into Torah; And become gray and old in Torah; And do not move away from it, because there is nothing better for you than the qualities of the Torah. (my translation)