Moses Dies There: The Final Chapter of the Torah
Parsha V'zot Habracha
Parsha Summary: The final farewell. The walk into the sunset. '“Moses dies there” and that’s it. Nobody remembers where the body is buried and Yoshi gets padded with guilty triumph and inexhaustible wisdom. And that’s the end.
“Now I've had the time of my life
No, I never felt like this before
Yes I swear, it's the truth
And I owe it all to you
'Cause I've had the time of my life
And I owe it all to you”
Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes
It’s always hard for a love affair to finish. There is a final burst of appreciation for all the great memories and warm embraces. The last canoodle on the rug carpet. The concluding hugs of smotheration through the dark, desert nights. And the ultimately doomed love affair ends with one last glance, eyes melt with passion and your voice grown hoarse with longing.
Moses had none of that.
His love for G-d was pure. A powerful force harnessed for the betterment of an entire nation. He led by example and rarely questioned the chain of command.
And the one time he did question the overlord of annihilation? Well, the result of that misadventure with a rock had Moses dying alone on a mountain, peering into the distance at a land he was forbidden from entering.
Was Moses upset? Was his final gesture of blessing the twelve tribes worthy of admission onto the sacred ground? Is this all it came to? A forty-year jolly around a desert pretending to be lost while an older generation perished for their sins. The slow cull of inferior bull-worshipping stock from the flock of formerly devoted Egyptians. The exiled flock had outlived their roots. They were slaves no more. They were Israelites. The Chosen. Soon to be led by the chiseled jawbone of Joshua son of Nun.
Moses sat in stony silence as G-d projected moving images above his head. A highlights reel of Moses’ greatest hits.
“Remember this day, Moshe. Oi, that was fun! I can still see the look on the General’s face when I crushed waves and waves over chariots! How many we slaughter in the sea, Moshe?”
Moses wasn’t interested. He looked back upon his life and wondered why his epitaph simply read “So Moses, the servant of G-d, died there, in the land of Moab, at the command of G-d.” (Deuteronomy 34:5)
“Look Moshe, here you are when we first met! You were attempting to grow a beard. So funny! I almost scorched the fluff right of your chin with my burning bush! That bush was just for you Moshe. I knew you would love the spectacle!”
“Would I, G-d? Why couldn’t you keep things simple like you have done for every other prophet? Why couldn’t I be visited by angels? Or had a talking ass like Balaam? I would kill to be swallowed by a whale. But no. All I get is a wander through a desert and then shown a glorious land for which entry is barred.”
“Moshe, we’ve been through this. You know why you die here. It is my command and no man shall question my word.”
“I die here. That’s what you said. It is written. So final. You force me to bless the twelve, even that schmuck, Zebulun, and all I get is a single line?”
“Moshe, the Torah is literally written all about you! There are three books dedicated to nothing more than your journey. Relax. Sit back. Enjoy your final moments on this earth. I have great things in store for you in Heaven. Remember this one, Moshe? Oi, how you bashed that Egyptian to death! I knew then that you were the right man for the job. Such ferocity! Such passion!”
“And no one knows his burial place to this day (34:6)?”, replied Moses.
“It’ll be one of the great mysteries of life. Is there a sea beast in Loch Ness? Does a big-footed man exist in the wilds of the North? Why rename a brand as instantly recognizable as Twitter? These mysteries will plague man forever and they will love it. Without the unexplainable, men lose interest. Moshe, I know what I’m doing. I created the world in seven days. Trust me.”
Moses shrugged. His fate was sealed. He wondered if he ever had any choice. Maybe that too was an illusion.
At the age of 120, Moses died.
“Never again did there arise in Israel a prophet like Moses—whom G-d singled out, face to face,
for the various signs and portents that G-d sent him to display in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his courtiers and his whole country,
and for all the great might and awesome power that Moses displayed before all Israel.” (34:10-12).
Next week, the journey begins.
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When you said "Yoshi" at the start, I pictured Super Mario's dinosaur friend, but I assume you meant Joshua....?
And what did Zebulun do that Moses should call him a schmuck for?
The song you quote at the start was sung by Medley and Warnes, but it was written by Frank Previte, John DiNicola and Donald Markowitz.