Final Torah Hangout - May 3 - Moses' Farewell

In the second to last parashah of the Torah, Haazinu, Moses speaks to the people one last time. His speech is a beautiful call to the people to follow God's teachings so they may finally live as a free and righteous people in peace. The people are on the verge of entering the land -- they can even see it now!

However, Moses himself, the man who has humbly and loyally led the people all this way, is not allowed to enter the land. After his final speech to the people, God tells Moses to climb to the top of Mount Nevo, to look at the promised land, and to die there. God says Moses may not enter the land, "Because you betrayed Me among the people Israel at the water of Merivat Kadesh in the Zin desert and because you did not sanctify Me among the people Israel." What does it mean that Moses did not sanctify God?

You see, back when the people were complaining of thirst in the desert of Zin, God had instructed Moses to speak to a rock to make water gush from it and quench the Israelites' thirst. But instead of speaking to the rock, Moses hit the rock with his stick. Water still came out of the rock and the people drank it, but because Moses did not follow God's instructions exactly, God does not allow him to enter the land God promised the people Israel.

Before Moses dies, he sings a poem to the people Israel, blessing each of the 12 tribes. Finally, Moses dies, the Torah says, "by the mouth of God." What does this mean? The Talmud says that Moses died as God kissed him. And God Godself buries Moses.

What do YOU think?
Do you think God's punishment of Moses is fair? Why or why not? Defend your answer with evidence from the story.

From the Rabbis
It is believed that it was Moses who wrote down the whole Torah, recording God's words as God spoke them. But how could Moses have written the whole Torah if he died before the ending?

There are a few explanations for this. One answer is that Moses wrote up to the moment before his death and then his student and successor, Joshua, wrote on from there, finishing the rest of the Torah. (It is Joshua, after all, who takes over for Moses and leads the people into the Land.) Another opinion states that Joshua could not have finished it because Moses already had a complete Torah scroll. How could this be? Rather, says Rabbi Meir, we must say that God dictated the event of Moses' death, saying, "And Moses...died there" and Moses wrote it in tears and then died.

~Why do you think the rabbis imagine Moses writing these last words in tears?

~Why do you think the Torah ends with Moses' death? Why doesn't it end with the people going into the promised land?