Read Time: 7 Minutes
We have arrived at the final destination of our annual journey through the Torah. This week's portion, V'zot Ha'beracha ("And this is the blessing"), found in Deuteronomy chapters 33 and 34, is the grand finale of the five books of Moses. It is a moment of profound significance, where Moses, the man of God, delivers his final prophetic blessings to the tribes of Israel before ascending Mount Nebo to be gathered to his people.
This last Parsha is not merely an ending; it is a seal, a summary, and a powerful revelation. It encapsulates the entire narrative of YAH's relationship with His people, from their bondage in Egypt to the cusp of their promised inheritance. More than that, it unveils a beautiful, hidden secret about the very nature of the Torah itself—a secret that reveals the very heart of our Creator and points us directly to our Messiah, Yeshua.
A Message from the Heart: The Secret of the First and Last Letters
The Word of God is a treasure chest of infinite depth, and sometimes the greatest jewels are hidden in plain sight. Consider this remarkable insight:
-
The very first letter of the entire Torah (and the Bible) is the Hebrew letter Bet (ב), from the first word of Genesis, Bereshit ("In the beginning").
-
The very last letter of the Torah is the Hebrew letter Lamed (ל), from the last word of Deuteronomy, Yisrael ("Israel").
When we read these two letters together in the proper Hebrew direction (right to left), they form the word לֵב (Leb)—the Hebrew word for "heart."
From beginning to end, from Bereshit to Yisrael, the entire Torah reveals the very heart of God. It is a divine love story, a testament to His passionate desire for a relationship with His creation. This isn't just a clever observation; it is the central theme of this final Parsha. Moses declares it plainly in Deuteronomy 33:3:
"Yes, He loves the people; All His saints are in Your hand; They sit down at Your feet; Everyone receives Your words."
This is the foundation of everything. Before any law, before any blessing, there is this foundational truth: YAH loves His people.
What is "The Blessing"?
The title of our Parsha, V'zot Ha'beracha, means "And this is the blessing." But what, precisely, is the blessing? The text itself provides the answer. The blessing is not a singular, abstract concept; it is multifaceted and deeply personal.
-
The Torah is the Blessing: Moses' final act is to bestow the words of God. To delight in His law, to meditate on it day and night, is to be blessed (Psalm 1).
-
The Commandments are the Blessing: To walk in His ways and keep His commandments is the path to life and multiplication (Deuteronomy 30:16).
-
YAH Himself is the Blessing: To trust in Him, to seek Him with our whole heart, is the source of true blessing (Psalm 34:8, Jeremiah 17:7).
-
Yeshua is the Blessing: He is the Word made flesh, the living Torah, the ultimate expression of YAH's love and the means by which we inherit every spiritual blessing.
Our Master, Yeshua, put it most succinctly: "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it." (Luke 11:28). To receive and obey the Word is to walk in the fullness of "the blessing."
The Blessings of the Tribes: A Prophetic Portrait of Messiah
As we delve into the specific blessings Moses gives to each tribe, we must remember Yeshua's words: all of Scripture testifies of Him (John 5:39). These tribal blessings are far more than simple well-wishes; they are a composite, prophetic portrait of the Messiah. And because we, as believers, are the "body of Christ" (Romans 12:5) and branches "grafted in" to the olive tree of Israel (Romans 11), these blessings become attributes of our own identity in Him.
Let's examine a few of these prophetic snapshots:
-
Reuben: "Let Reuben live, and not die, Nor let his men be few." This speaks directly of Yeshua, the one who, after dying, now "lives forever and ever" (Revelation 1:18). Through Him, we too pass from death to eternal life.
-
Levi: "They have observed Your word And kept Your covenant. They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, And Israel Your law." Who is this but Yeshua? He is the Word made flesh (John 1:14), the one who perfectly kept the covenant. He is our great Teacher (Rabbi), the ultimate Judge, and the very embodiment of God's Law.
-
Judah: "Hear, Adonai, the voice of Judah, And bring him to His people." This is a plea for the coming of the King. YAH answered this prayer when He "sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9), bringing the Lion of the Tribe of Judah to His people.
-
Joseph (Ephraim & Manasseh): "Let the blessing come on the head of Joseph... His glory is like a firstborn bull, And his horns like the horns of a wild ox; Together with them He shall push the peoples to the ends of the earth." This speaks of Messiah's immense strength and His mission to the nations. The "ten thousands of Ephraim" and "thousands of Manasseh" prophetically point to the great multitude from the nations who would be grafted into Israel through the work of Messiah.
-
Asher: "Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers, And let him dip his foot in oil." Yeshua is the ultimate "blessed Son," the beloved of the Father. The image of a foot dipped in oil is a stunning foreshadowing of Mary anointing the feet of Yeshua with costly oil, preparing Him for His burial (John 12:3).
Each blessing reveals another facet of our glorious King. He is the Lion and the Lawgiver, the eternal one who lives, the Teacher, and the beloved Son anointed for service.
A Heritage for All: The Congregation of Jacob
Moses declares in Deuteronomy 33:4, "Moses commanded a law for us, a heritage of the congregation of Jacob." The Hebrew word for heritage, morashah, signifies a spiritual inheritance that abides forever.
Crucially, this inheritance is not exclusively for the physical descendants of Jacob. It is for the kahal, the "congregation" of Jacob. This includes all who, through faith, would join themselves to Israel. As believers in Yeshua, we are those "other sheep" He promised to bring into the fold, creating "one flock and one shepherd" (John 10:16). We are the wild branches grafted into the natural olive tree, partaking of its root and richness (Romans 11:17). We are the body of Christ, and therefore we are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. The Torah, with all its blessings, is our spiritual heritage.
Conclusion: A People Saved by YHVH
The Torah ends with the death of Moses, the faithful servant who saw the promise but did not enter it. This is a final, powerful lesson: the Law can lead us to the border of the promise, but only a new leader, a Yehoshua (Joshua/Yeshua), can lead us in.
As the curtain falls on the five books of Moses, we are left with this triumphant declaration:
"Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by YHVH, The shield of your help And the sword of your majesty! Your enemies shall submit to you, And you shall tread down their high places." (Deuteronomy 33:29)
This is our identity. We are a people defined not by our own strength, but by the fact that we are saved YHVH. He is our shield and our sword. As we conclude this year's cycle and prepare to begin anew with Bereshit, let us carry the truth of V'zot Ha'beracha in our hearts. The Torah is the revelation of YAH's heart of love, the blessings of the tribes are a portrait of our Messiah, and we are the happy, blessed, and saved people of Elohim.
From our house to your house, shalom.
Watch the full teaching:
Audio Bible for this weeks Torah Portion: