Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
Here are the pesukim from our parashah that describe Moshe’s death.
What do you notice as you read them? How do they make you feel?
וַיָּמׇת שָׁם מֹשֶׁה עֶבֶד ה’ בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹאָב עַל פִּי ה'׃
וַיִּקְבֹּר אֹתוֹ בַגַּי בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹאָב מוּל בֵּית פְּעוֹר וְלֹא יָדַע אִישׁ אֶת קְבֻרָתוֹ עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃
So Moshe the servant of God died there, in the land of Moav, at God’s command.
God buried him in the valley in the land of Moav, near Beit-Peor; and no one knows his burial place to this day.
דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי שִׂמְלַאי: תּוֹרָה תְּחִלָּתָהּ גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים וְסוֹפָהּ גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים.
תְּחִילָּתָהּ גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים דִּכְתִיב "וַיַּעַשׂ ה׳ אֱלֹקִים לְאָדָם וּלְאִשְׁתּוֹ כׇּתְנוֹת עוֹר וַיַּלְבִּשֵׁם" (בראשית ג:כא).
וְסוֹפָהּ גְּמִילוּת חֲסָדִים דִּכְתִיב "וַיִּקְבֹּר אוֹתוֹ בַּגַּי" (דברים לד:ו).
R. Simlai taught: The Torah begins and ends with acts of hesed (kindness).
Its beginning is hesed – “God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin and dressed them” (Bereishit 3:21).
Its ending is hesed – “God buried him in the valley” (Devarim 34:6).
- What’s surprising or interesting about God making garments for Adam and Havah, and burying Moshe?
- Why is it important that the Torah begins and ends with stories about hesed? What could this tell us about the relationship between Torah and hesed?
- How does learning Torah make us kinder and more likely to act with hesed? Can you think of a few ways?
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