Vezot Habracha
Bill Cloud
The fifty-fourth and last reading from the Torah begins with the words Vezot ha'Berachah (וזאת הברכה), which means "And this is the blessing." In this portion, Moses prepares to be gathered unto “his fathers” but before leaving this world, like Jacob, he blesses the tribes of Israel. In doing so, Moses exemplifies the characteristics of a great leader: he blesses those who provoked his transgression which kept him from going into the Land. Also, like Jacob, Moses blends prophecy with the blessing indicating what is to be the outcome for each tribe.