The Shekoyach connecting VeZot HaBracha with Bereishit

Rav Johnny's original thoughts on the weekly parsha

This Shabbat is Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah (in Israel), while Simchat Torah is celebrated in the diaspora on Sunday. Yet wherever you are, this weekend is when the final Torah portion of VeZot HaBracha will be read, after which the first section of the first Torah portion, Parshat Bereishit, will also be read. Given this, I’d like to share an idea about the final few words of the Torah, as well as the first few words of the torah.

In his final comment to the Torah, Rashi addresses the last three words of the Torah - ‘before the eyes of all Israel’ (Devarim 34:12) - to which he notes that this is a coded reference to when, ‘[Moshe’s] heart inspired him to break the luchot before their eyes, as it says, “and I smashed them before your eyes” (Devarim 9:17). [And how do we know that] the Holy One Blessed Be He concurred with Moshe’s decision? Because it says, “which you shattered” (Shemot 34:1), from which it is implied, “May your strength be fitting (Yishar Kochacha), for having shattered [the tablets] (Sheshibarta)”’. What this means is that the final words of the Torah remind us of the story of Moshe breaking the luchot.

Interestingly, in the first edition of Rashi’s commentary to the Torah, five additional words are appended to this comment, saying: ‘Praiseworthy is a student whose teacher agrees with him’ (Ashrei Talmid SheRabo Modeh Lo) - which, significantly, is a phrase originally used in Gemara Brachot 32a about another of Moshe’s decisions. Interestingly, the Lubavitcher Rebbe (see his Biurim L’Peirush Rashi Al HaTorah on Devarim 34:12) suggests that Rashi added these words so that his commentary would end on a positive note (K’dei LeSayem BaTov).

However, both with or without these final five words, the primary point of Rashi’s comment here is to emphasize what it means to be loyal to the Torah, and to help us think about the choices we make which would make us a deserving recipient of the phrase: ‘May your strength be fitting’ (Yishar Kochacha).

Nowadays, the word ‘Shekoyach’ – which is a shortened version of ‘Yishar Kochacha’ - is frequently called out in synagogues throughout the world in order to offer praise towards those who have fulfilled a public mitzvah, or to congratulate someone who have made a meaningful contribution to their community. However, while ‘Shekoyach’ is generally understood to be synonymous with ‘good job!’, the origins of this term – namely Moshe’s breaking of the luchot - are most certainly much more dramatic. In fact, by reflecting on the origins of this phrase, it becomes clear that ‘Shekoyach’ isn’t simply about praising those who perform positive actions which everyone agrees with. Instead, it is praise for those who take a stand for the sake of God’s honour while running the risk of losing (or, in the case of the luchot, while physically breaking) things that are important or precious to you.

This means that to get an authentic ‘Shekoyach’ means to dedicate or risk something significant for the sake of something even more significant. And it is in the spirit of this meaning that Rashi then adds, ‘Praiseworthy is a student whose teacher agrees with him’ – because if a student makes a courageous decision independent of their teacher, which then prompts them to risk what they’ve received from their teacher for the sake of the values and honour of their teacher, then such a student is truly praiseworthy. Overall, rather than ‘Shekoyach’ being praise from a risk-free deed done for one’s own honour, it is high praise for a risky deed performed for the honour of God and for the honour of the Torah.

Having explained the meaning of this final Rashi, we may wonder why Rashi decided to end his commentary with this thought - especially since I am quite sure that he could have ended his commentary with a more upbeat message?

To answer this question, we need to look at Rashi’s first comment to the Torah on Bereishit 1:1,  which is often understood to be a form of introduction to his entire Torah commentary, where he begins by stating: ‘Said Rabbi Yitzchak: [God] ought not have begun the Torah [from Bereishit. Instead, the Torah should have begun with the first commandment given to the Jewish people of, ‘this month shall be for you [the beginning of the months]’ (Shemot 12:2). So what is the reason that [God] began [the Torah] with the story of Bereshit? ‘On account of the strength of His deeds he has declared to his people, to give to them the inheritance of the nations’ (Tehillim 111:6). For should the nations of the world say to Israel, “You are robbers, for you have conquered the lands of the seven [Canaanite] nations,” [Israel] could say back to them, “The whole world belongs to the Holy One, Blessed be God. God created it and gave it to them for whom it was fit in his eyes.  According to His will did He give it to them, and according to His will did He take it from them and give it to us.”’

Significantly, some people assume that the Rabbi Yitzchak whom Rashi quotes here was his father or teacher. Yet, even more significant is why Rashi adds his comment here (which many people assume was inserted as a reaction to the First Crusade in 1096), to which they answer that it was in order to teach the people that while the Christians were persecuting them and seeking to conquer the land of Israel, the Jewish people would continue to stay loyal to their God and their Torah while knowing how the land was given to them by God as stated in the Torah.

When Moshe came down Mount Sinai and saw the people serving the Egel HaZahav, he smashed the luchot, to which God replied ‘Yishar Kochacha’. In so doing, God praised Moshe for staying firm to his beliefs and loyalties, at great personal risk, during an incredibly challenging moment. This is the message contained in the last words of the Torah.

And by starting his commentary of the Torah with a quote from his father/teacher, and by hinting to what was going on around him and how, notwithstanding those challenges he and his fellow Jews were staying firm to their beliefs and loyalties at great personal risk, Rashi was giving a giant ‘Yishar Kochacha’ to the Jewish people, while, by quoting Rabbi Yitzchak, Rashi communicated his reverence for his teacher and the value of, ‘praiseworthy is a student whose teacher agrees with him’.

Shabbat Shalom & Chag Sameach!

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