The Book of Deuteronomy, or Devarim in Hebrew, opens with Moses preparing to bless the Israelites before they enter the Promised Land. But the Rabbis of the Midrash saw something deeper in these words. It wasn't just Moses doing the blessing, but something far more profound.
Devarim Rabbah 11 offers a fascinating interpretation of the verse "This is the blessing..." (Deuteronomy 33:1). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman suggests that when Moses came to bless Israel, he wasn’t alone. The Torah itself and the Holy One, blessed be He, also came to bestow their blessings. Think about that for a moment. It wasn't just a man speaking words, but a confluence of divine forces at play!
The Midrash connects the phrase "This is [vezot] the blessing" with the verse "This is [vezot] the Torah that Moses placed before the children of Israel" (Deuteronomy 4:44). See the connection? "This is" points us directly to the Torah itself. Then, "That Moses...blessed" – well, that’s Moses, of course. And finally, "The man of God" – that refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated: "The Lord is a Man of war" (Exodus 15:3). A powerful image, isn't it?
Why all this emphasis? The Midrash explains it beautifully, quoting Ecclesiastes 4:12: "The threefold thread is not quickly severed." The Torah, Moses, and God – a powerful braid of blessing, unbreakable and enduring.
Rabbi Tanḥuma takes the idea further. He asks: If elohim (God), why ish (man)? And if ish, why elohim? He's pointing to the seemingly contradictory nature of Moses himself. Sometimes he acts like a regular man, but at other times his actions seem to transcend human capabilities.
The Midrash explores this duality through a series of contrasts. When Moses was cast into the river of Egypt – ish; but when the river was transformed into blood – elohim. When he fled from Pharaoh – ish; but when he sank Pharaoh's army in the sea – God. It’s a powerful way of showing how Moses was both a man of flesh and blood and an instrument of divine power.
Consider this too: when Moses ascended to the firmament, the sky above – ish, a man before the angels who are completely fire (esh). But when he descended from the firmament – elohim. The proof? "They feared approaching him" (Exodus 34:30), because he radiated divine light. The Zohar, the central text of Kabbalah, expands on this, describing Moses' face as shining with a heavenly glow after his encounter with God on Mount Sinai.
Alternatively, the Midrash suggests that when Moses ascended to the firmament – elohim – he became like the angels. Just as the angels do not eat and drink, neither did he. "He was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread, and he did not drink water" (Exodus 34:28). Talk about a spiritual fast!
Rav Avin offers a final, striking image: "His lower half – man; his upper half – of God." This isn't meant literally, of course, but it’s a powerful metaphor for the way Moses embodied both human frailty and divine inspiration.
So, what does all this mean for us? Perhaps it's a reminder that blessings aren't just words we say. They're a connection to something larger than ourselves, a merging of the human and the divine. And maybe, just maybe, we all have the potential to be like Moses – to be both ish and elohim, grounded in our humanity yet capable of extraordinary things when we connect to the Source of all blessings.