Barred entry into the Promised Land, Moses is buried on a mountaintop. The end?
The end, for the Torah Portion V’Zot HaBerachah, actually marks the beginning. In their infancy, legacies are fragile. Upon one’s death, their legacy becomes detached from the person. They no longer are able to control what they once controlled.
The seed of a Moses’ legacy controversy can be gleaned from the terminal Torah Portion. A passage in which Moses, before his passing, blesses the individual Israelite Tribes is perhaps the kernel.
In Moses’ blessing for the Levites, he notes that “[t]hey’ll set incense at your [the Lord] nose, entirely burnt at your altar.” Deuteronomy 33:10. This passage elicits a bout of PTSD- Post Traumatic Scriptural Disorder- from the Book of Second Kings. Memories that scripture present as future horror.
Second Kings
The Hebrew Bible’s Second Kings includes the King Hezekiah’s tales. King Hezekiah, known for instituting religious reform, is reported to have done the following. “He [King Hezekiah] removed the high places, shattered the pillars, and cut down the Asherah-trees, he [also] ground up the copper snake that Moses had made- for until those days the Children of Israel used to burn incense before it; he called it the Nehushtan.” 2 Kings 18:4.
Commentators, on this passage, noted that “there were people who treated it [the Nehushtan] as an idol with independent power to heal. They went so far as to burn incense before it, and that is why Hezekiah found it necessary to destroy it. (Ralbag) According to Radak, the people regarded it not as an idol but as an intermediary to God, which is also forbidden.” Art Scroll Rubin Edition of Second Kings.
In essence, the Nehushtan relic became problematic. Arguably, the incense burning practice from the Torah Portion V’Zot HaBerachah, may have been redirected for other purposes.
Revisiting the Nehushtan
For those unfamiliar, the tale of the Copper [Bronze] Snake- the Nehushtan is told in the Book of Numbers.
“And the Lord let fiery snakes go among the people, and they bit the people, and a great many people from Israel died. And the people came to Moses, and they said, ‘We’ve sinned, because we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that He will turn the snake away from us.’ And Moses prayed on behalf of the people. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a fiery one and set it on a pole, and it will be that everyone who is bitten and sees it will live.’ And Moses made a bronze smake, and set it on a pole, and it was, if a snake bit a man, then he would look at the bronze snake and live.” Numbers 21:6-9.
Apparently, the Children of Israel brought this venerated artifact with them into the Promised Land. Eventually, it ended up at the Temple at the time of King Hezekiah. As some people believed that it possessed healing properties, it became an object subject to worship. One must assume that there was some Levitic involvement within any practice relating to the Nehushtan.
Legacies
This passages reveal the fragility of a legacy. King Hezekiah’s efforts re-directed Moses’ legacy. Post-death, any number of individuals can take stewardship of another person’s legacy. With these stewardships, legacies can be reshaped for better or worse.
Conclusion
Years ago, I went to a friend’s funeral service. A wide variety of elected officials spoke. After a number those speeches, I began to wonder as to who they were talking about. It was as if his legacy was being hijacked in real time.
On the other hand, I happened to watch another friend’s father’s video. He was interviewed his past. He told his times in concentration camp as well as fighting in Israel’s War of Independence. While it was an interview with guided questions and was of limited length, it offered perspective. I never had the opportunity to hear these stories when he was alive. I never fully appreciated his amazing life.
In sum, the V’Zot HaBerachah Torah Portion is an opportunity to appreciate the nature of legacies.
Be well!!
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