Parashat Vezot Haberakhah
וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה · Deuteronomy 33:1 to 34:12, portion 11 of 11 in the book of Deuteronomy.
On Simchat Torah
In Israel
Saturday 23 October 2027
22 Tishrei 5788
In the Diaspora
Sunday 24 October 2027
23 Tishrei 5788
On Simchat Torah, the year after
In Israel
Thursday 12 October 2028
22 Tishrei 5789
In the Diaspora
Friday 13 October 2028
23 Tishrei 5789
Israel keeps Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah as one day, 22 Tishrei; the Diaspora keeps Simchat Torah a day later. The last portion is read that morning, and Bereshit begins again straight after it.
What happens in Vezot Haberakhah
Before his death Moses blesses each of the tribes of Israel in turn. He then climbs Mount Nebo, where God shows him the whole land. Moses dies there at 120, his eyes undimmed, and is buried in a place no one knows. The people mourn him thirty days, Joshua takes over, and the Torah ends by saying there was never again a prophet like Moses. It is read on Simchat Torah, when the reading starts again from Bereshit.
וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַךְ מֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹקִים אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לִפְנֵי מוֹתוֹ
“And this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed the children of Israel before his death.”
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Frequently asked questions
When is Parashat Vezot Haberakhah read in 2027?+
On Simchat Torah: 23 October 2027 in Israel and 24 October 2027 in the Diaspora. Unlike every other portion it is not a Shabbat reading, though it falls on Shabbat in a year when the festival does.
What is Parashat Vezot Haberakhah about?+
Before his death Moses blesses each of the tribes of Israel in turn. He then climbs Mount Nebo, where God shows him the whole land. Moses dies there at 120, his eyes undimmed, and is buried in a place no one knows. The people mourn him thirty days, Joshua takes over, and the Torah ends by saying there was never again a prophet like Moses. It is read on Simchat Torah, when the reading starts again from Bereshit.