Discover and learn every week, "5 Facts" written on the weekly Parshah that you can share at your Shabbos table.

1.     Who hid Moshe’s trumpets on that day?

• Every time Moshe wanted to gather the nation he would blow trumpets specifically made for this purpose. On that day, however, Hashem hid the trumpets from him, leading to the expression  “There is no authority on the day of one’s death”.^[1]

2.     What monumental feat did Moshe miraculously accomplish on the day of his death?

• On that day Moshe wrote 13 Torah scrolls, one  for each tribe and one to be stored in the Ark. The latter would  be consulted in any situation of dispute.^[2]

3.     What was the most profitable business during Chol Hamoed Sukkot?

• This verse refers to the mitzvah of Hakhel. Hakhel was an exciting event that took place every seven years, on the first day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot, when the entire nation would gather together. The priests would announce the gathering by standing together and blowing golden shofars. The lineage of any priest seen without a shofar would called into question. Renting out shofars for this event was considered to be a very profitable business venture!^[3]

4.     How many people attended Hakhel?

• The Talmud says that more than 12 million people would come to visit the Temple during the 3 Festivals and there was miraculously room for everyone.^[4]

5.     Who were the only other 2 people along with Moshe, who were warned of their imminent deaths?

• Moshe was one of only 3 people who were warned that they were about to die The other 2 were Yaakov^[5] and King David^[6]. It is taught that these three leaders  never truly died.^[7]