On the last day of Shimini Atzeres we read the end of the Torah, Parshas Vizos Haberacha and begin the Torah again with Parshas Beraishis. There is much discussion about the last few pesukim of the Torah. The eighth to last pasuk says, “Vayamas sham Moshe eved Hashem… and Moshe the servant of Hashem died there… Who wrote these pesukim? Could Moshe have written these words? How could Moshe have written that he died, when he was still alive?
This question is asked in the Gemara in Bava Basra 15a and Menachos 30a. The Gemara says that according to Rabi Yehudah, or some say according to Rabi Nechemia, these last eight pesukim were actually written by Yehoshuah ben Nun.
However, Rabi Shimon says that Moshe had to have written the entire Torah, for if even one letter were missing from the Torah in its entirety it would be pasul. Therefore we must assume that Moshe Rabbenu himself wrote even the last eight pesukim of the Torah. He explains that the rest of the Torah Hashem spoke, and Moshe repeated and wrote; while the last eight pesukim Hashem spoke and Moshe wrote the words b’dima.
There are several interpretations of the word b’dima. Rashi and other Rishonim explain that Moshe wrote the words with tears instead of ink. The Meloh Hara’im (Bava Basra 15a explains that the word b’dima refers to a mixture as in the word demai. Moshe did not repeat these pesukim nor did he write them in a clear form, rather he wrote the words in a mixture. The letters were not separated in to separate words and it was illegible.
The Gemara says that these eight pesukim have a unique aspect: yachid koreh osam. There are several interpretations of this halacha.
Tosafos quotes an explanation from R’ Meshulem that the halacha requires that the one who is called up to the Torah for those pesukim must read them himself and cannot have a baal korei read them for him.
Rabbeinu Tam took issue with that explanation for in the times of the Gemara everyone did read the Torah by them selves, without a baal korei. Why then would it have been necessary to teach an irrelevant halacha?
Rashi says that the interpretation of the halacha of yachid koreh osam is that we only require that the pesukim are read without interruption. One may not read them as five and pause, and then read the other three or four and four, or any other make up.
The Rambam (Hilchos Tefilla 13:6) understands yachid is used to mean the individual, as opposed to a minyan. According to this opinion, these verses can be read without the presence of a minyan. The Raavad disagrees with this and posits that a minyan is always required for krias haTorah.
The Shittah Mekubetzes (Bava Basra ibid) quotes two conflicting opinions in the name of the RiMigash. One explanation is that these pesukim must be read together with earlier pesukim, without pausing before them. In this opinion, the word “yachid” would mean “together” (yachad) [with other pesukim]. The reason for this is so as not to call attention to the fact that Yehoshua wrote them.
The Shittah Mekubetzes also quotes another explanation brought in the name of the RiMigash. In this interpretation he explains that the pesukim must be read separately, so that we do highlight the fact that that Yehoshua wrote them. In this reading, yachid means “alone.”
The Mordechai suggests that yachid koreh osam tells us that only a meyuchad should be given the aliyah for these pesukim. They should not be treated as any aliyah; rather it should be given to a talmid chacham. The Rema (Orach Chaim 669) codifies this opinion and it is the prevalent minhag to give this aliyah to a distinguished individual. Additionally, we call the one who receives this aliyah, chassan Torah.