~ One Hundred Words on the Parsha – V’zos Habrocha

אשריך ישראל מי כמוך עם נושע בה' מגן עזרך

Fortunate are youישראל who is like you? A people saved by ה' the shield of your help.

The words of this פסוק are similar to those of the first ברכה of :שמונה עשרה "מלך עוזר ומושיע ומגן". חזל tells us that on ראש השנה we are confident that ה' will perform miracles for us and give us a favorable judgement; and on סוכות we are given the לולב and אתרוג as a symbol of our having emerged worthy from the ימים נוראים. The פסוק in וזאת הברכה, therefore can be understood as refuting our accusers and telling them that ה' helps, saves and protects us.

As an aside, I remember going to Yeshiva Chaim Berlin as a child and the beginning of this פסוק was sung at the beginning of each עליה on שמחת תורה.