We begin this week the book of Deuteronomy, Moses’ recapitulation of the Torah. Containing historical, legal and rhetorical texts, Deuteronomy is in some ways a Torah in miniature. It is interesting to examine the introduction to the book as a precursor of what follows. After placing the book in its historical and geographical context, it is stated that ‘Moses began to explain this Torah saying’. Moses then goes on to provide am overview of the journey through the wilderness, leading to the legal portions of the book, three Parshiot later. It is noteworthy that Moses’ explanation of the Torah begins with an historical overview. Indeed the Torah itself, as Rashi comments on the first verse, doesn’t begin with the first mitzvah in Exodus 12, but rather with the creation of the world and what followed. A basic necessity for accepting the Torah is a knowledge of where we come from. Just as the Revelation at Mt Sinai makes no sense without the Exodus, so the rhetoric of Deuteronomy cannot be understood without first appreciating the events leading up to Israel’s entry to the Promised Land. Yet there is an even deeper lesson taught here. Moses’ historical overview is regarded as an exposition of the Torah. The Torah is not merely a legal text but one were history is an integral part of the message it seeks to convey. Study of the Torah does not merely mean understanding the mitzvot, but comprehending the historical experience of G-d’s relations with Israel. Both express the will of G-d and the message of the Torah. Noteworthy, in this regard, is the section of next week’s Parshah we read on Tisha B’Av. After dire warnings of exile and destruction, Moses assures the people that if they return to G-d, He will again redeem them. This is followed by an historic overview of the Exodus and Revelation at Sinai. By contemplating these events, Israel will realise that G-d had the ability to redeem them in the past and can do so in the future. It is not G-d’s weakness that causes them to suffer but rather their own behaviour. This message is an important one for this day of calamity. Fasting and mourning on this day are not an end in themselves but rather a spur to national self reflection. Tisha B’Av is not only a day of mourning but a day of repentance. By contemplating our past we can improve our future. Indeed, as we have seen, this is the basic purpose and message of must of the Torah. Thus by studying our history as Torah, we can assure our future redemption. 

ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS

 

Rishon	Moses begins his summary of the Torah before his death.
Sheni	How Moses set up a judicial system.
Shelishi	How the people sinned by with the spies and were forced to wander for forty years.
Revi’i	How the people tried to go forward anyway and were defeated.
Chamishi	The fortieth year: relationships with surrounding nations and their history.
Shishi	The conquest of Sihon and Og and their land.
Shevi’i	As G-d had conquered the Amorites so would He help them conquer the nations of Canaan.
Haftorah	Isaiah: 1;1-27: Isaiah‘s vision of the destruction of Jerusalem.

 

Sidra Statistics

Parshat Devarim

·               has 105 verses;

·               is the 1st in Deuteronomy,  44th  in the Torah

·               6th  longest in Deuteronomy, 33rd  longest  in the Torah   

·               has  2 pos  mitzvot.