Parashas Devarim – The Pursuit of Wisdom
This week we start the final book of the Torah, Devarim. The book of Devarim is also known as 'Mishneh Torah' which literally means 'review of the Torah', nevertheless Devarim does contain over seventy new Mitzvahs which were not previously mentioned in the Torah. Immediately from the first words of Devarim we see the Torah state that... “these are the words that Moshe spoke to all of Israel” [1:1]. The entire book was therefore said to the nation by Moshe during his last five weeks of life in which he undertook his last will and testament to his beloved people by warning them of the potential dangers which would lie for the course of Jewish people in the immediate future (when conquering the land of Canaan) and beyond. Throughout the book of Devarim we also see Moshe inspire the people to rise to their expectations as Hashem's chosen people and this all culminates in his final blessings to the nation which we see in the last Parasha, Vezos Haberachah. Although the book of Devarim is in essence a review of the previous books of the Torah we see that it only records and repeats those parts which would be relevant to Israel's new life in Eretz Yisrael. This view is expressed by Rabbi Hirsch
Where’s My Reward?
The Midrash Tehillim says that the Giants Og and Sichon were more formidable adversaries than Pharaoh and his army. Moshe had battled Sichon and won. Now he faced a war against the mighty Og.
Yet before this war, Moshe seems to be worried. Hashem has to reassure him – Al Tirah Otoh (3:2) – do not fear him, for I (Hashem) will place him and his people in your hand.
What was bothering Moshe? Surely a man of the spiritual status of Moshe should not fear Og?
Og was not a normal adversary. He was a Giant with a formidable history.
Og was called "Hapalit", the escapee. He escaped from the Mabul (Targum Yonatan), from the war of the four kings against the five kings (Rashi), and from the war waged by the Ammoni nation against his people (Rashbam). What was the secret of his longevity?
Pasuk 37 of the first perek of Devarim requires much explanation. In fact, it seems to turn parshas Chukas, the sin of the spies, and Moshe’s hitting of the rock completely on their various heads. The pasuk is brought in the context of Moshe berating the people for the sin of the spies, and reads ‘HaShem was also angry with me because of you, saying ‘you shall also not go there.’’ In other words, from this pasuk it seems that the reason Moshe was not allowed into Eretz Yisrael is because of the sin of the spies, not the hitting of the rock. Yet the psukim in Chukas clearly say that it was the hitting of the rock that saw Moshe refused a Divine entry visa into the land? There is much discussion amongst the commentaries here; conscientious students should have a look at the Ramban and Ohr Hachaim here. We shall give an answer by combining something that Rav Moshe Shapira said with the Ohr Hachaim here.
When reading through Moshe recapping the judicial reform that we are told about in parshas Yisro, one cannot help but noting a glaring omission from the psukim. Though it seemed to be Yisro’s idea to set up a body of judges to lighten Moshe’s workload, in parshas Devarim Moshe Rabeinu leaves out any reference to Yisro. The Torah attests to the fact that Moshe was the most humble man that ever lived; so why did he not give Yisro the credit for his own idea? Some write that Moshe had this idea of Yisro himself first - he just did not plan to implement it until after Mattan Torah. Others point out that Yisro’s plan differed from that of Moshe. Yisro wanted Moshe to be purely involved with the spiritual matters and to let the judges come to case decisions based on their own logic. But Moshe knew that Torah is the only true logic, and thus that he should be involved in some level in the judicial system, and that only after the Torah was given and learnt properly could there be a wholesome, true, and fair judicial system.
Parshas Devarim; The King and I
Our sedra marks the beginning of Moshe’s final speech to klal yisrael before his death. In this speech, he revises several key events of the previous forty years. We are going to focus on part of one of those events. In parshas Yisro, we learnt of Yisro’s astonishment at the fact that Moshe himself was the sole judge for any cases and disputes that came up amongst the people. Determined to alleviate the situation, Yisro devises a judicial system with a hierarchy of judges. The first part of our sedra revises this event (albeit with a few key changes, which we shall not be speaking about), and allows us to ask an interesting question, which should be a catalyst for new areas of thought, and a particularly enlightening idea from the Ran.
What exactly was Moshe thinking when he originally set up the system with him being the sole judge; why did he not set up other judges too and thus allow the system to be more time-effective and effiecient? (and remember, there were others worthy of judging, hence their being selected as judges once Yisro’s idea was implemented)
The young people of Bnei Yisroel who were about to go into Eretz Yisroel. Moshe Rabbeinu in his last address to them retold the story of their parents' mistakes in the Midbar. When retelling the Cheit of the Meraglim, Moshe says that they were punished and routed by the Emori in their effort to go to Eretz Yisroel without permission. After this defeat they came back to the Machaneh and began to cry. The pasuk says (1:45) "V'Lo Shama Hashem B'Kolchem", Hashem did not listen to them. The next pasuk says that they stayed in Kadeish many years. Rashi says that they stayed there for 19 years without wandering around.
The Netziv says that we see from here that even when Hashem does not listen to our tefilos and does not grant our request, the tefila still helps. While their tefilos did not repeal the gezeira of staying in the Midbar for 40 years, it helped that they settled in one place did not need to wander for 19 years.
The Medrash (Eicha Rabba 1:1) tells us that three people used the word Eicha. Moshe Rabbeinu, Yeshaya, and Yirmiya. Moshe Rabbeinu asked in Devarim (1:12), “Eicha Esa Livadi”, how can I alone, carry the nation? The Medrash contrasts these three quotes, in that Moshe used it in the time of Am Yisroel’s glory, Yeshaya in the time of their distress, and Yirmiya during our low point and our utter disgrace.
Rav Moshe Feinstein in Darash Moshe says that although they all used the word at different levels of Am Yisroel’s status in the world, all three meant the same thing. They all pointed out Am Yisroel’s weak point and the reason for our downfall. Yes, Moshe Rabbeinu said it during our glory days, but he was referring to the invisible flaws that he saw, which were capable of opening into large
