This week we begin a new book of Torah, and its first parasha shares the same name Devarim, a Hebrew word that means “words,” although it can also mean “things.” Most everyone in the English-speaking world refers to Devarim as Deuteronomy, a word that comes from the Greek word deutero (hence Deuteronomy), which means “second” to support the tradition that in this book Moses gives us a “second” rendering of the Ten Words, or commandments. So, while Devarim is a better name for the book because it's about Moses’ words, I am also going to refer to it as Deuteronomy because it is more recognizable.
This book, again made up of Moses’ own words, makes Deuteronomy about one man’s testimony, sharing his thoughts and teachings to Israel over several days as they are encamped east of the Jordan prior to entering the land. But these inner thoughts and teachings really stem from the view of Torah that Moses is B’tzelem Elohim, or fashioned in the image of God, making his spoken words an outward reflection of an inner intent that was based on his personal connection to the Divine, not only in this parasha, but throughout the entire book.
As such Deuteronomy begins with a prologue, that actually goes from 1:1-4:42, although parasha Devarim is only 1:1-3:22. Devarim is a historical summation that is in two parts; the first being post Mt. Sinai (1:6-45) and the second being pre-Canaan (1:46-3:22). Next week in Va’et'chanan - from Deuteronomy 4:1-42 - the Law is also taught as part of Israel’s history, which is why history and Law are combined in the Haftarah reading of Isaiah, allowing Moses to conclude his opening remarks by saying in 4:43, “This (zot) is the Teaching that Moses set before the Israelite's.” But we must understand that “this” presumes everything that went before it, just not the Law of 4:1-42, but all the way back to 1:1, making Israel's assorted history just as much a part of “Torah” that the new generation would possess as they entered this new land after their wanderings. Important, you bet! For Moses Israel’s history had everything to do with its future and wanted to remind them of that by saying, “Listen Israel, you are about to enter the land, a land that your fathers and mothers are not going to enter, and I want to tell you why!”
When Moses recounts Israel’s history after leaving Egypt, he reminds them of his efforts to lead the community in a fair and partial way. In so doing he felt that he needed leaders beyond himself (1:9-13), a reference that goes back to when they were still camped at Mt. Sinai (cf. Ex, 18:25), with Rashi teaching that the people “at once decided the matter (or said yes for their own) benefit.” Moses also reminds them that their parents responded by saying “What you say is good” (1:14). Yet Moses further reminds these Chalutzim, or the "pioneers" that are about to enter the land, that their fathers and mothers additionally said, “it is out of hatred for us that the Lord brought us out of the land of Egypt, to hand us over to the Amorites to wipe us out” (1:27), a reference going back to the story of the spies and the new land before them. Moses picked this one event for a simple reason; the result of discontent and lack of faith produced unfortunate spoken words that caused an additional 38 years of wondering, with all but two of those people being excluded from entering the land, a source of personal pain for Moses.
Regarding the story of the spies at the very beginning it says, “Shalach L’cha,’ or “send for yourself,” from Numbers 31:2. Turning to Rashi once again, the great medieval Rabbi, he also interprets that to mean that the spies were sent out according to Moses' own human judgement, with God responding, “I do not command you, but if you wish to do so send them.” The Sforno takes it one step further and teaches that “God was cautioning Moses that by allowing the people to select the spies themselves, that if they chose unsuitable candidates and they came back with a faulty report, the people would blame God for what was wrong with the country instead of the inadequate ability of the spies to correctly evaluate what they had seen,” which is why Moses said “it is out of hatred for us that the Lord …” All to say, do not blame God for our own words that create our own messes.
Numbers ended with the importance of vows and oaths and Deuteronomy begins with the nature of words. What do we know about the nature of words? Well, words hold significant meaning because they are the primary medium of human communication that express thoughts and emotions, convey information, and establish connections with others. Words have the power to inspire and create, mend and heal, comfort and motivate, educate, and even change the course of history, whether spoken or written, words have the ability to resonate deeply within us and leave lasting impacts. But a bad word is just as powerful, thus we read in Pirkei Avot, "[The] Sages [taught] be careful with your words, lest you incur the penalty of exile" (Avot 1:11). In the case of the spies this is exactly what happened and it altered the history of an entire nation, which was Moses' point: you will suffer the same fate as your ancestors in the land by speaking words that divide and conquer. Yes, not only are our words our bond, but we must also remember that the results of those words is another matter.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Adam
No comments:
Post a Comment