Articles with the tag: devarim
Raise Your Voice in Love (1:1)
At first glance the text seems plain enough. “These are the words Moses spoke to all Israel ...between…Chatzeros and Di Zahav.” But beneath the surface, a courtroom drama unfolds. Simply interpreted, “Di Zahav” is nothing more than the name of a place, but a name with no location is hardly helpful.
To complicate matters, last week’s Biblical section cataloged every stopover and rest station the Jews ever visited throughout their desert journey, forty two camps in all. Some of the names are familiar (Refidim and Kodesh); others sound more exotic (B’nei Ya’akon, Etzyon Gover). The record is detailed and complete, and yet…no Di Zahav.
Di Zahav literally means enough gold. Our Sages, ever sensitive to the slightest nuance, heard something…
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Family Feuds (2:9)
Though blood is thicker than water, family feuds occur in the best of families. Case in point is Jacob’s brother Eisav who just happens to be the grandfather of Amalek and ancestor of Edom (Roman Empire). As history records, unfortunately in blood and tears, there is no love lost between our two nations. Nonetheless, in this week’s Biblical reading, we are reminded not to wage war against Edom, indeed not even to trespass on his land. Similar restrictions apply to other members of the mishpocha - even distant cousins - against whom we are also forbidden to engage in battle. However the two case studies mentioned by Moses are in fact singular. In regard to the first family Moses proclaims,...
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How Many Children? (1:11)
Moses began his illustrious career with great reluctance and apprehension. Without a doubt, one of Moses’ concerns was his inability to captivate an audience with the glibness of his tongue. As he explains to G-d, “I am not a man of words.” Nonetheless, the reticent leader who stuttered became quite the orator. Indeed, after forty years pontificating from the pulpit, Moses delivered a speech that lasted thirty-seven days. Amongst the many points contained in Moses’ last words is the blessing he bestows upon his fellow Jews. “May God, the Lord of your fathers, add a thousand fold more like you and bless you, as He spoke to you.” The people, Rashi informs us, were not very happy with the blessing….
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The Influence Principle (1:1)
Does man shape the environment or does the environment shape man? Traditional psychologists depict the individual as a catspaw of circumstance while sociologists relegate him to the serfdom of his surroundings. He is deemed far less the sovereign of society than he is its subject. Inferentially, individual responsibility is thus obviated if human existence is analogous to a driven leaf impelled by the winds of fortune.
Of course, Torah vigorously rejects this prognosis of man. In fact, Judaism casts humanity in the mold of Creator with the absolute ability to choose or reject any outside influences. This philosophical motif reveals itself in the opening verses of Devorim where Moses subtly rebukes the new generation that is on the threshold of…
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The Art of Receiving Rebuke (1:1)
“Eileh hadvorim…” means so much more than simply, “These are the words.” They are the immortal words of Israel’s most humble leader. They are the final rebuke of an individual who had lived, suffered, and now was about to die because of the events that he would presently refer to. They are the words of Moses who begins his last speech by reminding his fellow Jews of the many national shortcomings and sins that had occurred since their Exodus from Egypt.
While Moses certainly knew what he was talking about, to whom was he complaining? For the most part the subjects of Moses’ rebuke, the people who had actually sinned, weren’t even alive any more. They had all died during…
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