Devarim: The Postcript

What is in a name? The book Devarim, Deuteronomy, takes its name from the second word of the book. Hardly a descriptive title of the contents of the text—all it means is 'words.' An older name for this fifth book of the Bible is Mishneh Torah, Repetition of the Torah. It has that name because the entire book represents the final speech of Moses which reviews the history of the Jewish people under his leadership.

In fact, the Talmud agrees that Moses, not God, was the author of this entire book of Devarim. While not disagreeing with the masters of the Talmud, the later Tosafot add that Moses was clearing operating under the Ruach HaKodesh, the Spiritual Force of Heaven, when he delivered this speech. With a scant thirty-six days to live, Moses carefully crafted his words to his extended family, the Israelite nation. It would contain the most poignant reminders of their experiences throughout forty years of wandering.

Moses does not spend time dwelling on the events of the Exodus. Instead his focus is more narrow, and what he does not say is at least as interesting as what he does in his talk.
This book Moses can be divided the book into three essential parts. They are a harsh rebuke of the people for their behavior, a recapitulation of the primary mitzvot which would guide the nation, and a review of the covenant between the Holy One and the Jewish people.

The Vilna Gaon went so far as to say that each of these three segments corresponds to the three preceding books of the Torah. The covenant covers the second book, Exodus, where God takes this nation and gives them the Torah. The mitzvot are enumerated by the next book of the Torah, Leviticus, while the rebuke covers Numbers.

What can we learn from the talk? Ramban gives us a hint. He writes, "These words of introduction and reproof extend until... the verse 'Observe His laws and commandments, which I enjoin upon you this day, that it may go well with you and your children after you, and that you may long remain in the land that the Lord your God is assigning to you for all time' (4:40). Moses then called to all of Israel who were before him and said, 'Hear O Israel, the laws...' and began explaining the Torah, the Ten Commandments."

Moses has learned a powerful lesson about human nature after leading the Jews for so many years. Experience has a short shelf life. People do not remember miraculous events or life-changing moments. They absorb the actions of that time and then move on to more pressing needs like food, raising the kids, making a living…. That is why Moses does not dwell on the interweaving of God into history in this testament to his life with his people. Instead, Moses focuses on the responsibilities of the nation, the punishments for acting outside the boundaries of law, and the enduring nature of this relationship.

Question: Everyone is seeking deeper meaning from life. Is it possible to be spiritual without first knowing what God wants from us?



What about hutzpah? Is it hutzpah to include the words of Moses into the Torah alongside the words of God? None of the Sages seem to think so. They believe that the Holy One, blessed be He, wants our involvement, our holy hutzpah. The worst crime we can be guilty of is ignoring God. The proof this comes at the conclusion of the Torah when God writes the epitaph for Moses. He states, “There was no prophet that ever arose in Israel as Moses.” God approved of Moses reiterating His message.

Moral: God wants us to be engaged.

And speaking of prophecy, Moses, we know, is acclaimed the greatest prophet that ever lived. Yet, Ramban, as we saw above, said that Moses was operating under Ruach HaKodesh when he spoke the entire book of Devarim. Is there a difference between prophecy and Ruach HaKodesh? There is a significant distinction between them.

A prophet is elected by God. They are not self-appointed and they usually do not strive to find the favor of God by becoming His emissary. The opposite is usually true. Someone operating under the Ruach HaKodesh actively seeks God. They hunger for the connection with the Divine.

When Moses tells the Israelites his message of their ongoing journey without him as their leader he is speaking not through his prophetic ability but with his Ruach HaKodesh. Moses, unlike all those before and after, possessed both gifts. Not only did God speak through Moses to the Jewish nation but the soul Moses wanted even more of God. Perhaps then, that is why the final book of the Torah is endowed with great sanctity and is appended to the previous four despite the fact that it was delivered by a man of flesh and blood.

Idea: Ruach HaKodesh is the open heart toward God. The door is available to all.


Haftara Insight:
In every court case there are the litigants on each side; each bringing their own witnesses. In the instance of Israel, the prophet informs us that God will accuse the people of wrong-doing, if they are not scrupulous about their actions. When that great trial commences the earth and sky will be called as witnesses by God against us.Isaiah uses this imagery to warn us that there is no thing we can ever do that will be hidden from the eyes of God. We must always behave as if we will be called to account for what we do.

A Matter of Law:
The Torah portion opens with a number of obscure names which many sages throughout time have been hard-pressed to explain. It is ultimately Rashi who reveals that each place name is intentionally opaque. They are the places where the Jews had sinned in the desert. Why then are their names hidden? To teach us that once a person has done something wrong we do not remind them of their past sins.