Parshat Devarim: Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22: By: Rabbi Denise L. Eger

The last book of the Torah begins with this week’s Torah portion-Deuteronomy. This entire book of Torah is Moses’ last address to the Children of Israel before they will cross over the Jordan River and into the Promised Land and before he is gathered to God on Mt. Nebo. We know that Moses will not enter the Promised Land and the leadership of the people has passed to Joshua ben Nun, Moses assistant all of these years. Moses will climb Mt. Nebo on the plains of Moab and only glimpse across the valley toward Eretz Yisrael.

The opening words of this portion tell us that this took place in the fortieth year on the first day of the eleventh month. This would be the month of Shevat, since biblically the beginning of the year happened in Nisan, the time of the Exodus. But scholars tell us the book of Deuteronomy is a late book and its “discovery” is described in the book of Kings during the reign of King Josiah. Biblical scholars debate whether or not this book of Torah is something of an earlier time or perhaps the great reformation that took place in Josiah’s time demanded an authoritative book that spoke with the authority of Moses but was conveniently found in the Temple!
The book of Deuteronomy begins with Moses addressing the group of Israelites that were born during this generation in the desert. Their parents and grandparents who came out of Egypt were not to reach the Promised Land because of their sins 38 years ago. They believed the scouts who were sent to explore the land and instead of reporting their findings truthfully lied about the inhabitants and concluded that the Israelites would never be able to capture the land. (See Parshat Shelach –Lecha in the book of Numbers). They showed a distinct lack of faith in the covenantal promise made by God to Moses and to the Israelites and the Children of Israel were whipped into a frenzy of disbelief by them. All but two of the scouts—Joshua and Caleb fabricated tales about the inhabitants of the land of Canaan and they came to the conclusion that they could not engage them in battle and win. God realized that this group that came out of slavery could not be the ones who would lead the way. They had been enslaved too long. Their mindset of oppression was too ingrained. And so God declared that the generation who left Egypt, because of their lack of faith would not enter into the Promised Land and not settle it.
This history is now recounted by Moses to descendants of those who came out of Egypt in the opening chapters of this week’s parasha. But Moses doesn’t make the distinction between this new generation and the one that was to have perished in the desert. He speaks to this group as if they were the ones who stood at Sinai themselves and as if they were the ones who had believed the scouts. “Yet you refused to go up and flouted the command of Adonai your God.” (Deut. 1:26) This is not the group that refused but their children. But Moses has to find the link for them so that the covenantal promise is not something that is abstract to this generation who did know slavery. They need to understand that the covenantal promise is real and applies to them!
They will soon be asked to cross over the Jordan and begin the march and trek to creating a new society in the land of Canaan. This group—descended from slaves—must create a new land built with hard work and faith. Thus Moses’ oration recounts the past and helps them to identify with it. It is not just their parents’ story but it is their story now. And they will need faith in the covenant and in God to achieve their goal of conquering the Promised Land and settling there.
Moses’ words in this week’s portion places their future story in a context of the immediate past and I think that he hopes the Children of Israel will learn from the past so they don’t commit the same errors as their parents. When Moses says: “I spoke to you, but you would not listen; you flouted Adonai’s command and willfully marched into the hill country. (Deut. 1:43), he is retelling what happened to their parents. But he is also teaching them that they must listen to their leaders and most importantly listen to God. They can’t just go off on their own to make their own plans because inevitably those plans will fail—just as once before they tried to go off into the hill country only to be routed by the Amorites.
So Moses will throughout Deuteronomy recount and restate many of the episodes of the desert wanderings and many of the laws that have been revealed to the people. This group born since Egypt will learn at Moses’ feet their mission and their history and make it their own.
It is no different for us today. We need to learn and know our past and affirm it to our present and our future. We need to trust in God and trust in ourselves. We need to learn from our people’s successes and failures and our own. When we see ourselves in this story in Deuteronomy and we build our own faith then we too will receive the blessing of Moses as he states in this week’s portion—“May Adonai the God of your ancestors increase your numbers a thousand fold, and bless you as God promised you! (Deut. 1:11).