Parashat Devarim
Deuteronomy 1:1 – 3:22

Moses recollected the events when investigators were sent ahead to survey the land that God gave you to possess, and the people refused to enter the land for fear that you would be destroyed. Inaccurate reports came back that the land was too dangerous to occupy, and the Israelites cried out that the Lord brought us here to die in the wilderness.  Moses admonished The Israelites for not trusting all the great deeds that God has done for them. He when on to recount that the Lord grew angry at them for their lack of trust and vowed that that no one of this generation will live to enter the Promised Land. God was also angry at Moses and he was prohibited from entering the land too.

Moses then reminded them how they were willing to fight the enemy be failed to heed God’s commands that they may only take up arms when instructed to do so. As a result, when they went up against the Amorites at Hormah , the Israelites were defeated, and still they did not learn to follow God’s orders.

Chapter 2
Moses recalled how God instructed the Israelites, on their journey, to desist from engaging the descendants of Esau in battle, for God had given Esau the hill country as a possession. Whatever food or water you consume in their territory, must be paid for. He recalled how God had blessed the Israelites, had watched over them in their journey and supplied you with all your needs. The Israelites were further instructed not to engage the Moabites for their land was given to them as descendants of Lot. They were told not to harass the Ammonites for their land will not be part of your inheritance; it to was given to the descendants of Lot.

God gave the Israelites power to engage Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon. God also put the dread, of all other people on earth, of the Israelites. Sihon was determined not to permit the Israelites to pass through his territory. Sihon and all his men took the field against Israel and the Lord delivered the Amorites into the hands of Israel.

Chapter 3
God told Moses not to fear because He will deliver Og, king of Bashan into his hands. God, then, reminded the Israelites of all the land they have taken over so far and the land on the east side of the Jordan—not part of the land of Canaan—that was given to the Reubenites and the Gadites for pasture land. God also reminded these two tribes that they must accompany the rest of their brethren on the assault of the land of Canaan before they can return home to their wives and children. God also indicated to Joshua that the people saw with their own eyes what the Lord has done to the previous kings and that God will do the same to the kingdoms into which you cross over. Joshua was told not to fear them for God will battle for you.

Spiritual insights into Parashat Devarim                                     return to top of page
The Torah itself is a midrash on revelation. As such, the Torah or literally, "the Teaching" is a text that is dependent on reading and re-reading; on commentary and on super-commentary. With each successive reading, we uncover the many layers of meaning that Torah has to offer. In this week's parashah, the Torah introduces Moses' first discourse of Deuteronomy: "On the other side of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses undertook to expound this teaching . . ." (Deuteronomy 1:5). Moses' lengthy exposition follows. What interests me in particular is the wording of the introductory phrase that "Moses explained the Torah. What is the nature of the process that Moses engaged in and how does it shed light on our reading of Torah today?

This process of reading and re-reading is what explains Torah well. Presumably this is what Moses did. He explained it to the needs of the wandering people. To speak below or above our level of understanding would only lead to frustration and disappointment. Perhaps this is why Moses now retells the story of the forty-year wandering in the desert.  In Deuteronomy the people are more spiritually refined, and perhaps this is why his accounts are somewhat different then in Exodus and Numbers.
Torah is both a human and Divine document that ultimately represents the connection point between heaven and earth.. Reading Torah then is truly an exercise in 'turning it over and over; for everything is in it.' And ultimately it is a sacred process of refinement.

Key verses                                    return to top of page
This page is not a commentary on the text, but a chance for you to express your own comments and feelings in order to gain deeper insight into your own life.

Deuteronomy 1:16-17
I [Moses] further charged your magistrates as follows, “Hear out your fellow men, and decide justly between any man and a fellow Israelite or stranger. You shall not be partial in judgment: hear out low and high alike. Fear no man, for judgment is God’s. And any matter that is too difficult for you, you shall bring it to me and I shall hear it.
Food for thought:
1. This is obviously the rudimentary court system as we know the justice system today. What happened in the past that courts were needed to judge between people?
2. What does a court system represent as opposed to other systems of justice?
3. What is the Torah really trying to accomplish by instituting a court system?

Deuteronomy 1:42
But the Lord said to me: Warn them, “Do not go up and do not fight, since I am not in your midst; else you will be routed by your enemies”.
Food for thought:
1. Do you think these battles are physical wars that took place in historical time?
2. What other kinds of battles may take place in a person’s life?
3. Is God always in your midst, fighting your personal battles? Does he help you overcome your adversary?

Deuteronomy 2:2-4
Then the Lord said to me: You have been skirting this hill country, long enough; now turn north. And charge the people as follows: You will be passing through the territory of your kinsmen, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. Though they will be afraid of you, be very careful not to start a fight with them. For I will not give you of their land so much as a foot can tread on; I have given the hill country of Seir as a possession to Esau.
Food for thought:
1. How long do you think these people were skirting the hill country? Days? Months? Years?
2. What do you think the people accomplished in the forty years in the wilderness?
3. Is it possible that these other territories that the Torah speaks about represents various aspects of our selves, in our subconscious?

Deuteronomy 2:7
Indeed, the Lord your God has blessed you in all your undertakings. He has watched over your wanderings through this great wilderness; the Lord your God has been with you these past forty years: you have lacked nothing.
Food for thought:
1. Do you believe that God has blessed you, too, in all your undertakings?
2. In as much as He has been with the Israelites for forty years, has He been with you too?
3. Does God make sure that you lack nothing? Or do you think that this verse does not apply to you personally?

Deuteronomy 3:1-2
We made our way up the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan with all his men took the field against us at Edrei. But the Lord said to me: Do not fear him, for I am delivering him and all his men and his country into your power, and you will do to him as you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon.
Food for thought:
1. This entire portion recounts the locations that the Israelites journeyed during their forty year sojourn in the wilderness. What is your opinion as to why the Torah has to review the journey?
2. We all face our own kind of enemies in our own kind of wilderness. Are you afraid that God will not deliver your enemies into your hands?
3. Can you describe the enemies that you face?

Deuteronomy 3:21-22
I also charged Joshua at that time, saying, “You have seen with your own eyes all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings; so shall the Lord do to all the kingdoms into which you shall cross over. Do not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who will battle for you.”
Food for thought:
1. What do you think these kings and their kingdoms represent in our own subconscious?
2. What will happen when you cross over the Jordan? What does the Torah mean by “crossing over?”
3. When you are about to cross over, do you believe that God will battle for you?

Additional questions to ponder:
1. What is it about the story, a verse, a word that seems to resonate with some aspect of your life?
2. Is there something about the story that rings a bell?
3. Can you recall experiences in your life when you have experienced something similar to this story?
4. How would you describe the characters in the story? Who do you know who's like them?
5. Can you personally identify with any one of the characters in the story? Which one?
6. Can you find a similarity between yourself and all the characters in the story?

Reflections:
The Rabbis of old would meditate on such questions, sometimes for weeks at a time, to help find deeper meaning in the verses.
You may wish to contemplate just one or a few of these questions at a time, rather than tackling them
all.
In what ways we any of your responses to the questions personally meaningful?

Suggestion:
Some of the questions here are of a personal nature which in some cases could be emotionally upsetting. If so, try relaxing your body as much as possible and takes long slow breaths of air. That usually helps to relieve anxiety.
 

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Creative Midrash on Parashat Devarim                                      return to top of page

Deuteronomy 1:3-4
It was in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, that Moses addressed the Israelites in accordance with the instructions that the Lord had given him for them, after he defeated Sihon king of the Amorites who dwelt in Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan who dwelt at Ashtaroth [and] Edrei.
 

The Rabbis of old would create parables, stories and narrative connections around such selected verses. What do you see between the lines, the sentences and the letters. The following questions can provide a launch pad upon which to create your own meanings of the Torah.

According to the Jewish calendar which would be the first day of the eleventh month? Does the significance of that month bear significance to the instructions God gave to the Israelites through Moses? What do you think took place in the wilderness during those forty years? Did the Israelites just march from one location to the next or was something happening to them? What happened to them? How did it happen? Are you on a similar kind of a journey? Where are you going? Do you think God is there to defeat your enemies to enable you to reach your destination? Do you know where you’re going? How are you planning on getting there? What instructions have you received during your personal journey?