Parasha Devarim (דברים) — Devarim 1:1 – 3:22. Read on Shabbat, August 7, 2027.
Summary of Parasha Devarim
The book of Devarim opens with the words that Moshe addresses to all Israel, on the other side of the Jordan, on the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year. Moshe begins by recalling the road traveled. He recounts the command to leave Mount Horev and enter the land, then the appointment of leaders and judges to help him bear the burden of the people, with the requirement to judge without favoritism, the small as well as the great. He then recounts the episode of the spies: it was the people who asked to send men ahead, and, despite the good report about the land, they refused to go up. G-d then decreed that this generation would not enter the land, with the exception of Kalev and Yehoshua, and Moshe recalls that G-d was angry with him as well. He recounts the attempt of those who tried to go up nonetheless and were defeated. Moshe then retraces the people’s passage, without battle, near the territories of the descendants of Esav, of Moav and of Ammon, whom G-d had forbidden them to attack. He recalls the victories over Sichon, king of Cheshbon, and over Og, king of Bashan, and the allotment of their lands to the tribes of Reuven and Gad and to half the tribe of Menashe. He concludes by encouraging Yehoshua: there is no need to fear, for G-d fights for Israel.
The Themes
- Moshe looks back on the history of the people
- Judging impartially
- Learning the lessons of the past
Rav Raphaël Benizri’s Lectures on Devarim
There are no lectures by the Rav on this parasha yet. Find all available lectures on the Weekly Parasha page.
A Question for the Shabbat Table
Moshe also recalls the people’s failures before entering the land: why is it worthwhile to remember one’s mistakes?
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Summary by the Pensées Juives editorial team. The Rav’s teachings are found in his lectures, linked above.