The Material and the Context

This week we begin the Book of Deuteronomy, and it’s a very different book than the other four in CHUMASH, our five fold Torah. The new style is so different, novel and, even, revolutionary that Moshe feels the need to describe this new enterprise: These are the words which Moshe spoke to all Yisrael in the Wilderness, east of the Jordan…Moshe began to expound the Torah (Devarim 1:1 & 5).

Wow! There’s so much going on in that short intro. The biggest deal is that Moshe who was self-described as a ‘man not of words (DEVARIM, Shmot 4:10)’ has found his DEVARIM. Our shy shepherd has become a decisive, authoritative character. Ready to do TED Talks! 

Rav Itel Gold of Yeshivat Har Etziyon has (at least for me) a novel approach to the issue of Moshe’s new personna. He avers:

It becomes surprisingly clear that until the book of Devarim, Moshe did not speak very much to the people of Israel. Of course, he passed on to them the commandments that he received from God, but he rarely initiated personal speech to them. Most of Moshe’s communication was with God, and less with the people…The book of Devarim brings a shift from one extreme to the other, as Moshe stops performing actions and instead initiates a long oration to the people…What caused this change?…Moshe in effect links the failure of the first generation to the lack of discourse between him and the people…It seems that in the second generation, a new policy was created for God’s leadership of the people: more words, less action.

Very cool! Moshe is the perfect pedagogue! He transforms his style and, indeed, his very personna for the educational requirements of his students. I labored in classrooms for 46 years, and I’m in awe of that accomplishment. I tried to vary my style for the diverse needs of different classes, but never changed my identity, my personna. Awesome!

Rav Jonathan Sacks Z”L describes the transformation as only he could:

Throughout Deuteronomy, Moses reaches a new level of authority and wisdom. For the first time we hear him speak extensively in his own voice, rather than merely as the transmitter of God’s words to him. His grasp of vision and detail is faultless. He wants the people to understand that the laws God has commanded them are for their good, not just God’s…Moses’ end-of-life transformation is one of the most inspiring in all of religious history. In that one act, he liberated his career from tragedy. He became a leader not for his time only but for all time. 

All of that is so amazing and inspiring, but I’d like to discuss a different angle on a small detail of his speech’s launch: Moshe undertook to expound this Teaching (verse 5). What does that mean?

There are two words in that statement which are not so easy to explain. First is HO’IL. Most translations opt for ‘begin’ or ‘start’. The other term is BE’ER, and we think we know what it means. We use it to mean ‘explain’ or ‘comment’. It seems to come from the word for a well or water source. 

The Netziv explains that BE’ER appears thrice in Tanach, twice connected to written material. So, he assumes that it really means clear, legible, understandable. Moshe is presenting the Torah in as available a manner as possible to his students, the Jewish people.

What about the word HO’IL? Most translations explain it to mean ‘begin’. This is the start of Moshe’s exposition of all the Torah material he has received from God. Reb Ya’akov Mecklenberg explains that the term denotes strength and clarity. Moshe was beginning to explain the Torah in a very accessible manner, available to all listeners.

The Gevia Kesef (R. Yosef ibn Kaspi, 14th c.) suggests a truly revolutionary approach. He explains that the root of the word comes from the Hebrew word AYIL, or ‘ram’, as in ‘ram strong’. This powerful beast inspires the expression EILEI HA’ARETZ, the mighty of the land (Yechezkel 17:13). Moshe was powerfully, forcefully presenting the Torah material. Moshe’s lesson was a force of nature. It would be impossible to be unmoved by Moshe’s master class in Torah.

But what if we take all these wonderful ideas and just apply them from a slightly different angle. Remember the other rabbinic name for this last volume of Torah is Mishne Torah, or the review of the Torah. It does repeat many stories and laws which have appeared before.

Maybe the entire idea which Moshe is encouraging our ancestors to think about is: Let’s review everything which has happened and try to derive lessons from it about going forward.

I think that’s a powerful Torah idea. 

In my experience, many Jews try to analyze Torah stories for the purpose of figuring out what’s going to happen. I’m not sure that’s the desired approach. We should be studying Torah with more of an eye towards understanding what has transpired. Hitler reminds me of Haman; the beginnings of the State of Israel are reminiscent of the period of Ezra. That kind of thing.

The best possible way forward begins with a better understanding of where we’ve been. Moshe isn’t telling the Jews what’s going to happen, he’s reviewing what has already transpired.

This has been a tough year! Let’s get ready for Tisha B’av next week by doing what the KINOT do: reviewing the past. We can’t boldly go forward until we understand what has happened. The last ten months require a lot of analysis.