Devarim (Words)

(Sefer Devarim) Deuteronomy 1:1 - 3:22

 1:5-  On this side Yarden, in the land of Moav, began Moshe to declare this Torah, saying,
   8-  Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which YHVH swore unto your

        fathers, Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, to give unto them and to their seed after them.
  18-  And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye should do.
  21-  Behold, YHVH thy Elohim has set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as YHVH the Elohim of 

        thy fathers has said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
  26-  Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled against the commandment of YHVH your Elohim:
  29-  Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.
  30-  YHVH your Elohim which goes before you, He shall fight for you, according to all that He did for you

       in Egypt before your eyes;
  32-  Yet in this thing ye did not believe YHVH your Elohim,
  34-  And YHVH heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and swore, saying,
  35-  Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I swore to

        give unto your fathers,
  41-  Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against YHVH, we will go up and fight, according

        to all that YHVH our Elohim commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of

        war, ye were ready to go up into the hill.
  42-  And YHVH said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be 

       smitten before your enemies.
  43-  So I spoke unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of YHVH and

        went presumptuously up into the hill.
  44-  And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do,  

        and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Charmah.
  45-  And ye returned and wept before YHVH; but YHVH would not hear your voice, nor give ear unto you.
 2:2-  And YHVH spoke unto me, saying,
   4-  And command thou the people, saying, Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the

        children of Esav, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: but you should be very careful:
   5-  Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because  

       I have given mount Seir unto Esav for a inheritance.
   9-  And YHVH said unto me, Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle: for I will not

         give thee their land for a inheritance; because to the children of Lot I have given Ar for a inheritance.
  19-  And when thou come near against the children of Amon, distress them not, nor meddle with them:

        for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Amon any possession; because I have given it

        unto the children of Lot for a possession.
  24-  Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon: see, I have given into thine hand Sichon

       king of Cheshbon the Amorite, and his land: begin to possess it and contend with him in battle.
  25-  This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations that are under the

        whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish because of thee."

Devarim - Summary:
1.    A Word of Warring with a Word of Warning:

          Beyond the Book of Bamidbar, with the waters of the Jordan about to demarcate the days of wandering in the wilderness, Moshe instructs the hearing hearts with words giving witness to warfare.  In this his final month of oration, Yisrael's great Prophet and Teacher begins the recap of Torah with a military message. Indeed, Sefer Devarim are words which reflect a man both astute to people's past weaknesses as well as their need for strength ahead.  Relaying a message that permeates through time, Moshe imparts the essence of this covenant journey: with obedience comes victory; with rebellion, defeat.  With the same love that compelled him to fall on his face in intercession, Moshe faithfully delivers a sermon, synopsized in Proverbs 13:13:

   "Whoso despises the word shall be destroyed: but he that fears the commandment shall be rewarded."

Reflecting HaShem's report with His people, Moshe who had often implored Elohim in intercession for the nation, makes his plea to us to diligently hear and get serious with the King.  Leading the charge, which many a prophet would follow, Moshe provides a reference to the Eternal words of Isaiah 40:3, instigating:
   "The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of YHVH, make straight in

     the desert a highway for our Elohim."
          The words of Deuteronomy must be embraced before the crossing of the Yarden.  If we think to maintain a wait and see attitude, we will never be in step with the Commander.  Unlike the generation that bought in to a evil report of fearfulness and sold out to doing what was right in their own eyes, we are called to move in faithfulness in His timing.  He has commanded us to "come in" and conquer Canaan; He is there before us, readying our path for success.  Even as the clear word in that generation was that of possessing our inheritance, so HaShem desires that for us today.  From beginning to end, the words of this scroll are spoken to instill a confidence in the One who continues reveal Himself this hour, Deuteronomy 33:3-4 reminding:

   "Yea, He loved the people; all his saints are in Thy hand: and they sat down at Thy feet; everyone shall

     receive of Thy words. Moshe commanded us a law, an inheritance of the congregation of Yaakov."

2.    A People of the Word Whose Purpose is Positively Perplexing:

         When we seek to be understood by those around us, be it the other nations, fellow Yisraelites, or skeptical family and friends, and digress from our focus, we are apt to turn aside from the Holy command. With a mystical connection to a Heavenly Voice through a sublime set of directives, those who are destined to inherit the good land, a preview of The World to Come, will remain an enigma in an unbelieving and perverse generation: Unbelieving because they refuse to receive HaShem's loving Sovereignty, and perverse because they uphold imperfect human standards as "their" code of conduct.  So why allow public opinion to dictate our movements?  Why defer to a society degenerate in their Babylonian confusion to influence our  convictions?  Like faithful men and women of old, those who seek the way of Truth will never be accepted.  Confronted with that consecrated plight, the prophet bore witness of this earthly conflict, as he experienced the perplexity of trying to be comprehended by such a rebellious race; in Jeremiah 6:10 he wonders:
    "To whom shall I speak and give warning that they may hear?  See, their ear is uncircumcised, and 

     and they cannot hearken: See, the word of YHVH is to them a reproach; they have no delight in it."
Again, in Jeremiah 20:8, he acknowledges the repayment of ridicule as  the reward for relaying reality, viz.:
   "For since I spoke, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of YHVH was

    made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily."

          What can be offered to those who patiently pursue the purity of the Davar Torah, Elohim's Words of flawless instruction?  In this life, the bona fide accolades will be few.   The comments and castigations will not be unnoticed.  Though the faithless may dissuade us from going up, we hear that by entering the place of promise, there will be great reward.  Without malfeasance, Isaiah 66:5 divides for the sake of the Eternal:
   "Hear the word of YHVH, ye that tremble at His word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast

     you out for My name's sake, said, Let YHVH be glorified: but He shall appear to your joy,

    and they shall be ashamed."