Devarim: Divinely Human

By Josh Appel

Everyone can relate to the well-known sounds of a Bar Mitzvah boy practicing his laining. Whether it be a brother or cousin most of us are familiar with the slow, tone-deaf tune of a young twelve-year-old learning his Parsha. In many circles people tend to mimic these young men in the months and weeks leading up to the Bar Mitzvah. When hearing such jokes I believe that the most oft used פסוק is "וידבר ה' אל משה לאמר", said with the beautiful refrain of a twelve-year-old boy. It is a פסוק which comes trippingly off the tongue. The reason, of course, for this being that וידבר ה' אל משה לאמר is the most ubiquitous and common פסוק in the Torah. From שמות and on we are hard-pressed to find more than a single פרשה in which this פסוק is not utilized. Almost every פרשה and paragraph begins with the phrase.

Therefore, we are surprised when ספר דברים opens in a way which is unrecognizable:

אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל...

Perhaps we do not always realize how remarkable the following phrase is but it is nothing short of extraordinary. “These are the words that Moshe spoke to all of Israel.” Where is the familiar spoken command from God to Moshe? What does it mean that “these are the words that Moshe spoke?”

The following question troubled many, from medieval commentators to biblical critics. It is clear, both in content and character, that Devarim is different than the other portions of the Torah which came before it. Whereas the first four books of the Torah are in third person, the first few chapters of Devarim are all in first person, from the perspective of Moshe Rabbeinu. Additionally, there is a general principle in the laws of exposition referred to as סמוכים – that when פסוקים are juxtaposed we can extrapolate from one to the other. There is a debate between different opinions as to whether סמוכים are a valid form of exposition. The גמרא in ברכות (כא:) says that even the opinion which does not normally expound סמוכים does so in דברים. The שיטה מקובצת there explains that this is because דברים was "דברי משה הן" and many of the laws are repetitions from earlier portions of the Torah. When something is said once then perhaps the location of it in relation to its surroundings is less significant; but when something is repeated and is done so by being placed in a different order than it originally appeared, that indicates something much more significant.[1] Thus, Devarim is quite clearly different than the other books of the Torah.

The גמרא in מגילה (לא:) notes this by highlighting the distinction between the curses in פרשת בחוקותי and the curses in פרשת כי תבוא:

תלמוד בבלי מסכת מגילה דף לא עמוד ב

אמר אביי: לא שנו אלא בקללות שבתורת כהנים, אבל קללות שבמשנה תורה - פוסק. מאי טעמא? הללו - בלשון רבים אמורות, ומשה מפי הגבורה אמרן. והללו - בלשון יחיד אמורות, ומשה מפי עצמו אמרן.

What does this mean? How can we possibly say that Moshe wrote a portion of the Torah?

The ראשונים were aware of this and explained the authorship of Devarim in different ways. The רמב"ן says that the entire Torah – from the very first until the last word – was dictated מפי הקב"ה to Moshe.[2] In fact, the רמב"ן says that in reality even בראשית should have begun with an introductory "וידבר ה' אל משה את כל הדברים האלה לאמר".[3] For the רמב"ן Moshe is a faithful scribe who copied exactly what he heard from Hashem Himself. Presumably then the רמב"ן thinks that Devarim was written in a different style which was more personal to Moshe but nonetheless still dictated by Hashem. The Abarbanel, however, says that Devarim was actually a speech which Moshe gave on his own volition. After Moshe delivered his farewell address Hashem saw that it should be included in the Torah and thus told Moshe how to write Sefer Devarim.[4] For Abarbanel then Devarim is the content of Moshe which was edited and approved by Hashem so to speak. What both opinions have in common is that Moshe did not simply write down his own thoughts without some form of approval and guidance for it is certain that a personal speech is not included in חמישי חומשי תורה. At the same time, both opinions agree that Moshe did have some input – either linguistically or directly.

With the understanding of Devarim’s difference in mind, we must ask – why? Why would the final book of the Torah suddenly change its linguistic and structural style? Why would the final book of the Torah suddenly include Moshe’s input?

The answer sheds light on our own time during this שבת חזון. With Moshe’s death and בנ"י’s entry into ארץ ישראל a new stage was about to begin. No longer would there be falling food and floating clouds. Sinaic revelations and splitting of seas no longer. The Jews were now called upon to incorporate Hashem into daily life. Yes, there would be miracles in battle of course, but none of the magnitude which they had in the desert during the forty years prior. It was at this moment where God taught an indelible truth – that man indeed has a role to play in this world. We are not simply the recipients of miracles; instead, we are able to rise to the role of a junior partner, joining with Hashem in His role as creator. The small and humble shepherd from Midyan was able to grow to a level where his words were deemed fit enough by God to be written amongst such verses as בראשית ברא אלקים את השמים ואת הארץ. Devarim serves as the transition wherein man realizes that he has a role to play. The גמרא in שבת (פח:) says that “when Moshe ascended the heavens to receive the Torah the angels asked Hashem, ‘what is mortal man doing here?’ Hashem said back, ‘He is here to receive the Torah.’ The angels responded, ‘this treasure which you have hidden for eons is being given to man of flesh and blood?!’ God said to Moshe, ‘Give them your response!’ Moshe replied, ‘I am afraid for the angels will burn me with fire from their mouths.’ God said back, ‘Hold on to my throne and respond to them.’ Moshe did and then said, ‘This Torah which is being given to me, what is said in it? I am Hashem your God who took you from Egypt, were you angels enslaved by the wicked Pharaoh? You shall have no other Gods, do you angels live amongst other nations? Remember the Sabbath and its sanctity, do you angels work insomuch as you need rest from it?’” This is the lesson of Devarim. It is man who has the potential to ascend the heavens, to attach himself to the heavenly throne in partnership and respond to the angels up on high. The Torah was specifically crafted for mortal man and is given to us to perfect ourselves. We have this potential.

The end of דברים (לד:י) tells us, ולא קם נביא עוד בישראל כמשה אשר ידעו ה' פנים אל פנים. The רמב"ם categorized this as a fundamental tenet of faith. And yet, we find that in הלכות תשושבה (ה:ב) the רמב"ם himself writes:

רמב"ם הלכות תשובה פרק ה

אל יעבור במחשבתך דבר זה שאומרים טפשי אומה"ע ורוב גולמי בני ישראל שהקב"ה גוזר על האדם מתחלת ברייתו להיות צדיק או רשע, אין הדבר כן אלא כל אדם ראוי לו להיות צדיק כמשה רבינו או רשע כירבעם או חכם או סכל או רחמן או אכזרי או כילי או שוע וכן שאר כל הדעות

How can this be? The רמב"ם himself tells us that no one can ever reach the level of Moshe Rabeinu! The answer is that just as Moshe was able to maximize his fullest potential so too can we. When we recognize that nothing is pre-determined and that we can grow each day, self-perfect ourselves, shape our own destiny and become closer to הקב"ה then, and only then, can we become like Moshe, we become junior partners in this world with Hashem.

This is the message before entry into ארץ ישראל and what we must remind ourselves of before Tisha B’Av. The very first Tisha B’Av was in fact long before the Beis HaMikdash. חז"ל (תענית כט.) tell us that the night when the מרגלים returned from their journey was Tisha B’Av. When the Jews cried from the report of the spies Hashem said that it was a בכייה לחנם but that it would turn into a בכייה לדורות (במדבר יד:א). One aspect of the מרגלים story is that they lacked the belief in mankind, ונהי כחגבים וכן היינו בעיניהם. In this week’s פרשה Moshe tells us that at that time the מרגלים said, בשנאת ה' אותנו הוציאנו מארץ מצרים, because God hated us he took us out from Egypt. Did they really think that the God who performed so many wonders for them hated them? רש"י says that in reality it was they who hated God and in life we project onto others what we ourselves feel. The same was therefore true when the מרגלים said וכן היינו בעיניו. This was their sin. When we lack belief in ourselves we feel small and anxious. It was this malady which led to the בכייה לדורות of Tisha B’Av. When we don’t realize the strength of our actions we sin in such a way that the results in the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash. Just as our actions destroyed the sacred temple, it is only our actions which will bring about its return.

Therefore, אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה – look at what man can become. Whereupon we reflect on this truth the Beis HaMikdash can and will be rebuilt in our own time.

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[1]שיטה מקובצת מסכת ברכות דף כא עמוד ב: אפילו מאן דלא דריש סמוכין בכל התורה כולה במשנה תורה דריש. טעמא משום דמשנה תורה דברי משה הן. ואף על פי שכולן נאמרו מפי הגבורה מכל מקום כיון שכבר נאמרו תחלה בסדור אחר ועכשיו חוזר ואומר בסדור אחר ודאי כשסומך הדברים זה לזה לדרשא נסמכו כיון שאינם סדורין בסידור ראשון: [2]רמב"ן הקדמה לבראשית: הנה משה כסופר המעתיק מספר קדמון וכותב ולכן כתב סתם אבל זה אמת וברור הוא שכל התורה מתחלת ספר בראשית עד לעיני כל ישראל נאמרה מפיו של הקב"ה לאזניו של משה [3]רמב"ן הקדמה לבראשית: ועל כל פנים היה נכון שיכתוב בתחלת ספר בראשית וידבר אלהים אל משה את כל הדברים האלה לאמר. [4]אברבנאל הקדמה לספר דברים: האמנם ענין הספר הזה ואמתתו הוא שמרע"ה אמר הדברים האלה וביאר המצוה שנזכרו פה לישראל לצורך פרידתו ורצה הקב"ה אחרי שהשלים לאמרם לישראל שיכתב בספר התורה כל זה כפי מה שאמרו משה ואולי הוסיף בהם הגבורה טעמים ודברים בזמן הכתיבה הנה אם כן שאמירת הדברים האלה לישראל היו ממרע"ה לא היתה כתיבתה בספר התורה ממנו. כי הנה לא כתב הוא ע"ה אותם הדברים מעצמו. כי איך יכתוב דבר מעצמו בתורת האלהים אבל כתיבת זה כלו היה מפי הגבורה ככל דברי התורה כי הסכים הקב"ה על ידו וישרו בעיניו דברי הציר הנאמן…