BY: Rose Kann
The beginning of parshat Devarim looks, at first glance, to be a quick review of the events from Har Sinai to the end of Sefer Bamidbar. To those of us reading through the parsha this may seem like a natural recap; however since this is Moshe speaking directly to the nation there must be a more significant purpose.
Ramban in his introduction to Sefer Devarim[1] finds a dual purpose for this summary: there is the level of rebuke and the level of consolation. Reminding this generation of their own sins and the sins of their fathers is most obviously the rebuke, but to find the consolation you have to look more closely at the text. Devarim 1:8 reads: “ראה נתתי לפניכם, את-הארץ; בואו, ורשו את-הארץ”-“Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land.”, and Devarim 1:29-30: לא-תערצון ולא-תיראון, מהם. יהוה אלוהיכם ההולך לפניכם, הוא יילחם לכם” “Dread not, neither be afraid of them. HaShem your G-d who goeth before you, He shall fight for you.”
Both of these quotes are from the middle of the narrative, yet are reassuring this generation that God has every intention of giving them the land. And just to further emphasize this Devarim 3:22 readsלא, תיראום: כי יהוה אלוהיכם, הוא הנלחם לכם “Ye shall not fear them; for HaShem your G-d, He it is that fighteth for you.” The parsha ends off with God telling Yehoshua, their new leader, that he will lead him, and the nation that Moshe is speaking to now, into the land.
Now this is the most basic of readings. We’ve outlined above the purpose of Moshe’s speech, but we haven’t looked in detail at the contents of that speech. Moshe starts off with an account of his appointing judges, then with chet hameraglim (the sin of the spies), and then with a quite detailed account of the nation’s victories east of the Jordan. Apart from the appointment of judges, which is from Sefer Shmot, [2] our parsha seems to detail the main events of the narrative from parshat Shelach Lecha until the end of Chukat. It even alludes to Mei Meriva, but there is one event that is conspicuous only by its absence: Korach.
This absence forces connections. One connection which is not obvious but certainly there is the phrase רב-לכם, rav lachem, or in English, long enough. This phrase is used only five times in the Torah, twice in parshat Korach, twice in our parsha and once in parshat Vaetchanan. It can be found in Bamidbar 16:3 and 16:7, Devarim 1:6 and 2:3, and as rav lach in Devarim 3:26.
As you look at these verses you can see that in Bamidbar they are used as rebuke, first of Moshe by Korach and then of Korach (“Bnei Levi”) by Moshe. In our parsha, however, they are used for consolation and reassurance, as seen below.
Ramban in his introduction to Sefer Devarim[1] finds a dual purpose for this summary: there is the level of rebuke and the level of consolation. Reminding this generation of their own sins and the sins of their fathers is most obviously the rebuke, but to find the consolation you have to look more closely at the text. Devarim 1:8 reads: “ראה נתתי לפניכם, את-הארץ; בואו, ורשו את-הארץ”-“Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land.”, and Devarim 1:29-30: לא-תערצון ולא-תיראון, מהם. יהוה אלוהיכם ההולך לפניכם, הוא יילחם לכם” “Dread not, neither be afraid of them. HaShem your G-d who goeth before you, He shall fight for you.”
Both of these quotes are from the middle of the narrative, yet are reassuring this generation that God has every intention of giving them the land. And just to further emphasize this Devarim 3:22 readsלא, תיראום: כי יהוה אלוהיכם, הוא הנלחם לכם “Ye shall not fear them; for HaShem your G-d, He it is that fighteth for you.” The parsha ends off with God telling Yehoshua, their new leader, that he will lead him, and the nation that Moshe is speaking to now, into the land.
Now this is the most basic of readings. We’ve outlined above the purpose of Moshe’s speech, but we haven’t looked in detail at the contents of that speech. Moshe starts off with an account of his appointing judges, then with chet hameraglim (the sin of the spies), and then with a quite detailed account of the nation’s victories east of the Jordan. Apart from the appointment of judges, which is from Sefer Shmot, [2] our parsha seems to detail the main events of the narrative from parshat Shelach Lecha until the end of Chukat. It even alludes to Mei Meriva, but there is one event that is conspicuous only by its absence: Korach.
This absence forces connections. One connection which is not obvious but certainly there is the phrase רב-לכם, rav lachem, or in English, long enough. This phrase is used only five times in the Torah, twice in parshat Korach, twice in our parsha and once in parshat Vaetchanan. It can be found in Bamidbar 16:3 and 16:7, Devarim 1:6 and 2:3, and as rav lach in Devarim 3:26.
As you look at these verses you can see that in Bamidbar they are used as rebuke, first of Moshe by Korach and then of Korach (“Bnei Levi”) by Moshe. In our parsha, however, they are used for consolation and reassurance, as seen below.
”רב-לכם שבת, בהר הזה ”
“Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain” (Devarim 1:6)
“רב-לכם, סוב את-ההר הזה” (Devarim 2:3)
“Ye have compassed this mountain long enough”
Now we can see that the use of rav lachem is incredibly well placed in our parsha. It alludes to both purposes of the speech, rebuke and consolation, while emphasizing consolation.
But we are still left with the question that brought us to this discovery. Why isn’t Korach mentioned in our parsha? Maybe this absence is alluding to an undercurrent in our parsha. The basic conclusion, as we have stated above, is that parshat Devarim is about rebuke for the past and consolation for the future. It is directed at the nation and concerns their future success in conquering the land. But underneath that is the gradual change in leadership, and the need for it. It is important to remember that this is Moshe speaking, and sometimes he gives it away, “גם-בי התאנף יהוה, בגללכם “- “Also HaShem was angry with me for your sakes.” (Devarim 1:37)
This is the above-mentioned reference to Mei Meriva, and it is obvious that Moshe blames the nation. What he does not seem to realize is that this is not the same nation that God had punished.This is a new generation that is in no way perfect, but has perhaps learned from their fathers’ mistakes. The nation has changed, but Moshe has not, and it seems as though God, with his use of the phrase rav lachem, chooses the nation over Moshe. In our parsha it is used to console the nation, but in the beginning of parshat Va’etchanan it is used to rebuke Moshe.
It seems as though the reason why Korach is left out is that one of the primary themes of Korach is the power structure in the desert. Yet it is this power structure that is being overturned with the appointment of Yehoshua and the entering of the nation into their land. So the story of Korach would be irrelevant to this new generation.
With this new step in the nation’s development rav lachem comes to comfort the nation that had grown up in the desert, and for subsequent generations it consoles and encourages a nation far from its land.
“Ye have dwelt long enough in this mountain” (Devarim 1:6)
“רב-לכם, סוב את-ההר הזה” (Devarim 2:3)
“Ye have compassed this mountain long enough”
Now we can see that the use of rav lachem is incredibly well placed in our parsha. It alludes to both purposes of the speech, rebuke and consolation, while emphasizing consolation.
But we are still left with the question that brought us to this discovery. Why isn’t Korach mentioned in our parsha? Maybe this absence is alluding to an undercurrent in our parsha. The basic conclusion, as we have stated above, is that parshat Devarim is about rebuke for the past and consolation for the future. It is directed at the nation and concerns their future success in conquering the land. But underneath that is the gradual change in leadership, and the need for it. It is important to remember that this is Moshe speaking, and sometimes he gives it away, “גם-בי התאנף יהוה, בגללכם “- “Also HaShem was angry with me for your sakes.” (Devarim 1:37)
This is the above-mentioned reference to Mei Meriva, and it is obvious that Moshe blames the nation. What he does not seem to realize is that this is not the same nation that God had punished.This is a new generation that is in no way perfect, but has perhaps learned from their fathers’ mistakes. The nation has changed, but Moshe has not, and it seems as though God, with his use of the phrase rav lachem, chooses the nation over Moshe. In our parsha it is used to console the nation, but in the beginning of parshat Va’etchanan it is used to rebuke Moshe.
It seems as though the reason why Korach is left out is that one of the primary themes of Korach is the power structure in the desert. Yet it is this power structure that is being overturned with the appointment of Yehoshua and the entering of the nation into their land. So the story of Korach would be irrelevant to this new generation.
With this new step in the nation’s development rav lachem comes to comfort the nation that had grown up in the desert, and for subsequent generations it consoles and encourages a nation far from its land.
מקדש מלך עיר מלוכה קומי צאי מתוך ההפכה רב לך שבת בעמק הבכה והוא יחמול עלייך חמלה."”
Sanctuary of the King, royal city, arise, go forth from your ruined state. Too long have you dwelt in the valley of tears. He will shower compassion on you.
Sanctuary of the King, royal city, arise, go forth from your ruined state. Too long have you dwelt in the valley of tears. He will shower compassion on you.
[2] Actually the appointment of judges described in our Parsha takes details from both the account in Parshat Yitro and a similar account of appointing judges in Parshat Beha’alotcha. In fact the details in our Parsha (That this happened after they left Chorev, and that Moshe complains that he cannot bear the burden alone.) favor the account in Parshat Beha’alotcha. Making this a continual flow of narrative from the end of Parshat Beha’alotcha to the end of Chukat.
*Biblical text and translation taken from mechon-mamre.org
**Lecha Dodi translation taken from the Koren Siddur.
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