Devarim - Shabat Jazón 5775 - English

By Rabbi Daniel Kripper
Beth Israel Aruba

The Book of Devarim or Deuteronomy contains the last of Moses’ speeches before departing from this world.  Forty years had passed since the Children of Israel left Egypt. 

Shortly before they crossed the Jordan in their way to the Promised Land, Moses realized the end of his road was near.  

A while back, he had learned he would not be entering the dreamed land, and that it would be his successor who would be responsible of guiding his people in the next stage of their historical progression. 

Consequently, Moses took advantage of those precious final hours to give advice to those who would keep going, thus providing orientation for a fortunate future. 

He reminded them about the long and treacherous road through the desert for forty years, about how in the end the distance they covered was not so significant, and how it could have taken only a few weeks. 

What caused the unnecessary delay? How did they fail?

According to this speech from Moses, the defining factor in the tedious prolongation of their journey was the episode of the spies.  By recounting this story, Moses tried to warn the younger generations of the future challenges that lay ahead. 

He reminded them how the twelve princes, heads of the tribes, were sent to the Promised Land in a reconnaissance mission to bring back a report of what they found. 

In their travels through the country, they emphasized the heavily fortified cities they encountered, the powerful armies of the enemy and the impressive size of their inhabitants. 

Based on these reports, the natural conclusion was that the people of Israel were not ready to conquer the Land.  In this way, they managed to inspire fear and discouragement in the heart of the people, and this almost sabotaged the glorious campaign that began with the Exodus from Egypt. 

Moses reminds them again and again that the strength of Israel does not reside in physical power or military forces.  

In ancient times, Israel could not compete military strength with other nations like the Assyrians, the Chaldeans, the Babylonians, the Greeks, or the Romans.  Our military power was ostensibly inferior, however we managed to survive through the vicissitudes of history by tenacity, moral firmness and by adhering to the spiritual values of our tradition. 

This is how, the incident with the explorers stops being one more chapter in the long journey through the desert and becomes, in Moses’ discourse, a paradigm of fidelity and a promise of eternal continuity. 

Rabbi Daniel Kripper

Beth Israel Aruba