Moses begins a beautiful poem (or song) invoking the heavens and the earth as eternal witnesses to his warnings. He notes that G-d has always been faithful to Israel in spite of the Nation’s constant complaining and rebelling. Israel is again reminded that if they grow complacent in their worship of G-d, he will withhold his bounty. Therefore, the people should look to the older generations for guidance and never forget that all that happens is because of G-d. They will be able to fight off stronger armies only if they place their trust in Him. Finally, Moses is told that it is time for him to die. He must climb Mt. Nebo and there he will have one more chance to view the land of Canaan before his death.

The end of our parsha has an important lesson for us. In chapter 32, verse 47, we read:
“…ki lo davar reik hu mekem” which means “for it is no vain thing for you…”
Moses declared that the Torah is not in heaven, but right here on Earth. This means, that all of the people are expected to study and practice the mitzvos. It is not a specialized field for only advanced analytical thinkers. The Torah is to be studied and practice by human beings.

Our verse continues by saying that these words will prolong our lives if we observe all the words of the Law. Rashi comments on this verse by saying that there is no superfluous statement in the Torah. Every letter, every word, every crownlet (tagin) written above certain letters, every pronunciation (there are no vowels for pronunciation in a Torah scroll), even the cantillation (chanting) handed down by tradition, has inner meaning.

Tradition states that Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna (known as the “Gaon of Vilna” or the “Vilna Gaon”) stated that the entire Torah contains all of the names of G-d in scrambled order. A person can look at the stars on a clear night, and se just a collection of lights in the sky. An Astronomer knows that each of the stars is a huge ball of Hydrogen gas powered by nuclear fusion. The Astronomer will painstakingly study the details coming from the emitted light of the star. This information contains information about the size, structure, temperature, and composition of the star. In the same way, a Torah scholar sees for than black letters on a white scroll background. The scholar looks at the words of the Torah and many levels of understanding. He will devote his life to uncovering the secrets of the Torah in painstaking detail. His hope, is to reveal the truth about how we should live our lives and better perfect our relationships between G-d and Man.

The concept of knowing G-d by understanding the Torah can be better understood by analyzing the phrase differently. The gematria of the phrase “it is no vain thing for you” is 579. This is the same as the gematria of the phrase “y’da’iti elohim” which means “I know Hashem”. The word “elohim” refers to G-d’s Attribute of Justice. The verse in chapter 32 can be rearranged to form the phrase “ka’amor, kavod elohim kar” which means “as it is said, honor Hashem to spring forth”. Thus, by studying the Torah, we merit to “spring forth” from the confines of our physical existence into the freedom of spiritual existence. We come to “know” and “love” G-d, by emulating his ways: being righteous, pursuing justice, loving mercy, and doing deeds of lovingkindness.