Sefer Devarim , also known in English as the “Book
of Deuteronomy”, is the last of the “Five Books of Moses”
(Chamisha Chumshe Torah). The Hebrew name derives from the opening words
of the sefer, “Eileh Hadevarim…” (“These are
the words…”). The English name, “Deuteronomy”,
means “second law”, and was derived because many of the
mitzvos commanded in the previous four seforim are repeated here (in
slightly different forms in some case). For this reason, some scholars
have referred to Sefer Devarim as “Sefer Mishnah Torah”
(Repetition of the Torah).
Sefer Devarim consists of several sections that constitute a farewell
address by Moses to the Children of Israel. G-d has told Moses that
he will soon die and not cross over the Jordan River. In his address,
Moses rebukes the people and reminds them to be faithful to G-d at all
times. Soon they will begin the conquest of Canaan. While G-d will be
with them, it will not be in such an explicit form as they witnessed
at the Red Sea, Mt. Sinai, or the “Pillar of Fire”. The
manna will stop, and the people will have to cultivate the land just
like anyone else. Moses will be dead, and a new system of government,
with Joshua, as the leader and Elazar, as the Kohen Gadol, will be established.
Sefer Devarim is different from the other four in that only Moses is
speaking.
However, just as the Torah ends, so it begins anew on Simchas Torah.
It is a circle, with no beginning or end. We can never stop learning
new insights from the Torah. Seek the essence of Torah in your own lives.
It is our inheritance for all time. It is our link with the past and
our guidepost for the future. May the Almighty grant you health and
strength! Amen!
