• This Week's Torah Portion

How fascinating that the first book of the Torah begins with God creating the world through words and now, as we begin the last book of the Torah, we are once again reminded of the power of “ha’devarim” (the words). The Hebrew title of this book, D’varim, means “words.” I was taught from a very young age that words have power. To this day, I still believe that. However, I was also taught that actions speak louder than words. This parashah demonstrates the truth and value of both of these teachings – for me and for the people of Israel. We see the power of words from the opening chapters of the book of Deuteronomy, as well as a change in who is saying them. The typical narration that we have gotten used to in the previous four books is, “v’yomer Adonai el Moshe l’mor” (and God spoke to Moses, saying). This structure is now replaced with “deber Moshe” (Moses speaks). Another small change is that Moses simply recalls the events of the past 40+ years of the Israelites wandering in the desert. There appears to be no emotional attachment to his recollection of events; there’s no judgement, simply remembrance. This is a vastly different Moses from earlier interactions with the Israelites. The earlier Moses was very emotionally reactive. Why is this important? Because the act of remembering is an essential part of the Torah. In the same way, retelling past events is an essential part of Jewish tradition. Think about it: We retell the story of Passover at our seders, and do so using a Haggadah, which translates to “telling.” Here, actions speak louder than words. Words, and the subsequent actions, are the vehicle through which we remember our past and not take it for granted. Recalling and retelling are absolutely essential, but they lack intrinsic value if we become complacent and detached from our history and our stories. Several years ago, I stood on the opposite side of the valley above Jericho, looking at the mountain that Moses stood upon as he spoke the words of this parashah. It was there that the educator leading our group described the Israelites’ journey before and after entering the Promised Land. Our guide stated that this is where we see the Israelites moving from surviving to thriving. While this sentiment is indeed beautiful, it is a detriment to all Jews to act as if the work is done and finished as we recall and retell this story of our ancestors on the precipice of entering the Promised Land. It is vital that we do not take previous generations’ achievements for granted. We must actively learn from and protect those achievements. Pirkei Avot 2:21 states it best: “It is not [our] duty to finish the work, but neither are [we] free to desist from it.” It seemed quite easy for my generation to view the creation and development of the country of Israel as Moses did with his statements in Deuteronomy. We talked and taught about the past as if it were a “fait acompli,” something that had already been accomplished and was now in the rearview mirror. October 7^th was a rude awakening for many Jews, myself included. Our work is not finished, not even close. We need to be constantly vigilant to survive and thrive as a country (Israel), and as a people. We cannot afford to take any of our ancestors’ achievements and creations for granted. There is no longer room for complacency with the Jewish people. Just as we were all at Sinai, we must all work to make sure Israel and Jews worldwide not only survive, but thrive.