This week we read a double Torah portion, Nitzavim-Vayeilech, in which Moses and the Israelites are preparing for the conquest of Canaan. Rabbi Larry Milder writes about the disturbing instructions to destroy the inhabitants of that land, including Moses saying that God will “wipe out those nations from your path and you shall dispossess them” (Deut. 31:3).
Rabbi Milder then points out an important piece of context of this part of our text. “The date of the Israelite ‘conquest’ of the land is generally thought to be 1250 B.C.E. The Book of Deuteronomy is written as though it is a recording of events that occurred on the eve of this conquest. Most scholars, however, believe that Deuteronomy was composed during the reign of Josiah, around 621 B.C.E. In other words, the ‘Deuteronomist’ is telling a story that is already ancient history. The version of the settlement told by the Deuteronomist reflects the issues and concerns of the time of Josiah far more than it does the time of Moses some six centuries earlier. By the time of Josiah, there were no longer any Canaanite nations. The seven nations that the Deuteronomist urges the Israelites to dispossess had long since ceased to exist, and the commandment to destroy them was by then purely hypothetical. The Deuteronomist’s real concern is idolatry, not Canaanites.”
Reading parts of the Torah that portray and advocate violence and injustice can challenge our relationship to the text overall. It can be helpful to learn historical context, not to justify the text but to understand how it may have come into being. Reading this text today, we can ask numerous questions relevant to us – Which sources do we read to learn history, such as the history of our country? How do we relate to the peoples who first lived here? What does “idolatry” mean to us now? What are today’s “idolatrous” practices that we find tempting or appealing?
Wishing you Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller
Nitzavim-Vayeilech, Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30: Torah Reading Sept.5, 2026: Tough Texts
September 1, 2026 by Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller • D'var Torah, Julie Saxe-Taller
This week we read a double Torah portion, Nitzavim-Vayeilech, in which Moses and the Israelites are preparing for the conquest of Canaan. Rabbi Larry Milder writes about the disturbing instructions to destroy the inhabitants of that land, including Moses saying that God will “wipe out those nations from your path and you shall dispossess them” (Deut. 31:3).
Rabbi Milder then points out an important piece of context of this part of our text. “The date of the Israelite ‘conquest’ of the land is generally thought to be 1250 B.C.E. The Book of Deuteronomy is written as though it is a recording of events that occurred on the eve of this conquest. Most scholars, however, believe that Deuteronomy was composed during the reign of Josiah, around 621 B.C.E. In other words, the ‘Deuteronomist’ is telling a story that is already ancient history. The version of the settlement told by the Deuteronomist reflects the issues and concerns of the time of Josiah far more than it does the time of Moses some six centuries earlier. By the time of Josiah, there were no longer any Canaanite nations. The seven nations that the Deuteronomist urges the Israelites to dispossess had long since ceased to exist, and the commandment to destroy them was by then purely hypothetical. The Deuteronomist’s real concern is idolatry, not Canaanites.”
Reading parts of the Torah that portray and advocate violence and injustice can challenge our relationship to the text overall. It can be helpful to learn historical context, not to justify the text but to understand how it may have come into being. Reading this text today, we can ask numerous questions relevant to us – Which sources do we read to learn history, such as the history of our country? How do we relate to the peoples who first lived here? What does “idolatry” mean to us now? What are today’s “idolatrous” practices that we find tempting or appealing?
Wishing you Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Julie Saxe-Taller