Devarim in Hebrew means words. It is also the Hebrew title of the fifth book or our Torah and of this week’s Parasha. Our Torah begins with words. God creates the universe through Divine speech. Now our Torah is ending with words as Moses retells the story of the Exodus and the wanderings in the desert to the generation that has come of age in freedom.
The blessing for Torah study ends with the words, la’asok b’divrei Torah, to engage with words of Torah. The small selection of Torah we traditionally read after saying the blessing comes from Mishnah, Peah 1:1 (can be found in Mishkan Tefila P. 44) and reads, “These are the things that are limitless, of which a person enjoys the fruit in this world, while the principal remains in the world to come. They are: honoring one’s father and mother, engaging in deeds of compassion, arriving early for study, morning and evening, dealing graciously with guests, visiting the sick, providing for the wedding couple, accompanying the dead for burial, being devoted in prayer, making peace among people. But the study of Torah encompasses them all.”
This mishnah is a series of behaviors that defines, more or less, how to be a good person. But what does it mean, that the study of Torah encompasses them all. Are we supposed to perform these actions in our lives or just learn about them? Our Torah portion gives us an answer, Moses tells the Israelites, “Our God, Adonai, spoke to us at Horeb, saying: You have stayed long enough at this mountain.” (Deuteronomy 1:6) Rashi (11th C. Germany) explains that Horeb is Mt. Sinai, where the Israelites received the Divine revelation of Torah. They were literally learning Torah, at the feet of God. The purpose of Torah is how to act morally in the world. God is telling the Israelites, it’s time to stop learning and put God’s moral law into practice. That is our purpose in life. We learn Torah to be moral human beings. That is why it is the tree of life. But Judaism is a religion of action and behavior. It is not enough to believe. It is not enough to learn. We must transform the world through our actions.
Devarim, Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22; Parashat HaShavua for Shabbat, August 10, 2024
August 9, 2024 by tbhrich • Drashot
Devarim in Hebrew means words. It is also the Hebrew title of the fifth book or our Torah and of this week’s Parasha. Our Torah begins with words. God creates the universe through Divine speech. Now our Torah is ending with words as Moses retells the story of the Exodus and the wanderings in the desert to the generation that has come of age in freedom.
The blessing for Torah study ends with the words, la’asok b’divrei Torah, to engage with words of Torah. The small selection of Torah we traditionally read after saying the blessing comes from Mishnah, Peah 1:1 (can be found in Mishkan Tefila P. 44) and reads, “These are the things that are limitless, of which a person enjoys the fruit in this world, while the principal remains in the world to come. They are: honoring one’s father and mother, engaging in deeds of compassion, arriving early for study, morning and evening, dealing graciously with guests, visiting the sick, providing for the wedding couple, accompanying the dead for burial, being devoted in prayer, making peace among people. But the study of Torah encompasses them all.”
This mishnah is a series of behaviors that defines, more or less, how to be a good person. But what does it mean, that the study of Torah encompasses them all. Are we supposed to perform these actions in our lives or just learn about them? Our Torah portion gives us an answer, Moses tells the Israelites, “Our God, Adonai, spoke to us at Horeb, saying: You have stayed long enough at this mountain.” (Deuteronomy 1:6) Rashi (11th C. Germany) explains that Horeb is Mt. Sinai, where the Israelites received the Divine revelation of Torah. They were literally learning Torah, at the feet of God. The purpose of Torah is how to act morally in the world. God is telling the Israelites, it’s time to stop learning and put God’s moral law into practice. That is our purpose in life. We learn Torah to be moral human beings. That is why it is the tree of life. But Judaism is a religion of action and behavior. It is not enough to believe. It is not enough to learn. We must transform the world through our actions.