A.
This week’s parasha begins Moshe’s farewell address to Israel, which occupies most of the Book of Deuteronomy. The address comprises two intertwined elements: a recapitulation of Israel’s history ere now, with a masterfully delivered reminder and rebuke about the mistakes made along the way, and a recapitulation with additional details of the 613 mitzvoth (whence it is also known as Mishné Torah, translated as the Greek phrase underlying the English name, Δεύτερος νόμος, “Second Law”).
As in most cases, the name of the parasha derives from its first verse: אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה אל כל ישראל בעבר הירדן במדבר בערבה מול סוף בין פארן ובין תפל ולבן וחצרת ודי זהב: (“These are the words [ha-dëvarim] which Moshe spoke to all Israel on the bank of the Jordan, in the desert, on the plain, before Suf, between Paran and Tofel and Lavan and Hatzéroth, and Di Zahav”).
The Shlah ha-qadosh famously remarks (פרשת ןישב שצ"ז.) that the parashoth are related to the season in which they are read. As Dëvarim is usually read during the Nine Days from rosh hodesh Av to the Ninth of Av, the anniversary of the destruction of the Holy Temple, as it is this year, let us consider how they might be related.
B.
A careful examination of the apparently painstakingly detailed geographic description in the verse reveals that no such place exists (the first clue is “the bank of the Jordan, in the desert”; The Jordan Valley has never been describable as a “desert”). The Targum Onqëlos helpfully interprets them: אוכח יתהון על דחבו במדברא ועל דארגיזו במישרא לקבל ים סוף בפארן דאתפלו על מנא ובחצרות דארגיזו על בשרא ועל דעבדו עגל דדהב (“...he rebuked them because they had sinned in the desert, and angered [G-d] on the plain before Yam Suf; in Paran, because they fell upon the man; and at Hatzéroth, where they angered [G-d] because of the meat; and because they worshipped the Golden Calf”).
Rashi follows the Sifrei to comment on our verse: לפי שהן דברי תוכחות שהכעיסו לפני המקום בהן לפיכך סתם את הדברים והזהירם ברמז מפני כבודן של ישראל (“Because they are words of rebuke for angering the Al-Mighty in [these instances], he therefore said these words in an obscure fashion and only hinted at them because of the honor of Israel”).
Apart from thus providing a model on how to deliver an effective rebuke in fulfillment of the mitzva of הוכח תוכיח את עמיתך(“you shall surely rebuke your fellow”; Leviticus XIX, 17), Moshe was, I think, teaching another lesson, to us as well as to that generation, through his indirect presentation. Let us briefly examine each of the above instances.
The first instance, “in the desert,” says Rashi, is בשביל מה שהכעיסוהו במדבר (“for what they did to anger Him in the desert”); he offers in evidence Exodus XVII, 2: ויצמא שם העם למים וילן העם על משה ויאמר למה זה העליתנו ממצרים להמית אתי ואת בני ואת מקני בצמא (“And the people thirsted there for water, and the people complained about Moshe and said, 'Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to kill me and my children and my cattle with thirst?'”).
The second instance is “on the plain,” שחטאו בבעל פעור בשטים בערבות מואב (“where they sinned with Ba‘al Pë‘or at Shittim on the plains of Mo’av”); cf. Numbers XXV, 1-9.
The third instance, “before Suf” related to the cry of the fugitives caught between Yam Suf and the onrushing Egyptian chariotry: המבלי אין קברים במצרים לקחתנו למות במדבר מה זאת עשית לנו להוציאנו ממצרים: הלא זה הדבר אשר דברנו אליך במצרים חדל ממנו ונעבדה את מצרים כי טוב לנו עבוד את מצרים ממתנו במדבר .(“Are there not any graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the desert? What is this that you have done to us to take us out of Egypt? Is this not the thing which we told you in Egypt, Leave us alone and let us serve Egypt, for serving Egypt is better for us than dying in the desert”; ibid., XIV, 11-12).
The fourth and fifth instances are “between Paran and Tofel and Lavan”: הוכיחן על הדברים שתפלו על המן שהוא לבן שאמרו "ונפשנו קצה מלחם הקלוקל" ועל מה שעשו במדבר פארן ע"י המרגלים (“he rebuked them over the words with which they insulted [tafëlu, whence Tofel] the man, when they said, ‘Our soul is revolted by the light bread’ [Numbers XXI, 5] and over what they did in the desert of Paran through the spies [ibid., XIV, 1ff.]”).
The sixth, Hatzéroth, he tells us, refers either to the revolt of Qorah (ibid., XVI) or to the fact that they did not learn from the example of Miriam (ibid., XII, 1-16) and engaged in lashon ha-ra‘ in the aftermath of that revolt, in the same place (ibid., XVII, 6-8).
The seventh instance is that of the golden calf: הוכיחן על העגל שעשו בשביל רוב זהב שהי' להם שנאמר "וכסף הרביתי להם וזהב ועשו לבעל" (“he rebuked them over the calf which they had made because they had so much gold, as it is said, ‘Silver I amassed for them, and gold, and they made it into a ba‘al’ [Hosea II, 10]”; ע"ע ברכות ל"ב.).
In the last instance, the prophet offers a novel explanation of the sin of the golden calf which is not part of the complex of causes discussed so thoroughly in Exodus XXXII (and cf, A”Z Yashir, Parshath Ki Thissa’ 5770), which Rashi highlights, and which I believe provides a clue to all of the cases mentioned here by Moshe: They were overwhelmed by their sudden, new-found wealth. Within a matter of days they had gone from rags to riches and were wholly unprepared to deal with their new reality.
A careful reading of all of the instances above shows that such a case could be made in each of them. Thus, at each turn in the desert when the yotz’ei Mitzrayim faced some momentary lack (in the case cited, water), they reacted instinctively, because the concept of relying on Divine Providence was so new to them. The same can be said when they found themselves with no way out at Yam Suf; it took the extraordinary courage of Nahshon ben ‘Amminadav, who began to wade into the water, to break the spell. Similarly, the man, the weird, supernatural food which fell from the sky, and which did not induce any of the normal bodily functions involving the alimentary canal, must have seemed very spooky and strange to them. The reaction to the report of the mëragglim that the Promised Land was very rich, but also exceedingly well defended, likewise struck terror since, bë-derech ha-teva‘, a rabble of ex-slaves could not hope to overcome the well-equipped, disciplined armies and strong fortifications of the Canaanites.
Even Qorah’s revolt is understandable as the reaction of natural skepticism to all of the new customs and practices being introduced by Moshe in accordance with the Torah.
There remain the incident at Shittim, and the lashon ha-ra‘ in the wake of Qorah’s revolt. In these, I believe, lies the connexion to the Nine Days.
C.
The Talmud tells us that the cause of the First Temple’s destruction was the prevalence of ‘avoda zara, gilluy ‘arayoth, and shëfichath damim (“idolatry, sexual impropriety, and bloodshed”), and the proximate cause of the Second Temple’s demise was the rather more nebulous sin’ath hinnam (usually rendered “baseless hatred”; יומא ט:).
The incident at Shittim was caused by the active seduction of the Mo’avi women, under the enthusiastic leadership of their Midyani sisters of people not yet accustomed to the mitzva of ולא תתרו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם אשר אתם זנים אחריהם (“And you will not be drawn after your heart and after your eyes, for which you are lusting”; Numbers ). The price of their favors was submission to ‘avoda zara (op. cit., ע"ע). The history of the kingdoms preserved in the books of Kings and Chronicles reveals that it was the ruling class, those most exposed to foreign influence through their conduct of the kingdoms’ diplomatic affairs and international trade, amongst whom idolatry was lodged. If we read carefully the accounts of the disastrous reigns of Ah’av, ‘Athalya, Mënashe, and Amon, it becomes clear that the bloodshed resulted from their suppression of the opposition of the common people, spurred on by the Torah-leadership in the guise of the prophets. Thus, “on the plain” was a stark warning of what, unfortunately, eventually happened.
The case of the Second Temple requires some thought. In a certain sense, “baseless hatred” is an oxymoron. Ask anyone why he hates another, and you will receive a full set of reasons. The baselessness of the hatred relates to those reasons’ objective reality.
The books of ‘Ezra-Nehemya reveal that the society in Israel after the shivath Tziyyon consisted largely of the most enthusiastic ba‘alei tëshuva, “penitents,” resulting from the work of the Anshei Kënesseth ha-Gëdola. Over time, under the stresses of Greek and Roman overlordship, the upper classes again became corrupted (some of them becoming the Tzëduqim, Boethosim, and Mithyavnim), and even the Orthodox majority came to be divided amongst themselves, as the Zealots who fomented the rebellion against the Romans rose from their ranks (cf. the account in Josephus’ Jewish War). The common people (‘am ha-aretz) came to be estranged from the learned class (Përushim, Havérim) through misunderstandings, documented in the Talmud, and we may be certain that lashon ha-ra‘ played a prominent rôle in that estrangement.
Hence, the relevance of our parasha to the season in which it is read.
D.
But הקדים הקב"ה את הרפואה למחלה (“The Holy One, Blessed is He, put the cure before the disease; ).
As noted above, our parasha begins with the word élle (אלה, “these”), one of only six parashoth to begin with the letter alef. Of these, four begin with the word élle. As we established last week, the main meaning of the root of alef relates to learning (cf. Job XXXIII, 33; ע"ע אותוית דרבי עקיבא אות א').
The séfer Pa‘anéah Raza takes note of these facts, and points out that there are also six sëdarim (“orders”) into which the Talmud is divided. Four of these orders contain gëmara, as well as mishna, in the Talmud Bavli, and these four sëdarim comprise 36 massechtoth (‘tractates”), which happens to be the gimatriya of élle.
Conversely, he notes that in five massechtoth in the six orders, the first mishna begins with an alef, which he relates to the Hamisha Humshei Torah, the Five Books of the Written Torah. Hence, the second component of Deuteronomy, the complete Torah whose careful study and observance comprise the remedy for all the failings to which Moshe alludes in the first verse.
During this season of mourning for our great loss, let us resolve to do everything possible to eliminate the incidence of lashon ha-ra‘ amongst Israel, and thereby hasten its restoration and our redemption.
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