IN A NUTSHELL The book of Devarim is, in essence, Moshe’s renewal of the same covenant that God made with Israel at Mount Sinai. This time Moshe joins the covenant to the next generation, because they will soon enter the Promised Land and create a society based on the Torah there. And because a covenant often begins with a preamble and a historical outline, this is also how Parashat Devarim begins. Moshe explains the background to the covenant, and then discusses the events that led to the covenant and its renewal.

First we have an introduction that describes the time and place: we are in the last weeks of Moshe’s life and the people are camped by the banks of the River Jordan. Moshe reminds Israel about the story of the spies and the people’s lack of faith that led to forty-year wandering in the desert.

Then he moves on to more recent events, retelling the stories of their battles and victories over Moav and Amon and the settlement of their land (on the other side of the River Jordan) by the tribes of Reuven and Gad and part of Menashe. The parasha ends with the appointment of Yehoshua as his successor. He will lead the people into the land.

QUESTION TO PONDER

Why do you think Yehoshua was chosen to lead after Moshe?