In contrast to the first 4 books of the Torah which were heard directly from Hashem, the entire book of Devarim was spoken by Moshe Rabbeinu himself as a final will and testament to his beloved people within the last five weeks of his life. Rabbi Samson Raphel Hirsch zt”l explains that the book of Devarim was Israel’s introduction to the new life they would have to forge in Eretz Yisrael. Unable to accompany them on their near entry into the land of Israel, Moshe Rabbeinu addressed the new roles and obligations Klal Yisrael would have to adopt by reviewing and teaching all the laws of the Torah and preparing them for the various drawbacks and challenges which could arise. He began by first retracing their steps coming out of Egypt and alluding to some of their main shortcomings, thereupon mending their faults and reinforcing their faith in Hashem. 

יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹֽהֵיכֶם֙ הַהֹלֵ֣ךְ לִפְנֵיכֶ֔ם ה֖וּא יִלָּחֵ֣ם לָכֶ֑ם כְּ֠כֹל אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֧ה אִתְּכֶ֛ם בְּמִצְרַ֖יִם לְעֵינֵיכֶֽם. וּבַמִּדְבָּר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָאִ֔יתָ אֲשֶׁ֤ר נְשָׂאֲךָ֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ כַּאֲשֶׁ֥ר יִשָׂא־אִ֖ישׁ אֶת־בְּנ֑וֹ בְּכָל־הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֲלַכְתֶּ֔ם עַד־בֹּאֲכֶ֖ם עַד־הַמָּק֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה. וּבַדָּבָ֖ר הַזֶּ֑ה אֵֽינְכֶם֙ מַאֲמִינִ֔ם בַּיהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם

“Hashem, your God, Who goes before you – He shall make war for you, like everything He did for you in Egypt, before your eyes… where you saw how Hashem, your God bore you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you traveled until you came to this place. 

Yet in this matter, you don’t believe in Hashem, your God” (Devarim 1:30-32).

Out of all the disturbances Klal Yisrael provoked in the desert, Moshe Rabbeinu claims that their primary fault wasn’t the various episodes of revolt nor their lack of faith in God and His ability to perform miracles. Rather, Bnei Yisrael lacked the firm understanding that Hashem loves them and looks after them like His precious children. 

As the holy Ba’al Shem Tov teaches ⁽¹⁾, Hashem loves every Jew more than parents love an only child born to them in their old age. What would a parent do for their only child? Everything! Hence, the very next verse states,

הַהֹלֵ֨ךְ לִפְנֵיכֶ֜ם בַּדֶּ֗רֶךְ לָת֥וּר לָכֶ֛ם מָק֖וֹם לַֽחֲנֹֽתְכֶ֑ם בָּאֵ֣שׁ ׀ לַ֗יְלָה לַרְאֹֽתְכֶם֙ בַּדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֵּֽלְכוּ־בָ֔הּ וּבֶעָנָ֖ן יוֹמָֽם

“…(Hashem, your God) Who goes before you on your journeys—to scout the place where you are to encamp—in fire by night and in cloud by day, in order to guide you on the route you are to follow” (Devarim 1:33).

On the verge of entering the Promised Land, this was the most critical of all messages, the master key and means for Bnei Yisrael to always treasure and utilize to carry forward, open new doors in their lives, and prosper. After analyzing Moshe’s methods of reproval within these verses, we could also draw out 3 crucial steps of how one could begin again and embark on a new journey of their own. ⁽²⁾

Step 1: Remember where you came from, your special journey, all the ups & downs, the building blocks of who you are today.

Step 2: Correct any old ways that were flawed and strengthen yourself in order to prevent them from coming up again. Make a plan. 

Step 3: Always know that Hashem is with you, guiding you, and loves you like His only child. 

We have just commenced the Hebrew month of Menachem Av, which literally translates as “our consoling Father.” The first 9 days of Av are a period of mourning, as in this month, both Temples were destroyed and many other tragedies occurred. Yet contrary to common thought, the predominant themes of this month are of hope and optimism. A father is a constant source of unconditional love, security, and wisdom. Although a child may not necessarily understand a single thing their father says or does, the child nevertheless accepts them as proper and for the best. Such is the same comfort and consolation we receive from our Father in heaven during these trying times. 

In Jewish law ⁽³⁾, there is only one exception permitting the partial or full destruction of a synagogue or Beit Hamikdash. One is allowed to dismantle and demolish a place of worship only when it’s for the purpose of repair or rectification. Accordingly, the only justification for the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash is in order to replace it with an even more magnificent structure. As the Midrash states ⁽⁴⁾, the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash was conditional on God rebuilding it. The very act of destruction is in fact a necessary part of the process of building. ⁽⁵⁾ 

Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Meisels zt”l was a Rabbi of a community in Galicia, a Rosh Yeshiva, and a chief Dayan of a Chassidish community in Hungary in the 1930s who was unfortunately deported to Auschwitz along with his entire community in 1944. Many incredible stories of Jewish heroism were later recounted of R’ Meisels in the concentration camp. After his liberation, he claimed that he was given the strength to get through the entire horrific Holocaust with the help of a single message of inspiration he derived from a verse in Psalms.

כִּֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יְ֭הוָה דֶּ֣רֶךְ צַדִּיקִ֑ים וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תֹּאבֵֽד

“For Hashem knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked is doomed” (Tehillim 1:6). 

R’ Meisels asks, could it really be that Hashem only knows the way of the righteous and not the way of the wicked? No way! He explains that the verse is actually speaking about the perspective of the righteous versus the wicked. The factor which makes one a righteous person who can outlive anything is solely dependent on their level of understanding of how much Hashem is with them and knows what they are going through. Moreover, everything that they experience and undergo in life is predestined and personally prescribed for their self-realization. On the contrary, someone who lacks this consciousness will become weakened and “doomed” by life’s tribulations, therefore falling in their level of connection with Hashem (God forbid). ⁽⁶⁾

Sometimes you have to lose something in order to gain something better. A door has to shut before a new door can open. The world can sometimes be a broken place and our human task is to put those fragments together — to repair the brokenness. ⁽⁷⁾ By knowing that our Father is with us every step of the way and continuing to connect with Him no matter what the circumstances, we will build the greatest Beit HaMikdash that ever was. Tiboneh Vetikonen Bimheira Veyameinu Amen!

 

 

 

_{1. Kesser Shem Tov (Section 133); (2) See Pirkei Avot 3:1; (3) Rambam Hilchot Beit HaBechirah 1:17 (see Kesef Mishna), Sefer HaMitzvot Negative Commandment #65; (4) Yalkut Shimoni, Yirmiyahu #259; (5) Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson zt”l Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXIX, pp. 11‐17, Mordechai (4th Chapter of Mesechet Megillah), Rabbi Nachman of Breslov said “If you believe that it’s possible to destroy, believe that it’s possible to repair” (Meshivat Nefesh #38), Kedushat Levi (Eicha 3:10), Rabbi Elie Weinstock Shabbat Chazon 5773; (6) From Haggada Umetok Hameor by Rabbi R’ Shlomo Levinshtein shlita; (7) Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, To Heal A Fractured World: The Ethics of Responsibility}