DEVARIM_DEUTERONOMY I:1-III:22
The fifth book of the Pentateuch, the Chumash, collects Moshe’s speeches and admonitions to the collective. God had ruled that this leader would not lead the people in conquering the Promised Land, and Moshe knew his days were numbered. A sober evaluation of his performance and a sincere examination of the behavior of the Hebrew people during the years of their journey through the desert could not be postponed. It is A period that highlights our ancestors’ difficulties in accepting the yoke of the Law because they did not govern their actions in Egypt by any moral imperative. They would have to recognize that only by complying with one set of rules, the Mitsvot, could they live together in harmony, forming a society that would eventually become a sovereign people on their own land.
The spies sent to examine whether the Promised Land was suitable for the development of the people and to evaluate the possibility of its conquest returned with a discouraging report. They observed that its inhabitants were gigantic, and its cities were fortified. Why didn’t they trust in the God who had redeemed them from Egyptian slavery, who parted the waters of the sea so they could be saved from the Egyptian chariots that persecuted them?
The explorers who reported negatively on the Promised Land did not deny the feats God had performed in the past. But they were aware that the conquest would have to be accomplished by the efforts of the people, who would have to demonstrate that they knew how to administer the sovereignty by establishing an independent State. God would be an observer at this stage. While in the Egyptian years, the Bible reads HaShem yilachem lachem veatem tacharishun, “God will fight for you, and you must remain silent” This time, the people would have themselves fight the battles. At the same time, God observed and evaluated Israel’s behavior.
We make a parenthesis to point out that these chapters of Devarim are usually read on the Shabbat that precedes Tisha B’Av, the commemorative date of the destruction of the 2 Temples of Jerusalem. Several commentators ask the question of whether, during the existence of the second Beit HaMikdash, fasting was done on Tisha B’Av. The question is pertinent because if the date recalls the destruction, the rebuilding of the Temple must have been a sufficient reason for rejoicing. On the contrary, Tisha B’Av should have become a holiday because the tragedy perpetrated by the Babylonians who destroyed the first Beit HaMikdash had been corrected.
Perhaps there were reasons to continue fasting because the second Beit HaMikdash never equaled the glory of the first Temple. The Tablets of the Law had disappeared, as well as some other items of religious worship. But there is an additional reason of greater significance. The destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash demonstrated that the House of God offered no permanent protection: it was not indestructible. The decisive factor was human behavior, the fulfillment of the Mitsvot, and not an edification.
“What good are your offerings when the instructions in the Torah do not govern human conduct?” is the divine reflection according to the prophet’s words. The destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash occurred due to idolatry among the people. The gratuitous enmity in Jewish society destroyed the second Beit HaMikdash. The fast of Tisha B’Av recalls the physical destruction of the House of God. More than that, it testifies to the non-observance of ordinances, disloyalty to God, and insincerity to one’s neighbor.
The reconstruction of the third Beit HaMikdash can only occur through an exceptional act that depends on Divine intervention. But for the miracle to be realized, man must correct his behavior to be reconciled with the Mitsvah, love for one’s neighbor that excludes enmity and hatred, inviting mutual respect and harmonious coexistence.
MITZVAH: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARSHA
CONTAINS 2 PROHIBITIONS
- Deuteronomy 1:17 Do not appoint a judge who is not a Torah scholar, even if he is a scholar in other matters.
- Deuteronomy 1:17 The judge should not fear a wicked during a trial.
