DEUTERONOMY I:1-III:22

TOWARDS THE PROMISED LAND

The fifth book of the Pentateuch, the Chumash, collects Moshe’s (Moses’) speeches and admonitions  to the collective. God had ruled that this leader would not lead the people in the conquest of the Promised Land and Moshe knew that his days were numbered. A sober evaluation of their performance and a sincere examination of the behavior of the Hebrew people during the years of their journey through the desert was imperative. A period that highlights the difficulties of our ancestors to accept the yoke of the Law, because they did not have to govern their actions in Egypt by any moral imperative. They would have to recognize that only with the fulfillment of a set of rules, the Mitsvot, could they live together in harmony, form a society that would eventually become a sovereign people on a land of their own.

The spies who were sent to examine whether the Promised Land was suitable for the development of the people and to assess the possibility of its conquest returned with a discouraging report, for 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 that they could be saved from the Egyptian chariots that pursued 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 carried out by the efforts of the people, who would have to demonstrate that they would know how to administer the sovereignty that they would assume with the establishment of an independent State. God would be an observer at this stage. While in the Egyptian story the Bible reads HaShem yilachem lachem veatemtacharishun, “God will battle for you and you must remain silent,” this time the people would have to fight the battles while God observed and evaluated Israel’s behavior.

We make a parenthesis to point out that these chapters of Devarim (Deuteronomy) are generally 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 BeitHaMikdash there was fasting on Tisha B’Av. The question is pertinent, because if the date recalls the destruction, the rebuilding of the Temple should have been a sufficient cause 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 the fast, 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 BeitHaMikdash was a demonstration that the House of God did not offer permanent protection: it was not indestructible. Apparently, the decisive factor was human behavior, the fulfillment of the Mitsvot, and not a building. 

“What is the use of his offerings when human conduct is not governed by the instructions contained in the Torah?” is the divine reflection according to the words of the prophet. The destruction of the first Beit HaMikdash occurred due to the presence of idolatry within the people. The second BeitHaMikdash was destroyed by the gratuitous enmity that existed in Jewish society. The Tisha B’Av fast is reminiscent of the physical destruction of the House of God, but more than that, it testifies to the failure to follow ordinances, disloyalty to God, and insincerity to one’s neighbor.

The reconstruction of the third Beit HaMikdash can only take place by means of an exceptional act that depends on Divine intervention. But for the miracle to take place, it is necessary for man to correct his behavior, to reconcile himself with Mitzvah, 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

414. Deuteronomy 1:17 Do not appoint a judge who is not a Torah scholar, even if he is a scholar in other matters

415. Deuteronomy 1:17 The judge should not fear a wicked man during a trial