Questions on Parshas Devorim to think about and discuss:

Questions on Sefer Devorim:

1. What is a general overview of the format of Sefer Devorim?
2. How is Sefer Devorim different to the other four Chumoshim?
3. How long did it take Moshe Rabbeinu to say Sefer Devorim?
4. Jewish tradition says that the world will last 6000 years. How is the sixth and last of these thousand years alluded to in Sefer Devorim?
5. Moshe starts to say over Sefer Devorim on Rosh Chodesh Shevat. Rashi (1:4) brings that wanted to specially wait until after the battle with Sichoin and Oig. These battles took place in the months of Elul and Tishreit. Why then did he still waited until this date? This implies that he wanted to start specifically on this date. What is the significance of this?

Ideas for answers on Sefer Devorim:

1. The Ramban says that Moshe’s pesicha, opening words, goes until the Ten Commandments in Parshas Voeschanon. The Vilna Gaon says that the first five pesukim are an introduction to the whole sefer. Sefer Devorim is split into three parts: the first four chapters talk about mussar, Moshe rebuking the Jews. The second part until the blessings and curses talks about mitzvos and the last part until the end of the sefer talks about different things. See the Malbim for another opinion.
2. Sefer Devorim is called “Mishna Torah” that can mean “repeat of the Torah” as much of what is there is a repetition of things mentioned in the other Chumoshim.
3. Moshe started saying it on the first of Shevat (1:3) and he died on the 7^th of Adar. Assuming the month of Shevat had thirty days then the whole of Sefer Devorim was said over thirty-seven days! The Ohr Hachaim says it actually was 36 days (either because shevat was 29 days or Moshe did not say it on the 7th of Adar) and says an allusion to this is in the first word of אל”ה that has the gematria, numerical value, of 36 that the possuk continues to say that Moshe spoke.
4. There is a tradition from the Vilna Gaon that there are ten parshios in Sefer Devorim, since Parshas Nitzovim-Vayalech are considered as one. Each parsha deals with one hundred years. (According to this, the current year 5775, is in the century that parallels the 7^th parsha of Ki-Sovoi!)

Questions on the general parsha:

1. Sefer Devorim starts with Moshe rebuking the Jews. What do we learn from here in how to rebuke someone?
2. Why does Moshe start rebuking them in a hidden way and then goes on to rebuking them openly after this (e.g. with the sending of the meraglim – 1:22) ?
3. In the halochos of toichocha, rebuking, one should not wait too long to tell off the person in order to stop them repeating their mistakes. How then could Moshe wait so long to just before his death to rebuke the Jews?
4. Rashi (1:11) brings that Moshe was saying over two blessings. One from Hashem and one from Moshe to multiply a thousand times. Surely Hashem’s blessing is all inclusive and if so how could Moshe add anything? Why bless them specifically with the number of a thousand times more?
5. You might notice something strange when hearing the reading of the Torah on Shabbos. The reader (in some communities) instead of stopping by the place written in the Chumash as Sheini, stops one possuk before it. Why?
6. Which possuk is said in a sad tune (in some communities) in the parsha and why?
7. Moshe attributes the idea of having other judges to himself. Why not trace it back to Yisro who advised him to do it?
8. There were four levels of judges: people over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Why these numbers and what was the difference between their roles? I understand going down as 1000 to 100 to 10, but why does 50 also come in?
9. At the beginning of Parshas Shelach it brings that Moshe did not agree with the sending of the meraglim. Yet in Parshas Devorim, Moshe says that he did agreed to sent them?
10. Rashi (1:22) brings that the people asked the spies to come and tell them which language the inhabitants of Eretz Yisroel spoke. Why did they want to know this as what difference did it make to them?
11. When Moshe rebukes the Jews about the sending of the meraglim and the negative results of not being allowed into Eretz Yisroel he adds that (1:37) “With me as well Hashem became angry because of you”. This implies that the reason why Moshe could not enter Eretz Yisroel was because of the meraglim but we know that it was because of the sin by Mei Meriva, with the hitting of the rock for water?
12. After the meraglim, Moshe warned the Jews not to attempt to enter Eretz Yisroel. A group of Jews refused to listen and were chased away. In Parshas Shelach (12:45) it brings that the pursuing nation were Amolek and Canaan while in Parshas Devorim (1:44) it brings it was the nation of Emoiri. Which one was it?
13. The possuk (1:44) compares the way the enemy nation attacking the group of Jews who insisted on entering Eretz Yisroel to bees. Why compare them to this more than anything else?
14. When did the sun stop in Parshas Devorim and for how long? How many other times did such a thing happen?
15. The possuk (3:11) talks about the giant Oig and describes his iron bed being nine amos tall. Chazal (Gemora Brochos 54b) tell us that Moshe was ten amos tall, with a stick of ten amos and jumped ten amos and even then he only reached up to the ankle of Oig. What then does the possuk mean?
16. Why do we find an unusual spelling of Yehoshua in Parshas Devorim (3:21) with an additional letter Vov?
17. Parshas Devorim is always the last of the three weeks. How is this significant?

Ideas for answers on the general parsha:

1. See Rashi – that rebuking someone is a sensitive issue and must be dealt with as such. …
2. Bartenura explains that since it is the beginning of the sefer therefore did not want to rebuke openly. However, after this initial cloaked rebuke, then came the open telling off. Perhaps another answer is that we see from here the pathway of rebuke. First you start in a soft veiled way and then when see that this is being accepted go on to a more open clearer rebuke.
3. Perhaps Moshe was not scared that the Jews would repeat the same mistake and therefore only worried about future sins – therefore waited until before he died.
4. The blessing of Hashem has a condition attached. The Jews must keep the Torah in order to merit the blessing. However, Moshe’s blessing was without preconditions. (Maskil Lidovid)
5. Where Sheini starts is with the possuk that begins with the word “Eicha” and is about a complaint. Therefore in order to not start from something bad there is a stop of Sheini made one possuk before it.
6. The possuk of (1:12). It uses the word “Eicha” and discusses Moshe’s frustrations at the people constantly arguing and bickering. It is said in the same tune used for Megillas Eicha. Parshas Devorim is always the week before we read Megillas Eicha.
7. See Ramban…
8. The Vilna Gaon (Aderes Eliyohu) brings that those appointed over one thousand were directors of battles; those over hundreds were the real judges of court cases; those over fifty were those who taught Torah to the masses (known as “the Zekeinim”) and those over ten were the policemen, shoitrim.
9. Rashi (1:23) brings moshol that his agreement was only to try and allay their fears but in reality he did not want to send the meraglim. The Shlah (Parshas Shelach) brings another idea…
10. Each nation has it’s own characteristics that are reflected in their language. Therefore knowing their language would tell them a lot about the people. (Gur Aryeh) The Jews had been commanded to kill the seven nations of Eretz Yisroel. However, these people could trick them and dress up as other nations. How then would they know whom to kill? They would know this by knowing what language they spoke. (Sifsei Chachomim)
11. The Ramban answers that really Moshe was punished for Mei Meriva but it is mentioned here since it is being grouped together with those punished for different sins who could not enter Eretz Yisroel. However, even though there were other people who also died, specifically Moshe is mentioned because of the results of his sin. Yehoshua was appointed as the next leader and he was also rewarded in Eretz Yisroel for his part in opposing the spies. Thus, all of these are mentioned here as they are all connected to the sin of the spies. The Kli Yokor answers that by the splitting of the sea the Jews reached a level of emuna in Hashem and Moshe. This was undone by the meraglim and by the sin of Mei Meriva. Therefore these are grouped together. Another answer he gives is that due to the sin of the meraglim the Jews had to stay in the desert for forty years. Then Miriam died, the water stopped and this resulted in Mei Meriva. This means that the cause that enabled this to happen and Moshe’s punishment was due to the meraglim who caused the decree of exile in the desert. However, the Sforno and Ohr Hachaim seem to say that Moshe did die due to the sin of the meraglim. This was because if not for the meraglim the Jews would have entered Eretz Yisroel and Moshiach would have come…
12. Malbim (Shelach) says that both are true. Amolek and Canaan came down to fight from on top of the mountain while the Emoiri came from the side of the mountain. Hamek Dovor adds that the main nation was the Emoiri as mentioned in Parshas Devorim but they were assisted by Amolek and Canaan. Another answer is that the Emoiri chased the Jews down the mountain. The Jews fled for assistance to Amolek and Canann but instead of helping them they also chased them away.
13. Rashi brings that like when a bee stings it dies, so too happened to these nations after they attacked the Jews. It is also expressing that this was not a normal battle. Really these nations were weak and it was only due to the sin of the Jews that they were victorious. Another angle about this is like with bees they came in swarms and follow the lead of one so too the bees came out in swarms. (Tosfas) Like bees don’t wait for you to come to them but they come to you so too with these nations (Yohel Oir) Like bees only sting and injure a person so too the Jews were not killed but only injured. A proof to this is that their deaths are not mentioned in the possuk. (Rosh)
14. The Gemora (Avoda Zora 25a) brings that the sun stopping happened three times. For Moshe, as mentioned in Parshas Devorim, by the battle with the giant Oig; by Yehoshua when he went to defend the Givoinim from attacking forces; by Nakdimon ben Gurion when he went to pay back the pits of water on the last day it was owed to save him from paying an astronomical amount of money. The Shach asks that if such a great miracle happened, why is it not mentioned explicitly in the Torah? …
15. The Sforno explains that it means the amos measurement not as we know it (by our five or six tefochim) but as the Ama measurement of one of the Refoim giants. An ama in this posuk is measured from the elbow to the middle and tallest finger of the hand of the giant and not the average man’s.
16. The Maharil Diskin says that Yehoshua needs to be written thirty-one times in the Torah to imbue him with strength to conquer the thirty-one kings in Eretz Yisroel. However, his name only appears thirty times. By having it written here with an additional Vav it is like it is written again, making thirty-one times.
17. Parshas Devorim contains Moshe’s words of rebuke to the Jews. The haftora of Chazon is connected to the parsha as it contains Yeshaya’s rebuke about the churban. This is appropriate to hear before Tisha B’Av.