Devarim (parsha)


Devarim, D'varim, or Debarim is the 44th weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the first in the Book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes. The parashah recounts how Moses appointed chiefs, the episode of the Twelve Spies, encounters with the Edomites and Ammonites, the conquest of Sihon and Og, and the assignment of land for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.
The parashah is made up of 5,972 Hebrew letters, 1,548 Hebrew words, 105 verses, and 197 lines in a Torah Scroll. Jews generally read it in July or August. It is always read on Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath just before Tisha B'Av.

Readings

In traditional Sabbath Torah reading, the parashah is divided into seven readings, or, aliyot. In the masoretic text of the Tanakh, Parashat Devarim has no "open portion" divisions, and thus can be considered one whole unit. Parashat Devarim has five subdivisions, called "closed portions" . The first closed portion spans the first four readings, the fifth reading contains the next three closed portions, and the final closed portion spans the sixth and seventh readings.

First reading — Deuteronomy 1:1–10

The first reading tells how, in the 40th year after the Exodus from Egypt, Moses addressed the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan River, recounting the instructions that God had given them. When the Israelites were at Horeb — Mount Sinai — God told them that they had stayed long enough at that mountain, and it was time for them to make their way to the hill country of Canaan and take possession of the land that God swore to assign to their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their heirs after them.
Then Moses told the Israelites that he could not bear the burden of their bickering alone, and thus directed them to pick leaders from each tribe who were wise, discerning, and experienced. The first reading ends with.

Second reading — Deuteronomy 1:11–21

In the second reading, Moses appointed the leaders as chiefs of thousands, chiefs of hundreds, chiefs of fifties, and chiefs of tens. Moses charged the magistrates to hear and decide disputes justly, treating alike Israelite and stranger, low and high. Moses directed them to bring him any matter that was too difficult to decide.
The Israelites set out from Horeb to Kadesh-barnea, and Moses told them that God had placed the land at their disposal and that they should not fear, but take the land. The second reading ends here.

Third reading — Deuteronomy 1:22–38

In the third reading, the Israelites had asked Moses to send men ahead to scout the land, and he approved the plan, selecting 12 men, one from each tribe. The scouts came to the wadi Eshcol, retrieved some of the fruit of the land, and reported that it was a good land. But the Israelites flouted God's command and refused to go into the land, instead sulking in their tents about reports of people stronger and taller than they and large cities with sky-high walls. Moses told them not to fear, as God would go before them and would fight for them, just as God did in Egypt and the wilderness. When God heard the Israelites' complaint, God became angry and vowed that not one of the men of that evil generation would see the good land that God swore to their fathers, except Caleb, whom God would give the land on which he set foot, because he remained loyal to God. Moses complained that because of the people, God was incensed with Moses too, and told him that he would not enter the land either. God directed that Moses's attendant Joshua would enter the land and allot it to Israel. The third reading ends here.

Fourth reading — Deuteronomy 1:39–2:1

In the fourth reading, God continued that the little ones — whom the Israelites said would be carried off — would also enter and possess the land. The Israelites replied that now they would go up and fight, just as God commanded them, but God told Moses to warn them not to, as God would not travel in their midst and they would be routed by their enemies. Moses told them, but they would not listen, but flouted God's command and willfully marched into the hill country. Then the Amorites who lived in those hills came out like so many bees and crushed the Israelites at Hormah in Seir.
image of the land east of the Jordan River — ancient Edom, Moab, Ammon, and Gilead — present-day Jordan and vicinity
The Israelites remained at Kadesh a long time, marched back into the wilderness by the way of the Sea of Reeds, and then skirted the hill country of Seir a long time. The fourth reading ends here, with the end of the first closed portion.

Fifth reading — Deuteronomy 2:2–30

In the fifth reading, God then told Moses that they had been skirting that hill country long enough and should now turn north. God instructed that the people would be passing through the territory of their kinsmen, the descendants of Esau in Seir, and that the Israelites should be very careful not to provoke them and should purchase what food and water they ate and drank, for God would not give the Israelites any of their land. So the Israelites moved on, away from the descendants of Esau, and marched on in the direction of the wilderness of Moab. The second closed portion ends in the middle of.
God told Moses not to harass or provoke the Moabites, for God would not give the Israelites any of their land, having assigned it as a possession to the descendants of Lot. The Israelites spent 38 years traveling from Kadesh-barnea until they crossed the wadi Zered, and the whole generation of warriors perished from the camp, as God had sworn. concludes the third closed portion.
Then God told Moses that the Israelites would be passing close to the Ammonites, but the Israelites should not harass or start a fight with them, for God would not give the Israelites any part of the Ammonites' land, having assigned it as a possession to the descendants of Lot.
God instructed the Israelites to set out across the wadi Arnon, to attack Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and begin to occupy his land. Moses sent messengers to King Sihon with an offer of peace, asking for passage through his country, promising to keep strictly to the highway, turning neither to the right nor the left, and offering to purchase what food and water they would eat and drink. But King Sihon refused to let the Israelites pass through, because God had stiffened his will and hardened his heart in order to deliver him to the Israelites. The fifth reading ends here, with the end of the fourth closed portion.

Sixth reading — Deuteronomy 2:31–3:14

In the sixth reading, Sihon and his men took the field against the Israelites at Jahaz, but God delivered him to the Israelites, and the Israelites defeated him, captured and doomed all his towns, leaving no survivor, retaining as booty only the cattle and the spoil. From Aroer on the edge of the Arnon valley to Gilead, not a town was too mighty for the Israelites; God delivered everything to them.
The Israelites made their way up the road to Bashan, and King Og of Bashan and his men took the field against them at Edrei, but God told Moses not to fear, as God would deliver Og, his men, and his country to the Israelites to conquer as they had conquered Sihon. So God delivered King Og of Bashan, his men, and his 60 towns into the Israelites' hands, and they left no survivor. Og was so big that his iron bedstead was nine cubits long and four cubits wide.
Moses assigned land to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh. The sixth reading ends with.

Seventh reading — Deuteronomy 3:15–22

In the seventh reading, Moses defined the borders of the settlement east of the Jordan, and charged the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh that even though they had already received their land, they needed to serve as shock-troops at the head of their Israelite kinsmen, leaving only their wives, children, and livestock in the towns that Moses had assigned to them until God had granted the Israelites their land west of the Jordan.
Moses charged Joshua not to fear the kingdoms west of the Jordan, for God would battle for him and would do to all those kingdoms just as God had done to Sihon and Og. The maftir reading concludes the parashah with, and concludes the fifth closed portion.

Readings according to the triennial cycle

Jews who read the Torah according to the triennial cycle read the parashah according to the following schedule:
Year 1Year 2Year 3
2020, 2023, 2026...2021, 2024, 2027...2022, 2025, 2028...
Reading
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Maftir

Ancient parallels

The parashah has parallels in these ancient sources:

Deuteronomy chapter 1

noted that the instructions by Moses to the magistrates in were similar to those given by a 13th century BCE Hittite king to commanders of his border guards. The Hittite king instructed: "If anyone brings a lawsuit... the commander shall judge it properly... if the case is too big he shall send it to the king. He should not decide it in favor of a superior... nobody should take bribes.... Do whatever is right."
In, the spies reported that the Canaanites were taller than they were. A 13th century BCE Egyptian text told that Bedouin in Canaan were 4 or 5 cubits from nose to foot.

Deuteronomy chapter 2

and refer to the "children of Anak", refers to the "sons of Anak", and,,, and refer to the "Anakim". John A. Wilson suggested that the Anakim may be related to the Iy-‘anaq geographic region named in Middle Kingdom Egyptian pottery bowls that had been inscribed with the names of enemies and then shattered as a kind of curse.
Dennis Pardee suggested that the Rephaim cited in, ;, may be related to a name in a 14th century BCE Ugaritic text.

Inner-Biblical interpretation

The parashah has parallels or is discussed in these Biblical sources:

Deuteronomy chapter 1

The Book of Numbers ends in with similar wording to the beginning of Deuteronomy in. ends: "These are the commandments and the judgments which the Lord commanded the children of Israel by the hand of Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho." begins: "These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan in the wilderness, in the plain opposite Suph, between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab." The Pulpit Commentary taught that the wording serves to distinguish the two books: The ending of Numbers indicates that what precedes it is occupied chiefly with what God spoke to Moses, while the beginning of Deuteronomy intimates that what follows is what Moses spoke to the people. This characterizes Deuteronomy as "emphatically a book for the people."
Exodus and both tell the story of appointment of judges. Whereas in, Moses implies that he decided to distribute his duties, makes clear that Jethro suggested the idea to Moses and persuaded him of its merit. And and both report the burden on Moses of leading the people. Whereas in, the solution is heads of tribes, thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, in, the solution is 70 elders.
In, Moses reported that God had multiplied the Israelites until they were then as numerous as the stars. In, God promised that Abraham’s descendants would as numerous as the stars of heaven. Similarly, in, God promised that Abraham’s descendants would as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore. In, God reminded Isaac that God had promised Abraham that God would make his heirs as numerous as the stars. In, Jacob reminded God that God had promised that Jacob’s descendants would be as numerous as the sands. In, Moses reminded God that God had promised to make the Patriarch’s descendants as numerous as the stars. In, Moses reported that God had made the Israelites as numerous as the stars. And foretold that the Israelites would be reduced in number after having been as numerous as the stars.
and both tell the story of the Twelve Spies. Whereas says that God told Moses to send men to spy out the land of Canaan, in, Moses recounted that all the Israelites asked him to send men to search the land, and the idea pleased him. Whereas reports that the spies spread an evil report that the Israelites were not able to go up against the people of the land for they were stronger and taller than the Israelites, in, Moses recalled that the spies brought back word that the land that God gave them was good.
Professor Patrick D. Miller, formerly of Princeton Theological Seminary, saw the reassurance of echoed in and and ; ; and.

Deuteronomy chapter 2

, and each report the Israelites' interaction with Edom and Moab. and report that the Israelites sent messengers to the kings of both countries asking for passage through their lands, and according to the passage in Numbers the Israelites offered to trade with Edom, but both kings declined to let the Israelites pass. reports that the Israelites were instructed to pay Edom for food and drink.

Deuteronomy chapter 3

The blessing of Moses for Gad in relates to the role of Gad in taking land east of the Jordan in and. In, Moses commended Gad's fierceness, saying that Gad dwelt as a lioness and tore the arm and the head. Immediately thereafter, in, Moses noted that Gad chose a first part of the land for himself.

In classical rabbinic interpretation

The parashah is discussed in these rabbinic sources from the era of the Mishnah and the Talmud:

Deuteronomy chapter 1

The Mishnah taught that when fulfilling the commandment of to "assemble the people... that they may hear... all the words of this law," the king would start reading at.
The Tosefta read the words of, “These are the words...,” to teach that all these words — the words of the written Torah and the words of the Oral Torah — were given by God so that the one should open the chambers of one’s heart and allow into it the words of both the House of Shammai and the House of Hillel, the words of those who declare unclean and the words of those who declare clean. Thus even if some words of Torah may appear contradictory, one should still learn Torah to try to understand God’s will.
The Avot of Rabbi Natan read the listing of places in to allude to how God tested the Israelites with ten trials in the Wilderness, and they failed them all. The words "In the wilderness" alludes to the Golden Calf, as

Deuteronomy chapter 2

Interpreting the words "You have circled this mountain long enough" in, Rabbi Haninah taught that Esau paid great attention to his parent, his father, whom he supplied with meals, as reports, "Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his venison." Rabbi Samuel the son of Rabbi Gedaliah concluded that God decided to reward Esau for this. When Jacob offered Esau gifts, Esau answered Jacob in, "I have enough ; do not trouble yourself." So God declared that with the same expression that Esau thus paid respect to Jacob, God would command Jacob's descendants not to trouble Esau's descendants, and thus God told the Israelites, "You have circled... long enough."
Rav Hiyya bar Abin said in Rabbi Johanan's name that the words, "I have given Mount Seir to Esau for an inheritance," in establish that even idolaters inherit from their parents under Biblical law. The Gemara reported a challenge that perhaps Esau inherited because he was an apostate Jew. Rav Hiyya bar Abin thus argued that the words, "I have given Ar to the children of Lot as a heritage," in establish gentiles' right to inherit.
Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba, citing Rabbi Johanan, taught that God rewards even polite speech. In, Lot's older daughter named her son Moab, and so in, God told Moses, "Be not at enmity with Moab, neither contend with them in battle"; God forbade only war with the Moabites, but the Israelites might harass them. In, in contrast, Lot's younger daughter named her son Ben-Ammi, and so in, God told Moses, "Harass them not, nor contend with them"; the Israelites were not to harass the Ammonites at all.
Reading, "And the Lord spoke to me, ‘Distress not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle,'" Ulla argued that it certainly could not have entered the mind of Moses to wage war without God's authorization. So we must deduce that Moses on his own reasoned that if in the case of the Midianites who came only to assist the Moabites, God commanded, "Vex the Midianites and smite them," in the case of the Moabites themselves, the same injunction should apply even more strongly. But God told Moses that the idea that Moses had in his mind was not the idea that God had in God's mind. For God was to bring two doves forth from the Moabites and the Ammonites — Ruth the Moabitess and Naamah the Ammonitess.
Even though in and, God forbade the Israelites from occupying the territory of Ammon and Moab, Rav Papa taught that the land of Ammon and Moab that Sihon conquered became purified for acquisition by the Israelites through Sihon's occupation of it.
Explaining why Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel said that there never were in Israel more joyous days than Tu B'Av and Yom Kippur, Rabbah bar bar Hanah said in the name of Rabbi Johanan that Tu B'Av was the day on which the generation of the wilderness stopped dying out. For a Master deduced from the words, "So it came to pass, when all the men of war were consumed and dead... that the Lord spoke to me," in that as long as the generation of the wilderness continued to die out, God did not communicate with Moses, and only thereafter — on Tu B'Av — did God resume that communication. Thus God's address to Moses in may have been the first time that God had spoken to Moses in 38 years.
Citing and , Rabbi Joshua of Siknin said in the name of Rabbi Levi that God agreed to whatever Moses decided. For in, God commanded Moses to make war on Sihon, but Moses did not do so, but as reports, Moses instead “sent messengers.” God told Moses that even though God had commanded Moses to make war with Sihon and instead Moses began with peace, God would confirm Moses’ decision and decree that in every war upon which Israel entered, Israel must begin with an offer of peace, as says, “When you draw near to a city to fight against it, then proclaim peace to it.”
A Baraita deduced from that just as the sun stood still for Joshua in, so the sun stood still for Moses, as well. The Gemara explained that the identical circumstances could be derived from the use of the identical expression "I will begin" in and in. Rabbi Johanan taught that this conclusion could be derived from the use of the identical word "put" in and. And Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani taught that this conclusion could be deduced from the words "the peoples that are under the whole heaven, who, when they hear the report of you, shall tremble, and be in anguish because of you" in. Rabbi Samuel taught that the peoples trembled and were in anguish because of Moses when the sun stood still for him.
A Midrash interpreted the Israelites' encounter with Sihon in and. Noting the report of that "Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, saying: ‘Let me pass through your land,'" the Midrash taught that the Israelites sent messengers to Sihon just as they had to Edom to inform the Edomites that the Israelites would not cause Edom any damage. Noting the report of that the Israelites offered Sihon, "You shall sell me food for money... and give me water for money," the Midrash noted that water is generally given away for free, but the Israelites offered to pay for it. The Midrash noted that in, the Israelites offered, "We will go by the king's highway," but in, the Israelites admitted that they would go "until shall pass over the Jordan," thus admitting that they were going to conquer Canaan. The Midrash compared the matter to a watchman who received wages to watch a vineyard, and to whom a visitor came and asked the watchman to go away so that the visitor could cut off the grapes from the vineyard. The watchman replied that the sole reason that the watchman stood guard was because of the visitor. The Midrash explained that the same was true of Sihon, as all the kings of Canaan paid Sihon money from their taxes, since Sihon appointed them as kings. The Midrash interpreted, which says, "Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan," to teach that Sihon and Og were the equal of all the other kings of Canaan. So the Israelites asked Sihon to let them pass through Sihon's land to conquer the kings of Canaan, and Sihon replied that the sole reason that he was there was to protect the kings of Canaan from the Israelites. Interpreting the words of, "and Sihon would not suffer Israel to pass through his border; but Sihon gathered all his people together," the Midrash taught that God brought this about designedly so as to deliver Sihon into the Israelites' hands without trouble. The Midrash interpreted the words of, "Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Heshbon," to say that if Heshbon had been full of mosquitoes, no person could have conquered it, and if Sihon had been living in a plain, no person could have prevailed over him. The Midrash taught that Sihon thus would have been invincible, as he was powerful and dwelt in a fortified city. Interpreting the words, "Who dwelt at Heshbon," the Midrash taught that had Sihon and his armies remained in different towns, the Israelites would have worn themselves out conquering them all. But God assembled them in one place to deliver them into the Israelites' hands without trouble. In the same vein, in God said, "Behold, I have begun to deliver up Sihon... before you," and says, "Sihon gathered all his people together," and reports, "And Israel took all these cities."

Deuteronomy chapter 3

A Midrash taught that according to some authorities, Israel fought Sihon in the month of Elul, celebrated the Festival in Tishri, and after the Festival fought Og. The Midrash inferred this from the similarity of the expression in, "And you shall turn in the morning, and go to your tents," which speaks of an act that was to follow the celebration of a Festival, and the expression in, "and Og the king of Bashan went out against them, he and all his people." The Midrash inferred that God assembled the Amorites to deliver them into the Israelites' hands, as says, "and the Lord said to Moses: ‘Fear him not; for I have delivered him into your hand." The Midrash taught that Moses was afraid, as he thought that perhaps the Israelites had committed a trespass in the war against Sihon, or had soiled themselves by the commission of some transgression. God reassured Moses that he need not fear, for the Israelites had shown themselves perfectly righteous. The Midrash taught that there was not a mighty man in the world more difficult to overcome than Og, as says, "only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim." The Midrash told that Og had been the only survivor of the strong men whom Amraphel and his colleagues had slain, as may be inferred from, which reports that Amraphel "smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth-karnaim," and one may read to indicate that Og lived near Ashteroth. The Midrash taught that Og was the refuse among the Rephaim, like a hard olive that escapes being mashed in the olive press. The Midrash inferred this from, which reports that "there came one who had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew," and the Midrash identified the man who had escaped as Og, as describes him as a remnant, saying, "only Og king of Bashan remained of the remnant of the Rephaim." The Midrash taught that Og intended that Abram should go out and be killed. God rewarded Og for delivering the message by allowing him to live all the years from Abraham to Moses, but God collected Og's debt to God for his evil intention toward Abraham by causing Og to fall by the hand of Abraham's descendants. On coming to make war with Og, Moses was afraid, thinking that he was only 120 years old, while Og was more than 500 years old, and if Og had not possessed some merit, he would not have lived all those years. So God told Moses, "fear him not; for I have delivered him into your land," implying that Moses should slay Og with his own hand. The Midrash noted that in, God told Moses to "do to him as you did to Sihon," and reports that the Israelites "utterly destroyed them," but reports, "All the cattle, and the spoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourselves." The Midrash concluded that the Israelites utterly destroyed the people so as not to derive any benefit from them.
Rabbi Phinehas ben Yair taught that the 60 rams, 60 goats, and 60 lambs that reports that the Israelites sacrificed as a dedication-offering of the altar symbolized the 60 cities of the region of Argob that reports that the Israelites conquered.
Abba Saul told that once when pursuing a deer, he entered a giant thighbone of a corpse and pursued the deer for three parasangs but reached neither the deer nor the end of the thighbone. When he returned, he was told that it was the thighbone of Og, King of Bashan, of whose extraordinary height reports.
A Midrash deduced from the words in, "only Og king of Bashan remained... behold, his bedstead... is it not in Rabbah of the children of Ammon?" that Og had taken all the land of the children of Ammon. Thus there was no injustice when Israel came and took the land away from Og.
Noting that and both use the same expression "at that time", a Midrash deduced that the events of the two verses took place at the same time. Thus Rav Huna taught that as soon as God told Moses to hand over his office to Joshua, Moses immediately began to pray to be permitted to enter the Promised Land. The Midrash compared Moses to a governor who could be sure that the king would confirm whatever orders he gave so long as he retained his office. The governor redeemed whomever he desired and imprisoned whomever he desired. But as soon as the governor retired and another was appointed in his place, the gatekeeper would not let him enter the king's palace. Similarly, as long as Moses remained in office, he imprisoned whomever he desired and released whomever he desired, but when he was relieved of his office and Joshua was appointed in his stead, and he asked to be permitted to enter the Promised Land, God in denied his request.
Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman taught that Moses first incurred his fate to die in the wilderness, about which God told him in, from his conduct at the Burning Bush, for there God tried for seven days to persuade Moses to go on his errand to Egypt, as says, “And Moses said to the Lord: ‘Oh Lord, I am not a man of words, neither yesterday, nor the day before, nor since you have spoken to your servant’”. And in the end, Moses told God in, “Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send.” God replied that God would keep this in store for Moses. Rabbi Berekiah in Rabbi Levi's name and Rabbi Helbo give different answers on when God repaid Moses. One said that all the seven days of the consecration of the priesthood in, Moses functioned as High Priest, and he came to think that the office belonged to him. But in the end, God told Moses that the job was not his, but his brother’s, as says, “And it came to pass on the eighth day, that Moses called Aaron.” The other taught that all the first seven days of Adar of the fortieth year, Moses beseeched God to enter the Promised Land, but in the end, God told him in, “You shall not go over this Jordan.”

In medieval Jewish interpretation

The parashah is discussed in these medieval Jewish sources:

Deuteronomy chapter 1

In the Zohar, Rabbi Jose expounded on "And let every wise-hearted man among you come and make all that the Lord has commanded." Rabbi Jose taught that when God told Moses in, "Get you wise men and men of discernment," Moses searched all of Israel but did not find men of discernment, and so in, Moses said, "So I took the heads of your tribes, wise men, and full of knowledge," without mentioning men of discernment. Rabbi Jose deduced that the man of discernment is of a higher degree than the wise man, for even a pupil who gives new ideas to a teacher is called "wise." A wise man knows for himself as much as is required, but the man of discernment apprehends the whole, knowing both his own point of view and that of others. uses the term "wise-hearted" because the heart was seen to be the seat of wisdom. Rabbi Jose taught that the man of discernment apprehends the lower world and the upper world, his own being and the being of others.
Interpreting together with, Maimonides taught that judges must be on the highest level of righteousness. An effort should be made that they be white-haired, of impressive height, of dignified appearance, and people who understand whispered matters and who understand many different languages so that the court will not need to hear testimony from an interpreter. Maimonides taught that one need not demand that a judge for a court of three possess all these qualities, but a judge must, however, possess seven attributes: wisdom, humility, fear of God, loathing for money, love for truth, being beloved by people at large, and a good reputation. Maimonides cited, “Men of wisdom and understanding,” for the requirement of wisdom. continues, “Beloved by your tribes,” which Maimonides read to refer to those who are appreciated by people at large. Maimonides taught that what will make them beloved by people is conducting themselves with a favorable eye and a humble spirit, being good company, and speaking and conducting their business with people gently. Maimonides read, “men of power,” to refer to people who are mighty in their observance of the commandments, who are very demanding of themselves, and who overcome their evil inclination until they possess no unfavorable qualities, no trace of an unpleasant reputation, even during their early adulthood, they were spoken of highly. Maimonides read, “men of power,” also to imply that they should have a courageous heart to save the oppressed from the oppressor, as reports, “And Moses arose and delivered them.” Maimonides taught that just as Moses was humble, so, too, every judge should be humble. continues “God-fearing,” which is clear. mentions “men who hate profit,” which Maimonides took to refer to people who do not become overly concerned even about their own money; they do not pursue the accumulation of money, for anyone who is overly concerned about wealth will ultimately be overcome by want. continues “men of truth,” which Maimonides took to refer to people who pursue justice because of their own inclination; they love truth, hate crime, and flee from all forms of crookedness.

Deuteronomy chapter 2

Reading God’s instruction in that the Israelites should buy food, Abraham ibn Ezra commented that this would be only if the Edomites wanted to sell. Ibn Ezra noted that some view as asking a question, for Israel had no need for food and drink.
Even though in, God told Moses to "begin to possess" the land of Sihon, nonetheless in, Moses "sent messengers... to Sihon." Rashi explained that even though God had not commanded Moses to call to Sihon in peace, Moses learned to do so from what God did when God first was about to give the Torah to Israel. God first took the Torah to Esau and Ishmael, although it was clear to God that they would not accept it, because God wished to begin with them in peace. Nachmanides disagreed, concluding that Moses sent messengers to Sihon before God instructed Moses to go to war with Sihon.

In modern interpretation

The parashah is discussed in these modern sources:

Deuteronomy chapter 1

In, Moses reported that God had multiplied the Israelites until they were then as numerous as the stars. In, God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven. And in, God promised that Abraham’s descendants would be as numerous as the stars of heaven and the sands on the seashore. The astronomer Carl Sagan reported that there are more stars in the universe than sands on all the beaches on the Earth.
The 20th century Reform Rabbi Gunther Plaut observed that in, the people — not Moses, as recorded in and — chose the officials who would share the tasks of leadership and dispute resolution. Jeffrey Tigay, Professor Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, however, reasoned that although Moses selected the appointees as recorded in and , he could not have acted without recommendations by the people, for the officers would have numbered in the thousands, and Moses could not have known that many qualified people, especially as he had not lived among the Israelites before the Exodus. Professor Robert Alter of the University of California, Berkeley, noted several differences between the accounts in and, all of which he argued reflected the distinctive aims of Deuteronomy. Jethro conceives the scheme in, but is not mentioned in, and instead, the plan is entirely Moses's idea, as Deuteronomy is the book of Moses. In, Moses entrusts the choice of magistrates to the people, whereas in, he implements Jethro's directive by choosing the judges himself. In, the qualities to be sought in the judges are moral probity and piety, whereas stresses intellectual discernment.
The 1639 Fundamental Agreement of the New Haven Colony reported that John Davenport, a Puritan clergyman and co-founder of the colony, declared to all the free planters forming the colony that,, and described the kind of people who might best be trusted with matters of government, and the people at the meeting assented without opposition.

Deuteronomy chapter 2

of Tel Aviv University and Neil Asher Silberman noted that ; ; and report that the wandering Israelites battled at the city of Heshbon, capital of Sihon, king of the Amorites, who tried to block the Israelites from passing through his territory on their way to Canaan. Excavations at Tel Hesban south of Amman, the location of ancient Heshbon, showed that there was no Late Bronze Age city, not even a small village, there. And Finkelstein and Silberman noted that according to the Bible, when the children of Israel moved along the Transjordanian plateau they met and confronted resistance not only in Moab but also from the full-fledged states of Edom and Ammon. Yet the archeological evidence indicates that the Transjordan plateau was very sparsely inhabited in the Late Bronze Age, and most parts of the region, including Edom, mentioned as a state ruled by a king, were not even inhabited by a sedentary population at that time, and thus no kings of Edom could have been there for the Israelites to meet. Finkelstein and Silberman concluded that sites mentioned in the Exodus narrative were unoccupied at the time they reportedly played a role in the events of the Israelites wanderings in the wilderness, and thus a mass Exodus did not happen at the time and in the manner described in the Bible.

Commandments

According to Maimonides

Maimonides cited verses in the parashah for three negative commandments:
According to Sefer ha-Chinuch, there are two negative commandments in the parashah.

Liturgy

Some Jews recite the blessing of fruitfulness in among the verses of blessing recited at the conclusion of the Sabbath.
"Mount Lebanon... Siryon," another name for Mount Hermon, as explains, is reflected in, which is in turn one of the six Psalms recited at the beginning of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service.

The Weekly Maqam

In the Weekly Maqam, Sephardi Jews each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parashah. For parashah Devarim, Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Hijaz, the maqam that expresses mourning and sadness. This maqam is appropriate not due to the content of the parashah, but because this is the parashah that falls on the Shabbat prior to Tisha B'Av, the date that marks the destruction of the Temples.

Haftarah

Devarim is always read on the final Shabbat of Admonition, the Shabbat immediately prior to Tisha B'Av. That Shabbat is called Shabbat Chazon, corresponding to the first word of the haftarah, which is. Many communities chant the majority of this haftarah in the mournful melody of the Book of Lamentations due to the damning nature of the vision as well as its proximity to the saddest day of the Hebrew calendar, the holiday on which Lamentations is chanted.

Biblical

Early nonrabbinic

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