Author: Shlomo Bar-Ayal

Moses’s recounting of the events after the Exodus is meant to remind us of our mission, which is to serve God on both a religious and moral level. He reminds us that without one the other does not work.

The bad report of the emissaries was on the 9th of Av. God declared that since we cried about nothing on that day we would have something to cry about in the future.

The Book of Deuteronomy is Moses going over the history of the Jews after leaving Egypt. He especially warns the Jews what will happen if they do not follow the laws in the Torah.

When an accidental killing occurs then the one responsible has to go to a city of refuge until the death of the High Priest. The reason, if the High Priest had done his job correctly then the accidental killing would not have occurred.

When the tribes of Reuben & Gad state that they will assist in conquering the Land but first they have to take care of their livestock and families, Moses reverses the order to show that families come first even before business.

The division of the Land takes place before the Jews get there. This is to teach us that before we embark on change, we have to have a plan what that change will bring.

Reuven, Gad & half of Menasha agree to help the Jews conquer the land before they tend to their lands east of the Jordan. We learn that sometimes we have to put our personal needs aside for society.

The command to kill all the people of Midian seems strange to us until we realize that the entire society was evil. The Torah commands us to destroy evil. No nuance in this case.

The admonition not to make idle vows or oaths is important. If we make a vow or oath and do not keep it, we are violating the Torah. We must endeavor to keep any promise we make even if it not a vow or oath.

Right after Moses anoints Joshua to be the next leader the Torah mentions the daily offering. This is to teach that we have to be consistent in our action and that a seemingly minor act is as important as a major one.