Rav Shlomo Avineris Head of Yeshivat Ateret Yerusalayim.
What is unique about the book of Devarim? Ramban defines it as the book intended for the conquerors and inheritors of the Land (see his Intro to Devarim). After Bereshit, the prelude to the nation; Shemot, the general appearance of the nation, Vayikra, its detailed manifestation, and Bamidbar, the nation’s development en route from Egypt to Jerusalem, comes Devarim, the book of Torah in the Land, as it says: “I have taught you statutes and judgments, as the Lord my God commanded me, to do so in the Land you are entering to possess” (Dev. 4:5).
Moses seemingly speaks on his own, yet the Maharal explains that a true student can express things his teacher never said, yet exactly matches his intent (see Derech Chaim 1:1). And the sages say that this rebuke came from Moses himself (Megillah 31b), but it was God’s speech through Moses’s mouth.
This is the “Mishneh Torah” - the Torah manifest in the Land. Not an abstract Torah in books or the heavens, but Torah here on Earth. Hence, Devarim is called Mishneh Torah, a term from the king’s commandment: “And he shall write for himself a copy (mishneh) of this Torah” (Dev. 17:18). Every Jew must write a Torah (Sanhedrin 21b; Rambam, Sefer Torah 7:1), but the king writes a separate one - “royal Torah.” “And he shall read in it all the days of his life” (Dev. 17:19), even in war, tied to his arm like an amulet, consulted constantly (Sanhedrin 21b; Rashi). So Mishneh Torah is the national-royal Torah, the Torah of the Jewish People’s manifestation in the Land.
Thus, Devarim is not mere repetition or novel invention - it is explanation: “Moses began to explain this Torah.” Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel explains that it elucidates the other four books, casting the old in new light- the light shining from Zion.
Military Power and Torah
Moses’s explanation of the Torah is introduced by: “After he had smitten Sihon king of the Amorites... and Og king of Bashan...” Why this preface of military conquest? What does this have to do with Torah?
To teach us: for those who think Torah and military are two separate realms, the emergence of the Jewish People involves both. Torah in the Land sometimes requires military confrontation. A religion without territory needs no wars of defense or liberation. But a nation a territorial, independent, united people needs both. This was misunderstood by the Spies. But now, “after he smote them” - we realize we can defeat mighty enemies and established a sovereign Israelite government over our Land..
At the end of the parasha, Moses commands Joshua: “Your eyes have seen what the Lord your God did to these two kings; so shall the Lord do to all the kingdoms you will pass through. Do not fear them, for the Lord your God fights for you.”
In our time too, powerful nations cruel tribesmen surround us. This is not new. It was so in the time of Joshua, of David, of the Hasmoneans, and so it is now. But we know God is with us, and we will overcome.
Inheriting the Land
There are many Torah commentaries: Rashi, Ramban, and more, but here we receive Moses’s own commentary: “Moses began to explain this Torah.” Surely Moses, faithful in God’s house, gives the most authentic explanation. And what does he say?
“The Lord our God spoke to us at Horeb saying: Enough of your dwelling by this mountain... Turn and take your journey... to the Amorite hill-country and all its neighbors... to the land of the Canaanite and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates.”
This is Torah’s meaning: to settle and inherit the Land of Israel. We are a people, and a people has a land. “Who is like Your people Israel, one nation in the Land?” The Torah is revealed in its fullness in the Land. The Almighty bequeathed His holy nation a holy Land in which to dwell. In his rebuke, Moses makes clear that Jewish life in the Exile is a punishment and a curse.
The Land - A Promise or a Command?
There exists a long-standing debate: Are we commanded to inherit the Land, or should we merely trust in God’s promise and passively wait for it?
Here we are given a promise: “See, I have given you the Land.” But the verse continues: “Go in and possess the Land which the Lord swore to your fathers... to give to them and to their descendants.” This is clearly a command.
God swore He would give it so why must we act? Because the promise implies responsibility. Since God gave and swore, we know our efforts have meaning and therefore we act: we settle and inherit the Land.
This principle is the same for other promises as well. God promises to nourish us but we have to go out and produce food. He promises us wellbeing and health but we have to visit a doctor if we feel ill. He promises us security but we have to raise up weapons and fight when enemies seek to destroy us.