TORAH MEDIA ATLANTA

Devarim

Our Rabbis often compare Torah to water, as is written, O all who thirst, come for water, (Is 55:1).  Like ripples on the water, the book of Devarim (Deuteromony) is a repetition of the Torah.

Just as water goes from one end of the earth to the other, so does Torah go from one end of the earth to the other;

Just as water is a life source, so is Torah a source of life;

Just as water is free to all, so is Torah a free commodity;

Just as water comes from heaven, so too is the Torah's origin in heaven;

Just as water makes many sounds, so is the Torah heard in many voices;

Just as water quenches one's thirst, so does Torah satisfy the soul;

Just as water cleanses the body from impurity, so does Torah cleanse the soul;

Just as water originates in tiny drops and accumulates into mighty streams and rivers, so the Torah is acquired word by word today, verse by verse tomorrow;

Just as water descends from a high altitude, so does Torah depart from haughty individuals and remain in individuals who are humble and modest;

Just as water is not kept in silver or gold vessels, but the simplest [clay], so Torah is retained by those who are simple;

Just as a scholar is not embarrassed to ask a student, 'pass me some water,' a scholar is not embarrassed to learn from a student a chapter, a verse, a word, or even a letter;

Just as someone who does not know how to swim is drowned in water, so is Torah - if one doesn't know how to 'swim' one can drown in it. (Shir HaShirim Rabbah I:19)

General Overview: This week's reading begins the Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Five Books of Moses. Moses begins his final monologue, five weeks before his passing. He recounts the story of the Israelite's travel through the desert, placing emphasis on, and rebuking them for, the story of the spies. He describes Israel's conquest of the Emorites and the Bashanites.