This week’s reading begins the fifth book of the Torah which are the words of Moses before passing away. Our sages have contradictory ideas on how was this books actually given: out of the mouth of Moses but, with Divine inspiration. How can both things happen at the same time?
This week’s reading is called Devarim, which means “Words.” These are the last words spoken by Moses 37 days before his passing. Moses, who took the Jewish people out of Egypt and led them almost into the Land of Canaan to transform it into the Land of Israel, spoke these final words before he died. He repeats many ideas and provides messages for posterity, giving instructions on how the people should act, and detailing the commandments they need to fulfill in specific ways. This is the last book of the five books of Moses.
Our sages say that Moses spoke this book with his own mouth, so to speak, but it was also done with Divine inspiration. These two ideas seem to contradict each other: if it came from his own mouth, it wasn’t Divine inspiration; and if it was Divine inspiration, it wasn’t from his own mouth. How can both statements be true at the same time?
The explanation is that each generation has its own leaders. The role of the leader of the generation is to take the message of Judaism and adapt it to the particular needs of that generation. When Moses led the Jewish people out of Egypt, the miracles and divine involvement were clear. The people witnessed many miracles in Egypt, like the plagues, the miracles at the giving of the Torah, and the miracles in the desert. Some Jews even preferred to remain in the desert because they wanted to continue experiencing these miracles.
However, Moses was now speaking to a generation that was about to enter the Land of Israel. The message they needed to hear was different—it wasn’t about miracles but about adapting to their new life in the land. Moses conveyed this message in a way that was understandable and relevant to that generation.
So both aspects are true: the message came from G-d with divine inspiration, but Moses spoke it in a way that was adapted for the people of his time. This approach continues through generations. In Kabbalah, it is said that there is a spark of Moses in each generation. The leader of the generation adapts and conveys the Torah’s message to fit the needs of their time. For our generation, we have the teachings of the Rebbe, which are adapted to prepare us for the coming of the Messiah. The Rebbe, who understood both the old and new worlds, provided us with tools to live and prepare for the Messiah’s arrival.
In this way, the Rebbe’s teachings guide us in our generation, preparing us for redemption as we await the coming of the Messiah, speedily in our days.
Parshat Talk from Rabbi Tuvia Serber
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