A Moment and A Thought

A teaching highlight: I had a student read and translate the first pasuk of Devarim. The class got the glaring question, how could Moshe have addressed the Jewish People in eight places at once? Ilana said that maybe it's not that he was in all these places at once, but these were all landmarks around one place. The Torah is pinpointing exactly where the place was. Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch says this and takes it to another level.

Rav Hirsch says (in part) that "our Moses departs from us, and no monument, no commemorative column, no earthly commemorative token is left behind him. The whole earthly personality of our Moses disappears with his death. Only the place on earth where the last of his faithful words were heard by his people is passed down with the most possible precision so that if a later descendant of his people comes to this place it may bring to him an echo of the Word of Moses and inspire him to be a faithful follower in his people and for his people."