From My Classroom - Devarim Perek Alef

In the beginning of Devarim(1:6-8), Moshe recounts Bne Yisrael being told to go from Chorev and to begin conquering Israel. Then we are told that they actually went and did this (1:19). We need to understand the meaning of the 10 seemingly anomalous psukim in between these two statements, which seem to interrupt the narrative flow. I presented this question to students. Number one below, based on Rabbi Yitzchak Twersky, is the answer I brought to the table. Students came up with other cogent answers, which I will include below. I love it when students teach me.

1. Sefer Dvarim is all about the challenge of living up to Avraham’s model and being worthy of receiving the land promised to Avraham. In Breishit (18:19) God says he knows Avraham will pass on the way of God to his children and that they will do tzedaka and mishpat so that God can keep all that he promised Avraham. (The context of this pasuk is a contrast between Avraham and Sodom which rests at the crux of this sefer). This explains why following God’s command to Moshe to begin working towards the conquest of Eretz Yisrael, Moshe immediately turns his attention to establishing tzedaka and mishpat. It states (1:17) “ki hamishpat lElokim”, with these words Moshe is working to fulfill God’s expectation that Avraham’s children will follow the derech Hashem.

2. In order to go from living the divine desert life to autonomy in the land of Israel they needed to be told about setting up a society. Thus, in between being told to head to Israel and actually beginning the trip they were told to set up a judicial system.

3. Israel can only tolerate inhabitants that are just. Like a digestive system that can't absorb poison, the land of Israel vomits out inhabitants that behave in crooked ways. Thus, before actually heading to the land the people are reminded to set up a system and live a life righteous justice.

4. The last time the Jews tried to go to Israel they did not approach things in an upright manner and that opportunity to enter the the land was lost. The incident of the meraglim was a case of behavior that will not work if the Jews are to live in the holy land. In contrast to that incident they are now reminded to live straight, truthful, just lives. This approach explains how this flows into the lines which immediately follow in which Moshe recounts the story of the spies. This fits with the fact the story starts off on a darker note than the way it's told in Bamidbar. Here, it is clear from the start that the people's intent was less than pure and that Moshe blamed them for implicating him and making it impossible for him to enter the land.