Parashat Devarim 5782

by Rabbi Margie Cella

This parashah begins the fifth and final book of the Torah. The events described here take place in the fortieth year after leaving Egypt: Israel is poised to finally enter the promised land, camped on the other side of the Jordan. Moses delivers a discourse recounting all that has happened to the nation since leaving Egypt: receiving the Torah at Horeb (Mt. Sinai); arriving at the border of the land in the second year; the ill-fated mission of the twelve spies resulting in God’s decree that the men of that generation would all die in the wilderness; thirty-eight years of wandering in the wilderness; the defeat of the Canaanite kings who confronted them; and the allotment of land on the other side of the Jordan to the tribes of Reuven and Gad. 

This parashah is always read on the Shabbat immediately preceding Tisha B’Av (August 6-7 this year); this is called Shabbat Chazon from the first word of the haftarah, חֲזוֹן, meaning “prophecy” or “vision.” Isaiah foretells the downfall of Jerusalem because of the sinfulness of the nation; he accuses them of hypocrisy, offering sacrifices to God but failing to observe the commandments. God is not interested in listening to their prayers. Isaiah speaks of the possibility of redemption if they turn back to God in repentance. If not, they will be devoured by their enemies. 

In verse twenty-one, Isaiah mourns over the fate of the city; the first word of the verse is אֵיכָה, the name of Jeremiah’s book of Lamentations over Jerusalem that we read on Tisha B’Av; indeed, this entire haftarah is meant to be chanted in the same mournful trope that we use for Eichah. 

Following Tisha B’Av we enter a seven-week period of consolation leading up to Rosh HaShanah—almost like a second omer period. This is also hinted at in the haftarah: in verses 16-18, Isaiah lists ten components of teshuvah (repentance): washing and cleaning oneself, putting away evil ways, ceasing to do evil things, learning to do good things, devoting oneself to justice, aiding those who are wronged, upholding the rights of the orphan, defending the widow, and reach an understanding with God. These correspond, Rashi says, to the Yamim Noraim, the ten-day period from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. 

May this approaching season of contemplation bring blessings to us all as we work on renewing our relationships with God.