Ten Minutes of Torah

with

Rabbi Chaim Weiner

Devarim - 5766

דברים ב: כד - כו

קוּמוּ סְּעוּ וְעִבְרוּ אֶת נַחַל אַרְנֹן רְאֵה נָתַתִּי בְיָדְךָ אֶת סִיחֹן מֶלֶךְ חֶשְׁבּוֹן הָאֱמֹרִי וְאֶת אַרְצוֹ הָחֵל רָשׁ וְהִתְגָּר בּוֹ מִלְחָמָה:

וָאֶשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים מִמִּדְבַּר קְדֵמוֹת אֶל סִיחוֹן מֶלֶךְ חֶשְׁבּוֹן דִּבְרֵי שָׁלוֹם לֵאמֹר:

Numbers 32:16; 32: 25-27

Deuteronomy 2:24-26

Up! Set out across the wadi Arnon! See, I give into your power Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land. Begin the occupation: engage him in battle.

Then I sent messengers from the wilderness of Kedemoth to King Sihon of Heshbon with an offer of peace, as follows:

Rashi

From the wildermess of Kedemuth. (Kedemuth – to come before, to predate) Even though God had not commanded me to call out to Sihon for peace, I learned that I must do this from Sinai, from the Torah which predated the world. When the Holy One wished to give the Torah to Israel, He first approached and offered it to Esau and Yishmael, even though he knew that they would not accept it. Even so, he approached them with words of peace, and so I also approached Sihon with words of peace.

Another explanation: I learned from the One who predated the world: You could have sent one bolt of lightening and burned Egypt, but you sent me to Pharaoh saying ‘let my people go’ – in gentleness.

QUESTIONS

1. What problem in the verse is Rashi addressing?

2. What moral lesson so we learn from this commentary?

Answers to last week’s question:

1. What is the source in the verse for Rashi’s comment?

When they approached Moses with the idea of staying on the other side of the Jordan, they mentioned their cattle before mentioning their children. When Moses repeats their idea in verse 24, he reverses the order.

2. Looking at the final agreement, did they learn the lesson?

Yes, in the final agreement the children are mentioned first. (verse 26)

3. Why do they add the words ‘at the instance of the LORD’ in their final response?

In Moses’ response to them, he adds ‘at the instance of the Lord’ in almost every verse. It is important that their actions are driven by the motivation to do God’s will. They have internalised this, and now use the same reference in their own speech.

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Ten Minutes of Torah was prepared by Rabbi Chaim Weiner, based on the methods of Prof. Nechama Leibowitz. Rabbi Weiner studied and corresponded with Prof. Leibowitz for several years.

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