Why Moses Began Deuteronomy with Rebuke

This week's Torah portion, Parashat Devarim, opens the Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth and final book of the Torah.

In his introduction to Deuteronomy, the Ramban explains why Moses begins his final address not with the commandments themselves, but with words of rebuke:

"Before he began explaining the Torah, he first rebuked the people and reminded them of their sins, of how often they had rebelled against God in the wilderness, and of how the Holy One, blessed be He, nevertheless treated them with mercy. This was to make known God's kindness toward them. It was also to warn them so that they would not return to their previous failings and be consumed by their sins, while at the same time strengthening their hearts by letting them know that God would continue to deal with them with mercy forever. A person should not say, 'We cannot inherit the land because there is no one who does not sin. Divine justice will immediately be directed against us, and we will perish.' Therefore, Moses informed them that God is compassionate and full of mercy, and that forgiveness and pardon are gifts from Him that help people serve Him. As the verse says, 'With You there is forgiveness, so that You may be feared.'"

Parashat Devarim serves as the introduction to the entire Book of Deuteronomy. It opens with Moses' rebuke, in which he reviews the many sins the Jewish people committed during their years in the wilderness.

Rabbi Hadar Margolin, in his book Lemargelot HaRamban (At the Footsteps of the Ramban), explains that Moses' rebuke had two distinct purposes.

The First Purpose: A Warning

The first purpose is clear and straightforward: it serves as a warning.

By reminding the people of their past failures, Moses sought to ensure that they would remain vigilant and avoid repeating those mistakes.

The Second Purpose: Encouragement

The second purpose is one of encouragement.

Moses wanted the people to understand that throughout all of their failures, God had continued to lead them with mercy. This message was especially vital for the generation standing on the threshold of the Land of Israel. They could easily have feared that if they sinned again, they would immediately lose the privilege of entering the land.

It was therefore essential for them to hear words of reassurance. Moses strengthened them by assuring them that God's attribute of mercy had accompanied them throughout their journey in the wilderness and would continue to accompany them as they entered the Promised Land and beyond.

The Message Between the Lines

Rabbi Margolin further explains that, according to the Ramban, Parashat Devarim contains two stages.

The first is explicit: Moses recounts the people's sins.

The second, however, is not stated outright. It is the recognition that despite all those sins, the Jewish people were still standing there. Despite everything they had done wrong, they had survived. Despite every failure and every act of rebellion, the nation endured.

Although this second stage is never written explicitly, the Ramban teaches that it is one of the central messages of Moses' words.

If Scripture presents a long list of Israel's sins, yet the nation remains alive and is poised to enter the Land of Israel, that fact itself is the greatest testimony to God's boundless mercy. The very existence of the Jewish people demonstrates that Divine compassion had accompanied them until that moment.

Moses' message was that this same mercy would continue to accompany them in the future as well.