Devarim: The ultimate book of the Torah

Rav Johnny's original thoughts on the weekly parsha

Among the popular paraphernalia of Torah learners is the table-top ‘shtender’ (book stand/rest) whose purpose is to hold the sefer you are studying at a comfortable angle for ease of study, and whether you own your own shtender, or you’ve seen such things in your synagogue or in a local Judaica store, you will probably know that these stands are often adorned with a biblical verse with the most popular being Yehoshua 1:8 where Yehoshua is commanded that, ‘this book of Torah shall not depart from your mouth, and you shall meditate on it day and night in order to observe all that is written therein.’

In many ways, the reason why this verse is so ubiquitous is very simple. This is among the various biblical prooftexts which command us to study Torah day and night (see Menachot 99b, Rambam, Hilchot Talmud Torah 1:8). However, if we look at Rashi’s commentary to this verse, you may be surprised to know that it does not refer to the entirety of the Torah. Instead, it specifically refers to Sefer Devarim:

‘This book of Torah’ – The book of Mishne Torah (i.e. Sefer Devarim) was in front of him (i.e. Yehoshua).’

Looking a little deeper, we find that the source of this Rashi is the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 6:9) where we are told that:

‘Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: “The book of Mishne Torah (Sefer Devarim) was constantly with Yehoshua (i.e. it was always being studied and reviewed by him). And when the Holy One, Blessed be He, appeared to Yehoshua, he found him sitting with the Mishne Torah (Sefer Devarim) in his hand. He said to him: ‘“Be strong” Yehoshua, “be courageous” Yehoshua, “for this book of the Torah shall not depart…”’ (Yehoshua 1:6–8). He then took him and showed him to the orb of the sun. Yehoshua said to it: “As I have not been still from [reading] this [book], so, you shall stand still before me.” Thereupon, “The sun stood still, and the moon stopped” (Yehoshua 10:13).”

What we see here is that there is a deep connection between Yehoshua and Sefer Devarim. But what is the nature of this connection?

To answer this question we must consider what Sefer Devarim is – namely the book of reflection and instruction which Moshe writes and bequeaths to the Jewish people in weeks and days before his death. And as we see in Parshat Devarim, it is here where Moshe reflects on the Jewish people’s past successes and failures in order to ensure that lessons have been learnt and that the mistakes of the past are not repeated.

More broadly, as the Yalkut Meam Loez explains (on Yehoshua 1:8), Sefer Devarim contains four crucial elements which speak directly to Yehoshua: a) It provides a summary of the Torah; b) It includes the laws that a king (and/or Jewish leader) must adhere to; c) It contains the laws of Jewish warfare, and, d) It contains the laws that the Jewish people need to fulfil once they cross the Jordan river and enter into the land of Israel. As such, it makes complete sense why Sefer Devarim was always being studied and reviewed by Yehoshua, because it speaks to his needs, his time, and his situation.

Taken together, whenever we see the words of Yehoshua 1:8 on a shtender or anywhere else, our task is to think of Yehoshua, of Sefer Devarim, and of this remarkable book which Moshe wrote to guide the people in their journey towards the holy land.

What this means is that Sefer Devarim is a book of courage which looks ahead towards upcoming challenges and battles. It is a book of morality which reminds us that even when faced with the most difficult of situations, we must never forget who we are and what we believe. And ultimately, by associating Yehoshua 1:8 with the overall endeavour of Torah study, what this means is that Sefer Devarim is the ultimate book of the Torah.

Shabbat Shalom!

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