The Second Admonition, Essay Example

In Deuteronomy Chapter 28, Moses continues to relate the words of G-d to the Jewish people right before his death.He speaks of the horrible curses that will strike the people if they fail to follow G-d’s word.Referred to as Tochacha or admonitions this is the second admonition that is in the Torah, the first being at the end of the book of Leviticus.There are a number of main differences between the two sections including the speaker.Whereas the first Tochacha is in the first person and although Moses relay the words, G-d is the speaker in this passage.In the second Tochacha found in Deuteronomy, the passage is in third person, and although G-d is clearly the source of the words, Moses is the speaker (Hattin, 2014).

According to Nachmonides, the message Moses is presenting is that the covenant spoken of here in the Book of Deuteronomy, is that the Jewish people’s redemption from the final exile will be dependent on their repentance.This message is different from the first admonition since the first one, referring to the first exile, was limited by time and would end based on G-d remembering the Jewish Patriarch’s.Thus, G-d linked the covenant in the first admonition, which would result in the redemption of the Jewish people, to the merit of the Patriarch’s, and limited the time of the exile to 70 years after which redemption would occur regardless of the spiritual state of the nation. The second admonition linked the covenant of redemption to the people’s repentance.The exile would not be ended based on a specific number of years and G-d was not guaranteeing that he would redeem the Jewish people at all.Redemption would only occur if the people returned to the ways of Godliness (Ben Nachman, 1974).

The manner in which Moses delivered his message can be inferred from the term used for speech.The Hebrew word used in the beginning of this chapter is devarim.Davar is usually believed to represent the performative or a type of speech which brings about action.This is contrasted with the word “amira” which is a type of speech that only relays information.The TheSfasEmet suggests that the word dvar is generally liked to a command (Braun, 1998).As it is in the first person or I command you, it is the form of speech which represents the closest relationship possible with the speaker as to follow the command is to follow the speaker.Moses was counting on his relationship to the Jewish people to be close enough that they would follow G-d’s commandments as related through him.He hoped to instill in the people the recognition of the importance of a teacher and the need to follow that individual and learn from them since teachers were the only ones who could disseminate the oral law.The only way to successfully keep G-d’s commandments was to follow the ways of a teacher.

At the end of the chapter, the Torah says: “All of these curses will come upon you and pursue you and overtake you … because you did not serve the Lord your God amid gladness and goodness of heart, when everything was abundant” (Devarim, 28).This has great relevance for today.We get so caught up in our busy lives that we forget to appreciate the little pleasures when everything is going well.If we can’t take notice of and appreciate the joy in our lives when everything is going well then we definitely won’t be able to when things are going poorly.The inability to experience joyfulness regularly can lead to spiritual ruin.Learning what tools and techniques we need to live a joyful life while holding on to our moral and ethical compasses can help us realize happiness from the very midst of suffering and depair.

According to Kedushat Levi (2009), the Book of Deuteronomy is the point when Moses knows he will not be with the people much longer.He presents his message using straight talk without the use of metaphors or stories which need interpretation.Since the people were about to enter the land they were at a high enough level that they could understand him without the need for interpretation.Thus there was no interpreter in this passage.

References

Ben Nachman, Rabbi M. (1974). Vayikra/Leviticus Commentary on the Torah, 26:16. Vancouver, WA: Shilo Publishers.

Braun, M. A. (1998). The SfasEmes: The life and teachings of Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter. Northvale, N.J: Jason Aronson.

Hattin, Rav M. (2014).ParashatBechukotai: The Section of the Admonition. Yeshivat Har Etzion.

Levi, I. M., & Munk, E. (2009). Kedushat Levi: Torah commentary. Brooklyn, NY: Lambda Publishers.

Scherman, N. (1994).Parsha Ki Savo, the Book of Devarim.The Stone Edition of the Chumash: The Torah, Haftaros, and Five Megillos With a Commentary Anthologized from the Rabbinic Writings. Brooklyn, NY: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 1.