Shabbat Devarim

Written by Rabbi Sybil Sheridan Tuesday, 01 August 2006

Parashat Devarim

Words are, as we know, of extreme importance. God spoke, and the world was created. All that Moses perceived of God at the burning bush was a voice. All that was experienced out of the thunder at Mount Sinai was the sound of God’s commandments — aseret hadibrot— the ten words; and of course, our portion and the fifth book of Torah are both known as devarim — words. Our culture as Jews — overridingly literate - is based on words on a page. We were the people of the book. Post enlightenment, where the úּåֹøָä is not the only principle focus of our lives, we have become the people of many books; overachieving in academia, eager to pass our learning on to the next generation. Jews dominate the media, succeed as lawyers, on stage and as Nobel laureates for literature because of our power with words. Before the State of Israel we were not known for our strength or our bravery. We fought, we survived we got by with the quick thinking and persuasive use of our tongues.

This is reflected in úּåֹøָä study. Every word, every nikkud (vowel sign) every sign of the musical trope has significance and nothing should be overlooked. Except perhaps one word… a word that occurs at the beginning of this week’s portion:
Eleh ha d’varim asher diber Moshe el kol Yisrael b’ever haYarden
The word is b'ever and it is translated in the Dafka CD Rom as:
‘These are the words, which Moses spoke to all Israel on this side of the Jordan.’

Actually, b'ever means the opposite, something like ‘across’. The Hertz commentary translates these words as ‘beyond the Jordan’ the Plauth commentary as ‘on the other side of the Jordan.’ This not just a minor quibble, on it the whole question of Torah authorship depends.

It was Moses Ibn Ezra — the twelfth century commentator who pointed it out. The texts suggests that it was written by someone who was on the Israel side of the Jordan, describing to other people on the Israel side of the Jordan, what Moses said to the Israelites while they were still on the opposite bank. In other words, rather than a contemporary account, or indeed Moses’ words ‘foreseen’ by God on Mount Sinai, they were Moses’ words ‘recalled’ at a later time when the Children of Israel were well settled into the land.

This suggestion, implying as it does that not all the Torah was ‘from God’s mouth to Moses’ hand,’ was not popular. Nevertheless it was echoed by a few Rabbis down the ages, most famously by Rabbi Dr. Louis Jacobs, z’’l, and it was for this that he was excommunicated. The CD Rom is ensuring no one else falls into the same error by adopting a deliberate mistranslation. However, by doing this, it closes down any possibility of debate on the authorship of Torah. That is a pity. In the past Orthodoxy has confronted the problem and found solutions that have satisfied their beliefs. Is it lack of confidence? Is it fear of outside challenges that make the current generation evade the issue? I do not know, but it is a shame.

Rabbi Sybil Sheridan
July 2006