parshat Devarim #2: parsing Devarim 1:1

Parshat Devarim begins:

א אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים, אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּעֵבֶר, הַיַּרְדֵּן: בַּמִּדְבָּר בָּעֲרָבָה מוֹל סוּף בֵּין-פָּארָן וּבֵין-תֹּפֶל, וְלָבָן וַחֲצֵרֹת--וְדִי זָהָב.

1 These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond the Jordan; in the wilderness, in the Arabah, over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab.

The Midrashic approach¹ is to take each of these places not as a location, or a location, in which Moshe spoke to all of Israel, but rather, as the actual contents of Moshe's speech. Thus:

א אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים, אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּעֵבֶר, הַיַּרְדֵּן: בַּמִּדְבָּר בָּעֲרָבָה מוֹל סוּף בֵּין-פָּארָן וּבֵין-תֹּפֶל, וְלָבָן וַחֲצֵרֹת--וְדִי זָהָב.

1 These are the words which Moses spoke unto all Israel beyond the Jordan: "in the wilderness, in the Arabah, over against Suph, between Paran and Tophel, and Laban, and Hazeroth, and Di-zahab."

Each of these words is a veiled criticism of the Israelites for their actions in the place mentioned, or else hint at a particular negative event. Thus, Rashi, channeling Sifrei, writes:

These are the words Since these are words of rebuke and he [Moses] enumerates here all the places where they angered the Omnipresent, therefore it makes no explicit mention of the incidents [in which they transgressed], but rather merely alludes to them, [by mentioning the names of the places] out of respect for Israel (cf. Sifrei).

to all Israel If he had rebuked only some of them, those who were in the marketplace [i.e., absent] might have said, “You heard from [Moses] the son of Amram, and did not answer a single word regarding this and that; had we been there, we would have answered him!” Therefore, he assembled all of them, and said to them, “See, you are all here; if anyone has an answer, let him answer!” - [from Sifrei]

in the desert [At that time]they were not in the desert, but in the plains of Moab. [Accordingly,] what is [the meaning of] בַּמִּדְבָּר, in the desert? It means that he rebuked them for their having angered Him in the desert by saying, “If only we had died [by the hand of God]” (Exod. 16:3).

in the plain in the plain [He rebuked them] regarding the plain, for they had sinned with [the worship of] Baal-Peor at Shittim in the plains of Moab (Num. 25:1-9). [from Sifrei]

opposite the Red Sea [He rebuked] them regarding their rebellion at the Red Sea. When they arrived at the Red Sea, they said, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt [that you have taken us to die in the desert?]” (Exod. 14:11) Likewise, [they sinned] when they traveled from the midst of the sea, as it is said,“and they were rebellious by the sea, by the Red Sea” (Ps. 106:7), as is found in Arachin (15a).

Between Paran and Tofel and Lavan Rabbi Yochanan said: We have reviewed the entire Bible, but we have found no place named Tofel or Lavan! However, [the explanation is that] he rebuked them because of the foolish things they had said (תָּפְלוּ) about the manna, which was white (לָבָן) , saying “And our soul loathes this light bread” (Num. 21:5), and because of what they had done in the desert of Paran through the spies. [from Eileh Hadevarim Rabbah , Lieberman]

and Hazeroth Concerning the insurrection of Korach [which took place in Hazeroth] (Eileh Hadevarim Rabbah , Lieberman). Another explanation: He said to them, “You should have learned from what I did to Miriam at Hazeroth because of slander; [nevertheless,] you spoke against the Omnipresent” (Sifrei).

and Di-Zahav(lit., enough gold). He rebuked them for the calf they had made as a result of their abundance of gold, as it is said: “and I gave her much silver and gold, but they made it for Baal” (Hosea 2:10). (cf. Sifrei ; Ber. 32a, Eileh Hadevarim Rabbah , Lieberman).

Not all of the places mentioned are criticisms. That is, בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן, beyond the Jordan {Transjordan} is taken as the place name. (Rashi takes their location as the plains of Moav, which is located, as the rest of the locations, in עֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן. He starts his commentary on the word במדבר, "in the wilderness.")

Indeed, the trup can support such a rendition. There is an etnachta separating עֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן from the remainder of the place names.

א אֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּעֵ֖בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן בַּמִּדְבָּ֡ר בָּֽעֲרָבָה֩ מ֨וֹל ס֜וּף בֵּֽין־פָּארָ֧ן וּבֵֽין־תֹּ֛פֶל וְלָבָ֥ן וַֽחֲצֵרֹ֖ת וְדִ֥י זָהָֽב׃

The Targumim also agree to begin Moshe's speech, and criticism, with במדמר, as opposed to with עֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן. For example, Onkelos:

א,א אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים, אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה אֶל-כָּל-יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּעֵבֶר, הַיַּרְדֵּן: בַּמִּדְבָּר בָּעֲרָבָה מוֹל סוּף בֵּין-פָּארָן וּבֵין-תֹּפֶל, וְלָבָן וַחֲצֵרֹת--וְדִי זָהָב.	אִלֵּין פִּתְגָמַיָּא, דְּמַלֵּיל מֹשֶׁה עִם כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּעִבְרָא, דְּיַרְדְּנָא: אוֹכַח יָתְהוֹן עַל דְּחָבוּ בְּמַדְבְּרָא וְעַל דְּאַרְגִּיזוּ בְּמֵישְׁרָא לָקֳבֵיל יַם סוּף בְּפָארָן אִתַּפַּלוּ עַל מַנָּא, וּבַחֲצֵירוֹת אַרְגִּיזוּ עַל בִּסְרָא--וְעַל דַּעֲבַדוּ עֵיגֶל דִּדְהַב.

"These are the matters which Moshe spoke with all of Israel, beyond the Jordan - he rebuked them on that they sinned in the wilderness, and on that they angered Him in the plains opposite the Red Sea..."

Targum Pseudo-Yonatan and Targum Yerushalmi make this more explicit, by saying (respectively), כד הוון בעיברא דירדנא עני ואמר להון, "when they were beyond the Jordan, he spoke up and said to them," and הוכח יתהון עד דהינון יתבין בעיברא דיורדנא עני משה ואמר להון, "he rebuked then while they were still beyond the Jordan, Moshe spoke up and said to them..."

One interesting difference between Rashi and Targum Onkelos, on the one hand, and Targum Pseudo-Yonatan and Targum Yerushalmi, on the other, is how they take the first few place locations. Rashi takes each as a criticism of what they did. Tg Yonatan and Yerushalmi, meanwhile, understand the first few as describing miracles and favors Hashem did for the Israelites - the giving of the Torah in the wilderness, and the splitting of the Red Sea, through which each tribe was granted its own path - which sharpens the criticism of their later strayings. (See Mahari Qara on זכרתי לך חסד נעוריך.)a

There is in fact one exception. The Sifrei does consider בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן to be criticism of what they didבְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן. (The words are מלמד שהוחיכן על מה שעשו בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן.) This approach is not bolstered by the trup. Further, while the Sifrei gives particulars of exactly what they did wrong in each of the other places, here no elaboration is given.

---

¹Notably, Rabbi Yossi ben Dormaskit (of Damascus?) argues with this approach. See here.