The Authorship of Deuteronomy
INTRODUCTION TO PARASHAT HASHAVUA
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IN LOVING MEMORY OF
Jeffrey Paul Friedman
August 15, 1968 – July 29, 2012
לע"נ
יהודה פנחס בן הרב שרגא פייוועל
כ"ב אב תשכ"ח – י' אב תשע"ב
ת.נ.צ.ב.ה
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The Authorship of
Deuteronomy
by Rav Michael
Hattin
Introduction
This week we commence the reading of Sefer Devarim, the final book of
the Torah. In the parshiyot of this
book, Moshe addresses the Nation of Israel as it stands poised to enter the
Promised Land, and as he himself prepares to take his leave from them in order
to ascend Mount Nevo to die. The
words of this Book are confident but guarded, its expressions hopeful but
cautious. Recognizing his imminent
demise, Moshe recounts to the people their triumphs and failures, their moments
of trust in God's guidance as well as their many reversals. He reviews the numerous instructions
and laws that they have received from God, often elaborating on matters that
were only mentioned briefly in the earlier books, sometimes referring concisely
to topics already spelled out elsewhere at greater length, and occasionally
introducing new laws for the first time.
Not for naught is this Book known as 'Mishneh Torah,' or 'Repetition of
the Torah,' for in the main it constitutes an eloquent retrospect of the
people's vicissitudes since the Exodus, as well as a review of the ordinances
that God has enjoined upon them.
The Three Divisions of the Book
We may in
fact conveniently divide the Book of Devarim into three main sections, each one
reflecting a different aspect of its content and each one highlighting a
distinct didactic motive. The first
relatively small section of the Book, constituting Moshe's introductory remarks,
comprises the initial four chapters.
In this section, Moshe recalls the journey from Sinai, the sending of the Spies,
the wilderness experience, and the recent conquest and settlement of the Amorite
territories. He goes on to describe
his personal disappointment at being denied entry to the land, but then warns
the people that their own success at settling its fertile slopes will be
contingent upon remaining loyal to God's teaching. His words are primarily expressed in
tones of admonishment, and an undercurrent of apprehensiveness can be detected
in his measured breaths. The section
concludes with Moshe's partial fulfillment of the Torah injunction to designate
Cities of Refuge (see Bemidbar 35:9-34), as he selects three cities from the
lands east of the Jordan, leaving to his successor the task of designating the
corresponding three western cities.
The next
section of the Book, comprising its largest component, is Moshe's lengthy
explanation of the Torah. It begins
in Chapter 5 with a recollection of the Revelation at Sinai and a restatement of
the Decalogue, and goes on to describe the many mitzvot that the people have
received. The various collections of
ritual, civil and holiness laws are explicated, and seamlessly woven together
with Moshe's tender but forthright locutions of counsel and forewarning. Underlying the whole section is
Moshe's attempt to impress upon the people that soon indeed they will face very
tangible and difficult challenges as they cross the Jordan to enter the land,
that their success will depend upon fortitude, perseverance, and unswerving
loyalty to God's instruction. This
central portion of the Book concludes with Chapter 27, verse 8: "Write upon the
stones all the words of this Torah, clearly and completely."
The final
segment of the Book, from Chapter 27:9 until its conclusion, is perhaps its most
exalted and inspiring. The subject
matter is the formal sealing of the covenant with God, but the language is
lyrical and poetic. The section
contains many expressions of parting, many intimations of Moshe's end, as if he
and the people can bid each other farewell with only the greatest reluctance. Moshe first details the terms of the
Covenant, the so-called 'Blessings' and the 'Curses' (27:9-29:8), and then
convenes the people to ceremoniously accept it (29:9-28). The Covenant is sealed and Moshe
prepares to take his final leave. He
offers his parting oration (30:1-20) and is called upon by God to finally hand
over the leadership of the people to Yehoshua's able but trembling hands
(31:1-30). His last remarks conclude
with a striking song that spells out Israel's history and destiny with
unsettling accuracy (32:1-52), and he then blesses the people and ascends to
Nevo's summit (33:1-34:12).
Sefer Devarim as the 'Repetition of the
Torah'
Remarkably, these three distinct sections of Sefer Devarim are introduced with
deliberate expressions that emphasize this Book's unique status as the
'Repetition of the Torah.' As the
commentaries point out, the first section that commences the Book opens with the
expression 'Eleh hadevarim' or 'These are the words,' where 'Eleh' recalls the
first word of the Book of Exodus – 'VeEleh Shemot.' The second segment of review and
explanation begins with 'Vayikra Moshe' or 'Moshe called,' where 'Vayikra'
reminds us of the first word of the Book of Leviticus – 'Vayikra el Moshe.' Finally, the concluding section of
covenantal responsibility is introduced with 'Vayedaber Moshe' – 'Moshe spoke,'
where 'Vayedaber' parallels the opening word of the Book of Numbers – 'Vayedaber
Hashem.' In other words, embedded
within the very lexical fabric of the Book is the assertion that it comes to
complete the meaning and message of the other Books, to conclude the mitzvot
given to the Nation of Israel.
Significantly though, it is Moshe who is cast here as the giver of the laws, for
the above textual formulations not only link the Book of Devarim with the other
Books, but also consistently substitute his presence with that of God! Thus, whereas in Leviticus, God
called Moshe and communicated to him His numerous laws, here Moshe calls the
people to review the laws with them.
In Numbers, God addressed Moshe as the people prepared to journey to the land,
but here it is Moshe who addresses the people on the eve of their entry. In
Exodus, the history of the people in Egypt was spelled out as Moshe's own birth
was detachedly described, but here Moshe himself recalls the history of Israel. This unusual feature is accentuated
by the fact that the Book of Devarim is the only one of the books of the Torah
narrated in first person, by Moshe himself. All of this has led to much
speculation on the part of the commentaries concerning the Book's status as the
revealed word of God, for its Mosaic authorship would seem to compromise its
Divine authority.
Moshe as Faithful Scribe
At the
core of the discussion lies a principle that is regarded as fundamental and
indeed axiomatic in the traditional sources, namely that the text of the Five
Books constitutes a verbatim communication of God's word to Moshe. As the Ramban (13th
century, Spain) explicitly spells out in his introduction to his Torah
commentary: "Moshe our teacher composed the Book of Bereishit along with the
rest of the Torah as dictated by God…The Book of Bereishit ought to have begun
with 'God spoke all of these things to Moshe, saying,' but the matter was
instead recorded as a narrative, because Moshe did not compose the Torah in
first person…Rather, he recorded the earlier generations and his own lineage,
birth and deeds in third person…Therefore, Moshe is not mentioned in the Torah
until his birth, and his life is described from the vantage point of the
Narrator" (Introduction to commentary of Sefer Bereishit).
In other
words, the Torah from its very first verse is a literal and exact record of
God's utterance as communicated to Moshe.
Nevertheless, since it begins as an account that describes events and
episodes preceding Moshe's birth by many generations, its structural form
follows that chronological reality.
The Ramban goes own to indicate the unique literary form of Sefer Devarim: "Do
not be dismayed by the fact that in Sefer Devarim, Moshe speaks in first
person…for that Book begins by stating that 'These are the words that Moshe
spoke to the entire people of Israel,' indicating that it is a first person
narrative…" Summing up, the Ramban
eliminates all doubts: "The Torah was composed as a third person narrative
because it preceded the creation of the universe (and certainly Moshe's birth!),
just as the mystical traditions assert that it existed eternally as black fire
written on white fire. Thus, Moshe
was like a scribe who copied from a primeval text, and therefore the matter is
recorded in this way. BUT IT IS TRUE
AND CERTAIN THAT THE ENTIRE TORAH BEGINNING WITH 'BEREISHIT' ('In the
beginning') AND CONCLUDING WITH 'LEEINEI KOL YISRAEL' ('before the eyes of all
Yisrael') WAS COMMUNICATED BY GOD'S MOUTH AND REACHED MOSHE'S EARS…"
In a
popular and appealing metaphor, Ramban compares Moshe to a scribe who diligently
and accurately copies the contents of a text, adding nothing of his own
invention to the transcription. The
theological implications of this doctrine, however, are profound, for they
suggest that the text of the Torah is not a human composition that would of
necessity be the product of the historical and cultural forces that shaped it. Such an approach would turn absolute
truths into relative half-truths, and would effectively rob the mitzvot of their
transcendent and eternal essence.
Rather, the Torah constitutes the revealed word of God, and therefore its
message, though sometimes couched in terms connected with time and place, is
nevertheless everlasting. If the
authorship of the text is Divine in origin, then its study must be a serious and
exacting pursuit, for each word is of paramount significance. At least in Jewish tradition, the
principle of Divine authorship tended to promote a methodology of study that
paid precise attention to every textual nuance and fostered many possible
readings, rather than encouraging a superficial and dogmatic approach predicated
upon fundamentalist literalism.
Moshe's Personality as Expressed in the
Text
We must
still consider the Mosaic authorship of Sefer Devarim, for if Moshe here records
matters in first person narrative, then we must wonder whether in fact his
personality and his character cannot but have crept into the text that he
records. Or, to put the matter
differently, if Ramban's contention is in fact correct, that Sefer Devarim like
the other Books is recorded by Moshe after the manner of a scribe copying from
an existing text, then how are we to understand the unusual literary features of
this Book that clearly indicate Moshe's authorship? How are we to accept his impassioned
poetic words of admonishment and encouragement, his intimate recollections of
the events of the wilderness experience, his concluding songs of soaring emotion
that so distinguish this book from the others, as being completely bereft of any
imprint of his human personality?
If he has
in fact authored the content of this book, and authored it so well, then we must
expect that something of Moshe the man is to be found between its ancient lines. How then to resolve the serious
theological difficulty raised by such an assertion, for it renders the mitzvot
of Sefer Devarim and perhaps its message as well less than absolutely pertinent. In the realm of the Torah's authority
there is no room for middle ground, for if the Torah is not absolutely supreme,
then it rightfully must invite selective discard or complete dismissal. The words of men can never be more
than man himself, and the words of some men can never bind all men to a 'Higher
Law.'
Concerning this very issue, Rabbi Yitzchak Abarbanel (!5th century,
Spain) who flourished during the Golden Age in Spain and suffered expulsion with
his people in the summer of 1492, remarks: "In truth, Moshe our teacher stated
the words of this book and explained the mitzvot mentioned therein as he
prepared to part from the people of Israel.
After he completed his words to Israel, God desired that they be included
in the Torah as Moshe stated them.
Perhaps God added elements to those words at the time that they were committed
to writing. Thus, although the words
may have been stated by Moshe, the authority to include them in the Torah's text
did not derive from him. Moshe did
not decide to commit these words to writing, for how could he compose even a
single thing in God's Torah without Divine sanction? Rather, all of these words of the
Book of Devarim were by the mouth of God, together with the rest of the Torah's
text, for God agreed with his formulations and favored the words of the
'faithful shepherd' Moshe. Thus, God
restated them to Moshe and ordered them to be written by him, and Moshe
therefore composed them by God's authority and not by his own" (Introduction to
the Book of Devarim).
Thus, the
Abarbanel neatly resolves an otherwise thorny dilemma by explaining that Moshe
in fact composed the words of this Book and stated those to the people in the
form of an oration. The exact form
that those words eventually took as a written text was solely at the discretion
of the Creator Himself. If in fact
Moshe's personality is therefore to be found in this Book, it is only to the
degree that God desired it to be expressed and only for the purposes that He saw
fit. Thus, in the end the authority
of the Book of Devarim is no different than that of the other Books, for all of
them were revealed by the Living God.
Shabbat Shalom