Weekly Portion - Devarim
By Rabbi Boruch Rappaport
Question:
There is an apparent contradiction between one Rashi and the other. In the first Rashi, he asks why does it say “laimor”, to say? And he answers that it comes to say that the appointment of judges is something that was commanded by G-d Himself, not Moshe.
But then in the next Rashi he asks a question and gives an answer. He asks how can it be that Moshe Rabbainu who took us out of Egypt, and split the sea, etc etc, that he can’t judge Yisrael? And Rashi answers what he answers.
But from the previous Rashi it would seem that there is no place for the question at all. Because maybe indeed Moshe could judge Yisrael by himself, just that G-d didn’t allow, (and demanded that there be an appointment of judges).
Answer:
The Siftei Chachamim (written by Rabbi Shabsai Bass in Amsterdam in 1680) says that Rashi was troubled by our second verse, posuk 10, what is it coming to say, what is it coming to teach? "G-d has multiplied you, and behold you are this day like the stars of the heavens for multitude". The whole verse is to a certain extent redundant.
Says the Siftei Chachamim (in Rashi), that the verses are saying as follows: Moshe said, it wasn’t my invention to appoint a framework of judges, rather it was G-d Himself that commanded me. However, even if G-d didn’t command me to appoint a whole legal system, I still would not be able to judge you all by myself, because you have grown so great.
On that Rashi asks, how can it be, Moshe did so many seemingly greater acts, and he answers that being a Jewish judge in Jewish law is different, etc.
-------------
This lesson is spoken out much more in the video presentation than it is here on the written page. This is not because I purposely hold back content from the non-upgraded members. But rather because there is an intrinsic difference between the medium of the written word as opposed to the vocal audio. When speaking, more points are able to be related to, more points are able to be clarified than in the medium of writing.
In addition I usually give an introduction to the lesson by showing the verses before and after to show how our posuk (verse) fits into context. This I don’t do here on the page because of time constraints.
I prepared for you an example of what the video is like, here at the top of the page you have 8 minutes from the 40 minute video that I prepared for this week.
Please see the sources from the links at the bottom of the page.
