Parashat Devarim - Fifth Aliyah

In this aliyah Moshe continues to describe the course of the walk through the wilderness, this time the route around Edom, Moab, and Ammon. These three nations, the children of Esav and the children of Lot, are considered close to Israel, and therefore God commands not to war against them and not to inherit their lands. Here lies a deep foundation for understanding the Torah’s attitude toward boundaries: not everything that seems available and accessible is permitted to take. There are paths one must avoid even if they are near or convenient.

Further on, Moshe recalls the great miracle, forty years in the wilderness without lack: “lo chasarta davar” (you lacked nothing, Deuteronomy 2:7). Heavenly sustenance, unceasing divine accompaniment, a miraculous system of provision. And within this journey, the old generation, the “anshei hamilchamah” (men of war, Deuteronomy 2:14), gradually disappears, and the new generation ripens toward the entry into the land.

The last part of the aliyah tells of the approach to Sichon king of Cheshbon, at first with words of peace, but in the end, following his refusal, the way opens to war and conquest.

A thought for life: not every open path is worthy. Sometimes it is precisely restraint that is the way to the right choice. And when one door closes, another opens, provided we lead it with faith and with listening to divine guidance. At times we move in circles, like “rav lachem sov et hahar” (You have circled this mountain long enough, Deuteronomy 2:3), yet each such turn teaches us something more. Do not despair of the long road, it is building you toward your own promised land.