Numbers 32:6

ֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּעֵ֖בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן בַּמִּדְבָּ֡ר בָּֽעֲרָבָה֩ מ֨וֹל ס֜וּף בֵּֽין־פָּארָ֧ן וּבֵֽין־תֹּ֛פֶל וְלָבָ֥ן וַחֲצֵרֹ֖ת וְדִ֥י זָהָֽב׃

These are the words that Moses addressed to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan.—Through the wilderness, in the Arabah near Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Di-zahab. 

Words are profoundly sacred. The power of words is demonstrated at the very beginning of the Torah when God speaks the world into existence – “Let there be light.”  We are commanded on Passover to tell the story of the Exodus, the words of that story a living tradition that binds generations together. In prayer, words are the bridge between the human and the divine. The Amidah, the central prayer in Jewish worship, ends with a plea to guard our tongues, reminding us that words can cause harm if misused. The Torah cautions agains gossip, false oaths, and careless speech, emphasizing the responsibility that comes with the ability to speak.

Words also have the power to create pivotal moments in history. In 1776, the United States of America was established with the words “We the people,” a declaration that has since become a symbol of freedom and democracy. In 1948, the state of Israel was proclaimed with the words, “The land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people,” anchoring a nation’s identity and future. Even on a personal level, words alter lives. Four words like “Will you marry me” or one word, “yes,” can change the course of lives, can alter the destiny of generations. 

The book of Deuteronomy, the last book of the Torah which we begin this week, is not just a rote recounting of Moses’s words to the Israelites, because words are so much more than that. These are the words that ended the chapter of wandering an