Dedicated to a refuah shelaima for Sofya bas Mera

As a lover of language, there is something spectacular about the subtle flexibility of the Hebrew language. The addition of a letter at the beginning of a word can transform the meaning of the entire sentence, and the shift of a suffix alters the pronouns associated with the word. This subtle nuance of language can add a tremendous message to pasukim, and in Parshas Devarim, the pronoun that Moshe focuses on for the first time is, perhaps, the most important one that Bnei Yisrael must remember as they look at their past and head into their future.

Us… Our. These are powerful terms. These are terms that create a nation. These are terms that it would behoove us to remember today, as we begin Tisha B’Av (Shabbas, with the fast on the Sunday, the 10th of Av). It is well-known that the destruction of the second Beis Hamikdash is attributed to the lack of unity among the Jewish people. The greater “Us” was shattered into us and us and us. It is, sadly, a rift that we have not yet healed – indeed, it has continued to splinter into ever greater discord as the generations proceed.

What is unique about the use of “Us/Our” in Parshas Devarim? Verse 1:6 states: “Hashem, our God, spoke to us in Horeb saying…” If you just read the parsha, the wording feels so common, so un-noteworthy, that it does not make one pause and reflect – especially as it occurs so early in sefer. But, from what I can see, this terminology “our God” is actually rather uncommon in the Torah. The last time the term was used was in Sefer Shemos, and then only in the context of Moshe and Aaron speaking to Pharaoh. It has not, until this point, been used to address the people.

In Shemos, Vayikra, and Bamidbar (Bereishis being a unique sefer), Moshe frequently reiterates to the Children of Israel – or is instructed to reiterate to them – the commandments of God. In these three sfarim, however, Moshe almost exclusively speaks in the second person. He speaks, consistently, to the Children of Israel and talks to them about “Hashem Elokeichem, the Lord your God.” And while he is addressing them as a whole through the second-person plural, it is, in syntax, distancing. It is a language that, if nothing else, segregates the speaker (Moshe) from the audience..... https://cthedawn.blogspot.com/2022/08/parshas-devarim-us.html