Beginning the Jewish Interpretive Tradition

Toward the end of his life, Moshe stands before the children of Israel, addressing them and conveying his final thoughts. Even though the book of Devarim is known as Moshe's last speech, the book is not just a farewell. The last book of the Torah is also in fact the founding stone of the Jewish interpretive tradition: “On the other side of the Jordan, in the land of Moav, Moshe undertook to expound the Torah” (Devarim 1:5). (5777)