Shabbat Parashat Devarim - 5783

Shabbat Parashat Devarim - 5783

Rabbi Hal Miller

I said to you at that time saying, I cannot carry you alone. [Devarim 1:9]

When did Moshe tell the people that he could not carry them alone? What is he

referring to here and why did he feel the need to say/repeat it here? Most of the

commentators tie this to the question of when Yitro arrived at the camp of Israel,

which is a topic for another time. Verse [1:12] seems to both support and to counter

this position, "How can I alone carry your trouble and your burden and your quarrels?"

Rashi, based on Sifrei and Onkelos, says that Moshe in [9] is referring to judging

the people, and he would have said this at the time Yitro made the suggestion to

add all the judges to divide the workload. Rashi asks, "Is it possible that Moshe

was not able to judge Israel?" He answers that God "has taken the punishment from

you and put it on the judges." Onkelos explains Sifrei that God would punish a

judge who made an erroneous decision.

But there are other ways to interpret our verse. Rav Moshe Feinstein explains that

Moshe was not telling the people that he was unable to do this, rather that God had

forbid him, so it was a permission issue. Ramban's lengthy analysis seems to say

that Moshe is speaking of the future, as the people cross into the land, he will not be

with them to judge their issues. Kol Dodi understands from verse [12] that the people

were falling into a spiritual morass from which Moshe would not be able to free them,

thus they needed to begin acting on their own.

Meshech Chochmah sees our verse, not as a complaint by Moshe, rather a declaration

of happiness. The increase in the population and greatness of the nation took them

beyond Moshe and the judges he had assigned. Moshe here was simply proud of his

people.