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until you arrived here, you 
have been rebellious against 
the Lord … You have been 
rebellious against the Lord ever 
since I have known you.
” (Deut. 
9:7, Deut. 9:24). His critique 
extends to the future: “If you 
have been rebellious against 
the Lord while I am still alive 
and with you, how much more 
will you rebel after I die!” 
(Deut. 31:27). Even the curses 
in Deuteronomy, delivered by 
Moses himself, are bleaker than 
those in Leviticus 26 and lack 
any note of consolation.
Criticism is easy to deliver 
but hard to bear. It is all too 
easy for people to close their 
ears, or even turn the criticism 
around (“He’s blaming us, but 
he should be blaming himself. 
After all, he was in charge”). 
What does it take for criticism 
to be heeded? The people have 
to know, beyond a shadow of a 
doubt, that the leader is always 
ready to defend them. They have 
to know that he cares for them, 
wants the best for them and is 
prepared to take personal risks 
for their sake. Only when peo-
ple know for certain that you 
want what is good for them, 
do they listen to you when you 
criticize them. 
 That is what led the Sages to 
give the interpretation they did 
to the placename Di-zahav in 
the first verse of Devarim. Why 
was Moses able to be as critical 
as he was in the last month of 
his life? Because the people he 
was talking to knew that he had 
defended them and their parents 
in his prayers for Divine forgive-
ness, that he had taken the risk 
of challenging God, that he had 
declined God’s offer to abandon 
the Israelites and begin again 
with him — in short, that his 
whole life as a leader was ded-
icated to doing what was the 
best for the people. When you 
know that about someone, you 
listen to them even when they 
criticize you.

One of my all-time heroes is 
the great Hassidic rabbi, Levi 
Yitzhak of Berditchev (1740-
1809). Many stories are told of 
how he interceded with Heaven 
on behalf of the Jewish people. 
My favorite, doubtless apocry-
phal, story is this: Levi Yitzhak 
once saw a Jew smoking in the 
street on Shabbat. He said, “My 
friend, surely you have forgot-
ten that it is Shabbat today.
” 
“No,
” said the other, “I know 
what day it is.
” “Then surely 
you have forgotten that smok-
ing is forbidden on Shabbat.
” 
“No, I know it is forbidden.
” 
“Then surely, you must have 
been thinking about something 
else when you lit the cigarette.
” 
“No,
” the other replied, “I knew 
what I was doing.
” At this, Levi 
Yitzhak turned his eyes upward 
to heaven and said, “Sovereign 
of the universe, who is like Your 
people Israel? I give this man 
every chance and still he cannot 
tell a lie!”
The great leaders of Israel 
were the great defenders of 
Israel, people who saw the good 
within the not-yet-good. That is 
why they were listened to when 
they urged people to change 
and grow. That is how the Sages 
saw Moses. This was the man 
who had the audacity to win 
forgiveness for the people who 
had made the Golden Calf.
It is easy to criticize, hard to 
defend. But the Midrash about 
Moses tells us a life-changing 
idea: If you seek to change some-
one, make sure that you are will-
ing to help them when they need 
your help, defend them when they 
need your defense and see the 
good in them, not just the bad. 
Anyone can complain, but 
we have to earn the right to 
criticize. 

The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks 

was chief rabbi of the United Hebrew 

Congregations of the Commonwealth, 

1991-2013. His teachings have been 

made available to all at rabbisacks.

org. This essay was written in 2017.

Faith and Gratitude
S

efer Devarim serves as 
Moshe’s final address 
to the Bnei Yisrael. 
Throughout, Moshe recounts 
events that defined the 40 years 
in the wilderness, including 
some which posed the greatest 
challenges. He recount-
ed the ill-fated story of 
the spies, of the golden 
calf and referred to 
the multiple rebellions 
and uprisings that had 
occurred in the wilder-
ness. 
Why would Moshe 
spend the last weeks 
of his life addressing 
the entire nation, rais-
ing painful moments 
instead of positive 
ones? Rashi, in his 
commentary on the opening 
verse of this week’s parshah, 
says Moshe deliberately gath-
ered all of Israel to hear his final 
address. He saw it as imperative 
that his message be heard by 
each individual directly from 
him. 
Moshe feared that anyone 
missing his address would chide 
those who attended saying they 
should have rejoined and chal-
lenged Moshe’s reproach of the 
people. He feared that individ-
uals who were not fully com-
mitted would erode the national 
mission and unity by introduc-
ing cynicism and doubt. Moshe 
wanted to engage critics directly 
rather than have them foment 
sedition insidiously.
Moshe’s concern was quite 
warranted. After all, this is 
what happened multiple times 
throughout the time in the 
wilderness. Each rebellion: 
the 
spies, Korach and other defiant 
movements, even those which 
were seemingly justified in 
some way, were founded and 

sustained by detractors and 
critics.
In his final address, Moshe 
wanted to emphasize that the 
nation’s success or failure hinged 
on one determining factor: 
attitude. Each incident in the 
wilderness involved individ-
uals who lacked perspective. 
They focused on flaws and 
faults when they should 
have expressed fealty to 
God and gratitude for their 
good fortune; they were 
on their way to a promised 
land; they had sustenance in 
the manna and protection 
from the elements and ene-
mies through God and the 
Clouds of Glory. 
Acrimony and 
ungratefulness eroded 
faith and trust and poisoned 
exuberance, excitement and 
optimism. Moshe was not about 
to let that happen after his 
passing. He wanted to warn the 
people of the foe they would 
face, perhaps more daunting 
than all others — themselves. 
Moshe wanted to make sure 
that the Bnei Yisrael understood 
how their greatest calamities 
could have been averted. He 
wanted to arm each person, 
each family and each tribe with 
the awareness to recognize 
subversive individuals and 
movements and the power 
to intervene. He wanted to 
leave them with a weapon 
more powerful than a spear or 
sword; he wanted to leave them 
with an attitude of gratitude 
and optimism, and the power 
of faith — something that 
continues to sustain us as a 
people even today. 

Rabbi Azaryah Cohen is head of 

school at Frankel Jewish Academy in 

West Bloomfield.

TORAH PORTION

Rabbi 
Azaryeh 
Cohen

Parshat 

Devarim : 

Deuteronomy 

1:1-3:22; 

Isaiah 

1:1-27.

