Parashat Devarim

Deuteronomy opens on the first day of the eleventh month of the fortieth year, on the east bank of the Jordan, with Moses speaking to the generation about to enter the land. He retells their history from Sinai onward. He recalls how he appointed judges because he could not bear the people alone, and how the scouts' report led to the decree of forty years. He recounts the passage around Edom, Moab and Ammon, the victories over Sichon and Og, and the grant of their land to Reuben, Gad and half of Menashe. He tells Joshua not to fear the kings across the river, for God will fight for him.