Is Sefer Devarim Really a Review of Chumash?

What is Sefer Devarim? Most everyone would answer that it is a review or repeat of Chumash, just as its 'second name' - "Mishneh Torah" - implies. Is this really so? As we will see in this week's shiur, the answer to this question is quite shocking, quite simple, and very fundamental towards understanding all of Chumash.

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Parshat Devarim - The First Speech

Based on our explanation (in our introductory shiur) that the first four chapters of Sefer Devarim form an introduction to the main speech (i.e. chapters 5->26), we now take a closer look at Parshat Devarim itself.

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When Did the Mei Meriva Incident Take Place?

Just about everyone takes for granted that the Mei Meriva incident takes place in the 40th year. The reason for this is quite simple - Mei Meriva takes place immediately after the death of Miriam, and Miriam died in the first month of the fortieth year - didn't she? Let's double check this assumption by taking a closer look at that pasuk: "And Bnei Yisrael [the entire congregation] arrived at Midbar Tzin on the first month, and the people settled down in Kadesh; there Miriam died and was buried." Note, that we are only told that this took place on the first month, but there is no mention of the year at all! So why does everyone assume that it is year forty?

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