“Welcome to a most wonderful book in Moshe’s set of five: Deuteronomy, or D’varim (“D-var-eem”) as we say in Hebrew! The literal word “d’varim” is the plural form of the word “d’var,” which means, “word.” I won’t go into each detail of this parashah, which actually serves as a recap of the major events of B’midbar, much like the last parashah of B’midbar (please recall Parashat Masa’ei). The title of the first portion takes its name from the title of the book, just like every other opening parashah of the Torah. This first parashah will function primarily as an introduction to this fifth book Moshe. First, some historical background behind this book, as quoted by modern rabbis. This initial portion will be very light, so take a break from the scholarly approach and enjoy the fascinating insights!”