Devarim: Deuteronomy 1.1-3.22
The Haftarah is Isaiah 1:1-27
To Whom Is The Torah Addressed?
The first verse of the book of Deuteronomy gives us a clue. It begins "These are the words which Moses addressed to all Israel..." Usually when the Torah tells us that Moses spoke to the Israelites the Torah's phrase is "Moses spoke to the children of Israel..." But here we have an alternative, "all Israel." I think that the variation is intentional and has a meaning for us today.
Israel, the Jewish people, is a people in time. We may understand the Torah differently than our ancestors did, but the words are still addressed to us. The Torah does not want to give us reason to think that Moses spoke only to the Israelites gathered on the plains of Moab some three thousand years ago, just before they were to enter the land of Canaan.
Moses spoke to ALL Israel, those alive then, those who have lived
through the centuries, those who are alive today and those who
will live in the future. That's why Deuteronomy begins with "These
are the words which Moses addressed to ALL Israel..."
The Torah is addressed to us.
Rabbi Steve Forstein