In this week's episode we begin to examine the last of the books of the law. Ah! Yes. It is just one book – this book of the law; divided into five volumes with each volume bearing a different name depending on what language the translator is speaking. To the Hebrews, this particular volume is called Debarim; in English language it means Words. To the Greeks, this volume is called Deuteronomy; in English language, it means Second Law. In point of fact, it is a repeat of the law which was given at Mount Sinai, Moses doing it a second time with the survivors of the forty-year trek in the wilderness. Survivors, you ask? Yes, and yes again, doing it twice. The first time at Mount Sinai when the law was given, everyone who had left Egypt was present to hear these Words spoken directly by the Mighty One. However, when they refused to go on to conquer the land of Canaan because they feared fighting against giants, that generation was sentenced to die in the wilderness. Therefore, the persons to whom Moses is now repeating the law given at Mount Sinai were those persons who were less than twenty years old at the time of that rebellion. The only persons who survived that punishment were Celeb from the tribe of Judah and Yehoshua son of Nun from the tribe of Joseph. Yes, to these survivors, Moses is doing it twice.
