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PARSHAT DEVARIM

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PARSHAT DEVARIM

Constructive Criticism INSTRUCTOR’S GUIDE

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Constructive Criticism Case Study The bell rings and school is finally out for the day. The sun is shining, the weather is just perfect, and you’re itching to get out with your buddies and hit the park for some ball and hanging out. After piling out of school and making up with your friends, you meet up in the park an hour later ready for an intense game of basketball.

The game is intense, you work up a good sweat, and energy is high. It’s hot outside, so everyone breaks for a few minutes to catch their breath and water down. Everyone sits around the court and pulls out their Gatorade, water bottles, and Vitamin Water. It’s all fun in the sun.

From the edge of the group, Ryan pulls something interesting out of his bag. He brings it to his mouth, lights up, and takes a long puff, letting out a circle of smoke around the group. Ryan takes another few puffs and then David calls out, “Hey, give me a puff!”

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Opening Video

PARSHAT DEVARIM

“Sure, here. Enjoy!”

David takes the joint from Ryan and takes a quick puff and passes it along. Pretty soon, everyone is passing it around, taking a quick puff and laughing the whole way through.

You figure out that it’s marijuana. You know it’s wrong, and you know that not everyone in the group is really “in” on the idea.

It’s really just Ryan who is the rotten apple, and you wish you could tell that to everyone so they don’t do something they’re for sure going to regret later.

But you don’t know… If you’ll call Ryan out, he’ll for sure laugh at you and call you a sissy. You know that any criticism will almost certainly fail and only make you look like a loser.

Question for discussion

Question

>> What should you do?

SOME POINTS TO BRING UP IN THE DISCUSSION: »» Is there anything that holds you responsible to say anything? Maybe you should just look out for yourself and mind your own business? »» It is worthwhile to call out the instigator (Ryan) or is it better to collectively criticize everyone? »» Is it wrong to be the guy who spoils the fun? »» Are there any specific techniques to make the criticism more effective (if at all)? »» Is there perhaps something that would definitely preclude you from saying anything?

Note: Not all of these points will be covered in the texts below, and you can use discretion as to which questions to bring up.

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CHAVRUTA STUDY Note: The following can be used as an oral introduction given by the instructor, or can be read by the chavrusa as background to the text in front of them. In the first option, the instructor can use the questions below in the oral discussion leading to the text, whereas in the second option, it may very well be best to begin with section, “Moses’ Final Speech.” Or, the two options can be used together.

People have unfortunately been making mistakes and doing some pretty bad stuff since day one, and many times, other people were present to witness those bad things happening.

Let’s look at how some of the greatest people in history responded when they saw people making very bad choices.

>> Name some of the greatest leaders in Jewish history.

Question

Some of you have certainly thought of Moses—the quintessential leader of the Jewish people.

>> Do you recall your Bible stories? What wrongdoings did Moses witness in his lifetime?

Question

You can be sure that Moses definitely witnessed wrongdoings; after all, his was the generation of the Golden Calf, the sin of the spies, the rebellion of Korach, and numerous other sins. The Jews he led out of Egypt and through the desert were quite a troubling bunch, and Moses had his hands full with them and their sins. So how did Moses respond react to all the shenanigans of his people?

MOSES’ FINAL SPEECH Our parashah begins at the end of the Jews’ journey in the desert as they are about to enter the Land of Israel. Sadly, this

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Chavruta peer study

PARSHAT DEVARIM

moment would mark the end of Moses’ life, as it was decreed from Heaven that he would not enter the Land.

So, shortly before he is about to leave this world and the people he led for so many years, Moses calls the Jews together for his final speech. It was a long speech—it lasted for forty days!—and this speech makes up the entire last book of the Torah, the book of Devarim.

Imagine the scene. The Jews have looked to this man for forty years as their leader, their inspiration, and pretty much their father. He took them from the misery of Egypt through some of the most epic moments in history (splitting the sea, giving the Torah, the ground swallowing Korach, et al), and here they all are in the plains of the desert listening to his parting words.

It was a powerful moment, and Moses had the opportunity to really give it all he got.

Here’s how the Torah describes the scene:

TEXT 1 biblical verse

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Deuteronomy 1:1

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‫ֵאלֶ ה ַה ְד ָב ִרים ֲא ֶשר ִד ֶּבר מ ֶֹשה ֶאל כָ ל יִ ְש ָר ֵאל ְּב ֵע ֶבר ַהיַ ְר ֵדן ַב ִמ ְּד ָבר‬ :‫ארן ֵּובין ּת ֶֹפל וְ לָ ָבן וַ ֲח ֵצרֹת ִּודי זָ ָהב‬ ָ ‫ָב ֲע ָר ָבה מֹול סּוף ֵבין ָפ‬

These are the words which Moses spoke to all Israel on that side of the Jordan in the desert, in the plain opposite the Red Sea, between Paran and Tofel and Lavan and Hazeroth and Di Zahav. >> What’s the point of all the geographical references? Is the Torah so concerned that we know exactly where the speech took place? We don’t find such precise Google mapping anywhere else in the Torah—why here?

Question

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