Dvarim

Harvey Savage, July 13, 2002

This week's sedra contains important lessons about communication.

The lessons of communication are contained in what is not said, rather than in what is spoken. They are about how few words can evoke a whole history of feelings, and they teach us much about economies - the most effective evocation may be contained at times in just several code words or a brief expression. The Torah embodied the truism that less is more.

The first instance where we see this is in the very first verse of dvarim, indeed in the title - words or things,: "ailah hadvarim asher dieber moshe el-bnai yisroal" - these are the words that moses addressed to all Israel". There is a highly ironic evocation here - as is alluded to in the Eitz Haim chumash. Moses began his career by pleading that he was not a man of words. After 40 years of teaching torah he became an eloquent man of words - the transformation did not happen because he became the first member of toastmasters international - rather, it was his passion and growing enthusiasm for his great mission which made him eloquent.

A small phrase - the words of Moses addressing his people- evokes the rich history of Moses' transformative experience.

A second instance is the powerful evocation yielded by just a list of place names. A remarkable list of code words with hidden meanings, each one a substitution for many words of rebuke- the aravah near suph, between paran and tophel, laban, hazeroth and di-zahav.

Rashi suggests the meanings.each of them is a place signifying an act of disobedience or defiance by the Israelites. Each is powerfully evocative. For instance, the place, "mul suph", "by the sea", signified for Rashi that the Israelites rebelled when they came to the Red Sea. "di-zahav", meaning, "sufficiency of gold" - signified Moshe's rebuke of the Israelites for making the golden calf which they made because of the abundance of gold.

And so on.

The question posed by some commentators is why the use of these code words when Moshe had a perfect opportunity to be explicit in his criticism for all of the deficiencies when he began to address the large assembly before him.

Rashi said there was no need to be explicit and verbose in criticism. It was enough to use evocative words. This way, it is the place-words themselves which could evoke in the people the disappointing events that they were part of in each place. In this way, with the fewest words and greatest economy, a message impacted powerfully while also saving the Israelites public humiliation which could destroy their self-image and be counterproductive. If the Israelites stopped believing that they were still worthy of a great destiny despite their shortcomings, they would not have a hopeful future to work towards.

Then there is that wonderfully evocative phrase, "rav lachem shevet bahar hazeh" - "you have stayed long enough at this mountain". This phrase substituted for a torrent of words and feelings - Moshe could have summoned up all of the instances of procrastination and murmurings on so many occasipns in the desert instead of just getting the job done and taking the land. But that again would have been a lot of words, unnecessary public humiliation and maybe more negative image reinforcement leading to inaction.

What would Moshe have accomplished? If his objective was to light a fire under the Israelites, he would have failed miserably. Instead of getting them to be decisive and go after their destiny, they woud have felt rebuked, grumbled more and probably find more ways to live down to their low self-esteem.

Instead, like the wise leader that he was, he chose constructive exhortation over many words of rebuke. So, the short, evocative phrase, "you have stayed long enough at this mountain", was immediately followed by a constructive plan: "start out and make your way to the hill country of the amorites and to all their neighbours in the aravah, the hill country, the shephelah, the negev, the seacoast, the land of the canaanites, and the lebanon, as far as the great river, the river euphrates. See, i place the land at your disposal. Go, take possession of the land god swore to your parents."

The wisdom of his leadership was to know how to provoke the kind of inner self-rebuke which will lead to self-correction, instead of counterproductive public rebuke and needless humiliation. This was his greatness, to recognize this and to inspire the action that he desired while also not letting the deeds go unrebuked. Fewer words, much constructive self-reflection and correction.

Rabbi joseph telushkin tells a story when criticism is most eloquent when not expressed in words. The 19th century hasidic rabbi of israel of vishnitz wanted to effect the behaviour of a certain banker but feared that a frontal critique would almost certainly backfire. Guided by the talmudic admonition that "just as one is commanded to say that which will be heeded, so is one commanded not to say that which will not be heeded", he used a different approach. [read from p. 99, "words that hurt, words that heal"]

I recently had an opportunity in prague to experience in one day the power of evocation resulting not from a torrent of words.

In the morning of a day of interesting judaic sensations, i took a tour of the old jewish quarter, including a visit to one of the oldest jewish cemetaries anywhere. In one of the synagogues, i stood sliently before several walls of names. No commentary. Just names of people from towns in former czechoslovakia, accompanied in each case by a date of birth and date of death. They were the names of the jewish people from all over czechoslovakia who perished in the death camps. I stood before walls of names and places which evoked in me a the jewish history and life in that country more than a string of four hour tours. I had a similar sensation when i stood mutely before the silent, bent over gravestones, some with names, some without, and visualized through both experiences a glimpse of a richness that once was and of a future so cruelly terminated.

But it was in the evening that the richness of the present and hope of a rich future was evoked, and this time not through names but through music.