Chazal tell us that these “devarim,” words, constituted the content of Moshe’s speech – divrei tochachah, words of reproachment. Moshe spoke to all of the Klal Yisrael, so that no individual would later say, “Had we been present we would have challenged his words.” Anyone who had an objection to Moshe’s admonishment had the opportunity to challenge Moshe, although nobody did so. Offering tochachah, reproach, is a serious endeavor which should not be undertaken lightly. It obliges every member of the Jewish community to try his hardest to improve his fellow man. Indeed, as Horav Shlomo Breuer, zl, writes,…
