This week we begin the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), which opens with the portion of Devarim. The entire book is a 37 day speech by Moses - the longest sermon in history! He reminds the Jews of all the events that have occurred to them since they had left Egypt.

At the very beginning of the portion, Moses tells how G-d had informed the Jews that they had 'sat around this mountain for long enough, turn away and journey onwards.'

The mountain that G-d was talking about was Mount Sinai. The Jewish people had received the Torah and spent almost a year studying it and basking in G-d’s glory. Suddenly G-d was telling them ‘enough!’

Striving to move forward is a vital component of the Jewish religion. When prayers become rote and practice becomes stagnant, then decline is not far behind. However, progress for progress’ sake is not the goal. To move forward we lean on our past. We may have been told to move from Mount Sinai, but we were taking Mount Sinai with us.

There is the humorous anecdote told about an American warship steaming off the coast of Canada, when their radar showed a blip dead ahead.

The radio operator sends out a message, ‘This is the USS Abraham Lincoln, please alter your position by 15 degrees to avoid collision.’
‘Message to USS Abraham Lincoln,’ comes the curt reply, ‘move your position 15 degrees.’
The captain, incensed, gets on the radio. ‘This is the captain of USS Abraham Lincoln, the second largest ship in the US navy. If you do not alter your position, we will be forced to take measures against you to protect our ship.’
‘Message to USS Abraham Lincoln,’ comes the reply. ‘We are a lighthouse. Your call.’

The Torah is our mountain. We encounter challenges, we move on, we move forward, but throughout it all the Torah remains steadfast for us. It should not and can not be moved to suit our needs. To treat the Torah otherwise would be to change the Torah from a Divine Blueprint to a human code.

The mountain remains; it is the Jewish nation that must do the navigating.