Parshat Devarim

‘And I commanded Joshua (Yehoshua) at that time saying…’  (Devarim 3:21)

What is remarkable about this comment?  A close inspection of this phrase in Hebrew reveals that the word Joshua is spelt with an extra ‘vav’.   This is the only place in the Torah where Yehoshua (Joshua) is spelt this way.  Joshua is mentioned 30 times in the Torah.  Rabbi Yehuda Leib Diskin, (1818-98), a renowned Dayan in Brisk, Lithuania and then in Jerusalem, notes that in fact Joshua should be mentioned 31 times as this would correspond to the 31 tribal chieftans that Joshua conquered when he led the people into the Land of Israel (before you read this as a plug for the Joshua shiur please note that we are now in the last chapter of the Book of Joshua!!)

Rabbi Diskin writes that it is appropriate that Joshua’s name gets an extra letter here to symbolise the 31^st time, as this verse speaks of G-d’s promise to help the Jewish people conquer the tribal chieftans of Cana’an. 

Rabbi Chaim Atar in his work Ohr Hachayim Hakadosh, writes that Joshua is commanded not to be afraid of the nations of the land of Cana’an.  The context of the section containing this verse is the agreement between Moses and the tribes of Reuven and Gad, which allowed those two tribes to inherit land on the eastern side of the River Jordan on condition that they would assist in the conquest of Israel proper.  Joshua is charged not to fear the conquest of Cana’an and not to doubt the efficacy of this agreement.  Neither should Joshua despair of G-d’s help, however hard it is to continue from the leadership of Moses.

Whilst Rav Diskin focuses on the word ‘Yehoshua’, Rav Atar considers the implications of the command to Joshua.  These are two examples of the different techniques which the commentators use to study the Torah.