Deuteronomy 32: 1—52
By David Hazony
On the eve of the Israelites' passage into the Promised Land, Moses teaches them a song that marks the moment and that they themselves are to sing now and throughout the generations. It's only the second such song in the Torah—the first being the rousing tribute to God after the parting of the Red Sea back in Exodus: "I will sing to the Lord, for He has greatly exceeded."
Deuteronomy 29:9 – 31:30
By Moshe Sokolow
A well-known talmudic tradition reports that there are exactly 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. Of the total, 248 are positive (the do's), while 365 are negative (the don'ts). Not all the sages are in complete agreement on this enumeration, with some arriving at a higher number. But the custom has long been to speak of 613 mitzvot—or, in Hebrew, taryag mitzvot, based on the numeric values assigned to letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
Deuteronomy 26:1 – 29: 8
By David Hazony
Nearing the end of his farewell address to the Israelites, Moses describes a peculiar ceremony they are to perform after entering Canaan.
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