As with so many of our Parshiyot, Va'etchanan is rather loaded with lots to glean from! At its start, Moses asks God if he can go with the people of Israel as they cross the Jordon River. He was soundly rebuked not to speak of this matter again!

The passage begins near the end of Deuteronomy, Chapter 3, and it leads nicely into, and sets the stage for what I consider to be a profound idea expressed in Chapter 4:2. It reads, ...

You may have heard of 'The Rule of Thirds.' With Regard to Scripture, the rule implies that if something is mentioned three times, the idea of its importance is substantiated. Hopefully, the following account from the Genesis 40 will help emphasize the relevance of this idea:

For tonight's Parashah, there are two instances found where the 'Rule of Thirds' could apply. In other words, there are two instances in our passage, each of which has two other references elsewhere in the Tanakh! Because there are three instances each of an occurrence found twice in our passage (6 total, two encounters herein), I want to use the idea of 'The Rule of Thirds' to emphasize their importance.

Deuteronomy 4:2 is the first instance for the command of 'not adding to or taking away from the Word of God.' The other two instances of this idea is found in Deuteronomy 13:1 and Proverbs 30:5-6:

Just as having three instances of dreams is often interpreted as a 'Sure Thing,' something which is sure to occur, I want to suggest that the three instances of the idea of 'Not Adding To Nor Diminishing From The Word Of God' express that preserving the commandments, as written, is to be taken seriously!. Since it occurs three times in Scripure I believe this helps to ensure its importance.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention that just a few verses later, the covenant known as the Ten Commandments is mentioned as עֲשֶׂ֖רֶת הַדְּבָרִ֑ים, Aseret HaDevarim, (aka 'the Ten Declarations').

Of note regarding 'The Rule of Thirds,' this phrase, עֲשֶׂ֖רֶת הַדְּבָרִ֑ים, Aseret HaDevarim, also occurs three times in the Torah! Those three occurrences are found in Exodus 34:28, here in Deuteronomy 4:13, and also in Deuteronomy 10:4.

The following is that passage from Deuteronomy 4:12-13:

Quite notably, the covenant which God made with the Children of Israel is that of עֲשֶׂ֖רֶת הַדְּבָרִ֑ים, Aseret HaDevarim, 'The Ten Commandments!'

In summary, this Parashah informs us of the importance of preserving the commandments intact, not changing the words in any way.

Moreover, it instills the idea that God's covenant is embodied in the actual Ten Commandments, which God, Himself, wrote on two tablets of stone, and to which He commanded Moses to place into the Ark of the Testimony, better known as The Ark of The Covenant!

I am hopeful that I've helped to promote the idea of the importance of 'Not Taking Away From Nor Diminishing From The Word of God' to be quite applicable in the context of these passages, which necessarily applies to the covenant of the עֲשֶׂ֖רֶת הַדְּבָרִ֑ים, Aseret HaDevarim, 'The Ten Commandments!'

May you also preserve those words in your heart!

Robert Pill