Parashat Devarim: A Moment of Hebrew
Illustration Credit: Rivka Tsinman

רֶגַע שֶׁל עִבְרִית A Moment of Hebrew

אֵ֣לֶּה הַדְּבָרִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר דִּבֶּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל בְּעֵ֖בֶר הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן בַּמִּדְבָּ֡ר בָּֽעֲרָבָה֩ מ֨וֹל ס֜וּף בֵּֽין־פָּארָ֧ן וּבֵֽין־תֹּ֛פֶל וְלָבָ֥ן וַחֲצֵרֹ֖ת וְדִ֥י זָהָֽב׃
These are the words that Moshe spoke to all Israel on the other side of the Jordan, through the wilderness, in the Aravah near Suf, between Paran and Tofel, Lavan, Hatzerot, and Di-Zahav.
לְדַבֵּר ledaber (שֹׁרֶשׁ ד.ב.ר)
  • To speak or talk
דָּבָר (davar) = Thing, object
עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת (aseret ha-dibrot) = The Ten Commandments (which are really statements)
דִּבּוּרִית (dibburit) = Hands-free device, speakerphone
דּוֹבֵר/דּוֹבֶרֶת (dover/doveret) = Spokesperson
שֶׁהַכֹּל נִהְיָה בִּדְבָרוֹ (shehakol nihyah bidevaro) =
The בְּרָכָה (berakhah, blessing) for foods that don’t grow from the ground like meat, fish, dairy, candy, and most drinks (literally means "by Whose words all things came to be").
  • Did you know? The phrase וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר (va-yedaber Hashem el Moshe leimor, God spoke to Moshe saying) appears more than 70 times in the Torah! But it only shows up in three of the five books. Can you figure out which two books of the Torah don’t include this phrase?