Devarim (parashah)

Devarim, Dvarim, or Debarim (Hebrew: דְּבָרִים, romanized: Dəwārim, lit. 'things' or 'words') is the 44th weekly Torah portion (פָּרָשָׁה, parašāh) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the first in the Book of Deuteronomy. It comprises Deuteronomy 1:1–3:22. The parashah recounts how Moses appointed chiefs, the episode of the Twelve Spies, encounters with the Edomites and Ammonites, the conquest of Sihon and Og, and the assignment of land for the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh.

The parashah is made up of 5,972 Hebrew letters, 1,548 Hebrew words, 105 verses, and 197 lines in a Torah Scroll (סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה‎, Sefer Torah).^[1] Jews generally read it in July or August. It is always read on Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath just before Tisha B'Av.