dvarim: perspective

The last book of the Torah, Dvarim, is unlike the other books of the Torah in its authorship. Although all five books are ( traditionally) the products of Moses, for the first 4 books, Moses is a scribe.  Moshe is the author of Dvarim.  This is Moshe's world view.

The journey from Mount Sinai to the edge of the Promised Land should take eleven days. Instead, they have arrived 40 years later. What happened?

Moses tells us the he had democratized the leadership.  Judges we elected and laws that apply equally to all were taught.

 This precedes the great error.  In his account, Moses instructed the nation to begin the conquest of the Promised Land.  The people (through their representativese?) asked that a scouting report be prepared. Moses admits that he likes the idea.  The scouts report that the land is very good, but, as you might expect for such a desirable entity, the current occupants are approximately invincible.

The nation has missed its opportunity. What a difference a day makes. The willingness to obey and engage the current occupants of the Promised Land is rejected. This turnaround of confidence does not count as repentance. 

I (author) prefer not to think that some element of time was the reason for the 40 year desert sojourn. Time (Chronos) is the alternative to Gd. The argument goes: " given enough time..."  Chaos, the embodiment of randomness,  could create something magnificent in our world. In this instance, invoking Time as the determining factor for entry into the land,  makes Gd subject to time, rather than the other way around (my preferred stance).

Time has a significant presence when we read Dvarim. It is always the Shabbat before Tisha'a Ba'av, called Shabbat Chazon. (The chastisement that initiates the book of Isaiah echoes the words of Moses. )  Tisha'a Ba'av is a commemoration of the declaration of 40 years of exile.  A string of misfortunes are attached to the day: the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem, the Spanish inquisition, etc  Tisha'a Ba'av became un unlucky day. Commemoration slid into a force driving fate... independent of Gd. 

Gd created a reliable universe. What we perceive as the laws of nature are sometimes superceded. The unexpected might happen. There are undiscovered forces and rules. The calendar is real. Days are longer in the summer. This can influence events  Gd is the only arbiter of events.