Nine Places in the Torah That Don't Exist — Here's Why

Welcome to Words for the Journey: Life Lessons from Deuteronomy — Lesson I: The Opening Verse of Devarim

Why does the very first verse of the Book of Devarim list nine places Moses spoke from — when Rashi says six of them aren’t real locations at all? Rabbi Heschel Greenberg opens a new series on Deuteronomy by unpacking one of Rashi’s strangest comments, and shows how a coded rebuke turns, verse by verse, into a vision of Moshiach.

This shiur starts with a foundational question: why is Devarim also called Mishneh Torah, and why does the Talmud treat it differently from the first four books? In the first four books, Moses is described as God’s “secretary” — a pure channel for the divine word. In Devarim, Moses speaks in his own words, with divine inspiration but not direct dictation. Rabbi Greenberg brings the Rebbe’s teaching that this actually makes the fifth book more essential, not less: it’s the book that takes the transcendent teachings of the first four and makes them accessible to everyone.

From there, the shiur turns to Rashi’s comment on the opening verse, which lists nine places — only three of which the Jewish people were ever actually in. Rashi explains that these are veiled references to the nation’s sins: the complaints at the Red Sea, the report of the spies, Korach’s rebellion, the Golden Calf. Moses rebukes the people, but does it so gently that the criticism is nearly invisible — a model Maimonides later codifies as the correct way to rebuke anyone. Rabbi Greenberg then shows two further layers taught by the Rebbe: each “place” doubles as a built-in excuse for why the people sinned, and — taken a step further — each one becomes a hint to the coming of Moshiach.

🔎 In this video we explore:

• Why Devarim is called Mishneh Torah, and what the tefillin’s four-compartment and one-compartment boxes have to do with it
• Rashi’s teaching that six of the nine “places” in the Torah’s opening verse don’t exist
• Maimonides’ rule for how to rebuke someone effectively — and why starting soft works better than starting harsh
• How the same nine “rebukes” double as built-in excuses for the people’s sins
• How those same nine points flip into nine hints about the coming of Moshiach
• Why this Shabbat is called Shabbat Chazon, and why we read a Haftorah at all
• The Baal Shem Tov’s parable of a father, a son, and three suits — and what it says about the Third Temple
• The Talmudic story of Daniel’s companions, and where “random” flashes of inspiration actually come from

💡 Key Insights:

• A rebuke delivered gently is more likely to be received than one delivered with force — this is codified halacha, not just good advice.
• The same set of facts can be framed as criticism, as an excuse, or as praise — the difference is in how it’s told.
• According to the Baal Shem Tov’s parable, the Third Temple already exists; every Shabbat before Tisha B’Av we’re shown a glimpse of it.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

📚 Sources discussed: Rashi on Devarim 1:1, Rambam (Maimonides) on the laws of rebuke, the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s talks, the Baal Shem Tov, Talmud, Midrash, Isaiah 11 (Haftorah of Shabbat Chazon)

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