Ezra the Scribe arranged the portions so that Devarim is always read before Tisha B'Av. The simple reason: the parasha contains "Eikha," and it holds the episode of the spies.

On that night they wept a baseless weeping, and the Holy One decreed a weeping for the generations — the night of Tisha B'Av. Yet there is a deeper idea: Devarim is the fifth book, corresponding to the letter Hei.

Proof: as long as he was called Avram he did not beget; once Hashem added the letter Hei — Avraham — he begot. So too Sarai → Sarah. And Rachel, who was barren and had no Hei in her name, said "here is my maid Bilhah… and I shall be built through her," for Bilhah has two Heis: one her own, one to give to Rachel.

From where does the Hei carry the power of birth? Because with it heaven and earth were created.

The Sages expounded: "behibar'am" — be-Hei bera'am, with the Hei He created them. The Hei is what gave the power of generation to heaven and earth, and it is the source of renewal within all of creation.

We learn this from Avraham, who received the letter Hei; and once Israel received the Five Books of Torah — ein mazal le'Yisrael, Israel is not under mazal. Children, life and sustenance come from the power of the Torah itself, by direct providence. The upper line of the Hei separates the mazalot above from the power of Torah — from there you draw your strength.

And this is a great hope in Av: we might think that after the churban there is no chance. But "these are the generations… when they were created" — as long as we hold the Torah, there is a power of birth, and Israel is reborn: after Bavel (70 years), after the Second Temple (2000 years), like a burnt field that turns green again, like the State after the Shoah. As we sit on the floor on Tisha B'Av, we recall that we read "Eleh HaDevarim": there is hope, and the children shall return to their borders.

Many grew up on the idea that Moshe stuttered. But Rashi, Sforno and Chizkuni do not say so — Heaven forbid to cast an aspersion on Moshe. On "heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue" Rashi explains: "I speak in a foreign tongue" — I am not fluent in the language.

The lesson: do not remain in "kindergarten" understanding of Torah. There was no apple in Eden (wheat, grape, fig or etrog — not an apple), and Moshe had no horns (a mistranslation of "the skin of his face shone / karan"). Open Rashi and Sforno and delve deeper. May we merit the redemption. Amen and amen.