Learning to speak is one of the most mysterious, impactful and, for some, challenging of human capacities. To witness a toddler produce their first recognisable words often seems like a miracle. Language is a defining quality of the human experience, but it is not universally shared. Communication disorders come in many varieties and can have varied impacts, from minor frustration to major disability. Therapists who treat speech and language disorders perform a remarkable service of healing which can strengthen relationships, learning, confidence, and dignity. 

Consider the character of Moses in the Torah. At the outset of his calling to serve as a prophet and emissary of the Lord, he protests, saying that he is “not a man of words” (לֹא אִישׁ דְּבָרִים אָנֹכִי). Indeed, our early encounters with Moses do not involve words. He acts forcefully on behalf of victims, speaking with his fists. But God discerns an untapped power in Moses, saying, “Who gives humans speech? Who makes them dumb or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Exodus 4:10-11). 

Still, Moses continues to protest, prompting God to offer him an accommodation. God will speak with Moses, Moses will speak with his brother Aaron, and Aaron will manage communication with the people. This accommodation reassures Moses, and equipped with Aaron’s assistance, he manages to speak with great skill and power during his long career.

This week we begin to read a book that is named “Devarim” or words. The full phrase is, “These are the words that were spoken by Moses.” It is an unremarkable verse unless you recall the protest of Moses back in Exodus, “I am not a man of words.” Midrash Devarim Rabbah (1:1) puts these verses in conversation and concludes that the Torah is a form of speech therapy, healing the tongue until Moses can speak fluently (כֵּיוָן שֶׁזָּכָה לַתּוֹרָה נִתְרַפֵּא לְשׁוֹנוֹ וְהִתְחִיל לְדַבֵּר דְּבָרִים). Exposure to Torah awakens untapped internal capacity until a person can understand themselves to be defined not by limitations but by abilities.

Lovely as this message may be, it is also important to note that disabilities are not always temporary, and that accommodations may need to be permanent. Perhaps Moses’s improved communication was attributable to the growing capacity of his community to understand him. Perhaps a new generation raised under his leadership learned to be patient with his stutter, and thus capable of receiving his wisdom. Indeed, the earlier generation of Israel was marred by anxiety and impatience. When God instructed Moses to speak to the rock to produce water for the restive crowd, in frustration he reverted, striking out with his staff, to his detriment and that of his people. Forty years later, his speech has enormous power, moving us with its poetry and moral clarity.

Each of us must consider what we can do to better understand people whose speech differs from our own, but who have important information and perspectives to share with us. What are their words, and what of their wisdom can we add to our collective Torah? As we read the valedictory speeches of Moses in this book, “The Words of Moses,” let us strive to improve communication in our own circles, so that each person’s voice can be heard for its divine capacity.