Here's something I put in the study I mentioned earlier.
Deuteronomy as a whole is arranged along the same lines as a type of Ancient Near Eastern covenant called a suzerainty covenant, which is a covenant made between a great king and a vassal whom he had conquered. Such treaties started with a preamble naming the people involved and the location and time the covenant was made, followed by a historical account telling how the two kings came to be in their current relationship. Then came the main body of the covenant naming the rights and obligations for both parties. Finally there was a section detailing consequences of keeping or breaking the covenant, which often included blessings and curses.
The first five verses of Deuteronomy are the preamble and tell who is involved (God and Israel) and where and when the covenant was made. The next three chapters comprise the historical section, telling how they had come to be where they were.
God is the Great King, and we are his vassals. Deuteronomy explains our relationship to Him.
The TOG
I just wanted to do a copy paste of what Rashi has to say about Deuteronomy 1:1 It is very interesting.
http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9965#showrashi=true
These are the words which Moses spoke
to all Israel on that side of the Jordan
in the desert, in the plain
opposite the Red Sea, between Paran and Tofel and Lavan
and Hazeroth and Di Zahav.
These are the words: Since these are words of rebuke and he [Moses] enumerates here all the places where they angered the Omnipresent, therefore it makes no explicit mention of the incidents [in which they transgressed], but rather merely alludes to them, [by mentioning the names of the places] out of respect for Israel (cf. Sifrei).
אלה הדברים: לפי שהן דברי תוכחות ומנה כאן כל המקומות שהכעיסו לפני המקום בהן, לפיכך סתם את הדברים והזכירם ברמז מפני כבודן של ישראל:
to all Israel: If he had rebuked only some of them, those who were in the marketplace [i.e., absent] might have said, “You heard from [Moses] the son of Amram, and did not answer a single word regarding this and that; had we been there, we would have answered him!” Therefore, he assembled all of them, and said to them, “See, you are all here; if anyone has an answer, let him answer!” - [from Sifrei]
אל כל ישראל: אילו הוכיח מקצתן, היו אלו שבשוק אומרים, אתם הייתם שומעים מבן עמרם ולא השיבותם דבר מכך וכך, אילו היינו שם היינו משיבים אותו, לכך כנסם כולם ואמר להם הרי כולכם כאן כל מי שיש לו תשובה ישיב:
in the desert: [At that time]they were not in the desert, but in the plains of Moab. [Accordingly,] what is [the meaning of] בַּמִּדְבָּר, in the desert? It means that he rebuked them for their having angered Him in the desert by saying, “If only we had died [by the hand of God]” (Exod. 16:3).במדבר: לא במדבר היו אלא בערבות מואב, ומהו במדבר, אלא בשביל מה שהכעיסוהו במדבר שאמרו (שמות טז ג) מי יתן מותנו וגו':
in the plain: in the plain [He rebuked them] regarding the plain, for they had sinned with [the worship of] Baal-Peor at Shittim in the plains of Moab (Num. 25:1-9). [from Sifrei]
בערבה: בשביל הערבה שחטאו בבעל פעור בשטים בערבות מואב:
opposite the Red Sea: [He rebuked] them regarding their rebellion at the Red Sea. When they arrived at the Red Sea, they said, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt [that you have taken us to die in the desert?]” (Exod. 14:11) Likewise, [they sinned] when they traveled from the midst of the sea, as it is said,“and they were rebellious by the sea, by the Red Sea” (Ps. 106:7), as is found in Arachin (15a).מול סוף: על מה שהמרו בים סוף בבואם לים סוף שאמרו (שם יד יא) המבלי אין קברים במצרים, וכן בנסעם מתוך הים, שנאמר (תהלים קו ז) וימרו על ים בים סוף, כדאיתא בערכין (טו א):
Between Paran and Tofel and Lavan: Rabbi Yochanan said: We have reviewed the entire Bible, but we have found no place named Tofel or Lavan! However, [the explanation is that] he rebuked them because of the foolish things they had said (תָּפְלוּ) about the manna, which was white (לָבָן) , saying “And our soul loathes this light bread” (Num. 21:5), and because of what they had done in the desert of Paran through the spies. [from Eileh Hadevarim Rabbah , Lieberman]
בין פארן ובין תפל ולבן: אמר רבי יוחנן [רשב"י] חזרנו על כל המקרא ולא מצינו מקום ששמו תופל ולבן, אלא הוכיחן על הדברים שתפלו על המן שהוא לבן, שאמרו (במדבר כא ה) ונפשנו קצה בלחם הקלוקל ועל מה שעשו במדבר פארן על ידי המרגלים:
and Hazeroth: Concerning the insurrection of Korach [which took place in Hazeroth] (Eileh Hadevarim Rabbah , Lieberman). Another explanation: He said to them, “You should have learned from what I did to Miriam at Hazeroth because of slander; [nevertheless,] you spoke against the Omnipresent” (Sifrei).וחצרות: במחלוקתו של קרח. דבר אחר אמר להם, היה לכם ללמוד ממה שעשיתי למרים בחצרות בשביל לשון הרע, ואתם נדברתם במקום:
and Di-Zahav: (lit., enough gold). He rebuked them for the calf they had made as a result of their abundance of gold, as it is said: “and I gave her much silver and gold, but they made it for Baal” (
Hosea 2:10). (cf. Sifrei ; Ber. 32a, Eileh Hadevarim Rabbah , Lieberman).
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