עקידת יצחק — אלה הדברים אשר דבר משה / בעבר הירדן במדבר

Q — The verses seem to list the places where Moshe spoke — but Chazal read them as veiled rebukes. Why does the Torah encode the tochachah in place-names rather than state the sins outright? Why open Mishneh Torah this way?

A — The places are named as hints to rebuke, teaching that reproof is delivered in dignified language that guards the listeners' honor. Rather than naming the golden calf, the spies, and the complaints openly, Moshe alludes to them through locations, so that those who know their wrongdoing recognize it while their shame is not paraded. The opening of the final speech models the art of tochachah: effective correction that preserves the self-respect of those corrected, allusion serving where blunt accusation would wound.