יהושע, פרק כ״ד, פסוק כ״ו

To finalize the covenant, Joshua cements the people's commitment through a dual action: writing the agreements in a book and setting up a physical memorial stone in a sacred place. These actions are meant to give permanent authority to the laws and rules the Israelites just accepted. The primary approach among commentators is that the recorded words are the conditions of the covenant, the laws, and the rules that Joshua spoke to the nation in Shechem [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, a Talmudic dispute offers different ideas about what was actually written down. One view suggests Joshua used this moment to complete the final eight verses of the Torah, which describe the death of Moses. Another view explains that he copied the Torah's section regarding the Cities of Refuge into his own book [רש״י].

There are also different understandings of how these words were integrated into the sacred texts. Some explain that Joshua wrote these details as part of his own book, which was then joined to the holy writings and recognized as the word of God [מלבי״ם, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. On the other hand, an ancient translation tradition points out that Joshua actually hid his writings in the very same place where the original Torah scroll was kept [רש״י, מצודת דוד].

To physically remember the event, Joshua takes a large stone to serve as a monument [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. One unique perspective suggests this was not just a solid pillar, but rather a hollow stone. In this view, the stone functioned as a protective box designed to store Joshua's book separately from the Torah scroll, which rested inside the Ark of the Covenant [מלבי״ם].

Joshua places this stone under a specific landmark. Most commentators agree this was a type of tree [מצודת ציון, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. A Midrashic tradition connects this tree to the history of the Patriarchs, identifying it as the exact same tree near Shechem where Jacob once buried his family's foreign idols [רש״י, רד״ק]. Alternatively, another tradition understands the landmark not as a tree at all, but rather as an architectural feature, specifically the doorposts of a gate [רש״י, רד״ק].

The entire event takes place in a holy location. Most commentators agree that the gathering happened in the city of Shechem. Even though Shechem was not the permanent home of the sanctuary, it earned that holy title for this specific moment because the Ark of the Covenant was brought there especially for the occasion, filling the area with holiness [רש״י, מצודת דוד, רד״ק]. In contrast, another opinion argues that the physical act of setting up the stone under the tree actually took place at the established sanctuary in the city of Shiloh [מלבי״ם].