Thoughts Regarding the Place of Makom (God) - Much of the book of Devarim is devoted to a reexamination of the desert period; but this look back is accompanied by significant contemplation of the future, and a good part of the book, including Chapter 12, is devoted to life in the land of Israel.  The chapter opens the lion’s share of the book devoted to laws, and, along with the laws themselves, it offers insights about the significance of the transition to a land, to one specific place.