The first aliyah takes place, like the whole book of Devarim does, with the Jewish people just across the Jordan river from Israel, before entering the land of Israel, after wandering in the desert for 40 years. In this aliyah, Moshe begins a blessing of the Jewish people, blessing them just before he passes away. In the beginning of the blessing are some comments by Rashi that tell some noteworthy things: that the Torah existed long before the world was created, and that G-d first offered the Torah to other nations before offering it to the Jews, but the other nations didn't want it. Here also is the pussok "Torah tziva lonu Moshe morasha k'hilos Yakov," meaning "Moshe commanded us the law, an inheritance of the congregation of Yakov". This is one of the 12 pussukim the Lubavitcher Rebbe wants all Jewish children to memorize, and is the first thing a child, just learning to talk, should be taught. This first aliyah also contains specific blessings for the tribes of Reuven and Yehuda.