Friday, October 3, 2025

Haazinu is the Connection Between Yom Kippur and Sukkos

 Parshat Haazinu

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Parshat Haazinu looks both to the past in Moshe’s depiction of events and to the future that Moshe foresaw, for events which would unfold both during the conquering and settling of the land, as well as for things which would take place much further in the future. 

 As an example, a number of commentaries describe events that took place in their own experience. Or HaChaim describes a litany of events that are quite reminiscent of the Shoah. Considering that he lived several hundred years before the Shoah, he was either a prophet, filled with Ruach HaKodesh, or able to read the writing in what Moshe is saying, to reach a very logical conclusion of what steps would lead to such a devastation. 

 Towards the beginning of Shirat Haazinu, Moshe says the following:

 (י) יִמְצָאֵ֙הוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִדְבָּ֔ר וּבְתֹ֖הוּ יְלֵ֣ל יְשִׁמֹ֑ן יְסֹֽבְבֶ֙נְהוּ֙ יְב֣וֹנְנֵ֔הוּ יִצְּרֶ֖נְהוּ כְּאִישׁ֥וֹן עֵינֽוֹ:  He brought them into being in a desert region, in a desolate, howling wasteland. He encompassed them and granted them wisdom, protecting them like the pupil of His eye.

 (יא) כְּנֶ֙שֶׁר֙ יָעִ֣יר קִנּ֔וֹ עַל־גּוֹזָלָ֖יו יְרַחֵ֑ף יִפְרֹ֤שׂ כְּנָפָיו֙ יִקָּחֵ֔הוּ יִשָּׂאֵ֖הוּ עַל־אֶבְרָתֽוֹ: Like a nesher arousing its nest, hovering over its young, He spread His wings and took them, carrying them on His pinions. 

 This imagery is rather fascinating, as it depicts God as literally carrying the people. Anyone who has seen the movie the Lord of Rings might have an idea of what it means that large birds can carry people. Or, as many have noted, an airplane may be what Moshe references in this imagery. 

 Does this Parsha, which is always read on the Shabbos before Sukkos, have any reference to the coming holiday? 

 The Three Festivals each have their own tag line – Pesach is זמן חירותנו (the time of our freedom/redemption from slavery), Shavuos is זמן מתן תורתינו (the time of the giving of the Torah), and Sukkos is זמן שמחתינו (the time of our rejoicing). What they have in common, though, is that they are all זכר ליציאת מצרים – reminiscent of the Exodus, of our having left Egypt. 

 Sukkos is the hardest to fit into that description, however, because the Exodus took place in Nissan – six months ago – and the concept of living in huts, in commemoration of the Sukkos people lived in when they left Egypt – is a hard sell for this time of year. 

 When the Mishneh Brurah describes how cold it is in Sukkos and why living in the Sukkah would only be done by those who are God-fearing, we see the main reason the Sukkah is less appealing in more northern latitudes. We in the sub-tropics have a very different argument for what the Sukkah might be less appealing – heat, bugs, rain, lack of air conditioning (though some people have AC in their sukkah!) that’s a decent argument. In Israel it’s more manageable because while the temperature is similar to here, the humidity is much lower, the rainy season hasn’t begun yet. Maybe bugs are also a challenge, but I don’t suspect it’s as bad as in Florida. 

 So how does this passage in Haazinu relate to Sukkos? And how can we better understand Sukkos if the timing seems to be all off? 

 Looking back at the verse quoted above - What does יְסֹֽבְבֶ֙נְהוּ֙ mean? He encompassed them? R Yosef Bchor Shor says He encompassed them with Sukkos, a.k.a with clouds. יבוננהו comes from both the language of building and understanding. In other words he gave them the Torah and the ability to comprehend and grasp it. 

 Netziv takes this a step further that יְסֹֽבְבֶ֙נְהוּ֙ means God made a Sukkah for each individual, which is a והוא דבר גדול ונפלא:- and amazing and wonderful thing

 Not only that, but יבוננהו means He helped them understand the ways of the world, even more than the other חכמי עולם, wise men of the world. 

 More than seeing God’s encompassing them as protective Sukkahs He put around them, we need to remember that there is another meaning to the concept of Sukkos being related to the Exodus. 

 When the Bnei Yisrael left Egypt, where was there first stop? In a place called… וַיִּסְע֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל מֵרַעְמְסֵ֖ס סֻכֹּ֑תָה כְּשֵׁשׁ־מֵא֨וֹת אֶ֧לֶף רַגְלִ֛י הַגְּבָרִ֖ים לְבַ֥ד מִטָּֽף: &&&&&&& The first stop was in SUKKOS. 

 Once again in the verse quoted, when it says “He found them in a wasteland” (ימצאהו בארץ מדבר), Rabbenu Bachaye says that the idea of the Eretz Midbar, as opposed to being במדבר (in the wilderness), indicates that they were on the edge of the wilderness. In Beshalach (Shemos 13:20), we are told ויסעו מסכות ויחנו באיתם בקצה המדבר. They traveled from Sukkos, and encamped in Eitam which is at the edge of the wilderness. Inevitably, we are to understand that God met them there, so to speak, ready to accompany them through their trek in the wilderness. They left Rameses, stopped in Sukkos, and then… וה' הולך לפניהם יומם – God is leading them, enveloping them, they are under His protection, as they went from Sukkos to the Sukkah of the Almighty – you might call this the first Sukkah Hop in history! 

 In a more outward expression of this concept, Alshikh argues that God was not present with the Bnei Yisrael in Egypt. They were too gone. Too entrenched in Egypt. 

 And that’s why the verse says יִמְצָאֵ֙הוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִדְבָּ֔ר. He was waiting to find them in the wilderness. They would become a מציאה to Him and for Him. A people of faith. A people who would remove every remnant of Egypt from within them. And people who would become a כלי, a vessel for sustaining the world. 

 Moshe’s role was to bring them around to their destiny. He had to wake them up from their slumber, to encourage them, to be for them כְּנֶ֙שֶׁר֙ יָעִ֣יר קִנּ֔וֹ עַל־גּוֹזָלָ֖יו יְרַחֵ֑ף, like the bird that protects its children. He stood over them, watching them, making sure they did the קרבן פסח correctly – כח) וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ וַֽיַּעֲשׂ֖וּ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה יְקֹוָ֛ק אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאַהֲרֹ֖ן כֵּ֥ן עָשֽׂוּ (Shemos 12:28) 

 Bnei Yisrael were everywhere! How did they all get to Ramses, so they could leave together? Alshikh says, that’s the wings of the angels (מלאכים). And from Ramses to Sukkos, which was a distance of 120 mil? Wings of angels. And how did they get from Sukkos to the sea, and from the sea to the Sinai? ואשא אתכם על כנפי נשרים. They were carried on the wings of the nesher(s). 

 Haazinu paints for us a picture of faith (אמונה), a picture of a wilderness experience we probably have a hard time fathoming. What does it mean to not be traveling in a natural fashion? What does it mean to have a cloud surrounding you, being enveloped by the Almighty, not subject to actual terrain, not subject to the need for walking in a natural fashion, with bumps on the road, holes in the sand, wagons, animals, children, elderly, broken bodies from slavery whippings, beatings, and just back-breaking labor?

 The answer is: Sukkos the place set a precedent. The arriving in Sukkos was of a miraculous arrival. The protection in Egypt and post Egypt was a supernatural Sukkah that created a people who were spiritually ready for God. 

 Were there other kinds of bumps in the road? A golden calf, complaints, spies? Yes. There were. But that doesn’t discount or remove the spiritual readiness of these people for God. The removal of the yoke of Egypt was not a simple task. But it was what they were ready for. And the Sukkah of the place called Sukkos got them rolling – first stop out of Egypt; and the Sukkah of the clouds, got them floating, and the סוכת שלומך was their final destination. Getting to Sinai, receiving the Torah. 

 Haazinu is the buffer between Yom Kippur and Sukkos. Yom Kippur contains our regret over the past year as it also inspires us for our coming year. 

 Haazinu contains within it negative aspects of the past of the Bnei Yisrael, as well as a certain level of uncertainty of what the future will bring. Will the future be a future in which we are carried by Nesharim? Will it be a future in which we are united with God in the way the people of the Wilderness had such an opportunity? 

 The holiday of Sukkos tells us, that is entirely up to us. Of course we will have our sukkahs. Of course we will eat in them. But will we dwell in them? Will we spend as much time as possible in them, weather permitting? Will we delight in our Sukkah? Will we recall the Sukkah that was clouds, representing God’s protection? Will we open our hearts and allow God in in that way? 

 That is entirely up to us. I hope we can all find the simcha in the holiday and enjoy with our family and friends, who will be sharing this special time together.

Friday, September 26, 2025

Moshe Rabbenu - Negatives and Positives of Coming to the End

 Parshat Vayelekh

by Rabbi Avi Billet

The opening verse of Parshat Vayelekh describes how Moshe Rabbenu went around to all of Israel to tell them his final messages. Continuing the introduction, Rashi notes that the possibility that Moshe is unable to go out because of his aging. Rashi rejects this, however, because the Torah will soon tell us that Moshe’s age didn’t slow him down. (per Devarim 34:7) 

Then Rashi offers two alternative explanations: 

1. I am unable because God has given my position to Yehoshua 

2. He is unable to go out and come with Divrei Torah since the depth and wells of Torah have become closed off to him 

The first answer makes sense. God has put Moshe into retirement, and he has accepted his fate. Yehoshua will be taking over, and there can’t be two leaders – especially if one of them is Moshe – at the same time. 

Friday, September 19, 2025

Spread Around to Build a Brighter World

Parshat Nitzavim 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

Devarim 29:27 is the middle of a quote that the nations will say one day when they look upon the devastated land of Israel, wondering why God will have destroyed it and exiled His people. A verse before (29:24) says “It is because they abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their fathers…” 

Their conclusion (verse 27) will state “And this is why God cast them to other lands.”

R Samson Raphael Hirsch has a subtle comment, worthy of a mini-dive. 
 “Even when they are exiled from their land, and spread among the nations, they are still serving Hashem, preparing the world for His purposes and aims.” 

This is not a case of the “Elders of Zion” (as in the fraudulent protocols), because this is not a plot to take over the world, or to get anyone back as vengeance for mistreatment. This is a mission from God Almighty to spread His ethics and His ways for the world to see what is possible in the brotherhood and fellowship of Mankind. Whether this was to be done through some Jewish equivalent of missionary work or whether the Jews were merely to live by example, modeling for all God’s ways, without “reaching out” to non-Jews, is a subject of debate. Suffice it to say most Jewish “outreach” has really been “inreach” – trying to reach Jews who have been distanced from their own heritage. 

Friday, September 12, 2025

Free Will to Recognize God’s Hand in Our Lives

Parshat Ki Tavo

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Towards the end of the Torah portion, Moshe reflects on the experience of 40 years, noting, among other things, that during this time the people didn’t eat real bread, drink wine or other alcohol, and didn’t experience the deterioration of their clothing and shoes. This led into the readiness to fight against Sichon and Og, and to be able to trust that God would be with the Bnei Yisrael through their travails. 

Before going into those details and specifics, however, Moshe tells the people, “God has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see, and ears to hear, until this day.” (29:3) 

Meshekh Hokhma explains, 
“The children of Israel had often made the mistake of contributing divine powers to Moses, whereas he was merely a mortal messenger of God, through whom He communicated on matters respecting the Jewish people. When were they finally cured of this delusion? On the day that Moses died. Then they realized he was but mortal like themselves, and all the miracles and wonders were directly derived from the Divine will. Now our Sages observed that Moses uttered this discourse on the day of his death, as his final testament. For this reason, it is stated that, ‘God hath not given you a heart to know… unto this day’ – the day Moses died. Only then could they realize that God was behind every step and turn.” (translation taken from Nechama Leibowitz, Studies in Devarim (English Edition), page 292) 
This interpretation comes in the wake of others who either blame God for their inability to see, etc. or their own inability to grow due to rote or, as Nechama Leibowitz puts it, “the deadening effect of familiarity and habit.” 

Thursday, September 11, 2025

Sept 10 and Sept 11 - Charlie Kirk and the 24th Anniversary of 9/11

This past Shabbos, the Torah reading ended with the “Parsha of Amalek” reminding us to “remember” the evil that is Amalek, and “not to forget” the evil that is Amalek.  One is a positive commandment to recall, and the other is a call to never forget even when being passive.  Amalek, after all, is the embodiment of evil. And evil has but one goal - to destroy that which is good in this world, to destroy the ideology (i.e. goodness and decency) that is stronger and more powerful than the cowardice of Amalek, who attacks from behind, who attacks the stragglers, the weak ones, and those who are unarmed and defenseless. 

How appropriate. And how ironic. Jewish people are once again reeling from a terrorist attack in Israel that took at least six holy and precious lives, injuring more people as well. 

And here we are, a few days later, on the anniversary of one of the darkest days in the story of the United States of America, September 11, 2001, when close to 3,000 Americans died at the hands of evil monsters looking to destroy the way of life that represents liberty and many freedoms that are the envy of most of the world, finding ourselves shaking our heads in disbelief that evil has risen its head to take out a champion of those freedoms.

Those who were adults, and probably even teenagers, remember where they were and what they were doing when the news started getting around that one plane, then another, had hit the World Trade Center towers. And then more news about the Pentagon and a plane that crashed in Pennsylvania.

I recall watching the towers fall through a television I had managed to connect through the old-school antenna it had in the school I was working in at the time, and thinking that likely tens of thousands of people would be lost in the rubble. I didn't think about how those below the planes would have gotten out, or those on the other side of the buildings, who weren't trapped, even managed to get down from higher floors. There was some time between the impact and the collapse. 

Friday, September 5, 2025

Some Thoughts on Divorce, and the Get

Parshat Ki Tetze

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

Divorce is not a funny subject. Jokes about divorce, on the other hand, could be funny. 

Many years ago, I attended a lecture given by a Dayan from England, on the topic of divorce – the talk was a serious one, and the messages he shared about working on a marriage and doing whatever possible to save a marriage were quite valuable – while he also acknowledged that some divorces (though possibly not all proposed divorces) need to take place. 

 Before he began his lecture, he said, in an unmistakable British accent, “Before I begin, I may as well get the old joke out of the way,” and he began to tell of a loving husband who was asking his wife what she wanted for her birthday… each offer was summarily rejected. 

Friday, August 29, 2025

We Did Not Spill the Blood

Parshat Shoftim 

by Rabbi Avi Billet 

The Torah presents a kind of unsolved murder. A person is found murdered outside a city. The elders of the city come out and they measure whether the corpse is closer to their city or a nearby city, and whichever city is closest is deemed responsible for the death has its elders bring a calf to a riverbed (there’s a debate whether it is dry or has a river come through it or near it), where they kill the calf, wash their hands over the calf, and make the following declaration. 7And they shall announce and say,

7And they shall announce and say, "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see [this crime]."

8"Atone for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, O Lord, and lay not [the guilt of] innocent blood among your people Israel." And [so] the blood shall be atoned for them.

 

זוְעָנ֖וּ וְאָֽמְר֑וּ יָדֵ֗ינוּ לֹ֤א שָֽׁפְכוּ֙ (כתיב שפכה֙) אֶת־הַדָּ֣ם הַזֶּ֔ה וְעֵינֵ֖ינוּ לֹ֥א רָאֽוּ:

חכַּפֵּר֩ לְעַמְּךָ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל אֲשֶׁר־פָּדִ֨יתָ֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה וְאַל־תִּתֵּן֙ דָּ֣ם נָקִ֔י בְּקֶ֖רֶב עַמְּךָ֣ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל