The Poetry of Haazinu

Parshat Haazinu 

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Haazinu is presented to us as a poem, and is described in the Torah as a שירה – a song. Surely one reason for putting Haazinu in the form of poetry is to draw attention to the message contained therein. 

Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch notes that the fundamental message Moshe shares here is that God becomes for the Jewish people what the soil of their land is for other nations. In other words, what will always unite the Jewish people is God and His gift to the Jewish people, which is the Torah, and the relationship we have with Him. This withstands the test of time and the test of locale, the test of having a land, and the test of being a people who live in peace. 

The national character of the Jewish people is defined precisely through ִימְצָאֵ֙הוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִדְבָּ֔ר וּבְתֹ֖הוּ יְלֵ֣ל יְשִׁמֹ֑ן – our being found (or finding God) in a desert land, in desolation, a howling wilderness. A relationship that can stand the test of time and space is one which is lasting, especially through the day-to-day rigors of the daily grind, no matter where we find ourselves. It is one that is worthy of song, because not only does the song draw attention to the relationship, but the poetry itself opens the door for beauty to be found in its interpretation. 

Anyone who reads a piece of poetry, or who reads or hears a song that touches the heart finds that the more we read it, think about it, and try to connect to it, the deeper the layers of the song, the music, the lyrics and the message speak to us. 

Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, in his “Unlocking the Torah Text,” explained the relationship of God and the Jewish people, as presented in this song, in the following way: “During the years that have brought you to this point, the most important lesson you have learned is that you can trust in God’s constant presence and personal care.” 

We’ll note of course that there is no direct reference to the event of the Exodus in this parsha, nor to the event of the giving of the Torah. The focus is on the time wandering and living in the wilderness. 

Rabbi Goldin continues: “The true measure of God’s love for you has been shown through His constancy, through His personal care for you over the course of your wilderness wanderings, day after day.” 

The message of the song is that a relationship with God is not just about being there for the big moments – but about the day to day living that everyone experiences. 

 Moshe has seen the best of this nation, and he has seen them at their worst. Their best was when they saw God and understood God’s presence in their lives. Think of Revelation – Naaseh V’Nishma! Think of the Mishkan – their donations far surpassed what was needed! Think of the confidence in the middle of Parshas Be’haaloskha, when Moshe expresses to his father in law that we’ll be in the Land in 3 days! 

And their worst included the Golden Calf, all the complaints about water and meat, the Spies, Korach and co., Dasan and Aviram, Baal Peor and Zimri. 

As great as the best moments were, they are outshined by the bad moments. And so Moshe may seem a little gloomy in this parsha (discernible through reading the entire message Moshe shares) because he is concerned that without him there to defend the people, they may not be able to live up to their part of the deal God is making with them. He is worried that the message of what life will be like, day in and day out, will fall on deaf ears. 

There is another way to look at Moshe’s words, and that is with a sense of optimism, of where things can go from here, if only the people take heed. That would certainly be fulfilled if the people were to embrace God and His Torah, and commit to following all that Moshe has been teaching, encouraging, and warning about. 

In what may be the post High Holiday euphoria we feel, we have the opportunity to embrace the mitzvoth that come in this time period – the holiday season – with gusto and with joy. We can elevate our meals with company, with good conversations about the meaning of the holiday and of what this time of year is meant to build within us, in terms of our relationship with God and our commitment to Torah over the winter months. 

Ralbag wrote that “this song” that Moshe was told to write down refers to the entire Torah – that all of the Torah is a song filled with prose and poetry. In this light, the imagery of the Torah, in order to be understood, must come from a place of knowledge, which requires dedication and study in order to appreciate it best and inform one’s life based on its teachings. 

Moshe knows that the legacy he is leaving for Am Yisrael – as Rav Hirsch put it – is a legacy of a People who can survive anything: exile, destruction, persecution, the passage of time. And while he might be passing into the sunset, he is leaving his people in the capable hands of Yehoshua, at a time when he is just about as close to Hashem as he has ever been in his life. 

Over the course of the next week and a half we have Shabbos this weekend, two days of Yom Tov on Tuesday and Wednesday, Shabbos again two days later, and yom tov again on the following Tuesday and Wednesday. Hopefully, instead of looking at all this as too much yom tov, we will look at this time for the opportunity it gives us, to enhance our relationship with God. 

Perhaps we can undertake a learning project to finish in time for Simchas Torah. Maybe we can make it a personal goal to inject joy into every day of yom tov, with holiday cheer, song, divrei Torah, and excitement for the mitzvah of Sukkah and for Lulav and Esrog that will carry us through the Yom Tov. 

This is the time of year, post High Holidays, when we demonstrate where we are in our relationship with God. May we be blessed to step it up, day in and day out, particularly in the coming week and a half, and of course throughout the coming year.