Parshat Haazinu
Our rabbis taught in the
Sifrei of the greatness of a song that has reference to the past, future, and
the World to Come. It is divided into six portions, which are identified by the
mneumonic “הזי"ו ל"ך” (“the splendor is
for you” ie to shine on you). Each of the first six aliyahs begins with those
letters (in that order), and it is divided this way specifically in Haazinu
because the overall message is one of rebuke that the people of the nation
should be returning to God through Teshuvah.
One of the reasons for the
mneumonic is so that everyone knows this is the breakdown, no matter what, and
people should not argue with the reader, even if he ends the Aliyah on a
less-than-positive note, for such is the breakdown of this Torah portion.
Another reason for this
categorization is because we find ourselves in the midst of days of judgment.
Just as a woman who is labor is told “God should shine on you” and a person who
is going through a difficulty is told “God should bring you out of the darkness
and back into the light. This is why the mneumonic itself has significance
because it is essentially saying that God’s Ziv (זיו)
and his Hod (הוד) and His light will
come to you, illuminate and give you light.
Each of the six portions
touches upon a different subject.
Verses 1-6 (which begin
with האזינו):
Speak of the goodness God performed for the people simply for being human, not
specifically for being Yisrael. “He is your Father who has acquired you, Who
made you…” references the human condition, not specifically that of Israel
Verses 7-12 (which begin
with זכר):
He tells of the goodness done for Israel in the wilderness and before being in
the wilderness, simply because they are Israel. Nations were given their
places, in accordance with taking Israel into account.
Veres 13-18 (which begin
with ירכיבהו):
He set them on the highlands to taste of the yield of the earth. This
references the good done for Yisrael in the Land, which hasn’t even happened
yet. The abundance of the land, in terms of what it could produce, is
referenced in this section.
Verses 19-29 (which begin
with וירא):
This speaks of the punishment given to those who reject the goodness bequeathed
to them
Verses 29-39 (which begin
with לו):
Even though God was to punish, there were individuals who still behaved
wickedly who did not think that what was happening was a direct result of their
actions
Verses 40-43 (which begin
with כי אשא):
Speaks of the punishment that will come to the nations over how they’ve treated
(or will have treated) Israel, and this refers to in the time of redemption.
God references taking His weaponry.
All of these sections,
except the last which is meant to be comforting to Israel and punishing to the
nations, have rebuke in them.
All of what has been
presented until now is from the Toldot Yitzchak – the great work of Rabbi
Yitzchak Caro, who goes on to specifics about the elements of the rebuke, as
well as a further analysis of just about every detail of the messages of the
Parsha.
There is no denying that
Haazinu is a complicated piece of poetry.
Every commentator has a different perspective on every verse, leaving
the depth of the messaging up for renewed interpretation each year.
What is clear, however, is
that in referencing past and future, there is what to reflect upon and what to
be mindful of going forward.
At the very least, we can follow the custom of the Jewish people on Shabbos Shuva, and gather together for the Shabbos Shuva drasha. Wherever you may find yourself this weekend, hopefully you can attend a Shabbos Shuva Drasha, and with God’s help it should serve as an inspiration for the undertakings we will commit to for the coming year, to serve both as a blessing to ourselves and our families, as well as to all of Klal Yisrael.
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