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RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL:DEUT. 32:01-32:52:PARASHA HA'AZINU:Comin' Around Again
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
DEUTERONOMY 32:01-32:52
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
"Comin' Around, Comin' Around Again"
SYNOPTIC ABSTRACT:
In the Torah portion two weeks ago, Moses is commanded by God to write a
poetic song to the Israelites. I hated, when as a kid, my class was
assigned a poetry-writing lesson. But Moses, ever faithful to God's
orders, writes this 47-verse poem which makes up 90% of this week's
parasha. When he is done, God tells him it is time to die. Was this poem
out of rhythm or meter? Was there too much or not enough onomatopoeia or
alliteration? To find out some short (in deference to the days we have
spent in synagogue on Rosh Hashanah and the long day of Yom Kippur to
come) insights into this parasha and its Haftarah, please read on.
Moses's song begins,"Give ear"(ha'azinu). This is where the name of this
week's parasha is derived (Deut. 32:01). The theme is that Israel will
sin, will suffer, will repent, and will be saved by God. Traditionally,
it is believed that this song is prophecy. As per the critical theory of
Biblical authorship, which was discussed in Deuteronomy's first D'var
Torah in this series, this chapter was written after the return from the
Babylonian exile. It is therefore putting a divine meaning of punishment
onto their exile, as well as a meaning of divine intervention for
Israel's return to their land. It ignores, therefore, the historical
realities of the day. Big nations were conquering little nations. But
Judaism is more than a nation. It is a philosophy of ethical living, and
hence is borderless.
Israel and Judah were taken captive not because God
punished the Jews. Israel and Judah were taken captive because they were
militarily weaker than other nations around them. Judah returned to the
"promised land" because the Persians conquered the Babylonians. Persian
King Cyrus, who felt the Jews were loyal to him, wanted them in this
territory, and not the people that the Babylonians imported to live
there in the Jews' absence. The Jewish people stayed alive under
Babylonian and Persian rule because they kept their core beliefs, but
adapted to the new environment. Ironically, when the call was given to
return to the land of Israel, most Jews stayed in what is now Iraq and
Iran.
There are some interesting points that we can glean from this portion.
Talmud Tractate Beracoth 21A derives the rule of saying a prayer before
Torah study from verse 32:3-4. It also decree that when three or more eat
together, one should call upon the others to recite the "Grace after the
Meal" (birkat ha mazon). This is why you hear Grace begin with, "chaveirim
va chaveirot n'vareich"(friends {male and female}, let us praise).
Traditionally, the call is "rabbotie n'vareich" which is asking men, or
rabbis, to praise God.
A timeless bit of truth ,to those who are students of history, is
included in Moses's song. He says in verses 32:15-18, that Israel became
fortunate and lost her moral compass. People are prone to "indulge their
lusts when they have the resources to do so," says rabbi Nosson
Scherman. Israel, like other nations before it, and other nations after
it, failed the test.
As the modern Jewish poet and song writer Bob Dylan
writes,"the first one now will later be last." Israel, called "Jeshurun"
became "fat, thick and corpulent." Jeshurun, in Hebrew, means upright,
straight and unbending. Orthodox means the same thing. Yet, even though
they followed the ritual and brought sacrifices to God, they succumbed.
Why? Their morals and ethics were forgotten. They did not take care of
the poor in their land. They treated each other horribly. Their very
nation, rich and powerful under King Solomon split in two a generation
later. Jews fought with Jews. Rituals were done, but hatred and pride
were in their hearts. Moses is warning us, and all nations, that is it
important not to forget the ethics, morals, and man-to-man laws when we
become successful. This admonition is great advice not only to the
leaders of our country, but to us as individuals.
Because this is the High Holy Day season, the days of Awe between Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Moses's song promises redemption to the sinning
nation and to sinning individuals. But Moses himself does not spare
punishment for his transgression when he hit the rock, instead of
speaking to it, in the wilderness. God tells Moses to climb Mount Nebo,
look at the promised land that he will not be allowed to enter, and die
there. This parasha, the second to the last of the Chumash, ends here.
This Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbat
Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return. It gets it name from the first word of
this week's Haftarah. The Haftarah is made from three sections from three
different prophetic writings: Hosea 14:2-10, Joel 2:11-27, and Micah
7:18-20. Hosea 14:02 begins, "Return oh Israel, to God." Because of the
busyness of the two holidays, our synagogues are sometimes not quite full
on this Sabbath, giving it another name, "Shabbat of No Return."
The theme of these three prophets which make up this Haftarah is that
"the gates of repentance, renewal, are always open"(Mishna Deut. Rabbah). No matter
how much we have sinned, if we make a sincere effort to change, we are
not lost. "Who , oh God, is like You, Who pardons iniquity and overlooks
transgression?"(Micah 7:18). What a wonderful time to being our Jewish Spiritual Renewal process if we have not already begun to do so.
At our Tashlich service, after the Rosh
Hashanah service, we "cast bread upon the waters." This symbolizes our
desire to get rid of our bad habits and strive to be better people. "Cast
into the depths of the sea, all your sins"(Micah 7:19). And what does the
Micah say God wants from us on this last Shabbat before we traditionally
believe our fate is sealed on Yom Kippur?? Is he browbeating us to keep
the dietary laws, or pray three times a day? No. "He (God) desires
kindness!"(Micah 7:18). The word "chesed" (kindness or mercy) appears
often during this most holiest time of the year. We ask God for chesed
when we say "grant kindness to Abraham"(Micah 7:20). In return, God asks
us for chesed to each other.
May we all on this Shabbat of Return vow to return to the ethics, values,
caring, and compassion that sustains our people and great nations.May we pray to God to help us in our Jewish Spiritual Renewal. May
we pray that we, as well as our leaders, use our personal and nation's
resources to help those in need. May we all inscribe ourselves and each
other into the "Book of Life" this year. La Shana Tova! Amen.
Shabbat Shalom,
RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL
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