Netvort Ha'azinu 5773:         Swan Song

By Rabbi Joshua (representatively known as the Hoffer) Hoffman

Parshas Ha’azinu, referred to by the Torah as a shira, or song, given over by Moshe to the people before he died, begins by calling on heaven and earth to serve as witnesses to its contents. A brief comparison of the effect of the Torah to that of rain and dew is then given, followed by a call to ascribe greatness to God when calling on his name. Next, we are given an encapsulated history of the Jewish people, in which God’s kindnesses to them, and their ingratitude to him, are recorded, and the nation’s consequent exile and ultimate redemption are predicted. What is the meaning behind this progression of elements, and what is the overall message intended by them?

Perhaps the key to understanding the shira is the verse that calls on the people to ascribe greatness to God. The Talmud (Berachos, 21a) tells us that this verse is a source for the obligation to make a blessing before studying Torah. The verse reads, “When I call out the name of the Lord, ascribe greatness to our God” (Devarim 22:3). We can explain this understanding of calling out God’s name as referring to Torah study on the basis of the Ramban in his introduction to his Torah commentary, in which he states, based on Kabbalistic sources that the entire Torah consists of different combinations of letters that spell out various forms of God’s name. Taken in this sense, the Torah, in essence, is a testimony to God, and the blessing made on Torah study highlights this idea. Interestingly, as pointed out by Rabbi Betzalel Rudinsky, the beginning of this verse is framed in the singular, while its end is in the plural. This may indicate that ascribing greatness to God when studying Torah is the collective responsibility of the Jewish people. With this idea in mind, we can better understand the progression and message of the shira.

The Ramban, in his commentary to Ha’azinu, says that the reason that God maintained the existence of the Jewish nation despite its backsliding, is that he created the world so that people would honor him, and, after the rest of humanity reached a debased moral state, only God’s special nation could serve as teachers of his honor to the rest of the world. Therefore, they needed to be preserved. Otherwise, the entire purpose of creation would not be realized, and it would have been for naught. The message of the shira, then, seems to be that only through the study and fulfillment of the Torah can the Jewish nation fulfill its task. The shira, therefore, begins by calling heaven and earth to testify, because the shira explains the purpose of their creation. The life-giving qualities of the Torah are then described before the actual blessing over Torah study is commanded, because a sense of gratitude needs to precede an acceptance of God’s command. This idea is brought out from the Mechilta to parshas Yisro, in explaining why the Decalogue begins with the verse, “I am the Lord your God who took you out of the land of Egypt.” The obligation to ascribe greatness to God in studying Torah is addressed to the nation, and therefore stated in the plural, because it constitutes an expression of gratitude incumbent upon them. What follows is a rebuke to the nation for showing ingratitude to God for his many kindnesses to them throughout their history, by failing, in a collective manner, to practice the Torah, and, thereby, not fulfilling their task of serving as God’s representatives on earth. The resolution of this failure will be realized with the nation’s ultimate redemption.

In 1991, I took part in Yeshiva University’s Operation Torah Shield, in which a planeload of people went to Eretz Yisroel to study Torah and thereby give moral support to the nation as it faced an onslaught of missiles fired from Iraq. The idea behind this mission was that by coming to Eretz Yisroel to study Torah we would help strengthen the nation. When we arrived at the Western Wall we were greeted by many Israeli dignitaries, among them the Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Rabbi Avraham Shapiro, zt”l. Rav Avraham, zt”l, began his remarks by saying, “Blessed are the those who come in the name of God,” and explained that we came to study Torah, which, as the Ramban says, consists of the name of God in various forms. In that particular instance, the learning of Torah was certainly coupled with the collective task of the Jewish people to declare that greatness of God to the world. May we continue to fulfill this task in the new year, and merit the redemption promised in the shira.

Best wishes for a joyous Sukkos from Netvort Central!