Haazinu

Haazinu – Hillel Athias-Robles

Hillel is a 28-year-old Costa Rican rabbi serving Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue. Hillel was a charedi rabbi until, after a long journey, he joined Liberal Judaism and came out. Hillel has been immersing himself in Jewish texts for many years, loving to add spice to their interpretation.

Give ear, O heavens, let me speak;
Let the earth hear the words I utter!
May my teaching come down as the rain,
My speech distil as the dew,
Like showers on young growth,
Like droplets on the grass.
For the name of the Eternal I proclaim;
Give glory to our God!

This week's Torah portion, from the Book of Deuteronomy, is a poem. The Torah itself calls it a shira, which can mean a poem or a song. To emphasise its poetic nature, the Talmud requires for it to be written on the Torah scroll in two separate parallel columns with a wide space in between (Shabbat 103b). The language used is a delight, and it utilises special expressions not found elsewhere in the Torah. Because of all these reasons, this passage came to be known as the Song of Moses.

This is not the only song in the Bible attributed to Moses – after being delivered from Egyptian oppression at the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites sang a special song thanking God for His deliverance. The Shirat Hayam, or Song of the Sea, somehow signifies the beginning of Moses' role as a leader and inspirer. Till then, when trying to redeem the Israelites from slavery, Moses' immediate concern was extricating the Israelites from danger and oppression. The Song at the Sea was the beginning of their formation as a nation and of his guidance. This second song, the Song of Moses, signifies the culmination of his life as a trusted shepherd to his people. His life was marked at its most crucial moments by poetry, indeed a lyrical life.

According to the narrative, the Song of Moses was recited as the Israelites were encamped at the plateau of Moab, to the east of Jericho, across the River Jordan – just before the people were to enter the Promised Land. Moses knew that he would not merit to enter Canaan, and that his time drew near. His role as Israel's leader was limited to its gestation period, and now that the people had passed the original birth pangs, they would need the fresh form of leadership provided by Joshua. Thus, before this new threshold was passed, Moses stood and talked to the people. They were personal words, described by the rabbis as words emanating from the heart and penetrating the heart. The importance of the Song was such that it was meant to be written down and placed inside the Ark of the Covenant, together with the actual Torah and the Tablets of the Law.

I believe that Haazinu offers an insight into the heart of Moses. At the end of the Parashah, God tells Moses to ascend to the top of Mount Nebo and take a glimpse at the Promised Land, after which he is to die without entering it. He is denied the enjoyment of the fruit of his labour - one of the most demoralising situations to be in. When the Torah describes the dreadful curses which will befall the Israelites were they to violate God's covenant, amongst them is 'they shall plant a vineyard yet not harvest it' (Deut. 28:30). Moses is not able to taste from the wine of the vineyard he so carefully tended for 40 years! He also knows that as soon as he is to hand over the baton of leadership and bring the people before the gates to Canaan, his life will expire. Yet he delivers them nonetheless!

 What would we do if we were to know that our death was imminent? Would we squeeze all the enjoyment we could out of life till our last second? Even though that might be certainly a legitimate option, that was not the path which Moses took. He needed to create a closure, for his life to become a legacy for eternity. Haazinu represents the steps he took in doing so. These were his last words –in them he celebrates the greatness of the Israelites and their shortcomings, details the closeness of their relationship. Through this poem he tries to impart his last ethical teaching, that which the Israelites will take with them into the Promised Land. When I read Haazinu as it is written in the Torah scroll, in two straight columns, these appear to me like two erect pillars. These were the pillars which were to sustain the people during their new struggles in the Land of Canaan – the foundations for their spiritual journey.

Most of us don't have Moses' luxury. Who amongst us knows the time when our life will demise? The Sages in Pirkei Avot (1:15) asked for us to 'return' one day before our death. Since we don't know when that day will be, the Sages were entreating us to live each moment as if it were our last. The choice is then ours whether we decide to live our life in a way in which it too will become an everlasting legacy.