Shalom Friends:
Our Parshat HaShavua Ha’azinu is being sponsored by Eliyahu and Shuli Gherman of Ramat Beit Shemesh to commemorate Eliyahu’s Bar Mitzvah Parsha and dedicated for Refuah Shleima for the cholim of Am Yisrael, for Hatslucha for the Gherman family in Eretz Yisrael and for the safety of the Chayalim and the liberation of all remaining hostages and their return home without experiencing any further harm. . To the Gherman family, many thanks for your sponsorship and your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShavua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShavua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
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We begin with an excerpt from Rabbi Shmuel Goldin’s Parsha Summary for Parshat Ha’azinu in his sefer “Unlocking The Torah Text,” Sefer Devarim (page 351) :
…Moshe raises his voice in song as he shares Shirat Ha’azinu, the song recorded in Parshat Ha’azinu, with the Jews on the last day of his life. Over the course of this song, designed to serve as eternal testimony to the nation, Moshe recalls Hashem’s kindnesses to the people and predicts their future sins, punishment and eventual redemption. In spite of national failure, suffering and exile, Moshe proclaims, the bond between Am Yisrael and Hashem will never be severed.
It is in this regard that we look at several posukim (Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posukim 7 – 8, 15-19, 20 – 23) and commentaries as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Chumash, pages 1101-1105) which seem ever pertinent in our times:
“Remember the days of yore, understand the years of generation after generation. Ask your father and he will relate it to you, and your elders and they will tell you. When the Supreme One gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of man, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the B’nei Yisrael.” (Artscroll Stone Chumash citing Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posukim 7 and 8)
Artscroll Stone Chumash Commentary (posuk 7) : “The days of yore… generation after generation.” At the core of much human error is a lack of perspective. Most people refuse to believe that the past is relevant to them, and they suffer this foolish myopia [lack of foresight or discernment, obtuseness. narrow-mindedness; intolerance]. Moshe pleads with Israel to take counsel with those who have experience and perspective. Generation after generation were brought down for their sins of immorality, greed or aggression. Does Israel think it will be different?
Artscroll Stone Chumash Commentary (ibid, posuk 8) : After the Flood [Mabul], when all of the people who… lived together and tried to build the Tower of Babel [Migdal Bavel] (Artscroll Chumash citing Breish’t, Perek 11), Hashem decided to scatter them. He divided them into seventy languages and separate nations, corresponding to the number of the B’nei Yisrael, i.e. the seventy members of Yaakov’s family who would later descend into Egypt. (Artscroll Chumash citing Rashi) The connotation is that when the nations… forfeited the opportunity to be the bearers of Hashem’s mission for humanity, He substituted Israel for them and made the number of the Jews’ families parallel to the number of primary national groups.
“Yeshurun became fat and kicked. You became fat, you became thick, you became corpulent [large or bulky of body; portly; stout; fat.] — and it [Yeshurun] deserted Hashem its Maker, and was contemptuous of the Rock of its salvation.” (ibid, Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 15)
“They would provoke His jealousy with strangers; they would anger Him with abominations.” (Sefer ibid, Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 16)
“They would slaughter to demons without power, gods who they knew not, newcomers recently arrived, whom your ancestors did not dread.” (ibid, Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 17)
“You ignored the Rock Who gave birth to you, and forgot Hashem Who brought you forth.” (ibid, Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 18)
“Hashem will see and be provoked by the anger of His sons and daughters.” (ibid, Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 19)
“And He will say, ‘I shall hide my face from them and see what their end will be — for they are a generation of reversals… ” (ibid, Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 20)
“They provoked Me with a non-god, angered Me with their vanities; so shall I provoke them with a non-people, with a vile nation shall I anger them.” (ibid, Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 21)
“For fire will have been kindled in My nostrils… It shall consume the earth and its produce, and set ablaze what is founded on mountains.” (ibid, Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 22)
“I shall accumulate evils against them. My arrows I shall use up against them.” (ibid, Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 23)
Artscroll Stone Chumash Commentary (ibid, posukim 15-18) : Prosperity brings dissolution. Good fortune is a serious challenge to a nation’s moral standing, for people are prone to indulge their lusts when they have the resources to do so. Israel failed the test.
Artscroll Stone Chumash Commentary (ibid, posuk 15) : Having come into the Land and enjoyed Hashem’s loving gifts, Israel was at the height of its calling — but too much prosperity led to its downfall. Even Yeshurun is in danger if it succumbs to its desires. (Artscroll Stone Chumash citing Rav Hirsch)
When the nation’s elite pursued physical pleasures — growing “fat, thick and corpulent” — the outcome was that the ordinary folk deserted Hashem and showed Him contempt. For such is human nature: When the great stray a little bit, the commoners fall into steep decline. (Artscroll Stone Chumash citing Sforno)
Artscroll Stone Chumash Commentary (ibid, posukim 16-17) : Israel will anger Hashem by worshiping strange gods and performing such acts as sodomy and idolatry, which Hashem finds abominable. They will bring offerings to powerless demons, to newly invented gods that their ancestors never knew or scorned as hoaxes.
Artscroll Stone Chumash Commentary (ibid, posuk 19 – 23) : Hashem’s wrath. Israel’s provocations will not go unrequited. If the people use Hashem’s blessings to anger Him, He will remove the blessings and cast them [Israel[ to the mercies of their enemies.
Artscroll Stone Chumash Commentary (ibid, posuk 20) : “A generation of reversals.” They reverse Hashem’s mood from benevolence to anger. (Artscroll Stone Chumash citing Rashi)
Artscroll Stone Chumash Commentary (ibid, posuk 21) : “They provoked Me… so shall I provoke them.” Israel angered Hashem by worshiping deities that had no power or value. Measure for measure, Hashem will let them be defeated and subjugated by nations that exist solely to exact retribution against Israel.
Artscroll Stone Chumash Commentary (ibid, posuk 22) : “What is founded on mountains.” i.e. Jerusalem, which is built on the Judean mountains. (Artscroll Stone Chumash citing Rashi)
Rabbi David Feinstein, z”l provides a poignant [adjective: keen or strong in mental appeal] commentary of blessing and hope, despite suffering and exile, in his sefer, “Kol Dodi” (page 298) :
Rashi notes that this threat contains a hidden blessing: “My arrows I shall use up against them” but they (the people) will not be totally destroyed. However much Hashem punishes the Jews, they will always survive.
Hashem never inflicts difficulties on His people merely for the sake of punishment — only to teach and to stimulate them to improve themselves. Thus, Hashem complained to the Navi Yirmiyahu (2:30), “In vain did I strike your children, for they did not learn the lesson.” The punishments He sent were only for the constructive purpose of causing His children to mend their ways, Since they did not do so, the punishments were in vain.
The posukim of Hashem’s wrath continue, as The Artscroll Stone Chunash summarizes posukim 26 through 31, bringing about “false notions” by Israel’s adversaries (page 1105), cites Ramban and Sforno on posuk 35 (page 1107) and summarizes posukim 36 through 43 (page 1107) :
Israel’s enemies will think that they prevailed by their own prowess, independently of Hashem’s anger — but that will be their undoing, because it will cause Hashem to intervene on the side of Israel. (ibid, page 1105)
According to Ramban and Sforno, these posukim are a continuation of the warning to the nations that their cruelties to Israel will not be forgotten, and retribution will come to them when their own measure of sin is filled. (ibid, page 1107)
Neither Israel’s sins nor the exiles and suffering they bring about can sever the bond between it and Hashem. Eventually, the closeness will return and the final redemption will come. (ibid, page 1107)
Rabbi Shmuel Goldin notes in his sefer “Unlocking The Torah Text,” Sefer Devarim (ibid., page 364) :
Standing before Am Yisrael during the final hours of his life, …[Moshe Rabbeinu] has a single agenda. He desperately wants to convince his people to keep faith with Hashem, to remain loyal to their Creator and to His law over the long term.
….The quality and strength of your relationship with another is determined by whether or not your partner can trust you to “be there.”
During the years that have brought you to this point, the most important lesson you have learned is that you can trust in Hashem’s constant presence and personal care…. The true measure of Hashem’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.
Day after day, year after year, century after century, you must prove to Hashem that He can trust you.
The many factions and resultant disunity among Am Yisrael which, in turn, often manifests itself in equivocal governamce; agendization in judicial courts, mainstream media, “intelligencia” and universities; restrictive glass ceilings in the military high command limited only to those of certain factions and ideologies, as well as the self-aggrandizing arrogance of the military “elites” displayed before enemy nations and animalistic terror groups — all reflect a lack of emunah in Hashem, i.e. putting faith in weaponry, the words of enemies and so-called “super-powers” — all failures to maintain Hashem’s trust in us.
Israel’s current victory-oriented strategies in Gaza and attacks in Iran which demolished much of their nuclear facilities, scientists, military leadership, ballistic missiles and ballistic missile manufacturing facilities exemplify positive changes resulting from the appointments of a new defense minister and foreign minister. The pre-emptive actions against Iran are nothing short of miraculous, B’Yad Hashem.
May our government and military bring total and complete, Final and Decisive victory over Hamas, their 7 October so-called “civilians(sic)” collaborators and the entire terror cabal, B’Yad Hashem, and become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.”
May we see, from here on, that border guard personnel at all points of possible danger are listened to and treated with respect and dignity. May we see our Chayalim totally eradicate Hamas, Islamic Jihad, those so-called “civilians(sic)” who collaborated on 7 October, as well as Hezbollah, the Houthies, the Mullahs of Iran and all their terror accomplices while liberating all remaining hostages, B’Yad Hashem and mandated by a government secure in it’s foremost service of, and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael. May these words come to fruition B’Esrat Hashem.
It would seem that the War of Simchat Torah, with its myriad of intelligence and strategic misreadings and miscalculations are a wake up call to Am Yisrael, in Israel and worldwide, regarding improving ourselves, coming near to, and restoring emunah in Hashem, and justifying His continued love for, and trust in us. Will we, shall we say, “smell the coffee?”
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif e permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his fifth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. May the MIAs be liberated alive and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, the recent recovery of the remains of Tzvi Feldman as well as the recovery of the remains of Oron Shaul as should the remains of the other chayal from the Gaza War of ten years ago. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we see, in 5785, the REAL Jews from the Ukraine and Russia as well as the US and Canada, the real Jews via matrilineal descent, make Aliyah enmass — via thorough review by Misrad HaPanim. And may we soon and finally see the total end to the Communist Chinese Wuhan Lab corona virus pandemic and all like viruses and variants. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos! May You, All of My Brothers and Sisters, be Inscribed and Sealed for another Year of Life… Now and always! L’Shana Tova!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Moshe is available for editing of English language documents, articles, manuscripts and more. Please be in contact with him at olehchadash@yahoo.com for your English language needs.
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