From:          "Yeshivat Har Etzion's Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash"
To:            yhe-intparsha@vbm-torah.org
Subject:       INTPARSHA -51: Parashat Ha'azinu


                     Yeshivat Har Etzion
           Israel Koschitzky Virtual Beit Midrash
                             
              Introduction to Parashat HaShavua
                             
           Parashat Haazinu - Structure and Themes
                      By Michael Hattin


Introduction

At  last  ready  to take his leave from the people  for  the
final  time,  Moshe  departs from the conventional  approach
that  he  has employed throughout the rest of Sefer Devarim.
Containing  neither a review of mitzvot, nor straightforward
words  of  exhortation  and warning  as  we  have  typically
encountered  in the remainder of this Book, the  Parasha  of
Haazinu  is  instead  composed  in  the  form  of  a   song.
Eschewing  readily comprehensible prose, the 'Shira'  (song)
rather  relies  upon poetic metaphor, meter, and  sometimes-
obscure  imagery  to  drive home its timeless  and  profound
message.   This  week we shall study some of  the  pertinent
themes of this song, viewing them in particular through  the
enlightening   prism  of  Ramban's  (13th  century,   Spain)
commentary.


Five Sections - Deconstructing the Song

Although  it  is sometimes difficult to pinpoint  the  exact
references  of some of the Song's allusions, nevertheless  a
general structure of its subject matter can be outlined.  It
would  be useful to first peruse the text of the Song, found
in  Chapter 32, verses 1- 43 of Sefer Devarim, while bearing
in  mind  that  there is much discussion among  the  primary
sources  and  the commentaries concerning the exact  meaning
and  import  of  specific phrases.  Consider also  that  the
commentaries have made various plausible attempts  to  break
down the Song into its component sections, and the following
approach  should therefore not be viewed as definitive,  but
rather  as  a  constructive tool for organizing  the  Song's
themes.

The first section, verses one through six (1 - 6), serve  as
an  introduction.  In these verses, Moshe invokes the  names
of  heaven  and  earth as his 'witnesses,' and  proceeds  to
proclaim  God's  greatness, as well  as  His  justice.   His
children,  the  people  of Israel, are  at  fault,  for  the
generation  that God sustained and nurtured has  repaid  His
kindness with ingratitude.

In  section two, verses seven through twelve (7 - 12), Moshe
exhorts  the people to remember the days of old,  to  ponder
the events of earlier times.  He describes how God chose the
people  of Israel from among the other nations as  His  own,
and   assigned  them  a  unique  mission.   Turning  to  the
experience   of   the   Wilderness,  Moshe   recalls   God's
providential care of the people, how He shielded them in His
protective  embrace  from  a  barren  environment  that  was
hostile and hazardous.

Thus  far,  Moshe's has described events in the  past,  both
distant as well as recent.  The remaining sections, in which
he  employs  the medium of prophecy, relate to events  after
Moshe's lifetime, as he sees them unfold in his mind's  eye.
However, since for the Prophet, past, present and future are
perceived  as  progressing along  the  same  continuum,  the
grammatical tenses in the Song remain constant throughout.

Thus, in section three, verses thirteen through eighteen (13
-  18),  Moshe sees the people enter the land.   God  causes
them to conquer and to settle its 'high places,' and to then
partake of and enjoy its choice products: honey, oil,  milk,
meat,  wheat and wine.  The people wax fat from all  of  the
goodness  that the land graciously bestows, but rather  than
turning  to  God in gratitude, they abandon Him and  instead
worship the alien gods of Canaan as their patrons.  Adopting
the  abominable rituals of those pagan cults, their  conduct
angers God, as they forget the loving concern of the One Who
had fashioned them into a nation.

Section four, verses nineteen through twenty-six (19 -  26),
spells  out  the frightening consequences of the conduct  of
the  people of Israel.  God will 'hide His face'  from  them
and   they  will  fall  prey  to  the  surrounding  nations.
Stricken  by famine, fever, and plague, the people  will  be
attacked  by 'wild beasts' as the iron grip of the besieging
enemy closes around their cities.  They will be exiled  from
their land and almost forever lost as a people.

But,  a  remnant will survive.  Section four, verses twenty-
seven  through  thirty-three  (27  -  33),  describes  God's
'reluctant' preservation of His people.  The taunts  of  the
enemy, who might otherwise ascribe their victory over Israel
to  their own strength and to the power of their gods,  will
paradoxically be the cause of Israel's deliverance.  Lacking
merits  on  their own, it will be for the sake of  His  name
that is inextricably bound up with His people, that God will
intervene  to save.  The nations, in turn, will  not  escape
punishment but will drink from the very 'wine of Sodom' that
they  themselves  have  poured,  for  their  motivations  in
attacking Israel were self-interested and self-serving.

Section five, verses thirty-four through forty-three  (34  -
43)  speaks  of God's rescue.  When all hope appears  to  be
lost and the very existence of the people of Israel hangs in
the balance, when the nations will question God's ability or
desire  to  save and will gloat over their imminent  demise,
God will show Himself.  The One Who alone can kill and bring
back  to life, the One who crushes and brings healing,  will
exact  vengeance from His foes, for they desired to  destroy
Israel  for their own conceited purposes.  On that  dreadful
Day  of Reckoning, God will obliterate the enemies of Israel
and they will once more dwell securely in their land.


Reassembling the Sections

Considering  the  structural outline of  the  Song,  we  can
appreciate  that in fact it is very much telling a  coherent
tale,  namely the history of the Jewish people.   It  begins
with  the story of our ancestors, who were selected  by  God
and   were   first   charged  with  the  responsibility   of
introducing  His  name and moral laws to  the  world.   That
mission  was to be achieved by their descendants,  who  were
given  the  framework of a fertile land in order to  realize
that goal.

Seduced by the bounty of that land and by the immoral  rites
and  ethical equivocation of its gods, the people of  Israel
strayed  from  their exalted but difficult  task,  and  were
therefore exiled.  Condemned to wandering among the nations,
their  initial association with the idea of an Absolute  God
of  stern morality and indulgent lovingkindness could not be
cast  off,  for  wherever they went in the  lands  of  their
dispersion they carried the idea with them.

Although  the  nations subjected Israel to constant  attack,
they  could  not be destroyed, for their demise  would  have
spelled the end of God's interaction with the world.   Thus,
a  remnant  always survived, patiently waiting for  the  day
when  God  would again cause His favor to shine  upon  them.
That day, Moshe assures a people no doubt taken aback by the
harshness  of  his hymn, will one day dawn.  The  people  of
Israel  will  be reconciled with their God and  restored  to
their  land, much to the chagrin of their enemies  who  will
perceive in those portentous events their own downfall.


The Ramban - A Biographical Sketch

Moses  ben Nachman (1195 - 1270) was born in Gerona, in  the
province  of Aragon.  The period during which he  lived  was
pivotal  for  Spanish Jewry, for at the  dawn  of  the  12th
century, much of Northern Spain fell under the sway  of  the
Christian  kings  who had reconquered  it  from  its  Moslem
overlords.  Additionally, the conquest of Andalusia  by  the
fanatical  Moslem Berbers of North Africa in 1148  put  many
Jews  to  flight  northwards, and as  result  of  these  two
developments,  the centers of Jewish life in  Spain  changed
from Moslem to Christian hands.

While  still  a  youth, Ramban acquired fame as  a  Talmudic
scholar.   Combining his Talmudic acumen with  philosophical
and  scientific training, he soon became recognized  as  the
spiritual leader of Spanish Jewry.  A prodigious writer,  he
authored  important  commentaries  on  the  Talmud  and  the
Chumash,  as well as critical comments on the works  of  the
Rif and the Rambam.

In  1263, James the King of Aragon called upon the Ramban to
publicly  represent  the  Jews in a  debate  with  a  Jewish
apostate  by the name of Pablo Christiani, whose patron  was
the  head of the Dominican Order of Friars.  In the presence
of   the  dignitaries  of  the  Church,  Ramban  stated  his
arguments forcefully and convincingly, defendinthe tenets of
the Torah and undermining the leading dogmas of Catholicism.
The Dominicans were sufficiently unhappy with the results of
the debate to appeal to the Pope for an order of banishment,
and James reluctantly sent the Ramban into exile.

Taking  the  opportunity to fulfill a  lifelong  dream,  the
Ramban  set his sights for the barren shores of the Land  of
Israel, and arrived in Jerusalem on the ninth of Elul of the
year  1266.  Greeted by a landscape of desolation and  ruin,
he  found  only  two  Jews residing permanently  within  the
city's  environs.  Nevertheless, he made Jerusalem his  home
and  soon  a  small community of Jews coalesced  around  his
leadership.   During the final three years of his  life,  he
completed  his commentary on the Chumash.  It is  useful  to
keep  the  above brief biography in mind as we consider  the
Ramban's words concerning the Shira of Haazinu.


The Commentary of the Ramban on the Shira

     "This  Song  constitutes for us  a  true  and  faithful
     witness,  for  it explicitly spells out all  that  will
     befall  us.   It  begins  by  describing  the  act   of
     compassion that God performed by taking us  to  Him  as
     His  portion,  and  recalls  His  care  of  us  in  the
     wilderness.  He caused us to possess the land of  great
     and  powerful  nations and we enjoyed goodness,  wealth
     and  honor  in  that  place.  Becoming  complacent  and
     demonstrating ingratitude, we rebelled against God  and
     served  idolatry.  God responded in anger, and we  were
     stricken with pestilence, famine, wild beasts  and  the
     sword,  until  we  were exiled and scattered  to  every
     corner  of the globe.  These historical facts are  well
     known.

     "The  Song  proclaims that in the end, God  will  exact
     vengeance from our enemies, for all of their oppressive
     cruelty  had as its underlying motivation a hatred  for
     God, rather than simply an antipathy towards us.
    
     "It  is obvious that the final vindication of which the
     Song  speaks refers to the Future Redemption,  for  its
     words were not fulfilled at the time of the Return from
     Babylonian captivity.  In fact, political weakness  and
     subservience   to   foreign  kings  characterized   the
     beginning of the Second Temple period, and God did  not
     'atone' for the land of His people at that time.
    
     "Behold,  this Song contains no exhortations to  return
     to  God  and  to serve Him.  Rather it is a testimonial
     document  attesting to our abandonment of God  and  His
     angry response, which will, however, not result in  our
     complete disappearance.  God will again have compassion
     upon  us  and  will severely punish our foes.Thus,  the
     Song   constitutes  a  categorical  promise  of  future
     redemption, negating the arguments of the heretics  who
     anticipate otherwise (commentary to verse 40).


Conclusion

For  the  Ramban, the significance of the Song lies  in  its
constituting  an unassailable monument to our past,  present
and  future.  The Song does not enjoin upon us what we  must
do,  or  command us concerning how we should serve God.   It
contains no mitzvot, and makes no provisos on us to  observe
the  Torah. It states no warnings, and lays down no  rewards
for  observance or punishments for abrogation.   It  is  not
even  a  prayer, for Moshe composes the Song neither in  the
form  of supplication, nor as inspired words of exhortation,
but  rather as a prophetic statement of the destiny and  the
eternity of the Jewish people.  As such, the Song becomes  a
text sui generis, for it describes not what ought to be, nor
what must be, but rather what will be.

With  an inevitability that in no way undermines our freedom
to choose otherwise, Moshe proclaims the story of the Jewish
people.   God has given us a mission in the world, a  unique
responsibility  that sets us apart from all  other  peoples,
but  throughout  our  history  we  will  often  oppose  that
remarkable  fact to adopt the worldview and way of  life  of
the  other nations.  Our attempts to surrender our  heritage
will  never  entirely succeed, for though we may  stray  far
from  our  spiritual moorings, our identity and our  destiny
will  always  remain bound up with the name of  the  God  of
Israel.  Conversely, though mighty nations may rise up  with
intent  to destroy us, they too will not succeed,  for  with
our  demise, God's faintly perceived role in the history  of
humanity would perish as well.

In the end, God will return to His people and return them to
His  land,  if not on account of their merits then  for  the
sake  of  'His  great Name.'  The Jewish  people,  the  only
living  remnant to have survived from antiquity, is  offered
the promise of eventual redemption; through their redemption
the  return  of  God's  presence  to  the  world  will  also
inevitably  transpire,  and the  purpose  of  Creation  will
finally be realized.

Shabbat Shalom


YESHIVAT HAR ETZION
ISRAEL KOSCHITZKY VIRTUAL BEIT MIDRASH
ALON SHEVUT, GUSH ETZION 90433

Copyright (c) 1999 Yeshivat Har Etzion
All Rights Reserved

********************************************************