Shirat Ha'azinu

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1. Torah and Song, Heaven and Earth

   Rabbi Amnon Bazak

   What is the Torah which Moshe is commanded to write? Is it the entire Torah, or only part of the Torah? What is the "song"? Why does God command Moshe to appoint both Torah and Song as witnesses for Bnei Yisrael? Why is one or the other insufficient? And why does Moshe add two additional witnesses - heaven and earth?

2. "For the Lord's Portion is His People"

   Dr. Mordechai Sabato

   Shirat Ha'azinu (the poem in Parashat Ha'azinu) is unique among all sections of the Torah, in that Moshe received an explicit command to write it and teach it to Bnei Yisrael. The shira will thereby be eternalized both in written form as well as orally - in the mouths of Bnei Yisrael. To this we must add God's explicit promise that the shira will never be forgotten from the nation. These details reflect the importance the Almighty afforded the shira. This article discusses the shira's function and its primary contents, in an attempt to explain its unique significance.

3. Ha'azinu

   Dr. Mordechai Sabato

   Ha'azinu is "shira," a song. Unlike the other songs in the Torah, which fulfill a historical purpose - the Jews really did sing a song of rejoicing after the splitting of the sea, Ha'azinu is a "song on demand" - God told Moshe to compose the song. What is the meaning of a "song" in the context of Moshe's farewell speeches to the Jewish people? And why are they told to sing?

4. The Blessing, the King and the Torah of Moshe (Audio)

   Vezot HaBerakha

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 24 minutes

   What is the purpose behind the content and imagery of Moshe's last song to his people? Allusions to Sinai and comparisons to the Yaakov's blessings and to the Song of Haazinu provide hints to the meaning embedded in this farewell song. VeZot HaBerakha presents an idyllic vision of strength, loyalty and prosperity -a positive alternative to the dire warning scenario of Haazinu.

5. Torah and Song, Heaven and Earth (Audio)

   Rabbi Amnon Bazak | 15 minutes

   As the people of Israel prepare to enter into the land, Moshe appoints a series of metaphorical witnesses to the covenant between God and Israel, and all that it entails. What are these pairs of "witnesses" and what deeper meaning does each one signify?

    

6. Yerovam’s Demise

   Rabbi Alex Israel

   Both Yerovam and Shaul turn to the prophet that appointed them at their time of need. In both cases, the navi who appoints the king announces their rejection. Yerovam sends his wife to ask about their son, but why must she be disguised? Ahiya, prophecy is damning both for Yerovam - in a harsh and grotesque language - and for the entire nation. However, the parable and language that Ahiya uses for the punishement of the nation mitigates his message and gives hope. 

7. 'Hester Panim' and its Prophetic Message

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

   'Hester Panim' is a concept that is prominent in the understanding of Megillat Esther. On a positive side, Shirat Ha'azinu teaches us that even when God's providence is not apparent, he never abandons Am Yisrael. However, 'Hester Panim' also implies a sinful situation that leads to God's reaction of 'Hester Panim'. The sin of Am Yisrael in the story of Megillat Esther is also hidden.

8. Textual and Thematic Support

   Rabbi Menachem Leibtag

   Several hints in Megillat Esther imply that the sin of Am Yisrael is the abandonment of the mission of returning to Eretz Yisrael and rebuilding the Beit HaMikdash:

   • Parallels between Ahashverosh's Palace and the Beit HaMikdash
   • The use of the term "Birah" - a term used only for the Beit HaMikdash and Shushan
   • 70 days between Haman's letters of destruction and Mordekhai's letters of salvation are reminiscent of the 70 years of exile

9. "That This Song May Answer Before Them Forever"

   Rabbi Dr. Tamir Granot

   Some of the most fundamental elements of our historiosophy are missing from the poem of Haazinu. A concise Jewish history which contains no covenant, which involves no choice between good and evil, no exile and no repentance, seems very strange. It appears that the song of Haazinu is describing history from a deterministic view - the inevitability of sin and the punishment that will follow. Why does the song present a view of history so radically different than the one with which we are familiar? 

10. A Holistic Approach to Understanding Sefer Yeshayahu

    Rabbi Yitzchak Twersky | 55 minutes

    This shiur discusses the parallels between Sefer Yeshayahu and the song of Ha'azinu, noticing the distinct literary connections between them. By closely examining the book as a whole we can learn about the clear progression throughout the book, beginning with prophecies of destruction and ending with redemption, rebuilding, and consolation. 

11. Ha'azinu: A Unique Nation

    Rabbi David Fohrman |

    In this week's video, the second of a three-part series, we delve into the beautiful and mysterious song of Ha'azinu. Rabbi Fohrman notes some fascinating language in the song and asks, once we recognize that our separation from God is our fault, how do we repair it?

     

     

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12. V'Zot Habracha: Looking Towards the Future

    Rabbi David Fohrman |

    With this week's video, Rabbi Fohrman finishes the series of parsha videos by giving us a look at the Torah's vision of what happens after the text of the Torah officially ends, and reminds us that we today are a critical part of the timeline in Jewish history.

     

     

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