Moses goes out with a song. This is Moshe Rabbenu’s last day. And what does he leaves Bnei Israel with? A song.
A poem loaded with past, present and future. In fact, the predictions in this song are grave, harsh, and unapologetic.
Beautifully written, the first sentence calls us to listen in a strange way. Ha’azinu is an expression, a saying meant for someone standing nearby….’give ear’.
Yet, Moshe calls upon the heavens – Ha’Azinu HaShamaim - with this expression, as if, they’re that close to him.
And he calls to the Earth. What perfect connection to Bereshit – which opens with The Heavens and The Earth. We’ve come full circle.
Rabbi Munk states, that because it was Moshe’s last day, he could have felt closer to the heavens and less so to Bnei Israel which he calls upon in the same sentence by using the words Tish-mah Ha-Aretz….and may the Earth hear….
Rashi notes that this order of addressing the heavens first and Bnei Israel second, is quite fitting, since after Moshe would be no longer among Bnei Israel…the Heavens and the Earth would be the only witnesses to what would come.
And what would come is exactly what this brutal song is all about. HaShem is clearly worried that the riches awaiting Bnei Israel across the Jordan River, would literally make them fat…Va-Jishman Jeshurun… Jeshurun became fat and kicked…
Here, Israel is called Jeshurun…..only three times it is called that way in the Torah, all in Dvarim…derived from the word –Jashar- or straight – pointing to the straight path, man can choose to walk on –
For, in the past, Israel had been on the straight path before yet, succuming to the dangers of material prosperity.
Among the warnings - perhaps the most important one is:
Shichat Lo? Loh bnaiv muman! Is corruption His, written as Lamed-Wav – lo?
Answer: ….No – written as Lamed-Aleph – loh – it’s is his children who are at fault.
We know when things go bad, people tend to blame HaShem rather then themselves….
The Shir is so prophetic in that it clearly lays out the fate of Bnei Israel. It announces the Hatfutzot – the Diasporah….
And according to Rishonim as stated in Nachshoni’s book, this is the essence of the Shir (song) that it will be necessary to disperse Israel to the corners of the world in order to not be destroyed.
This is also the opinion of Ramban, who explains the words : Amarti Af-ehem…I thought I would make an end to them…as: I will leave a corner of them – because of the word Pe-ah – corner within the word Af-Ehem.
S’forno states that in the End of Days, the Jewish People will face destruction with only a corner remaining….
These words could easily be pointing at the Shoah.
I personally was looking for that connection….and I found it mentioned in Nachshoni’s book….
So… could it be that the Shoah (Holocaust) was announced here?
I asked a friend of mine a few years ago why he didn’t believe in God?
His name was Louis Bannet. A fellow Dutch Jew who grew up in Rotterdam in Holland before the second World War.
He survived Birkenau because he was such a great trumpet player. He bore the nickname ‘The Dutch Louis Armstrong’ before the Germans took him away.
He’s mentioned in Elie Wiesel’s book - The Night.
He was Mengeles favorite musician.
He said to me: “God?” …shaking his head – “He wasn’t in Birkenau.”
Now…. What if that corner – or: Pe-ah - the Ramban found in the word Af-Eham, was The United States of America in 1940?
Still, you can go back a few phrases in the same song and pick out two words – lo? Written Lamed Wav? (l-O) Is He to blame? Followed by – loh – written Lamed Aleph. - No.
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