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Haazinu | The Song of Providence

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     Parashat Ha'azinu is unique among all parshiyot in the Torah in that it consists almost entirely (forty-three of fifty-two verses) of a "shira," a poem, or song, a prophecy of what will occur to Benei Yisrael at some point in the future, after their entry into Canaan.  Towards the end of last week's parasha, the Almighty Himself informs Moshe of the underlying purpose of this poem:

 

"… write down this poem and teach it to the people of Israel… in order that this poem may be My witness against the people of Israel.  When I bring them into the land… and they eat their fill… and turn to other gods and serve them, spurning Me and breaking My covenant, and the many evils and troubles befall them - then this poem shall confront them as a witness… " (31:19-21).

 

The song of Ha'azinu, which foresees the Israelites' abandonment of God and ensuing punishment, testifies to the Almighty's having forewarned Benei Yisrael of this sin-punishment causality.  In the words of Ibn Ezra (31:19), "it is as if the song responds to those who say, 'Why has all this befallen us?'" When calamity strikes, the nation is to look to Ha'azinu for the theological explanation of exile.  The song makes it clear that God abandons His people only when they first abandon Him.

 

Debate Among the Sages

 

     In assessing the structure and progression of this poem, we are confronted by a fundamental difference of opinion between two Sages in the Midrash, Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Nechemya.  Though the specific details of their dispute involve only eleven out of the forty-three verses of the poem, its ramifications are potentially very far-reaching and could determine the entire tenor, nature, and even purpose of "Shirat Ha'azinu."  We will begin by outlining the basic structure of the poem as agreed upon by both views, thus providing us with the framework necessary to appreciate this critical debate and its implications.

 

     After a three-verse preamble, the shira devotes fifteen verses to the theme of the Israelites' ingratitude.  This unit opens with a general affirmation of divine justice and God's existential perfection: "The Rock [a euphemism for the Almighty]!  His deeds are perfect, yea, all His ways are just; a faithful God, never false, true and upright is He" (32:4).  Proceeding from the general to the specific, the shira eloquently depicts God's generosity to Benei Yisrael: "Is not He the Father who created you, fashioned you and made you endure?" (verse 6).  Not only did the Almighty "create" the nation, but He bestowed upon them a unique loving kindness and took them as His own: "For the Lord's portion is His people; Jacob His own allotment.  He found him in a desert region… He engirded him, watched over him, guarded him as the pupil of His eye" (9-10).  Benei Yisrael, however, "grew fat and kicked… He forsook the God who made him and spurned the Rock of his support" (15).  They resort to pagan worship and "neglect the Rock that begot you" (18).

 

     At this point we arrive at the fundamental message the shira seemingly seeks to convey: calamity is the consequence of sin.  Verses 19-25 depict God's anger in graphic terms, as a "fire" that "has flared in My wrath and burned to the bottom of Sheol" (22).  The proceeding verses describe famine, plague, pestilence, fanged beasts, and the wanton killing of adults and children alike.  Ultimately, God expresses His intent to destroy the nation entirely: "I said I would annihilate them, I would make their memory cease among men - " (26).  Only one concern, as it were, prevents the Almighty from following through on this plan: "- but for the fear of the taunts of the foe, their enemies who might misjudge and say, 'Our own hand has prevailed; none of this was wrought by the Lord!'"  The misleading claims of independent prowess made by the enemies compel the Almighty to stop short of the total destruction of Benei Yisrael. 

 

     The confusion that led to the dispute between Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Nechemya originates in this verse.  For the first time since the beginning of the song, Moshe describes the foolishness not of Israel, but of the other nations.  He now shifts from his illustration of Benei Yisrael's iniquity and suffering to the grave theological error of their foes, who attribute their victory over Israel to their own might, rather than to the Almighty's disgust with His people.  What remains ambiguous is whether or not this shift marks a permanent or temporary transition within the progression of Shirat Ha'azinu.  Much of the subsequent ten verses laments the senselessness and ultimate suffering of some nation, their inability to see God's Hand in the calamity that has occurred, and their ongoing fidelity to pagan deities.  To which nation does this refer?  Has the song completed its treatment of the Israelites, their rebelliousness and suffering, and now elaborates on the foe of verse 27, whose taunting God fears, prompting Him to retract His plans to annihilate Benei Yisrael?  Is the enemy, who credit themselves with their triumph over Israel, the people whom Moshe describes as "a folk void of sense, lacking in all discernment" (28)?  Does God direct to them the warning, "Yea, their day of disaster is near, and destiny rushes upon them" (35)? 

 

     According to Rabbi Nechemya, the answer to all these questions is in the affirmative.  The warning issued by Shirat Ha'azinu to Israel effectively ends in verses 26-27, when God expresses His plan of annihilation, a plan He cannot execute due to the hubris of the enemies.  At this point, the shira focuses its attention on the folly of those nations and God's anger that He will unleash against them. 

 

     Rabbi Yehuda, however, disagrees.  In his view, verse 27 briefly digresses onto the enemies' denial of God's providence simply to explain why God does not follow through with His plan to annihilate Israel.  Rather than marking a transition in the song's focus, it merely continues the description of God's anger against Benei Yisrael.  So incensed He is at His people that were not for the enemies' arrogant, self-aggrandizing acceptance of credit for Israel's defeat, God would have allowed them to destroy Benei Yisrael completely.  The verses that follow proceed with the theme of God's disgust with Benei Yisrael's recourse to paganism.  Only in the final four verses of the song does it offer comfort and consolation, promising God's eventual vengeance against the enemies of Israel:

 

"When I whet My flashing blade and My hand lays hold on judgment, vengeance will I wreak on My foes, will I deal to those who reject Me."  (41)

"O nations, acclaim His people!  For He'll avenge the blood of His servants, wreak vengeance on His foes, and cleanse the land of [the blood of] His people." (43)

 

We may summarize the debate among the Sages as follows.  According to Rabbi Yehuda, Shirat Ha'azinu focuses almost entirely on the sin and punishment of Benei Yisrael, concluding with a brief, encouraging message of consolation.  Rabbi Nechemya, by contrast, interprets the shira as consisting of two distinct sections: the lengthier discussion of Benei Yisrael's ingratitude to God and the punishment incurred as a result, and the briefer though significant elaboration on the conceit of the enemies, who will ultimately face judgment for their failure to recognize God's Hand in their success.

 

     By and large, the major commentators - including Ramban, Ibn Ezra, Rashbam and Seforno - adopt Rabbi Nechemya's position, whereby the verses in question elaborate on the religious blindness of Israel's enemies, rather than of Israel itself.  A notable exception is Rashi, who primarily follows Rabbi Yehuda's approach, though he interprets the first several verses of the unit in question as referring to the enemies, rather than Benei Yisrael.  After offering his explanation of the verses, Rashi cites the debate among the Sages.  Ralbag, in his commentary, appears to accept both views as equally acceptable approaches to these verses.

 

"Shirat Ha'azinu" in the Eyes of Rabbi Nechemya

 

     Professor Nechama Leibowitz, in her "Studies" on this parasha (section 2), observes that the textual flow would support the position of Rabbi Nechemya.  The verses in question portray a nation that refuses or fails to acknowledge God's involvement in world affairs:

 

"Were they wise, they would think upon this… How could one have routed a thousand… unless their Rock had sold them, the Lord has given them up?" (29-30). 

 

The people described - either Israel or its foes - fail to attribute the resounding military triumph to the Almighty.  This blindness to divine intervention directly relates to the enemy's claim on account of which God revokes His plan of annihilation: "Our own hand has prevailed; none of this was wrought by the Lord" (27).  It stands to reason that it is the same nation who advances such a claim that also fails to understand how a single warrior can defeat hundreds without God's intervention.  Hence, Rabbi Nechemya interprets this unit in reference to the enemies who deny God's involvement in their triumph.  Professor Leibowitz draws further support from the final verses of the song, where God refers to Israel's oppressors as His own adversaries: "Vengeance will I wreak on My foes, will I deal to those who reject Me" (41).  When did these enemies declare war on the Almighty Himself, such that He speaks of them as His own "foes"?  How did their oppression of Israel suddenly become a "rejection" of God?  Rabbi Nechemya's approach provides the answer: the enemies triumphed and denied God's role in their success.  They became His enemies and rejected Him when they ignored His involvement in their campaign, when they failed to attribute Israel's defeat to Him.

 

     Whether or not these arguments are convincing, and, if so, to what extent, can be debated.  In any event, Rabbi Nechemya's view gives rise to one critical question which, perhaps surprisingly, the commentators - the overwhelming majority of whom, as we have seen, side with Rabbi Nechemya - do not address.  Recall from our introductory remarks that Shirat Ha'azinu is intended to serve as a "testimony" to Benei Yisrael, the eternal answer to the Jew's eternal question, "Why has all this befallen us?"  How does the downfall of Israel's enemies contribute to this response?  True, a brief conclusion bearing a message of hope and reassurance, such as what emerges according to Rabbi Yehuda, is certainly appropriate after a prophecy of such destruction and devastation.  Rabbi Yehuda's shira would thus follow a general format resembling the section of Sefer Vayikra (chapter 26) called the "tokhecha," the description of curses threatened to befall Benei Yisrael should they disobey God.  That frightening prediction of calamity likewise concludes with a message of hope and a reaffirmation of God's covenant to the patriarchs (see Vayikra 26:42, 44-5).  There appears to be no need, however, for an elaborate, theological assessment of Israel's oppressors and their ultimate retribution.  Of what relevance is this to the "testimony" of Shirat Ha'azinu that God inflicts pain on Benei Yisrael only in response to their rejection of Him?

 

     This question perhaps prompted the Netziv to advance a radically different approach to the nature and purpose of Shirat Ha'azinu: "The song serves as a witness to the fact that in spite of how they angered Him, they are nevertheless with God, and He looks after them and He will eventually redeem them" (Ha'amek Davar 31:21).  The song does not testify to the causal relationship between sin and calamity; after all, the Netziv writes, "they, too, know that I [God] punish them because of their iniquity and not because of some hatred or false charge."  To the contrary, the poem attests to Benei Yisrael's eternal survival, to the eventual salvation that will follow their pain and anguish.  When calamity strikes, Benei Yisrael will consult the shira not for the purpose of understanding its cause (as Ibn Ezra writes), but rather to learn of its ultimate outcome.  This is a song of hope rather than admonition, of comfort rather than censure.

 

     Even this approach, however, does not fully resolve the difficulty raised.  To provide encouragement and a source of hope, it would have sufficed for Shirat Ha'azinu to speak merely of the eventual downfall of Israel's oppressors.  As we have seen, however, the song, as interpreted by Rabbi Nechemya, places heavy emphasis on the theological error of the gentiles that renders them worthy of divine retribution.  From the narrow perspective of Benei Yisrael, it is enough to learn that their enemies will one day be overthrown by God's wrath.  Why must Ha'azinu elaborate on the gentiles' blind neglect of God's intervention in their wars with Israel?  How does this contribute to the solace and hope the shira is intended to provide?

 

"Our God is Not in Our Midst"

 

     The answer can be found a bit later in the Netziv's commentary, when he defines the role of "heaven and earth" in the song of Ha'azinu.  Towards the end of Parashat Vayelekh, Moshe calls for a nationwide assembly, where he will present Shirat Ha'azinu for the first time: "Gather to me all the elders of your tribes and your officials, that I may speak all these words to them and that I may call heaven and earth to witness against them" (31:28).  This translation (taken from the Jewish Publication Society's Bible) follows the conventional reading of the term, "ve-a'ida bam" ("I may call… to witness against them").  The Netziv, however, advances a different interpretation of this clause, that it refers to warning, rather than testimony.  (The Netziv cites a precedent for this usage of the term from Bereishit 43:3; see also Shemot 21:29.)  Moshe here "warns" heaven and earth, representing the natural forces at large, against providing Israel with its basic necessities independently of divine providence.  In this vein the Netziv understands the opening verses of Shirat Ha'azinu: "Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; let the earth hear the words I utter!  May my discourse come down as the rain, my speech distill as the dew… "  Moshe proclaims that his "discourse" and "speech," references to the Torah, will function as rain and dew; his teachings alone shall enable physical existence in the Land of Israel.  In opening Shirat Ha'azinu, Moshe asserts the Torah's control, as it were, over the natural world, establishing that Benei Yisrael's compliance or betrayal will determine how the natural elements will provide their needs.  (Interestingly enough, in a work entitled "Kehunat Elimelekh," written at the end of 19th century by Rav Elimelekh Rachov, the author suggests a homiletic interpretation of this introductory verse which closely parallels the Netziv's approach, explaining the verse as reaffirming the notion of eternal divine intervention in the world.)

 

     Herein lies the fundamental message of Shirat Ha'azinu: divine providence as a force that governs the natural world.  When instructing Moshe to write the shira, God predicts the calamities that will befall Benei Yisrael as well as their response: "Surely it is because our God is not in our midst that these evils have befallen us" (31:17).  The nation here fails to attribute their suffering to the doctrine of reward and punishment; instead, they conclude that God has broken His unique bond with His people and left them to the forces of nature.  Rav Shimshon Refael Hirsch comments that it is to this claim that Shirat Ha'azinu responds.  The evils will befall Benei Yisrael not because God has left their midst, but because they have sinned.  God has not left His people; He has rather manipulated nature such that punishment befalls them.  He is still involved, only now to exact punishment, rather than to bestow His blessing.

 

     Shirat Ha'azinu is thus the poem about providence, the testament to God's everlasting involvement in world affairs.  It bears witness to God's guarantee that He never leaves.  Therefore, according to Rabbi Nechemya, the song must incorporate God's response to the heathens' denial of His intervention.  This response indeed lies at the heart of the message the shira conveys, the message of God's unending supervision over, and involvement in, the heaven and earth to whom Moshe addresses Shirat Ha'azinu.  Rabbi Yehuda, it would seem, views the shira as devoted entirely to the cause of Benei Yisrael's suffering.  It therefore has no reason to dwell on the enemies' denial of providence and its repercussions.  For Rabbi Nechemya, however, the concept of providence constitutes the primary purpose and theme of Shirat Ha'azinu.  It bears witness to the eternity of Am Yisrael, which is made possible by the eternal doctrine of "hashgacha" - divine providence.

 

Shabbat Shalom

Gemar Chatima Tova

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