Readings for Saturday, October 5, 2024

 Readings for Saturday, October 5, 2024

Shabbat Shuvah (Sabbath of the Return)

Ha’azinu (Give Ear)

32: 1-35 Devarim (Deuteronomy)

Ha’azinu is the tenth sedrah in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), which means we have one more to go before completing the book of Devarim and the entire Torah.  Ha’azinu comprises the entire 32^nd chapter of Devarim.  The sedrah takes its name from the first Hebrew word in the first sentence of the reading.  “Give ear (Ha’azinu) O heavens and I will speak.…”  Ha’azinu is the last sedrah to be read as part of the Shabbat cycle since the final sedrah in Devarim is read on Simchat Torah.

The Song:

The last sentence in Vayeilech, the previous sedrah, reads “Moses spoke the words of this song into the ears of the entire congregation Israel, until their conclusion (31:30).”  The first 43 verses of Ha’azinu are the song previously mentioned.  Moses first “song” appears earlier in the Torah, in the Book of Shemot (Exodus).  It comes after the deliverance from the Egyptians and the crossing of the Sea of Reeds.  This is the same Song at the Sea that is part of the Shacharit Service.  The point is that our travels in the Wilderness begin with a song and end with a song.  The songs are quite different.  The one at the start of the journey is filled with exuberance and joy.  The one at the end, in Devarim, is solemn, filled with dark prophecy.  Thinking of Moses in human terms, the difference in the two songs may track with where he is in life when writing the two songs.  The Song in Shemot is that of man on the threshold of great adventure who has already experienced the miracles of the Lord.  The Song in Devarim is that of a weary old man who is facing death and who has been denied his life-long dream of entering the Promised Land. There are several commentators who contend that the Song in Devarim was written after the rest of the text and was inserted at a later time.  This still leaves the question as to why the wanderings in the Wilderness begin and end with Song.  Regardless, the Song is written in poetry.  Poetry is difficult enough to understand when one knows the language.  We are trying to comprehend the meaning of a poem from a translation.  I am way out my depth when it comes to this aspect of the sedrah.  If you have not found a source, I suggest you read pages 1563 and 1564 of the Plaut Chumash for an exposition on the topic.

The Structure of the Message of the Song:

32:1-3 The opening of the song.

32: 4-6 Words of moral teaching contrasting the virtue of God’s goodness to the wickedness of Israel.

32: 7:14 A review of God’s goodness to Israel.

32: 15-18 Israel prospers and rebels against God; followed by God’s response, including His goal to create an evermore loyal and observant Israel.  Thus the song explains the relationship and in the words of Moses it becomes a statement of fundamental belief.

32:19-25 God’s punishment of Israel for breaking the covenant.

32:26-33 After the punishment, comes God’s mercy.

32:34-43 God will save Israel from its enemies.

(From Rabbi Randall Konigsburg)

32:44-45 The actual recitation of the Song by Moses.

32:48-52 Moses is prepared for death.

Themes

As we read through the Song itself, we can see several recurring motifs that we have seen throughout Devarim or other books of the Torah.  Here are just a few of them followed by themes presented in the verses following the Song.

The Rock

Moses repeatedly refers to G-d as “Tzur” or Rock (See verses 4 and 37).  At Chanukah we sing of the Rock of Ages.  At the end of the hymn “May the Words” we implore “our Rock and our Redeemer.”  The third verse of the Mi Chomocho, which we chant as we rise for the Amidah begins with “Tzur yisro-ayl or Rock of Israel.” 

Eternal Teaching

The Torah in general, and the Song itself, are teachings for all time.  Therefore, Moses calls on the heavens and the earth to “Give ear.”  In other words he wants witnesses for all time that will verify that he taught the Israelites and warned them of the consequences of not following the Torah.  Furthermore, according to Rashi and Ibn Ezra, the Heaven and the Earth can then take the lead in punishing the Israelites for their failures.  Rain would not come from the heavens and the earth would not yield its bounty.  (See Stone Chumash for further comment)

Ultimate Redemption

Verse 43 reminds us that in the end G-d will redeem His people.  He will punish our enemies.  And when the nations of the world see this redemption they will acknowledge the glory of G-d and the greatness of His teachings.

Orderly transfer of power

Verse 44 shows Joshua, here called Hosea, at Moses’ side as he speaks his final words.  The transfer will be finalized in the next reading.

Teaching for all time

 Verse 45 requires our forefathers and therefore us as well, to pass the Torah on to the next generation.

Acceptance of the Torah in its entirety

Verse 45 uses the term “obey all the words of this Torah.”  As we have said before, missing the mark means not to obey the Torah.  The goal is to obey the Torah.  The reality is that we fail to obey commandments and as we see at this season of the year we seek another chance to try again at hitting the mark.  In traditional Judaism, rejecting the Torah in whole or in part is what has been considered unacceptable.

Death of Moses

God prepares Moses for death.  He is allowed to look at the Promised Land, but not cross over the Jordan.  He is reminded of why he is being punished.  This time there is no response from Moses.  Instead the statement just sits there, a statement of fact for all times.  This is a far cry from the Moses who started Devarim by blaming the Israelites for his plight and pleading with G-d to change it.  Apparently a lot has happened in the five weeks that tradition says is the timeframe for the fifth and final book of the Torah.

Shabbat Shuvah - Sabbath of the Return

The Shabbat between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is called Shabbat Shuvah or the Sabbath of the Return.  Shabbat Shuvah is part of the Ten Days of Penitence.  In Judaism, we repent by turning or returning to God and his Torah.  On Rosh Hashanah we ask to be written into the Book of Life.  On Yom Kippur, we ask to be sealed in the Book of Life.  According to some, Shabbat Shuvah gives us an opportunity to show that we are in fact turning or returning.  Therefore, we are worthy of God’s mercy, which will take us from being written to being sealed.  The special haftarah reading described below further emphasizes this motif.

Haftarah

Hosea 14:2-10

Joel 2:11-27

Micah 7:18-20

The Men/The Book:  This is the haftarah for Shabbat Shuvah or the Sabbath of the Return.  This is the haftarah that is usually read when Vayeilech is not combined with another sedrah.  Customarily, the haftarah is supposed to come from the book of one prophet.  However, the writings of these three prophets are included in one book called Trei Asar or The Twelve.  These twelve prophets are also known as the Minor Prophets because their literary output is smaller than that of the Three Major Prophets.  According to the Talmud, the writings of the twelve prophets were gathered in one volume out of fear that otherwise they would be lost.  Hosea was the first and most prolific of the Minor Prophets.  He preached in the Northern Kingdom during the end of the eighth century B.C.E. and the first half of the seventh century B.C.E.  He died some time before the exile of the Ten Lost Tribes in 721 B.C.E.  He is best known for his marriage to the harlot, Gomer.  This marriage provided the literary motif for much of Hosea’s writings.  The Israelites were the unfaithful wife, Gomer, while God was the long-suffering “husband” who would redeem His errant spouse.  Each day, when we don the Tefillin, we are reminded of Hosea’s preachings.  When we complete the final wrapping around the middle digit and across the hand, we say, “I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness, justice, kindness and mercy.  I will betroth you to Me with fidelity, and you shall know the Lord.”  (2:21-22)

Joel is the second of the Minor Prophets.  His writings consist of a mere four chapters.  Since there is no biographical information available about him, we can only speculate as to when he lived and prophesied.  Some commentators contend that he lived in the Southern Kingdom since he mentions Judah and Jerusalem but not the Northern Kingdom.  The famine he mentions would indicate he was a contemporary of Amos.  His mention of the miraculous deliverance of Jerusalem remind the reader of the words of Amos and Isaiah which would mean that he lived during the seventh century B.C.E. prior to the destruction of either of the two kingdoms.  There are commentators who believe that these writings are a product of more than one author and were produced during the early days of the Second Temple.  Those of you who are Debbie Friedman fans will recognize Joel’s most famous lines, “Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions.”  (3:1).  In other words, “youth shall have the knowledge of age, and age the enthusiasm of youth.”  As Rabbi Hertz points out, this “rejuvenation of the soul and renewal of the spirit” is the main purpose the Ten Days of Penitence.

Micah was born in Judah but addressed his prophecies to both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms.  Micah was a contemporary of Amos, Hosea and Isaiah.  The prophecies of Micah must have been well known in ancient times, since Jeremiah refers to them in his preachings.  Micah may have been the first prophet to warn the Jews that possession of Jerusalem would not save them from divine punishment.  In other words, he was the first to prophesy the possible destruction of the City of David and the Temple itself.  Unlike some of the other prophets, those in power heeded Micah’s words of warning.  King Hezekiah was moved by Micah’s preaching to pray to God for a reprieve from impending destruction.  Micah is best known for the line “It hath been told thee o man what is good and what the Lord doth require of thee:  Only to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.”  But he also authored words that are more often credited to his famous contemporary, Isaiah.  “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.”  (4:2)  “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation.  Neither shall they learn war anymore.”  (4:3)

The Message:  Hosea begins by calling upon the Israelites to return to the ways of God.  God will accept the penitent Israelites nurturing them in all their needs.  Joel calls for a day of fasting from which none are exempt.  As Plaut puts it, in Joel’s vision, the people will return to God, which will cause God to return to Israel.  Micah closes with an image of an ever-forgiving God who will keep faith with His people as he promised the Patriarchs He would.

Theme-Link:  The connection is with the calendar and not with the weekly portion.  The haftarah is read on the Sabbath of the Return which falls during the Yamim Nora’im or the Days of Awe.  These are the Ten Days of Penitence that start with Rosh Hashanah and end with Yom Kippur.  So it is fitting that each prophet should invoke a High Holiday related motif in his preaching.  The haftarah begins with the word Shuvah or Return as in “Return (Shuvah) O Israel, to the Lord your God” (Hosea 4:2) which is a fitting beginning for a haftarah chanted on Shabbat Shuvah.  The portion from Joel begins with a High Holiday motif - “Blow the shofar in Zion, Sanctify a fast, call a Solemn Assembly.…”  (Joel 2:15)  The portion from Micah includes the following, “You will cast off (Tashlich) all their sins into the depths of the sea.”  (Micah 7:19)  This reference later gave rise to the ceremony of Tashlich, or Casting-off Sins that began sometime during the Middle Ages.