Parshat Ha'azinu/Shabbat Shuvah
Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer

The Gemara (Sanhedrin 21b) states that the mitzvah to write a Sefer Torah is derived from the command in Parshas Veyeilech (31:19) of "And now, write this song for yourselves..." The "song" referred to is Shiras Haazinu - the Song of Haazinu. How is it that this song - which encompasses the bulk of this week's parsha - relates to the mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah? In other words, in what way does the Song of Haazinu reflect the Torah as a whole, so that the command to write the Song of Haazinu is taken to imply a mitzvah of writing an entire Sefer Torah?

Let's think more about the nature of Shiras Haazinu. Unlike other songs or texts, Hashem expressed an unusual urgency for Haazinu to be known and reviewed throughout the ages. ("And now write this song...for it shall not be forgotten from its (Israel's) seed...and Moshe related to the ears of the entire congregation of Israel the words of this song to their very completion... " ibid. 31:19, 21, 30 ). Other pesukim as well imply an extreme need for the song to be taught well and specially remembered. The Torah states (ibid. v. 21) that the purpose of Haazinu is to forewarn the Jews so that when God would hide His face as a response to their misdeeds, they would understand what is happening to them.

Still, how are the ominous forecasts in Haazinu different than other warnings ("tochachos") and prophesies throughout the Torah and books of the Prophets? What makes Haazinu so unique? Why does the Song of Haazinu - in particular - represent the command of writing a Sefer Torah?

I believe that the answer lies in the type of message conveyed by the pesukim of Shiras Haazinu. Haazinu's theme is that the seemingly inexplicable and apparently incomprehensible are all part of God's master plan. Although God may "hide His face" from us, we must understand that the development of history, with its successes and tragedies, are all part of a unified theme. (I was told that Rav Gedaliah Schorr zt'l explained that the style of a song is that each piece or note fits together into one beautiful, unified composition, and that this is the meaning of textual songs in the Torah. I was also told that one commentary [which I would not locate] interprets the phrase "Tzur" - "Rock" at the beginning of Haazinu as a reference to the word "tzayar" - "artist" - as God paints the world as a impressionist, creating myriads of tiny dots which seem close up as discrete points but appear at a distance as a unified work of art.)

This message - that all is part of God's master theme, from the beginning through the end of world history - strikes a chord when Bnei Yisroel feel confused, frustrated and perplexed at the events around them. The entire golus experience and all Jewish suffering were triggered by horrific transgressions, and the subsequent historical discord of the Jewish people are all a result of past events. The whole corpus of history is woven together into a beautiful pattern which we cannot perceive as it unfolds; yet, the knowledge that what seems to be chaos is precisely part of a master plan comforts and inspires us. This is the point and unforgettable message of Haazinu. Without it, despair and disintegration could befall the Jewish people.

The larger symbolism is that the role of the Torah - the "blueprint of creation", and God's history book for the Jewish people's development and relationship with Him - is encapsulated and affirmed in Haazinu. The fact that the development of civilization and world events are all based in Torah - even though they seem like independent instances and unrelated parts - is the essence of Haazinu. It tells us that that the Torah is God's strategy, explanation and underpinning for the world, and our failure to recognize such is addressed and corrected therein.

Perhaps this is why Haazinu is so appropriate for the Aseres Ymei Teshuva. Were we to be conscious of Hashem's presence and guiding force in our lives at all times, we would not be prone to violate his will. Awareness of being before God - realizing His control of the totality of the universe and His mastery over its contents - is the theme of the Days of Awe, and Haazinu is this period's philosophical text, as it were. (Sometimes parshas Vayeilech is read during the Days of Awe. Vayeilech serves as an introduction to Haazinu, and the teshuva themes of Haazinu are emphasized and contained in Vayeilech in full measure.)

The character of the haftarah of Shabbos Shuva should be briefly addressed. The haftarah is doubly unusual. Firstly, it consists of selections from three different Prophets (Hoshea, Yoel and Micha). Secondly, the printed order of the kriah (as it appears in most Chumashim) begins with a reading from Hoshea, followed by Micha and then Yoel, even though halachically it is likely preferable to conclude with Micha (and precede it with Yoel), as Micha appears later than Yoel, and we do not read from the Twelve Prophets ("Trei Asar") in reverse order. Why, then, are these readings printed in the apparently incorrect order?

If we look carefully at the three portions of the haftarah, we can detect a pattern. The verses from Hoshea speak of a rethinking of our religious attitudes, realizing that only God can be relied upon for salvation and strength. The passage from Micha consists of the 13 Elevated Attributes of Mercy (kabbalistically), which reflect the Thirteen Attributes which Hashem taught Moshe Rabbeinu and which we invoke during the Days of Repentance. The final selection from Yoel portrays a grand assemblage of tefilla and fasting in the Beis Hamikdash, with pleading and supplication by the kohanim, followed by God's blessings of bounty.

It would seem that the three parts of the haftarah reflect the three segments of the Days of Awe. The pesukim from Hoshea - about God's control and authority (kingship) - correspond to Rosh Hashanah. The second portion - from Micha - mirrors the selichos which are recited during the Days of Awe, following Rosh Hashanah. (Even though our custom is to begin these tefillos a week or so earlier in preparation, the selichos period inherently commences with the Aseres Ymei Teshuva.) The passage from Yoel about the great fast and prayer gathering, followed by berachos for goodness, parallels the Yom Kippur service. (The piyutim recited after the Avodah on Yom Kippur are quite similar to the tidings at the end of the selection from Yoel.)

It is also interesting to note that Shabbos Shuva is like a Shabbos chol ha-moed in regards to the Aseres Ymei Teshuva. Just as the themes of the Torah and haftarah readings of Shabbos chol ha-moed of Pesach and Sukkos reflect the philosophical totality of the entire Yom Tov (I will explain this, im yirzteh Hashem, at another time), the readings and customs of Shabbos Shuva encompass the inner meaning of the Days of Awe as a whole.

May God grant us the ability to return to Him with a full heart and draw ever closer to Him. Gmar chasima tova.

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