Haazinu

In each one of these podcasts, we read, translate, study, analyze, and discuss one of the aliyot of the current week's parashah.

This week we have been studying Parashat Ha'azinu, uh, which is usually read, uh, between, uh, Rosh Hashanah and Yom HaKippurim, and on some years is read whenever there is a Shabbat between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, it's read on that Shabbat.

And thematically, it is a very fitting piece for this season as it, uh, deals with the historic, a panoramic view of Am Yisrael's, uh, prophetically, uh, envisioned and described journey through history, including success, troubles, and restoration.

And that brings us now to the final aliyah, which is not a piece of the Shira, but is a separate, a separate piece which begins where our entire parashah is in chapter thirty-two, [Hebrew language] and this one begins in verse forty-four, and is itself all of nine psukim, all of nine verses.

As I mentioned, the song of Ha'azinu, which occupies the lion's share of the parashah, is introduced at the end of Parashat Vayelech in chapter thirty-one as a, s-- as a, uh, critical memory tool for Bnei Yisrael to commit to their memories so that when all of the troubles of exile befall them, they will recite the song, and they will remember and understand why these things have happened.

So now that we've heard the Shira, [Hebrew language] which means, at least from a sequential perspective, that the Shira itself that we have here was not yet said, it was written.

And then Moshe came, and he sang it.

Keep all the mitzvot, and that's how you'll have a long life.

In each one of these podcasts, we read, translate, study, analyze, and discuss one of the Aliyot from the current week's parashah.

My name is Yitzchak Etshalom, and I'm honored to be studying Parashat Ha'azinu with you here in the penultimate, uh, series of this larger series of Schneiem Mikra.

I am grateful to, uh, Rabbi Abramowitz and to the Orthodox Union for the opportunity, uh, to teach you via this, uh, most wonderful and modern of technologies and our engagement in the most, uh, sanctified and ancient of texts.

We are now in the fifth Aliyah, the Lamed Aliyah of the Haziv Lach, if you've been following the series, of Ha'azinu.

And in this Aliyah, there is a description of the terrible punishment that will befall Am Yisrael, uh, and their near obliteration, were it not for the anticipated, uh, reaction of the nations that would take credit for it.

We'll pick up at Pasuk Chaf Tet, verse twenty-nine.

He says, "This is the lesson you all had to understand.

You don't understand it, but I'm still going to redeem my people." And in the final Aliyah of the Shirah, which is a relatively short Aliyah, the shortest of five, of four psukim, we will see how it all comes to a conclusion with a redemption which has a very particular twist to it, a very particular nuance to it, which we will discover in the final podcast, uh, sorry, in the sixth podcast.

Okay, let's begin our discussion of Parashat Ha'azinu, Tof Shin Peh.

I don't know what to say because we're in Tof Shin Peh vav still the last couple of days, but it's really Ha'azinu, this Parashat we're gonna be learning Tof Shin Peh Zayin.

So we'll call it Tof Shin Peh Zayin, uh, which is then the first of the, uh, of the new year.

Uh, but as we know, it's the, the end of the Torah, so we still feel like we're in the older cycle, so to speak.

But either way, we get to talk about Torah, and we'll have a couple of thoughts related to Yom HaKippurim as well.

Uh, we start off with the beginning of the Parashat.

Ha'azinu hashama'im va'adabeira.

[laughs] Vezishmah ha'aretz im refi.

We're going to be that sweetness and we're going to share that sweetness with the world.

We're going to be the proper example like we see in the coming Torah portion of Ha'azinu, how the Jewish people are held accountable to be a light unto the nations.

That's our job.

And in declaring Hashem's oneness in the world on Rosh Hashanah, We're showing Hashem, we're going to take this responsibility seriously.