R. Avital Hochstein on Parashat Ha'azinu: A Topography of Distance

“I will hide My face from them” (Deuteronomy 32:20)—so declares the Holy Blessed One in Parashat Ha’azinu.  This is one of the most painful and jarring statements in the Bible.  It describes a deep rift in the relationship between God and Israel: a dynamic of hiding, withdrawal, and a sealed face.  This is called in Jewish theology and tradition *hester panim*, the hiding of God’s face.