HaMaayan/The Torah Spring Edited by Shlomo Katz Parashat Ha'azinu Volume V, Number 48 (234) 13 Tishrei 5752/September 21, 1991 Parasha Overview "Shirat Ha'azinu" - the song or poem which makes up most of this Parasha - is Moshe's last rebuke to his people. In V'zot HaBrechah, the only Parasha following Ha'zinu, Moshe will give Bnei Yisrael his final blessings before ascending Har Nevo to die there. This Parasha not only warns Bnei Yisrael against sinning, but also speaks of Yisrael's uniqueness and of the punishment that Yisrael's oppressors will eventually receive for their deeds. It is this last element of the Parasha that underlies the Halacha that Shirat Ha'azinu should be written in the Torah in two narrow columns reminiscent of two stacks of bricks. (The poem "Az Yashir", by contrast, is written in one column, designed to look like one stack of interlocking bricks.) These Halachot are based on the fact the a pattern of interlocking bricks is much stronger than a stack in which each brick lies directly above the one below it. Rabbenu Nissim (Megilah 16a) explains that because Ha'azinu speaks of the downfall of evil, it appears in the Torah like flimsy stacks of bricks, symbolic of evil's inability to stand for long. [The same is true of the list of the ten sons of Haman in Megilat Esther.] "Az Yashir", on the other hand, represents G-d's kindness and is therefore "constructed" in a strong way so that it can stand and even be added to. ************************************ "Listen, heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of my mouth." (Devarim 32:1) "Hear, heavens, and listen, earth..." (Yishayahu 1:2) The Midrash notes that the word "listen" ("Ha'azinu") implies that the listener is standing nearby, while the word "hear" ("Tishmah") implies a listener who is farther away. Thus, Moshe, who was "closer" to the heavens, said "Listen, heavens... and let the earth hear...", while Yishayahu, who was closer to earth, reversed the pairings of the verbs and nouns. R' Moshe Feinstein, Zatzal, explains the difference between Moshe's words and Yishayahu's as follows: "Heavens" refers to the nation's leaders, while "earth" refers to the common man. In Moshe's time, the leaders were righteous, and Moshe could speak to them and entrust them to carry his message to the people. In this sense, Moshe was close to the "heavens". Yishayahu lived in a generation when the leaders were evil. (One example of this is Yishayahu's grandson, King Menashe, who killed his grandfather rather than listen to his rebuke.) Yishayahu could not take his message to the leaders; he had to speak directly to the nation. Yishayahu was close to the people - the "earth" - and he said to them, "Do not do all that your leaders do, for they do not follow the Torah, and you should not follow their example." (Darash Moshe) ************************************ Commenting on the verse: "And you shall take for yourselves, on the first day, a palm branch, etc.", Chazal explained that Sukkot is called "the first day" because it is the day on which G-d begins anew to count man's sins. Many commentaries have offered explanations of this Midrash; the following is that of R' Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook. As a result of the spiritual elevation which man undergoes on Yom Kippur - the holiest day of the year - he may be left unable to relate to the materialism of this world. The days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot make up a period that is given to man in order that he may become reacquainted with the material means with which he is to serve G-d. The higher the level that one has reached on Yom Kippur, the easier it is for G-d to forgive the accidental sins that such a person commits in the days immediately following Yom Kippur. However, by Sukkot one is expected to have relearned how to live in this world, and, to symbolize this, we perform many Mitzvot involving G-d's physical creations - taking the four species and living in a hut whose roof is made of greenery. (adapted from Siddur Olat Re'iyah, p. 367) *********************************** This issue completes volume five of HaMaayan and is the last issue in this cycle of Torah readings. In honor of this occasion and in anticipation of our completion of the Torah on Simchat Torah, we present these thoughts on the subject of "Siyum" - the celebration on the completion of a phase of Torah study. The Prophet relates that after King Shlomo received the gift of unprecedented wisdom, he came to Yerushalayim, brought sacrifices, and made a feast for his servants (Melachim I 3:15). The Midrash adds: R' Eliezer said, "From here we learn that one should make a feast upon the completion of the Torah." R' Moshe Soloveitchik, Zatzal, notes that Shlomo's feast was not on the completion of the Torah, but on his beginning it anew. The gift that Shlomo received was the ability, through his new-found wisdom, to reach new heights in Torah study. Shlomo's celebration was not, so-to-speak, that of the "Chatan Torah" (the one who receives the last "Aliyah" in V'zot HaBerachah), but rather, that of "Chatan B'reishit" (the one who receives the first Aliyah in the new cycle). [It follows, therefore, that the feast of which R' Eliezer speaks is not for the completion of the Torah per se, but because completing one phase allows the student to begin a new phase.] To signify that true joy is not found in completing the Torah, but in beginning it, the custom has been adopted universally to read a section of Parashat B'reishit on Simchat Torah. In fact, in many communities, the same person who received the last Aliyah in the old cycle would receive the first Aliyah in the new one. Thus, his joy would be complete. (Reshimot Shiurim: Maran HaGaon R' Yosef Dov HaLevi: Sukkah p. 299) In the same vein, we complete this volume of HaMaayan by looking ahead to the next one. It is with great joy and gratitude to Hashem that we present the final issue in this cycle of HaMaayan's publication. By any standard, this past year has been our most successful. Not only has the size of each issue increased from four to six pages, but the circulation of HaMaayan has increased even more dramatically. Credit for this belongs almost exclusively to Alan and Fran Broder, devoted friends of HaMaayan who use their personal computer to send each issue to communities throughout the United States and the world. Our new readers (many of them in "Shuls" that distribute HaMaayan to their members) can be found as close as New York and New Jersey, and as far away as Australia, New Zealand, and even Japan. Special thanks are owed as well to all HaMaayan distributors who continue to deliver each issue the old- fashioned way: by-hand. These can be found in Silver Spring; Baltimore; Springfield, Edison, Highland Park, and Teaneck, NJ; New York City; and Buffalo. However, even greater than our joy on the completion of HaMaayan's volume five, is the anticipation with which we approach the inauguration of volume six on Shabbat B'reishit (27 Tishrei/October 5). B'Ezrat Hashem this coming cycle will be our best yet, as we plan to incorporate within it many of the elements that you, the readers, have praised in earlier issues, and have asked to see again. Each issue will begin with an overview of the Parasha, pointing out, when appropriate, any theme that binds together the Parasha's sections. This will be followed by a summary of the Haftara and its relationship to the Parasha. The second section of each issue will include four-to-six short Divrei Torah, similar to those that appeared in HaMaayan's first year. (We have been told by many readers that large families need many short discrete Divrei Torah, so that each child can read one at the Shabbat table.) The third section will include a longer essay on one topic or verse from the Parasha.) HaMaayan's most popular feature, the biography, will continue the theme of this past year: "The history of Torah study." Our next issue will present the biography of R' Eliyahu (the Vilna Gaon), who among his numerous other accomplishments could properly be called "The grandfather of the modern Yeshiva." From there we will move on to the development of the modern Torah academy, examining both styles of learning that are common today, and the origin of such institutions as the Yeshiva dormitory and the move away from the "one-room schoolhouse." These ambitious plans require your continued support. Unfortunately, during this past year, readers' sponsorships covered only 80% of HaMaayan's expenses, and continued publication was possible only because of savings accumulated during earlier, more successful years. However, your continued support is crucial, and we look forward to many more years of continuing to serve you. ************************************* The learning schedule for this Shabbat is: Daily Mishnah Keritot 3:9-10 (Learn two Mishnayot every day) Daily Halacha Orach Chaim (Mishnah Berura) 308:16-18 (Learn three paragraphs each day) Daf Yomi Yoma 49 (Learn two sides of a page each day) Shmirat HaLashon: "Lavin" 7-9 Guard Your Tongue: Chapter 2: 13-14 Rambam Chapter/Day: Hilchot Avot Hatumot: Chapter 19 3 Chapters/Day: Hilchot Mamrim, Chapters 1-3 Sefer HaMitzvot Sh:P174,N312,N313,N314; Su:N318,N319,P210,P211; M:N195,P37 Tu:N168; W:N167; Th:N166, F:N166 ******************** Posted by Alan Broder, ajb@grebyn.com (uunet!grebyn!ajb), who should be contacted to request back issues of HaMaayan or to get on or off the direct email mailing list. Shlomo Katz can not receive EMAIL, however I will pass on any comment forwarded to me, or alternately, send your comments care of yehuda@gwuvm.bitnet