The Song of the Lamb
The Song of Moses peered across the centuries, far into the future, to reveal the light of the final redemption.
Apocalyptic, prophetic glimpses of the future fill the "Song of Moses," telling the story of Israel, sin, exile, and redemption. In the book of Revelation, the song has another name. It is also called "The Song of the Lamb."
The Almighty instructed Moses to compose a song and teach it to the children of Israel. The people of Israel memorized the song and passed it on from generation to generation. The song, which describes the coming apostasy of Israel and God’s subsequent judgment on the nation, serves as a witness for all generations. The LORD told Moses, “They will turn to other gods and serve them, and spurn Me and break My covenant” (Deuteronomy 31:20). The song explains the calamity that befalls the nation when they fall into apostasy, but it concludes with the hope of the final redemption and God’s judgment on the nations.
The song calls the Jewish people to learn from the past and look to the future. It warns them of the dangers in apostasy and violation of the covenant, and it reminds them that the ultimate goal is the final redemption.
Moses composed the song and then assembled Israel to teach it to them. He told them, “I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days” (Deuteronomy 31:29).
Revelation draws some of its apocalyptic imagery and energy from the Song of Moses. Like the Song of Moses, the book of Revelation looks toward the coming time of God’s wrath upon the earth. Though He will punish Israel for her misdeeds, He will ultimately rescue His people and redeem them. The Song of Moses ends triumphantly describing the time of vengeance when God’s people will be finally be redeemed and vindicated.
The book of Revelation speaks of that apocalyptic future during which God directly intervenes in human events and unleashes His vengeance on the ungodly nations that have martyred His people. As God’s wrath pours out upon the earth, Revelation 15 reports a vision of the martyred standing before the throne of God singing “the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Revelation 15:3). Readers unfamiliar with the Torah have often mistakenly understood the title “Song of the Lamb” to refer to the short liturgical refrain presented in Revelation 15:3-4. Instead, the writer of Revelation intends his readers to understand that the souls of the righteous martyrs will sing the words of Deuteronomy 32 before the throne. He calls the “Song of Moses” by a new title: “Song of the Lamb.” The souls of the martyrs will conclude the Song of Moses with the brief liturgical refrain which appears in Revelation 15:
Great and marvelous are Your works, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations! Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; for all the nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed. (Revelation 15:3-4)
Why does the writer of the book of Revelation refer to the Song of Moses as the “Song of the Lamb”? Because the Messiah will be the agent of the final redemption of which the song speaks. He will vindicate God’s people as Moses prophesied in the song. When we study the Song of Moses, we are studying about the work of the Messiah.
Spiritually Flabby
Staying in good physical condition requires regular exercise and self-discipline. Staying in good spiritual shape requires no less effort.
Have you ever noticed how difficult it is to lose weight but how easy it is to put it on? Spirituality and godliness are not easier disciplines to master than weight loss.
Moses refers to Israel as Jeshurun (Yeshurun, יְשֻׁרוּן).
But Yeshurun grew fat and kicked—you are grown fat, thick, and sleek—then he forsook God who made him, and scorned the Rock of his salvation. (Deuteronomy 32:15)
Moses used the name Yeshurun to contrast Israel's great spiritual potential with their fallen condition. It is a word derived from the root yashar (ישר), which means to be "upright." Yeshurun means "upright one," and the word is used as a term of endearment for Israel. The people of God are to be morally upright and straight before the LORD. The Greek (LXX) version of the Torah translates the word as "beloved one." In the Song of Moses, however, the term Yeshurun is used sarcastically to describe an apostate Israel that was once upright but is no longer so.
Moses foretold that when the children of Israel entered the land of Canaan, God would give them all the bounty of the land. The people of Israel were destined to enjoy "the produce of the field ... honey from the rock ... oil ... curds of cows, and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, and rams ... and goats, with the finest of the wheat—and of the blood of grapes ... wine" (Deuteronomy 32:13-14). Moses predicted that Israel's success in the land would result in apathy toward God and a desire for materialism. All that good eating was going to spawn an ungrateful and rebellious spirit. The Talmud says, "A full stomach leads to sin."
Prosperity often places a greater obstacle between us and God than poverty does. The poor man looks to God for help continually. The prosperous man can find it easy to forget about God. Perhaps this is why Yeshua teaches us, "Blessed are the poor in spirit" (Matthew 5:3), which is to say, "Blessed are those who have the humble attitude of a poor man."
The Song of Moses goes on to portray Yeshurun, the upright one, as fat and slovenly—a reference to Israel's fallen moral state. The image is like that of a former Olympic athlete who has become rotund and lethargic.
Improvement and maintenance in our spiritual lives requires daily effort and commitment. Backsliding requires no effort at all. The moment we stop moving forward in our walk with God, the flesh begins to pull us backward. This can be compared to a swimmer who was swimming upstream. It took effort, but so long as he continued to swim, he made steady progress. When he stopped to rest by floating in the water, though, he immediately began to drift downstream. In only a short time, all his progress was lost.
To stay spiritually in shape, we need to press on every day. If we do, we will be upright, worthy of the name Yeshurun. If we are spiritually lazy, though, and allow the flesh to rule us, we will quickly become like the fat, flabby Yeshurun described in Deuteronomy 32.
Watering our Souls
Many believers behave like the foolish gardener. They espouse faith in Messiah and find relationship with God, but they do not nurture that faith and relationship by regularly watering it with the study of the Word.
Moses compared the people of Israel to the grass and the Torah that he had taught them to life-giving water. Moses prayed that his teaching would be to Israel like rain and dew, which water the grass and vegetation: "Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as the droplets on the fresh grass and as the showers on the herb" (Deuteronomy 32:2).
The Apostle Paul used the same metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3. Because he was the first to bring the Corinthian believers to faith, he compared himself to a man who plants seed. Because his colleague Apollos had brought teaching to the Corinthians, Paul compared Apollos to one who waters the seed:
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)
We need to be watered daily with the teaching of God's Word.
Consider the story of a foolish gardener. In the spring he planted some seeds and watered them. He was pleased when they began to grow, and he assumed that he could simply wait for the harvest. He did not think to water the young plants again. "After all, I have already watered them," he said to himself. The plants shriveled up and died.
Many believers behave like the foolish gardener. They espouse faith in Messiah and find relationship with God, but they do not nurture that faith and relationship by regularly watering it with the study of the Word. To live successful lives of faith, we need to drink from the water of the Bible on a regular, daily basis.
Another example: Consider the discipline it takes to achieve a black belt in martial arts. How do you become a black belt in karate? It requires regular lessons, daily practice, and that certain tests must be successfully passed. Do you really think it is easier to be a believer and a disciple of the Master than it is to become a black belt in karate?
Just as any skill we want to acquire takes commitment and a routine of daily discipline, so does discipleship. We need to be spending time in prayer, doing good deeds, and reading and studying our Bibles on a regular basis, not just once in a while. Would a person who practiced his karate skills as regularly as you are reading your Bible would ever advance by even a single belt?
The Torah of Moses is like dew and rain that water our souls and enable us to grow into spiritual maturity.
Heaven and Earth; Rain and Dew
The Torah is like water which begins in a high place and descends to a low place.
Moses began his song by calling upon the heavens and the earth as witnesses to his teaching: “Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth” (Deuteronomy 32:1).
His oracle takes utterance first in heaven, and only after being spoken in heaven, does it turn to address the earth. He follows that progression, from heaven to earth, when he says, “Let my teaching drop as the rain” (Deuteronomy 32:2). Rain falls from heaven to earth, in a sense, connecting heaven and earth. The rabbis compare the Torah to rain falling from heaven to earth:
Rab Yehudah said, “The day when rain falls is as great as the day when the Torah was given, as it is said [in Deuteronomy 32:2], ‘Let my teaching drop as the rain.’ When Moses said “teaching,” he meant Torah, as it is said of the Torah [in Proverbs 4:2] ‘For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my Torah.’” (b.Ta’anit 7a)
The sages compared Torah to water, for just as water descends from a higher to a lower level, so too, the Torah descended from its place of glory to the realm of men:
Rabbi Chanina ben Ida said, “Why are the words of the Torah likened unto water [in Isaiah 55:1], ‘Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters.’? This is to teach you that just as water flows from a higher place to a lower place, so too the words of the Torah descend from a high place to a low place.” (b.Ta’anit 7a)
Water exists in the heavens as vapor in the form of the clouds, but it is still, in its basic essence, water. As it descends in the form of rain, it is still water. When it arrives on the earth as falling rain and it pools in rivers and streams, it is still water. Water is the same in heaven and on earth, though it appears in different forms. Whether in the form of clouds in heaven or pooling up in streams and rivers on earth, at every stage of its descent, water remains water. So too, with Torah in its descent from the heavens. In the heavens it is Torah, and here on earth it is Torah. Its essence remains Torah.
The Torah of Moses (and all of the Bible, for that matter) has descended to us in a form we can understand and comprehend. The ineffable Word of God has taken on the garments of human language so that we might hear and understand. It has come in the form of laws and commandments so that we might speak it and do the Word of God. When we observe it, we allow God’s Word to clothe itself in the garments of human flesh. We incarnate the Word of God on earth. That which began in the heaven as the unsearchable and unknowable Word of God has descended like rain to the level of the earth. Rain waters the grass, and living things soak it up and incorporate it into their being. Heaven and earth unite by this connection.
This common analogy for Torah helps explain Messiah. The Word (Logos) descended to the earth and took on the garments of human flesh as a real human being—Yeshua of Nazareth—and formed a connection between heaven and earth. Yeshua spoke the words of His Father and kept His commandments. He clothed them in the garments of His body. He is the Word made flesh, the Living Torah. He is the living Word of God united with the substance of earth, but His essence remained the same on earth as it was in heaven.
The Resurrection of Moses
Why was Moses buried outside the promised land? So that when the resurrection of the dead comes, he can lead his generation across the Jordan.
When Moses blessed the tribe of Gad, he said, “He provided the first part for himself, for there the ruler’s portion was reserved; and he came with the leaders of the people; He executed the justice of the LORD, and His ordinances with Israel” (Deuteronomy 33:21). Who is the “he” in this blessing? Tradition applies these descriptions to Moses himself.
The tribe of Gad settled in Transjordan. The sages understood the obscure words “for there the ruler’s portion was reserved” to refer to the grave of Moses (Deuteronomy 33:21). The Talmud says that the “ruler’s portion” in Gad is the burial plot of Moses.
Though Mount Nebo was located in the territory of Reuben, the sages imagined that the angels carried Moses into the adjacent territory of Gad for burial. Moreover, the midrash interprets Deuteronomy 33:21, “He came at the head of the people,” to mean that Moses will lead his generation across the Jordan and into the land of Israel at the time of the resurrection of the dead. This is why the LORD did not allow Moses to cross the Jordan. He needed Moses to stay with his generation so that his merit and favor could save the generation that he buried in the wilderness:
Lest people suppose that the generation that fell in the wilderness has no share in the World to Come, you must be buried beside them. Then in the time to come, you shall enter with them, as it says, “For there the ruler’s portion was reserved; and he came at the head of the people.” (Numbers Rabbah 19:13)
The generation of Moses would merit to partake in the resurrection only due to Moses being buried on the East Bank of the Jordan, just as they were. Moses identified himself as one with the people, and the LORD referred to Israel as the people of Moses, as it says in Exodus 32:7, “Go down at once, for your people.” Chayim ben Attar notes that the operative word here is “your people,” i.e. that in order to save his people at the time of the resurrection, Moses had to die here and now.
Compare this legend about Moses with the Messiah Yeshua who also died in order to save Israel in the future resurrection. He took the first part for himself, i.e., He was the first raised from the dead. In the future, He will come at the head of the resurrection, leading His people into the land of Israel like a king at the head of his army.
Watering our Souls
Many believers behave like the foolish gardener. They espouse faith in Messiah and find relationship with God, but they do not nurture that faith and relationship by regularly watering it with the study of the Word.
Moses compared the people of Israel to the grass and the Torah that he had taught them to life-giving water. Moses prayed that his teaching would be to Israel like rain and dew, which water the grass and vegetation: "Let my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as the droplets on the fresh grass and as the showers on the herb" (Deuteronomy 32:2).
The Apostle Paul used the same metaphor in 1 Corinthians 3. Because he was the first to bring the Corinthian believers to faith, he compared himself to a man who plants seed. Because his colleague Apollos had brought teaching to the Corinthians, Paul compared Apollos to one who waters the seed:
I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)
We need to be watered daily with the teaching of God's Word.
Consider the story of a foolish gardener. In the spring he planted some seeds and watered them. He was pleased when they began to grow, and he assumed that he could simply wait for the harvest. He did not think to water the young plants again. "After all, I have already watered them," he said to himself. The plants shriveled up and died.
Many believers behave like the foolish gardener. They espouse faith in Messiah and find relationship with God, but they do not nurture that faith and relationship by regularly watering it with the study of the Word. To live successful lives of faith, we need to drink from the water of the Bible on a regular, daily basis.
Another example: Consider the discipline it takes to achieve a black belt in martial arts. How do you become a black belt in karate? It requires regular lessons, daily practice, and that certain tests must be successfully passed. Do you really think it is easier to be a believer and a disciple of the Master than it is to become a black belt in karate?
Just as any skill we want to acquire takes commitment and a routine of daily discipline, so does discipleship. We need to be spending time in prayer, doing good deeds, and reading and studying our Bibles on a regular basis, not just once in a while. Would a person who practiced his karate skills as regularly as you are reading your Bible would ever advance by even a single belt?
The Torah of Moses is like dew and rain that water our souls and enable us to grow into spiritual maturity.
Haazinu | Song of the Future, or Song of the Present
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This parasha series is dedicated le-zekher nishmat
Ha-Rabanit Chana bat HaRav Yehuda Zelig zt"l.
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This parasha series is dedicated in honor of
Rabbi Menachem Leibtag and Rabbi Elchanan Samet.
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A. THE HISTORICAL TIMEFRAME
In our study of parashat Ki-Tavo, when examining the recitation over the bikkurim, we saw that the Torah requires that the bearer of fruit engage in an historical review, starting with the period of the forefathers and ending with the moment when the farmer himself stands in the Temple. In our study of parashat Nitzavim, we addressed the parasha of repentance and redemption, with its overview of Jewish history from the future period of exile until the people's ultimate redemption from exile and return to their land.
Parashat Ha'azinu likewise deals with Israel's past and future. What are the historical horizons encompassed in the song of Ha'azinu, as compared to those encompassed by the two previous parashot?
The Ramban (verse 40) believes that the brief song of Ha'azinu contains a comprehensive historical vision, encompassing the whole of Jewish history from the very beginning of the selection of Israel as "God's portion" up until the completion of the future redemption. Thus, both the period reviewed in the recitation over the bikkurim and that described in the parasha of repentance are included within it.
This explanation by the Ramban exerted a profound influence on all later Jewish commentators – up until those of modern times, all of whom quote him or repeat his ideas in their own words. In this study, we will reopen the question of the historical timeframe of the song.
B. SIN AND PUNISHMENT
For lack of space, let us focus only on the crux of the song: the sin, the punishment and the deliverance. God gives Israel the land and provides them with all types of good therein (verses 13-14), but they forget Who provided all the good and worship foreign gods (verses 15-18). From verse 19 until verse 25 we find a description of God's anger towards His children and the punishment He brings upon them. The Ramban interprets with great precision this stage of the song: "[The Torah] describes His anger towards them, so much that He sends them WITHIN THEIR LAND [i.e. Israel] pestilence and hunger and wild beasts and destruction by the sword." This is a precise interpretation based both on what is NOT mentioned in these verses of punishment – there is no mention of exile! – and on what is explicitly stated (v. 22): "For a fire is kindled in My anger... and it shall consume THE EARTH AND ITS PRODUCE." This would indicate that the reference is to the same land to which the song previously referred in describing Israel's enjoyment of its produce.
In verses 26-27 we find the turning point: God reveals His exceedingly harsh plan regarding the punishment of Israel, which He cancels because of the erroneous future perception of this punishment in the eyes of their enemies.
"I said, 'I shall consume them, I will erase them from human memory' - were it not for the anger of the enemy, lest their adversaries misunderstand, lest they say, 'Our hand is high; it is not God Who has done all this.'"
What is the plan conceived by God that represents the climax of the punishment, and which is cancelled by God in view of what Israel's enemies will say? An exact answer depends to some extent on our interpretation of the difficult term "af'ehem" in verse 26. Biblical poetry often contains words that are rare and unfamiliar, or unusual grammatical forms of certain words that render their interpretation difficult. But at the same time it contains an internal commentary that accompanies such terms – a commentary that arises from the Torah's most typical artistic technique: parallelism. Therefore the great majority of the early commentators, despite their differing etymological analyses of the word "af'ehem," agree that the meaning is, "I shall consume them," or "almost consume them," on the basis of the parallel in the verse: "I shall erase them from human memory."
It is not only the parallel within the verse that teaches us that this is indeed the meaning of the word "af'ehem." We learn this likewise from the connection between verse 26 and verse 27 and their context: only the idea of punishment by annihilation of Israel arouses in the Torah the fear of "chilul Hashem" (desecration of God's name) to such a grave extent that God cancels it. This is indeed what occurred following the sin of the golden calf and also following the sin of the spies. What is unique here is that it is not Moshe who raises the possibility of chilul Hashem, but rather God Himself Who relinquishes the plan of annihilation for this reason.
The plan for the (complete or almost complete) destruction of Israel is not realized, and here the song begins to turn in the opposite direction: to the detriment of Israel's enemies, and to Israel's salvation from them. The commentators who focus on the literal meaning of the text have generally agreed with the opinion of R. Nechemia in the Sifri, that verses 28-35 deal with the enemies, and not with Israel. And in verse 36 we already find Israel's salvation:
"For God will judge His nation and comfort Himself for His servants, when He sees that their power is gone, and there is none, closed or abandoned."
The exegetical process thus far leads us to the following important question: In the series of punishments described in verses 19-25 there was no mention made of exile! This being so, just as the punishments described in these verses take place in Eretz Yisrael, so Israel's deliverance and redemption from their enemies must take place there. This does not fit in with the numerous warnings in the Torah that Israel's sins in their land will eventually lead to exile. Can it be, therefore, that the song of Ha'azinu ignores the most terrible of punishments?
In the verses of punishment (e.g. 27, 29, 30) the Torah speaks of the victory of Israel's enemies IN WAR. The enemies do not understand their great victory over Israel as a punishment that the God of Israel brings upon His sinning nation. Therefore we read in verse 26 that God does not wish to give Israel entirely into the hands of their enemies - to the extent of their memory being erased – IN WAR (i.e., their annihilation by the enemy), for the enemy will interpret this as their own victory ("our hand is high").
But Israel in exile does not wage war against the enemies! This being so, these words uttered by the enemy are inappropriate to the exile situation. Thus, this too shows that Israel is dwelling in the land, engaged in a constant war against its enemies. God gives Israel into the hands of the enemies, but only up to a certain limit: God is not prepared to grant the enemies a victory on a scale that would make Israel's existence as a nation cease.
C. VENGEANCE AGAINST ENEMIES
The section of the song of Ha'azinu dealing with Israel's salvation lacks almost all the elements described in the parasha of repentance and redemption in Nitzavim (30:1-10):
As the Ramban himself notes: "This song contains no precondition of repentance [for redemption to occur]."
The song makes no mention of the ingathering of the exiles. This is no wonder, since – as discussed above - the description of the punishments that will visit Israel does not refer to exile.
The song fails to mention Israel's flourishing in the land in any sphere whatsoever.
The last part of the song lacks almost any reference to Israel at all. The only verse that speaks of a change in Israel's situation is verse 36: "For God will judge His nation, and He will comfort Himself for his servants, When He sees that their power is gone, and there is none, closed or abandoned." It is difficult to define this as a reference to "redemption." The verse is talking about an end to Israel's distress and their deliverance from the enemy's hand, out of the greatness of the distress in which they find themselves.
If this last part of the song seems so wholly lacking in the components of redemption, what causes the Ramban and other commentators to perceive in it a description of redemption? Only one idea: the revenge against Israel's enemies. The "reckoning" with the enemies is of a clearly warlike nature. Thus, the description of the revenge on Israel's enemies also indicates that the reference is not to nations among which Israel was exiled, but rather to those who waged war against Israel and killed many of them in war. It is against them that God will wage a war of revenge in order to avenge the blood of His nation and to atone for the land upon which so much blood was spilled.
Thus it arises that not only that which the song omits to mention, but also that which it contains – the heavy attention to Israel's enemies and the revenge against them – demonstrates that the song deals NOT WITH EXILE AND REDEMPTION, but rather with ISRAEL'S WARS AGAINST THEIR ENEMIES WHILE THEY ARE LIVING IN THE LAND. Let us then return to the question we posed at the beginning: what is the historical scope of the song of Ha'azinu?
D. PUNISHMENT AND DELIVERANCE IN THE LAND
To respond succinctly: On its literal level, the song of Ha'azinu is meant to serve as A TESTIMONY AND WARNING TO ISRAEL REGARDING THE EVENTS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THEIR ENTRY INTO THE LAND, and during the many generations of their habitation there. All that time, exile is still a distant threat, so far from realization that even its shadow was nowhere to be seen on the horizon.
In this respect, Ha'azinu is different from the blessings and curses – "the words of the covenant" – conveyed at Sinai (parashat Bechukkotai) and on the plains of Mo'av (parashot Ki-Tavo-Nitzavim). The testimony of the great covenants sealed with Israel on those occasions went so far as to include the destruction, the exile and the eventual redemption. They therefore anticipate the entire broad, distant cycle of history, the grave climax of which – the destruction and exile – is actually irrelevant to the generation entering the land and those immediately following them.
At one point in Devarim (4:25-27), in a clear parallel to the covenant at the end of the Chumash, we are told:
"When you will bear children and grandchildren and you WILL HAVE LIVED LONG in the land, and you shall be corrupt and shall make a carved idol... I call the heaven and the earth to testify against you today that you will quickly perish completely from upon the land... and God will scatter you among the nations..."
It is stated explicitly here that the threat of exile pertains to a time when Israel will have "lived long in the land" – they will have been settled there for many generations. But the degeneration and the sin of idolatry threaten Israel from the very beginning of their stay in the land. How will God choose to deal with the rebellious nation during these first generations in the land? It is this that Ha'azinu comes to clarify. In this respect, Ha'azinu complements the testimony of the covenant made on the plains of Mo'av, and only by looking at both sources together do we attain a comprehensive picture of what lies in store for Jewish history from the time of the entry into the land, via the period of ongoing degeneration during their habitation there – punctuated from time to time by deliverance – until the destruction and exile, and the redemption.
What characterizes the life of Am Yisrael in their land, as described in Tanakh, starting from the period of the judges? The historical pattern that repeats itself over and over during the period of the judges, and also appears later during the first commonwealth, is that a strong enemy rises against Israel and oppresses them cruelly, until at some point there is deliverance and the enemy is overpowered. This historical rhythm is generally described as arising from Israel's sins in turning to idolatry. As a punishment, God gives them into the hand of the enemy, but ultimately God relents, in the face of superficial repentance on the part of Israel aimed at facilitating their deliverance, but which does not last long. At times God delivers them even though they do not engage in repentance, but rather because His mercy is aroused at the plight of His people who have reached such degradation.
This national degeneration, starting shortly after the conquest of the land – as early as the period of the judges – and continuing throughout most of the generations that lived in the land (with the exception of the period of David and Shlomo), stands in sharp contrast to the awesome events surrounding the exodus from Egypt, the miracles of the desert and the success in the conquest of the land. What causes this degeneration? Why do Israel fall after they have settled in the land? It is this question that Ha'azinu comes to answer, warning Israel that if they serve idols in their land the descent will follow soon after, and they will be given into the hands of their enemies.
But Ha'azinu also answers a different question, the corollary: If Israel indeed engage in idolatry and consequently are punished with harsh measures, why does God not carry the judgment to its full extent? Why does He save them time after time from their enemies, even transferring the punishment onto those same enemies? The song provides a dual answer to this: firstly, the enemies of Israel are ultimately also the enemies of God. They themselves are idolaters and deserve punishment for their actions. They attribute their victories over Israel to their own power and strength, not realizing that they are God's messengers, sent to punish Israel who have sinned. Secondly, despite all God's anger against His people, He nevertheless regrets the evil that has befallen them when He sees their helplessness and their lowly degradation – "There is none, closed or abandoned" (verse 36).
Thus we find, in light of the above, that Ha'azinu is not a review of a single historical process at all; rather, it sketches the outline of a historical reality that repeats itself over and over during many generations, with slight changes in tone and in emphasis.
This perception of Ha'azinu is based on what we have discovered during the course of this study, and explains these findings quite simply: the lack of mention of exile in the list of punishments arises from the fact that the historical boundaries of the song cover specifically the period of Israel's national existence within their land, during those generations when exile was still a far-off threat. Likewise the song fails to describe their future redemption, but rather indicates their (temporary) deliverance from their enemies, because their lowly state arouses God's mercy and, more importantly, because of the sins of their enemies, who are also the enemies of God, and the need to exact revenge for their actions. Hence the warlike nature of the song, which deals mainly with the relations between Israel (dwelling in the land) and the surrounding nations – relations characterized by ongoing war.
Proof of this perception of Ha'azinu is also to be found in the prose introduction to the song in Vayelekh. In God's words to Moshe and Moshe's words to Israel, we are told explicitly to which historical circumstances the testimony of the song is directed (31:16-21):
"And God said to Moshe: Behold, you are to sleep with your fathers. And this people will rise up and will go astray after the gods of the strangers of the land in which they will be among them, and they will abandon Me and violate My covenant which I have made with them. And My anger will burn against them on that day, and I will abandon them and I will hide My face from them, and they will be devoured, and many evils and troubles will befall them... And now, write for you this song... in order that this song may be for Me a witness against Bnei Yisrael. For when I have brought them into the land which I promised to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and been satiated and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and provoke Me, and violate My covenant. And it will be when many evils and troubles have befallen them, then this song will answer before them as a witness..."
And later on Moshe declares (31:27-29):
"For I know your rebellion and your stiff neck: While I am still alive with you, you have been rebellious against God, and so likewise after my death... For I know after my death you will become corrupt and turn away from the way... and evil will befall you at the end of days for you will do evil in the eyes of God, to anger Him with the deeds of your hands."
These verses repeatedly emphasize that the reference is to an historical process that is not far off, and which will commence immediately after Moshe's death. Close examination reveals clear linguistic and thematic connections between this introduction and the song itself. The song contains nothing more than what we are told in the introduction, except that it is expressed with poetic force that makes a lasting impression: "that it not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants."
E. REFERENCES TO HA'AZINU LATER IN TANAKH
There are many links between Ha'azinu and the other sources in Tanakh which show that the song is truly one of rebuke and testimony for Israel while they dwell in the land:
1) There are several places in Sefer Shoftim where the thematic connection – and at times even the linguistic connection – to the song of Ha'azinu is unmistakable. See, for example, 2:8-18 and 10:6-17.
2) The description of the growing suffering of Israel at the hands of the Arameans during the period of the royalty, and God's salvation of Israel from them, also echo the words of Ha'azinu (Melakhim II 13:22-23):
"And Chazael king of Aram oppressed Israel all the days of Yehoachaz. And God was kind to [Israel] and had mercy on them, and turned towards them for the sake of His covenant... AND WOULD NOT DESTROY THEM; and to this day He has not cast them off from before Him."
3) In the days of Yeravam ben Yoash, Israel expanded even though it was said of this king that he did evil in God's eyes. His military victories are therefore surprising, but the answer is provided (Melakhim II 14:25-27) with the aid of the language and logic of Ha'azinu:
"He returned the border of Israel from the entrance to Chamat back to the sea of the Arava... for God saw the plight of Israel, that it was very bitter – that there was none closed and none abandoned and none to help Israel. And God had not said that He would erase the name of Israel from beneath the heavens."
4) Echoes of Ha'azinu are also to be heard in the rebukes of the prophets (e.g. Yishayahu chapter 1: "Hear, O heavens, and listen, O land... I have raised children and reared them, and they have rebelled against Me...").
F. CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE
What caused the Ramban, and other commentators both preceding and following him, to make an effort to find in Ha'azinu what appears, according to a literal understanding of the text, to be lacking – Israel's exile and their future redemption? The special status of the song in the Torah caused it to be perceived, in exile, as the climax of the "words of the covenant" of the previous parashot. These commentators never entertained the possibility that this lofty song had nothing to do with their situation in their long exile. Therefore it was interpreted as an advance warning of this exile, and the revenge against the enemies of Israel, addressed at such length in the song, was understood in relation to the nations among whom Israel dwelled in their exile. Hence the assumption that the song contains a promise of redemption from exile - a promise having no connection with repentance.
The interpretation that we have suggested for the song – that it should be seen as referring specifically to those generations of Israel's history when they dwelled in their land – makes it seem meaningless for those generations who lived in exile, suffered its yoke and prayed for redemption from it. It was the attempt to have the song apply to their generation, and to those that followed, that caused these commentators to interpret it in the way that they did.
Some seven hundred years after the Ramban and fifty years after the birth of the State of Israel, it appears that the literal understanding of the text – as suggested in this study – is the more relevant one for our generation.
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