Divrei Torah Parshas Hazinu
Divrei Torah Parshas Hazinu
Torah Table of Contents
Solid as the Heavens. Rebbe Yechezkel M'Kuzmir, and the Imrei Aish Hey [Heh, Hea] is for...Teshuva, The Rebbe Shlita in Alei Deshe
based on ma'amarim by Rebbe Yechezkel of Kuzmir on Rosh Hashana, and the Imrei Aish, Parshas Ha'azinu
On Rosh Hashana, we are bidden to make the "She'hechiyanu" blessing, praising Hashem for keeping us alive, sustaining us, and enabling us to reach this day. This blessing is usually reserved for special joyous occasions - so how is it, wonders Rebbe Yechezkel of Kuzmir, that we make this bracha on Rosh Hashana, which is Yom HaDin [the Day of Judgment]?
On the second day of Creation, Hashem said, "Let there be a firmament" [Breishis 1:6]. Rashi [based on Chazal, our Sages] explains that this verse refers to the Heavens being solidified and strengthened on that day. Even though they were created on the first day of Creation, at that time they were fluid. They were subsequently solidified as a result of Hashem's "roar" when He said, "Let there be a firmament."
So, at this time, the Heavens were sustained, and the entire world thus benefited. Similarly, the Day of Judgment [HaYom Haras Olam - the anniversary of the "birth" of the world] sustains the entire world, which thus benefits from it. So it is therefore most proper to thank Hashem for sustaining us until this day.
The Imrei Aish brings this same insight of our Sages to tackle another difficulty. A G-d fearing Jew is referred to as a "Yireh Shamayim," one who has the "fear of Heaven." Why is this term used, rather than "Yireh Hashem" or Yireh Elokim" - one who fears G-d?
At Hashem's "roar," the once-fluid Heavens trembled and stood fast [solidified] in their tremendous Awe of Hashem. In fact, until this day they remain steadfast in their fear of Him. A Jew should take this example to heart, and remain steadfast in his fear of Hashem. Therefore, the Awe of Hashem is referred to as the "fear of Heaven."
Finally, he applies this lesson to the opening verse of Parshas Ha'azinu.
"Listen, O Heavens!" - just as the Heavens remain steadfast in their fear of
Hashem, so should the inhabitants of earth "hear" - they should understand from
this example to have the same fear of Hashem.
based on a ma'amar by the Rebbe Shlita in Alei Deshe, Parshas Ha'azinu
Is this the way you repay Hashem, you ungrateful, unwise nation? Is He not your Father, your Master, the One Who made and established you? Remember days long gone by, ponder the years of each generation. Ask your father and he will tell you; your grandfather, who will explain it. When the Most High gave nations their heritage, and split up the children of man, He set up their borders parallel to the number of Bnei Yisrael." [Devarim, 32:6-9]
The "Heh" at the beginning of verse 6 is a separate word, and is a large "Heh". Rashi explains this as an introduction to a question - are you upsetting before Him? The Rebbe Shlita, though, points out that the large "Heh" is there because the letter "Heh" indicates Teshuva, repentance, which is the "order of the day" at the time of year we read this Parsha [almost always it is Shabbos Shuva, in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance]. The Gemara [Menachos 29b] asks why the world was created with the letter "Heh"? It answers, because the form of the letter is similar to a balcony, where whoever wants to exit can do so [the bottom is open]. Why is the "leg" of the "hey" in suspension? Because whoever wants to "return" in repentance can enter. This is a clear indication for man to do Teshuva.
Another indication of this letter for the theme of Teshuva involves the way the letter is "spelled out". It has three forms: Hea-Aleph, Hey-Yud, and Heh-Heh. If we add these three "completing letters" to the Heh itself, we get Heh-Aleph-Yud-Heh, which when rearranged spell out one of G-d's Names - Eh-heyeh, which means "I will be." This Name also alludes to Teshuva, as if to say, "I will be good and do teshuva." Furthermore, the gematria of this Name is 21, which alludes to the 21 days that Hashem anticipates our Teshuva, from Rosh Hashana through Hoshana Rabba. This is also indicated by the Gemara which says, "One whose head [Rosh] hurts, should engage in Torah". The sefarim take this to mean, for one who didn't do [enough] teshuva on Rosh Hashana, Hashem waits until Simchas Torah, and if he repents properly, he will be immediately accepted.
But, the Rebbe Shlita wonders, doesn't the entire Teshuva process begin from Rosh Chodesh Elul? Indeed it does, and this is alluded to in another verse, read in that month: "R'ei Anochi Nosein Lifneichem Hayom" [Devarim, 11:26]. All of the holidays are mentioned in this parsha, except for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Nevertheless there is the following hint: the word "R'ei," spelled "Reish-Aleph-Heh", hints to Rosh Hashana, Elul, Hoshana Rabba. "Anochi" has the letters Yud-Kaf, which refer to Yom Kippur. The remaining letters, Nun-Aleph, are 51 in gematria. This refers to the 51 days between the beginning of Elul through Hoshana Rabba. Thus the entire period is auspicious to Teshuva.
The Midrash [Yalkut Shimoni, Remez 702] interprets the verse, "Tov v'Yashar Hashem - G-d is good and upright," that Hashem is good because he is upright, and upright because He is good. When various "middos" [characteristics, qualities that Hashem put into Creation] were asked, what should be the punishment for one who sins, they each gave various answers. Wisdom said, "Sinners pursue evil." Prophecy said, "The soul that sins should be put to death." The Torah said, "Let him bring a guilt-offering and he will be atoned." Finally, Hashem Himself was asked. His response: "He should do teshuva, and he will be atoned." The Rebbe Shlita says that this means that Teshuva is an entirely new element in the scheme of things, in Creation. Since the world consists of Four elements, four directions, etc., this means that Teshuva is a "fifth dimension". This can be taken as another reason why the Heh in our verse is written large, and why it represents Teshuva - for the numerical value of Heh is Five.
With this, we can understand the continuation of our verse. "Is this the way you repay Hashem?" To Hashem, who has given you the "fifth dimension" of teshuva, do you repay him thus? "Am Navel v'lo Chacham - [literally, you ungrateful, unwise nation]." The Gemara [Rosh Hashana, 18a] expounds on the Ten Days of Repentance from someone called Naveil HaCarmeli. The Targum explains that it refers to "a nation which received the Torah, but did not become wise." This can mean, that Teshuva did not come to Man from the Torah [which suggested bringing a guilt offering], and not from Wisdom, which suggested Death. "Ask your father" refers to the Prophets, according to Rashi. Even Prophecy answered with a death penalty. Your elder [grandfather] refers to the Wise, and again, Wisdom answered with death. It was only Hashem Himself who recommended Teshuva.
Finally, regarding the last verse cited above, "When the Most High gave nations
their heritage, and split up the children of man, He set up their borders parallel to the number of
Bnei Yisrael," Rashi explains that this refers to the Dor Haflaga [generation of the
Tower of Babel], were so sinful that they should have been destroyed. Hashem kept them around,
however, because of the "number of Bnei Yisrael." The reason Hashem kept these nations alive
was for the sake of His People, Israel. For if one of them were to sin, Hashem would not be able to
destroy him. For one could protest and say, "if even an entire nation sinned and You didn't wipe
them out, because they are descended from Shem, so certainly a Jewish person - who has the ability
to do teshuva - should not be punished severely.
