Haazinu | “For I Will Proclaim the Name of the Lord; Ascribe Greatness to Our God” – The Hidden Code of the Song of Haazinu

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By defining a particular text as a song/poem ("shira"), Scripture signals to the reader that the channel of communication is changing. Prose describes things in a broad and detailed manner, while poetry by its very nature hides more than it reveals.[1] This being the case, the reader must work harder to understand the poet's intent. This is true about every passage of poetry, and all the more so regarding the song of Ha'azinu, concerning which Scripture itself notes from the outset that it requires study (Devarim 31:19):[2]

Now therefore write this song for you, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel.

The songs of the sea and of the well, which preceded Ha’azinu, were depicted as spontaneous outbursts of thanksgiving for an unexpected event. The song before us is completely different, which is perhaps the intention of the Rashbam when he writes about the use of the term "shira" in our context (in his commentary on the previously cited verse):

"This song" – Arranging words is called "song."

In other respects, as well, the background of the song before us evokes deliberate opacity. In the previous section, Scripture noted the end of the writing of the Torah without the slightest mention of the song (Devarim 31:9):

And Moshe wrote this law, and delivered it to the priests the sons of Levi, that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and to all the elders of Israel.

Then God commands Moshe and Yehoshua to appear in the Tent of Meeting and tells them what will happen in the future. The telling of the future draws the oration towards the song, and ends with a command to write and teach the song. Following the execution of that command, Scripture once again notes the end of the writing of the Torah (Devarim 31:18-26):

And I will surely hide My face on that day because of all the evil which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned to other gods. Now therefore write this song for you, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel… So Moshe wrote this song that same day, and taught it the children of Israel… And it came to pass, when Moshe had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moshe commanded the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you.

This repetition causes the reader to wonder: Is the song part of the Torah? Or did the Torah reach its conclusion earlier?

“Now Therefore Write This Song For You”

To answer these questions, let us consider another way in which the song stands apart from other Torah passages. In Parashat Vayelekh, we read that Moshe finished writing the Torah. Over the course of the Torah, there is mention in a few isolated cases that Moshe writes something,[3] but nowhere do we find God explicitly commanding Moshe to write a text, other than Ha’azinu and the tablets of the covenant (Shemot 34:27-28):

And the Lord said to Moshe: Write these words, for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel. And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tablets the words of the covenant, the ten words.

At first glance, the cases are complete opposites. The command to write the tablets of the covenant is formulated in the singular and relates to writing on one occasion. In contrast, the command to write the song is formulated in the plural and aims for its widespread distribution. However, when we examine more closely the reason for writing the song, we see the connection between them (Devarim 31:19-30): 

Now therefore write this song for you, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for Me against the children of Israel… then it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles are come upon them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed… So Moshe wrote this song the same day, and taught it the children of Israel… And it came to pass, when Moshe had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moshe commanded the Levites, that bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: Take this book of the law, and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you. For I know your rebellion, and your stiff neck; behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, you have been rebellious against the Lord; and how much more after my death? Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will deal corruptly, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the end of days; because you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him through the work of your hands. And Moshe spoke in the ears of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song, until they were finished.

The Torah seeks to draw the reader's eye to the connection between the Torah and the song, by stating that both the song and the book were stated/written until they were finished. We see then that the song and the Torah have a parallel function: to attest to a stable foundation that preceded events to come. It may be suggested that the song is the document chosen to represent in the public arena the complete source that rests hidden away alongside the ark of the covenant.[4]

Ostensibly, as mentioned in last week’s shiur on Parashat Vayelekh, the song’s novelty lies in its decisive wording that turns the question mark, which in other passages hovers over the calamity resulting from Israel's future failure to comply with Torah laws, into an exclamation point. In the following lines, we will try to decipher the hints that the song itself sends out, in order to remove the veil from another layer and reveal its significance.

“For I Will Proclaim the Name of the Lord; Ascribe Greatness to Our God”

          We wish to argue that the song holds the clues to its own interpretation, and provides a key at the very outset (Devarim 32:3-4):

For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God. The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice; a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He. 

Note that in these two verses, the Creator is referred to by no less than three names! In our opinion, this is the key to the proper understanding of the song. We will be able to see, over the course of the song, a sophisticated interplay between these three names[5] (1-43):

Give ear, you heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth… For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God. The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice; a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He. Is corruption His? No; His children's is the blemish; a generation crooked and perverse. Do you thus requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise? is not He your father that has gotten you? has He not made you, and established you? Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask your father, and he will declare to you, your elders, and they will tell you. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. For the portion of the Lord is His people, Yaakov the lot of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste, a howling wilderness; He compassed him about, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of His eye… The Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with Him. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he did eat the fruit of the field… But Yeshurun waxed fat, and kicked, you did wax fat, you did grow thick, you did become gross, and he forsook God who made him, and contemned the Rock of his salvation. They roused Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations did they provoke Him. They sacrificed to demons, no-gods, gods that they knew not, new gods that came up of late, which your fathers dreaded not. Of the Rock that begot you, you were unmindful, and did forget God that bore you. And the Lord saw, and spurned, because of the provoking of His sons and His daughters. And He said: I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; for they are a very perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. They have roused Me to jealousy with a no-god; they have provoked Me with their vanities; and I will rouse them to jealousy with a no-people; I will provoke them with a vile nation. For a fire is kindled in My nostril… and devours the earth with her produce, and sets ablaze the foundations of the mountains… I thought I would make an end of them, I would make their memory cease from among men; Were it not that I dreaded the enemy's provocation, lest their adversaries should misdeem, lest they should say: Our hand is exalted, and not the Lord has wrought all this… If they were wise, they would understand this, they would discern their latter end. How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had given them over and the Lord had delivered them up? For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges. For their vine is of the vine of Sedom, and of the fields of Amora… Vengeance is Mine, and recompense, against the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that are to come upon them shall make haste. For the Lord will judge His people, and repent Himself for His servants; when He sees that their stay is gone, and there is none remaining, shut up or left at large. And it is said: Where are their gods, the rock in whom they trusted; Who did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink-offering? let him rise up and help you, let him be your protection. See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me; I kill, and I make alive; I have wounded, and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of My hand. For I lift up My hand to heaven, and say: As I live for ever, If I whet My glittering sword, and My hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine adversaries, and will recompense them that hate Me… Sing aloud, O you nations, of His people; for He does avenge the blood of His servants, and does render vengeance to His adversaries, and does make expiation for the land of His people.

Upon careful examination, we see that the song creates a connection between the different names:

1. And he forsook God who made him, and contemned the Rock of his salvation (v.15).
2. Of the Rock that begot you, you were unmindful, and did forget God that bore you (v.18).
3. Except their Rock had given them over and the Lord had delivered them up (v.30).
4. And it is said: Where are their gods, the rock in whom they trusted? (v. 37)

Let us set aside the third quotation, which we will address later. In this list, we see a recurring connection between the term "Rock" (tzur) and "God" (E-l, E-lohim). The term "Rock" is a new designation for the Creator, which we have not yet encountered. It is used to refer to God in terms of His strength[6] (Rabbeinu Bachya, v. 4, and others):

According to the plain understanding, the Holy One, blessed be He, is called Rock, in the sense of strength. And similarly (Yeshayahu 51:1): "Look to the rock from where you were hewn." For just as a rock is strong and the foundation of the earth, so the Holy One, blessed be He, is the foundation of the world.

From this perspective, the correspondence between the term Tzur and the term E-l/E-lohim is not surprising, for they share the same meaning. This is how commentators have explained the name E-l in various places, beginning in the book of Bereishit (31:29):

It is in the power [le-el] of my hand to do you hurt; but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying: Take heed to yourself that you speak not to Yaakov either good or bad.[7]  

If so, the names for God found in this song can be divided into two groups. In one we find Tzur/E-lohim, while in the second we find "the Lord" (the Tetragrammaton). I would like to argue that the whole song revolves around God's appearance in the world. At times, He manifests Himself in His essence as "the Lord," while at other times he appears as if dressed in a garment, as "the Rock" or "God." Let us try to understand the message behind this.

“For Their Rock is Not as Our Rock”

Let us go back to the quotation that we skipped over before. We will see that it is precisely that quotation that is of critical importance. It must, however, be read in its full context:

I thought I would make an end of them, I would make their memory cease from among men; Were it not that I dreaded the enemy's provocation, lest their adversaries should misdeem, lest they should say: Our hand is exalted, and not the Lord has wrought all this… If they were wise, they would understand this, they would discern their latter end. How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had given them over and the Lord had delivered them up? For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.

Within the framework of the threats of calamity in the recent parashot, the Torah always concentrates on the silent dialogue that takes place between Israel and God. The people deviate from the way of their God and are punished for their behavior until they are redeemed in one form or another. So far, the Torah has ignored a third factor in the picture: the foreign god. Though he has been mentioned, it was only as the address of those who stray from the path of God and chance upon his door.

In our opinion, calling God by the term "Rock" is intended to lay the groundwork for setting God and the "foreign god" in the same category and on "the same field." Throughout the Torah, the reason for worshipping a foreign god is not explained; foreign worship is portrayed as a betrayal that has no reason, for which nothing is received in exchange. The only rationale mentioned is "herd behavior" (Devarim 12:30):

Take heed to yourself that you be not ensnared to follow them, after that they are destroyed from before you; and that you inquire not after their gods, saying: How used these nations to serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.[8] 

Now, on the eve of Moshe's death, at the end of an era, the Torah seeks to preview a change in the face of history. The starting point is God's selection of the people of Israel while demonstrating His manifest providence in wilderness conditions. Looking ahead, though, the people will lead a natural life in their country and the face of reality will change. Over the course of history, various different gods/rocks will appear, calling upon humanity – including the people of Israel – to obey them and to accept their authority. As long as God's providence is manifest, there will be no real justification for veering from His path, but things will not continue that way forever. Once God "retreats" from the open stage of history, the field will not be left empty, and it can be anticipated from the outset that other forces will spring up and lay claim to the crown. In such a reality, God could, as it were, be seen as just another rock/god among the existing selection – in which case, abandoning Him would be perceived as a possible and appropriate course (vv. 15-18):

But Yeshurun waxed fat, and kicked, you did wax fat, you did grow thick, you did become gross, and he forsook God who made him, and contemned the Rock of his salvation. They roused Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations did they provoke Him. They sacrificed to demons, no-gods, gods that they knew not, new gods that came up of late, which your fathers dreaded not. Of the Rock that begot you, you were unmindful, and did forget God that bore you.

The song goes on to state that in case we do not succeed in doing so by ourselves, God will shed the "robe of the rock" and prove to us and to the entire world that it only seems as if there are multiple gods in the world, while the truth is that the Lord is God and there is none other besides Him (vv. 19, 37-39):

And the Lord saw, and spurned, because of the provoking of His sons and His daughters… And it is said: Where are their gods, the rock in whom they trusted; Who did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink-offering? let him rise up and help you, let him be your protection. See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me; I kill, and I make alive; I have wounded, and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of My hand. 

The Torah never justifies following other gods, other than the Lord, the God of Israel. However, the song classifies the conduct of the Rock of Israel and that of the rocks of the nations according to the same terms to warn of possible confusion. The people must prepare themselves for the possibility that the hiding of God's face will create space for the rise of alternative gods – while the people are charged with teaching its starting point to the world, and why it has degenerated into a world dominated by "rocks/gods."

In a world ruled by "rocks"/"gods," the distinction between our Rock and their rock becomes increasingly difficult. Thus, for example, when Ashur rules the world, it seems that their rock is "the rock in whom they trusted," who spreads his protection over those who believe in him and directs their way to the summit, and so it is with the god of Bavel and others. But it is precisely this point of difficulty that the song addresses. In a world where there is confusion regarding who is in control, the Torah expects the people to be able to reveal, within what is happening before their eyes, the hidden conduct of God. We must remember the wonders that He performed and not become confused, even if over the course of the generations it seems that He is playing on the field of history like a "rock" or a "god" alongside others.

Let us now take another look at the beginning of the song and understand that immediately at the beginning of the song, Moshe provides us with its conclusion:

For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness to our God. The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice; a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is He.

The people must not be confused. The call is to the name of the Lord; He is our God and He is the true Rock, whose ways in the end are justice.

(Translated by David Strauss)