Ha’azinu, this week’s Torah, literally means “Listen”! Or as they used to say “Hear Ye! Hear Ye! Or Oyez! Oyez! But hearing is not enough. Words, sounds are vehicles for actions. So Ha’azinu also means pay attention. Realize. Connect. As indeed does the parallel word Shema. Hebrew poetry is full of parallelisms, saying something and then repeating it in other…
Parsha Ha-azinu
Forgetting and Remembering
The poetry of Ha’azinu hammers away at two ideas. Zachor, remembering, is the good word, remember Shabbat, remember what your enemies tried to do. Remember mistakes like Miriam’s. Forgetting is negative, destructive. It implies intent. “Remember the days of old.” But “You have grown, fat and complacent and deserted God.” “But you have forgotten the Rock that gave birth to…