Parshat Ha'azinu
This week's Torah portion of Ha'azinu is well known for its poetic song, also known as Moshe's final song and teaching. Our sages teach us, that within the Shirat Ha'azinu, there is to be found the expanse of Jewish history throughout the ages. Ha'azinu is essentially a prophecy of the Jewish story throughout the millennia. This song often mixes past, present, and future, explains Rabbi Gedaliah Schorr (1910-1979 Poland/America) as it represents the perfect harmony of Creation, where there is no conflict at all. It is a G-dly song of hope and redemption.
The Torah states (Devarim 32:2) "Yarof Kamatar Likchi Tizal Katal Imrati-May my teachings drop like rain, may my utterance flow like the dew; like storm winds upon vegetation and like raindrops upon blades of grass". The simple meaning of this verse according to Rashi (1040-1105 France) is that the teaching of the Torah are like water, and penetrate the nation like life-giving rain, and like dew that is even more welcome, because it doesn't inconvenience anyone. The Ibn Ezra (1089-1167 Spain) sees this verse as a blessing of being fruitful, i.e., the Torah will make the nation fruitful. The Sforno (1475-1550 Italy) explains that this relates to Torah study, which even a bit of it refreshes and revives the soul, like dew and rain.
The greatest responsibility placed upon each one of us as Jewish parents, is the need and importance of passing the baton to the next generation. Each one of us received the traditions and heritage from our parents before us, or made a conscious decision to become Jewish and be part of the Jewish story. The challenge is, how do we pass it on to the next generation in a way that they too, will cherish it and then pass it on to their children. But this dilemma also extends to education and values in the general sense as well. How do we pass on those things that we value, those family traditions that are dear to our heart, those life-lessons, in a way that will inspire our children?
When crops grow, it is self understood that rain and dew is needed in order for the crops to be healthy and grow well. The difference between rain and dew is, that while dew is gentle, rain is much stronger. The hard rain on crops, strengthens them, while the dew gives gentle nourishment. The perfect balance is needed for healthy crops. Our portion of Ha'azinu is teaching us a very important lesson in education and passing things on to our children. Sometimes the instruction/lessons must be extremely gentle and sometimes that must be harsher to help our children grow strong. Harmony and balance is key.
The Klei Yakar (1550-1619 Prague) beautifully explains this verse in this manner. Sometimes there are personalities or people that need the strict approach, but other times we must opt for the gentle and soft touch. The trick is to know when and how to apply these educational methods. "Spare the rod and spoil the child" is absolutely true for some children, but for other children the "rod" will break them and they will remain damaged for life. There are also times or experiences in life when the child needs the "Rain Approach" and times when they need the "Dew Approach". As parents and educators it is our responsibility to really evaluate each child and ask ourselves "what is it that they need now?" It should not be about our feelings or sense of urgency to transmit what WE want, but rather about what the individual child needs.
Moshe Rabbeinu understood this, and this is what made him such an effective leader and educator. And indeed, almost 3500 years later we still read his beautiful words of Ha'azinu.
Shabbat Shalom and a meaningful Yom Kippur.
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