Devarim 32:1 – 52
Like Rain and Dew
We find ourselves at the next to last Parsha. Ha’azinu means “give ear”. It’s a poem without title but is often referred to as “Song of Moses” or “Shirat Ha’azinu.” As mentioned last year, linguistic interpretation suggests this was written earlier than the rest of Deuteronomy and was of independent composition per Torah: A Women’s Commentary. It was likely added towards the end to drive home the points made earlier in Devarim. It may have originally been written to give hope following some tragic event.
In our Song of Moses, we find diverse metaphors to describe G_d. Andrea Weiss in Torah, A Women’s Commentary mentions G_d described as rock, eagle, father, warrior, and even a mother who gave birth and nursed Her child Israel.
The song itself is to speak to our wrongdoing, of how we turn from the good offered by Hashem and forget when we have become gloated by our prosperity and turn to other gods. Hashem hides himself from the Israelites but does not destroy them lest others misunderstand and assume their gods were more powerful. Rather Hashem will protect his people and they will atone. Then Hashem sends Moses to the Mountain of Transitions, Mt. Nebo where Moses may view the land before he dies.
Inspired in good part by a dvar offered by Rabbi Aviva Richman at Hadar, I want to focus on these verses:
Deuteronomy 32:2
May my discourse come down as rain,
My speech distill as the dew,
Like showers on young growth,
Like droplets on the grass.
Rabbi Richman offers that rabbinical teaching offers there is nothing automatic about Torah’s goodness. Torah’s impact depends on the work we do as we study, share, and interpret it. A midrash (Sifrei Devarim 306) begins speaking how Torah is synonymous with goodness, but it becomes clear that Torah can be damaging, at least not good for everyone all the time.
For instance, rain is not always a welcome thing. An inopportune rainfall for example can ruin stored wine or grain, especially in Biblical times. It would be easy to assume then Torah could be harmful for some. But the next verse offers the metaphor of dew. Dew is pretty much universally seen as a good thing. So Rabbi Richman offers that Torah is not functioning as Torah unless all are touched by Torah for the better. In short, if we are approaching Torah for a noble purpose, it will bring life. If not, it can be dangerous.
So, I ask myself, what does all this mean to me today. As a trans woman in a lesbian relationship, all I need to do is follow current events. All around me are people who extract individual quotes from Torah and their Christian Bibles to preach hate, division, and destruction. These are people who search Torah to find examples to justify their hate.
So why do bad things happen. G_d requites good with good, evil with evil. Many equate religion in our time as evil. I would offer that religion is not to blame, but those who use religion for evil purposes. Recently I saw an evangelical preacher telling his congregation that lgbtqia+ people should be taken out and shot in the back of the head. Hardly the message of their Jesus who like Jews preached to love the stranger and their neighbor as their self. But some within Judaism also bear the guilt as well. Some seek to divide us, and the corruption we are seeing play out in Eretz Israel by its leaders is notable. Some elements of the government there are trying to enforce their more orthodox views upon others and lgbtqia+ citizens are quite concerned.
My point is, there are ample examples where the very words we are called to wrestle with, debate, and reconcile with in our calling to heal the world, instead are being used to promulgate hate and division, people choosing the curse rather than the blessing. Within all the world’s religions, we find those who have chosen good, those who chose evil, and all of us wrestling with those inner impulses. May we choose good. May we choose love. May we choose life!!! Baruch Hashem!!!
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