Machshava:

Chinuch 

Parsha:

Haazinu 

Collections: R' Goldin Parenting from the Parsha

Description

This week’s parsha- Ha’azinu- is not simply a parsha. It is a song… Poetic, even prophetic, in language, - Ha’azinu is written in two columns in the Torah, as opposed to the Torah’s standard structure. The parsha thus parallels Shirat Hayam, the song of Az Yashir, chanted by Am Yisrael on the shores of the Yam Suf- which features similar language and is also written uniquely in the Torah. What remains unclear from the text, however, is why G-d chose to relay the message of Ha’azinu as a song. What is the goal of this song, and what advantage does it have over the standard style of the Torah? Az Yashir was man-initiated, a spontaneous expression of hoda’ah and shevach by B’nai Yisrael for the incredible miracles that G-d had performed for them. Song was an natural way for that hoda’ah to be expressed. However, here it seems that Hashem simply wants to reiterate some of the critical messages of Sefer Devarim- the importance of serving Hashem and keeping His mitzvot, and the accompanying rewards and punishments that will result from our actions. Why does G-d choose to do so in the form of song?