Ha'azinu - 6th Portion

Join me as we learn kumish for shishi the sixth Torah reading of parasenu Friday parasa. We are now at the final stanza of the poem that Moshe said of the oath and the covenant that he made with the Jewish people of what will happen and how God will remember the promise and the heaven and earth are the witnesses to account for the app for the happenings of the Jewish people for the good and for the opposite. He now comes to the last part of the stanzas we mentioned where God says remembers what the nations have done against the Jewish people and how God will repay them. First verse 40 verse 40 chapter 32:4 in my anger against your enemies I will raise my hand to heaven and swear and I will say I live forever so to speak only as he continues as in the next verses let's see rashi God makes the promise to take revenge of the enemies of the Jewish people with my anger and my wrath against the enemies. I will raise my hand to swear with my against myself at the covenant in the in the oath that I make and I will say the word is a terminology of a promise of an oath like we find in the book of numbers the same similar terminology is used I swear in the terminology the same way that I live for eternity so through the truth is eternity and therefore I will do the following following verse 41. If I will sharpen the blade of my sword, lightning and my hand will take hold of judgment. I will execute vengeance on my adversaries adversaries and repay those nations who cause others to hate me by denying my existence. Let's see how Rashi explains these few verses, these few words. If I sharpen my blade, my sword like lightning, Rashi explains, if it will come the time that I will sharpen my sword, so therefore it will be like lightning, meaning that I will prepare my sword in a way to take revenge of them that it will be as sharp as lightning strikes. when it comes to take payment or to pay back or to exact judgment against those that I need to put aside my mercy on them and therefore take revenge to the my enemies who have done harm to you even though at the time it was my will that they should give you and afflict that pain but still in all I take revenge on those that hurt you because I was only angry a little bit, but they helped and exaggerated and made it worse. Therefore, when it comes to judge those nations, I will hold my hand in judgment to be able to do as as needed. And to take revenge on my enemies without having any mercy on them, I will execute vengeance. Over here the rabbis learned in the in the in the in the medish as follows from this verse we learn that God says he will hold his hand in judgment the God is not like the per like a person of flesh and blood a human of flesh and blood throws an arrow of you cannot return it once it's out of your hand it's gone however is not. So even after he throws the arrows, he still has the ability to bring them back. As if he's still holding the arrow in his hand. Where do we know this from? Lightning is like the arrow of God. As it says in that lightning is like God's arrow. over here God uses the terminology the lightning of my sword and I'll hold it in his hand this judgment that they're talking about is talking about the punishments that he may bring the punishments that he brings against those that hurt the Jewish people whom this means actually bringing the actual decree to fruition and what God is saying he has the lightning the sword but it's still in his hand that even after he puts the arrow forward, he still has the control to be able to direct them and take it back should he need. And over here, this is the go this is God saying that he will exact judgment on those people and give them what they deserve. Verse 42, I will make my arrows drunk with the blood and my sword will devour their flesh. The blood of the slain captive from the very first breach the enemy made in your security. Rashi ask that means those arrows that I will throw will be like the drunken from drinking so much blood of the enemy. meaning the amount of people that will be killed. And my sword will eat the meat like one that eats their meat of eating the meat of the enemy. And the reason why this is going to happen, all these punishments against them is going to happen because this is going to happen to the enemies because of the blood that they have killed amongst the Jewish people and the sins of the captives that they have taken in captivity throughout the years of exile that the Jewish people were under their jurisdiction. That means God is going to exact punishment on them from the first time they breached the wall. The enemy breached the the wall because when God exacts punishment on the alien nations of the world, he remembers not only their sins but the sins of their forefathers as well and many generations back from the first time that they breached the enemy into the security of the Jewish people. From that very first time until the last generation, God will take revenge and exact punishment on them. Verse 43. Nations praise his people for he will avenge the blood of his servants. He will take vengeance of his adver adversaries and appease his land, his people. Let's see how he explains this last unbelievable verse. Harinoy. The song calls to the nations of the world and tells them it is time that you praise. As he says, nations praise, nations praise. That will come that time. The nations of the world will praise the Jewish people. And they'll say, "Look at how great this nation is that they stuck with God and they never went away from him. No matter what the pain and suffering they've gone through, And they still did not leave God. Why didn't they leave God? Because they knew the good and the praise of Almighty God that it will come a time that he will take them out of their pains and troubles. And as the verse continues, there's two revenges that he talks about over here. The very fact that he killed the Jew, the Jewish people were killed and these nations simply put that they killed the Jewish people and also the revenge of for the thievery and the theft that they have done that they kept on stealing from the Jewish people as it says in Joel that the kingdoms of Egypt and Edom will be turned to desolate places because of the fact that they stole from the Jewish people. And as it says, from the theft that you've done to your brother Jacob, you will be embarrassed and you will be cut off forever. talking about the ultimate um the what's going to happen in the end of days when the people of Asov will be destroyed meaning that God will be able to appease his land which is the land of Israel and his nation the Jewish people for the terrible pain and suffering that they've gone through and that the enemy did to them and it will atone It doesn't necessarily mean a tone will be appeased. They'll be satisfied like I will try to appease him. I will try to calm his anger and it will appease his land. What does it mean? His land is nation because when his nation is consled and comforted then the land is comforted as well. As it says in Psalm 85 that God had made the land desirable, how did you make the land desirable? They returned the Jewish people to the land to their land. Now Rashi adds now concerning this entire song there's a whole debate of in the tal of how it's discussed and over here Rashi is going to bring another interpretation of how it's explained in the entire song is explained differently in the he says as follows studies this entire song that refers to the Jewish And looks at this entire song as it's learned about the nations of the world and he goes back to the beginning of psalm of the song in verse 26 and he goes through it each one explaining according to their opinion and he says as follows meaning in this verse itself we get to and he says rahuda explains this how this refers to the Jewish people and he goes back to verse 26 where it says I would have said I will abandon them. What does that mean? So in this verse and so too in the verse next the next verse after this there is no debate between and everybody agrees. This is talking about the Jewish people says I explained earlier until verse 27 there's no debate and all of it's talking about the Jewish people. However, from now on here onward is where the bait the debate begins. The next verse begins in verse 28. For they are a bewildered nation and they possess no understanding. Who is that referring to over here? He says it refers to the Jewish people according to this opinion of Dasi. What does it mean? They have no advice. They lost my Torah. They're not keeping the Torah which that gives them advice and understanding. They don't have understanding meaning to contemplate the Jewish people and not thinking what they're doing wrong. How is it possible that one that one of the nations should be able to chase the thousands of them if they haven't sold if God haven't delivered them? if their rock hasn't sold them because their rock is not like our rock. Meaning say everything is Rashi explained before according to the opinion of Rab Yehuda that this is referring to the Jewish people that God always watches over the Jewish people explains this exact same verse that is talking about the nations of the world that it's a nation that's lack of ideas. It's referring to the Jewish people that are hurting hurting and harming the Jewish people and as we explained and this refers to until verse 31 referring to the nations of the world how they are wondering how is it possible that God let go of them and therefore they were able to be victorious and overcome the Jewish people. Then he continues, "Kimigan stame gaffnam in verse 32 because they're grapes since their vine I'm sorry is the vine of Saddam because they're acting like Saddam says this is referring to the nations of the world meaning that their activities and their actions are like the people and as bad as Sodom and their actions are like the people of therefore don't say it has to do with me because I'm the one that gave them over to the Jewish people that they should be able to punish them and therefore they're going to put it in their idols and saying that that's why they're able to be successful that their evil acts are as bitter are as bitter as those grapes. meaning. This is what we said previously that if not for the enemy angry that they used them and they uh made them uh suffer and try to hurt them with many different pain and sufferings. Therefore, because of their punishment, their punishment will come. Now, we talk about the bitter vines that he will give them that he will give them and ultimately punish them for what they have done. of what they've done to my children. That means they think that they are going to now do something against the Jewish people, that they have the ability to do it because of their idols. Ultimately, I'm the one that's giving them permission to do it. And they will then be receiving that bitter punishment back. That cup that they're drinking with the poison with their that they're trying to get that they're hurting the Jewish people with, they're going to got they're going to get that in return. That the cup is in the hand of God. The verse then continues which is there 35 uh they'll repay when their foot falters meaning when the time will come that their foot will falter and they will not be able to stand and the feet of Moshiach and the Jewish people will rule over them like we said like it says in Yeshel that they will be trampled by the feet and meaning by the feet as referring to Mosiach's times because God will judge his nation and over here when the word key because the word key as we know has many different interpretations and in this case it means it's like it's giving a reason of why all these things because of all these events over here the word does not mean suffering means that he will be able to help them and bring them salvation and will judge them. Meaning that he will fight their wars for them from those people that try to steal from them. As he continues then in the verse as they they will see as he continue this is verse 36 Rash is going back to that they will see [clears throat] that their strength is growing and no one is being saved. So, Rashi explains and they're going to say, "Where is their God?" That means when God will see that the nations of the world are getting stronger and they're threatening the Jewish people, the enemy is going to say, "Where's the God of the Jewish people?" Kimo like the embarrassing and disgusting words that Omarus Titus the evil said at the time of the destruction of the second temple when he when he tore and he and he and he stabbed the curtain of the of the ark and and with that blood came from from it as the git describes the Jewish people will see this at the time when the enemy sees the kindness it does to the Jewish people in the future and they will say, "Oh, look, here is where God is. They'll then see they'll see the salvation of God." They'll say, "They'll say here, yes, this is who the God that did everything. From here, from here, from me came the bad. And from me will as well come the good that the Jewish people will see and also the nations of the world will come to acknowledge and recognize that from God is coming the punishment as well as the exacting the punishment on those who try to hurt the Jewish people. Meaning on the nations of the world there'll be nobody there to save you from the bad that will come upon you because I'll lift my I'll lift my eyes to the heaven. I'll lift my hands to the heaven. But this is referring continuing the words of God to the nations of the world. I'm always resting in heaven. That means how do you think that you're going to be able to have the ability to overcome me? Even the weak guy up here and the strong guy down there always you have the fear of the guy that's on top and the guy that's on bottom because whoever is on top ultimately has the the upper hand. How much more so in this case where God says I'm the one in heaven the strong one's in the heaven and the weak one the weak one's down here you stand no chance and therefore humans on this earth who you stand here don't you recognize that the strength is in the heaven what does it mean my hand means my divine presence like each person at that time I had the ability to punish you then I live for eternity I'm not going to be quick to be able to exact that punishment on you. I still have time to wait. I live for eternity. I got all the time in the world. But I'm going to wait until the end of generations and pay back and punish them for all the generations and all the terrible things they did from the beginning of the time. And I have the ability to exact punishment. Those that are alive, those that are deadlike when it comes to a king of flesh and blood that he's about to die if he tries to make sure to exact punishment and get revenge on those people that hate him while he's still alive because he's not sure who's going to die first, whether him or his enemy. So therefore, he'll never be able to see the punishment that's exacted or the revenge that he tries to get of those that are his enemy. But I God that I live for eternity. Am I that I will can always take revenge on them. And if they will die, I will punish them. If not when they're alive, I'll punish them when they're dead and put them in purgatory. And now we continue where we left off in page 41. If I sharpen in verse 41, if I will sharpen my blade, my sword uh like that will glister like lightning. And over here this word im when we talk about if generally the word im um sometimes means like a condition. However, there are many times that the word if is not conditional meaning that he will do it. That when I will do that when I sharpen my blade and will glister like the lightning and I will hold my hand in judgment. All of it could now be explained like Rashi says like I explained earlier either you talk about the nations of the world or it could be talking about the Jewish people either way according to the opinion of Hashi can put both of these opinions of how we can learn the previous verses whether it's referring to the Jewish people or to the nations of the world. This concludes the six Torah reading of Paras Hazenu.