11 Tishrei 5782 | September 17, 2021
Parshat Haazinu
Talia Weisberg
Class of 2024
HaAzinu, the penultimate parsha of the Torah, is quite sharp in its rebuke of Bnei Yisrael’s misdeeds and description of the curses that will befall them should they not cease their wrongdoing. Moshe, who is told at the end of the parsha that his death is imminent, uses his short amount of remaining time to leave a lasting impression on the people he has shepherded for so many years. Among all of these difficult reprimands and punishments, Moshe also includes what can only be interpreted as a beautiful image of God’s love for Bnei Yisrael:
(ט) כִּ֛י חֵ֥לֶק יְהֹוָ֖ה עַמּ֑וֹ {ס} יַעֲקֹ֖ב חֶ֥בֶל נַחֲלָתֽוֹ׃ (י) יִמְצָאֵ֙הוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִדְבָּ֔ר {ס} וּבְתֹ֖הוּ יְלֵ֣ל יְשִׁמֹ֑ן יְסֹבְבֶ֙נְהוּ֙ יְב֣וֹנְנֵ֔הוּ {ס} יִצְּרֶ֖נְהוּ כְּאִישׁ֥וֹן עֵינֽוֹ׃ (יא) כְּנֶ֙שֶׁר֙ יָעִ֣יר קִנּ֔וֹ עַל־גּוֹזָלָ֖יו יְרַחֵ֑ף {ס} יִפְרֹ֤שׂ כְּנָפָיו֙ יִקָּחֵ֔הוּ יִשָּׂאֵ֖הוּ עַל־אֶבְרָתֽוֹ׃
For the LORD’s portion is His people, Jacob His own allotment. He found him in a desert region, In an empty howling waste. He engirded him, watched over him, Guarded him as the pupil of His eye. Like an eagle who rouses his nestlings, Gliding down to his young, So did He spread His wings and take him, Bear him along on His pinions.
The metaphor of God as an eagle, protecting Bnei Yisrael by bearing them on His wings, appears earlier in Tanach as well. In Parshat Yitro, when the Israelites arrive at Har Sinai, Hashem tells Moshe:
כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לְבֵ֣ית יַעֲקֹ֔ב וְתַגֵּ֖יד לִבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃ (ד) אַתֶּ֣ם רְאִיתֶ֔ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִׂ֖יתִי לְמִצְרָ֑יִם וָאֶשָּׂ֤א אֶתְכֶם֙ עַל־כַּנְפֵ֣י נְשָׁרִ֔ים וָאָבִ֥א אֶתְכֶ֖ם אֵלָֽי׃
Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob and declare to the children of Israel: “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Me.”
This imagery is also found in Tehillim:
He will cover you with His pinions; you will find refuge under His wings; His fidelity is an encircling shield. You need not fear the terror by night, or the arrow that flies by day, the plague that stalks in the darkness, or the scourge that ravages at noon. A thousand may fall at your left side, ten thousand at your right, but it shall not reach you.
At first glance, it may seem odd to compare Hashem to an eagle, a bird of prey which is not kosher. As alluded to in the pasuk from Tehillim, Rashi explains in his commentary on both Yitro and HaAzinu that the eagle flies higher than all other birds, so it is immune from attack from its fellow avians and only concerned about arrows shot by humans. Thus, the eagle flies with its babies on its back rather than holding them in its claws, so as to ensure its offspring is protected from the danger below. Rashi cites the pillar of fire that God sent to stop the Egyptians from overtaking Bnei Yisrael at the Yam Suf as an example of this eagle-like form of protection that Hashem affords us.
This is a particularly powerful image of God’s love, given the time of year. Yom Kippur was just yesterday, when we spent hours in shul and in private meditation considering our personal and communal misdeeds from 5781 and beseeching Hashem for forgiveness and the opportunity to do better in 5782. God is not a faceless overlord who judges us with indifference; He is a loving Parent who shows us mercy and compassion, keeping us out of harm's way. No matter what sins we might commit, we will always be His children and He will bear us on His wings.
Sukkot begins in just three days from now, when we will begin to dwell in sukkahs in the exposed outdoors. The sukkah is a temporary structure that clearly does not afford us much actual protection. The Shulchan Aruch and Mishna Berura (OC 631:3) rule that the ideal s’chach subjects the sukkah user to the elements, such that they can see the stars and feel the rain. This is a reminder that we are the eagle nestlings on God’s wings, lest we forget Who is really protecting us at any given time.
Certainly, this does not mean that we should forfeit doing our hishtadlut (personal effort). It is noteworthy that the perek of Tehillim that invokes the eagle imagery of God's love and unconditional protection also mentions a plague that strikes down thousands. As we go through our second Tishrei with COVID in our midst, we must still wear masks, engage in appropriate social distancing, get vaccinated when eligible, and otherwise adhere to public health guidelines to ensure that we are partnering with Hashem in our personal protection.
Once we have done our hishtadlut, we can only place our trust in our Hashem, our Creator, who flies with us on His back, showing us His unconditional love.