Reflections on Parshat Ha’azinu: The Message I Needed This Year

This past Shabbat, we read Parshat Ha’azinu, one of the most powerful and poetic sections of the Torah. It’s not just a parsha, it’s a song—a vivid and emotional recounting of our history as a people. It reminds us of our journey, struggles, and relationship with Hashem. As I listened to the Torah being read, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of those words in the context of what we, the Jewish people, and particularly the citizens of Israel, are experiencing today.

But during davening, I heard a shared message that focused on Teshuva (repentance) and our imperfections, something we often hear during this season of the High Holidays. It’s a message that, in most years, would be important and fitting. But this year, with everything happening in Israel and the world around us, I found myself feeling that it wasn’t the message I needed to hear. Maybe it was meant to challenge me, maybe it’s good for me on some level—but right now, it just didn’t sit right and was actually triggering.

Ha’azinu: A Song About Collective Strength

As I reflected on Ha’azinu, I was struck by the fact that the parsha itself doesn’t focus on personal Teshuva or our individual flaws. Instead, it’s a song about the Jewish people as a whole—our collective history and destiny. It describes the ups and downs of our relationship with Hashem, acknowledging that we’ve strayed at times but ultimately affirming that we are part of something much bigger than any one moment in time.

Ha’azinu reminds us that while we’ve had our failings as a people, we’re not defined by those mistakes. What defines us is our resilience, our ability to face challenges and keep moving forward as a nation. This year, especially, as Israel faces constant threats from our neighbors and Jews around the world are feeling increasingly vulnerable, this message of collective strength felt far more relevant to me.

The Message I Needed

What I would have preferred to hear is not a focus on our shortcomings and a reminder to repent because I’m a bad person, but a reminder of our endurance. Ha’azinu speaks to the heart of the Jewish people’s story—a story of survival, overcoming adversity, facing enemies and hardships, and somehow always finding a way to move forward. This parsha doesn’t call us to dwell on what we’ve done wrong but rather to see ourselves as part of something greater, something lasting, something that continues even when times are hard.

The world is super heavy right now, especially for us in Israel. The daily reality of violence, threats, and tension weighs on all of us. And with that backdrop, I found myself craving a message of hope and solidarity, a reminder of our historical strength rather than our individual flaws. Ha’azinu, with its sweeping narrative of the Jewish people’s history, felt like the parsha calling for that message.

A Time to Focus on Resilience

It’s not that the idea of Teshuva is irrelevant; it’s a core part of our tradition, and there’s always a time and place for daily introspection. But this year, with everything going on, the message of imperfection and needing to repent didn’t feel like the message that matched the moment. We’re already so aware of the challenges around us. Our vulnerability is being tested every day in Israel and throughout the Jewish world, and we don’t need another reminder that we’re imperfect. What we need is a reminder that we’re strong.

Ha’azinu tells the story of a people who have stumbled but always found their way back. It reminds us that we’ve been through difficult times before, that we’ve faced enemies and threats, and yet we’ve endured. It doesn’t focus on individual guilt; it focuses on collective endurance and the bond we share with Hashem. That’s the message I needed this Shabbat—a reminder that we are part of something bigger, that our strength comes from our connection to our people, our land, and our history.

What We Need Right Now

As we navigate these challenging times, both in Israel and around the world, Ha’azinu’s broader message of resilience feels more relevant than ever. It’s not about repentance for individual wrongs right now—it’s about remembering who we are as a people. We are part of a long story that has seen us overcome incredible odds. Time and again, we’ve been threatened by enemies, and time and again, we’ve endured.

This past Shabbat, as we read Ha’azinu, I felt the words’ message of endurance and collective strength rise up. We are not alone in our struggle. Our history has taught us that we are part of something eternal no matter how hard things get. That’s the message I would have preferred to hear, a message that speaks to our resilience in the face of hardship, not our imperfections.

Sometimes, it’s not about the mistakes we’ve made, the strength we already have, the endurance that has carried us through so much, and the hope that lies ahead.

Shavua Tov and Shana Tova. May we find strength in each other and in the knowledge that we are part of a people that has survived countless challenges, and will continue to do so, together.