Closer to Heaven
Because we are in many ways feeling the rays of light of the future in the present, we are that much more likely to experience the closeness to heaven that is unique to Moses and is manifest in these Ten Days of Teshuvah than in the past. Today, everybody with relatively minimal effort can access this spiritual dimension. SHUVAH SHUVAH
Overshadowed or Reinforced?
This week’s Torah portion of Ha’azinu can sometimes be overshadowed by the fact that this Shabbos is known as Shabbos Shuva-the Sabbath of Return. The reason for this designation is twofold: First it is one of the Ten Days of Teshuvah (repentance or return). Second, it is the opening word of the Prophetic reading of this Shabbos: Shuva Yisrael-Return O Israel.
But upon deeper reflection we can see that there is a close connection between the parsha of Ha’azinu that we read this week and the fact that this is Shabbos Shuva.
The obvious connection lies in the thrust of this parsha. It is almost entirely a song of rebuke (if there was ever an oxymoron, but we’ll leave that for another occasion) intended to inspire the people to stay loyal to the dictates of the Torah and for those who have strayed it is a message to return.
SHUVAH
But one could also find a connection between the specific themes of this parsha and the Teshuvah imperative of this Shabbos. We will examine on of these connections.
Moses and Isaiah: Who is Closer to What?
The parsha begins with the statement uttered by Moses to the Jewish people in his last day: “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and may the earth hear the words of my mouth.”
The Midrash observes that Moses first addresses the heavens and then the earth. By contrast, the prophet Isaiah reverses the order; first he addresses the earth and then the heavens.
A second difference between Moses’ address and Isaiah’s is that Moses uses the expression “Ha’azinu-give ear” when addressing the heavens and the word “hear” for the earth, whereas Isaiah employs “Ha’azinu-give ear” for the earth and “hear” for the heavens. The simple difference between the expression “give ear” and “hear” is that “give ear” implies that the one who is expected to listen is close to the speaker, whereas the word hear could suggest that the listener is far away.
The Midrash explains these two variations thus:
SHUVAH
Moses, the greatest of all the prophets, was closer to the heavens. He thus addressed them first using the expression that connotes their close proximity to him. Isaiah was closer to the earth. He therefore prefaces the earth and uses the expression that connotes closeness when he addresses the earth.
In short: Moses was closer to the heavens and Isaiah was closer to the earth.
Spark of Moses in Everyone
In Chassidic literature we are taught that every one of us possesses a spark of Moses, and that everything that the Torah says about Moses can be applied to every individual. How do we apply the seemingly remote and elusive ideal of having the heavens closer to us than the earth?
The truth is that in most cases we are certainly closer to the earth, i.e. material needs, logical perceptions, human nature, sensual pleasure and the more conventional aspects of existence.
But there are times when, oddly, we are closer to the heavens. There are times when the spiritual resonates in us; when we feel detached from the physical reality and find comfort and solace in prayer, meditation, and solitude. These are times when we feel close to G-d and are SHUVAH convinced not only of His existence, but moreover, of His presence in our lives. These are the times that we feel we can speak to G-d just as Moses would, “face to face.”
And while most people have these heavenly feelings sporadically, unannounced and unexpected, there is one period every year when all of us have the potential to experience this closeness to G-d, when we can say to G-d “Give ear.”
I am referring to the period of the Ten Days of Teshuvah concerning which our Sages invoke the verse: “Seek G-d when He is available, call out to Him when He is close.” This, our Sages declare, refers to the period we are in presently—the Ten Days of Teshuvah. In these ten days, and particularly, during the Shabbos—a day of spiritual tranquility—of this period, each and every one of us can discover his or her affinity to G-d.
Nexus of Two Periods
In terms of history, we are situated on the nexus of two periods: the period known as Galus-exile characterized by the way G-d is concealed, and the period referred to as the Messianic Era characterized by enhanced G-dconsciousness.
SHUVAH
Because we are in many ways feeling the rays of light of the future in the present, we are that much more likely to experience the closeness to heaven that is unique to Moses and is manifest in these Ten Days of Teshuvah and this Shabbos-Shuvah than in all preceding times.
In the past, only spiritually elite people had the luxury of having a personal relationship with G-d and experiencing spiritual and mystical feelings. Today, everybody with relatively minimal effort can access this spiritual dimension.
And while we have free choice to resist feeling G-dly during this annual period of the Ten Days of Teshuvah and the prelude to the Age of Redemption we are in, when we “let go” of our “defenses” against feeling and acting spiritual, we will discover the beauty and awesomeness of this Moses-closer-to-heaven experience.
SHUVAH
SHUVAH
From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Haazinu by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
