Ha’azinu/Shabbat Shuva: Guide to National Teshuva

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On Shabbat Shuva, in addition to reading parshat Ha’azinu, we will hear the call to teshuva (return/repentance) by the prophet Hosea in the haftarah reading. Hosea along with other sources in Tanach and the commentaries provide a guide to both individual and national teshuva, a particularly resonant combination for our people today. 

The main source for the mitzvah of teshuva appears in Devarim 30. The language there highlights a number of elements in defining repentance. The Torah vacillates between singular and plural language: “You will return to your God…” implies individual teshuva. “God will return and gather you from all the nations…” refers to national return. The verses refer to a return to God, to mitzvot and the nation’s return to the land of Israel. 

Yet, the Sages saw models of teshuva in various biblical stories as well.  According to Bereshit Rabbah, God said that Reuven was the first person to sin and repent. After the brothers threw Yosef in a pit, Reuven did not only return physically (“va-yashav”) to the pit, he repented and attempted to mend the brotherly rift. Reuven, through his individual teshuva, sets a precedent for repairing discord between brothers, for national teshuva. The midrash adds that Reuven is rewarded with his descendant Hosea becoming the prophet and teacher of how to do teshuva. 

Hosea’s prophecy appeals to Am Yisrael to collectively return to God. In this week’s haftarah Hosea highlights two aspects of teshuva: 1) Teshuva needs to be done in steps, as a gradual process. 2) The core of teshuva is through words: “Take words with you and return to God.. Instead of bulls, we will pay [with offering of] our lips.” The key to repentance is verbal acknowledgment, prayer and speaking peacefully. 

Hosea teaches: A return to God and to brother/sisterhood – national teshuva – is possible through small steps and through language of healing and repair. Shabbat Shalom and Chatima Tova -Karen Miller Jackson

Parshat Ha’azinu and Sukkot: Rain Down on Me!

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In his parting words in parshat Ha’azinu, Moshe urges Bnei Yisrael to appreciate God’s Torah through a poetic metaphor: “May my discourse come down as the rain (מטר), My speech distill as the dew, Like showers on young growth, Like droplets on the grass.” What is the symbolism of the Torah being likened to rainwater? 

The midrash Sifre interprets: “Just as rain is life for the world, so too, words of Torah.” This refers to matar, good rain, also known as “rains of bracha.” Rain, like Torah, connects the earthly and the heavenly, the physical and the spiritual. It comes down from the heavens and provides sustenance, life and growth on earth. Rashi adds another dimension to this idea in his interpretation of Bereshit. God did not bring down rain until there was someone to be “makir tov,” to appreciate and pray for rain. Rain reminds us to be cognizant of good things and to express appreciation for them. So too, Moshe wants the Jewish people to appreciate the Torah. 

Rainwater and hakarat ha-tov are central themes during Sukkot as well. While dwelling in a temporary sukkah, we are reminded to be cognizant of what we have. Also, the mishna (Rosh Hashanah) teaches: “On the chag (sukkot) we are judged regarding the water.” Our actions and prayers directly influence the amount of rain received each year. In Temple times there were water libations (ניסוך המים) on Sukkot in prayer that the world “be blessed with water.” Just after sukkot we begin saying the tefilla for matar and “rains of bracha.”

By taking time on Sukkot to recognize the goodness of rain, Torah and other things, we hope and pray that this year brachot rain down on us and the world. Shabbat Shalom and Chag Sameach! -Karen Miller Jackson