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October 3, 2003/Tishri 7 5764, Vol. 56, No.2
Revive Jewish identity on Yom Kippur
Torah study
RABBI DAVID REBIBO
Ha'azinu/Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52
"Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; let the earth hear the words I utter." (Deuteronomy 32:1)
The uniqueness of the Torah portion Ha'azinu, Moses' final address to the Israelites, is its chronological prognosis of our people's ups and downs that would become part of the turbulent history of our people. Physical exile (galut) has been a major motif in our national experience.
For his profoundly prophetic message to the Jewish people, Moses calls upon the heavens and the earth to be witnesses, for they can be eternal as well as reward them with rain, dew and produce.
In the minds of many, physical exile is ended with the birth of the state of Israel. This, however, is not the case for spiritual and intellectual galut. In the covenantal context, the Torah promises an end to the ongoing exiles. "Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, from there He will fetch you." (Deuteronomy 30:4)
By calling on the heavens to be a witness, the Torah does not speak here about those who are dispersed in the uttermost parks of the world, but refers to those who are scattered in the uttermost part of heavens - the exiles who are fast losing their heaven of meaning, sense of purpose and identity through assimilation.
Heaven and Earth are therefore invoked to serve not only as witnesses but mainly as administrators of justice. For the relationship between the Jewish people and the land of Israel serves as the ultimate factor of galut and geulah (redemption).
Moses recites, "O nations, acclaim His people! For He'll avenge the blood of His servants, wreak vengeance on His foes, and cleanse the land of His people." (Deuteronomy 32:43) In these words, Moses describes the ultimate period of Jewish fulfillment through Eretz Yisrael ("the land of Israel").
As recent studies reveal - the National Jewish Population Survey and the 2003 Israel Statistical Abstract Survey - as a result of our affinity for foreign culture, we are shrinking, less Jewish and getting older. How then can we recover our sense of identification in this complex world?
This Shabbat is also called "Shabbat Shuva," the Sabbath of teshuvah (return). Teshuvah, more than repentance, occupies a central place in Judaism.
The tragedies of Jewish destruction have been linked to our negation of national unity. Our Rabbis inform us that the First Temple was destroyed because of idol worship and rampant immorality, while the Second Temple was destroyed because of causeless hatred toward one another and disunity.
On the eve of Yom Kippur, teshuvah calls upon us to explore, examine and strengthen the connection between us and the sacred - a heshbon hanefesh, a "spiritual reawakening."
Judaism demands a union of our entire being. This union is connected with the Torah, that it be implanted in our style of living and fully reflected in our actions.
The task of synagogues and the community is to reflect the sense of heaven, to gather and fetch the exiles - those in high academic pursuit but unfortunately low in morality. Today, perhaps, more than ever, as our ancestral home shows wider and ever deepening cracks, we are indeed in need of greater and immediate redemption.
"Oseh shalom," may he who places peace within the reach of man, grant us the opportunity to achieve true peace within our own lifetime, within our community, our nation and our people.
Rabbi David Rebibo is the spiritual leader of Beth Joseph Congregation in Phoenix.
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