by Yehuda HaKohen The Ramban teaches that HA’AZINU is a Divine song fusing Israel’s past, present and future. It recognizes and expresses the total harmony of Creation to the extent that there become no conflicts or historical contradictions.
Through this prophetic song, Israel is exposed to the ideal vision with which to look at the world – how events in our personal, communal, national and global lives come to fully clarify and enhance one another when viewed through their proper lens. While this is certainly not an easy level of perception to achieve, the first step in getting there is to be aware of its existence.
“Remember the days of yore, understand the years of generation after generation. Ask your father and he will relate it to you, your elders and they will tell you. When the Supreme One gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of man, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the Children of Israel. For HaShem’s portion is His people; Yaakov is the measure of His inheritance.” (DEVARIM 32:7-9)
Regarding these verses the holy Ohr HaChaim explains that the Redemption of Israel, which unfolds throughout time, is the inner outline of all human history – the linear map of every significant and seemingly insignificant development. Every major or minor event that has taken place – every discovery, every tragedy, every invention and every war throughout time – is a point on the map of man’s glorious destiny. From the rise and fall of ancient Babylon and Rome to the discovery of electricity and the revolution in France – the events, people and years take on their true inner significance when viewed through their relationship to the Redemption of Israel.
The greater an undertaking, the more complicated its achievement. Because the Redemption process spans all of world history, many difficult obstacles naturally arise. Israel’s Redemption is a project of incredible proportions, replete with challenges, crises, setbacks and ultimate victories. But when a person is trapped in the mundane details of everyday life, he often fails to appreciate how individual pieces of the puzzle fit into the overall picture. Great spiritual strength and wisdom are necessary in order to see that while there is still much to perfect in our current situation, the process of Redemption is irrevocably underway.
The miraculous military victories that we have already achieved, along with the Land of Israel bearing its fruits (as promised in Sanhedrin 98b) and the revival of Hebrew as a language used in daily life are only introductions to the magnificent events still ahead. The incredible sanctification of G-D’s Name expressed through the re-born Israeli Kingdom will shine a light to all peoples and leave no room for darkness. As the Rosh HaShanah prayers express, mankind is heading for the great day when evil will evaporate from the world like smoke and all of Creation will come to recognize the sovereignty of HaShem.
Everything in this world carries a Divine purpose. And while understanding that all of our challenges are only temporary barriers on the road to full Redemption, it is important to recognize the importance of these impediments. At the end of the process, the total sanctification and victory will clarify even the desecrations and traumas along the way. Man will finally understand how even the terrible calamities of Israel’s exile were necessary in order to bring about the revelation of HaShem’s Oneness over all. We will finally appreciate how all events that took place throughout time came about only in order to reach the pinnacle of history that we are approaching today – that amazing future goal where all existence will perceive the complete harmony of Creation. Even that which seems negative or irrelevant will be understood as integral parts of our great historic song. The world will finally appreciate how events that always seemed to contradict and conflict will actually come to complement one another in revealing the Divine hand that has been guiding us from the start. And those living in this miraculous generation will realize how fortunate we are for the opportunity to participate in the fulfillment of history’s ultimate goal.
With Love of Israel,
-Yehuda HaKohen
Am Segula
