Dear Rabbi, ,
I delivered a devar Torah on Shabbat Shuvah at the request of
Rabbi Richardson because he was ill and needed some rest between his Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur sermons. In the upcoming parshah, Moses delivers a
musical composition that was literally his swan song with the help of Joshua.
This led me to think of those of us that followed those in the desert and that
many have gone into the song writing business with great success. A latter day
duo that came to mind were George and Ira Gershwin who combined on some of the
all time standards in American music history. The music and lyrics that brought
it home to me as extension of what happened in the desert oh so long ago was
there iconic song, "Someone to Watch Over Me." The specific lines are
as follows:
I hope that she turns out to be
Someone to watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in a wood
I know I could always be good
To one who'll watch over me"
Who is to say that the music of that tune did not resonate
within the minds of those in the desert that were the distant relatives of the
Gershwins who are part of the later generations to those that wandered. What
got me was that the words are probably what was on the minds of those that only
saw Moses as the one that "watched over me" through their 40 year
odyssey. I concluded what I said by indicating that G-d had to show
that he was really the one that would be watching over the Jewish people
throughout the years and that human leaders come and go regardless of how
righteous they are and that the Lord is the only constant.
I did not delve into any specific Aliyah to further prove my thoughts but after looking at the parshah again, I think I can further prove my point as to G-d having to show over and over again that the Jewish people should believe in him and not be side tracked by either riches or idols that lead them away from what will keep them safe and sound.
The Third Aliyah ends with the following:
But Israel "became fat and rebelled," and abandoned the G‑d that made them and provided them with all their wealth and fortune. Instead they strayed after idols and abominable activities.
Then the Fourth Aliyah brings it all home with this:
G‑d became incensed by His
children's behavior. He decided to hide His face from them, and to send upon
them invading armies, wild beasts, plagues, demons, and famine. If not for the
obtuse nations who would have foolishly taken credit for Israel's demise, G‑d
would've utterly destroyed the Jewish nation.
In other words, if not for future
nations foolishly taking credit for Israel's demise, G‑d would've utterly
destroyed the Jewish people. Where are the ancient Romans, the Spanish Empire
or even the Third Reich today? Nothing more than footnotes in some of the
terrible times in Jewish history but despite all we have gone through, we are
still around and still praying for one more year in the Book of Life to try and
live up to what G-d expects of us. If that is not loyalty to the cause, I don't
know what is.
L'Shalom,
Mordecai
Funny that you should mention Jewish songwriters. I have been thinking recently about Irving Berlin. He wrote “White Christmas.” Doesn’t that capture the American Jewish experience so wonderfully? A Jew writes the most famous Christmas song in America! I still try to look for hints of Jewishness in Jewish songwriters who don’t write songs about specifically Jewish subjects. You’re absolutely right. I don’t think a better explanation exists for why Moses had to die than the one you offer.
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