Haazinu, הַאֲזִינוּ "Listen!" Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52

Ha'azinu / Jeshurun's Atonement

Poetic notes on the parashat Ha'azinu*

Let your hands be still, oh heavens

And let your feet, oh earth, leave off their labour

For Forty days the heavens held their breath,

and the earth endured in fearful torment

Then the chariot of mercy arrived,

the chariot of Yom Kippur

And HaShem said to Moses

“I have forgiven according to your word!”

The ear knows what to hear,

and the soul knows what to listen to

To what does the soul of all souls listen?

My ear was not deep

You, oh God, dug my ear much deeper,

even to the depths of my soul

Listen to Moses,

to the depths of the soul of heaven

Attune yourself to him,

digging as deep as the soul of earth

Beyond mind and stars,

beyond any ascending consciousness,

deeper than the root of stars,

or the core of the realms of planets,

is the soul of Israel

Listen to Moses with the soul of Israel

Israel' soul is in the highest heavens

Israel's soul is in the deepest earth

Everyone within awakening Jerusalem's soul,

Moses serves God to speak to you,

to speak a song in five prayers

For Adam’s abused freedom and yours,

sacrifice one frolicking kid goat to HaShem

And leave one frolicking kid goat behind

in the wilderness,

to bring to an end the wonton demon of chaos

For HaShem creates new heavens and a new earth,

wherein dwells righteousness

By these goats, acknowledge the cost

of the atonement that is made for you

For you, Jeshurun,

frolicked and kicked like a kid

and forgot your modesty

Afflict yourself...,

moderate your freedom

Step out of the mikveh of this world

and into the mikveh of

the new heavens and new earth

“Though your sins are like crimson stains,

they shall be as white as snow;

though they are red as crimson dye,

they shall be like wool.”

Your time of judgement is suspended forever,

for you have overcome the captivity of your tongue

You have cried out all day in prayer

Indeed, you had played out your hand,

Indeed, you could neither stay nor leave

Now, suddenly, a white robe is given to you

You must be going to a wedding

Jerusalem, Jerusalem,

when you forgive your soulmate,

you will know that you too are forgiven

Adam, Adam, where are you?

When you forgive your soulmate,

you will know that you too are forgiven

When you turn,

HaShem will overturn your death,

and the world will turn inside out

Dry bones will ignite with living light,

and creation's seed will sprout

Blood for blood has sealed the wound

Israel cannot be prosecuted

No longer can she be persecuted

It is her robes that are white,

like the very light of God

Her prayers are the language of the world

She was raised on eagle's wings

Her inheritance was to be all worlds

But when she thought she was alone,

she forgot herself

Then her soulmate was nowhere to be found

He found us in the wilderness of sin,

with demon gods and demon tongues

Our love slew families

and drove God's creatures from home and field

Our righteous works killed loved ones

and enemies alike

We stole from God

We stole from every child of his

We consumed the earth

and bit the hand that reached us from the skies

We sat in judgment everywhere

and always we took bribes

Then we remembered Abraham

and the openness of his tent

Then we heard the quiet voice speak to Elijah's pain

Then our heart was rent

Then the desert sky began to rain

Our Anchor Stone has anchored us

when nothingness made us thin

Let the warmth of holiness

destroy our loneliness

and let our prayers destroy our sin

Let all the families of the earth leave the door

or else joyfully come within

Hear, oh Israel,

HaShem, HaShem your God is one

A Poetic Expression of How I Read Ha'azinu

*Being a mediation on an article by Eli Touger, Close To The Heavens, which was adapted from Likkutei Sichos, Vol. I, p. 415; Vol. IX, p. 204; Vol. XX, p. 266. Also being a meditation on other sources — together with a Torah class on Yom Kippur delivered by Rabbi Baitelman of ChaBaD Richmond, B.C., based on the series, Torah Studies, by Rohr Jewish Learning Institute. Neither Rabbi Baitelman nor the JLI have reviewed or approved of the content of this post.