This week’s portion, Haazinu (listen
in), contains some of the last words that Moses our teacher
delivered to the people of Israel the day of his death.
“The deeds of the Rock are perfect, for all His
ways are just; a faithful God, without injustice He is righteous and upright.”
(Deuteronomy 32:4)
Once again the greatest prophet that Israel ever
had reiterates some of the keystone attributes of our Creator, the ways of His
love for us; and continues.
“Destruction is not His; it is His children's
defect, you crooked and twisted generation.” (32:5)
Rashi also reaffirms that God's love never carries
destruction, saying that “Destruction is theirs, not His!” This is essentially
important to assimilate because as we have said many times, the choice is ours
when we face the blessings of God’s love and the curses of ego’s materialistic
fantasies and illusions.
We have said that all creation, including us, is
an emanation of God’s love and Moses reminds us of this.
“Is He not your father, your master? He has made
you and established you.” (32:6)
We were chosen to receive the Torah and the
privilege to bear the awareness of His ways and attributes.
“Because the Lord's portion is His people Jacob,
the lot of His inheritance. (…) He encompassed them and bestowed understanding upon them.” (32:9-10)
In this awareness we know that He does not cohabit
with anything different than His ways and attributes.
“The Lord guided them alone,
and there was no alien deity with Him.” (32:12)
In His delightful ways He guides us (32:13-14)
until we choose to experience the darkness of materialism.
“They sacrificed to demons, which have no power,
deities they did not know, new things that only recently came, which your
forefathers did not fear. You forgot the Rock Who bore you; you forgot the God
Who delivered you.” (32:17-18)
When we give in to the illusions and fantasies of the material world, the delusional approach to the vanities of pride, envy, indolence, lust and negative feelings of lack, we indeed separate from love as our essence and true identity that sustains us.
“They have provoked My jealousy with a non god,
provoked My anger with their vanities. Thus, I will provoke their jealousy with
a non people; provoke their anger with a foolish nation.” (32:21)
Love is our only redeemer when we choose to return
to God's love, and these are the final words of the portion.
“Because He will avenge the blood of His servants,
inflict revenge upon His adversaries, and appease His land [and] His people.”
(32:43)
The haftarah complements this week’s Torah reading
with King David’s thoughts.
“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my
deliverer; the God who is my rock, in Him I take refuge; my shield, and my horn
of Redemption, my high tower, and my refuge; my savior, You saved me from
violence. Praised, I cry, is the Lord, and I am saved from my enemies.” (2
Samuel 1:2-4)
When we are as aware as the psalmist of our true
identity and connection with the Creator, we live in the delights of His love.
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