Parshas HaAzinu - It's not about you

In the penultimate portion of the Torah, Moshe breaks out into song. On the command of God Moshe introduces to the Children of Israel a narrative that both summarizes their travels to date and offers dour predictions of future national sins and subsequent travails, as well as eventual redemption, a narrative which he terms a “Shirah” or song (Devarim 31:30, 32:44). 

Nechama Lebowitz observes that, in one of the passages that Moshe sings, he relates God’s thinking as He speculates about destroying the Jewish people entirely in retribution for their sins: “I thought I would make an end of them, I would make their memory cease from among men” (32:26). One thing effectively discourages God from this course of action. Is it the merit of our forefathers? Is it our past virtues or future potential as bearers of His covenant? None of these suffice. Instead, God muses: (I would destroy them) “Were it not that I dreaded the enemy’s provocation, lest their adversaries should misjudge; Lest they should say ‘Our hand is exalted and not the Lord hath performed all this.” (32:27).

In the final analysis, God saves us only because it would be a dishonor to His name not to do so.  As Nechama Lebowitz notes, this was the same rationale that saved the Jewish people from utter destruction after the sin of the golden calf (Shemos 32:12) and the sin of the spies (Bamidbar 14:15-16).

As we have traveled the long path of prayer this High Holy days season, we have cited many reasons why God should look past our grievous errors, forgive us, and grant us long lives. We talked about the righteousness of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; we cited the glory of Jerusalem, now debased; we abjectly confessed our sins and recounted our suffering; and we made vows to act with more awareness of God in the future. All this was good and constructive. Then along comes Parshas HaAzinu, on the Shabbos right after Yom Kippur, to tell us that while our Teshuva (repentance) is indeed worthwhile, we must keep in mind that God preserves us simply because we are his best chance for bringing glory to His name. It is a sobering and humbling message yet it is one that may help us from getting too complacent as we step away from the discipline and devotion of the holy day prayers and practices.