Parashat Ha'azinu - Sixth Aliyah
Read the biblical text and try to understand it on your own, before reading the commentary.
Vengeance is mine, and recompense: judgment arrives, and the end is atonement
The aliyah continues the song with a declaration of God’s eternal existence and of the judgment he will bring upon his enemies. The picture is one of a judgment that is neither accidental nor an aimless reaction, but an act of justice and of recompense to adversaries and enemies.
The song uses sharp martial language of sword, arrows and blood to describe the defeat that will come upon the enemies. After a period in which it seemed that the enemies ruled and Israel was harmed, a stage arrives in which the direction turns and the harm done to God’s servants does not remain unanswered.
At the end of the aliyah there is also an address to the nations to sing with Israel, because the blood of his servants is avenged and the vengeance on his adversaries is exacted. The song is sealed here with a description of atonement for the land and for the people, so that the judgment on the enemies is joined also to a process of repair and restoration for Israel.
Insights from the aliyah
Judgment comes after a period of waiting
In the previous aliyot we saw that the reckoning with the enemies is not done at once. Here comes the stage of its fulfillment. On the level of the idea, a delay of justice is not necessarily a cancellation of justice.
God’s eternity stands against the enemy’s transience
The enemy can look very strong at a given moment, but the song turns the gaze back to the one who is not limited by time. On the level of the idea, momentary power is not necessarily the power that decides the end of the story.
The judgment is described as a response to harm done to the servants
The vengeance is not presented as aimless violence, but as a response to blood that was shed and wrong that was done. This creates a distinction between arbitrary force and a judgment that follows harm.
The enemies too are not outside judgment
After the rebuke dealt at length with Israel’s sins, the song makes clear that the peoples who harmed them do not receive an exemption either. Responsibility is not one-sided.
The repair includes the land too
The aliyah does not end only with the downfall of enemies, but with atonement for the land and the people. On the level of the idea, after a period of blood, war and destruction, not only victory is needed but also the healing of the place and of the society.
The song moves from fear to confidence
In the earlier parts Israel appeared weak and threatened. Here the direction turns. This teaches that the song is not built only as rebuke, but also as a promise that the story does not end in humiliation and helplessness.
The final point is not vengeance but atonement
Despite the harsh language, the ending leads to repair. On the level of the idea, the ultimate goal is not to remain inside a cycle of harm, but to reach a reality in which the account is closed and a process of healing can begin.
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