04 Oct PARASHAT HA’AZINU: CALLING TO G-D IN TIMES OF TROUBLE
The Haftara
for Parashat
H a ’ a z i n u
(which is also
read as the
Haftara on the
seventh day of Pesach) is the song
written and sung by King David,
which appears in the Book of
Shemuel II (chapter 22). Parashat
Ha’azinu presents the special song
which G-d had Moshe teach to
Beneh Yisrael before his death, and
so the Sages chose as the Haftara for
this Shabbat the song written by
King David. In this song, David
gives praise to G-d for rescuing him
from his troubles. Abarbanel (Rav
Don Yishak Abarbanel, Portugal,
1437-1508) writes in his
commentary that David wrote this
song in his younger years, when he
was beset by many different crises,
particularly, when he was pursued
by King Shaul. David composed
this song, Abarbanel explains, to be
the song he would sing each time he
was helped during a period of crisis.
He committed it to memory so it
would be his “go-to” song whenever
he encountered trouble and was then
saved, as his expression of gratitude
to the Almighty. We find in this
song a verse which offers us
guidance and insight for how to
respond when we experience
troubles and crises in our own lives.
David exclaims, “When I am in
trouble, I call to G-d…and He hears
my voice from His abode, and my
plea is in His ears” (22:7).
Abarbanel explains that David
emphasizes the fact that when he
faced dire crisis, he did not despair,
but rather turned to G-d for help.
The Name of “Havaya” used in this
verse signifies G-d’s unlimited
power and abilities. Recognizing
that G-d has an infinite number of
ways to solve any predicament and
to rescue him from any trouble,
David did not despair in times of
hardship. He rather relied on G-d’s
boundless power and prayed.
Secondly, David says, “He heard
my voice from His abode, and my
plea is in His ear.” G-d’s abode, as it
were, is very distant from us, all the
way in the heavens. And yet, David
says, “my plea is in His ear” – G-d
listens to us very closely, as though
we are whispering in His ear,
so-to-speak. We must remember
that despite the infinite difference
between us and Hashem, He comes
close when we face any sort of
crisis. When we pray, He is right
next to us. Recognizing this can be a
great source of encouragement for
us in times of hardship, and should
motivate us to turn to Hashem in
heartfelt prayer, rather than fall into
despair.