Torah is Our Life’s Song

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Haazinu by Rabbi Joshua Zisook

"וַיָבֹא מֹשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר אֶת כָּל דִבְרֵי הַשִׁירָה הַזֹאת בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם הוּא וְהוֹשֵׁעַ בִּן נוּן"  דְבָרִים ל''ב:מ''ד

“And Moshe came and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Hoshea, son of Nun.”  Devarim 32:44

In the Gemara (Sotah 35b), Rava asks why David HaMelech was punished with Uzzah’s death (2 Shmuel Ch. 6). The Gemara answers that it was because he called matters of Torah “zemiros”, as it says in Tehillim (119:54): "זְמִרוֹת הָיוּ לִי חֻקֶיךָ בְּבֵית מְגוּרָי" – “Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.”

The Gemara relates that Hashem said to David HaMelech, regarding matters of Torah, that it is written (Mishlei 26:5): “Will you set your eyes upon it? It’s gone.” You call them songs? I will cause you to stumble in a matter that even school children know, as it is written (BeMidbar 7:9): “And to the descendants of Kehas he did not give [wagons], because the service of the holy things belongs to them; they carry them upon their shoulders.” Although the Aron clearly must be carried on people’s shoulders, David erred and brought the Aron in a wagon.

The obvious question is: What was so bad about David HaMelech calling Torah zemiros? We sing zemiros every Shabbos, and seemingly it’s a beautiful thing. Furthermore, the Torah says in Parashas Vayelech, referring to Parashas Ha’azinu (31:19): “Write down this שִׁירָה and teach it to the people of Israel.” According to many Rishonim, this doesn’t just refer to Parashas Ha’azinu, but to the entire Torah. Clearly there must be a difference between שִׁירָה and זְמִרָה if the Torah is called a שִׁירָה, yet David HaMelech was faulted by referring to Torah as zemiros.

A possible answer can be found in the Meharsha on Sotah. The Maharsha explains that zemiros are tunes that we sing or hear, but they do not stay with us permanently. Tunes come in one ear and go out the other and stay with us only a short time. It’s possible that a שִׁירָה is more of a permanent song, something that will last longer and become part of us, which is why we also have other songs in the Torah such as שִׁירַת הַיָם. The lesson of שִׁירָה is that the Torah must always be permanent and the primary focus in our lives and not just a fleeting tune that passes us by. Let us take the inspiration of יְמֵי הַדִין and renewed dedication to Torah learning and make it a permanent “song” in our daily lives.

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Rabbi Joshua Zisook is Director of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement at HTC. Hailing from Seattle, WA, he graduated FYHS (2001), then studied in Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh in Israel before returning to HTC to complete his B.A. and Semichah. He also holds an M.A. in Educational Administration from Loyola University. For over 15 years, Rabbi Zisook has served HTC in a variety of ways and is involved in nearly every aspect of the business office, alumni relations, community projects, admissions, marketing and development. He is a proud Yeshiva alumnus and shares that pride with students and alumni alike.