Writing the Song of Ha'azinu

Torah Thoughts on Parshas Nitzavim-Vayelech by Joshua Mishkin

"וְעַתָּה כִּתְבוּ לָכֶם אֶת הַשִׁירָה הַזֹאת וְלַמְדָהּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׂימָהּ בְּפִיהֶם לְמַעַן תִּהְיֶה לִי הַשִׁירָה הַזֹאת לְעֵד בִּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל"  דְבָרִים ל''א:י''ט

“And now, write this song for yourselves, and teach it to the Children of Israel. Place it in their mouth, so that this song shall be for Me a witness against the Children of Israel.”  Devarim 31:19

The term “this song” found in our pasuk is a reference to next week’s parashah, Ha’azinu. And based on this pasuk, Chazal famously derive the mitzvah for everyone to write his own Sefer Torah. But the charge to do so is not explicit. So how did Chazal settle on this understanding?

Rambam explains in Hilchos Sefer Torah (7:1) that although the pasuk only mentions writing “this song”, we cannot limit ourselves to writing only a small section of the Torah. If we are going to write something from the Torah, we must write the Torah in its entirety. To write a limited section from the Torah is simply not allowed. So, in order to write “the song” and thereby fulfill the basic meaning of the pasuk, we must write the entire Torah.

However, the prohibition of writing a small section of the Torah doesn’t seem to be fully enforced when you consider that we, in fact, do write small sections of the Torah when it comes to fulfilling the mitzvos of Tefillin, Mezuzah, and Sotah! That being the case, perhaps we should be allowed to write just the song of Ha’azinu without concern for the general prohibition against writing anything less than the entire Torah. Could there be something about the song of Ha’azinu that differentiates it from the exceptions to the rule mentioned above?

Rav Moshe Feinstein points out in Darash Moshe that the mitzvah to write “this song” is accompanied by a reason. The verse states, “so that this song will be for Me a witness against the Children of Israel.” Somehow, “this song” will testify as to whether Klal Yisrael has kept the Torah properly. For Klal Yisrael to properly keep the Torah, we must have a record of what is in it. Despite the best intentions, it simply would not be possible to know how to conduct ourselves without making any mistakes.

Our verse also specifies that we must “teach it to the Children of Israel, place it in their mouths”. These additional words help us understand that we also must study it, understand it, and fulfill its words. To do so, it must be familiar to us such that the details contained therein are on the tips of our tongues.

Rav Moshe provides another explanation for why all of us have a mitzvah to write a Sefer Torah for ourselves. He explains that the song of Ha’azinu contains many concepts that, if understood fully, could help us in our pursuit of repentance and kedushah.   But the only way to attain such clarity is if we have the entire Torah at our fingertips—studying all of the details until we have mastered it to the best of our abilities. So, while the mitzvah at its core is to write “the song” of Ha’azinu, the practical presentation of this results in the obligation for each of us to write our own Sefer Torah!

Opportunities to fulfill this mitzvah present themselves in different ways. The most obvious is for a person to commission the writing of a Sefer Torah on his behalf. But Rav Moshe (in Igros Moshe) offers that even those who are not in a position to do this can fulfill this mitzvah simply with the writing of a singular letter accompanied with a minimal financial partnership. Additional ways to fulfill this mitzvah, such as with the writing or purchasing of Sefarim to be used – and loaned – for Torah study. As we approach Rosh Hashanah, let’s consider how we might be able to accrue additional zechuyos before the upcoming Din. Perhaps we can find a way to add writing “the song” to the right sides of our scales.

---

Joshua Mishkin graduated from FYHS in 1997. After spending a year in a Yeshiva program at Machon Lev, he returned to HTC and graduated in 2000. He lives in Chicago with his family where he served as President of his shul, Sha’arei Tzedek Mishkan Yair, for three years, and currently learns at STMY in their Night Kollel under the leadership of Rabbi Ben-Zion Rand.