38

Friday, September 28, 1984 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Demi

Serving B'nai B'rith Members
CELEBRATE THE NEW YEAR WITH A LOW COST AUTO LOAN

JEFFREY S. GOLDENBERG, D.D.S.
ZALMAN KONIKOW, D.D.S.

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Phone 552-8111

Ancient reminder
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We wish our customers and friends a very
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New Year
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BY ELAINE SHIZGAL COHEN

Special to The Jewish News

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When Moses first encounters
God in the bush of blazing fire, he
is nearly speechless (Exodus,
Chapter 3). In response to God's
having chosen him to free the Is-
raelites from Egypt, he has little
confidence that his own words can
be credible to them. "What shall I
say to them?" he asks God. And
God proceeds to tell the reticent
young man exactly what words to
use.
Again Moses pleads that he has
never been a man of words . . . "I
am slow- of speech and slow of
tongue" (verse 10). God responds,
"Who gives the power of speech to
a person? Is it not I, God?" and
commands Moses to go, reassur-
ing him "I will be with you as you
speak and will instruct you what
to say."
This image of Moses as .a person
very halting in speech and hesit-
ant with words remains with us as
he repeatedly confronts Pharoah,
needing Aaron, who speaks
readily, at his side. Yet after the
salvation of Israel at the Red Sea,
Moses and the people sing a glori-
ous song to God, a poem of praise
and thanksgiving, its authorship
credited to Moses himself.
The long ordeal through the
years of desert wanderings do not
bring poetry to Moses' lips. In-
deed, the image of Moses as poet is
subsumed under more prominent
pictures of a leader who is alter-
nately negotiator, critic, steward
and lawgiver. But near the end of
his life, Moses composes another
poem, a second song, which is re-
corded in this week's parsha,
H'azinu. It seems clear that this
time, as in his very first
encounter, the words are divinely
inspired, for the poem is to be
God's witness against the people
of Israel (Deuteronomy 31:19).
Yet the authorship is ascribed to
Moses, and it is known as the Song
of Moses. In a great, flowing out-
pouring of words, he recites - it
from beginning to end before the
whole congregation of Israel.
The poem itself reads not only
fluently but lushly. The man who
could scarcely speak eloquently
addresses heaven and earth in
verdant metaphors. The imagery
goes beyond God the Warrior
whose strength and might were
exalted in the Exodus song. Here,
God is seen not only as steadfast
Rock, but also as creative Being,
the father of his children, and as
feminine presence, as well, nur-
turing, tending and feeding them.
The verses move from praise to
warning to hope as the people's
past faithfulness is remembered
and their future vindication is
foretold. Moses has, indeed,
learned the sustaining power of
words. As he enjoins the people to
remember the teaching contained
in the poem, he refers to it as their
"very life." Taken to heart, these
words will ensure their continuity
through the generations and in
the fecund land they are about to
enter.
Yet this life-giving teaching

Elaine Shizgal Cohen of New Jersey
has been a member of the executive
committee of the National Havurah
Committee since its inception in 1980.

