44 | OCTOBER 6 • 2022 

SPIRIT

The Lord Is Our Rock
T

his portion records 
the moment when 
Moses led the Israelites 
through the desert to the east-
ern shores of the Jordan River.
He then recites a long poem 
(“song”) as the con-
clusion of his farewell 
address. It is his legacy 
to the children. 
In these prophet-
ic warnings, Moses, 
through the inspiration 
of God, exhorts the 
people to walk with 
the Lord. If they do 
not, then these words 
would stand as testi-
mony. God would be 
just in inflicting disas-
ter upon them as disci-
pline for their disobedience.
Moses reflects on the ways 
in which God has vindicated 
Israel and he contrasts God’s 
lovingkindness with the faith-
lessness and the ingratitude 
of the Children of Israel. Even 
though Israel, as a disobedient 
child, is deserving of punish-
ment, God, the loving father, 
will intervene.
The main image is that 
of God as a rock: “He will 
be the rock who will smash 
Israel’s enemies.” We see the 
unchangeable idea of God and 
the fickleness of the children 
of Israel. God is a God of faith-
fulness, of justice, of moral 
power. Whatever truths are 
conveyed by calling Him the 
rock are dependent upon the 
image of a rock.
In ancient times, people 
took refuge among the caves 
of the rocks for safety. They 
often wrote upon the rocks if 
they wanted their writing to 
endure. God as a rock is totally 
reliable, a source of strength. 

He will endure throughout the 
generations.
God supplies our existence 
and identity and the secret of 
the Jewish people: We survive! 
We are not like any other 
nation in history. Nations 
need land, language and 
a common culture. We 
Jews, as history has prov-
en, are independent of 
these factors. We need 
only our God; we are 
God’s people.
No matter where we 
lived, what language or 
cultures we shared, we 
have always been Jews. 
No matter what we did, 
or do, to blend into a host 
environment, we always 
sought out the identifiable, the 
strength that is God.
As long as we Jews know 
that God is our portion, we 
flourish and reflect His light 
into the world.
Though we know the faith 
of our covenant with God is 
forever, we must remember 
that we are the tools of God’s 
actions and, as such, we must 
further His goal of increasing 
loyalty and observance.
We do this by becoming 
more faithful in assuming our 
obligations to our people, our 
synagogues or temples, our 
Jewish way of life as well as 
becoming more honest in our 
relationships with others, more 
sensitive to our moral and 
spiritual well being.
“
And I will make thy seed 
to multiply … and in thy seed 
shall all the nations of the 
earth be blessed.” 

Sy Manello is editorial assistant at the 

JN. This article originally appeared in 

the JN on Sept. 28, 2001.

TORAH PORTION

Sy Manello

Parshat 

Haazinu: 

Deuteronomy 

32:1-52; 

II Samuel 

22:1-51.

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