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Haazinu (2025)

Shabbat Haazinu

Dvar TorahThis week’s Torah portion, Haazinu, is a Shirah—literally, a “song.” But it’s not a gentle, feel-good melody. It’s a stark and haunting prophecy, foretelling the dark chapters of Jewish history and affirming that even those, too, have their place in the divine story.Anyone who grew up in the States probably knows the phone number for Empire Today: 1-800-588-2300 – the jingle played for years, and you’ll remember their number whether you like it or not (you’ll probably also remember that they do next-day window treatments too). That’s the power of music: it imprints ideas not just on our minds but deep within our consciousness, in a way plain words just can’t. It shapes what we remember—whether something trivial or something profound.Haazinu is not a happy song, but it is an essential one. As we near the conclusion of the Torah, it stands as one final reminder set to endure throughout the generations, that through all the rises and falls of our history, God’s presence endures with us still.Shabbat in/out timesYerushalayim 17:42/18:56Tel-Aviv 18:01/18:58Manchester 18:22/19:29NYC 18:16/19:13Chicago 18:08/19:08Santiago 19:29/20:25More locationsShabbat Shalom!

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This Dvar Torah is based in part on an article by Rav Ezra Bick published in Torat Etzion: New Readings in Parashat Hashavua – Devarim, 2015, Koren Publishing, p. 375-382




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