Haazinu 5772 - English

by Rabbi Daniela Szuster

B´nei Israel Congregation, Costa Rica

WHO IS THE ONE HIDING, GOD OR MAN?

Parashat Haazinu is the only parashah where most of the text is written in a poetic manner.  In this song, Moses speaks mostly of the future, but without forgetting the present and past.  He warns his people, guides them and advises them, just prior to his retirement as their leader.

Let us take a moment to delve into one of the verses of this chant: 

He [the Lord] said:

“I will hide My countenance from them,

And see how they fare in the end.

For they are a treacherous breed,

Children with no loyalty in them.” (Devarim 32:20)

What does it mean, that He will hide His face?

How often, in times of misfortune, does the classic question once again arise, of where is God in times of agitation, destruction and murder!  Much has been said and devised regarding this theological dilemma.  On the subject, Martin Buber poses in his book “Eclipse of God”:

Eclipse of the light of heaven, eclipse of God – such indeed is the character of the historic hour through which the world is passing.  But it is not a process which can be adequately accounted for by instancing the changes that have taken place in man’s spirit.  An eclipse of the sun is something that occurs between the sun and our eyes, not in the sun itself.

Unlike many contemporary philosophers, who propound God’s death, Buber maintains that, in our era, God appears to our eyes in the manner of an eclipse.  I’d like to expand on this last sentence:  “The eclipse occurs between the sun and our eyes, and not in the divine essence.”  Perhaps, perceiving God as “eclipsed” only depends on our way of seeing Him.

The verse quoted above mentions God’s hiding, but what about men and women?  The book of Bereshit recounts what happened after the first human beings ate the forbidden fruit:  “They heard the sound of the Lord God moving about in the garden at the breezy time of day; and the man and his wife hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Gen. 3:8).  What happened?  They made a Chet, a mistake, and hid from God.  The divine voice was spreading all around, and they went into hiding.  Perhaps the direct consequence of a transgression is the removal itself from God; our behavior is what moves us away.  When we are on the wrong path, we are so convinced that our attitude is correct that it becomes difficult for us to be able to see and get closer to God at such times.

We find another example of this in Cain, after he finds out about his punishment:  “Since You have banished me this day from the soil, and I must avoid Your presence and become a restless wanderer on earth…" (Gen. 4:14).  After the murder he committed, he cannot but hide from God’s eyes.

What does Abraham Joshua Heschel, our great rabbi and Jewish scholar, say in this regard?

The will of God is to be here, manifest and near; but when the doors of this world are slammed on Him, His truth betrayed, His will defied, He withdraws, leaving man to himself.  God did not depart of His own volition; He was expelled.  God is in exile. […]  It is man who hides, who flees, who has an alibi.  God is less rare than we think; when we long for Him, His distance crumbles away.

The prophets do not speak of the hidden God but of the hiding God.  His hiding is a function, not His essence; an act, not a permanent state.  It is when the people forsake Him, breaking the covenant which He has made with them, that He forsakes them and hides His face from them.  It is not God who is obscure.  It is man who conceals Him…

The direct effect of His hiding is the hardening of the conscience: Man hears but does not understand, sees but does not perceive – his heart fat, his ears heavy (Isaiah 6).  (Extract from the book “Man is Not Alone”)

We can find this subject as well in the following Hasidic story:

The grandson of Rabbi Baruch of Medzibuz was playing hide-and-seek with a friend. He stayed in his hiding place for a long time, waiting for his friend to come and look for him. When he realized that his friend was not looking for him, he became very sad and disappointed.  He ran into the study of his grandfather, crying and complaining about his friend.  Upon hearing the story, Rabbi Baruch also began to cry. “Why are you crying, Grandpa?” asked the boy.  “Because,” said Rabbi Baruch, “God, too, says, ‘I hide.  Will no one come to look for me?’”

In these days of Yamim Noraim, days when our souls are more sensitive, when we are more open to thought, perhaps we should reflect upon our own attitude before God.  How often do we blame Him for all the wrongs of society, never realizing that human beings are the ones who cause destruction and evil?  How often do we think that God is hiding from us, never realizing that we are the ones who hide and remove ourselves from His side?

Maybe it is true that God sometimes conceals Himself; then, our mission is to search for Him and find Him in our daily lives.  Even at times of sorrow and despair, it is possible to find God and find consolation.

From the month of Elul until Shemini Atzeret we say:

For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in His dwelling;

He will hide me in the shelter of His tabernacle and set me high upon a rock….

Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger;

You have been my helper.  Do not reject me or forsake me,

O God my Savior….

Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage;

yes, wait for the Lord.

(Psalm 27)