The Testimony of the Song

The song of Haazinu (Devarim 32:1-43) should be as familiar and habitual to us as is the recitation of Shema.[1] It is meant to serve as a witness – but what it is that this song testifies to? The song is a unique prophetic testimony given to Moshe to teach the people during the final days of his life, and it describes the history that will unfold after his death.

Does the concept of exile exist in Haazinu? The model of “destruction, exile, and redemption” stands at the heart of the covenant of the curses (Devarim 28-30), but Haazinu is built on a different model: that of distress and salvation.