Added Protection: The Song of Haazinu

In synagogue last Friday night after services, Rabbi Yoel Bin Nun, together with other members of the congregation recited the Song of Haazinu responsively. He would recite one verse and then the rest of the congregants repeated the verse after him. It’s a relatively short reading of 43 verses. After they finished, I approached Rabbi Bin Nun to ask him what the rationale for the recitation was. He told me the following story:

One of his relatives, I believe his wife’s uncle who was a distinguished Rabbi during World War II, had a number of students who were fighting with the Jewish Brigade for the British. The Rabbi told all his students to memorize the Song of Haazinu (Deuteronomy Chapter 32, Verses 1-43) and to recite it on a daily basis until they returned from the fighting. They all did and they thankfully all returned unscathed.

Since hearing the story, Rabbi Bin Nun himself adopted the same custom and himself returned unhurt from both the Six-Day War, where he was one of the paratroopers that liberated Jerusalem and from the Yom Kippur war, where he crossed the Suez Canal and together with his brigade helped turn the tide of the war.

He recommends that all Jews recite the Song of Haazinu daily, during these turbulent times.

Following is a link to the text at Sefaria (in Hebrew and English) https://www.sefaria.org/Deuteronomy.32.39?lang=bi&aliyot=0 as well as to a YouTube video where it is being read with the classical (Ashkenazi) Torah reading cantillation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_uj5abq5ns

The text itself is a prophetic song, Moses’ last words in the Torah, and according to Rabbi Bin Nun alludes to exactly our situation.

May it, and all our prayers, study, acts of kindness, charity and support be a merit for ourselves, our soldiers, our hostages, our wounded, and all of Israel.

Ben-Tzion