Ha’azinu: Moshe’s Tragic End

Introduction

In the closing verses of this week’s parsha, Moshe is told that he will not enter the land which is destined to be the eternal possession of the Jewish people; rather he is to ascend Mount Nevo, to see the land from afar before he passes on. Once again, he is told that the reason he cannot enter the land is that he did not sanctify G-d in the midst of the Jewish people by the waters of Meribah. This fact is very disturbing because the punishment seems to be far in excess of the crime. In this podcast, Rabbi Schweiger will not answer the question of theodicy, but will grapple with it in light of another verse in the parsha.

Please note there is a source sheet to accompany this parsha at www.elmad.pardes.org.

Download the Pardes Companion to Yom Kippur, a collection of articles by Pardes faculty members to help prepare and guide you through the highlights of the Yom Kippur rituals and prayer service.

Credits
Larry Kluger – Creative Consultant
Arlene Harel – Production Coordinator

Meir Schweiger

Rabbi Meir Schweiger taught at Pardes for more than four decades before retiring in 2020. Originally from the Bronx, New York, he made aliyah in 1972. He studied at Yeshiva University, Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh and Yeshivat Har Etzion, received rabbinic ordination in Jerusalem, and later earned an M.Ed. in Teaching Bible from Herzog College.

At Pardes, Meir taught a wide range of subjects including Chumash, Talmud, Halakha and Siddur. He served as Mashgiach Ruhani, guiding the school’s spiritual life through coordinating and supervising tefillot, tiyulim, shabbatonim, and pre-holiday yemei iyun. For more than 10 years, Meir was also the Director of the Pardes Fellows’ Program for returning 2nd year students and the Educational Director of the Pardes Learning Seminar.