Haazinu- Letting the Chicks Fly

Ki mineged tir’eh et ha’aretz v’shama lo tavo el ha’aretz asher ani notein livnei Yisrael

Since from a distance you will see the land, and you will not go to the land that I give to the children of Israel. (Devarim 32:52)

This is the last verse of parashat Haazinu.  Moshe has completed his final speech to the children of Israel, and it is time for them to move out and move on without him. In next week’s parasha, the Torah teaches, V’lo kam navi od b’Yisrael k’Moshe asher y’da’o Adonai panim el panim; there has not risen a prophet since in Israel like Moshe whom Hashem knew face to face. (Devarim 34:10). Moshe was the type of leader who threw himself fully into his role.  He did not simply lead through words, but by example and deed. At times the children of Israel were a burden. They complained. They didn’t listen. They dissembled. To the Torah student, the moments of joy seem to be fewer than the times of stress and frustration. But in the end, Moshe was more than a mere leader to the people. He was parent. He was teacher. He was dugma (role model). He was more to the people Israel than any one person could be ever again.

In each of our lives we have special people who resemble this. They are teachers, youth leaders, friends, or relatives. These special people teach us through their actions. They teach us by giving us challenges and boundaries. They force us to look inside ourselves, to think, and to examine. Eventually, however, a time comes when we must mature.  We grow up, and must move out of the illumination of these dugmaot to shine on our own. These moments are often as difficult for those wonderful people as they are for us. The moment of parting is bittersweet.

As dugmaot, whether as teachers, leaders, parents, or friends, we look longingly at the future.  We peer off into the distance, looking from afar at the wonders and the perils waiting for the next generation. It is a time for wonder and a time for personal frustration. It is also a time for pride. To look back at our own accomplishments, and to know that the lessons we have imparted will serve those who follow well.

As we begin this new year, may we all have the courage both to step out on our own and to help those who look to us to take their first steps.