SEPTEMBER 25-26, 2009
THE PARSHA PAGE
Doing What's Wright - Jason Henry Simon-Birenbaum
Dear G-d,
It’s me.
Guess you knew that.
Yeah, me with the big ‘ol heart
and equally big knack for mess-
ing up.
I’ve been working on being right.
No, I’ve been working on being
Wright.
You know this of course, but the
Wright brothers,
their planes didn’t work
until eventually they got it right,
or Wright, or correct, or what-
ever you want to call it.
They crashed A LOT.
That’s been me.
That time I didn’t feel like cook-
ing a snack
so I took the last brownie my
mom said to leave for my dad?
I crashed.
That time I couldn’t yank my
tongue
A publication of Hillel at Brandeis
Editors: Chaya Bender, Brian Blumenthal
Contributors: Jason Henry Simon-Birenbaum, Samuel Thompson
SHABBAT SHUVA - HA'AZINU
from the back of my throat
when someone needed me to
speak up?
I crashed.
That time when I finally spoke
up
just to impress a girl?
Yeah, I guess that’s another
crash,
but I’m learning.
Please forgive every plane I have
brought down,
every opportunity I missed to
try and reach closer to Heaven,
every attempted flight that
missed it’s mark.
This thing called flight,
it takes a mixture of flight, drag,
lift, weight, energy
and time.  I am learning.
I pray for another year to learn
to do what’s Wright.
Love,
Me
Listen Up! - Chaya Bender
This week’s Torah portion,
Ha’azinu, records the words
of Moses’ song, which G-d
commanded him to sing
as a parting message to the
people of Israel on the day
of Moses’ death. Moses sings
a prophetic message that
recounts the past of Israel,
starting with the creation
story. He beseeches the
people of Israel to listen to
those who have experienced
life, namely past generations,
parents, and other elders.
The song also foretells
of the future, particularly
what tragedies will befall
the people of Israel should
they grow lax and forget
what they have been told.
Although the message of
Moses’ song is grim, the final
resounding theme is that,
despite everything, G-d will
ultimately redeem the people
of Israel. Following Moses’
‫ האזינו‬- ‫שבת שובה‬
Samuel Thompson
song, he is instructed to
ascend the mountain where
he will see the Promised
Land of Israel before dying.
Ha’azinu is filled with rather
dense themes that cannot
properly be dissected in this
format. A quick lesson that
one can take from Ha’azinu
is the concept of listening.
When was the last time you
truly ‘listened’ to someone
else? When was the last time
you asked someone older
and more experienced than
yourself for some helpful
tips?
This Sunday night is Yom
Kippur. Take a minute to
reflect on this past year, and
think about the ways you
can incorporate the wisdom,
advice, and experience of
others, particularly older
generations into your life.
‫ח׳ תשרי תש״ע‬