1. The Uniqueness of Shabbos Teshuvah
This week’s Torah and Tea focuses on the portion of Haazinu—listen—and its connection to Shabbos Teshuvah. During the ten days of Teshuvah—repentance or return—which include the two days of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the seven days in between, there is always a Shabbos. That Shabbos is called either Shabbos Teshuvah, because it falls within the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah—Ten Days of Repentance—or Shabbos Shuvah, based on the opening words of the Haftorah: “Shuvah Yisroel ad Hashem Elokecha”—Return, Israel, to Hashem your God. Both names reflect its essence as a time for return and introspection.
It often coincides with Parshas Haazinu. The Rebbe draws a connection between Haazinu and Shabbos Teshuvah, highlighting a powerful message embedded in both.
2. Haazinu as a Song: Structure and Meaning
The Torah refers to Haazinu as a “song.” In fact, it instructs: “Write for yourself this song,” referencing this very section. If you look in a Sefer Torah, Haazinu is written differently than other portions—it appears as two columns on one panel with a split in the middle, visually distinct from standard text. This unique layout signifies its status as shira—song.
The Levites (Levi’im) would sing during the offerings in the Beis Hamikdash. For the Musaf offering on Shabbos, they sang Haazinu, dividing it into six sections and singing one each week before starting over again. However, some sections (notably portions four and five) contain only rebuke and harsh admonition for the Jewish people.
The Rebbe asks: How can these rebukes be considered part of a song? Most songs sung to Hashem are about joy, gratitude, and divine kindness. Here we have verses filled with stern warnings and punishments.
3. Understanding Rebuke Within the Song
The answer lies in perspective. One passage from Haazinu that we recite at funerals is “Hatsur tamim pa’aloy—The Rock (Hashem), His work is perfect.” This expresses Tziduk Hadin—justifying God’s judgment even when we experience pain or loss. Even when facing punishment or hardship, it is not injustice but part of Hashem’s just plan.
Yet simply accepting justice does not necessarily bring happiness or comfort. The end of Haazinu promises that all difficulties ultimately lead to redemption and goodness in the era of Mashiach. All suffering is part of a larger journey toward ultimate joy and salvation; none of these experiences are isolated or meaningless.
The Rebbe explains that reading any single section alone might seem negative or harsh, but when viewed as part of the entire song—the whole story—they reveal their purpose as steps toward goodness. Just like reading only one chapter of a book can be confusing or upsetting until you see how everything resolves at the end, so too with Jewish history: even moments that seem purely negative are essential parts of our collective redemption.
4. Lessons from Yosef’s Story: Seeing the Bigger Picture
This concept can be illustrated by Yosef being sold into Egypt. At first glance, his suffering appears tragic and unfair. But this was all part of Hashem’s plan for Yosef to become viceroy in Egypt and ultimately save his family and set up Jewish destiny leading to Eretz Yisroel and building the Beis Hamikdash.
If you judge any episode without knowing its context or outcome, it may seem like pure punishment or misfortune. But every piece fits into Hashem’s greater design for good.
The same applies to Haazinu: each section may be read separately by the Levi’im each week, but they are not independent pieces—together they form one unified song expressing both challenge and hope.
5. The Two Levels of Teshuvah: Lower and Higher Return
This theme connects directly to Shabbos Teshuvah itself. There are two levels discussed in Chassidus: lower Teshuvah, which involves remorse over mistakes (a sense of bitterness about past misdeeds), and higher Teshuvah, which is characterized by joy and elevation rather than regret.
On Shabbos we are not supposed to be bitter or sad; instead we must serve Hashem with happiness (simcha). Thus, on Shabbos Teshuvah we strive for this higher level—a joyful return to Hashem that transcends mere regret.
Chassidus explains that Teshuvah means “Tashuv Hei”—returning the letter Hei (the last letter in Hashem’s name Yud-Hei-Vav-Hei). When someone sins, they draw down this Hei into lower realms; returning it means reconnecting it above with holiness. The higher level involves returning not just the lower Hei but also elevating oneself spiritually through positive growth rather than just correcting mistakes.
6. Sur Meira and Asei Tov: Avoiding Wrong vs Doing Good
The Tanya discusses these two aspects: sur meira—turning away from evil (simply resisting temptation), versus asei tov—pursuing good (actively pushing oneself beyond comfort zones for positive growth). Avoiding wrongdoing prevents spiritual descent but doesn’t necessarily elevate you higher; doing good brings true spiritual ascent.
The ultimate goal is total devotion to Hashem—a state where one subjugates personal desires entirely to God’s will (bittul). As brought down in Mekhilta, it’s not enough just to learn Torah—a Jew should belong wholly to Hashem without independent desires or ego.
7. Practical Steps for Teshuvah Before Yom Kippur
Teshuvah is a gradual process accessible to everyone at their own level. While some rare individuals may only need higher-level Teshuvah (constantly striving upward), most people begin with simple steps: recognizing mistakes made against others or against Hashem.
On Yom Kippur Hashem forgives sins between man and God if we do proper Teshuvah, but wrongs committed against others require us first to ask their forgiveness before seeking atonement from Hashem.
The process begins with practical action: making amends with anyone we may have hurt, then asking forgiveness from Hashem for our own failings. Only after these steps can we aspire toward deeper connection through higher-level Teshuvah—a joyful reunion with our source where we become truly united with God’s will.
8. Conclusion: Embracing Both Challenge and Joy in Return
The message from Parshas Haazinu and Shabbos Teshuvah is clear: even life’s challenges are integral parts of our journey toward redemption and closeness with Hashem. By seeing every experience as part of a greater song—rather than isolated events—we can approach both repentance and growth with hopefulness rather than despair.
This season calls us first to repair what needs fixing through honest self-reflection and reconciliation with others, then to reach upward joyfully toward ever-greater unity with our Creator.