Illustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Ha’azinu warns us that when life gets comfortable, and people have everything they need, they could start to take things for granted and forget about God. This dynamic is captured in just three words (Devarim 32:15):
וַיִּשְׁמַן יְשֻׁרוּן וַיִּבְעָט
Yeshurun grew fat and rebelled
Who is Yeshurun?
It seems to be another name for Benei Yisrael. (It even sounds a little like Yisrael!)
- Ramban says it’s connected to the word יָשָׁר (yashar, straight or honest), and it describes Benei Yisrael when they are doing what’s right.
- Rabbeinu Behaye connects Yeshurun to the שֹׁרֶשׁ (shoresh, root) ש.ו.ר, which means to see. It describes Benei Yisrael, who saw God’s revelation at Har Sinai.
In other places in the Torah, Yeshurun is a compliment. But not here! Ha’azinu seems to use this name in an ironic way. The Torah is saying: Yeshurun can fail to live up to its name.
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