One of the final messages of the greatest man to ever live, Moshe, was a charge to write a song (Devarim 31:19). Rashi cites a tradition that this song refers specifically to the poetic verses that follow in Parshat Haazinu. In ancient days, these words were selected by the Levites to be sung in the Jerusalem Temple each Shabbat.
Looking at the content of these verses one can't help but be baffled. Their genre is best described as admonitions ("tochecha"). How could words of oppression and hardship possibly be misconstrued as a song!
Perhaps this was Moshe's final and most important legacy. Life, and in particular Jewish history, is often filled with tribulation and adversity . Our struggle is to somehow discern the melody amid the chaos of harsh realities. This often necessitates penetrating eyes and impenetrable inner strength, but, this has been the story of Jewish history.
Many peoples have suffered from prolonged victimization. From our very inception as a nation we have been charged to sing. May we merit to add our voices to the great chorus of Jewish history.
