Ha'azinu: the Nation

 .   

זְכֹר֙ יְמ֣וֹת עוֹלָ֔ם בִּ֖ינוּ שְׁנ֣וֹת דּוֹר־וָד֑וֹר שְׁאַ֤ל אָבִ֙יךָ֙ וְיַגֵּ֔דְךָ זְקֵנֶ֖יךָ וְיֹ֥אמְרוּ לָֽךְ׃

Remember the days of old, Consider the years of ages past; Ask your father, he will inform you, Your elders, they will tell you:

בְּהַנְחֵ֤ל עֶלְיוֹן֙ גּוֹיִ֔ם בְּהַפְרִיד֖וֹ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָ֑ם יַצֵּב֙ גְּבֻלֹ֣ת עַמִּ֔ים לְמִסְפַּ֖ר בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

When the Most High gave nations their homes And set the divisions of man, He fixed the boundaries of peoples In relation to Israel’s numbers.

The parsha assumes the centrality of the nation, sovereignty as the basis for policy The perspective comes from the past. How could you expect any other point of view.   The our-nation-centric  view is a natural consequence of whom you ask.  If you came  from another nation, presumably you would get the same answer, but the central nation would be different.  This is the view of an American, someone who grew up in the Empire of Diversity, the land of those free enough of their ties to the past to emigrate , the home of those brave enough to leave the lands of their birth.

History moves too fast to trust the opinion of my pre-internet parents.  What is the scope of valid advice from parents and elders? What are the consequences of failing to ask their perspective?  In the absence of their point of view, where do my opinions come from? 

We live in error and distort our view of reality to justify ourselves.  And we are the children of error and distortion, going back to the Tree of Knowledge. 

Ask your parents...but think hard about what they tell you...and consider the sources of your questions.