Haazinu 2025/5785

(1) Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter!

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and the earth shall hear the sayings of my mouth.” (Devarim, 32:1)
It is said in the Midrash (Sifrei Ha’azinu Piska 1), “Since Moshe Rabeynu was close to the heavens, he called on the heavens to listen. And Yesahya, who was close to the earth, called on the earth to listen.” Moshe Rabeynu is the brain and wisdom of all of Israel, and this is called “the heavens.” The brain has the ability to receive even things that are for man as tough as sinews. Yesahya is the heart of all of Israel, and the matter of the heart is that it constantly cries out for salvation, and can only accept things that are comforting. This is the matter of the name of Isaiah, Yeshayahu in Hebrew, meaning salvation. And this is “Give ear, O heavens,” meaning the great powers, which are called heavens, which is the brain, which has the power to accept everything. “And I will speak,” the term “speak,” dibbur in Hebrew, always denotes difficulty (and is therefore used here with “heavens”). “And may the earth hear the sayings of my mouth,” for “saying,” amirah in Hebrew, always denotes softness. In other words, you will call to the heart, which is called the earth, which is always thirsty for salvation, in the language of softness and comfort. The verses continue, “My doctrine shall drip as the rain” (“dripping,” arof in Hebrew, sounds just like the word for neck), meaning that for one who resists coming close to it, the Torah will strongly clutch the back of his neck, so to speak, and against his will he will have to accept the yoke of the Torah. Immediately upon accepting it, “my saying will flow like the dew,” meaning that Words of Torah will then be with him in comfort and joy.

“… as the light rain upon the herb, as the heavy rain upon the grass.” (Devarim, 32:2)
Rashi explains that all grasses (eisev) in general are called “herb,” deshe in Hebrew, when the land is dressed in herbs. This means that all the 613 mitzvot are suited for all of Israel in general. “Like the heavy rain on the grass.” Rashi explains that each particular kind of herb specifically is called a “grass” or eisev. The intention of the verse is each particular soul in Israel, where each one recognizes the negia (personal motive, partiality), of his heart. No one’s deficiency is similar to any others; therefore in that particular aspect where each one knows that he is deficient, the corresponding aspect in Torah must be reinforced in that very place until it is eventually completed. This is “the heavy rains upon the grass,” “heavy” meaning in great measure, or to increase the measure of Torah specifically in the place that is lacking.

(4) The Rock!—whose deeds are perfect, Yea, all God’s ways are just; A faithful God, never false, True and upright indeed.

(6) Do you thus requite יהוה, O dull and witless people? Is not this the Father who created you— Fashioned you and made you endure!

“Do you thus requite God [do you hold God responsible for causing this], you foolish and unwise people. Is He not your father, the One who has acquired you? He has made you and established you.” (Devarim, 32:6)
In other words, you want to hold God responsible for the evil within you. “Is He not your father, the One who has acquired you.” God is both like a father for us, and also like a father-in-law, and this is “the One who has acquired you.” It is the way of a father to be merciful with his son even if his son does not behave in the most upright manner. The father-in-law, however, seeks a husband for his daughter who is exceptional in his behavior and filled with good qualities. This is as it says, “is He not your father,” for God is merciful with us like a father with his son even if the son does not act in a good way. “The One who has acquired you,” that God takes pride in that you are exceptional and praiseworthy in your attributes, as a father-in-law does with a good son-in-law.

(7) Remember the days of old, Consider the years of ages past; Ask your parent, who will inform you, Your elders, who will tell you:

“Consider the days of old, fathom the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will say unto you.” (Devarim, 32:7)
“Consider the days of old” means all that is in Parshat Bereshit until “and the heavens and the earth were complete” (i.e., the first chapter the book of Bereshit.) “Fathom the years of many generations,” means the two Parshiot of Bereshit and Noach (Chapters 2 through 11 in the book of Bereshit), which includes the ten generations from Adam to Noach, and the ten generations from Noach to Avraham. What is to be fathomed, or understood, is the way in which God would deal with these twenty generations. “Ask your father, and he will tell you” means to study the Parshiot that deal with Avraham Avinu, which are Lech Lecha, Vayeira, and Chayei Sarah (chapters 12 through 25:19 in the book of Bereshit). “Your elders, and they will say unto you” means the Parshiot that include Yitzchak and Yaakov, which is the rest of the book of Bereshit, and to understand all the great dealings and spiritual exchange God had with the Patriarchs.
Therefore when it hints of Avraham it says “vayagedcha” (“and he will tell you,” in a single word) rather than “vayaged lecha” (the same but spelled in two words). This is because Avraham Avinu caused such a tremendous tumult in the world, to such an extent that he made it possible for each and every one of Israel to be able to tell individually of the greatness of God. This is represented by “vayagedcha—and he will tell you,” all in one single construction (meaning, for all), as opposed to “vayaged lecha,” in two words (where the word “two you” is singled out, as if it is possible for a select few). This represents how, by himself, each and every one could tell of the wonders of God.

“When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the borders of the nations, according to the number of the children of Israel.” (Devarim, 32:8)
God’s intention with the creation of the world and all the generations until Avraham Avinu was in order for the Israelite nation to come into the world. “He set the borders of the nations” is the means by which the nations derive their existence in the world, which is “according to the number of the children of Israel.” God’s plenty and life flow to Israel, and from this, refuse remains. The nations then take this refuse, and derive their existence from it. This is as it is written (in the next verse), “for God’s portion is His people, Yaakov is the cord of His inheritence.” The main point is Israel.

האזינו השמים ואדברה, "Give ear, O, heavens, and I will speak, etc." First of all we must understand why Moses added the word: "and I will speak." Why did he not simply say האזינו השמים דברי, "give ear to my words, O heavens?" Secondly, why did Moses not lump heavens and earth together and write: האזינו השמים והארץ, or שמעו השמים והארץ? Thirdly, why did Moses use the word להאזין when he referred to the listening done by the heavens whereas he used the expression שמיעה when describing the kind of listening he wanted the earth to do? Fourthly, why did Moses use an imperative when ordering the heavens to listen, i.e. האזינו, whereas when speaking to the earth he simply said תשמע instead of שמעי? Fifthly, why did he say that what he had to say to the heavens was tough talk, ואדברה, whereas when speaking to the earth he used the term אמירה indicating soft talk? Sixthly, why did he speak about אמרי פי, "the words of my mouth," instead of simply "my words?"

Another reason why Moses chose the simile of rainfall to describe Torah study may have been to alert his listeners that just as the absence of rainfall for a prolonged period would result in death for those deprived of it, so the absence of Torah for a prolonged period would also bring death in its wake. It is similar to what Isaiah said in Isaiah 1,19: "if you agree and give heed, you will eat the good things of the earth; but if you refuse and disobey, you will be devoured by the sword." לקחי, אמרתי, Moses repeats the message in different words in order to make them apply to the two Torot, i.e. the written Torah as well as the oral Torah. Moses aims the word לקחי at the written Torah whereas he refers to the oral Torah when he tells the people to listen to his אמרתי. Moses referred to the Torah G'd had handed him personally, written by G'd's own finger. Although G'd only gave him two tablets containing Ten Commandments, these Ten Commandments contained within them everything that is written in the entire Torah, compare (Bamidbar Rabbah 13). As to the oral Torah, Moses used the term אמרתי, seeing the oral Torah was received by Moses from G'd on a mouth to mouth basis. It was not recorded in writing. Moses labelled the written Torah מטר, rain, whereas he labelled the oral Torah טל, dew. The reason he did this is because the written Torah is the more important of the two. It is the foundation of everything. The oral Torah is a collection of details none of which were spelled out clearly enough in the written Torah. What appears in the oral Torah has only been hinted at in the written Torah. This is why the Torah (Moses) describes the written Torah as rain which is basic and fundamental to nature. Dew, on the other hand, is something which improves the basic work of rainfall just as the oral Torah rounds out the written Torah.