Torah: Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52
2 Samuel 22:1-51
John 20:26-21:25
Portion Outline:
Deuteronomy 31:30 | The Song of Moses
Deuteronomy 32:48 | Moses’ Death Foretold
2 Samuel 22:1 | David’s Song of Thanksgiving
Portion Summary:
The word Ha’azinu (האזינו) literally means “give ear,” an expression meaning “Listen to this.” It is also the name of the fifty-third and second-to-last reading from the Torah. It is the first word of the Song of Moses, which begins with the words “Give ear (Ha’azinu), O heavens, and let me speak” (Deuteronomy 32:1). This Torah portion is only a single chapter long, and the majority of it consists of the Song of Moses. The Song of Moses is a prophetic oracle warning Israel about apostasy to come and the resulting wrath of God. The song looks far into the future, even envisioning the Messianic advent amid rich and frightening apocalyptic imagery. After the conclusion of the song, Moses is told to ascend Mount Nebo and overlook the Promised Land before dying. – (First Fruits of Zion)
Portion Commentary:
Heaven and Earth; Rain and Dew
Thought for the Week:
Rab Yehudah said, “The day when rain falls is as great as the day when the Torah was given, as it is said [in Deuteronomy 32:2], ‘Let my teaching drop as the rain.’ [When Moses said] “teaching”, he meant Torah, as it is said of the Torah [in Proverbs 4:2] “For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my Torah.” (b.Ta’anit 7a)
Commentary (in part, read in full here):
Moses begins his song by calling upon the heavens and the earth as witnesses to his teaching. He says, “Give ear, O heavens, and let me speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.” (Deuteronomy 32:1) He follows this progression, from heaven to earth, when he says, “Let my teaching drop as the rain.” (Deuteronomy 32:2) Rain is that which falls from heaven to earth, in a sense, connecting heaven and earth. In rabbinic literature, Torah is often compared to rain failing from heaven to earth.
The sages compared Torah to water, for just as water descends from a higher to a lower level, so too the Torah descended from its place of glory to the realm of men:
Rabbi Chanina ben Ida said, “Why are the words of the Torah likened unto water [in Isaiah 55:1], ‘Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters.’? This is to teach you that just as water flows from a higher place to a low place, so too the words of the Torah …” (b.Ta’anit 7a)
Read complete commentary at First Fruits of Zion.
