Ha'azinu

(1) David addressed the words of this song to the LORD, after the LORD had saved him from the hands of all his enemies and from the hands of Saul.

(51) Tower of victory to His king, who deals graciously with His anointed, with David and his offspring evermore.

(19) Therefore, write down this poem and teach it to the people of Israel; put it in their mouths, in order that this poem may be My witness against the people of Israel. (20) When I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey that I promised on oath to their fathers, and they eat their fill and grow fat and turn to other gods and serve them, spurning Me and breaking My covenant, (21) and the many evils and troubles befall them—then this poem shall confront them as a witness, since it will never be lost from the mouth of their offspring. For I know what plans they are devising even now, before I bring them into the land that I promised on oath.

(1) Give ear, O heavens, let me speak;

Let the earth hear the words I utter! (2) May my discourse come down as the rain,

My speech distill as the dew,

Like showers on young growth,

Like droplets on the grass.

(3) For the name of ה' I proclaim;

Give glory to our God!

And why did He call heaven and earth as witnesses against them? Moses thought: “I am a being of flesh and blood (mortal); tomorrow I shall be dead. If the Israelites will once say, ‘We have never accepted the covenant’, who can come and refute them?” Therefore he called heaven and earth as witnesses against them — witnesses that endure forever (Sifrei Devarim 306:15).

And a further reason was that if they should act worthily, the witnesses might come and give them their reward: the vine might yield its fruit, the ground give its increase, the heaven bestow its dew; while if they should act sinfully, the hand of the witnesses might first be against them (Rashi uses a phrase similar to that used of human witnesses; cf. e.g. Deuteronomy 13:10): “and He will restrain the heaven, that there be no rain, and the earth will not give its increase; and you shall perish quickly” (Deuteronomy 11:17) — through the attacks of other nations (Tanchuma 5:10:1).

(10) [God] found them in a desert region,

In an empty howling waste.

[God] engirded them, watched over them,

Guarded them as the pupil of God’s eye.

ימצאהו בארץ מדבר HE FOUND HIM IN A DESERT LAND — for them (Jacob’s sons) he found to be faithful to Him in the desert land, when they accepted His Torah, His sovereignty and His yoke, something that Ishmael and Esau had refused to do, as it is said, (Deuteronomy 33:2) “And He shone from the Seir (Esau) unto them, He appeared from Mount Paran (Ishmael)” (cf. Rashi on that verse).

ימצאהו, as when the Torah had written in Numbers 11,22 ומצא להם, the reference is to G’d being the “supplier,” i.e. “finding” their needs for them.

(26) I might have reduced them to naught, Made their memory cease among humankind, (27) But for fear of the taunts of the foe,

Their enemies who might misjudge

And say, “Our own hand has prevailed;

None of this was wrought by ה' !”

אמרתי אפאיהם, “I said I would make an end of them;” the word is related to פיאה, “corner, remnant,” I would not even leave a remnant of them.

(5) Unworthy children—

That crooked, perverse generation

Their baseness has played God false. (6) Do you thus requite ה',

O dull and witless people?

Is not this the Father who created you

Fashioned you and made you endure!

(7) Remember the days of old,

Consider the years of ages past;

Ask your father, who will inform you,

Your elders, who will tell you:

(11) Like an eagle who rouses its nestlings,

Gliding down to its young,

So did [God] spread wings and take them,

Bear them along on pinions;

(19) Therefore, write down this poem and teach it to the people of Israel; put it in their mouths, in order that this poem may be My witness against the people of Israel.

AND NOW WRITE YE THIS SONG.
Now, the meaning of the expression this Song is “the Song that I will now tell you,” this being ‘Ha’azinu’ (Give ear). It is called Song because Israel would recite it with song and psalm. It was also written [in the Torah] in the style of a song, since songs are written with interruptions [empty spaces] indicating the places of chanting.

... [As in poetry] the nature of the Torah is that the idea is not laid out clearly (the way it is in a prose narrative), and it requires notes and commentary to understand the language details.

Rava says: With regard to the mitzva for every Jew to write himself a Torah scroll, even if a person’s ancestors left him a Torah scroll, it is a mitzva to write a scroll of one’s own, as it is stated: “Now, therefore, write for yourselves this song and teach it to the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 31:19).

(4) The Rock!—whose deeds are perfect,

Yea, all God’s ways are just;

A faithful God, never false,

True and upright indeed.

(15) So Jeshurun grew fat and kicked—

You grew fat and gross and coarse —

They forsook the God who made them

And spurned the Rock of their support.

(18) You neglected the Rock who begot you,

Forgot the God who labored to bring you forth.

(30) “How could one have routed a thousand,

Or two put ten thousand to flight,

Unless their Rock had sold them,

ה' had given them up?”

(37) [God] will say: Where are their gods,

The rock in whom they sought refuge,

The meaning of The Rock is that God, like a rock, is everlasting. Do not be amazed at this, for Scripture similarly states, The Lord…shall roar like a lion (Hos. 11:10). Scripture does this because one who speaks cannot compare God’s work to anything but His works, for everything is His work. Rock, in But God is the rock of my heart (Ps. 73:26), similarly means a support, might, and permanence.

Others say that tzur (rock) is related to the word tzurah (form, image). Compare, tzuram (their form) in And their form shall be for the nether-world (Ps. 49:15). Its basic meaning is that God does not consist of matter, which can be molded into a form. On the contrary, He is Primary form.

The first interpretation appears correct to me.

Come and see that the attribute of the Holy One, Blessed be He, is not like the attribute of flesh and blood, as this verse praises the formation of man in his mother’s womb. The attribute of flesh and blood is such that he shapes a form on the wall for all to see, yet he cannot instill it with a spirit and soul, bowels and intestines. While the Holy One, Blessed be He, is not so, as God shapes one form within another form, a child in its mother’s womb, and instills it with spirit and soul, bowels and intestines. And this is the explanation of what Hannah said with regard to the birth of Samuel: “There is none holy like the Lord, for there is none like You, and there is no Rock like our God” (I Samuel 2:2). What is the meaning of there is no rock [tzur] like our God? There is no artist [tzayyar] like our God.

Rabbi Ḥanina says: Anyone who states that the Holy One, Blessed be He, is forgiving [vateran] of transgressions, his life will be relinquished [yivatru], as it is stated: “The Rock, His work is perfect, for all His ways are justice” (Deuteronomy 32:4). In other words, God does not waive heavenly justice.

(3) O LORD, my crag, my fortress, my rescuer, my God, my rock in whom I seek refuge, my shield, my mighty champion,^-c my haven.

(1) Of David. O LORD, I call to You; my rock, do not disregard me, for if You hold aloof from me, I shall be like those gone down into the Pit.

(35) They remembered that God was their rock, God Most High, their Redeemer.

(48) That very day ה' spoke to Moses: (49) Ascend these heights of Abarim to Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab facing Jericho, and view the land of Canaan, which I am giving the Israelites as their holding. (50) You shall die on the mountain that you are about to ascend, and shall be gathered to your kin, as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and was gathered to his kin; (51) for you both broke faith with Me among the Israelite people, at the waters of Meribath-kadesh in the wilderness of Zin, by failing to uphold My sanctity among the Israelite people. (52) You may view the land from a distance, but you shall not enter it—the land that I am giving to the Israelite people.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: When Moses ascended on High to receive the Torah, the ministering angels said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, what is one born of a woman doing here among us? God said to them: He came to receive the Torah. The angels said before Him: The Torah is a hidden treasure that was concealed by you 974 generations before the creation of the world, and you seek to give it to flesh and blood? ...

The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: Provide them with an answer. Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, I am afraid lest they burn me with the breath of their mouths. God said to him: Grasp My throne of glory and provide them with an answer ...

Moses said before Him: Master of the Universe, the Torah that You are giving me, what is written in it? “I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of Egypt". Moses said to the angels: Did you descend to Egypt? Were you enslaved to Pharaoh? Why should the Torah be yours?

Again Moses asked: What else is written in it? “You shall have no other gods". Moses said to the angels: Do you dwell among the nations who worship idols that you require this special warning?

Again Moses asked: What else is written in it? “Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it” (Exodus 20:8). Moses asked the angels: Do you perform labor that you require rest from it?

Again Moses asked: What else is written in it? “Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20:7). Moses asked the angels: Do you conduct business with one another that may lead you to swear falsely?

Again Moses asked: What else is written in it? “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12). Moses asked the angels: Do you have a father or a mother?

Again Moses asked: What else is written in it? “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal” (Exodus 20:13) Moses asked the angels: Is there jealousy among you, or is there an evil inclination within you?

Immediately they agreed with the Holy One, Blessed be He, that He made the right decision to give the Torah to the people, and as it is stated: “God our Lord, how glorious is Your name in all the earth” (Psalms 8:10), while “that Your majesty is placed above the heavens” is not written because the angels agreed with God that it is appropriate to give the Torah to the people on earth.

"And Moshe implored". What did he do? Rabbi Berachia in the name of Rabbi Helbo in the name of Rabbi Itzhak said: he annulled the vow of his Maker.

How so? When the Israelites made the Golden Calf, Moshe stood before God to appease Him and ask Him to forgive them. God said: Moshe, I already swore an oath: ״Whoever sacrifices to a god other than Hashem alone shall be proscribed״ (Exodus 22:19). And I cannot take back an oath I made.

Moshe said: Kind of the Universe, but You Yourself gave me the power to annul vows, by saying: If a person makes a vow to Hashem or takes an oath imposing an obligation on himself, he shall not break his pledge" (Numbers 30:3). He cannot break it, but a sage can annul his vow when asked ... Just as You commanded me to annul vows, it is right that you should annul Yours...

This is the meaning of "And Moshe implored", that he annulled the vow of His Maker ... Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: this is why Moshe is called "Man of God", to tell us that he annulled the vow of God.

All the statements made above describe the path of prophecy of all the early and later prophets, with the exception of Moses, our teacher, the master of all prophets. What is the difference between Moses' prophecy and that of all the other prophets?

Divine insight is bestowed upon all other prophets in a dream or vision. Moses, our teacher, would prophesy while standing awake, as [Numbers 7:89] states: "When Moses came into the Tent of Meeting to speak to Him, he heard the Voice speaking to him."

Divine insight is bestowed upon all other prophets through the medium of an angel. Therefore, they perceive only metaphoric imagery and allegories. Moses, our teacher, would prophesy without the medium of an angel, as [Numbers 12:8] states: "Mouth to mouth I speak to him," ...

All other prophets are overawed, terrified, and confounded by the revelations they experience, but Moses, our teacher, would not respond in this manner, as [Exodus 33:11] relates: "[God spoke to Moses...] as a man speaks to a friend" - i.e., just as a person will not be awe-struck from hearing his friend's words, so, too, Moses' mental power was sufficient to comprehend the words of prophecy while he was standing in a composed state.

All other prophets cannot prophesy whenever they desire. Moses, our teacher, was different. Whenever he desired, the holy spirit would envelop him, and prophecy would rest upon him. He did not have to concentrate his attention to prepare himself for prophecy, because his mind was always concentrated, prepared, and ready to appreciate spiritual truth as the angels are. Therefore, he would prophesy at all times, as [Numbers 9:8] states: "Stand and hear what God will command you."