(א) הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וַאֲדַבֵּרָה וְתִשְׁמַע הָאָרֶץ אִמְרֵי פִי.
(1) Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth.
What significance is there in talking to the land and the sky?
(19) I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse; therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed;
אבר מן החי על בראשית א:א
בראשית: אם מבלבלים את האותיות, מקבלים ברית אש. זו התורה, שנאמר, מימנו אש דת למו (דברים לג:ב). ואז הפסוק נקראית: ברית אש ברא א-לוקים את השמים ואת הארץ. שנאמר, האזינו השמים ואדברה, ותשמע הארץ אמרי פי (דברים לב:א).
Ever Min Hechai on Bereishit 1:1
Breishit: If you rearrange the letters, it becomes "a covenant of fire (Brit Aish)". [What is the covenant of fire?] It is the Torah, as it says: "From his right, the fire of law for him (Deuteronomy 33:2)." And so the verse reads, "A covenant of fire did G-d create with the heavens and the earth," like it says, "Hear, O heavens, and I shall speak; let the earth hear the sayings of my mouth (Deuteronomy 32:1)."
We see that the earth and sky are witnesses, or even participants, in the covenant of the Torah. Let's move on.
(11) As an eagle that stirreth up her nest, Hovereth over her young, Spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, Beareth them on her pinions—
I just wanted to share an insight from Rabi U'Mori, Rabbi Menachem Liebtag. Rabbi Liebtag pointed out that birds of prey, like an eagle, learn to fly by sink or swim. This means that mother eagles drop their young, and the little ones learn to fly by necessity.
Rabbi Liebtag re-interpreted the above verse, and particularly the words Yifrosh K'nafav. According to his idea, this actually refers to the baby eagle, spreading his wings and needing to be taken by the parent if he falls. This is a metaphor for Am Yisrael, who try to folllow mitzvot but sometimes fall. They need Hashem to help them, to lift them on his wings. This is especially appropriate in the lead-up to Rosh Hashanah.
(כז) לוּלֵי כַּעַס אוֹיֵב אָגוּר פֶּן יְנַכְּרוּ צָרֵימוֹ פֶּן יֹאמְרוּ יָדֵינוּ רָמָה וְלֹא יְהוָה פָּעַל כָּל זֹאת.
(27) Were it not that I dreaded the enemy’s provocation, Lest their adversaries should misdeem, Lest they should say: Our hand is exalted, And not the LORD hath wrought all this.’
Hashem also uses this reason to hold back from punishment elswhere.
(יב) לָמָּה יֹאמְרוּ מִצְרַיִם לֵאמֹר בְּרָעָה הוֹצִיאָם לַהֲרֹג אֹתָם בֶּהָרִים וּלְכַלֹּתָם מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה שׁוּב מֵחֲרוֹן אַפֶּךָ וְהִנָּחֵם עַל הָרָעָה לְעַמֶּךָ.
(יד) וַיִּנָּחֶם יְהוָה עַל הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר לַעֲשׂוֹת לְעַמּוֹ.
(12) Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying: For evil did He bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against Thy people.
(14) And the LORD repented of the evil which He said He would do unto His people.
(טו) וְהֵמַתָּה אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד וְאָמְרוּ הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר שָׁמְעוּ אֶת שִׁמְעֲךָ לֵאמֹר. (טז) מִבִּלְתִּי יְכֹלֶת יְהוָה לְהָבִיא אֶת הָעָם הַזֶּה אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע לָהֶם וַיִּשְׁחָטֵם בַּמִּדְבָּר.
(כ) וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה סָלַחְתִּי כִּדְבָרֶךָ.
(15) now if Thou shalt kill this people as one man, then the nations which have heard the fame of Thee will speak, saying: (16) Because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land which He swore unto them, therefore He hath slain them in the wilderness.
(20) And the LORD said: ‘I have pardoned according to thy word’
This is something amazing to think about. We are an Or Goyim, a light unto the nations, and when Hashem punishes us he suffers too.
G-d's representatives in the physical world are us. It is up to us to make sure that set a good example, and show how kind Hashem can be to his faithful.
Shanah Tova!