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האזינו השמים ואדברה... זכור ימות עולם... כי ידין ד' עמו ועל עבדיו יתנחם

Give ears, O’ Heavens, and I will speak… Remember the days of yore… when Hashem will have judged His People, He shall relent regarding His servants. (32:1,7,36)

Two themes seem to stand out throughout Shiras Ha’azinu, The Song of Ha’azinu. First, Chazal refer to this sketch of history as a song. Horav Gedalyah Schorr, zl, explains the concept of song with regard to Jewish history. A song implies the concept of harmony. This means that all elements of an orchestra, a musical score with its high and low notes, all the voices of a choir work together in total harmony, creating a perfect and pleasant sound. Likewise, we recognize that all of the elements of the universe fuse together in carrying out G-d’s Will. From a historical…

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הצור תמים פעלו כי כל דרכיו משפט קל אמונה ואין עול צדיק וישר הוא

The Rock! – Perfect is His work, for all His paths are justice; A G-d of faith without iniquity, righteous and fair is He. (32:4)

The term tamim, perfect, is a reference to the totality of Hashem’s work – the big picture. Individual life is part of a large puzzle with countless pieces of all shapes and sizes, representing good fortune, failure, joy and sadness, tragedy and celebration. When these are all factored together by Hashem, everything fits in perfectly. Human cognition is limited; thus, we are able to grasp very little. If it makes sense to the human mind, it is good. If it does not make sense, it is not good. This is the human way of understanding a situation. It sees the…

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וישמן ישרון ויבעט

Yeshurun waxed fat, and rebelled. (32:15)

The pasuk implies that wealth is the source of Klal Yisrael’s rebellion, indicating that prosperity may not contribute to a strong spiritual balance. It is almost as if wealth is a curse, not a blessing. Yet, two pesukim earlier the Torah tells us that we will be blessed with material abundance: Yarkiveihu al bamesei aretz, va’yochal tenuvos sadai, “He shall cause them to ride the high places of the Land and eat the produce of its fields” (ibid. 32:13). Klal Yisrael will enter the land and be greeted with incredible prosperity. Apparently, here prosperity comes across as a blessing. On…

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כי דור תהפכת המה בנים לא אמן בם

For they are a generation of reversals, children whose upbringing is not in them. (32:20)

It hurts much more when the troublemaker is “ours.” We read about someone who has committed an act of dishonesty; we are angered. “What kind of person is that? Who could act in such a reprehensible manner?” When the culprit is someone young, we wonder what kind of parents he had; what kind of home he came from; what type of upbringing he had. When the culprit is one of our own – when it is one’s own child, there is anger, hurt, humiliation, and then all of the questions that we would have asked of others we ask ourselves:…

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“Give ear O Heavens and I shall speak, and may the earth hear the words of my mouth.” (32:1)

These words, which begin Shiras Ha’azinu, present the essence of the song of Ha’azinu — as well as the entire Torah, which is compared to a song. What is a song? Horav Gedaliah Shorr z.l.  explains that a song suggests something which is completely synchronized, as a song must be the essence of harmony. He notes that in a song, all of the notes of the score of the song, all of the instruments of the orchestra, and all of the voices in the choir join together to create a perfect harmonious blend. Likewise, so do all of the elements…

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“May my teaching drop like rain, may my utterance flow like the dew.” (32:2)

Water is used as a metaphor to describe Torah. Just as every person must have water in order to be sustained, Torah sustains Klal Yisrael. Without Torah, there is no substance to Klal Yisrael.  Horav Mordechai Ilan z.l. suggests the following analogy between water and Torah. Human beings have had no input to the creation of water. It has the same essence and makeup that existed at the dawn of creation. It has maintained its unaltered state throughout time. In contrast, the earth has undergone changes as a result of mans’ participation in its development. The Torah has similarly maintained…

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“Is corruption His, no; His children’s is the blemish… Is it to Hashem that you do this… Is He not your father your master?” (32:5,6)

The commentators explain the text of the pasuk in the following manner. Although an individual may defer to his own spiritual shortcomings, he, nonetheless, desires that his children proceed in the proper path.  Regrettably, the concept of “do as I say, not as I do” has almost become a way of life for some people. Parents must be aware that they serve as the primary role models for their children.  When these parents are questioned regarding their hypocritical behavior, their response is, “We personally have no proclivity to be observant, but we want our children to be G- d fearing…

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“Remember the days of old, consider the years of each generation.” (32:7)

The concept of history encompasses the perception that all events in the human experience are part of one long continuum.  The Chumash begins with the story of Brias Ha’olam, creation, since that is the “genesis” of all historical events. Hashem is the G-d of creation and the G-d of history.  He is the moral power whose Divine action guides world events. The Jewish “historian” sees Hashem’s Hand reflected in every aspect of history.  He sees the continuous revelation of Hashem’s plan spanning the abyss of time.  Everything has meaning.  No right goes unrewarded, and no wrong goes without its due…

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“For Hashem’s portion is His people, Yaakov his measured inheritance.” (32:9)

Klal Yisrael became a nation while still in the desert — without a land to live in. Hashem did not permit His people to grow as a nation under the influence of the land of Egypt and its inhabitants. “For Hashem’s portion is His people.” This people was to be and remain “the people of Hashem.” Horav S.R.  Hirsch z.l.  explains that common nations are linked to the soil of their land in the same manner that Am Yisrael is linked to Hashem.  Other nations view their land as the foundation of their national existence.  It serves as the home…

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האזינו השמים ואדברה ותשמע הארץ אמרי פי. וערףכמטר לקחי תיזל כטל אמרתי כשעירים עלי דשא וכרבבים עלי עשב

Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and may the earth hear the words of my mouth. (32:1)

There seems to be a disparity between the Torah’s description of Moshe Rabbeinu’s oratory to the Heaven and the way he addressed the earth. He says haazinu, “Give ear, ”pay attention, as if he was speaking directly to Heaven. Also, he uses the word, adabeirah, “I will speak,” which is a stronger, more direct form of communication. In contrast, Moshe tells the earth v’sishma, “and hear,” listen in, as I convey imrei fi, words of my mouth. It is almost as if Moshe is talking directly to Heaven, and he is requesting earth to listen in on the conversation. How…

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