Parasha: Haazinu · Aliyah: First (Chesed)

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?"

I have seen that our sages in the Sifri explain that seeing Moses was closer to heaven than to earth he said האזינו השמים, whereas Isaiah (Isaiah 1,2) who was more distant from heaven, addressed the heavens by saying שמעו שמים, "listen heavens!" This answers some of the questions we have posed but not all of them.

If we do not accept the approach of Sifri we must first explore the meaning of the word להאזין. It seems to me that the word can have two meanings. One meaning is intransitive, one inclines one's ear in order to hear better. One strains to listen. The second meaning is: "listen with your ear," i.e. the meaning is transitive; one appeals to the listener to respond to what one has to say. The first meaning may imply that the one who does the listening is a long way from the source of the sound, and this is why he cannot hear without inclining his ear and paying extra special attention. According to the second meaning the ear of the listener may be quite close and this is why the person doing the talking says only האזין, "listen." This is the approach chosen by our sages. Seeing that the word can also have an alternate meaning as we have tried to explain, we have chosen to approach our verse assuming that Moses employed the alternate meaning. After all, there are 70 legitimate ways to explain the Torah.

From an homiletical point of view we are at liberty to explain any verse differently from the way our sages have explained it as long as our explanation does not run counter to the halachah. This applies all the more when we are able to demonstrate that our explanation will utilise both possible meanings of the word להאזין.

We propose to adopt the following approach which will answer all the questions we have raised. Inasmuch as the heavens are the symbol of the highest spiritual regions in the universe, Moses addressed them first asking them "incline your ears in order to hear my words." To the earth Moses said: "תשמע, "you will hear," i.e. you do not need to incline your ear seeing I am standing right close to you. The reason Moses spoke of אמרי פי "the words of my mouth," seeing Moses' mouth was so close to the earth. [the sound waves did not have to be carried far. Ed.]

Pursuing this approach will help us clear up all the other nuances in the verse, each one in accordance with the relative position of the earth and the heavens. He called to the distant region to incline its ear to enable it to hear, forcing himself to speak loudly, hence ואדברה. To the nearby region, he made it plain that although he also addressed it there was no need for him to call out to be heard.

When you keep these considerations in mind you will also understand the reason why the prophet Isaiah employed the opposite expressions, addressing earth as if it were distant and heavens as if it were near. The reason is explained by Isaiah himself when he said: כי ה׳ דבר, "for the Lord has spoken." In Isaiah we deal with a message from G'd. G'd who is in heaven does not have to shout in order to be heard in heaven. This is why He said שמעו when addressing heaven. Earth, which is distant from heaven, however, qualified for the form of address האזיני, as it had to be warned to strain to listen carefully seeing the message came all the way from heaven.

Perhaps the expression האזינו may simultaneously have both the meanings we outlined earlier.From the physical point of view, i.e. the words emanating from Moses' mouth, the meaning is as we stated. From the spiritual point of view, i.e. from the respective soul's point of view, it may correspond to the meaning our sages have adopted as its true meaning here. This would prove that Moses' soul had ascended to heaven at the time and this is what our sages had in mind when they described Moses as being closer to heaven than to earth at that time, as distinct from Isaiah.

On a moral-ethical plane perhaps Moses addressed the two components man is made of, the spiritual and the physical component. Moses called the spiritual part "heaven," and the physical part "earth." Our sages in Sanhedrin 91 alluded to something of this kind when they interpreted Psalms 50,4 יקרא אל שמים מעל ואל הארץ לדין עמו. "He summoned the heavens above and the earth, for the trial of His people." The Talmud understands the verse as a justification for G'd judging man who is composed of both body and soul. Each one on its own cannot be held responsible for the acts of the other. When they are together, however, G'd is able to punish man for his sins.

When Moses addresses the spiritual element within man he calls out to it and says האזינו השמים, i.e. "listen you heavenly parts," the ones which are concealed inside man and therefore have to make an effort to listen, להאזין. He employs the tough ואדברה, so that the soul will accept the authority of its Creator and carry out its duty.

Vis-a-vis the physical part of man, the visible part, Moses said ותשמע הארץ, addressing the parts of man which consist of earth. He said אמרי פי, because the body being by nature far from the regions where abstract intelligence predominates, requires the soft-toned approach in order to be able to listen properly.

It is also possible that Moses tailored his words to the several levels of Israelites. There was the layer comprising the leaders on the one hand, and the vast multitude of the common people. The latter were not known by any distinctive appellation. Moses described the leaders and the elite as שמים, seeing they were on a spiritually lofty level; he addressed them imperatively האזינו השמים, whereas afterwards he said ותשמע הארץ. He implied that if the leaders of the people had demonstrated that they accepted Moses' instructions it would be automatic for the common people to do so also. The Zohar volume two page 36 phrases it thus: "If the head of the people behaves properly the whole people behaves properly."

There may be another allusion here. People who are absorbed in listening to words of Torah and absorbing them are described as שמים, heaven; this is similar to Psalms 82,6: אני אמרתי אלוקים אתם ובני עליון כלכם, "I had said that you are divine beings, sons of the Most High, all of you." We have pointed out in connection with Genesis 6,3 (page 87) that the deeds of the righteous are able to transform mere earthly matter and give it a divine form, whereas the wicked, alas, accomplish the reverse by their evil deeds.

We have also mentioned that the "form" is known as "heaven," whereas the "material" is known as "earth." Moses uses the expression ואדברה, suggesting that the heavens should not only listen carefully to what he has to say when his words are flattering and pleasing, but, even when he had to communicate admonitions on account of sins which had been committed, he wanted these normally "heavenly" people to listen with equal intensity to what he had to say.

ותשמע הארץ, "and hear O earth;" Moses meant that even after the separation of body and soul, when the body is no more than mere earth, "this earth" should still listen to the words coming forth from Moses' mouth. This may be understood also with the help of the Zohar Chadash Bereshit 20. In the future a heavenly voice will travel past every marked grave and invite the dead to rise from their graves. They base this on Kings II 23,17: "What is the grave-marker I see here?" [The grave in question was that of a prophet. Ed.] This is a reference to the promise by G'd that even the bodies of the righteous would be able to respond when one addresses them. ותשמע הארץ אמרי פי, from the sequence of what Moses said you can learn that he who is not on the spiritual level of מאזין, does not possess the kind of body that will respond at the time of the resurrection to the proclamation mentioned in Zohar Chadash being addressed to the bodies undergound.

יערף במטו לקחי, "May my teaching drop like the rain." We may understand these words of Moses as being similar to the statement in Avot 3,21: "if there is no flour there will be no Torah, etc." The message is that just as the Israelites require rainfall for their physical survival so they require words of Torah instruction for their spiritual survival. The meter of the verse is: "May my teaching drop like rain." G'd does not expect His people to study Torah until He has provided physical sustenance for them. Conversely, you may conclude from Moses' words that if words of Torah will not drop from the people's lips, G'd in turn is not anxious to provide rain for them. This is precisely what Rabbi Eleazar ben Azaryah meant in Avot when he said on the one hand: "if there is no flour there is no Torah; if there is no Torah there will be no flour." Accordingly, you can understand what Rabbi Eleazar ben Azaryah said in this vein: "if you observe that there is not enough flour, know that the reason is that there is not enough Torah study." The reason that Moses employs the simile of rain falling for describing Torah study is because just as rain falls in droplets so Torah is absorbed a little at a time.

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.

There is another aspect to the choice of Moses' similes, one that is best understood by the Kabbalists. Please read the comments of the Beer Heytev on Orach Chayim chapter 238 where he quotes the Ari Zal. The author claims that the preoccupation with the study of the written Torah is an obligation which applies only during the day and not during the night. Therefore it is not in order to read the written Torah at night. We have a Baraitha in Midrash Tehillim that during the 40 days that Moses was in heaven, close to G'd, he was able to distinguish between night and day only by means of the subject matter G'd taught him. When G'd taught Moses Mishnah, i.e. oral Torah, he knew it must be night-time. The reason is that it was not permitted to study the written Torah at night.

This is the reason why Moses described the written Torah as rain, something which does not fall every day, at all hours, only during the rainy season but not during the summer. We have already described several times what happened to the Amora Rava (Taanit 24) who prayed to heaven in order that there be a rainfall in summer because he wanted to prove to a scoffer that G'd can make rain in summer. Similarly, the written Torah is described as rain. Our sages allocated only certain parts of the day to its study, by day and not by night. Dew, on the other hand, is something which we observe on a year round basis, day in day out. It descends both in summer and in winter. Similarly, the oral Torah is described as dew. It is to be studied both by day and by night. There is no restriction on what is a good time to study the oral Torah. The fact that the sun dissipates the effect of the dew is no argument; after all, it is not the fault of absence of dew which on occasion nullifies its effectiveness.

כשעירים עלי דשא, "like showers on young growth, etc." We may understand this simile in connection with a Baraitha quoted in Midrash Mishley 10. Rabbi Yishmael is quoted as saying that when the time comes when a man has to give an accounting of what he did with his time while on earth, one of the questions he will be asked is if he has a command of the written Torah. If he answers in the negative he is asked why he did not study. Next they ask him if he has a command of the oral Torah. If he answers in the affirmative He is asked whether he also has a command of the Talmud. The questioning continues in that vein. He is not asked whether he has a command of esoterical matters i.e. מעשה מרכבה. They ask a person only on matters which he was capable of studying and absorbing. This is the meaning of כשעירים וכרביבים, meaning that just as G'd makes it rain in little droplets on the grass which is still very young, and in bigger droplets on the grass which has already reached a certain height, one's Torah knowledge is expected to match one's age and one's I.Q. This rule is at one and the same time both harsh and kind. The Torah makes allowances for people who are under-endowed mentally; on the other hand, even someone who has a good command of Scripture, Mishnah and Talmud may be found wanting as he did not measure up to his potential and also studied esoterics, i.e. מעשה מרכבה

כי שם ה׳ אקרא, "For I will proclaim the name of the Lord, etc." Moses explains that the whole objective of his speeches is to exalt the name of G'd, much as we have read in the Zohar volume 3 page 98 that the entire written Torah is an elongated name of the Lord. Concerning this statement Moses says: "and my teaching drop like rain [the teaching being a simile for the name of G'd. Ed.]. The word אקרא may be understood as from the root יקר, precious.

Another thought Moses may have had in mind here is that although he compared the written and oral Torah respectively to rain and dew, the people should not think of that distinction when studying Torah. All they should concentrate on is to study G'd's Torah. The reason Moses said כי, "for," is to to warn that the reason for Torah study should be to learn the word of G'd in order to better appreciate what His name stands for. Only in this fashion can a man truly ascribe greatness to G'd and His name. In other words, Torah is to be studied לשמה, for its own sake. The reason Moses said אקרא, is that he wants every individual to do precisely this, to proclaim the greatness of G'd. Alternatively, we may understand this in terms of the Zohar volume three page 273 that all the people who are engaged in Torah study are sparks of Moses' soul, and this does not only apply to the generation of the Jews in the desert but all down the long millennia of history until the coming of the Messiah. Anyone who studies Torah is blessed by Moses. This is the reason he could credit Israel's preoccupation with Torah to himself.

Another thought Moses may have had in mind when saying כי שם ה׳ אקרא, is that it is the reason for what Moses said later, i.e. הבו גדל לאלוקינו. In order to appreciate this let us look at Yalkut Shimoni Noach item 62 where the author interprets Psalms 22,4 ישב תהלות ישראל, "the enthroned One, the Praise of Israel." According to the Yalkut what this verse means is that G'd did not take His seat on His throne until the angels in heaven had proclaimed: "blessed be the Lord G'd of Israel." He had not been satisfied with being called the "G'd of the heaven and of the earth." This is why Moses here called on the Israelites to praise the Lord. The operative word in what Moses is saying is the word אלוקינו, "our G'd." Only when the Israelites are engaged in studying the Torah do they truly praise the Lord in a manner no one else can. When the angels praise the Lord by reciting the formula: "blessed be the Lord G'd of Israel," this threatens to become a mockery unless the Israelites are engaged in Torah sudy. Should they fail to do so, they make liars out of the angels. Our sages have offered many different interpretations on this verse.

הצור תמים פעלו, "The Rock, His work is perfect." Moses had stated in the last verse that the cause of rainfall and dew is Torah study. Moses now adds that if someone who does study Torah nonetheless experiences extreme poverty, or if one sees a person who had suffered deprivations until he shook off the yoke of Torah and suddenly became very wealthy, the reason is not due to this person shaking off the yoke of Torah. The onlooker should not make such phenomena an excuse to become an heretic, but should acknowledge G'd as a fair Judge. This is reason Moses describes G'd as הצור, as someone Who is strong and steadfast even if He appears to discipline man. Our response has to be that תמים פעלו, "that whatever He does is perfect." This is the correct reaction to when we observe that G'd apparently compensates very sparingly people who have been very generous doing good works and who have studied Torah. The words כי כל דרכיו משפט, "for all His ways are justice," refer to the reverse phenomenon, i.e. people who have apparently done hardly anything to deserve the way in which G'd appears to lavish His bounty on them. We have to remember that G'd does not afflict the righteous until he has become guilty to suffer afflictions, and He does not lavish His goodness on the wicked unless they had done something to deserve it.

Moses continues with אל אמונה ואין עול, "A G'd of faith without iniquity, etc." Our sages in the Sifri understand the word אמונה, to mean "faithful to repay the righteous in the hereafter," and the words אין עול, "without iniquity," they understand as His repaying the wicked for the good they have done in this life. The sages' thinking may be understood when one reads how they interpret Psalms 4,8: "You put joy in my heart when their grain and wine show increase." Midrash Tehillim on this verse explains that when David observed all this he said to himself: "if people who constantly violate many of G'd's commandments fare like this, I, who strive to carry out G'd's will, will most certainly fare at least as well. This is why my heart is filled with joy when I behold the success of the nations." The meaning of אל אמונה then is that the righteous draws additional faith from the way G'd deals with those who are merely Gentiles. The words ואין עול refer to G'd's need to pay the Gentiles their reward in this life as it is the only life they have.

צדיק וישר הוא. "He is righteous and upright." This is a reference to the fact that G'd the Creator created the universe based on justice, as we know from Proverbs 29,4: "a king sustains earth by justice." Our sages in Tanchuma Shoftim say that G'd swore an oath that He would erect the universe based on justice. On the other hand, we find that He has at least 13 attributes (virtues) which are all various forms of mercy rather than justice. If G'd swore that the universe is based on justice, how does the attribute of Mercy fit into the picture?

We have to understand this on the following basis. When G'd first assumed His seat of justice He placed justice on its appropriate place. When it came to executing justice, G'd allowed Himself to be influenced by considerations of mercy. David described this in Psalms 145,17: "whereas G'd is righteous (just) in all His paths, He is pious (flexible) in His actions." In other words, G'd first established what justice demanded under the given circumstances, but He made allowances before carrying out the demands of strict justice." When man entreats G'd He will show him mercy צדיק וישר הוא. "He is righteous and upright." He is righteous by judging justly. When the Talmud asks in Avodah Zarah 6 whether it it is not impossible that Noach could have been "treifah," seeing he is described in the Torah as "perfect," the Talmud retorts that the word תמים did not necessarily refer to his being unblemished physically (able to live for 12 months) but it could refer to his character being unblemished. Rashi comments on this that Noach was righteous in his דרכיו, "his attitude was guided by justice." All of this was only the original attitude. Afterwards G'd is ישר, more accomodating to man than required by the strict rules of justice as our sages in Baba Metzia 16 explain based on Deut. 6,18.

שחת לו לא בניו מומם, "Its corruption caused them no longer to be His fit children due to their blemish." When they become corrupt they cause harm to themselves. They are no longer called the children of the living G'd as our sages have said in Baba Batra 10: "as long as the children of Israel follow the path of G'd they are called "children;" if they stray, they are called "slaves." Moses mentions that if Israel becomes corrupt vis-a-vis G'd they are no longer His children. He adds the word מומם, their blemish, to remind Israel that if it does become blemished the fault is not with G'd but with themselves. Moses had to add this so that one would not conclude that the blemish found in the Israelites must eventually be traced back to G'd Himself, to their origin. G'd had created man, i.e. Israel, ישר, morally upright; we know this from Isaiah 5,1 where G'd describes Himself as "having owned a vineyard on a fruitful hill. He broke the ground, cleared it of stones and planted it with choice vines, etc. etc. Instead it yielded wild grapes." In other words, the corruption, the blemish, developed out of the people not out of their association with G'd. We are told in Sotah 3 that one does not commit a sin until after one's mind has been invaded by a streak of madness. This is the mystical dimension of Deut. 15,21 מום רע, "a severe blemish." The continued presence of this blemish is attributable exclusively to the deeds of man.

דור עקש ופתלתל, "a perverse and twisted generation." If the generation were smitten only with perversion the words of Torah might suffice to straighten out these people. Who is responsible for the people to have become so twisted? None other than their inherent tendency to be stiff-necked, not to be willing to admit they had been mistaken. It is tragic to be a witness to all kinds of heresy being rampant during these generations and whenever someone comes along and tries to straighten out the misguided thinking of these heretics they become reinforced and even more entrenched in their heresy. This leads to these people losing their homeland.

הלה׳ תגמלו זאת, "Is this the way you repay the Lord?" The reason Moses employs the term גמול, "compensation," [something that does not really apply in our relationship with G'd. Ed.] is that instead of our going out of our way by showing appreciation for what G'd has done for us we do the very reverse.

עם נבל ולא חכם, "a nation which is vile and unwise!" Why does the Torah contrast two characteristics which are not opposites? Vileness is not the opposite of lack of wisdom! Moses means that even though they may be a vile people by nature, if at least they possessed some wisdom they would not display their vileness vis-a-vis G'd! The vile recognises that the fact that he is vile is to his detriment and therefore he would not display such a trait.

This is more or less what Moses meant when he added: הלא הוא אביך קונך, "Isn't G'd the One Who is your father and the One Who owns you?" Moses makes 4 distinctions here. 1) Seeing that G'd created man, he calls G'd "your father." 2) He acquired all of us as His slaves when He took us out of bondage in Egypt, and revived us in the desert and brought us to the Holy Land, a land full of goodness. This then is the meaning of קנך. 3) He awarded us an additional and superior gift, i.e. His Presence amongst us and the availability of prophets in our midst. This is what Moses meant when he said הוא עשך, "He has made you." G'd has added a new element to your life, something no other living beings enjoy. 4) He has equipped us with an automatic entrance card to the hereafter, life's main arena. How could even a vile nation be prepared to jeopardise all these advantages unless they were foolish also?