Shalom Friends;
Our Ha’azinu vort is being sponsored by Rabbi Barak and Rebbetzin Saffer of Ramat Beit Shemesh who dedicate this vort Lilui Nismas Rabbi Reuven Tzadok ben Yisroel Tzvi, z”l, and for the safety of the Chayalim as well as for the good health and security of kol Am Yisrael. To the Saffer family, many thanks for your sponsorship and your continued kindnesses.
You can celebrate a Simcha — a birth, a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, a Chassuna or other Simcha event in your life, or commemorate a Yahrtzeit of a loved one, or for whatever other reason by sponsoring a Parshat HaShavua.
Please forward to your relatives and friends and encourage them to sponsor a Parshat HaShavua. And please be in contact with me with any questions, or for further details.
Best Regards,
Moshe Burt
olehchadash@yahoo.com
Subscribe to the Israel and the Sin of Expulsion blog, to ask questions or to sponsor a Parsha Vort at: olehchadash@yahoo.com
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This year, Ha’azinu falls out during Asseret Yomei Teshuvah. In some years, Ha’azinu falls out as it has this year, while in other years, it falls out after Yom Kippur, but before Succot. Our Parshat holds many lessons and ideals pertinent to our times in the midst of Israel’s ongoing multi-front war and upcoming national elections here in Israel.
In the next to the last Parshat in Torah, our Parshat Ha’azinu opens with Moshe speaking before his passing:
“Ha’azinu HaShemayim — Give ear, O Heavens, and I will speak: and may the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop like the rain, may my utterance flow like the dew; like storm winds upon vegetation and like raindrops upon blades of grass.” [Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posukim 1 -2 rendered to English in The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash]
The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash provides a commentary citing Rashi and Ibn Ezra on “Ha’azinu HaShemayim…” (page 1100) :
“Ha’azinu HaShemayim — Give ear, O Heavens” To testify that he was warning Yisrael, Moshe wanted witnesses that would outlive his and later generations; otherwise, who would reproach the Jews in the future if they were to deny that they ever accepted the Covenant? Therefore, Moshe appointed Heaven and Earth, which are eternal. Furthermore, if Israel were to be found guilty of violating the Covenant, these witnesses would take the lead in administering the appropriate punishment, for the Heaven would withhold its rain and the earth would withhold its produce.
Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, z”l asks on Moshe’s warning to Am Yisrael in his Sefer, “Kol Dodi (page 296) ;
Why did Moshe use stern words in speaking to the Heavens and soft words in speaking to the earth?
Because the Heavens are a spiritual entity, they do exactly as they are commanded even if they don’t understand why. And since they are being called upon to do something they do not understand and which is not self-evident, they must listen carefully in order to remember well.
The earth, on the other hand, being entirely physical, needs to understand what it is doing. This is why Moshe speaks to it in a different tone. Physical beings are less responsive than the spiritual Heavens and must be put in a receptive frame of mind to understand what they are being told to do. It is difficult for them to be responsive unless they are given logical and easily understood instructions. Once they understand, they will remember. Therefore, Moshe addresses the earth in softer and more subtle terms than the ones used with the Heavens.
Rabbi Hershel Reichman presents a slightly different commentary on Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posukim 1 -2 in his Sefer, “Living the Chassidic Legacy: Lessons Based on Shem Mishmuel” (pages 777 -778) :
“Let the Heavens hear as I speak and let the land listen to the utterances of my mouth.” [Rabbi Reichman renders to English Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posukim 1 -2]
Rashi cites Sifrei which writes: Hashem told Moshe to tell Am Yisrael, “Look at the sky and the land that I have
created to serve you, Have they ever changed their ways? This is a kal va’chomer that should persuade you. These things never change. They never receive reward and are never punished, and they don’t have children to worry about. You, though, do get rewarded for doing good things. And if you do bad, you would get punished. You also have children to worry about. Shouldn’t you also consistently do the Mitzvot without changing?”Moshe addressed Heaven and earth because he wanted the nation to consider the character of the two. He wanted us to think that Heaven and earth never deviate [Verb — used without object; to turn aside, as from a route, way, course, etc.] from their assigned functions and they continuously do what they do.
Heaven and earth are programmed. The laws of nature are immutable because they have no way of changing. People, though, have choice. We’ve been given the gift of choice by Hashem. A person — who will receive reward — should…choose properly to do what’s right.
Rabbi Reichman discusses Rashi who cites Sifrei regarding human reward and punishment in his commentary above. It is this author’s understanding that Rabbi Reichman’s discussion of Sifrei relates to this world and that the word “reward” reflects the fruits one receives or feels in this world for his Mitzvot, with “reward” or s’char reserved for Olam Haba.
Further down in Perek 32, Moshe tells of Hashem’s wrath against Am Yisrael:
“I shall accumulate evils against them, My arrows shall I use up against them;” [Perek 32, posuk 23 rendered to English in The Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash]
Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, z”l cites Rashi on Perek 32, posuk 23 in his Sefer, “Kol Dodi” (page 298) :
“My arrows shall I use up against them;” — Rashi notes that the threat contains a hidden Blessing: “My arrows will be used up but they [the people] will not be totally destroyed.” However much Hashem punishes the Jews, they will always survive.
Hashem never inflicts difficulties on His people merely for the sake of punishment — only to teach and to stimulate them to improve themselves. Thus, Hashem complained to the Navi Yirmiyahu [Rabbi Feinstein citing Yirmiyahu 2:30], “In vain did I strike your children, for they did not learn the lesson.” The punishments He sent were only for the constructive purpose of causing His children to mend their ways. Since they did not do so, the punishments were in vain.
As Parsha Ha’azinu concludes, Torah relates:
“Hashem spoke to Moshe on that very day, saying: ‘Ascend to this mount of Abarim, Har N’vo, which is in the land of Mo’av, which is before Yericho, and see the Land of Cana’an that I give to the B’nei Yisrael as an inheritance, and die on the mountain where you will ascend, and be gathered to your people, as Aaron your brother died on Har Hor, and was gathered to his people…” [Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posukim 48 – 50 as rendered to English in the Artscroll Stone Edition Chumash]
Rabbi Dovid Feinstein, z”l provides commentary on Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 50 in his Sefer, “Kol Dodi” (pages 298 – 299) :
“And die on the mountain… as your brother Aaron died.” [Rabbi Feinstein rendered to English Sefer Devarim, Perek 32, posuk 50]
Rashi comments that Moshe envied the way in which Aaron died and desired the same death for himself. What was it about Aaron’s death that Moshe so coveted?
Rashi explains, just before Aaron died, Moshe dressed Aaron’s son Elazar in the Bigdei Kehunah so that Aaron would have the pleasure of seeing his son take over his position as Kohen Gadol while he was still alive. Similarly, in Parshat Pinchas, when Hashem told Moshe that he would be permitted to see the Land from the other side of the Yardein River before going to his death, Rashi says that Moshe asked Hashem to allow his sons to inherit his greatness.
Here, Hashem seems to promise Moshe that he would be granted his desire to die in the same way Aaron did — yet we know that Hashem did not allow Moshe’s sons to take over leadership of the people and instead appointed Yehoshua. It is unthinkable that Hashem made a promise which He did not fulfill: How then did Moshe see his children inherit his greatness?
[This author’s note is for context: Chabad.org notes: The most noticeable thing about the boys is that they are virtually absent from the Scriptural account. Moses’ line faded into obscurity.
Tradition tells us that Moses was saddened by the fact that his sons did not follow in his path to greatness and even begged G’d for his sons to inherit his position. Alas, it was not G’d’s will. However, this author understands that Moshe must have felt solace in Yehoshua’s ascention to leadership and Rabbi Feinstein’s additional comments below.]
Moshe’s greatness did not lie in his role as king or political leader. Instead, he was Moshe Our Teacher, the teacher of Torah, who first introduced the Holy Torah to Am Yisrael…. In the eternal world, a teacher is, in a very real sense, a father to all of his students. Thus, as he left the world, Moshe was privileged to see his most devoted and beloved disciple, “his first-born son” so to speak, inherit his Torah leadership role, and all his “children,” an entire nation of students, inherit his true greatness, the Torah which Hashem gave them through him. All of us are his heirs, and we have him to thank for the place which is waiting for students of Torah in the World to Come.
Rabbi Zev Leff provides these poignant words on Moshe’s last moments in his Sefer, “Outlooks and Insights on the Weekly Torah Portion” (page 256) :
Torah relates… that Hashem bid Moshe to ascend Har N’vo to expire “in the midst of the day.” The entire people had said they would try to prevent Moshe’s death…. Hashem, at the same time, publicized this commendable desire of Am Yisrael. Later, the unbounded love for Moshe was refined and shaped into the loyalty which the people transferred to Yehoshua.
May our government and military bring about the total and complete, Final and Decisive victory over Hamas, their 7 October so-called “civilians(sic)” collaborators, Iran and the entire terror cabal, B’Yad Hashem, and become Totally self-sufficient as to manufacture of military equipment and aircraft, weaponry, munitions — heavy munitions, as well as showing independence of actions responding to any threat, regardless of so-called “super powers.”
May it be that our leadership — governing, judiciary and IDF high command echelons, as well as kol Am Yisrael be devoid of false, fraudulent ideologies and political agendas, and endeavor to achieve a faithfulness and consistency in our avodah — both V’Ahavtah L’Arecha Kamocha, as One, and in our Service of Hashem, B’Ezrat Hashem
May we see a government of Israel, military high echelons, judiciary, as well as Kol Am Yisrael secure in it’s foremost service of, and emunah in HaKadosh Borchu, B’Ezrat Hashem! And may we see the restoration of true unity within Am Yisrael. May these words come to fruition B’Ezrat Hashem.
May we, the B’nei Yisrael be zocha that our brethren — the refugee families from Gush Katif be permanently re-settled in Gush Katif, once the IDF, by the Yad Hashem, destructs and eradicates the wild beasts of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, all other terror entities, and if necessary Iran, and that our brethren be made totally whole — be totally restituted for all that was stolen from them, that the thrice expelled families of Amona be restored to their rebuilt homes and the oft-destroyed Yeshiva buildings in Homesh be rebuilt, as well as the buildings of Yishuv Elchanan, all at total government expense. May our Chayalim return from battle unharmed — physically, mentally and spiritually and may all of the remaining hostages brutally taken by the wild beasts of Hamas be liberated and brought home to their families. Baruch Hashem that our dear brother Jonathan Pollard is now in his sixth year at home in Eretz Yisrael and continues in a new chapter in his life. May Esther Yocheved bat Yechiel Avraham have an aliyah in Shemayim and may her spirit and memory continue to lift Jonathan to at least 120 years. Baruch Hashem that another of the MIAs have been liberated and returned to us in ways befitting Al Kiddush Hashem — as with the return in April, 2019, via Russia, of the remains of Zachariah Baumel, the recent recovery of the remains of Tzvi Feldman as well as the recoveries of the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin from the Gaza War of ten years ago, and now, Yehuda Katz. There is still one MIA to be recovered, Ron Arad. May we have the courage and strength to stand up and physically prevent the possibility of Chas V’Challila any future eviction of Jews from their homes and prevent Chas V’Challila the handing of Jewish land over to anyone, let alone to enemies sworn to Israel’s and Judaism’s destruction and eradication. May we fulfill Hashem’s blueprint of B’nei Yisrael as a Unique people — an Am Segula, not to be reckoned with as with “the nations” and may we be zocha to see the Moshiach, the Ge’ula Shlaima, as Dov Shurin sings; “Ki Karov Yom Hashem Al’Kol HaGoyim”, the Ultimate Redemption, bimhayrah b’yamainu — speedily, in our time”, — Achshav, Chik Chuk, Miyad, Etmol!!!
Good Shabbos!
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Moshe Burt, an Oleh, is a commentator on news and events in Israel and Founder and Director of The Sefer Torah Recycling Network. He lives in Ramat Beit Shemesh.
Moshe is available for editing of English language documents, articles, manuscripts and more. Please be in contact with him at olehchadash@yahoo.com for your English language needs.
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