Parashat Ha’azinu
Deuteronomy 32:1 –32:52

Topics (click on any link)
Synopsis of the Torah portion
Spiritual insights into Parashat Ha'azinu
Key verses
Creative Midrash for Parashat Ha'azinu

Moses continued his theme with images of God withdrawing His presence from Israel for all their wrongdoings and forecasting his wrath upon them in response to their folly and futility. God will cause famine, plague, pestilence and wild beasts. Many shall die by their enemies sword; and the enemies may think that they prevailed, never knowing that  it was God’s decision.

This will be their fate; if they were wise, they would know what the future holds in store and consider their options. God had this destiny sealed in his storehouse, waiting for the proper time of their doom.  But God also offers consolation. He will free his people once they repent of their folly and realize that the Lord is their God. He implores them, “See, then, that I am He; I deal death and I give life; I wound and I will heal: None can deliver from my hand.

Afterward Moses appeared before the people and reminded them to take heart and heed this warning. Teach it to your children, for this is not a trivial matter; this is your life. Whereupon God summoned Moses to ascend upon Mount Nebo to view that land of Canaan which I am giving to the Israelites. Up there you will die for you broke faith with me by failing to uphold my sanctity among the people at the Waters of Meribah. You may view the land from a distance, but you shall not enter it.

Spiritual insights into Parashat Ha'azinu                         return to top of page
Last week’s portion Vayelech, recounted the moments before Moses was to turn the reins over to Joshua and lead the Israelites through the Jordan to enter the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. The time is drawing near for Moses to die. So he explained to the people that when they cross the Jordan, that God will do to the Canannites as He did to Sihon and Og, kings of the Amorites, and to their countries, when He wiped them out. He went on and told them to be strong and resolute, and not be in fear of them; for the Lord your God Himself will be with you: He will not fail you or forsake you.

Even with this said God was certain that the Israelites would pursue alien gods that are amidst the people living in the land and break the covenant. For which God confirms what He had said all along that His anger will flare and many evils and troubles shall befall them. God instructs Moses to write down a poem, which constitutes the entirety of this Parasah Haazinu, and read it to the Iaraelites so that they will remember the words. The poem written in the form of a prophecy which actually recounts all the thoughts that we read throughout Deuteronomy. The poem is the foundation of the all the books of the Jewish bible that follows, even though we stop here and start to read again from the Book of Genesis. Jewish history confirms over and over that whenever the Israelites were led into exile and suffering, they believed it was because they broke the covenant.

Key verses                       return to top of page
This page is not a commentary on the text, but a chance for you to express your own comments and feelings in order to gain deeper insight into your own life.

Deuteronomy 32:19-20
The Lord saw and was vexed. And spurned his sons and his daughters. He said: I will hide my countenance from them,
And see how they fare in the end. For they are a treacherous breed, Children with no loyalty in them.
Food for thought:
1. Note how these verses in this parsha are written in poetic verse. Why do you think this message was composed as a poem?
2. Do you think a poem may convey a more potent message or perhaps a poem can be more easily remembered?
3. What is God trying to say in this verse? Do you think it’s the literal message that the children have no loyalty or do you think that there is a deeper, more meaningful message attached?
 

Deuteronomy 32:28-29
For they are a folk void of sense, Lacking in all discernment. Were they wise, they would think upon this, Gain insight into their future.
Food for thought:
1. In what ways is their behavior jeopardizing their future?
2. What about us today? Are we lacking in sense and discernment?
3. Precisely what were the Israelites supposed to think about in order to be wise and to safeguard their future?

Deuteronomy 32:36
For the Lord will vindicate His people And take revenge for His servants, When He sees that their might is gone, And neither bond nor free is left.
Food for thought:
1. What exactly is God trying to convey here?
2. Is God trying to offer consolation, that regardless how far the people stray, he will eventually forgive them? Is this a preview of the consolation pledges God will make through the Prophets?
3. Is God confirming His pledge made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob?

Additional questions to ponder:
1. What is it about the story, a verse, a word that seems to resonate with some aspect of your life?
2. Is there something about the story that rings a bell?
3. Can you recall experiences in your life when you have experienced something similar to this story?
4. How would you describe the characters in the story? Who do you know who's like them?
5. Can you personally identify with any one of the characters in the story? Which one?
6. Can you find a similarity between yourself and all the characters in the story?

Reflections:
The Rabbis of old would meditate on such questions, sometimes for weeks at a time, to help find deeper meaning in the
verses. You may wish to contemplate just one or a few of these questions at a time, rather than tackling them
all. In what ways we any of your responses to the questions personally meaningful?

Suggestion:
Some of the questions here are of a personal nature which in some cases could be emotionally upsetting. If so, try
relaxing your body as much as possible and takes long slow breaths of air. That usually helps to relieve anxiety.

We would like to know if you find this method of Torah study particularly helpful to you. Click here to let us know

The Rabbis of old would create parables, stories and narrative connections around such selected verses. What do you see between the lines, the sentences and the letters. The following questions can provide a launch pad upon which to create your own meanings of the Torah.

Is the Torah talking about death in a physical sense, the way we know it? Or does it mean death in a spiritual sense? If you think the Torah refers to a kind of spiritual death, what does that really mean? How will Moses’ death compare to all the other deaths in the Torah that we learned we previously? Do you think that the Torah speaks to us on the physical plane of existence or does it speak to our souls? What is the penalty for us on the physical plane if we disobey the Law? What caused the deaths narrated in previous Torah portions? How did Moses break faith with God? What precisely did Moses do? Do you think his error was worthy of death just before the Israelites were about to cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan? Where, in the Torah, do we find that the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land? Do you think the Promised Land is a historically real location or is it a place within the spiritual geography of each person, a place we all yearn for?