Readings for Saturday, October 4, 2025

Readings for Saturday, October 4, 2025

Ha’azinu (Give Ear)

32: 1-35 Devarim (Deuteronomy)

Ha’azinu is the tenth sedrah in the book of Devarim (Deuteronomy), which means we have one more to go before completing the book of Devarim and the entire Torah.  Ha’azinu comprises the entire 32^nd chapter of Devarim.  The sedrah takes its name from the first Hebrew word in the first sentence of the reading.  “Give ear (Ha’azinu) O heavens and I will speak.…”  Ha’azinu is the last sedrah to be read as part of the Shabbat cycle since the final sedrah in Devarim is read on Simchat Torah.

The Song

The last sentence in Vayeilech, the previous sedrah, reads “Moses spoke the words of this song into the ears of the entire congregation Israel, until their conclusion (31:30).”  The first 43 verses of Ha’azinu are the song previously mentioned.  Moses’ first “song” appears earlier in the Torah, in the Book of Shemot (Exodus).  It comes after the deliverance from the Egyptians and the crossing of the Sea of Reeds.  This is the same Song at the Sea that is part of the Shacharit Service.  The point is that our travels in the Wilderness begin with a song and end with a song.  The songs are quite different.  The one at the start of the journey is filled with exuberance and joy.  The one at the end, in Devarim, is solemn, filled with dark prophecy.  Thinking of Moses in human terms, the difference in the two songs may track with where he is in life when writing the two songs.  The Song in Shemot is that of man on the threshold of great adventure who has already experienced the miracles of the Lord.  The Song in Devarim is that of a weary old man who is facing death and who has been denied his life-long dream of entering the Promised Land.  There are several commentators who contend that the Song in Devarim was written after the rest of the text and was inserted at a later time.  This still leaves the question as to why the wanderings in the Wilderness begin and end with Song.  Regardless, the Song is written in poetry.  Poetry is difficult enough to understand when one knows the language.  We are trying to comprehend the meaning of a poem from a translation.  I am way out my depth when it comes to this aspect of the sedrah.  If you have not found a source, I suggest you read pages 1563 and 1564 of the Plaut Chumash for an exposition on the topic.

The Structure of the Message of the Song

(Based on the writings of Rabbi Randall J. Konigsburg)

(32:1-3) The opening of the poem.

(4-6) Words of moral teaching contrasting the virtue of God to the wickedness of Israel.

(7-14) A review of God's goodness to Israel.

(15-18) Israel prospers and rebels against God.  God acts, but His goal is to create an ever more loyal and observant Israel.  Thus does the song explain the relationship, and in the mouth of Moses it becomes a statement of fundamental belief.

(19-25) God's punishment of Israel for breaking the covenant.

(26-33) After the punishment, God's mercy.

(34-43) God will save His people from their enemies.

(44-47) The song is read to the people and they are warned to take it to heart.

(48-52) God tells Moses to ascend Mt. Nebo, where he will view the land of Canaan and die after having beheld it.

Themes

As we read through the Song itself, we can see several recurring motifs that we have seen throughout Devarim or other books of the Torah.  Here are just a few of them followed by themes presented in the verses following the Song.

The Rock

Moses repeatedly refers to God as “Tzur” or Rock (See verses 4 and 37).  At Chanukah we sing of the Rock of Ages.  At the end of the hymn “May the Words” we implore “our Rock and our Redeemer.”  The third verse of the Mi Chomocho, which we chant as we rise for the Amidah begins with “Tzur yisro-ayl or Rock of Israel.”

Eternal Teaching

The Torah in general, and the Song itself, are teachings for all time.  Therefore, Moses calls on the heavens and the earth to “Give ear.”  In other words he wants witnesses for all time that will verify that he taught the Israelites and warned them of the consequences of not following the Torah.  Furthermore, according to Rashi and Ibn Ezra, the Heaven and the Earth can then take the lead in punishing the Israelites for their failures.  Rain would not come from the heavens and the earth would not yield its bounty.  (See the Stone Chumash for further comment.)

Ultimate Redemption

Verse 43 reminds us that in the end God will redeem His people.  He will punish our enemies.  And when the nations of the world see this redemption they will acknowledge the glory of God and the greatness of His teachings.

Orderly Transfer of Power

Verse 44 shows Joshua, here called Hosea, at Moses’ side as he speaks his final words.  The transfer will be finalized in the next reading.

Teaching for all Time

Verse 45 requires our forefathers and therefore us as well, to pass the Torah on to the next generation.

Acceptance of the Torah in its Entirety

Verse 45 uses the term “obey all the words of this Torah.”  As we have said before, missing the mark means not to obey the Torah.  The goal is to obey the Torah.  The reality is that we fail to obey commandments and as we see at this season of the year we seek another chance to try again at hitting the mark.  In traditional Judaism, rejecting the Torah in whole or in part is what has been considered unacceptable.

Death of Moses

God prepares Moses for death.  He is allowed to look at the Promised Land, but not cross over the Jordan.  He is reminded of why he is being punished.  This time there is no response from Moses.  Instead the statement just sits there, a statement of fact for all times.  This is a far cry from the Moses who started Devarim by blaming the Israelites for his plight and pleading with God to change it.  Apparently a lot has happened in the five weeks that tradition says is the timeframe for the fifth and final book of the Torah.

Haftarah 22:1-51 II Samuel

The Book/The Man: In Jewish tradition, the Book of Samuel was one book.  Daniel Bomberg, a Venetian printer introduced the division of Samuel I and II into the Hebrew Bible in 1516.  The Book (or books) of Samuel covers the history of the Jewish people during the lives of Samuel, King Saul and King David.  The Book (or books) of Samuel are named for the last great Prophet/Priest who led the Israelites before the creation of the monarchy even though the death of Samuel is reported in the first verse of chapter 25 of First Samuel.  The choice of names is appropriate for two reasons.  First, Samuel is considered one of the greatest leaders of the Jewish people ranking, according to some, just below Moshe himself.  Secondly, even though Samuel dies in the first portion of the book bearing his name, all of the subsequent events revolve around the monarchs he anointed.  Second Samuel begins with David learning of the death of King Saul.  The rest of Second Samuel describes the events in the life of King David except for his death which is described in the opening verses of First Kings. 

The Message: The haftarah is known as the Song of David (Shirat David in Hebrew). The song is found in one of the last chapters of Second Samuel, just prior to the chapters leading up to the death of King David.  (The actual death is described in First Kings).  The Song in Ha’azinu is the product of Moses, the Teacher and Prophet.  The Song of David is the product of the warrior king.  David’s Song is one of unabashed victory and triumph.  It is filled with martial motifs.  Moreover, David feels that he has earned G-d’s blessings, “For I have kept the ways of the Lords and I have not departed wickedly from my G-d.” (22:22)  “I was perfectly innocent with Him and I was vigilant against my sin.  The Lord repaid me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanliness before His eyes.” (22:24-25)  When you consider the totality of David’s life, these statements may seem a bit disingenuous to say the least.  There are those commentators who contend that the Song of David was actually written at an earlier time immediately following the vicissitudes and victories that led to the uniting of the Twelve Tribes under the Davidic Kingship. This would have included his escape from the clutches of King Saul, the conquest of Jerusalem and the bringing of the Ark to its final resting place. This would mean the Song and the statement of David’s virtues was written before he took on the trappings of an Oriental Potentate.  It was during this latter period in his life when we find the episode of Uriah and Bathsheba, the rape of Tamar by Amnon, the murder of Amnon by Absalom and the revolts of Absalom and Adonijah. The Song of David is actually appears twice in the Tanach.  Psalms, chapter 18 contains an almost identical version of this offering. 

Theme-Link:

 Both the Torah portion and the haftarah are songs.  The Song in Ha’azinu is the product of Moses, the Teacher and Prophet.  The Song of David is the product of the warrior king.  The difference in the roles of the two authors may account for the difference in the tone.  The Song of David is also the haftarah for the Seventh Day of Pesach.  The Torah reading for that day is the Song at the Sea.  So each time Moses sings David also sings.  By joining the Songs of Moses and David, the sages may have been trying to tell us that the Jewish people need the divergent characteristics of both of these leaders to survive and thrive.