“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and the earth shall hear the sayings of my mouth.” (Devarim, 32:1) It is said in the Midrash (Sifrei Ha’azinu Piska 1), “Since Moshe Rabeynu was close to the heavens, he called on the heavens to listen. And Yesahya, who was close to the earth, called on the earth to listen.”³⁹ Moshe Rabeynu is the brain and wisdom of all of Israel, and this is called “the heavens.” The brain has the ability to receive even things that are for man as tough as sinews. Yesahya is the heart of all of Israel, and the matter of the heart is that it constantly cries out for salvation, and can only accept things that are comforting. This is the matter of the name of Isaiah, Yeshayahu in Hebrew, meaning salvation. And this is “Give ear, O heavens,” meaning the great powers, which are called heavens, which is the brain, which has the power to accept everything. “And I will speak,” the term “speak,” dibbur in Hebrew, always denotes difficulty (and is therefore used here with “heavens”). “And may the earth hear the sayings of my mouth,” for “saying,” amirah in Hebrew, always denotes softness. In other words, you will call to the heart, which is called the earth, which is always thirsty for salvation, in the language of softness and comfort. The verses continue, “My doctrine shall drip as the rain” (“dripping,” arof in Hebrew, sounds just like the word for neck), meaning that for one who resists coming close to it, the Torah will strongly clutch the back of his neck, so to speak, and against his will he will have to accept the yoke of the Torah. Immediately upon accepting it, “my saying will flow like the dew,” meaning that Words of Torah will then be with him in comfort and joy.

footnotes: ³⁹ The prophet said, in Yesahya 8:9, “give ear, all the expanses of the earth.”

“… as the light rain upon the herb, as the heavy rain upon the grass.” (Devarim, 32:2) Rashi explains that all grasses (eisev) in general are called “herb,” deshe in Hebrew, when the land is dressed in herbs. This means that all the 613 mitzvot are suited for all of Israel in general. “Like the heavy rain on the grass.” Rashi explains that each particular kind of herb specifically is called a “grass” or eisev. The intention of the verse is each particular soul in Israel, where each one recognizes the negia(personal motive, partiality), of his heart. No one’s deficiency is similar to any others; therefore in that particular aspect where each one knows that he is deficient, the corresponding aspect in Torah must be reinforced in that very place until it is eventually completed. This is “the heavy rains upon the grass,” “heavy” meaning in great measure, or to increase the measure of Torah specifically in the place that is lacking.

“When I call in the name of God, ascribe greatness to Hashem.” (Devarim, 32:3) Moshe Rabeynu said, “why am I silencing all the powers of the upper worlds, called heavens, and all the powers that exist in the earth? In other words, I am doing this because I am calling and crying out to bring the words of Torah into the heart of each one in Israel, called the name of God. “Ascribe greatness unto Hashem” means to a place of expansion, that they should all be moving towards this and none should be preventing it. Even all the “external” forces, Nebuchadnezzar and his entourage, all the powers of this world, all of which are called fine dust almost not seen to the eye⁴⁰, 20b. and were greatly harrowing the heart of man, all have been nullified in order that Words of Torah may enter into the heart of Israel. So now he began to speak Words of Torah to Israel since everything was silenced.

footnotes: ⁴⁰ Of which Nebuchadnezzar said, “all the inhabitants of the earth are as nothing” [Daniel, 4:32]; see Gemara Yoma

“The Rock, whose actions are perfect, for all His ways are justice, God of truth and without iniquity, He is just and right. Is corruption His? No, the blemish is His children’s, a crooked and perverse generation.” (Devarim, 32:4) In this you are to know and understand that every action that you do is from Him, may He be blessed, and without Him, a man will not raise an arm or leg to do anything. So there is no need to boast of your achievements. “Is corruption His? No!” This means that lest you say that since everything is in the hand of heaven, then therefore any faults on my part are also really from heaven, God forbid. Do not say this, rather all the good that you do ascribe to God, and all the faults ascribe to yourselves. “The blemish is His children’s,” this means that in the same place where they are His children, when they are very good, there we also found their imperfections. For whoever is greater than his peer, his inclination to evil is also greater (Sotah, 52a). “A stubborn and crooked generation,” “stubborn” meaning one who is obstinate with God and refuses to do His will because he is constantly drawn after his own personal quest for pleasure. “Crooked”⁴¹ in Hebrew is not really “crooked,” but as Rashi points out, an intensive form of petil, or wick, like a string wrapped many times around a wick to make it thick, “twisted.” means the opposite. “Crooked” is one who goes to great lengths mortifying his flesh and dedicating himself to God in places that are totally unnecessary, excessively restraining himself, and this is also a transgression, for “he who is cruel troubles his own flesh” (Mishlei, 11:17).

footnotes: ⁴¹ The word petaltol

“Do you thus requite God [do you hold God responsible for causing this], you foolish and unwise people. Is He not your father, the One who has acquired you? He has made you and established you.” (Devarim, 32:6) In other words, you want to hold God responsible for the evil within you. “Is He not your father, the One who has acquired you.” God is both like a father for us, and also like a father-in-law, and this is “the One who has acquired you.” It is the way of a father to be merciful with his son even if his son does not behave in the most upright manner. The father-in-law, however, seeks a husband for his daughter who is exceptional in his behavior and filled with good qualities. This is as it says, “is He not your father,” for God is merciful with us like a father with his son even if the son does not act in a good way. “The One who has acquired you,” that God takes pride in that you are exceptional and praiseworthy in your attributes, as a father-in-law does with a good son-in-law.

“Consider the days of old, fathom the years of many generations. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will say unto you.” (Devarim, 32:7) “Consider the days of old” means all that is in Parshat Bereshit until “and the heavens and the earth were complete” (i.e., the first chapter the book of Bereshit.) “Fathom the years of many generations,” means the two Parshiot of Bereshit and Noach (Chapters 2 through 11 in the book of Bereshit), which includes the ten generations from Adam to Noach, and the ten generations from Noach to Avraham. What is to be fathomed, or understood, is the way in which God would deal with these twenty generations. “Ask your father, and he will tell you” means to study the Parshiot that deal with Avraham Avinu, which are Lech Lecha, Vayeira, and Chayei Sarah (chapters 12 through 25:19 in the book of Bereshit). “Your elders, and they will say unto you” means the Parshiot that include Yitzchak and Yaakov, which is the rest of the book of Bereshit, and to understand all the great dealings and spiritual exchange God had with the Patriarchs. Therefore when it hints of Avraham it says “vayagedcha” (“and he will tell you,” in a single word) rather than “vayaged lecha” (the same but spelled in two words). This is because Avraham Avinu caused such a tremendous tumult in the world, to such an extent that he made it possible for each and every one of Israel to be able to tell individually of the greatness of God. This is represented by “vayagedcha—and he will tell you,” all in one single construction (meaning, for all), as opposed to “vayaged lecha,” in two words (where the word “two you” is singled out, as if it is possible for a select few). This represents how, by himself, each and every one could tell of the wonders of God.

“When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the borders of the nations, according to the number of the children of Israel.” (Devarim, 32:8) God’s intention with the creation of the world and all the generations until Avraham Avinu was in order for the Israelite nation to come into the world. “He set the borders of the nations” is the means by which the nations derive their existence in the world, which is “according to the number of the children of Israel.” God’s plenty and life flow to Israel, and from this, refuse remains. The nations then take this refuse, and derive their existence from it. This is as it is written (in the next verse), “for God’s portion is His people, Yaakov is the cord of His inheritence.” The main point is Israel.