The sweeping poetry of HAAZINU chronicles the history of Hashem and Israel (Sifri 333). By pointing up the repeated patterns of events in Israel’s experience, it becomes somewhat meta-historic: It is as much about “now” as it is about any moment in time from Avraham to Mashiach.

The song opens with a declaration: Give ear, O heavens, and I shall speak! And the earth will hear the sayings of my mouth! Let my lesson drop like the  rain; Let my speaking flow like the dew,  Like the mist upon the grassland, And like the heavy rains upon the herbage.

When (KI) I proclaim the Name of Hashem (SHEM HASHEM EKRA), You ascribe greatness (HAVU GODEL) to our G-d (Devarim 32:1-3).

We translate the last verse according to Rashi, that KI means “when”: “when I call and mention the Name of Hashem, you ascribe greatness to our G-d and bless His Name.” The song’s declaration evokes — indeed, demands — a response: to exalt Hashem.

But, who is asked to give this response? Who should ascribe greatness to Hashem? And, how should they do so?

Ibn Ezra interprets verse 3 as a continuation of the two previous verses. Thus, the heavens and the earth are called upon to ascribe greatness (HAVU GODEL) to our G-d. All of nature is commanded to praise Hashem, as in: The heavens relate the glory of G-d (Tehillim 19:2), and Let heaven and earth praise You (Tehillim 69:35).

Most other commentaries, however, read verse 3 as a separate exclamation, the beginning of an address to the people. Israel is bidden to ascribe greatness (HAVU GODEL) to our G-d when Moshe – or perhaps, those like him in some way – proclaim the Name of Hashem.

How does Moshe proclaim the Name of Hashem? Rashbam says he does so by relating Hashem’s greatness, as the song will continue to do; when they hear these events, Israel must acknowledge their truth. Sforno (R. Ovadia ben Yaakov Sforno, c. 1470-c.1550), on the other hand, states that to proclaim the Name of Hashem is to pray (cf. Eicha 3:55, Tehillim 99:6): When the song prays for the ingathering of the exiles (verse 11) and the coming of the Mashiach (verses 12 and 43), then the Children of Israel, who have witnessed Hashem’s miraculous salvation, must declare that He is capable of bringing the future redemption.

Both Rashbam and Sforno expect proclaim the Name of Hashem and ascribe greatness (HAVU GODEL) to our G-d to occur within the song. But, it is in the spirit of HAAZINU that that which is found in it is a prototype for all time. Accordingly, the Sages read verse 3 as a directive: whenever someone “proclaims,” others must “ascribe.” Based on this, quotes Rashi, our Sages (Taanit 16b) say that the response to a blessing heard in the Temple is “Blessed be the Name of His glorious Majesty (Baruch shem kvod malchuto).”

Torah Temimah (R. Baruch ben Yechiel Michel HaLevi Epstein, 1860-1942) cites a number of additional instances where the Sages base important laws on this verse:

• Whenever Hashem’s Name is mentioned in a blessing, those who hear must declare, “Blessed be He and Blessed be His Name (Baruch Hu u’varuch Shemo)!” (Rosh, Rabbenu Asher ben Yechiel [c. 1250-1327], Responsa, 4).

• The response to “Bless Hashem, Who is Blessed (Barchu et Hashem ha’mevorach)!” is “Blessed is the Blessed G-d forever and ever (Baruch Hashem ha’mevorach l’olam va’ed)!” (Sifri).

• When three eat together, then one (When I proclaim the Name of Hashem) invites the other two (You ascribe greatness (HAVU GODEL) to our G-d) to recite the Grace After Meals together; this is zimmun (Berachot 45a).

Most interesting is the teaching (Berachot 21a) that our verse is the source for the daily obligation to recite blessings before learning Torah (birchot HaTorah). Torah Temimah explains that the images of Moshe’s words being compared to rain refer to the Torah he transmitted, so whenever Torah is studied, Hashem must first be blessed.

Rambam does not count birchot HaTorah among the 613 Mitzvot. However, Ramban does (commentary to Sefer HaMitzvot, Additional Positive Mitzvah 15) [this would make birchat HaTorah the last mitzvah mentioned in the Torah!]. It is: “To give thanks to His great Name, every time we read from the Torah, for the great good He did for us by giving us His Torah, in which we are taught those deeds which are acceptable before Him in order to inherit the life of the World to Come.”

A number of authorities agree with Ramban, including Sefer HaChinuch (ascribed to either R. Aharon HaLevi or R. Pinchas HaLevi of Barcelona, mid-13th Century), Megillat Ester (R. Yitzchak DeLeon, 16th Century), Magen Avraham (R. Avraham Abele ben Chayim HaLevi Gombiner, c. 1637- 1683) and Sha’agat Aryeh (R. Aryeh Leib ben Asher Gunzberg, 1695-1785).

Rav Joseph B. Soloveichik (1903-1993), in Shiurim L’zecher Abba Mari z”l (II 1) analyzes birchot HaTorah. Each day we are obliged to learn Torah, accompanied by blessing Hashem. The inseparableness of Torah and prayer occurs in the public Torah reading, as Ezra established: And Ezra opened the scroll before the eyes of all the people, since he was above all the people …. And Ezra blessed the Great Hashem, G-d. And all the people responded, “Amen! Amen!” with their hands upraised, and they bowed and prostrated themselves to Hashem with their faces to the ground (Nechemiah 8:5-6). The individual, as well, must join Torah study with prayer, because both Torah study and prayer are expressions of the fundamental duty to serve Hashem with one’s heart:

“One who learns Torah serves Hashem with his heart and soul; and what is service of the heart if not a fulfillment of prayer?”