Torah tidbits
Parshat Ha'azinu
Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary

Numbers in [square brackets] are the mitzva-count of the Sefer HaChinuch

Kohen

Kohen - First Aliya - 6 p'sukim - 32:1-6
Moshe Rabeinu begins his farewell "song" to the People by calling upon the heavens and the earth to be witnesses to what he will be saying. He asks the people (in a very poetic way) to listen well to his words. Moshe tells us that G-d is completely fair and just; it is we who are responsible for "messing things up"

"When I (singular) call G-d's Name, you (plural, minimum 2) praise G-d for His Greatness." From this pasuk we learn that when three people eat together, one calls to the other two to "bless G-d" - ZIMUN (benching m'zuman).

We also learn from this pasuk that we answer BARUCH HU U'VARUCH SH'MO when we hear G-d's name in a bracha (unless there is a halachic reason for not "interrupting").

From here, says the Gemara, we learn the mitzva of saying a bracha before learning Torah. (It is also derived logically from Birkat HaMazon.)

Others learn from here (together with its context) that we should pray to G-d when there is a lack of rain.

And, that we have brachot for different kinds of foods, rather than one catch-all bracha.

This versatile pasuk is borrowed from here to introduce the Musaf, Mincha, and Ne'ila Amida.

Levi

Levi - Second Aliya - 6 p'sukim - 32:7-12

Moshe asks us once again to remember the "early history" of this unique nation of Israel and the special ancestors who established for us our close relationship with G-d.

There is no generation gap in real Jewish life; the older generation teaches the new one, the new generation gains by asking questions of their elders and learning from them.

G-d structured the world in parallel to the developing nation of Israel, and granted us special protection and guidance - "like an eagle protects its young..."

[SDT] Just as the positive effect of rain is often not immediately apparent, manifesting itself only at a later time - so it is sometimes with Torah.

Sh'lishi

Shlishi - Third Aliya - 6 p'sukim - 32:13-18

Notwithstanding the protection and nurturing that G-d provided us in the Wilderness, we rebelled. This happened and continues to happen. Moshe's words can be seen as a description of Dor HaMidbar as well as being a poetic prophecy of the people becoming too complacent in Eretz Yisrael and abandoning G-d from their positions of opulence and security.

R'vi'i

R'VI'I - Fourth Aliya - 10 p'sukim - 32:19-28

Much of the content of Haazinu is a poetic formulation of ideas previously presented in the book of D'varim.

Moshe tells us that G-d's reaction to our disloyalty is HESTEIR PANIM - the hiding of "G-d's Face", so to speak. He also tell us that there have been several times when G-d had wanted to destroy the People of Israel but did not, so as not to give the nations of the world cause to doubt the power of the "G-d of Israel".

It is striking how similar are the words of reproach and how different the presentation.

Chamishi

Chamishi - Fifth Aliya - 11 p'sukim - 32:29-39

Our challenge is to contemplate the above and understand the many lessons contained in G-d's (and Moshe's) words. The bottom line is that although Israel strays from the proper path, G-d will not abandon us, and He will rally to our side in the face of our enemies. If we would only realize this and appreciate the awesome power of G-d.

MITZVA WATCH
Pasuk 32:38 refers to idolatrous sacrifices and their wine of libation. Rambam cites this pasuk as the prohibition of YAYIN NESECH, sacra- mental wine. The Chinuch includes it in the ban against benefiting from food consecrated to a deity.

This is the only mitzva that Rambam counts that Sefer HaChinuch does not. (In order to keep the number 613, there is one example of vice versa.)
The rabbinic ban on STAM YEINAM (non-Jewish wine) is partially inspired by this prohibition of Yayin Nesech. There are other factors, such as the limiting of social contact between Jew and non-Jew, a preventative measure to intermarriage, that input into the rabbinic ban of Stam Yeinam.

Shishi

Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 4 p'sukim - 32:40-43

In this concluding portion of the song part of Haazinu, we see G-d’s oath and Moshe assurances of G-d's eternal nature and His promise to avenge Israel against the other nations.

Sh'vi'i

Sh'vi'i - Seventh Aliya - 9 p'sukim - 32:-44-52

The Torah goes back to the regular columnar format for this last parsha of Haazinu.

Moshe, in front of Yehoshua, tells the people to heed the warning of this SHIRA and to keep the Torah, which in turn, will keep them.

An important point that has been oft- repeated in the book of D'varim is this: We did not receive the Land of Israel with "no strings attached". We must always be worthy of holding on to Eretz Yisrael.

G-d then tells Moshe to ascend Har Aravim-Nevo, see the Land from there, and die there, as Aharon had done earlier (the Torah reiterates the reason that both Moshe and Aharon couldn't enter Eretz Yisrael), rather than enter the Land which the People of Israel will enter.

The last 5 p'sukim are repeated for the Maftir.

Haftara

Haftara - 22 p'sukim - Hoshea 14:2-10 (9)Yoel 2:15-27 (13)

Some add Micha 7:18-20Minhag Yerushalayim is not to.

The choice of the haftara this time is because of the Shabbat between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, rather than the usual idea of a connection to the sedra.

SHUVA YISRAEL AD HASHEM... These opening words of the Haftara give the Shabbat its name and basically say it all. Return to G-d. The following pasuk emphasizes the power of prayer in the T'shuva process. The command to repent is accompanied by wonderful promises (prophecies) of redemption and restoration of the former glory of Israel.

The passage from Yoel gives us a Shofar connection to the T'shuva process. Another encouraging note as we face the task of returning to G-d, is His assurance that He is among us - even before our T'shuva. And that He will not shame His people ever.

The last pasuk in Hoshea states, "Who is wise who understands this, an intelligent person will know: G-d's ways are straight, the righteous will walk upon them and the sinner will trip on them." Very often it is the same activity or the same thing that people handle differently, with the result that one person succeeds and the other falters. It is often a matter of attitude.

Notwithstanding the fact that the Haftara was not “chosen” because of the sedra, they do have some points in common. One example: The sedra speaks of rain in a figurative, spiritual sense and the Haftara mentions its more literal meaning in connection with prosperity. The prosperity angle is particularly interesting, since it appears in the sedra as a criticism and in the Haftara as a sign that G-d has forgiven His people. This fits with what was mentioned above about the last pasuk in Hoshea.


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