Haazinu

Haazinu, Ha'azinu, or Ha'Azinu (האזינו — Hebrew for "listen" when directed to more than one person, the first word in the parshah) is the 53rd weekly Torah portion ("parshah") in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the 10th in the book of Deuteronomy. It constitutes ) Moses proclaimed that God was perfect in deed, just, faithful, true, and upright. () God found the Israelites in the desert, watched over them, guarded them, like an eagle who rouses his nestlings, gliding down to his young, God spread God’s wings and took Israel, bearing Israel along on God’s pinions, God alone guided Israel. ()

Punishment

God saw, was vexed, and hid God’s countenance from them, to see how they would fare. () God would sweep misfortunes on them, use God’s arrows on them — famine, plague, pestilence, and fanged beasts — and with the sword would deal death and terror to young and old alike. () Were they wise, they would think about this, and gain insight into their future, for they would recognize that one could not have routed a thousand unless God had sold them. () God would vindicate God’s people and take revenge for God’s servants, when their might was gone. () God swore that when God would whet God’s flashing blade, and lay hand on judgment, God would wreak vengeance on God’s foes. ()

Parting words

Moses came, together with Joshua, and recited all this poem to the people. ()

In rabbinic interpretation

The Gemara instructs that when writing a Torah scroll, a scribe needs to write the song of ) And if Israel acted sinfully, then the hand of the witnesses would be the first to inflict punishment ( the great value of rain. (Babylonian Talmud [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t04/taa06.htm Taanit 7a.] ) Rava also inferred from the comparison in for his speech to rain down “as the dew,” “as the rain,” to mean that it should come in small droplets. Rashi interpreted that Moses wanted to teach the children of Israel slowly, the knowledge "raining" down on the people in small portions, for if they were to be subject to all knowledge coming down at once, they would be overwhelmed and thus wiped out. ( [http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=9996&showrashi=true Rashi to Deut. 32:2.] )

Rabbi Abbahu cited says, “Whoever robs his father or his mother and says, ‘It is no transgression,’ is the companion of a destroyer,” and to refer to God, and the Gemara employed that interpretation with others to support Abba Benjamin’s assertion that when two people enter a synagogue to pray, and one of them finishes first and leaves without waiting for the other, God disregards the prayer of the one who left. (Babylonian Talmud Berakhot 5b.)

The Gemara read the word "reshef" (“fiery bolt”) in to say: “he has despised the word of the Lord.” And of one who does stop reciting, Rabbi Abbahu taught that instructs one to "ask your father and he will tell you."

Haftarah

The haftarah for the parshah is the song of David, 2 Samuel [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt08b22.htm 22:1–51.] Both the parshah and the haftarah set out the song of a great leader. Both the parshah (in is reflected in [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt08b22.htm#15 22:15;] [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt08b22.htm#31 22:31.]
*Isaiah [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt1050.htm#10 50:10-11.]
*Psalm [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2650.htm#4 50:4–6;] [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2691.htm 91;] [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt2695.htm 95:1] (God as “the Rock”).

Early nonrabbinic

*Dead Sea scrolls 4QDeut^j, 4QDeut^q
*Josephus, "Antiquities of the Jews" [http://www.interhack.net/projects/library/antiquities-jews/b4c8.html 4:8:44, 47.] Circa 93–94. Reprinted in, e.g., "The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition". Translated by William Whiston, 123–25. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1987. ISBN 0-913573-86-8.

Classical rabbinic

*Tosefta Shabbat 8:24–25; Sotah 4:8. Land of Israel, circa 300 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., "The Tosefta: Translated from the Hebrew, with a New Introduction". Translated by Jacob Neusner, 1:385, 848. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 2002. ISBN 1-56563-642-2.
*Sifre to Deuteronomy 306:1–341:1. Land of Israel, circa 250–350 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., "Sifre to Deuteronomy: An Analytical Translation". Translated by Jacob Neusner, 2:295–397. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1987. ISBN 1-55540-145-7.
*Jerusalem Talmud: Berakhot 72b, 84b; Peah 5a, 7b, 48b; Sheviit 5b; Maaser Sheni 49b. Land of Israel, circa 400 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., "Talmud Yerushalmi". Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, vols. 2–3, 6a, 10. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006–2008.
*Genesis Rabbah 1:14; 5:5; 12:1; 13:14; 15:7; 22:2; 44:21; 53:15; 65:15; 68:12; 96:5. Land of Israel, 5th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., "Midrash Rabbah: Genesis". Translated by H. Freedman and Maurice Simon. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
*Leviticus Rabbah 2:10; 4:1; 18:5; 22:8; 23:5, 12. Land of Israel, 5th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., "Midrash Rabbah: Leviticus". Translated by H. Freedman and Maurice Simon. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
*Babylonian Talmud: Berakhot 5a–b, 45a, 56b; [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t01/t0124.htm Shabbat 103b;] [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t03/psc14.htm Pesachim 111b;] [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t03/yom08.htm Yoma 37a;] [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t04/taa06.htm Taanit 7a, 11a;] [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t03/hgg03.htm Chagigah 12b;] Yevamot 63b; Ketubot 8b, 111b; [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t05/kam08.htm Baba Kama 50a,] [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t05/kam09.htm 60b;] [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t07/t0706.htm Bava Batra 25a;] [http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t08/t0814.htm Sanhedrin 91b, 97a;] Avodah Zarah 29b. Babylonia, 6th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., "Talmud Bavli". Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 vols. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.

Medieval

*Deuteronomy Rabbah 1:5; 3:5; 5:4; 8:2; 10:1–4; 11:5, 10. Land of Israel, 9th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., "Midrash Rabbah: Leviticus". Translated by H. Freedman and Maurice Simon. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
*Exodus Rabbah 1:12; 3:8; 5:12, 14; 13:2; 15:12, 16; 21:3; 23:2, 8; 24:1; 29:7; 30:1, 11, 21; 32:7; 42:1; 51:7. 10th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., "Midrash Rabbah: Exodus". Translated by S. M. Lehrman. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
*Rashi. "Commentary". [http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=9996&showrashi=true Deuteronomy 32.] Troyes, France, late 11th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Rashi. "The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated". Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, 5:329–69. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1997. ISBN 0-89906-030-7.
*Judah Halevi. "Kuzari". Toledo, Spain, 1130–1140. Reprinted in, e.g., Jehuda Halevi. "Kuzari: An Argument for the Faith of Israel." Intro. by Henry Slonimsky, 92, 149, 201. New York: Schocken, 1964. ISBN 0-8052-0075-4.
*Numbers Rabbah 2:6; 8:4; 9:1, 7, 11, 14, 49; 10:2; 12:11; 13:14; 14:12; 16:5, 24; 17:5; 20:1, 19, 21. 12th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., "Midrash Rabbah: Numbers". Translated by Judah J. Slotki. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
*Esther Rabbah 1:6; 5:1; 7:13.
*Song of Songs Rabbah 1:11; 8:7.
*Ruth Rabbah: prologue 3, 4.
*Lamentations Rabbah: prologue 24, 25, 34; 1:33, 55; 2:4.
*Ecclesiastes Rabbah 2:15; 3:13, 17, 19; 9:5
*Zohar 1:6a, 22b, 26a, 53a, 87b, 96b, 138b, 139b, 143b, 160a, 161b, 163a, 164a, 177a, 189b, 192a; 2:5b, 26b, 64a, 64b, 80b, 83b, 86a, 95b, 96a, 108b, 125a, 144a, 155b, 157a, 162b, 210a; 3:60b, 78b, 126a, 210b, 263a, 268a, [http://www.kabbalah.com/k/index.php/p=zohar/zohar&vol=51 286a–299b.] Spain, late 13th Century. Reprinted in, e.g, "The Zohar". Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1934.

Modern

*Emily Dickinson. Circa 1859. Circa 1860. Circa 1862. In "The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson". Edited by Thomas H. Johnson, 53, 79–80, 293–94. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1960. ISBN 0-316-18414-4.
*Martin Buber. "On the Bible: Eighteen studies", 80–92. New York: Schocken Books, 1968.
*Nahama Leibowitz. "Studies in Devarim: Deuteronomy", 327–69. Jerusalem: World Zionist Org.: 1980. ISBN 0-686-76264-9.
*Jeffrey H. Tigay. "The JPS Torah Commentary: Deuteronomy: The Traditional Hebrew Text with the New JPS Translation", 298–317, 508–18. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 1996. ISBN 0-8276-0330-4.

External links

* [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0532.htm Masoretic text and 1917 JPS translation]
* [http://Bible.ort.org/books/torahd5.asp?action=displaypage&book=5&chapter=21&verse=10&portion=53 Hear the parshah chanted]