{"id":280,"date":"2025-10-01T00:26:55","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T00:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jgov.org\/en\/?p=280"},"modified":"2025-10-01T00:26:55","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T00:26:55","slug":"commentary-on-parashat-haazinu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/torah\/commentary-on-parashat-haazinu\/","title":{"rendered":"Commentary on Parashat Ha\u2019azinu"},"content":{"rendered":"

Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52<\/em><\/p>\n

Parashat Ha\u2019azinu is one of the most moving portions of Aurayta. It is largely made up of the Song of Mosheh, a sacred hymn given at the end of his life. This song is a living reminder of who Mar-Yah is, who His people are, and how He will remain faithful even when they falter. It is a passage that calls us to listen deeply, to remember carefully, and to walk humbly.<\/p>\n

Listening with Creation (32:1\u20133)<\/strong>
\nMosheh begins by calling on heaven and earth to listen: \u201cGive ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.\u201d Creation itself is invited to bear witness to the covenant. In this way, Mosheh reminds us that faith is never private; it is part of the wider order that Alaha has made.
\n<\/p>\n

He describes his teaching as rain and dew, refreshing and nourishing. This tells us that Aurayta is not intended to crush us with demands but to sustain us like gentle water upon dry ground. Yeshua Mshikha, in the New Covenant scriptures, spoke in the same spirit: \u201cThe words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life\u201d (John 6:63).<\/p>\n

Mar-Yah the Rock (32:4\u20136)<\/strong>
\nMosheh calls Mar-Yah \u201cthe Rock.\u201d A rock is steady, immovable, and sure. He is faithful, while people are prone to change and fail. The contrast is striking.<\/p>\n

Mosheh then asks Israel a piercing question: \u201cDo ye thus requite Mar-Yah, O foolish people and unwise? Is not he thy father that hath bought thee?\u201d This reminds us that our relationship with Mar-Yah is not only legal but deeply personal. He is our Father who gave us life, and in Yeshua we learn to say with confidence, \u201cOur Father in heaven.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remembering the Journey (32:7\u201314)<\/strong>
\nMosheh tells the people to look back, to remember the days of old and to ask their fathers. Faith is sustained when we remember, when we pass on the stories of what Mar-Yah has done.<\/p>\n

We are told that Israel is Mar-Yah\u2019s portion, chosen and carried like a child, guarded like an eagle carrying its young. He fed them with the best of the land and with honey from the rock. For us in Mshikha, Yeshua is both the Rock and the sweetness that nourishes us.<\/p>\n

Forgetfulness and Rebellion (32:15\u201318)<\/strong>
\nIn this part of the reading the tone changes. Jeshurun, the affectionate name for Israel, \u201cgrew fat and kicked.\u201d In prosperity, the people forgot Mar-Yah and turned to other gods. Mosheh does not describe idolatry as harmless curiosity but as offering sacrifices to demons. This should be a wake up call for every generation. When we turn from the living Alaha to false securities, we are entering into spiritual bondage.<\/p>\n

For us today, this may not be idols of wood or stone, but the idols of wealth, self, or power. When we rely on these, we too risk forsaking the Rock that gave us life.<\/p>\n

The Hidden Face (32:19\u201327)<\/strong>
\nBecause of this unfaithfulness, Mar-Yah says, \u201cI will hide my face from them.\u201d This is one of the hardest parts of the reading, for the hiding of His presence is the deepest form of judgement. Yet even here, He will not utterly destroy His people, lest the nations think that they themselves have triumphed. His judgement is never without mercy, and His discipline is always shaped by love.<\/p>\n

The Folly of the Nations (32:28\u201333)<\/strong>
\nThe nations whom Mar-Yah uses to discipline Israel are themselves blind to His sovereignty. Their strength is compared to the vine of Sodom, bitter and poisonous. They too will come under judgement. No empire, however mighty, can stand against the Rock of Israel.<\/p>\n

Hope and Redemption (32:34\u201343)<\/strong>
\nThen comes the turn of hope. \u201cMar-Yah shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants.\u201d When Israel is brought low and all strength is gone, the Lord Himself will rise to save.<\/p>\n

The great declaration follows: \u201cI kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal.\u201d This points forward to Yeshua, who by His Cross and Resurrection has destroyed death and given life. The song closes with a vision of the nations themselves joining in the rejoicing: \u201cRejoice, O ye nations, with his people\u201d (v. 43, LXX). Saint Paul saw in this the calling of the Gentiles, drawn into the joy of Israel\u2019s salvation (Romans 15:10).<\/p>\n

Mosheh’s Last Word (32:44\u201352)<\/strong>
\nMosheh tells the people that these words are not empty. \u201cIt is your life.\u201d The Aurayta is not an ornament or an optional extra; it is the breath and heartbeat of Israel.<\/p>\n

Then Mar-Yah calls Mosheh up to Mount Nebo, where he will see the land but not enter it. Even the greatest prophet of Israel, who spoke with Mar-Yah face to face, is not above the covenant. Yet we remember that Mosheh did enter the Land in another way\u2014when he stood with Yeshua on the Mount of Transfiguration, beholding the fulfilment of the promise.<\/p>\n

Final Reflections<\/strong>
\nParashat Ha\u2019azinu teaches us that prosperity can make us careless, that turning to false securities opens the door to ruin, and that even the chosen people face discipline. Yet above all, it shows us the unshakeable faithfulness of Mar-Yah Alaha.<\/p>\n

This song is not only Israel\u2019s testimony but ours as well. We too are called to remember, to remain faithful, and to rejoice in the salvation that the Lord has promised. And as we join our voices with our brothers and sisters of Israel, we also hear the invitation extended to all nations-to rejoice together in the mercy of the One who kills and makes alive, who wounds and heals, who judges and who redeems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52 Parashat Ha\u2019azinu is one of the most moving portions of Aurayta. It is largely made up of the Song of Mosheh, a sacred hymn given at the end of his life. This song is a living reminder of who Mar-Yah is, who His people are, and how He will remain faithful even when […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-torah"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/280\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/assemblyofjerusalem.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}