Ha'Azinu
To Listen
Song of Moses
The portion of Ha'Azinu always falls immediately before or after Yom Kippur and is primarily comprised of a 70-line poem called the Song of Ha'Azinu, or the Song of Moses. The poem is delivered by Moses on the last day of his life, and he implores the people to remember and follow the commandments of G-d in order to achieve blessing and success.
The poem begins with, "Listen, O heavens, for I will speak." The commentators point to the word "listen" used by Moses as a stronger and more compelling word than simply "hear."
Oftentimes, we hear things, but we are not truly listening. The directive to listen teaches us the importance of not only hearing the Song of Ha'Azinu, but absorbing its message and remembering G-d's word. Two great Kabbalists, the Maharal of Prague and the Mezritcher Maggid, taught that connecting deeply with the Song of Ha'Azinu could purify the mind, bring longevity and create blessing and success in one's affairs.
In the first part of the poem, we find a large Hebrew letter Hei. The letter Hei appears twice in the Tetragrammaton, the powerful four-letter name of G-d—Yud, Hei, Vav, and Hei. Through the Hei in this reading, we can connect to and draw down additional energy from the Light we received on Rosh Hashanah and throughout the month of Tishrei.
Further into the poem, when recounting the importance of remembrance, it states: "But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, you grew thick, you have become obese, and he forsook G-d who made him, and scornfully esteemed the Rock of his salvation."
The message is timeless. Once we become successful and "fat," our ego can lead us to forget the Source of our blessings. We begin to believe that our success and good fortune are based solely upon our own merit.
In order to overcome our ego, this part of the poem contains a small Hebrew letter Yud. The Yud is already the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet. By making it even smaller, we can connect to the energy of making ourselves smaller - reducing our ego - in order to access greater Light and remember the path set forth in the Song of Ha'Azinu.
Concluding Words & Manifestation
Shabbat Ha'Azinu contains Moses' final words to the nation of Israel before he passes. Through these concluding words, we can connect to the culmination of his life's work and the manifestation of his total energy.
His final words include:
"Command your children to be careful to observe all the words of this Torah. For it is not an empty thing for you. Rather, it is your life!"
Ha'Azinu is the last Torah portion read on a regular Shabbat in the annual cycle. The final portion in the scroll, V'Zot HaBracha, is specifically read on Simchat Torah. Accordingly, this week gives us an opportunity to connect not only to Ha'Azinu, but to the totality of the Torah.
Ha'Azinu spans the entirety of Chapter 32 in Deuteronomy, the final book of the Torah. We can therefore also connect to the mystical energy of the number 32, as described in the Kabbalistic text Sefer Yetzirah:
"With 32 Mystical Paths of Wisdom, G-d engraved and created His universe."
The 32 Paths also connect to the 10 Sefirot of Consciousness and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, which together form the 32 pathways of the Tree of Life. The number 32 is also represented by the Hebrew letters Lamed-Bet (לב), which spell Lev - heart. These same letters connect to the totality of the Torah: the Torah begins with the letter Bet in Bereshit and ends with the letter Lamed in Yisrael.
Perhaps this gives us the ultimate message of Ha'Azinu: Listen beyond the noise. Reduce the ego. Remember the Source. And allow the wisdom we receive to move from our minds into our hearts.
Practical Tools for the Week
1. Listen Before Responding. Make a conscious effort to truly listen rather than preparing your response. Give the other person your full attention. Notice what changes when your goal is understanding rather than answering.
2. Make Yourself a Little Smaller. When something goes well this week - a business success, recognition, an opportunity or even a small victory - pause before taking full credit. Remember the people, circumstances and unseen forces that helped make it possible. Gratitude reduces ego and creates space for more Light.
3. Move from the Mind to the Heart. Choose one piece of wisdom you already know but don't consistently live. Don't learn something new this week. Instead, practice something you already know. Ha'Azinu reminds us that wisdom becomes transformative only when we truly listen to it and bring it into our lives.
Have a wonderful, Light-filled week!
Resources & Credits
The Weekly Wisdom emails and the ideas presented herein are compiled from the following sources:
Gutnick Edition Chumash with Rashi's commentary, Targum Onkelos, and commentary anthologized from Classic Rabbinic Texts and the works of the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Apples from the Orchard - Gleanings from the Mystical Teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Luria on the Weekly Torah Portion
Kabbalistic Bible - Kabbalah Centre International, Inc
The Zohar - Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, various translations
Mysteries of the Kabbalah - Marc-Alain Ouaknin
Wikipedia
Other online written and video content that discusses and shares Kabbalistic Wisdom