Ha'azinu
האזינוThe Song of Witness
24 translated essays · 24 total
תרל"ד(1873)
Awakening Inner Vitality Through Torah· Essay 1
"My teaching shall drop as the rain" (Devarim 32:2). The Sfas Emes opens with the verse from Ha'azinu likening Torah to rain, setting up the theme of Torah as a force that awakens hidden potential. For within every Jew there is a point of i…
Heaven And Earth Witnessing· Essay 2
Rashi, of blessed memory, teaches (on the verse) "the hand of the witnesses shall be against him first" (Devarim 17:7) — that the witnesses must be the first to act against the one who sinned. Rashi explains the law that the witnesses to a …
Preparation Greater Than Mitzvah· Essay 3
In the Tur, the Midrash is brought that during the days between Yom Kippur and Sukkos, Bnei Yisrael are occupied with the mitzvos of lulav and sukkah and do not commit sins, and the Holy One, Blessed is He, says, 'Whatever has gone, has gon…
Ha'azinu תרל"ד
תרל”ד יערף כמטר לקחי. (Devarim 32:2) “My teaching will flow like rain” כי בכל איש ישראל יש נקודה חיות רק שצריכין לעורר הפנימיות ע”י התורה. וכמו האדמה שיש בה כח להוציא תבואה ופירות והמטר מעורר כחה כן נקרא אדם על שם האדמה. Each on…
תרל"ז(1876)
Elevating the Mundane World· Essay 1
"Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth" (Devarim 32:1). The pasuk opens Shiras Ha'azinu by calling upon both heaven and earth. The Sfas Emes will use this pairing as the gateway to his theme of …
Surrendering Free Will· Essay 2
In the Sifrei on the verse "Give ear, O heavens" (Devarim 32:1), it is taught that the heavens and earth were created to serve you, and they receive neither reward nor punishment; how much more so, then, do you receive reward and punishment…
תרמ"א(1880)
Torah Softens The Heart· Essay 1
In the verse "Ha'azinu HaShamayim — Listen, O heavens... yaarof kamatar likchi — may my teaching drip like rain..." (Devarim 32:1-2), the meaning of this comparison to rain is as is written, "For just as the rain and the snow come down... s…
Toil Renews the Torah· Essay 2
On the verse "Set your hearts ... for it is not an empty thing for you" (Devarim 32:46-47), Chazal expounded: If it is empty, it is because of you — because you do not toil sufficiently in it. The Sfas Emes cites the Midrash on the verse: i…
תרמ"ד(1883)
Preparing the Heart for Torah· Essay 1
Regarding the verse "Set your hearts to all the words... for it is not an empty thing from you..." (Devarim 32:46-47), Chazal expounded: if it is empty, it is "from you" — the lack is on your side. The Sfas Emes opens with the verse urging …
Connecting Creation Through Torah· Essay 2
Regarding the Song of Ha'azinu, I have already written elsewhere that it is the rectification of the entire creation through Bnei Yisrael, for they were created to connect everything that exists in the earth to its root in the heavens. The …
תרמ"ח(1887)
Israel As Hashems Portion· Essay 1
"Remember the days of old... for Hashem's portion is His people... He found him..." (Devarim 32:7-10). The Sfas Emes opens with the pasuk from Ha'azinu, in which Moshe Rabbeinu calls on Bnei Yisrael to remember the days of old and recognize…
Preparing Vessels For Torah· Essay 2
Regarding the pasuk, "Set your hearts..." (Devarim 32:46). The Sfas Emes opens with the pasuk in which Moshe Rabbeinu urges Bnei Yisrael to set their hearts to the words of Torah. Rashi, of blessed memory, explains from the Sifri: A person …
Toil Before Heavenly Flow· Essay 3
On the pasuk "Ya'arof kamatar lik'chi — My teaching shall drop like the rain" (Devarim 32:2): at the outset one must do battle and toil in Torah amid difficulty and struggle, and only afterward does one merit the level of "tizal katal imras…
תרנ"א(1890)
תרנ"ד(1893)
Hashem Rejoices In His Portion· Essay 1
On the pasuk "Remember the days of old... for Hashem's portion is His people..." (Devarim 32:7-9). The Sfas Emes opens with the pasuk in Haazinu that calls Bnei Yisrael Hashem's own portion, the theme of the whole piece. It is written, "Let…
Preparing the Vessel for Torah· Essay 2
On the verse "Set your hearts ... for it is your life ..." (Devarim 32:46-47), Rashi writes that a person must direct his heart and his ear, and so too it is written in 'Tzuras HaBayis,' see there, and in the Sifri. The Sfas Emes opens with…
תרנ"ה(1894)
Rain and Dew Rectification· Essay 1
"My teaching shall drip like rain" (Devarim 32:2) refers to the rectification of the body, for there are words of Torah that are designated specifically for this purpose: to soften the heart so that it should be fit to receive the planting.…
Hidden Faith Returning Home· Essay 2
On the pasuk, "And He said: I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end will be" (Devarim 32:20). The Sfas Emes opens with the pasuk in Ha'azinu where Hashem says He will hide His face from Bnei Yisrael and watch to see what th…
Torah Reaches Every Place· Essay 3
On the possuk, "For it is no empty thing for you" (Devarim 32:47). The Sfas Emes opens with the possuk that teaches the Torah is never empty or irrelevant for Bnei Yisrael. There is no word or letter in the Torah in which Bnei Yisrael do no…
תרנ"ו(1895)
תרנ"ז(1896)
תר"ס(1899)
Unchanging Portion Through Teshuvah· Essay 1
On the verse, "Remember the days of old... He found him in a desert land..." (Devarim 32:7-10). The Sfas Emes opens with the verses from Ha'azinu that speak of Hashem finding Bnei Yisrael in a desert land, which he will now expound. The nes…
Purification Yielding Inner Joy· Essay 2
The Shiras Ha'azinu encompasses all the generations, from the creation of the world, the exodus from Mitzrayim, the receiving of the Torah, the Beis HaMikdash, galus, and the final geulah. The song of Ha'azinu spans the entire sweep of Jewi…