בס"ד


Ha’Azinu: The Inner Dimension of Heaven and Earth
Is simple faith enough to worship the Creator? Or is it required to bring this faith down to the level of action? The Torah portion of Ha’Azinu opens with the verse: “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth.” (Deuteronomy 32:1) Moses called upon the heavens and the earth to bear witness to the children of Israel. This is commonly understood to hint that if the people observe the Torah and its commandments, their reward will come through the heavens and the earth: the heavens will bring down blessed rain, and the earth will yield its crops.

This raises a question: Should the material reward that comes from the heavens and the earth be the main motivation to inspire a person’s soul to strengthen its commitment to the Torah and its commandments? Isn’t this a lowering of spiritual purpose?

The answer lies in understanding the inner dimension of “heaven” and “earth.” We are required to serve the Holy One, blessed be He, through the ‘heavens’ and the ‘earth’ that exist within our own soul. These are two distinct capacities within every person: The ‘Heavens’ allude to the higher powers of the person—the intellect, understanding, and emotions. The ‘Earth’ alludes to the lower powers of the person—speech and action. It is insufficient to rely on either one alone in the service of G-d. It is not enough to serve G-d only through the ‘Heavens’—the intellect and emotions. One may contemplate G-d’s greatness with their mind and feel deep love and awe, but if this does not translate into practical observance of the commandments. The spiritual illumination must descend all the way to the ‘Earth’—to fulfill the 7 Noahide commandments through speech and action.

Conversely, it is not enough to merely rely on speech and action alone. It requires the ‘Heavens’ as well—inner contemplation, understanding, and refining the character traits. In this way, the service of G-d and the connection with Him encompass a person’s entire being. The foundation for everything is simple faith and the acceptance of the yoke of Heaven’s Kingship, which emanates from the essence of the soul itself.

This teaching from Ha’Azinu elevates the understanding of the First Noahide Commandment: The prohibition of idolatry (and acknowledging the Unity of the Creator). It shows how to fully live the First Commandment, transforming it from a belief into a complete way of life. When a person’s service of G-d is comprehensive, encompassing their entire being, it protects them from sin. Simple faith and acceptance of the yoke are not enough. The fulfillment of the Torah and its commandments must involve both the ‘heavens’ and the ‘earth’—to harness both the higher powers (the ‘heavens’) and the lower powers (the ‘earth’) for the service of G-d.

Door Rabbijn Moshe Bernstein

Source: Likkutei Sichos, Volume 4, page 1154. Deuteronomy 31:1.



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