Haazinu

5 Facts About Parshat Haazinu that You (Maybe) Didn’t Know

Published on Thursday November 18th, 2021

Discover and learn every week, "5 Facts" written on the weekly Parshah that you can share at your Shabbos table.

הַצּוּר֙ תָּמִ֣ים פָּעֳל֔וֹ כִּ֥י כָל־דְּרָכָ֖יו מִשְׁפָּ֑ט אֵ֤-ל אֱמוּנָה֙ וְאֵ֣ין עָ֔וֶל צַדִּ֥יק וְיָשָׁ֖ר הֽוּא׃

(32:4)

The Rock! His deeds are perfect, Yea, all His ways are just; A faithful God, never false, True and upright is He.

1. How does God schedule his day?

When Moshe was on Mt. Sinai, he saw that God would divide His day into four parts. He would spend three hours studying Torah, three hours judging the world, three hours matching up men and women, and three hours caring for all his Creations.^{^[1]}

יַרְכִּבֵ֙הוּ֙ עַל־במותי [בָּ֣מֳתֵי] אָ֔רֶץ וַיֹּאכַ֖ל תְּנוּבֹ֣ת שָׂדָ֑י וַיֵּנִקֵ֤הֽוּ דְבַשׁ֙ מִסֶּ֔לַע וְשֶׁ֖מֶן מֵחַלְמִ֥ישׁ צֽוּר׃(32:13)

He set him atop the highlands, To feast on the yield of the earth; He fed him honey from the crag, And oil from the flinty rock.

2. What country is higher than all other lands?

This verse teaches us, that the Land of Israel is higher than all other lands.^{^[2]}

3. What special characteristic does the Holy Land’s produce have?

This verse teaches us, that the produce that grows in the Land of Israel buds and ripens faster than the fruit produce of other lands.^{^[3]}

חֶמְאַ֨ת בָּקָ֜ר וַחֲלֵ֣ב צֹ֗אן עִם־חֵ֨לֶב כָּרִ֜ים וְאֵילִ֤ים בְּנֵֽי־בָשָׁן֙ וְעַתּוּדִ֔ים עִם־חֵ֖לֶב כִּלְי֣וֹת חִטָּ֑ה וְדַם־עֵנָ֖ב תִּשְׁתֶּה־חָֽמֶר׃(32:14)

Curd of kine and milk of flocks; With the best of lambs, And rams of Bashan, and he-goats; With the very finest wheat, and foaming grape-blood was your drink.

4. When did this prophecy materialize?

This occurred during the era of the 10 tribes and in the days of King Solomon.^{^[4]}

וַיַּ֥רְא ה' וַיִּנְאָ֑ץ מִכַּ֥עַס בָּנָ֖יו וּבְנֹתָֽיו׃(32:19)

The LORD saw and was vexed And spurned His sons and His daughters.

5. Why did the verse specify both genders?

As a general rule, the word “banav/His sons” refers to “His children” and includes both genders, not merely “sons”. The use of the word “benotav/daughters”, might be a reference to the First Temple era, when it was mostly the women who led the people generation into idolatry.^{^[5]}

^{^[1]} Targum Yonathan

^{^[2]} Rashi: Sifri 32:13

^{^[3]} Rashi

^{^[4]} Rashi: Sifri 32:14, Kings I 5:2-3

^{^[5]} Ramban