“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and the earth shall hear the sayings of my mouth.” (Devarim, 32:1) It is said in the Midrash (Sifrei Ha’azinu Piska 1), “Since Moshe Rabeynu was close to the heavens, he called on the heavens to listen. And Yesahya, who was close to the earth, called on the earth to listen.”39The prophet said, in Yesahya 8:9, “give ear, all the expanses of the earth.” Moshe Rabeynu is the brain and wisdom of all of Israel, and this is called “the heavens.” The brain has the ability to receive even things that are for man as tough as sinews. Yesahya is the heart of all of Israel, and the matter of the heart is that it constantly cries out for salvation, and can only accept things that are comforting. This is the matter of the name of Isaiah, Yeshayahu in Hebrew, meaning salvation. And this is “Give ear, O heavens,” meaning the great powers, which are called heavens, which is the brain, which has the power to accept everything. “And I will speak,” the term “speak,” dibbur in Hebrew, always denotes difficulty (and is therefore used here with “heavens”). “And may the earth hear the sayings of my mouth,” for “saying,” amirah in Hebrew, always denotes softness. In other words, you will call to the heart, which is called the earth, which is always thirsty for salvation, in the language of softness and comfort. The verses continue, “My doctrine shall drip as the rain” (“dripping,” arof in Hebrew, sounds just like the word for neck), meaning that for one who resists coming close to it, the Torah will strongly clutch the back of his neck, so to speak, and against his will he will have to accept the yoke of the Torah. Immediately upon accepting it, “my saying will flow like the dew,” meaning that Words of Torah will then be with him in comfort and joy.
הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וַאֲדַבֵּרָה וְתִשְׁמַע הָאָרֶץ אִמְרֵי פִי. אִיתָא בַּמִּדְרָשׁ (ספרי האזינו פיסקא א') מֹשֶׁה עַל יְדֵי שֶׁהָיָה קָרוֹב לַשָּׁמַיִם נָתַן הַאֲזָנָה לַשָּׁמַיִם, וִישַׁעְיָה שֶׁהָיָה קָרוֹב לָאָרֶץ נָתַן הַאֲזָנָה לָאָרֶץ, פֵּרוּשׁ דְּמֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ עָלָיו הַשָּׁלוֹם הוּא הַמּוֹחַ וְהַחָכְמָה שֶׁל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְזֶה נִקְרָא שָׁמַיִם, וְהַמּוֹחַ יֵשׁ לוֹ יְכֹלֶת לְקַבֵּל אַף דְּבָרִים הַקָּשִׁים לְאָדָם כְּגִידִין. וִישַׁעְיָה הוּא הַלֵּב שֶׁל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעִנְיַן הַלֵּב שֶׁצּוֹעֶקֶת תָּמִיד לִישׁוּעָה וְאֵינָהּ יְכוֹלָה לְקַבֵּל רַק דְּבַר נַיְיחָא, וְזֶה עִנְיַן שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל יְשַׁעְיָה, וְזֶה "הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם", הַיְנוּ הַכֹּחוֹת הַגְּדוֹלִים הַנִּקְרָאִים שָׁמַיִם שֶׁהוּא הַמּוֹחַ שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ כֹּחַ לְקַבֵּל הַכֹּל. "וַאֲדַבֵּרָה", דִּבּוּר לְשׁוֹן קָשֶׁה, "וְתִשְׁמַע הָאָרֶץ אִמְרֵי פִי", אֲמִירָה לְשׁוֹן רַכָּה. וְהַיְנוּ לְהַלֵּב שֶׁיִּקָּרֵא אֶרֶץ וְהִיא צְמֵאָה תָּמִיד לִישׁוּעָה תֹּאמַר לְשׁוֹן רַכָּה. "יַעֲרֹף כַּמָּטָר לִקְחִי", הַיְנוּ שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה אוֹחֵז בְּעָרְפּוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם בְּחָזְקָה לְמִי שֶׁלֹּא רָצָה לְקָרֵב אֵלֶיהָ וּבְעַל כָּרְחוֹ צָרִיךְ לְקַבֵּל עָלָיו עֹל תּוֹרָה וּמִיָּד כְּשֶׁמְּקַבֵּל עָלָיו עֹל תּוֹרָה, "תִּזַּל כַּטַּל אִמְרָתִי", הַיְנוּ הַד"ת תִּהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ בְּנַיְיחָא וּבְשִׂמְחָה.
“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and the earth shall hear the sayings of my mouth.” (Devarim, 32:1)
It is said in the Midrash (Sifrei Ha’azinu Piska 1), “Since Moshe Rabeynu was close to the heavens, he called on the heavens to listen. And Yesahya, who was close to the earth, called on the earth to listen.”39The prophet said, in Yesahya 8:9, “give ear, all the expanses of the earth.” Moshe Rabeynu is the brain and wisdom of all of Israel, and this is called “the heavens.” The brain has the ability to receive even things that are for man as tough as sinews. Yesahya is the heart of all of Israel, and the matter of the heart is that it constantly cries out for salvation, and can only accept things that are comforting. This is the matter of the name of Isaiah, Yeshayahu in Hebrew, meaning salvation. And this is “Give ear, O heavens,” meaning the great powers, which are called heavens, which is the brain, which has the power to accept everything. “And I will speak,” the term “speak,” dibbur in Hebrew, always denotes difficulty (and is therefore used here with “heavens”). “And may the earth hear the sayings of my mouth,” for “saying,” amirah in Hebrew, always denotes softness. In other words, you will call to the heart, which is called the earth, which is always thirsty for salvation, in the language of softness and comfort. The verses continue, “My doctrine shall drip as the rain” (“dripping,” arof in Hebrew, sounds just like the word for neck), meaning that for one who resists coming close to it, the Torah will strongly clutch the back of his neck, so to speak, and against his will he will have to accept the yoke of the Torah. Immediately upon accepting it, “my saying will flow like the dew,” meaning that Words of Torah will then be with him in comfort and joy.