Torah Commentary

While there is no plot twist in this parashah, there is a clear deviation in literary style! Haazinu can be literally translated as “listen,” and this song, attributed to Moses, is an exhortation to the Israelites to pay close attention to his words.

A quick glance shows that Haazinu is different from all other portions: it's laid out as a poem--unusual for the Torah, a text that is almost entirely prose. The poem in Haazinu creates room for so much else: blessings and curses, fears and hopes, and successes and failures.

We are nearing the end of the book of Deuteronomy. This week's Torah portion, Haazinu, consists mainly of a poem or a song that Moses sings to the people as he nears his death. Considering how hopeful the last few chapters have been, one might have expected that this poem would continue the same line of thinking. However, the poem is more fatalistic.

On the last day of his life,  Moses sings a song to the gathered Israelites. For thirty-one chapters in Deuteronomy, Moses has told the Israelites how to behave, what God expects from them, and how to lead a life filled with blessing and absent of curses. With his final breath, Moses teaches with song.