Read & Listen

Ha’azinu (“Give ear” or “Listen”) is one of two poems attributed to Moses. In Exodus 15, he leads the Children of Israel in שִׁירַת הַיֶּם Shirat Ha’yam, the “Song of the Sea,” after they have crossed the Sea of Reeds to safety. Now, at the very end of the journey, Moses imparts this epic poem.

After the Children of Israel are liberated from slavery in Egypt, the remainder of the Torah – almost four of the five books of Moses – takes place in the wilderness. The fourth book of the Torah, known in English as the Book of Numbers, is called in Hebrew Bamidbar, meaning “In the Wilderness.” To reach the Promised Land, the Children of Israel must learn to navigate their way through the wilderness. This is an existential challenge, for the wilderness, by definition, is trackless. Wilderness is territory that has not been domesticated. That is, there are no familiar grids of streets, no city walls or boundary markers, no roads or roadmaps. How is one supposed to navigate uncharted territory?

Vayeilekh has the fewest verses of any Torah portion and takes up just one chapter: Chapter 31 of Deuteronomy. Except during Jewish leap years, Vayeilekh is paired with Nitzavim, and together they make up one of several “double portions” in the annual cycle of readings. Between the fact that Nitzavim overshadows Vayeilekh with some of the most famous rhetoric of the entire Torah — Moses’ exhortation to us to “Choose life!” — and the fact that Vayeilekh is always read just before or after Rosh Hashanah, Vayeilekh rarely gets much attention. But it merits a close reading.

In Ki Tavo, Moses tells the Children of Israel the details of some of the rituals that they must perform once they enter the cross the River Jordan and enter the Promised Land. Chapter 27 describes a unique communal reaffirmation of the covenant. The 12 tribes are to gather in the northern city of Shechem, where Jacob had settled long ago.

In Ki Tavo, Moses tells the Children of Israel the details of some of the rituals that they must perform once they enter the cross the River Jordan and enter the Promised Land. Chapter 27 describes a unique communal reaffirmation of the covenant. The 12 tribes are to gather in the northern city of Shechem, where Jacob had settled long ago.

Ki Teitzei contains more mitzvot — more commandments — than any other portion in the Torah. In fact, there are no stories in Ki Teitzei, only laws. Maimonides counts 72 discrete commandments that originate in this parashah.