Parshat Ha'azinu (Listen)

The Torah portion is Ha'azinu, Deuteronomy 32:1-32:52.

Ha'azinu as it appears in a Torah scroll

This portion is one of the Ten Shirot, the ten great Songs of the Bible. Like all of the Shirot, it is written in Torah scrolls in a special way, to be easily recognized. This song is written with the lines split down the middle and aligned to the left and right of the column (see above). The Song speaks of the greatness of G-d and the sometimes fickle nature of the Jewish people. After the Song is complete, G-d sends Moses to ascend a mountain, where he will be able to see the Promised Land but will not be able to enter, and will die there.

The haftarah is II Samuel 22:1-22:51. This is another of the Ten Shirot of the Bible, the Song of David, and like the Song of Moses in the Torah portion, this one also speaks of G-d as the Rock (Tzur).