Ha'azinu: The Heavens and the Earth Bear Witness
Original Author: Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, edited by Ruthie Davis, updated by Shoshi Ehrenreich
“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and may the earth hear the words of my mouth.”[1]
The heavens do not know how to listen, and the earth cannot hear that which the Creator has spoken. And yet, at the beginning of Parshat Haazinu, Moshe calls to the cosmos, “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak, and may the earth hear the words of my mouth.”
Some commentaries interpret the call to heaven and earth as a call for them to fulfill their functions: to become tools of Hashem’s realization of His intentions, be it reward or punishment. [2] Other commentators explain that heaven and earth bear witness simply by virtue of their eternal existence. Their creation is a testament to the order of Hashem’s world and they need not make any active effort in order to listen. [3]
But our profound and constantly increasing awareness of environmental issues, climate change, and of the responsibility we bear towards the earth and its atmosphere, can give us a new perspective on the testimony given by heaven and earth.
What we are now seeing is that heaven and earth bear witness, in fact, to the character of the society we are building. The state of the environment, our earth and its atmosphere, is a reflection of human action, a collective failure to consider and protect life, health and prosperity for ourselves and our planet in the long term.
The earth testifies to how we live our lives. An appropriate attitude towards the earth begins with a great sense of humility in the face of reality. While we were commanded to “be fruitful and multiply, and fill the land and subdue it,”[4] this conquest does not mean sucking the earth dry and exhausting nature’s treasures. Rather, it refers to a control and mastery of the world that is guided by knowledge of our responsibility to use it to realize the full potential of everything and everyone that exists in our world.
The earth bears the scars of our industry: deforested areas, landfills, and concrete filling our spaces; and now, increasingly, fires, sea mucus and more reflecting the climate change that humans have brought on ourselves and our world. [5]
Second, a society that destroys the environment is one that lacks any sensitivity toward future generations. [6] Mistreating our earth, dwindling resources and biodiversity, and increasing rates of extinction are all reflections of moral failing, of a failure to think about others.
This is also true with regard to the heavens. The Hebrew word for heavens, shamayim, means both heaven and sky, and it is certainly true that our skies and atmosphere have been changed by human behavior. The almost apocalyptic-seeming orange skies in 2020 over the Bay area of California, and in 2023 over 18 states in the US on account of wildfires are just one example. [7] Rainfall, too, is heavily influenced by humans’ actions on the earth, such as deforestation and global warming. The changes to rain patterns—more intense, causing in turn more drought and stronger storms and flooding—are one of the most obvious and significant expressions and consequences of anthropogenic climate change. [8]
But if the earth and the shamayim are witnesses to and reflections of our moral failings, they also provide visions, a testament to our devotion to justice, and love of Hashem and each other. Take just one example—the ozone hole is on the path to recovery. After banning ozone-depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbons, the use of such substances is declining. Although they are still at high enough levels to cause ozone loss, scientists are hopeful that it will return to standard levels by the end of the century. [9] This can give us hope, showing that just as they are witnesses to our failings, earth and heavens can witness and reflect our teshuva—our commitment to change and to improve.
We must recognize that it is not inherent that a society that takes pains to protect its environment will expand these efforts to its spiritual vision as well. It is quite possible to conceive of a situation in which a society becomes addicted on a broad scale to the protection of its resources and environment, specifically out of a fear of, and an escape from, spiritual visions and a connection with the Divine. That said, it is nonetheless true that any truly spiritual and just society must be founded on a moral stance that regards itself as responsible for the image of the world and the protection of the earth.
Our awareness of environmental protection reveals to us, then, an additional layer of significance to the testimony of heaven and earth. It is a direct testimony—not miraculous, one whose source lies in the structure of the natural world that lies before us. The world itself bears witness to the character of the society that inhabits it. A spiritual response must therefore be directed not only to the heavens above, but also to the earth below, and must be expressed not only in keeping the mitzvot and remaining loyal to the Divine covenant, but also in remaining loyal to the world designed by the Creator.
By doing so, we will protect the world designed by the Creator, and will fulfill His commandment from the beginning of Creation to take responsibility for the world’s character and to ensure that it can fulfill its own purpose. But we will also create harmony between our spiritual world and the physical world in which we live. This harmony will allow us to build a world whose external framework and internal content both express exactly the same idea. It is then that heaven and earth will bear witness to the deep process of teshuva and tikkun—repentance and repair—that we are engaged in, while serving as a barometer for our spiritual and moral character.
Suggested Action:
This is a time of year when we look back and take stock of our actions. Set aside time to assess how our everyday actions affect Hashem’s earth. Consider making a list of environmental actions that you would like to explore and commit to in the coming year.
See the EPA’s Carbon Footprint Calculator to estimate your household’s environmental impacts and see suggestions as to how to improve it.
If possible, donate to an organization working to protect our planet, and restore nature. Conservation International is one good option.
Click here to sponsor a parsha.
Notes:
[1] Devarim 32:1 (All Tanach translations from Artscroll Mesorah)
[2] Indeed, this is how Rashi explains it: “…so that, if they so merit, the witnesses may come and reward them – ‘The grapevine shall give forth its fruit, the Earth give forth its produce, and the Heavens give forth their dew’ (Zechariah 8:12). But if they are blameworthy, the hand of the witnesses will afflict them first – ‘He shall curb the Heavens, so that there will be no rain, and the Earth shall not give forth its produce.’ (Deut. 11:17)”
[3] The Ramban comments: “ [the commentary of the Ibn Ezra] ‘.. and it seems true to me that it is mainly due to their eternal existence.’ … [explaining it] by way of the truth (the Kabbalah) [that] these are the first Heaven and Earth mentioned in Bereshit, for they will come into a covenant with Israel.”
That is to say, this is a metaphor for the meaning of the world’s existence and the purpose of its creation. Moses speaks to the Jewish people and not to Heaven and Earth, and explains to them that the existence of creation is conditional upon their listening to the words of admonition in the song of Ha’azinu, for if not, there would be no real purpose to the existence of creation, and it would indeed be unable to survive.
[4] Bereishit1:28
[5] See, for example, see here about sea slime and here about the wildfires.
[6] The song of Ha’azinu teaches us the spiritual significance of this attitude – the Creator speaks of how He nursed the nation with honey from a rock. This nursing represents the entering into an eternal covenant between the Creator and the Jewish people, with the purpose of realizing the unique vision of the nation of Israel. The Nation did not rise to this challenge, and this failure received expression throughout an entire pyramid of reality – from the real world as it appears to us, to the very highest spiritual vision.
[7] See here about the orange skies, California 2020. See here and here about the orange skies, East Coast Summer 2023.
[8] See here for information from the EPA about climate change’s effects on precipitation.
[9] See here about the state of the ozone hole.
