This week is Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of return, the one that falls between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Torah portion this week is practically the last one in the Torah, Haazinu. There's a short portion called V'zot Habrachah that gets linked to Breshit on Simchat Torah in two weeks.
The opening word of this week's portion, the word haazinu means 'Give ear.' It's often translated as 'Listen,' but it is linked to the Hebrew word for ear, ozen. At the beginning of the portion, as Moses prepares to die and let the Israelites cross into the Promised Land with Joshua, Moses calls out to heaven and earth and says, "Listen up, Heaven and Earth, to what I'm about to say!" It seems strange that as Moses addresses the people that he asks heaven and earth to listen, rather than the people.
Heaven and earth serve as witnesses to this moment because, unlike us, they fulfill God's mission constantly. While we aren't always as consistent as they are, they serve as a model. The 18th century commentary Me'am Lo-ez teaches that heaven represents the soul and earth the body, teaching us that we need to strive to walk in God's ways with every part of our being. On this Shabbat of return, consider the ways in which you dedicate your whole self to the things that are truly important.
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