The Song of Moses (Deut. 32:1-4) constitutes the greater part of the portion of the Torah read this week. It begins:

1) "Give ear, O heavens, and I shall speak, Let the earth hear the talk of my mouth."
2) "Let my teaching drip like rain, let my talk flow like dew,
like droplets on new growth, like showers on grass."
3) "When I proclaim the name of G‑d, give greatness to our G‑d."
4) "The Rock, perfect are His deeds, for all His ways are just."
"[He is] a steadfast G‑d, [with] no corruption, equitable and upright is He."

Let us understand the following differences [in expression] in this passage:

  • What is the difference between "to hear" and "to give ear?"

  • Why in the first clause does Moses use the imperative ["Give ear…"], while in the second he uses the future ["Let the earth hear…"]?

We would have expected the imperative in the second clause as well: "Hear, O earth."

  • Why in the first clause does he say, "I shall speak," while in the second he does not say, "I shall talk?"

We would have expected the second clause to read: "Hear, O earth, and I shall talk."

In the past, the esoteric meaning of the Torah was reserved for the select elite...

  • Why in the second clause does he say, "the talk of my mouth" rather than "my talk?"

  • Why, when referring to the dew, does he use the verb, "to flow" and when referring to the rain, the expression, "to drip?"

  • What is the difference between, "my teaching" and "my talk," especially since both refer to the Torah?

  • Why did he say "give greatness" to G‑d rather than "utter the greatness" of G‑d? How does "giving" apply here?

  • Why did he say, "The rock, His action is perfect…" instead of "G‑d's way is perfect…," as did King David? (2 Samuel 22:31; Psalms 18:31)

  • [Why is G‑d's quality of being steadfast mentioned before His quality of having "no corruption"?] It would seem more appropriate to mention the fact that there is no corruption in G‑d's ways before saying that He is "a steadfast G‑d," since the former is the negation of evil while the latter is the affirmation of perfection. Why, then, are these ideas mentioned in the opposite order?

The answer to all this is as follows:

The Torah possesses both an exoteric and esoteric dimension; these are called "peshat" [simple meaning] and "sod" [secret], respectively. The esoteric dimension is not appropriate for all people, but only for those who are like angels. The exoteric dimension, in contrast, is appropriate for all people.

In the past, the esoteric meaning of the Torah was reserved for the select elite that were spiritually refined enough to appreciate it and interpret it correctly. It is only in recent history that its teachings have become increasingly available to the general public. [The angels] did not know that, since the exoteric dimension of the Torah is not relevant to them...

Referring to this esoteric dimension of the Torah, the angels said, when the Holy One Blessed Be He wanted to give the Torah to Israel, "How much might there is in Your name!" "Your name" is the Torah, which is all [made up of] names of the Holy One. (Ref. Ramban, introduction to commentary on the Torah; Yonat Elim 29; Shnei Luchot HaBrit, Yitro.) [The angels felt that the Torah, which they perceived as being] only the esoteric dimension, [should not] be given on earth [i.e., to mankind]. This is the meaning of the verse: "G‑d our Lord, how mighty is your name in all the earth, for You have given Your glory over the heavens." (Psalms 8:2) They did not know that, since the exoteric dimension of the Torah is not relevant to them — since they are immortal — but it was given to mankind.

The phrase, "for You have given Your glory over the heavens" may be read: "Give Your glory over the heavens." The angels were thus saying to G‑d, "since Your name, i.e. the Torah — is so mighty, i.e. so sublime and unfit for mortal man — don't give it to them, rather, give Your glory, i.e. the Torah — to us in heaven." (Shabbat 88b) G‑d told Moses to respond to this argument, which he did by pointing out how the simple (exoteric) meaning of the Torah refers to all sorts of situations that are irrelevant to angels.

This, then, is the mystical meaning of, "Give ear, O heavens." The "heavens" are the holy and righteous people, who although they live on earth are similar to the angels who dwell in heaven. To them it is said, "give ear" to the esoteric dimension of the Torah, since this aspect of the Torah, as it were, is not said out loud [so that all may hear] but rather whispered into the hearer's ear. This is why the expression "give ear" is used; the esoteric dimension of the Torah was communicated only to the righteous, since it is difficult to grasp.

This is also why the verb "to speak" is used [in reference to the esoteric dimension of the Torah]. The verb "to speak" [in Hebrew, l'daber] refers to difficult language, as in the verse [Genesis 42:30], "the man spoke to us harshly." In contrast, the verb "to talk" or "to say" [in Hebrew, l'emor, refers to softer speech, used, for example,] when one speaks to women. In our case, it is used [even] for the common men who are like women [in that they do not learn the esoteric aspect of the Torah]. Israel is associated with the Jewish people…as the bearer of the Divine message on earth…Jacob refers more to how they battle the material aspect of the world

This distinction between the verb "to speak" (root: dalet-beit-reish) and the verb "to say" or "to talk" (root: alef-mem-reish) is common in the Talmud and Midrash. It is based in part on the verse preceding the account of the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai: "Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob, and declare to the children of Israel." [Exodus 19:3]

Tradition understands the "house of Jacob" to refer to the women and the "children of Israel" to refer to the men. (Cf. Rashi on this verse.) This is because the name "Israel" is primarily associated with the Jewish people in their role as the bearer of the Divine message on earth, while the name "Jacob" refers more to how they battle the material aspect of the world in the course of fulfilling this goal. These are the male and female aspects of our personalities, respectively, as we have explained previously. The verb "declare" (tageid) used in this verse is phonetically similar to the word for "tendon" (gid), prompting the comment of our Sages: to the men, Moses was bidden to communicate the harsher aspects of the Torah.

The Arizal now reinterprets this understanding of this verse to refer to the exoteric and esoteric dimensions of the Torah.

This is the esoteric meaning of the verse:

"Thus shall you say…" — this refers to the exoteric dimension of the Torah, which is easy to understand

"…to the house of Jacob…" — referring to the common people; [Exodus 19:3]

"…and declare…" — this refers to the esoteric dimension of the Torah, which is 'hard as tendons' to understand for 'not every mind can bear it' (Introduction to Shenei Luchot HaBrit) and 'not all who wish to take upon himself the mantle may do so' [Berachot 16b]

"…to the house of Israel" — referring to the holy [elite].

(The reason why our Sages said that the verb "declare" in this verse implies communicating something 'as hard as tendons' is because there is an extra yud in it, unlike its usual spelling, as, for instance, in the verse: "Declare to My people their transgression." [Mechilta Yitro, Isaiah 58:1]

The spelling of the verb "declare" in this verse is somewhat enigmatic. The imperative of "declare" is hageid (hei-gimel-dalet), while the 2nd person future is tagid (taf-gimel-yud-dalet). Here, however, we have what appears to be a hybrid of these two, tageid, in which the consonants are the same as the 2nd person future but the vowels are that of the imperative (the tzeirei under the gimel instead of a chirik). This draws attention to the fact that the combination gimel-yud-dalet (gid) is the word for "tendon." The implication is thus "declare..." (the imperative, following the vowels) "...in a way as harsh as a tendon" (following the consonants).

This explains why Moses addressed [in the first clause of this verse] the heavens directly. [It was as if to say:] "to you", i.e. the heavens, or the holy elite — "it is fitting that I speak [i.e., communicate the difficult, esoteric aspects of the Torah]." And this is also why he spoke in the first person ["I shall speak"]: since he was talking about the esoteric dimension of the Torah, he referred to it as his own, and he was speaking from the depths of his own heart.

Moses was obviously the most qualified to study the esoteric aspect of the Torah, and thus he considered this aspect of the Torah to be "his," so to speak: "Listen, O holy ones, and I will teach you the difficult, esoteric aspect of the Torah, which is the aspect most dear to my heart."

But the exoteric dimension is suited [even] for the common folk, so [when referring to it] he spoke indirectly: "Let the earth hear the talk of my mouth." The common people, referred to as the "earth," should hear my "talk," i.e. the exoteric aspect of the Torah, which is easy to grasp. He referred to this aspect of the Torah as "the talk of my mouth," since he considered it superficial relative to the esoteric dimension. It issued only from his lips, not from his innermost heart.

The idiom in Hebrew for a common person or an ignoramus is am ha-aretz, "one of the people of the earth." Here the Arizal uses the term to refer to anyone — even a Torah scholar — who does not learn the inner dimension of the Torah. Regarding this aspect, such a person is indeed an ignoramus, and his perspective is entirely material rather than spiritual. …the secrets of the Torah can be a spiritual boon to someone who appreciates them...but can cause spiritual harm to someone unprepared...

Concerning the esoteric dimension, Moses said, "Let my teaching drip like rain." The verb used here for "to drip" [ayin-reish-pei] also means "to kill," as in the verse: "and they shall kill [v'arfu] the calf there." (Deuteronomy 21:4)The implication here is [that the esoteric dimension of the Torah is] a very powerful revelation, just like rain is not always good for everyone; for example, travelers are vexed by it. So it is with the esoteric dimension of the Torah: it can kill someone who is not fit for it.

The rain falls on the roads the same as it falls on the fields; in the former context it gives life, while in the latter it is an inconvenience or even a detriment to mankind. Similarly, the secrets of the Torah can be a spiritual boon to someone who appreciates them as they are meant to be taken, but can cause spiritual harm to someone unprepared to accept them on their own terms.

As the rain is a vexation for travelers, so is the esoteric dimension a negative influence on those who have departed from the path of the Torah.

The idiom in Hebrew for "travelers" is "walkers on the paths" (holchei derachim), subtly implying those who walk on paths other than the highway or main road, that of the Torah.

This is similar to the saying of our Sages [regarding the Torah in general]: "if one merits it becomes for him an elixir of life; if not, it becomes poison."(Yoma 72b.)

For the righteous, in contrast, the esoteric aspect of the Torah will "drip like the rain," it will flow abundantly and give them life, like an ever-increasing wellspring. This is why Moses used here the idiom "my teaching." The word for "teaching/lekach" is related to the word for "taking"; he referred to the esoteric portion of the Torah as the part he took for himself.

When referring to the simple meaning, he said, "let my talk flow like dew," since dew is good for everyone, just like the exoteric dimension of the Torah harms no one.

Moses said, "…like droplets on new growth, like showers on grass…" in order to answer the question: if the esoteric dimension is the main and preferred aspect of the Torah, why do we need the exoteric dimension? The answer to this is that raindrops are very small, and are like "droplets on new growth." (The word used for vegetation in this verse, desha, refers to the period in which the grass begins to grow and is just barely seen above ground.) If large drops of water would fall on the new growth, it would destroy them. Once the growth has become a mature grass, the rain falls on it in the form of a "shower," i.e., with larger drops, which the grass can now endure. Studying the Torah's exoteric dimension trains the individual in the fundamentals of Jewish faith...

So it is with regard to the exoteric dimension of the Torah. When a person is young and his intellect is not fully developed, he learns the simple meaning of the Torah, for his mind cannot yet appreciate or bear the intensity of the Torah's mysteries. After he has learned the exoteric dimension, which is "like droplets on new growth" and "he has filled his belly with meat and good wine," i.e. the exoteric dimension of the Torah, he may approach the study of the esoteric dimension, which is "like showers on (mature) grass."

"Filling the belly with meat and wine" is an idiom commonly used in rabbinic literature to refer to the study of the exoteric dimension of the Torah. (Nowadays we might say "meat and potatoes" instead of "meat and wine.") The imagery is that one should eat his full of the basic staples of life before indulging in delicacies or fancy desserts; in this way he will be assured of good health and be saved the ill-effects of overindulgence in rich foods. Similarly, a person should make his main Torah-diet from the exoteric basics (Torah, Talmud, etc.) and only when he is firmly anchored and grounded in these allow himself to delve into the Torah's mysteries.

Alternatively, we can explain this verse according to Rashi's explanation. He translates the word we have taken to mean "showers" as "storms." Storm winds aid the growth of vegetation when it is very young and closely bound to the mud at ground level. The storm wind dries up the mud and crumbles it; this frees the grass from being stuck to the mud. Afterwards comes the rain, which makes it grow further.

Similarly, the exoteric dimension of the Torah serves to separate the individual from his gross materialism. Once he has been somewhat detached from materiality and the matters of this world he can go on to learn the esoteric dimension. It will then develop him further, "like showers on mature grass." For mature grass is already detached from the mud and clay and can bear the heavier showers that promote its growth to maturity.

Studying the Torah's exoteric dimension trains the individual in the fundamentals of Jewish faith; this knowledge prevents him from misunderstanding or misinterpreting the imagery or allusions found in the esoteric tradition. Learning and following the Torah's laws sanctifies the individual, giving him at least the basis of a higher perspective on life in which the spiritual is ascendant over the material.

Moses then said, "When I proclaim the name of G‑d, give greatness to our G‑d." This too was to answer the question of why both exoteric and esoteric dimensions of the Torah are necessary. The answer given here is that the Torah is similar to the [Divine] Name Havayah, which also possesses both a hidden and revealed dimension. The hidden dimension is the name itself, as it is written; the revealed dimension is the way it is pronounced, as the name Adni.

This is similar to our Sages' explanation of the verse: "This is My name forever, and this is My remembrance for all generations." (Exodus 3:15) The word for "forever" [l'olam] can be phonetically interpreted to mean "to conceal" [l'aleim, in modern Hebrew: l’ha’alim. (Pesachim 50a)] The word for "My remembrance" [zichri] can also mean "the way I am mentioned," referring to the way the name Havayah is to be pronounced throughout all generations, i.e. as the name Adni.

The name Havayah was allowed to be pronounced as it was written only when the Temple stood — and even then, only in the Temple itself.

So it is with the Torah, for G‑d and His name and the Torah are all one, for [as mentioned above], the Torah is all names of the Holy One, Blessed Be He.

Just as G‑d's name possesses both a hidden and revealed dimension, so does the Torah, since the Torah is, after all, G‑d's name.

This is why Moses said "When I proclaim the name of G‑d, give greatness to our G‑d," meaning, "When I recite a blessing and say 'Blessed are You,' you should respond 'Blessed be He,' referring to our G‑d Himself, referred to by the name Havayah. When I then [continue and] say 'Adni,' you should respond, 'and blessed is His name,' referring to the name Adni.

The name Havayah is considered G‑d's proper name, and in many contexts is taken to refer to His essence (as opposed to any of His attributes). The name Adni, in contrast, is just one of the various names of G‑d that refer to Him as He manifests Himself in one of His attributes—in this case, the attribute of kingship, since the word Adni literally means "my lord" or "my master." The essential idea here is that — except in the Holy Temple, where the revelation of G‑d is most intense — the average person is not able to bear a direct revelation of G‑d's essence and still retain his own independent existence. Rather, we refer to G‑d, even when reciting a blessing in the 2nd person ("Blessed are You…") as the lord and master of the universe. That is, we relate to G‑d as He is manifest in this world. This is, of course, a much lower aspect of Divinity than G‑d's essence itself.

Thus, Moses is here telling the Jewish people: whenever I refer to G‑d in a blessing as "You," i.e. I address G‑d's essence, you should respond "Blessed is He," referring to G‑d Himself, abstracted from any particular attribute. When I then pronounce G‑d's name (as Adni), you should respond "Blessed be His name."

This is the mystical explanation of why after the first words of blessings ("Blessed are You, O G‑d"), those hearing the blessing respond baruch Hu uvaruch shemo — "Blessed be He and blessed be His name."

Thus we see that G‑d's name possesses both a hidden and revealed dimension.

If you then ask, but why does G‑d's name itself need to have a hidden and revealed dimension? Would not the hidden dimension [i.e., the name Havayah] be enough, seeing that it is the main and essential name of G‑d?

To answer this question, Moses continues, "The Rock, perfect are His deeds, for all His ways are just." "The Rock" refers to the name Adni, which in turn refers to G‑d's attribute of stern justice. As is known, the name Havayah refers to the Divine attribute of mercy, while the name Adni, when spelled backwards [rearranged], spells "judgment" [in Aramaic, dina]. The attribute of justice is necessary in order to reward the righteous and punish the wicked. G‑d wanted to create man with two inclinations—the good inclination and the evil inclination; this is why He is called "perfect," for both inclinations contribute to the service of G‑d—yes, even the evil inclination. As our Sages explained the verse, "And you shall love G‑d, your G‑d, with all your heart…" — with both your inclinations: the good inclination and the evil inclination. (Berachot 54a)

The "evil inclination" motivates man to engage in activities that emphasize and aggrandize his material side, at the expense of his spiritual side. If the individual can harness this inclination and use it to see to the needs of those physical aspects of his life necessary for his continued and increasingly enhanced service of G‑d, he is loving G‑d with both his inclinations.

This is how the sage answered the heretic [who mocked the commandment of circumcision, saying that if G‑d wanted man circumcised he would have created him thus. The sage answered: just as beans need to be cooked [in order to be eaten, so does man need additional perfection even after he has been born the way G‑d created him]. (Bereishit Rabba 11:6) Similarly, G‑d desired that man should rectify the evil within him by his own efforts, and in this way be perfected [by his own efforts].

"Musical Works by Moses" is the next installment of the series.

Translated and adapted by Moshe-Yaakov Wisnefsky from Likutei Torah; subsequently published in "Apples From the Orchard."

Reprinted with permission from Chabad of California. Copyright 2004 by Chabad of California, Inc. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any form, without permission, in writing, from Chabad of California, Inc.