Who Influences Whom? Rashi reflects on parashat Ha’azinu

Parashat Ha’azinu is, at first glance, a relatively short section of the Torah in terms of verses. Yet it is one of the densest in commentary, particularly in Rashi, who unusually writes at length here. What makes this parashah stand out is that Rashi presents two entirely different interpretive approaches—each painting a different picture of who is being addressed and what the consequences will be. Rabbi Paul Bloom explains.

Rashi’s First Approach: A Warning to Israel

The first interpretation is straightforward and expected. Moshe, continuing from the dire warnings in Ki Tavo, speaks once more to the Jewish people (Devarim 32:1):

הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וַאֲדַבֵּרָה וְתִשְׁמַע הָאָרֶץ אִמְרֵי־פִי 

“Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth”.

The heavens and earth are called as eternal witnesses to Israel’s covenant. The song of Ha’azinu then sets out the history of Israel in advance: the covenant, the failings, the punishments, and the promise of ultimate redemption. Later verses spell out the cycle (Devarim 32:15):

וַיִּטֹּשׁ אֱלוֹהַּ עָשָׂהוּ וַיְנַבֵּל צוּר יְשׁוּעָתו

 “He forsook the God Who made him, and spurned the Rock of his salvation”.

This is followed by the bitter consequence (at 32:20):

 וַיֹּאמֶר אַסְתִּירָה פָנַי מֵהֶם אֶרְאֶה מָה אַחֲרִיתָם

“And He said: I will hide My face from them; I will see what their end will be”.

But the song does not end with despair. It closes with the vision of Israel’s vindication and return (at 32:36):

כִּי־יָדִין ה' עַמּוֹ וְעַל־עֲבָדָיו יִתְנֶחָם 

“For the Lord will judge His people, and relent toward His servants”.

Rashi reads this entire arc as a prophecy of Israel’s national destiny—an unflinching look at exile, suffering, and eventual restoration.

Rashi’s Second Approach: A Message to the Nations

Then, Rashi does something remarkable. He begins anew, re-quoting verses and suggesting an entirely different peshat. The song does not speak only to Israel—it speaks to the nations of the world. Take for example Devarim 32:28:

כִּי־גוֹי אֹבַד עֵצוֹת הֵמָּה וְאֵין בָּהֶם תְּבוּנָה

“For they are a nation void of counsel, and there is no understanding in them”.

Rashi reads this not as a description of Israel but of the nations. History, with its cycles of conflict and collapse, is laid out in the song.

Why do the nations suffer? Rashi offers two explanations:

1. Retribution – because they oppressed the Jewish people and scorned God’s word.
   
   
2. The Nature of the World – simply the way human history unfolds, full of conflict and tragedy.

Either way, the nations’ fate becomes part of Israel’s education: by watching the futility of the world’s power struggles, Israel learns to return to God. And yet, both interpretations converge in the end *(at 32:43):

הַרְנִינוּ גוֹיִם עַמּוֹ כִּי דַם־עֲבָדָיו יִקּוֹם וְנָקָם יָשִׁיב לְצָרָיו וְכִפֶּר אַדְמָתוֹ עַמּוֹ

 “Sing aloud, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will render vengeance to His adversaries, and will atone for His land and His people”.

Here the nations are explicitly included in Israel’s redemption. The restoration of the Jewish people becomes the restoration of the world itself.

A Treasure for the World

The Torah, at Shemot 19:5, calls Israel a segulah mikol ha’amim:

וִהְיִיתֶם לִי סְגֻלָּה מִכָּל הָעַמִּים

 “And you shall be to Me a treasured people from among all nations”

Usually, we understand this to mean that Israel is God’s treasure, distinct from the other nations. Yet some commentaries suggest a powerful alternative: Israel is a treasure for the nations—all peoples benefit from its presence and mission. Indeed, history shows that wherever Jews have been allowed to flourish, they have contributed immeasurably to society—in medicine, science, culture, and ethics. But when hatred blinds nations, they cut themselves off from that blessing.

One striking example came after the Six-Day War, when Israel discovered a Jordanian warehouse containing 50,000 doses of the Salk polio vaccine. America had sent them to save Jordanian children during an outbreak. But because the vaccine was developed by Jonas Salk, a Jew, the Jordanians refused to use it. Better their children risk paralysis than benefit from “Zionist science.” Hatred triumphed over reason, and tragedy followed.

Who Influences Whom?

This leads to the age-old question: who influences whom? The Jewish people are tasked to uplift the world, but often find themselves absorbing the world’s worst traits instead. The Torah repeatedly warns (at Vayikra 18:3, 27):

וּבְחֻקֹּתֵיהֶם לֹא תֵלֵכוּ… כִּי אֶת כָּל הַתּוֹעֵבֹת הָאֵל עָשׂוּ אַנְשֵׁי הָאָרֶץ

“You shall not walk in their statutes… for all these abominations the people of the land have done”.

When Israel imitates instead of inspires, both suffer. This dilemma echoes in modern education. When deeply religious children are integrated into secular classrooms, they often absorb the profanity and moral laxity around them, while their peers gain little of the refinement of Jewish learning. The weaker influence drags down the stronger.

Moshe’s song, then, is not only history foretold but also a challenge posed: Will Israel shape the world, or will the world shape Israel?

Conclusion

Rashi’s two readings of Ha’azinu remind us of the dual stage of Jewish destiny: inwardly, the covenant with Israel; outwardly, the Jewish mission to humanity. Whether the song speaks to us or to the nations, its end is the same: Israel’s return to God and the blessing of the entire world.

Moshe’s timeless words ask us to reflect: are we the influencers, or the influenced? The answer to that question shapes not only our destiny but that of all humankind.