Ha'azinu: Zemer of the Week - The Ramaz School
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Archived: 2026-04-23 17:16
Ha'azinu: Zemer of the Week - The Ramaz School
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Ha'azinu: Zemer of the Week
The
zemer
for this week: צור משלו
The structure and sequence of this
zemer
matches that of the first three paragraphs of
Birchat Hamazon
. (Artscroll
Zemiros
cites the Siach Yitzchak and others who say that the fourth stanza of the
zemer
refers to the cup of wine over which we say
Birchat Hamazon
, rather than to the fourth paragraph of Birchat Hamazon, which was instituted by the Sages after the time of the
Tanaim
.) Because of that, the
zemer
might have been written in the early Tannaitic period, making it one of our oldest
zemirot
.
Central elements of this
parsha
include
Shirat Ha’azinu
and Hashem’s telling Moshe to climb
Har Neh’vo
to view
Eretz Yisrael
.
Some of the
zemer
’s connections to the
parsha
:
1st line of 2nd stanza: “ב
שיר
וקול תודה נברך אלוקינו” (“With
song
and sound of thanksgiving let us bless our G-d”), and 2nd line of 4th stanza: “נשיר
שיר
חדש וברננה נעלה” (“We will sing a new
song
, and ascend with joyous singing”) –
Shirat
Ha’azinu
makes up nearly the entire
parsha
.
In addition, in years when
Ha’azinu
is read after Yom Kippur (i.e., when it is not
Shabbat Shuva
), the centerpiece of its
Haftarah
is
Shirat
David
.
First word of title and of chorus: “צור” (“The Rock”), and first line of 3rd stanza: “צורנו” (“Our Rock”) – Moshe refers to Hashem as “צור” five times in
Shirat Ha’azinu
(Devarim 32:4, 15, 18, 30, 31).
Moshe also contrasts Hashem to the false “צור’s” of the other nations of the world (Devarim 32:37).
2nd line of 1st paragraph: “אכלנו את לחמו ויינו שתינו” (“We have eaten His bread and have drunk His wine”) – Moshe describes the culinary delights that await us, including grapes and wine (Devarim 32:14).
He also contrasts that wine with the wine of S’dom (Devarim 32:32) and with the wine that accompanies the sacrifices brought by other nations (Devarim 32:38).
2nd line of 2nd stanza: “על ארץ חמדה טובה שהנחיל לאבותינו” (“For the land – desirable and good – that He gave as a heritage to our forefathers”) – The
parsha
ends with Hashem’s command to Moshe to go to
Har Neh’vo
to see
Eretz Yisrael
before he passes away (Devarim 32:49).
In
Shirat Ha’azinu
, Moshe also describes Hashem’s setting the boundaries of
Eretz Yisrael
(Devarim 32:8) and how Hashem will appease
Eretz Yisrael
(Devarim 32:43).
Regarding “our forefathers,” Rashi says that the “rope” in Devarim 32:9 refers to the three-stranded rope created by intertwining the merits of our 3
avot
.
1st line of 4th stanza: “עיר ציון תמלא” (“May the City of Zion be filled”), and 2nd line of 3rd stanza: “ציון משכן כבודך” (“Zion, the resting place of your Glory”) – Even more specifically within
Eretz Yisrael
, Rashi says that “mountains” (in Devarim 32:22) refers to Yerushalayim because “ירושלים הרים סביב לה” (“Yerushalayim is surrounded by mountains” – Tehillim 125:2).
Skip To Main Content
my
Login
Ha'azinu: Zemer of the Week
The
zemer
for this week: צור משלו
The structure and sequence of this
zemer
matches that of the first three paragraphs of
Birchat Hamazon
. (Artscroll
Zemiros
cites the Siach Yitzchak and others who say that the fourth stanza of the
zemer
refers to the cup of wine over which we say
Birchat Hamazon
, rather than to the fourth paragraph of Birchat Hamazon, which was instituted by the Sages after the time of the
Tanaim
.) Because of that, the
zemer
might have been written in the early Tannaitic period, making it one of our oldest
zemirot
.
Central elements of this
parsha
include
Shirat Ha’azinu
and Hashem’s telling Moshe to climb
Har Neh’vo
to view
Eretz Yisrael
.
Some of the
zemer
’s connections to the
parsha
:
1st line of 2nd stanza: “ב
שיר
וקול תודה נברך אלוקינו” (“With
song
and sound of thanksgiving let us bless our G-d”), and 2nd line of 4th stanza: “נשיר
שיר
חדש וברננה נעלה” (“We will sing a new
song
, and ascend with joyous singing”) –
Shirat
Ha’azinu
makes up nearly the entire
parsha
.
In addition, in years when
Ha’azinu
is read after Yom Kippur (i.e., when it is not
Shabbat Shuva
), the centerpiece of its
Haftarah
is
Shirat
David
.
First word of title and of chorus: “צור” (“The Rock”), and first line of 3rd stanza: “צורנו” (“Our Rock”) – Moshe refers to Hashem as “צור” five times in
Shirat Ha’azinu
(Devarim 32:4, 15, 18, 30, 31).
Moshe also contrasts Hashem to the false “צור’s” of the other nations of the world (Devarim 32:37).
2nd line of 1st paragraph: “אכלנו את לחמו ויינו שתינו” (“We have eaten His bread and have drunk His wine”) – Moshe describes the culinary delights that await us, including grapes and wine (Devarim 32:14).
He also contrasts that wine with the wine of S’dom (Devarim 32:32) and with the wine that accompanies the sacrifices brought by other nations (Devarim 32:38).
2nd line of 2nd stanza: “על ארץ חמדה טובה שהנחיל לאבותינו” (“For the land – desirable and good – that He gave as a heritage to our forefathers”) – The
parsha
ends with Hashem’s command to Moshe to go to
Har Neh’vo
to see
Eretz Yisrael
before he passes away (Devarim 32:49).
In
Shirat Ha’azinu
, Moshe also describes Hashem’s setting the boundaries of
Eretz Yisrael
(Devarim 32:8) and how Hashem will appease
Eretz Yisrael
(Devarim 32:43).
Regarding “our forefathers,” Rashi says that the “rope” in Devarim 32:9 refers to the three-stranded rope created by intertwining the merits of our 3
avot
.
1st line of 4th stanza: “עיר ציון תמלא” (“May the City of Zion be filled”), and 2nd line of 3rd stanza: “ציון משכן כבודך” (“Zion, the resting place of your Glory”) – Even more specifically within
Eretz Yisrael
, Rashi says that “mountains” (in Devarim 32:22) refers to Yerushalayim because “ירושלים הרים סביב לה” (“Yerushalayim is surrounded by mountains” – Tehillim 125:2).