Feeling Far From Hashem? The Netivot Shalom’s Message in Ha’azinu

Parashat Ha’azinu opens with the words: “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; let the earth hear the words of my mouth.”

The Netivot Shalom offers a surprising interpretation of this verse, explaining that it speaks to the different spiritual states a Jew experiences throughout life.

There are times when a person is like “heaven,” experiencing a state of expanded awareness in which Hashem illuminates the mind and heart. The world seems filled with light, and they recognize the Creator in everything: the One who creates and guides all beings, who alone did, does, and will do every deed. In these moments, a person can feel Hashem’s presence with their entire being.

But there are also times when a person feels like “earth,” closed off and confined. The mind feels blocked, the heart feels shut, and it can seem impossible to break free. Even during spiritually elevated moments, when everyone around them appears inspired and uplifted, they may feel as though “He has made me dwell in darkness,” and cry out to Hashem, “Bring my soul out of confinement.”

Hashem Speaks to Us in Every Spiritual State

This, the Netivot Shalom explains, is the deeper meaning of the verse: “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; let the earth hear the words of my mouth.”

When a person is at a spiritual high, like “heaven,” Hashem is speaking to them. But even in the lowest moments, when they feel like “earth,” Hashem is still speaking to them.

The following verse continues: “May my teaching drip like rain; may my words flow like dew.”

There are times when we experience Hashem’s word powerfully, like rain pouring down with force. At other times, His presence may be much more subtle, like dew.

But Hashem is always with a Jew and always speaking to them.

During the elevated moments of “Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak,” a person may clearly hear and feel Hashem’s presence. But during the low moments of “earth,” when they feel nothing and may even imagine, Heaven forbid, that they have become completely disconnected, they must believe that Hashem remains with them.

“Let the earth hear the words of my mouth.” Even there, Hashem is speaking.

The “Heaven” Hashem Gives Us

The Netivot Shalom explains that Hashem gives a Jew special moments that are like “heaven” in order to help them draw closer to Him.

Shabbat, for example, is like heaven. Once every seven days, Hashem gives a Jew a special revelation of Godliness, a reminder that He is with them. On this holy day, a person can return to their spiritual root and become renewed like a new creation.

Three times a year, Hashem gives us the festivals, when the Jewish people would make pilgrimage and come before Him. The High Holy Days, too, sanctify and elevate the Jewish people.

These are moments when it can be easier to hear Hashem’s voice and recognize His presence.

But life also contains days that feel like “earth”: gray days with little inspiration or sense of purpose, when a person struggles to understand where they belong or what they are supposed to be doing.

The Netivot Shalom teaches that Hashem has a message for us during those days too.

There is no difference in Hashem’s presence between a time of revelation and a time when we see and feel nothing at all. Hashem continues to watch over a Jew and never abandons them. Even in darkness, when a person cannot perceive any revelation of Godliness, they must believe that Hashem remains with them.

Sometimes Rain, Sometimes Dew

In this spirit, the Netivot Shalom further explains the continuation of the verse: “May my teaching drip like rain; may my words flow like dew.”

Sometimes Hashem’s message reaches a person through difficult experiences, forcefully, like rain. At other times, it comes gently and subtly, like dew.

The verse continues: “Like storm winds upon vegetation and like showers upon grass.”

At times, Hashem’s word arrives like a storm. At other times, it comes like a gentle shower falling upon the grass.

Life does not always feel illuminated. There are times of clarity and times of confusion, moments of spiritual elevation and periods when Hashem seems hidden. But the message of the Netivot Shalom is that His presence does not depend on whether we can feel it.

Through the power of emunah, believing that a Jew is always connected to Hashem and that Hashem continues to speak to them in every situation, a person can eventually learn to hear His voice even within the darkness.

Whether we find ourselves in “heaven” or on “earth,” in pouring rain or gentle dew, Hashem is always with us.