Ha'azinu and the high holidays ~ Eagles, renewal and flight

(11) As an eagle that stirs up her nest, hovers over her young, spreads her wings, takes them, bears them on her pinions — (12) Ad-nai alone lead this people, and there was no strange god with Him.

(2) Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters.

(4) You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself.

And how I bore you on eagles' wings - a novel way, that no one had gone through before, just like the eagle that takes care of its young in the height of the sky, where there is no other type of bird, and this is to distinguish you from all the other peoples and their pursuits, to be for Me.

“Like an eagle arousing its nest;” [The text] compares [God’s] honor (kavod) to the eagle. Just as the eagle is the king of the birds, honor is perceived as the “king” of all dispersed minds, hinted in “and from there they dispersed” (Genesis 2:10). Just as the eagle takes its young, carrying them on top of its wings, guiding them to various places, so God “alone, guides them”, that is, the Jewish people, God did not employ the help or assistance of any other deity. We have a similar verse (Psalms 73:25) “Whom else do I have in heaven except You?” We rely neither on angels nor any other celestial forces but only on God directly. The text goes on saying: “having You I want no one on earth.” Furthermore, elaborating on the comparison with the eagle, “just as the eagle renews itself from time to time, so Israel does renew itself from time to time.” And just “eagles grow new plumes” (Isaiah 40:31) and “that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Ps 103:5) so too honor renews itself when the Flow comes to it from Above, after it was stopped up due to the sins of Israel.

(1) Give ear, oh heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. (2) My doctrine shall drop as the rain, My speech shall distill as the dew; as the small rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb.

(13) He set him atop the highlands, To feast on the yield of the earth; God fed him honey from the crag, And oil from the flinty rock, (14) Curd of kine and milk of flocks; With the best of lambs, And rams of Bashan, and he-goats; With the very finest wheat— And foaming grape-blood was your drink.

(15) So Jeshurun grew fat and kicked— You grew fat and gross and coarse— he forsook the God who made him And spurned the Rock of his support. (16) They incensed God with alien things, vexed God with abominations. (17) They sacrificed to demons, no-gods, Gods they had never known, New ones, who came but lately, Who stirred not your fathers’ fears. (18) You neglected the Rock that begot you, Forgot the God who brought you forth.

(7) He was accustomed to say: The more flesh, the more worms. The more possessions, the more worry. The more wives, the more witchcraft. The more maidservants, the more lewdness. The more man-servants, the more theft. The more Torah, the more life. The more sitting [and studying], the more wisdom. The more counsel, the more understanding. The more charity, the more peace. One who has acquired a good name has acquired for himself. One who has acquired words of Torah has acquired for himself the life of the World to Come.

(1) To have mercy upon all of the creatures: He must also have his mercy extend to all the creatures. He [should] not disgrace them nor destroy them. As behold, the Highest Wisdom is spread over all the creatures - the inanimate, the growing (plants), the living (animals) and the speaking (people). And we are warned about disgracing food for this reason. And about this thing it is fitting that [just] like the Highest Wisdom does not disgrace anything in existence and everything was made from There, as it is written, "You made all of them with wisdom" - so [too, should] the mercy of a person be over all of His creations, may He be blessed. And for this reason was the holy Rebbe punished: Since he did not pity the young calf that was hiding with him and said to it, "Go, you were created for this," afflictions came upon him (Bava Metzia 85a). As they were from the side of judgement; since behold, mercy protects from judgement. And when he had mercy on a weasel and said, "It is written (Psalms 145:9), 'and His mercies are over all of His creatures,'" he was saved from the judgement - since the light of Wisdom was spread over him and the afflictions withdrew. And upon this way, he [should] not disgrace anything in existence from that which exists, as all of them are with Wisdom. And [so] he [should] not uproot a plant except for a need nor kill an animal except for a need. And [then] he [should] chose a nice death, with a checked knife, to have mercy in as much as is possible.

(2) This is the general rule: Compassion upon all things in existence - not to injure them - is [rooted] in Wisdom. [This is] unless it is to raise them from [one] level to [another] level - from growing to living; from living to speaking. As then it is permitted to uproot a [plant] and kill an [animal] - to disadvantage [it] in order to benefit [it].