What is the difference between 'Ha'azanah' and 'Shemi'ah'?
Da'as Zekenim, Hadar Zekenim #1, Rosh and Targum Yonasan: 'Ha'azanah' applies to someone who is close, and 'Shemi'ah' to one who is far away.
Hadar Zekenim: They are one and the same - only Moshe switched from one to the other as a matter of style.
What should the heaven and the earth pay attention and listen to?
Rashi: They should pay attention to the fact that Hashem was warning Yisrael that they would be witnesses.
Ramban: With reference to 31:1:2:3: They should pay attention to the conditions that Hashem is making with Yisrael and how it affects them.
What is the significance of the fact that Moshe called upon heaven and earth to act as witnesses?
Rashi #1: Because, should Yisrael argue that they did not accept the covenant that Hashem made with them, and he, being human, would no longer be in the world to rebuff their claims, heaven and earth, which exist forever will be able to do so.
Rashi #2 and Rashbam: Because heaven and earth are able to give Yisrael reward if they merit it 1 and punishment should they deserve it. 2
Ramban #1 (citing the Ibn Ezra): "Heaven" refers to the inhabitants of the heaven (the angels) and "ha'Aretz" to the inhabitants of the earth (the people).
Ramban #2 (according to Kabalah) 4 : It is referring to the Heaven and the earth of the creation. 5
Rosh: Because a. Yisrael sinned through them (they bowed to the stars
Rashi: See Zecharyah, 8:12.
As the Torah states in 'Vehayah Im Shamo'a' - Eikev Devarim, 11.
See also Torah Temimah, note 5
See R. Chavel's footnotes.
Ramban: And it is in this connection that the Torah writes in Pasuk 2 "Ya'arof ka'Matar Likchi" - with regard to the written Torah (from the Heaven); "Tizal ka'Tal Imrasi" - with regard to oral Torah (from the earth); and in Pasuk 3 "Ki Shem Hashem Ekra" - with regard to the Heaven; "Havu Godel l'Eilokeinu" - with regard to the earth.
Refer to 31:1:4:2**.
See Torah Temimah, note #3.
See Torh Temimah, note #4.
See Torah Temimah, note #7.
What are the connotations of "ha'Shamayim" and "ha'Aretz"?
Rashi: See prwvious answer #1 & #3.
Ramban: See preevious answer #4.
Oznayim la'Torah: It refers to the higher and lower level of Yisrael, respectively - which explains why the Torah writes a Lashon of 'Dibur' (a tough Lashom) by the former, and 'Airah' (a soft Lashon) by the latter. By the same token, it also hints that if the leaders come to listen to words of Musar, then the people will follow suite.
Why did Yeshayah (in 1:2) reverse the order of Moshe and exclaim "Shim'u Shamayim Veha'azini Eretz!"?
Targum Yonasan, Sifri, Da'as Zekenim #1, Hadar Zekenim #1 and Rosh #1: Refer to 32:1:1:1. Yeshayah, who was closer to the earth than to the heaven, ascribed Ha'azanah to the earth and Shemi'ah to the heaven, whereas Moshe called out as the Torah states here because he was closer to the heaven. 1
Rashi (in Yeshayah 1:2), Da'as Zekenim #2, and Rosh #2: Because the testimony of witnesses is valid only if they match. Consequently, after Moshe called to Heaven with Ha'azanah and to the earth with Shemi'ah - which do not match, 2 Yeshayah called each one with the other expression, so now they now matched. 3
Hadar Zekenim: Yeshayah switched the expressions to show that they are one and the same.
Hadar Zekenim: Because that is where Hashem's honor is.
Da'as Zekenim and Hadar Zekenim: Both Moshe and Yeshayah called to Heaven in the plural, and to the land in the singular. To teach us that the celestial hosts are more numerous than those on earth. Perhaps that is why the word 'Shamayim' is in the plural.
See Torah Temimah, note 1, citing the Sifri, which gives both answer #1 and answeer #2, and Torah Temmimah, note 1, who equates them.
Why does the Torah not say who sang this Shirah, as it does by all other Shiros?
Hadar Zekenim and Riva (both citing R. Baruch), and Rosh: Because they contain harsh rebukes of Yisrael. 1
Because nobody actually sang it. It is aa Shirah that Yisrael will sing to remind them of what would happen if they forsook the Torah..
However, the initial letters of the first Pesukim hint at Moshe: The 'Hey', 'Yud', 'Chaf' and 'Hey' of Ha'azinu, Ya'arof, Ki and ha'Tzur add-up to the Gematriya of forty, like 'Mem', and the next two Pesukim begin with 'Shin' (Shiches) and 'Hey' (Ha la'Shem) - which spell 'Moshe'.
