הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וַאֲדַבֵּרָה וְתִשְׁמַע הָאֶרֶץ אִמְרֵי פִי יַעֲרֹף כַּמָּטָר לִקְחִי תִּאֵל כַּטַל אִמְרָתִי בִּשְׂעִירָם עֲלֵי דֶשֶׁא וְכִרְבִיבִים עֲלֵי עֵשֶׂב: כִּי שֵׁם ה' אֶקְרָא הָבָוּ גְדֶל לֵאלֹקֵינוּ:
"Give ear, O heavens, and I will speak; and let the earth hear the words of my mouth. May my teaching drop as the rain, my speech distill as the dew, as the light rain upon the tender grass, and as the showers upon the herb. For I will proclaim the name of the Lord; ascribe greatness unto Hashem."
The basic human advantage over all other creations is the ability of speech. As Rabbi Azaria Figo notes in his classic work Binah Le'Itim (Drush 66), human speech is an elevated gift that demands explicit gratitude.
In the Sefer Avraham Anochi, Rabbi Avraham Palacci (son of the renowned Chida's contemporary, Rabbi Chaim Palacci) applies this insight to re-examine several verses from Tehillim and the Torah, revealing that King David was not merely praising Hashem with his voice, but praising Hashem for his voice: With this insight he interprets many psukim on this topic:
אוֹדֶה ה' מְאֹד בְּפִי וּבְּתוֹךְ רַבִּים אֲהַלְלֶנּוּ. (תהלים קט ל)
"I will thank Hashem greatly with my mouth, and among the multitude I will praise Him" (Tehillim 109:30): Meaning: "I thank You greatly, Hashem, for my mouth—for giving me the power to speak. Therefore, I will use this very gift to praise You among the masses."
תְּהִלַת ה' יְדַבֶּר פִּי וִיבָרֵךְ כָּל בָּשָׂר שֵׁם קָדְשׁוֹ לְעוֹלָם וְעֶד: (תהלים קמ"ה כא)
"My mouth shall speak the praise of Hashem, and all flesh shall bless His Holy Name forever and ever" (Tehillim 145:21): Meaning: "My praise to Hashem is that my mouth can speak. Because of this gift, all creation ought to bless His Holy Name."
ה' שְׁפָתַי תִּפְתָּח וּפִי יַגִיד תְּהִלָתֶךָ: (תהלים נא יז)
"Hashem, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise" (Tehillim 51:17): Meaning: "You opened my lips so that I can speak; therefore, my very ability to speak will tell Your praise."
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" (Devarim 32:1): Meaning: Moshe proclaims: "Listen, O heavens, to the fact that I am able to speak. I will make it known across the entire earth so that all creation praises Hashem for bestowing the gift of speech upon mankind."
In addition to thanking Hashem for the giving of speech itself, we must also recognize that being allowed to praise the Infinite Creator is also an act of divine favor. The Gemarra (Berachos 33b) relates that a Chazan, a prayer leader once rattled off an endless list of the Greatness of Hashem before Rabbi Chanina: "הָקֵל הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא וְהָאַדִּיר וְהָעִזוּז וְהַיָּרְאוּי, הֶחָזָק וְהָאַמִּיץ וְהַוּדַּאי וְהַנִּכְבָּד", "The great, mighty, awesome, powerful, strong, fearless, and glorious Hashem..."
Rabbi Chanina stopped him, asking: "Have you finished all the praises of your Master? Were it not for Moshe who composed the standard three praises הָקֵל הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר and the Men of the Great Assembly who codified them into the Shemone Esrei, we would not be permitted to utter even those! How dare you try to summarize the greatness of the Infinite?" Reciting a prayer of praise does not enhance Hashem's honor.
Human words can never fully capture Hashem's infinite nature. Therefore, prayer requires specific divine permission and boundaries. Expressing gratitude "הוֹדָאָה" however, is boundless—we are encouraged to thank Him infinitely. But, we must follow the direction of our sages and rely on them how to express our gratitude.
The Modim DeRabanan Prayer:
The previous insight sheds light on two key texts (as explained in Sefer Kaf HaKohen by Rabbi Avraham Yitzchaki, Livorno, 1865): We pray: "Al she'anachnu modim lach, Baruch Kel HaHoda'ot" ("For the fact that we thank You, blessed is the Hashem of thanksgivings"). The Insight is that: We bless Hashem for the very privilege He granted us to express our gratitude to Him.
כִּי שֵׁם ה' אֶקְרָא הָבָוּ גְדֶל לֵאלֹקֵינוּ
"When I call out the Name of Hashem, ascribe greatness to our Hashem" (Devarim 32:3): The Insight: The fact that "I can call out the Name of Hashem" and offer Him praise is itself a supreme kindness. Therefore, "ascribe greatness to our Hashem" simply for giving us the capacity and permission to praise Him.
We can add to the Psukim: Moshe compares his teaching to rain מְטָר and dew טַל. Rain and dew do not force growth through violence; they soften the soil, allowing seeds to germinate organically. Spiritual guidance structured with gentle words enters the human heart just as dew quietly revitalizes the grass.
Before offering guidance to others, one must anchor themselves in the verse: "For I will proclaim the name of the Lord." The motivation must be entirely l'shem Shamayim—for the sake of Heaven, rooted in personal sincerity and practice. Only then can one fulfill the subsequent call: הָבָוּ גְדֶל לֵאלֹקֵינוּ "Ascribe greatness unto Hashem." (Yehuda Z. Klitnick)