It is commonly said that the last of the 613 mitzvot appears in parashat VaYelekh, and that there are no mitzvot in parashat Ha’azinu. Rather, Ha’azinu presents a summary of Israel’s history from the theophany at Sinai, and a prophecy of Israel’s future. Thus, for example, although Maimonides basis the prohibition upon “wine of idolatrous libation” upon the verse “Who ate the fat of their offerings And drank their libation wine? (Deuteronomy 32:38), the author of Sefer HaHinukh deviated from his usual policy in this regard, writing: “And in this case, not in accordance with my approach throughout the book, I followed his [Nahmanides] opinion, whereas all the rest follows the opinion of Maimonides of blessed memory” (Sefer HaHinukh, mitzvah 111).

However, in his comments on Maimonides’ book of mitzvot, Nahmanides writes that one of the positive commandments that Maimonides “forgot” was the obligation “to thank God every time we read in the Torah of the great benefit that He bestowed upon us by giving us His Torah, and telling us what conduct He desires of us so that we may achieve life in the world to come” (Hasagot HaRamban LeSefer HaMitzvot). Nahmanides basis this comment upon the verse “For the name of the Lord I proclaim; Give glory to our God!” (Deut. 33:3). Although Sefer HaHinukh adopts the view of Nahmanides in regard to wine of libations, he does not do so in regard to this positive commandment. As a result, while Maimonides and Nahmanides each associate a mitzvah with Ha’azinu, there is no chapter on Ha’azinu in Sefer HaHinukh.

The verse that Nahmanides relies upon is also brought as a proof text for other obligations related to blessings and prayer. Thus, in the Talmudic tractate Berakhot (45a) we find the verse brought in support of the requirement that three people who dine together must invite (zimun) one another to say grace. The idea behind associating this obligation and the verse is clear: “For the name of the Lord I proclaim” is in the singular, while the Hebrew phrase “Give glory” is stated in the plural.

The verse is also brought in support of the obligation to say a blessing before studying Torah: “R. Judah said: Where do we find that the grace after meals is ordained in the Torah? Because it says: And thou shalt eat and be satisfied and bless. Where do we find that a blessing before studying the Torah is ordained in the Torah? Because it says: For the name of the Lord I proclaim; Give glory to our God” (Berakhot 21a).

Similarly, we find in the aggadic compilation Yalkut Shimoni:

“For the name of the Lord I proclaim; Give glory to our God.  R. Yosei says, On what basis do the people standing in the synagogue respond ‘Praised be the Lord who is blessed for all eternity” when they hear ‘Bless the Lord who is to be praised’? We learn this from ‘For the name of the Lord I proclaim; Give glory’. R. Nehorai responded…and why is it that we invite to grace only when there are three? We learn this from ‘For the name of the Lord I proclaim; Give glory…’ And what is the basis for saying amen after a blessing? We learn this from ‘Give glory…’ And on what basis do they say ‘for ever and ever’ after ‘may His great name be blessed’? We learn this from ‘Give glory to our God’” (Yalkut Shimoni, Ha’azinu, 945).

1. Nahmanides and the Hinukh preferred basing the prohibition upon wine of idolatrous libations on the verse “Beware of making a covenant with the inhabitants of the land” (Exodus 34:12), rather than upon the words “And drank their libation wine”. Why?
2. Ba’al HaTurim (R. Jacob ben Asher, Toledo, 1270-1340) noted that the numerological sum of the letters of the two words hashamayim ve-adabera (“heavens let me speak”) following the opening word Ha’azinu (“Listen”) is 613, like the traditional number of mitzvot. Others have noted that there are a total of 613 words in the parasha following the word Ha’azinu. What is the symbolic importance of finding that number specifically in parashat Ha’azinu?