Комментарий к Дварим 32:7

זכר ימות עולם REMEMBER THE DAYS OF OLD — what He did to previous generations who provoked Him to anger,

ASK THY FATHER — “this alludes to those who understand [the events of former days], and so thine elders [and they will tell thee — for they too, understand the past]. The purport thereof is, as he stated, which the Eternal thy G-d hath allotted them etc.,³⁷Above, 4:19. since for each portion below, [i.e., each nation on earth] there is a [counterpart] portion on high. And the meaning of the expression [He set the borders of the peoples] according to the number of the children of Israel³⁸Verse 8. is that the image of Jacob is inscribed in the Throne of Glory, this being a great secret. And the proof for this is For the portion of the Eternal is His people,³⁹Verse 9. this being a great distinction which He hath not dealt so with any nation.⁴⁰Psalms 147:20. Therefore, he said, Do ye thus requite the Eternal, O foolish people and unwise?⁴¹Verse 6. — a people that has fallen from its distinction because of its foolishness. And the meaning of the expression thy Father that hath gotten thee⁴¹Verse 6. is, that He created you for His honor and taught you, as he explains, as a father does for his son.” Thus far is the language of Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra. The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious.⁴²Ecclesiastes 10:12. Ramban thus gives his approbation to Ibn Ezra’s words.
If so, the meaning of Remember the days of old⁴³In Verse 7 before us. is that they apply their hearts to remember the six days of Creation, the good He did them at the time of the formation [of the nations], as he goes on to say When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance etc.³⁸Verse 8. Consider the years of many generations⁴³In Verse 7 before us. — that they contemplate in order to know what was done for them during the generations since the Divine Presence dwelled among them, as he proceeds to tell: He found him in a desert land etc.⁴⁴Verse 10.
Now, Rashi commented: “He found him in a desert land.⁴⁴Verse 10. He found them [the people of Israel] to be faithful to Him in the desert land when they accepted upon themselves His Torah, His Sovereignty, and His yoke — something that the children of Esau and Ishmael did not do. And in the waste, a howling wilderness⁴⁴Verse 10. — a land of drought and desolation, a place of the jackals’ and ostriches’ cry. Even there they continued their faith [in Him] and did not say to Moses, ‘How can we go out into the wilderness?’” But this is not the purport of the chapter, for Scripture [here] reproves Israel, mentioning the favors which G-d did for them — and they requited them [the favors] with evil instead of good.

זכור ימות עולם, After concluding the introductory section of his poem, during the course of which he announced that it was his purpose to proclaim the perfect righteousness of the Lord G’d, Who has proven a loyal G’d showering goodness upon the people of Israel, and Who would not reverse a blessing once bestowed, Moses begins to discuss Israel’s past and future.
First, Moses reminds the people that G’d had originally hoped to bestow a brilliant future for all of mankind, i.e. ימות עולם, He had hoped that history would develop in that direction. When this failed to happen, שנות דור ודור, during the years of one generation after another, G’d decided on His pilot project the Jewish people and He raised them to an elevated position among the nations. This is basically what He will do at the end of “history,” [history is perceived as a period of education for the people filling or making a brief appearance on the stage of history. Ed.]
Second, G’d had provided the people with optimum conditions to serve Him joyfully while they enjoyed all the material advantages that life on earth has to offer. He gave them a beautiful country, one flowing with milk and honey, to do this in. Instead, they rebelled and repaid good with evil. There can be no question that the people responsible for frustrating G’d’s master plan deserve to be severely punished for this.
Third, due to the serious nature of their sin they deserve to be wiped out completely. If it were not for the desecration of the Lord’s name that would be a by-product of the destruction of His chosen people, nothing would have prevented G’d from administering this punishment.
Fourth, Moses reveals the reason why the redemption of the Jewish people will occur at the end of what we call “history,’ באחרית היים.
Fifth, Moses elaborates somewhat on the nature of this redemption and the retribution G’d will wreak at that time on the other nations of the world. The nations will primarily be punished for what they did to the Jewish people throughout history. These then are the five sections into which the portion of Haazinu is divided, our sages having given us an easy way of reminding ourselves of this division by calling the portion הזי'ו ל'ך. (Rosh Hashanah 31) Moses therefore commences with the words: זכור ימות עולם, “study history and thereby learn to recognise how much G’d had endeavoured to shower good upon you, starting already with first man whom He transferred to Gan Eden, the most exclusive environment on earth.