Song, the Language of Redemption
Beshallach
Shmot 13:17-17:16

Miriam Ben-Yaacov

This week is called Shabbat Shira (song). It’s one of my favorite parshaot, and, incidentally, the parsha of my Hebrew birthday.

This parsha, BeShalach, Shmot (Exodus) 13:17-17:16, tells the story of the crossing of the Red Sea. Pharaoh’s army chased the People of Israel and were destroyed. The reason the Shabbat is also called Shira because of the singing of praise for Hashem’s wondrous salvation of Israel from Pharaoh.

Moshe sang this song in victory, leading "Benei Yisrael", the men of Israel, in singing.

I will sing unto the Lrd
For He is highly exalted;
The horse and rider hath He thrown into the sea.
The Lrd is my strength and song,
And He is become my salvation,
This is my Gd, and I will glorify Him;
My father’s Gd, and I will exalt Him.
The Lrd is a man of war,
The Lrd is his Name.
Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea,
And his chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea.
The deeps cover them--
They went down into the depths like a stone.
Thy right hand, O Lrd, glorious in power,
Thy right hand, O Lrd, dasheth in pieces the enemy....

After the text of the song we are told (verses 20-21) that Miriam the prophetess took a timbrel in her hand and led the women in dancing. Interestingly, we see that the men sang, while the women not only sang, but played instruments and danced. The women participated with their hands in playing the instruments and their feet in dancing. Hands are associated with the sephira Keter (crown), drawing down healing into the world from that highest place in heaven; feet are associated with the sephira Malchut (kingship). So the playing of musical instruments with hands, or clapping hands, in praise to Gd has great power, as does dancing in praise.

This month, Shvat, is the month associated with the Tribe of Asher. The woman most known of that tribe is Serach Bat Asher. When the brothers returned to their father, Yaakov, from Egypt with news that Yosef was alive, they asked Serach to gently sing the news to him with her harp. (Again, there was song and the use of her hands in instrumental music, drawing healing for heart-sick Yaakov.)

Yosef still lives; He’s a ruler in Egypt.

For this deed, the Midrash tells us that she lived a very long time and never died, but went into Gan Eden alive. She brought Yaakov back to life, in that she restored his soul with the news of Yosef’s being alive.

Song is communication on a higher level than speech; melody is powerfully spiritual. Serach brought the life-restoring news through song (shira). The midwives Shifra and Puah (Yocheved and Miriam) sang to the newborn babies of Israel--babies that Pharaoh had commanded them to kill at birth. And in this parsha we see the women singing with instruments and dancing, praising Gd’s victory over their enemy. In the haphtorah, Shoftim (Judges) 4:4-5:31, we see the theme continued with the prophetess Devorah. Her prophecy after the battle is given in song, re-telling the story, but also exhorting the Tribes. Song is the language of Redemption.

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