Save "Beshalach ~ Becoming and Building"
Beshalach ~ Becoming and Building

Summary

Shabbat Shirah is named after the Song at the parting of the Red Sea (Shemot 15) and due to the song of Deborah, which we will read as our haftarah. They are long readings, so I will be brief today.

The piece of the song at the sea is one of those very distinct in the sefer Torah - it is described as “a half brick upon a whole brick and a whole brick upon a half brick” (Talmud Megillah 16b). If you look closely, you will see this as one of the earliest examples of what is called concrete poetry - the poetry in which the text format in itself, the general look of the text on the page, brings an extra meaning. You can "see" the children of Israel with the walls on their right and left (Shemot 15:19)

~ The first question is: look at the introduction of what will happen. Can you find the voice of God impelling people to action? What kind of action? Why?

~ The second question is: according to the text, who opens the sea? According to our midrashic tradition, who opens the sea?

(טו) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר ה' אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מַה־תִּצְעַ֖ק אֵלָ֑י דַּבֵּ֥ר אֶל־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְיִסָּֽעוּ׃

(15) And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Why do you cry unto Me? Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward.

~ Why did God respond to the people's 'crying out' and hear them in their suffering in Egypt but now refusing to hear?

A quick Rashi

מה תצעק אלי. לִמְּדָנוּ שֶׁהָיָה מֹשֶׁה עוֹמֵד וּמִתְפַּלֵּל, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּבָּ"ה, לֹא עֵת עַתָּה לְהַאֲרִיךְ בִּתְפִלָּה, שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל נְתוּנִין בְּצָרָה (מכילתא). ...: דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו. אֵין לָהֶם אֶלָּא לִסַּע, שֶׁאֵין הַיָּם עוֹמֵד בִּפְנֵיהֶם, כְּדַאי הוּא זְכוּת אֲבוֹתֵיהֶם וְהָאֱמוּנָה שֶׁהֶאֱמִינוּ בִי וְיָצְאוּ, לִקְרֹעַ לָהֶם הַיָּם (מכילתא):

Why do you cry to Me? — this teaches us that Moses stood in prayer. The Holy One of Blessing said to him: “This is no time to pray at length, when Israel is placed in trouble”. (Mekhilta) ... Speak to the Children of Israel, that they should go forward! — There is nothing for them to do but to go forward, the sea does not stand in their way: their ancestors’ merits and their faith that they placed in Me so that they left Egypt will suffice to divide the sea for them (Mekhilta).

A Nachshon

אמר רבי יהודה בר' אלעאי: כשעמדו ישראל על הים, היו השבטים מדיינים אלה עם אלה, זה אומר: אני יורד תחלה, וזה אומר: אני יורד תחלה. קפץ נחשון לתוך גלי הים וירד ועליו. אמר דוד (שם סט): הושיעני אלהים כי באו מים עד נפש...

Rabbi Yehudah ben Elai said: When Israel was at the sea, the tribes were arguing with each other. One tribe said: 'I will go down first [into the sea]', and the other tribe said 'I will go down first.' Nachshon jumped first into the waves of the sea and went down, as David said, "Deliver me, O God, for the waters have reached my neck."

The inspiration brought by salvation

(יז) תְּבִאֵ֗מוֹ וְתִטָּעֵ֙מוֹ֙ בְּהַ֣ר נַחֲלָֽתְךָ֔ מָכ֧וֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ֛ פָּעַ֖לְתָּ ה' מִקְּדָ֕שׁ אדושם כּוֹנְנ֥וּ יָדֶֽיךָ׃

(17) You will bring them and plant them in Your own mountain, The place You made to dwell in, O LORD, The sanctuary, O LORD, which Your hands established.

The mikdash is but a dream at this moment, but the people are already there, singing. The building - brick by brick is already being done, in the format of the song, in the dream of the singers. There is more song afterwards:

(יט) כִּ֣י בָא֩ ס֨וּס פַּרְעֹ֜ה בְּרִכְבּ֤וֹ וּבְפָרָשָׁיו֙ בַּיָּ֔ם וַיָּ֧שֶׁב ה' עֲלֵהֶ֖ם אֶת־מֵ֣י הַיָּ֑ם וּבְנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל הָלְכ֥וּ בַיַּבָּשָׁ֖ה בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּֽם׃ (פ) (כ) וַתִּקַּח֩ מִרְיָ֨ם הַנְּבִיאָ֜ה אֲח֧וֹת אַהֲרֹ֛ן אֶת־הַתֹּ֖ף בְּיָדָ֑הּ וַתֵּצֶ֤אןָ כָֽל־הַנָּשִׁים֙ אַחֲרֶ֔יהָ בְּתֻפִּ֖ים וּבִמְחֹלֹֽת׃ (כא) וַתַּ֥עַן לָהֶ֖ם מִרְיָ֑ם שִׁ֤ירוּ לַֽה' כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם׃ (ס)

(19) For the horses of Pharaoh, with his chariots and horsemen, went into the sea; and the LORD turned back on them the waters of the sea; but the Israelites marched on dry ground in the midst of the sea. (20) Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her in dance with timbrels. (21) And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.

The song continues, spreads and encompasses all of Torah
(יט) וְעַתָּ֗ה כִּתְב֤וּ לָכֶם֙ אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֣ה הַזֹּ֔את וְלַמְּדָ֥הּ אֶת־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל שִׂימָ֣הּ בְּפִיהֶ֑ם לְמַ֨עַן תִּהְיֶה־לִּ֜י הַשִּׁירָ֥ה הַזֹּ֛את לְעֵ֖ד בִּבְנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

(19) Therefore, write down this song and teach it to the people of Israel; put it in their mouths, in order that this poem may be My witness against the people of Israel.

~ According to the plain sense of the verse, God is speaking to Moses and Joshua and is referring to the song in the following chapter, Haazinu, which is also another poem. However, this midrash has a different idea:

אמר (רבא) אף על פי שהניחו לו אבותיו לאדם ספר תורה מצוה לכתוב משלו שנאמר (דברים לא, יט) ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה איתיביה אביי וכותב לו ספר תורה לשמו שלא יתנאה בשל אחרים מלך אין הדיוט לא

Rava says: With regard to the mitzva for every Jew to write himself a Torah scroll, even if a person’s ancestors left him a Torah scroll, it is a mitzva to write a scroll of one’s own, as it is stated: “Now, therefore, write for yourselves this song and teach it to the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 31:19).

Rava understands it as a command for every Jew to write – or at least take some part in writing – a Sefer Torah.

I previously spoke about Torah being a letter from God to us.

Torah, then, is also a song. A song that we need to learn and to teach, not only so we continue in the world, but also so that the world will continue:

וכבר היה רבי טרפון וזקנים מסובין בעלית בית נתזה בלוד נשאלה שאילה זו בפניהם תלמוד גדול או מעשה גדול נענה רבי טרפון ואמר מעשה גדול נענה ר"ע ואמר תלמוד גדול נענו כולם ואמרו תלמוד גדול שהתלמוד מביא לידי מעשה

And there already was an incident in which Rabbi Tarfon and the Elders were reclining in the loft of the house of Nit’za in Lod, when this question was asked of them: Is study greater or is action greater? Rabbi Tarfon answered and said: Action is greater. Rabbi Akiva answered and said: Study is greater. Everyone answered and said: Study is greater, but not as an independent value; rather, it is greater as study leads to action.

אמר רבי אלעזר אמר רבי חנינא תלמידי חכמים מרבים שלום בעולם שנאמר וכל בניך למודי ה׳ ורב שלום בניך אל תקרי בניך אלא בוניך שלום רב לאהבי תורתך ואין למו מכשול יהי שלום בחילך שלוה בארמנותיך למען אחי ורעי אדברה נא שלום בך למען בית ה׳ אלקינו אבקשה טוב לך ה׳ עז לעמו יתן ה׳ יברך את עמו בשלום:

Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Ḥanina said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is said: “And all your children [banayikh] shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13)Do not read your children [banayikh], but your builders [bonayikh]. As it is stated: “Those who love Your Torah have great peace; there is no stumbling block for them” (Psalms 119:165); and “May there be peace within your walls, prosperity within your palaces” (Psalms 122:7), because: “For the sake of my brothers and friends, I shall say: Peace be within you. For the sake of the House of the Lord, our God, I will seek your good” (Psalms 122:8–9), and “May the Lord give strength to His people; the Lord will bless His people with peace” (Psalms 29:11).

מַרְגְּלָא בְּפוּמֵּיהּ דְּרָבָא: תַּכְלִית חָכְמָה — תְּשׁוּבָה וּמַעֲשִׂים טוֹבִים, שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אָדָם קוֹרֵא וְשׁוֹנֶה וּבוֹעֵט בְּאָבִיו וּבְאִמּוֹ וּבְרַבּוֹ וּבְמִי שֶׁהוּא גָּדוֹל מִמֶּנּוּ בְּחָכְמָה וּבְמִנְיָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה יִרְאַת ה׳ שֵׂכֶל טוֹב לְכָל עוֹשֵׂיהֶם״. ״לָעוֹשִׂים״ לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא ״לְעוֹשֵׂיהֶם״ — לָעוֹשִׂים לִשְׁמָהּ וְלֹא לָעוֹשִׂים שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ. וְכָל הָעוֹשֶׂה שֶׁלֹּא לִשְׁמָהּ, נוֹחַ לוֹ שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרָא.
Rava was wont to say:
The objective of Torah wisdom is to achieve repentance and good deeds;
that one should not read the Torah and study mishna and become arrogant
and spurn his father and his mother and his teacher
and one who is greater than he in wisdom or in the number of students who study before him,
as it is stated: “The beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord, a good understanding have all who fulfill them” (Psalms 111:10).
It is not stated simply: All who fulfill, but rather: All who fulfill them, those who perform these actions as they ought to be performed, meaning those who do such deeds for their own sake, for the sake of the deeds themselves, not those who do them not for their own sake.
Rava continued: One who does them not for their own sake, it would have been preferable for him had he not been created.

This is the same Rava that brings the idea that you should have your own Sefer Torah or at least contribute to write one of your own. Study and action have a point: to keep you humble, aware of your own shortcomings, but eager to transform the building of this world. Study and action mustn't be for our personal aggrandizement. We, among ourselves, through our relationships, create the mikdash:

וְעָ֥שׂוּ לִ֖י מִקְדָּ֑שׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּ֖י בְּתוֹכָֽם׃
And let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.

And by doing so we continue the song of Torah through our lives, reverberating through generations, in this world. Shabbat Shalom.

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