January 26th: Beshallach
THIS WEEK IN THE TORAH
Rabbi David E. Ostrich
This week has two names in Tradition. First is the name of the weekly portion, Beshallach / When Pharaoh sent forth the Israelites, and second is Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath of The Song—the song Israel sings after crossing the Red Sea.
“I will sing to the Lord Who has triumphed gloriously;
Horse and driver have been hurled into the sea.
The Lord is my strength and my song;
The Lord is indeed my deliverance.
This is my God Whom I will enshrine;
The God of my ancestor Whom I will exalt” (Exodus 15.1-2)
Yetzi’at Mitzrayim / The Exodus from Egypt is one of the “big three” of God’s miracles. The other two are Ma’aseh V’raysheet / The Creation of the World and Matan Torah / The Giving of the Torah. Though the whole Exodus is miraculous, it is the Crossing of the Red Sea that climaxes the story:
“The Israelites marched through the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. Thus the Lord delivered Israel that day from the Egyptians.” (Exodus 14.29-30)
Tradition regards these three miracles as existentially relational Divine deeds and has us recount them in our worship services—both morning and evening—every day. They are the blessings that precede and follow the Shema.
Yotzer Ham’orot in the morning and Ma’ariv Aravim in the evening speak of God’s creative power—a power that created the world way back when and which: “Uv’tuvo m’chadesh bechol yom tamid Ma’aseh V’raysheet / in goodness renews the Work of Creation every single day.”
Ahavah Rabba in the morning and Ahavat Olam in the evening speak of God’s love for us—a love expressed in the gift of Torah. The wisdom and insight contained in Torah is seen as the dynamic of our relationship with the Divine. God gives us the Torah to improve our lives, and we study and follow Torah as a manifestation of godliness in the world. It is a sacred relationship, and we are given the opportunity to bring God into our worlds.
Ge’ulah / Salvation is the third blessing in The Shema and Its Blessings, the first two coming before the Shema, and the third coming afterwards. Its theme is God’s saving power, and the Exodus from Egypt is held up as the archetype of the ways that God can save us. The prayer recounts our travail in Egypt and then speaks of God’s remarkable and miraculous rescue—leading to the climactic miracle at the sea. Thus Tradition includes verses from Exodus 15 (verses 11 and 18), the Song of the Sea.
Mi chamocha ba’elim Adonai, mi kamocha ne’dar bakodesh,
nora t’hilot oseh fele’...Adonai yimloch l’olam va’ed!
Who is like You, O Lord, among the mighty?! Who is like You, glorious in holiness,
awesome in praises, working wonders? The Lord shall reign forever and ever!
There are many musical settings for these verses, and they vary in mood. Some are somber and meditative—as one who is completely overwhelmed by such a miracle. Some are exuberant or dramatic—as one might feel when the adrenaline of such an experience is still very present. Some are peppy, and others are sweet and beautiful. The chant we usually use is a Sephardic tune which I heard as the chant for the entire Song of the Sea at a morning service. To me, it speaks of the exalted awareness of God’s ineffable power—a power that saved us in our hour of need. (This tune is also used for a Ladino Grace after Meals, Bendigamos.)
As for the poem/song itself, the Torah presents it as though it is chanted right there, on the shore:
“Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord.” (Exodus 15.1) However, it is quite a poem, and one wonders if such wonderful phrases could be conjured on the spot. Perhaps a more logical explanation is that the song was composed later and then its verses were put back in the story as a retrospective imagining of the elation and awe of the Israelites.
I used to think this, but then I had the pleasure of seeing an amazing improvisational poet in action. It was a live interview program, and the guest was Chris Jackson, the original George Washington of Hamilton. Before that play, he and Lin Manual Miranda were part of an improvisational group called Freestyle Love Supreme, and in the interview, Mr. Jackson displayed his abilities. The interviewer asked him a question about a teenaged experience—a first love and first broken heart, and Mr. Jackson just started free-styling. It was amazing—not quite Mi Chamocha level awesome, but he definitely composed a cogent and gracefully poetic narrative right there on the spot. Perhaps Moses has this ability and is seized by The Spirit, “freestyling” what is in his heart and in the atmosphere there “on the shores of the sea.”
In either case, we have a poem worth reading and chanting, a poem which speaks of the practical ways that God can be present and save us from certain destruction.
“In Your love You lead the people You redeemed;
In Your strength You guide them to Your holy abode.” (Exodus 15.13)
The Traditional chatimah (signature summary) of this third of the Shema’s Blessings is:
“Baruch Atah Adonai, Ga’al Yisrael. We praise You, O Lord, Who saved Israel.”
Though it speaks of the past, the hope is that God’s salvation continues and is available for us. That is why I like to expand this sensibility and speak directly of the many ways that God’s salvation can be present.
“Baruch Atah Adonai, Shom’raynu, Go’alaynu, v’Tzur yish’aynu.
We praise You, O Lord, Who protects us, Who helps us when we are in difficulty, and Who is our eternal and everlasting hope.”