Rabbi
Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi,
Kehillat New Hempstead
Social
Worker, Yeshiva Bais Hachinuch/ASHAR
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
BESHALACH /SHABBOS SHIRAH / TU B’SHVAT 5774
“LANGUAGE
BEYOND WORDS”
“Among the positive
mitzvos (commandments) of the mind are: To believe the world has a Creator; He
created it out of nothingness; there is none like Him; to accept upon ourselves
His oneness; to serve Him with our hearts ; to contemplate the wonders of His
creations in order that they be a sign to (remind us) of Him.”
(Introduction to
Chovas Halvavos)
“We fulfill this
mitzvah when we see the wonders of G-d in everything we look at. For instance,
when we see an apple, we wonder why it turned red, when it became ripe, and why
it became sweet. We ask ourselves why it has seeds inside and why it has such a
beautiful and airtight skin. We wonder how the apple came into existence from a
piece of wood and we realize that everything involved in the making of an apple
is miraculous. And so we become excited over the wonders of all G-d’s
creations.
“When we put a piece
of bread into our mouths, we know that it will be broken up into thousands of
different components and transported throughout the body by the blood stream.
We know that every organ, every cell will get the nutrients it needs from this
piece of bread. How does one simple piece of bread turn into a thousand
different components? In our surprise and delight at the wonders of G-d’s
creations we are fulfilling a mitzvah in the Torah.
“The purpose of all
these wonders (e.g. the apple, the piece of bread, and everything else in
creation) is to make us aware that G-d is there and that He is the one who
brought these wonders about. That is the only reason for the brilliant design,
engineering, and logistics that we see in everything.”
(Commentary of Rabbi
Avigdor Miller zt’l)
“My soul shall bless
G-d…He established upon the earth its foundations…He sends the springs into the
streams, between the mountains they flow. They water every beast of the
field…near them the birds of the heaven dwell, from among the branches they
give song…how abundant are your Works G-d, all of them with wisdom You made;
the earth is full with Your possessions…” (Tehillim 104)
Throughout the year there are several Shabbasos
that have a unique title, e.g. “Shabbos Hagadol”, “Shabbos Chazon”, “Shabbos
Shuva”, “Shabbos Zachor”. The titles are based on the haftorah[1]
or an added Torah reading[2].
The Shabbos when Parshas Beshalach is read has the distinction of being the
only Shabbos that has a special name based solely on the routine weekly Torah
reading. The Shabbos is aptly called “Shabbos Shirah” because the great shirah
(song) of Az Yashir, which Klal Yisroel sang at the banks of the Sea of
the Reeds, is included in Parshas Beshalach.
It is intriguing that the following
parsha, parshas Yisro, which contains the seminal event of the giving of the
Torah at Sinai, does not merit a special name.
There must be an inextricable connection
between the Song of the Sea and the holiness of Shabbos. The confluence of the
reading of the shirah and Shabbos somehow elevates the entire Shabbos. Why does this Shabbos merits a unique name?
Rav Shimshon Pinkus zt’l related the following
beautiful thought[3]:
The prayers of Kabbolas Shabbos[4]
repeatedly make reference to song. The prayer commences, “Come let us sing
joyfully to G-d, let us call out to the Rock of our salvation.” The following
chapter commences, “Sing to Hashem a song that is new; sing to Hashem everyone
on earth.” We follow the recitation of six psalms by melodiously singing the enchanting
song of Lecha Dodi in unison, “Come my beloved to greet the bride; the presence
of Shabbos let us welcome!” The prayer reaches its crescendo with the
recitation of, “A psalm, a song for the day of Shabbos. It is good to thank
Hashem, and to sing praise to Your Name, O Exalted One.” The very song of the holy day itself praises
the Shabbos as a day of song!
Why is Shabbos so connected with song?
The basis of human communication is
through the medium of speech. If one wants to convey his thoughts he does so
through verbal expression. However, there are concepts and ideas that simply
cannot be explained with words; mere words cannot convey the depth of passion,
emotion, and inner feelings. For example, if one is suffering from an unusual
form of pain he cannot explain his suffering merely by describing it. When he
states that he is in pain, everyone in his vicinity conceptualizes his pain
based on their own prior experiences of pain. Only one who has suffered the
same disease can begin to comprehend the nature of his pain because he himself
had a similar experience[5].
In a similar vein, it is impossible to
explain the pleasure of taste to one who lacks a sense of taste. Saying that
something is sweet or bitter is meaningless to a person who has never
experienced the sensation of tasting something bitter or sweet. The same holds
true for a person born blind. He cannot imagine what the beauty of a sunset
looks like, no matter how many adjectives are used to explain it to him.
When someone is enveloped with
emotion, those feelings cannot be adequately expressed with words[6].
The greatness of music is that it transcends words. Music and song have the
unparalleled power to stir the soul and awaken deep internal emotions. The
beauty of a melody sung in perfect harmony transcends words and mundane verbal
expression.
When the sanctity of Shabbos envelopes
the world with the setting sun on Friday eve, one is elevated to feel inner euphoric
joy. He now has the opportunity to devote the holy day to sanctity, divinity,
and closeness with His Creator. At that point emotions transcend verbal
expression. That joy can only be expressed with song, a language whose meaning
goes beyond words. “A psalm for the day of Shabbos. It is good to thank Hashem
and to sing praise to Your Name, O Exalted One.” Shabbos is inherently a day of
song for it is a day whose essence can only be expressed with the language of
the soul – the power of song!
With this thought from Rabbi Pinkus,
we can offer the following thought: After Klal Yisroel witnessed the splitting
of the sea and the decimation of the remainder of the Egyptian army, they stood
spellbound and awed. “Yisroel saw the Great Hand that G-d wrought against Egypt
The only medium they could employ to convey
their feelings was with song. “Then Moshe and the B’nei Yisroel sang this song
to G-d and they said, saying: ‘I will sing to Hashem for He is exalted above
the arrogant; the horse with its rider He hurled into the sea’.” Song which
utilizes prose, esoteric allusions and the euphoria of harmonious unison, was
the only conceivable manner that they could utilize to express their true
feelings.
The beauty and depth of song can be
most appreciated on Shabbos, the day of song. In the zemiros of Shabbos[7],
we sing, “בשבת יושבת בזמר
ושבחה
– On Shabbos we sit in song and praise.” The sanctity of the day compels us to immerse
ourselves in song, for that is the only manner in which we can express our
exuberance and joy.
Although
the transmission of the Torah at Sinai was the most significant and important
event that ever transpired, it does not maintain the same inextricable
connection with Shabbos as the Song of the Sea. Although undoubtedly the Torah
one studies on Shabbos takes on much greater significance and contains special
merit[8],
Torah is not exclusive to Shabbos. Every moment of every day in the life of a
Jew is dictated and guided by the Torah. Therefore, the Shabbos when Parshas
Yisro is read does not merit special distinction, for acceptance of Torah is a
daily event.
Parshas Beshalach
which contains the Song of the Sea however, indeed has a special connection
with Shabbos, for it is only when steeped in the sanctity of Shabbos that our
souls can emotionally connect with the song our ancestors sang at the banks of
the Sea. It is therefore all the more appropriate that following the splitting
of the sea, Klal Yisroel was commanded to observe Shabbos[9].
Shabbos granted them a medium to contain the emotions that they felt when they
sang the Song of the Sea.
The
fifteenth day of Shevat[10]
is a minor holiday. Although it is a mystical day, whose true meaning and depth
is hidden, on a simple level it is the day when all “fruit tithes” from the
previous year had to be separated[11].
Tu B’shvat
is also the “New Year for Trees”[12].
The Torah compares man to a tree[13].
Based on that verse the commentaries explain that the New Year for trees has
special significance and symbolism for man. On Tu B’Shvat the sap begins to
rise inside the tree. Although the weather is still cold and winter is far from
over, the trees and the natural world have begun to prepare for spring and the
rebirth that will transpire. In that sense, Tu B’Shvat is also a celebration of
nature and the ubiquitous miracles of the natural world.
Perek Shirah[14]
states:, “The trees of the field say, “Then the trees of the
forest will sing before G-d who will come to judge the land”.” Perek Shirah
teaches us that the whole world is in a perennial state of song. The sun, moon,
oceans, trees, and humankind sing to G-d through their mere existence. Tu B’Shvat,
the New Year for trees, is inevitably connected with the song of the natural
world.
The holiday of Tu B’Shvat invariably
coincides with the Shabbos when parshas Beshalach is read[15]. On Shabbos, the whole
physical world is elevated. The food, sleep, and general enjoyment of Shabbos
all become conduits of holiness and Service to G-d. In other words, on Shabbos
the whole world becomes part of the “song of Shabbos”.
When
Klal Yisroel sang the Song of the Sea they were able to recognize how
everything was part of a Master Plan, including the exile and servitude. All of
their pain and anguish now became part of their song. Tu B’Shvat is a day to
take note and appreciate the beauty and greatness of the natural world which we
constantly take for granted. It is a day to internalize the timeless words of
Dovid Hamelech, “My soul shall
bless G-d” and to appreciate the fact that all of G-d’s creations are part of a
song of praise to His Eternal Name.
“Then Moshe and the B’nei Yisroel sang this
song to G-d”
“On Shabbos we sit in
song and praise”
[1] portion
read from the prophets
[2] i.e. the
Four Parshios – Shekalim, Zachor, Parah, Hachodesh
[3] Nefesh
Shimshon – Shabbos. Essay is entitled “Kabbolas Shabbos- Kabbolas p’nei
haShechinah (Accepting Shabbos- Accepting the Divine Presence)”
[4] the
special prayer recited at the onset of Shabbos
[5] It is
for this reason that a woman can never adequately describe the pain of
childbirth to one who has never felt labor pains.
[6] It’s
often said that words are simply inefficient to explain the feeling of sublime
joy that a parent experiences on the night of a child’s wedding. The only way
the parent can express it is by dancing with his/her entire body.
[7] in the
zemer, Yom Zeh l’Yisroel
[8] It is
also noteworthy that the Torah was given on Shabbos
[9] Moshe informed the nation that although one
portion of manna fell each day, on Friday a double potion would descend as no
manna would fall during Shabbos.
[10] Tu B’Shvat/Chamisha Asar B’Shavt
[11] i.e. Tu B’Shvat is the deadline. Rabbi Moshe Feinstein
zt’l notes that the reason for our joy on Tu B’Shvat is to celebrate the
completion of the mitzvah.
[12] Rosh Hashnana 1:1
[13] Devorim 20:19-20
[14] Perek Shirah, literally "A Chapter Of
Song," is an ancient text that is at least two thousand years old; some
commentaries even attribute its authorship to King David! It takes the form of
a list of eighty-four elements of the natural world, including elements of the
sky and of the earth, plants, birds, animals, and insects, attaching a verse
from the Torah to each. The concept behind Perek Shirah is that everything in
the natural world teaches us a lesson in philosophy or ethics, and the verse
gives a clue as to what that lesson is. The result is the "song" of
the natural world, the tapestry of spiritual lessons for life that the natural
world is telling us.
[15] either the week prior or the following week
0 comments:
Post a Comment