SHIRAT HAYAM: HOW WAS IT SUNG?

“Then Moshe and B’nai Yisrael sang…”

How was this song composed? How was it sung?

Accordingto the plain sense of Scripture (peshuto shel mikra), the verb “sang" in the aforementioned introductory sentence is in the masculine singular, implying that Moshe took the initiative and lead them in some manner.

Sotah30b presents three opinions (freely translated) as to how this took place:

  1. R. Akiva: Moshe lead them “like anadult who reads the Hallel for a congregation and they respond after him with the leading phrase.”  According to this explanation, Moshe sang: “Iwill sing to the Lord” and B’nai Yisrael responded, “I will sing to the Lord”; then,Moshe sang: “for He has triumphed gloriously” and they responded, “I will singto the Lord” and so on through the entire song.

2. R. Eliezer son of R. Jose the Galilean: Moshe lead them “like a minor who reads the Hallel for a congregation, and they repeat after him all that he says.” According to this explanation Moshe sang: “I will sing unto the Lord” and B’nai Yisraelresponded, “I will sing unto the Lord”; then, Moshe sang: “for He hat triumphed gloriously” and they responded, “For He hath triumphed gloriously”,etc..

  1. R. Nechemiah: Moshe lead them “like a school-teacher who recites the Shema in the Synagogue,” viz., Moshe began the song, and they continued signing simultaneously together with him.

Accordingto the first two opinions, Moshe composed the Shira, and B’nai Yisrael either sang the refrain or repeated each phrase after him. Their ability to participate in the song, therefore, was neither a miraculous nor a propheticphenomenon.

Accordingto R. Nechemiah, however, their participation indeed constituted a miraculous, prophetic revelation to the entire Congregation of Israel, resulting in over600,000 men singing Shira simultaneously.

R.Nechemiah’s opinion may allude to the fundamental idea that, ultimately, any inner-directed human attempt to praise Hashem is futile. Finite human beings are not capable of perceiving the Infinite reality fully or accurately.

And theysaid to Moshe, You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die! [Exodus 20:16.]

Humanlanguage, likewise, must always fail to do justice to the Divine reality.

For You,silence is praise... [Psalms 65:2].

R.Nechemiah thus understood that, in order to praise God adequately, and with integrity, their praise had to emanatefrom Hashem Himself!

(Theinadequacy of inner-directed human language in the praise of God is a concept that permeates our liturgy and discussions on Jewish liturgy. I intend to discussthis theme - upon which Rabbi Soloveitchik elaborated at great length - elsewhere,iyh).

  1. A fourthopinion exists as to how B’nai Yisrael sang Shiras Hayam. This interpretations recited every morning and evening in the Beracha of Geulah which flow Keriat Shema. This blessing constitutes a fulfillment of the mitzvah of“Remembering the Exodus [Zecher Yetzias Mitzraim]”, which, (as R. Elazar ben Azariah explains in the Mishnah quoted in the Pesach Haggadah) is obligatory every dayand every evening. The blessing focuses mainly upon the splitting of the Sea ofReeds, and elaborates mainly upon Shirah. The implication is clear:“Redemption” requires a subjective component – you are not truly redeemed unless you are able to sing in celebrationof the fact! [I elaborated somewhat upon this notion in “When Did theExodus End” under “Chagim”.]

Accordingto the Morning Service version of the blessing, the Israelites unified to sing two of the verses in the Song: [1] Mi kamocha ba’elim Hashem…; and [2] Hashem yimloch l’olam va’ed. These verses are the only ones in the Shirah toexpress universal praise of Hashem, with no reference to the specific incident. The Ma’ariv Geulah blessing adds one more verse: Ze E-li va’anvayhu…This verse, like the other two, avoids the specific incident, but, in contrast tothe former, evokes the first person.

Thisfourth opinion reinforces a concept which is characteristic Birkos Shevach Vehoda’ah, namely, the specific incident serves as a springboard for universal praise. For example: we do not praise or thank Hashem for the fruit we are about to eat; rather, we praise Him as the Creator of all fruit trees. Likewise, we do not thank Him for the specific meal, but rather for the Land which produces that meal, and for the Torah and the Covenant, obedience to which our possession ofthe Land is contingent. [I intend to elaborate upon this notion soon under“Liturgy”, iyh.]