Beshallach, 13 Shevat 5776/ 23rd January 2016
This Shabbat has a wonderful name it is called Shabbat Shirah, the Sabbath of song because of the the poetic Shirat HaYam, song of the sea, or rather songs of the sea, sung by Moses and his sister Miriam just after the fantastical escape through a parted sea. Yes, it has predominantly martial themes and is a vivid story of the destruction of an army but in context of the time that is not unusual. The early Israelites lived in martial times. It’s part of the story of the journey to freedom, the escape from bondage and carries much significance.
The song itself is laid out in a particular way in the Torah scroll too (show Plaut if not already shown the scroll). It’s called brick by brick or brick over brick I think.
The Shirat HaYam, is said to have taken place on the seventh day of the exodus from Egypt. It’s traditionally sang on the seventh day of Pesach which as we know is the festival that commemorates the exodus to freedom. There is a custom that although it is traditionally said every day in the morning service, on Shabbat Shirah the congregation stands to listen. This is one of only two Torah portions for which minhag, custom, dictates we stand. Who knows the other? It’s the Decalogue, the ten commandments.
Shirat HaYam has been seen as such a magnificent and significant song that it has been drawn upon to contribute various verses to the liturgy. In our own siddur we read or rather sing “Mi chamocha ba-ei-lim Adonai, “Who is like You, O God? From the Amidah, the central prayer.
And Adonai yim-loch l’o-lam va-ed (18) G-d will reign forever and ever (18) which we sing just before the Amidah
Shirat HaYam, the song of the sea contains some great stanzas and phrases and I’ve seen it called one of the finest Hebrew poems in the Hebrew original. Our cantor today agrees and do those who understand it also concur? I can read that some words have alternate endings so instead of finishing with am and em, the poet uses amo and emo for artistry.
For example, look at the imagery in verse 8.
At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up,
The floods stood straight like a wall;
The deeps froze in the heart of the sea.
The metaphors conjure up pretty vivid imagery and there is no doubting what it speaks about.
And so after Moses song, Miriam sings too. Not only that but she’s called Miriam the prophet and she leads the women in song and dance using hand-drums – the timbrel is not a tambourine. in ancient times, women were the public keepers of tempo and used the hand drum, the timbrel to keep time.
I wanted to keep this talk short so we can dwell on the theme of the day of song. Therefore, I’m going to finish by reading out a few songs and poetry, the first by Debbie Friedman of blessed memory.
And the women dancing with their timbrels
Followed Miriam as she sang her song
Sing a song to the One whom we’ve exalted.
Miriam and the women danced and danced
the whole night long.
And Miriam the Prophet took her timbrel in her hand,
And all the women followed her just as she had planned.
And Miriam raised her voice with song.
She sang with praise and might,
We’ve just lived through a miracle, we’re going to dance tonight.
And the women dancing with their timbrels
Followed Miriam as she sang her song
Sing a song to the One whom we’ve exalted.
Miriam and the women danced and danced
the whole night long.
For my others I want to make a link to the natural world, to the birds of the sky. Shabbat Shirah remembers the birds who are natures natural songstresses.
An Ashkenazi tradition sets out crumbs for the birds on Shabbat Shirah. The story goes that during the wilderness wanderings, after the children of Israel had gained freedom from Egypt and were in the desert, Hashem made Manna rain from the skies which was gathered to feed the people. On erev Shabbat, Friday, the sixth day, twice as much Manna would fall for collection but no one was allowed to get up on Shabbat to collect it. What the midrash says is that birds did us a great favour by eating up any Manna that was still around so preventing the Israelites from being tempted to go out to collect and break the Shabbat. They did us a kindness even though it was their nature to eat what they find. But we gained from it, so we learn that we should respond to kindness with generosity of spirit.
Birds also sing the sweetest melodies so we align that with the song and give thanks to the birds by leaving food out for them on Shabbat Shirah.
Birds are very respected in the Tanakh, as is indicated in the extreme importance of the humane law, known as ‘kan tzippor’, not taking the mother bird with the young.
And there are legends of king Solomon and the birds. So as it’s a happy Shabbat, I’ll tell one of these stories and finish with a poem.
God was pleased with Solomon’s request [for wisdom] and said, “You could have asked for long life or great wealth or victory over your enemies. But instead you asked for wisdom and you shall have you wish. You shall be able to understand the language of the birds and beasts…”
Then Solomon woke up from his dream. He wondered if God had really spoken to him or whether it had been a spirit beguiling him in his dreams.
Then he heard the birds squawking and twittering to each other in his garden below. He heard one suddenly cry out, “Silly birds — stop all this noise! Don’t you know that G-d has just given Solomon the ability to understand what we say and to make us do as he wishes!”
Then Solomon knew that the dream had indeed been sent by God.
“Nonsense!” chirped another bird. “How can a human being rule over us? Human beings are stuck on the ground while we can fly up into the heavens. Only the eagle who lives high in the mountains, can be our king.”
“We’ll see about that,” whispered Solomon. Then he thrust his head out of the window and thundered, “Birds be quiet. King Solomon commands you!”
Instantly all was quiet in the garden.
“Where is the little bird who, a moment ago, talked so boldly? Come here at once!”
The poor little bird came fluttering to Solomon’s finger, shaking as if her little heart would break.
“So,” grumbled the young king, “you think that the eagle is stronger than I. We shall soon see about that. I command you to fly to the desert and summon the great White Eagle, mightiest of birds, to Jerusalem. Then we shall see who is king over the birds!”
“He will kill me if I speak so boldly to him!” stammered the little bird.
Then Solomon attached a letter to the bird’s foot with a gold ring and placed the royal seal upon it. The little bird flew off shaking with fear. The next day, as the sun rose, Solomon’s guards felt a great blast of wind howling down upon their heads. Then cam a second blast, then a third. Their hearts melted within them.
Then a fourth blast shook the palace to his foundations. In flew the great White Eagle, sparks of fire flashing like a sharp sword. As soon as his broad wings stopped beating, a little bird peered out from one of them and then darted behind the king’s golden throne.
“Why have you summoned me here?” demanded the Eagle.
“To show you my power,” answered the king.
Then Solomon ordered his guards to sound the shofar (ram’s horn). Within moments, the vast throne-room filled with birds: parrots and peacocks, hawks and hummingbirds, cranes and cuckoos. The noise in the room was deafening.
Then the king cried, “Silence!” Instantly they all hushed.
Solomon turned to the White Eagle, who towered above the other birds like a mighty tree. “I command you, King of the Birds, to come back here once each month. Upon your wings, I shall keep watch over my great kingdom.”
And so each month, the White Eagle returned to Jerusalem and King Solomon mounted his broad wings and shepherded the skies over Israel.
An extract from ayin nedivah (“generous eye”) by Yehudah HaLevi a Hebrew poet of renown who lived in the eleventh century CE
Qasida for Solomon ibn Ghiyyat
A breeze is stealing between the trees,
Whispering to the willows a rumor of a secret love.
The birds are twittering.
Far away, a pigeon-dove murmurs a poem. As the night folds her wings,
A light rain of beauty is falling,
Raining down the dew of love like manna.
There is a fragrance like incense or myrrh.
Has Solomon sent me a poem, perfumed, wrapped to a pigeon-dove’s leg?
From the poem’s lines of black letters, greetings break forth like the dawn,
Light amid the grey morning,
Letters ink-black as night, but words bright as the dawn,
Like a girl who hides her cheeks behind her dark hair.
A poem not just perfumed but mined from the hills of perfume!
“Comely am I and black,”
Pitch-black letters like the black tents of Kedar
On paper like the white tents of Solomon.
Shabbat shalom
Take a handful of bird seed
References:
Plaut, G. (2005) The Torah, A modern commentary
http://www.medievalhebrewpoetry.org/poets/yehudah-halevi/
http://jhom.com/topics/birds/solomon.htm
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