Shabbat Parashat Tzav 5785

Parashat Hashavua: The Song from the Depths of the Soul

The midrash (Shemot Rabba 23) comments that Bnei Yisrael merited to sing a song of praise and salvation because of belief, connecting between “The nation believed” (Shemot 4:31), said before the Exodus, and “they believed in Hashem” (ibid. 14:31), said between the splitting of the sea and the song.

One sings when the ideal becomes reality, uniting the internal and external, the subconscious and conscious. When a person’s life does not fit his character, he cannot be in a state of simcha. We see disquiet and contradictions in his actions and dissatisfaction with his life. He does not have a “song of life.” When a person lives “his life” and expresses his essence with his actions, he reaches the level of song.

The essence of Judaism is to be connected to Hashem, the Eternal. If a Jew does not give expression to his soul’s yearning for connection to the source of his life, he is incomplete. Living among non-Jews or secularism can cause people to forget their Jewish essence. They do not live as themselves, which leads to a lack of confidence and satisfaction; a thick layer of infection covers his internal heart. He disguises himself from himself and cannot be truly happy.

During the exile in Egypt, Bnei Yisrael lived as idol worshippers among idol worshippers (Shir Hashirim Rabba 2). This covered over the Jewish soul in a manner that made it difficult to see the difference between an Egyptian and a Jewish soul. Moshe was concerned that the people would not believe in the liberation (Shemot 4:1). However, Hashem responded that they would (ibid. 3:18) because they are believers the sons of believers, and their internal side would burst forward, even if not always does it appear so.

However, the bursting forward can be fleeting. Bnei Yisrael reverted to the familiar things that attracted them to Egyptian life, not only reminiscing about food, but going as far as to say, “Leave us to serve the Egyptians” (ibid. 14:12). However, when Bnei Yisrael got to exercise their dedication to and trust in Hashem by entering the raging sea, reality caught up with the dormant internal spiritual yearnings. As the dream was realized and the soul appreciated salvation at the sea, they experienced “Then they sang …” (ibid. 15:1). They sang in the merit of believing.

This was a “new song,” of a type that had never been sung before. Its main essence was not of physical survival, but of redemption of the spirit, of life that received its true content. “They thanked and coronated and said” (from daily prayers). Bnei Yisrael reached the point of being able to point (even children) and say, “This is my G-d, and I will adorn Him” (ibid. 2). This is the Being that we dreamed about, strived to recognize, and were enthralled with before we even knew Him.

Reaching this level, though, did not prevent the deterioration that happened by the time Bnei Yisrael arrived at Sinai. Throughout our history, external forms of idols sowed confusion that made us forget, splinter our religious identities, and eventually experience destruction and exile.

The midrash (op. cit.) teaches that the people said “This is our G-d” only once. In the Days to Come, we will call out to Hashem twice (Yeshayahu 25:9), which will make a great difference.

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