This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shirah. The Torah portion, B’Shalach, features Shirat HaYam, the Song of the Sea, which celebrates the ultimate triumph over Egypt, as the Israelites walk through the Sea of Reeds on dry land toward freedom.
I’ve often heard storytellers envision the powerful drama of the crossing;, inviting listeners to imagine themselves at the sea, passing between the waters, perhaps even looking for sea creatures suspended within the waves. Watching the waters hovering, listening to the waves roaring, smelling and tasting the salty air, and feeling the mushy mud between our toes helps transport us into the majesty of this transcendent moment.
But what if, absent vision, we couldn’t see the waters hovering? What if, absent hearing, we couldn’t hear the waves roaring? What if, absent speech, we stood by and watched as Israel rejoiced together in song, without us?
Even miracles cannot erase the hardship of disability. As we begin Jewish Disabilities Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusion Month (JDAIM) in February, the Song of the Sea reminds us that even the most profound moments in our people’s history have been experienced in profoundly different ways by their participants. By considering those different experiences, we expand our understanding of miracles, both the miracles of our tradition and the everyday miracles we enjoy—not just as acts of divine power, but as moments where human compassion and support make salvation possible for us all.
—Rabbi Josh Knobel