This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shirah, as the Torah portion, B’Shalach, features Shirat HaYam, the Song of the Sea. However, Psalms Midrash Rabbah observes that the Song of the Sea is the first sung to God in the Torah. Neither the first humans, nor Noah, nor the patriarchs or matriarchs offer songs in return for Divine favor. Only after crossing the sea does music appear, as Moses and the Israelites offer words of song to God.
But there is more than one song offered at the banks of the Sea of Reeds. Immediately after Moses and Israel sing, Miriam picks up her drum and leads all the women of Israel in dance and in song, chanting:
“Sing to Adonai, for God is exalted above the highest heights. Horse and driver God has hurled into the sea.”
The song duplicates the opening line of the Song of the Sea, credited to Moses, which begins, “I will sing to Adonai, for God is exalted above the highest heights. Horse and driver God has hurled into the sea.”
The Mekhilta of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, published between 200-500 CE, suggests that these two songs are, in fact, the same, with Moses leading the men and Miriam leading the women. However, the opening words may matter far more than the authors of the Mekhilta realized.
To determine how these opening words change the meaning of the song, we may look to the psalms, which vary in their use of tense. Typically, when psalms begin in future tense, like Moses’ Song of the Sea, they express commitment to forthcoming praise or action associated with deeply personal experiences or devotion. Meanwhile, when psalms begin with an imperative, such as, “Sing to Adonai!” they typically demand immediate action on the part of the listener, often used in calls to communal worship. Moses’ song serves as a testament to his enduring, individual faith, whereas Miriam’s song calls upon the Israelites to join her in a collective expression of faith and gratitude.
These two Songs of the Sea remind us that faith contains two equally significant pillars—the individual and the communal. By reflecting upon our individual experiences and transforming them into expressions of gratitude and aspirations, we affirm our devotion to something beyond ourselves. By committing to communal experiences that amplify our shared history, blessings, and hopes, we begin to create something beyond ourselves.
—Rabbi Josh Knobel