Parshas BeShalach

BS"D

This week's Torah portion is Parshas BeShalach (literally "In Sending Away", or "In Letting Go"), from the verse which reads, "It came to pass when Pharaoh let the people go, that God did not lead them [by] way of the land of the Philistines for it was near, because God said, Lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt" (Exodus, 13:17). This begins one of the most action-packed sidras in the Torah, beginning with the Exodus from Egypt (spoken of in the above-quoted verse), continuing with the splitting of the Reed Sea, and then the bitter Waters of Marah, the Manna from heaven, the infestation of quail, and ending with the War of Amalek.
After crossing the Reed Sea on dry land and seeing the floating bodies of the Egyptians, the Jewish people break-out in the famous Song of the Sea, which to this day we read every day as part of the morning prayers. This song is representative of a special form of verse found 9 times throughout the Torah and the rest of the Books of the Hebrew Bible, known as "Shira", or Song. About Song, it is stated that it has the ability to elevate both the singer and that which is sung about, in this case the Jewish people and the Holy One, Blessed Be He.
Really, this is a surprising thing, how can we, as humans, "elevate" Hashem, the epitome of perfection, simply through singing? In this case, the question itself is actually the answer: Our sages say about Hashem that where you find his praiseworthiness, there you find his humility. G-d, a truly unlimited being, is surely beyond praise. Were one person to spend his full 120 years simply listing G-d's praises he could not touch even a fraction of their fullness. Nevertheless, Hashem has, so to speak, "humbled" himself and provided us with the words, the words of song and prayer (as recorded here in the parsha, and by King David in the Book of Psalms, and in many other places in Torah), with which we can praise him. When we do so we reveal this quality within Hashem, and this is his "elevation". Similarly, when we read of the wonders of Creation in the daily prayers, we elicit an elevation within the entire world, revealing the purpose and the importance of each individual creature and object in the Divine Plan, from the greatest angels to the smallest pebble. Our prophets tell us that in Days of Moshiach, we will actually see this Divine Plan with our physical eyes, when the Jewish people will sing the 10th and final Song*.

Wishing everybody a very meaningful and restful shabbos!
Eli

Shabbos Candle Lighting Times for New York City: 4:51 PM

P.S. A special mazel tov to Rabbi Moshe and Chani Gray of Chabad of Dartmouth College on the birth of their baby girl Rachel Leah! Lots of Chassidische Nachas!

*P.P.S. For more on the number 10, including the 10th Red Heifer, the 10 Cord Harp, and the conquering of the 10 Canaanite nations, which will also be revealed in the Time to Come, see the following article:
http://sichosinenglish.org/books/highlights-of-moshiach/18.htm