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Hadrash Ve-Haiyun
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Hadrash Ve-Haiyun
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Beshalach
5766
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When Pharaoh’s horse came with his chariots and horsemen into the sea and Hashem turned back the waters of the sea upon them the Children of Israel walked on the dry land amid the sea. (Shemos 15:19)
In this week’s parsha we read the Shiras Hayam,the song the Jewish people sang to Hashem when He spit the Sea of Reeds.
There is much discussion as to exactly where the shirah ends. Is the above cited verse (Shemos 15:19) part of the shirah or does the shirah end one verse earlier with the words, “Hashem will reign for all eternity?”
The Ramban here in his commentary, as well as Rahsi, Tosfos (Gitten 90a) and the Avudraham are all of the opinion that the verse in question is not part of the shirah. Indeed the Avudraham explains that this is why we repeat in our prayers the verse “Hashem will reign for all eternity.” We emphasize that the shirah ends here and not with the next verse. Furthermore, there is a tradition that the song has only eighteen expressions. The verse “Hashem will reign for all eternity” appears to be the eighteenth, indicating that the song ends here. However the Rambam and Rav Avraham Ibn Ezra disagree and hold that the verse in question is part of the shirah.
The issue concerns the awkward opening word of the verse “ki” which has been translated as “When.” According to those who are of the opinion that this verse is not part of the shirah, the verse is not an expression of song but a description of when the Children of Israel sang the shirah. The shirah begins with the words “Then Moshe and the Children of Israel sang this song to Hashem.” The verse does not tell us when this was, only, “Then.” Here the verse fills in the details. It was when the Pharaoh’s horse, chariots and horsemen came into the sea etc… that the children of Israel sang this song. Alternatively, the verse serves as an introduction to the next verse that describes how Miriam and her fellow women sang to Hashem. The verse is interpreted as meaning, when Pharaoh’s horse, chariots and horsemen can into the sea etc… Miriam gathered all the women and sang shirah. Either way this verse is not an expression of song but a description of when song took place. The Rambam and Rav Avraham Ibn Ezra obviously disagree and hold that this verse is also an expression of song.
In the Torah the text of the shirah is written in a unique style. The text is padded with much blank space. Chazal describe this as a half brick on top of a full brick. In the center of every other line, a block of text appears to rest on two smaller blocks of text leaving a large blank space below.
It is our custom to write the questionable verse together with the major part of the shirah in the unique style of the shirah. This is certainly consistent with the opinion of the Rambam and Rav Avraham Ibn Ezra who hold that this verse is part of the shirah. However, according to the Ramban and others who opine that this verse is not part of the song why is this verse written in the style of the shirah? Perhaps our Torahs are written only according to the Rambam whereas the Ramban would require us to write this verse in the ordinary style. However, this answer is not satisfactory due to fact that we repeat in our prayers the verse “Hashem will reign for all eternity” to show that the song ends here like the Ramban. Furthermore, we do not find much discussion in the commentaries that would indicate that the Ramban would require a different style of writing for this particular verse.
It is noteworthy that this verse is different from the rest of the shirah in that it focuses on the individual Pharaoh. “When Pharaoh’s horse came with his chariots etc…” This is unlike the major part of the shirah which is not specific to Pharaoh the individual but to the enemy Egypt the Nation.
We may suggest that there are two perspectives recorded here. The miracle from the perspective of the Jewish people and the miracle from the perspective of Pharaoh. The splitting of the Sea of Reeds was the culmination of the miracles of the Exodus. Pharaoh at this time also witnessed the Might and Greatness of Hashem. Indeed, chazal tell us that Hashem allowed Pharaoh to survive so that he would teach the world Hashem’s greatness. This last verse in not our shirah, it’s Pharaoh’s shirah.
It is our custom that after we recite the silent Shemonah Esrei prayer the leader repeats the prayer out loud. This is done primarily for those who do not know how to pray on their own. They may fulfill their obligation by answering amein after the leader. The only exception is the modim blessing. Here chazal have formulated a special text to be recited by the congregation as the leader recites the modim of the Shemonah Esrei. It is called Modim Dirabanan. Why is this blessing different? The commentators answer; you can not appoint an agent to say thank you. One can only say thank you by himself. It is not enough to answer amein to a blessing that expresses thanksgiving, one must express his thanksgiving personally.
We may suggest that the same it true with regard to shirah. Upon witnessing miracles, one is obligated to sing to Hashem. One cannot appoint an agent to fulfill his obligation. Pharaoh also witnessed the miracles from his own unique perspective. Hashem preserved him for the purpose of relating these miracles to the world. Pharaoh also has an obligation to sing but we cannot be his agent to fulfill his obligation.
When the Ramban explains that this verse in not part of theshirah we may homiletically interpret his intent as meaning that it is not part of “our shirah.” There are other ways to interpret the verse. However, all agree that the verse can also be interpreted like the Rambam that the verse is an expression of “a shirah,” at least from the perspective of Pharaoh.
We may now understand why the verse is written in style of song but yet not part of the song according to the Ramban. The Torah is telling us that Pharaoh has what to sing about, but it is not for us to sing. It is for him to do so.
