Shabbat Shirah ~ Beshalach/When he Sent
“Then Miriam the prophet took out a timbrel in her hand…”
This Shabbat is known on the calendar as Shabbat Shirah (Sabbath of singing), and indeed, this week’s readings are truly filled with song. In Beshalach, Moses and the Israelites sing a song of praise after crossing the Red Sea, and Miriam then leads the women in joyful music and dance. Additionally, in the haftarah we read Deborah’s song celebrating her military victory. And why shouldn’t there be lots of singing? After all, the story is also filled with God’s miracles, which the people experience directly and powerfully: After the splitting of the sea, God sweetens the bitter waters at Marah; causes potable water to spring from a rock; rains down manna to eat each morning; and sends quail to eat in the evenings. And when the Amalekites attack the Israelites along their journey, Moses raises his staff in the air, enabling them to miraculously defeat their attackers.
After providing them with manna, God instructs the Israelites to gather a double portion on Friday so that it will last them two days, as none will descend on Shabbat, the day of rest. We reenact this gathering of the double portion every week in our homes by reciting Ha-Motzi (the blessing for bread) over two loaves of challah at the Shabbat table.
This instruction to refrain from going out on Shabbat to look for manna was an exercise in faith for the people; instead of being concerned with where the next batch would come from, they focused instead on what they had at the present time, resting assured that there would be more in the week ahead. And so it is with us each Shabbat. When we recite the Shabbat Amidah we omit the usual prayers of petition (for wisdom, redemption, success) that appear in the normal weekday liturgy. Instead of focusing our Shabbat prayers on things that are lacking, we instead reflect on those things—the everyday miracles, the joy, the songs—that we already have in abundance.
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This week we mourn the loss of beloved singer/songwriter Debbie Friedman, who for decades enriched the lives of Jewish congregants, campers, students and families with her joyful music. Many people are familiar with her melodies—such as the well-known “yai-dai” Havdalah—without even realizing it. Among her greatest hits are “Miriam’s Song” and “Devorah’s Song,” about the heroic women in this very week’s parasha and haftarah. And her rendition of “Misheberach,” the prayer for healing, is used in synagogues and schools around the globe.
In her recent album, Friedman quotes Psalm 30, singing, "You turned my mourning into dancing, so that my soul might sing to you and not be stilled." When we raise our voices in joyful prayer and invigorate the synagogue service with spirited music, we carry on Friedman's monumental legacy. This Shabbat Shirah, as we read about Miriam's dance and Deborah's song, may the songs of our own mouths and hearts turn "mourning into dancing."
Zichrona livracha - may her memory be for a blessing.
Debbie Friedman performs "Mourning into Dancing" and Video Tribute
Zichrona livracha - may her memory be for a blessing.
Debbie Friedman performs "Mourning into Dancing" and Video Tribute
