As they had done previously on the banks of the Yam Suf, this week’s Torah portion tells of Moshe and the Jewish people offering a song of thanksgiving to Hashem. Whereas the initial song celebrated their miraculous deliverance from the pursuing Egyptian armies, this second song offers thanks for the Be’er Mayim, the miraculous source of water that satiated them during their sojourn in the desert.

It is a short song but nevertheless rich with vivid and poetic imagery: “Come up, O well, call out to it! The well that ministers dug, nobles hewed . . . from the wilderness a gift. And from a gift to the valley and from the valley to the heights . . . as it is seen over the surface of the Yeshimon” (Bamidbar 21:17:20).

There is, however, a surprising omission which is highlighted by the striking similarity between the opening of this, and the opening of the earlier, song.

While both songs begin with the words “Az Yashir,” after the splitting of the sea we are told “Az Yashir Moshe U-Venei Yisroel,” then sang Moshe and the Children of Israel (Shemos 15:1), regarding the well we read only that “Az Yashir Yisroel,” then sang Israel. When compared next to each other we cannot help but notice that Moshe’s name is omitted from the second song (21:17). This glaring exclusion has attracted the attention of commentators over the years and various explanations have been offered.

Rashi (21:18, s.v. bi’mechokek) cites the explanation of the Midrash that this was done to preserve the honor of Moshe. We read previously about the punishment that Moshe received for striking the rock (20:7-13) and because the well – as a source of water – is associated with the rock, it would be embarrassing to Moses to have his name mentioned in a song extolling the well.

Alternatively, the contemporary work Shemen Ha-Tov offers an explanation which has added significance for parents and educators.

There is a major difference when it comes to the timing of the two songs. The original song was offered at the outset of the people’s time in the desert and at the beginning of Moshe’s leadership of a recently freed nation. In contrast, the song of the well didn’t take place until almost 40 years later when the Jewish people were on the cusp of entering Eretz Yisroel.

The Shemen Ha-Tov explains that the issue of timing directly impacted the role that Moshe played – or didn’t play – in the respective songs. In the immediate aftermath of the splitting of the sea the nation, still in its infancy, needed to be instructed by Moshe that a song of praise to Hashem was the appropriate response. Moreover, Moshe needed to play a leading role in the song as the people were not yet equipped with the spiritual tools to articulate independent words of thanksgiving. Reflecting the extent to which the people were dependant on him, Moshe’s central role is highlighted in the opening of the song – “Az Yashir Moshe U-Venei Yisroel.”

All these years later, however, the people had “grown up” and called for and initiated a song of thanksgiving on their own. The Jewish people no longer needed Moshe’s “hand holding” and this new spiritual maturity is reflected in the pasuk which solely focuses in there initiative – “Az Yashir Yisroel.”

This new reality attests to the fact that, despite the many hardships and challenges along the way, Moshe had successfully educated and trained the people to achieve a certain degree of healthy independence. Of course the people would always need a leader – and Moshe was followed faithfully by Yehoshua – but the truest test of a leader is to educate his followers so that they know what to do on their own.

This beautiful explanation of the omission of Moshe’s name during the son for the Be’er Mayim has broader implications as well. We must remember – as parents and teachers – that the educational goal for our children and students should be to similarly train them to achieve their independence.

My own teacher, HaRav Michael Rosensweig, always stressed this point as conveyed through the statement in Pirkei Avos (1:1), “he’emidu talmidim harbeh,” which we generally translate as a mandate for a teacher to “establish” or educate many students. But some commentators note that the Hebrew word chosen actually “he’emidu,” which translated literally means to “stand up.” The reason that this word is chosen – somewhat surprisingly – is to convey the message that the ideal is when the student, as a result of his education, can “stand on his own two feet”

Successful teaching and parenting facilitates independence. This should be the goal of any leader, teacher, or parent. This was the goal of Moshe and, as indicated in our Parsha, he accomplished his goal. May we be blessed with similar success.