The Song of Life

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January 13 2014
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The Jewish community this past week or so has experienced two cases of missing persons. One was a father of a large family, a businessman out of the Chassidic world of Brooklyn, a world a bit foreign to me; the other, a high school student in the modern Orthodox community of Brookline, MA, a community I know quite well. Menachem Stark a’h, was kidnapped, murdered, had his body defiled and deposited in a most inhumane way. To, add insult to injury, a local tabloid shamelessly and cruelly sullied his name as his family sat grieving.


Caleb Jacoby, a 16 year old student at Maimonides School, disappeared on Monday afternoon. With the help of social media and an army of volunteers, words spread of his disappearance until with the help of God, he was found Thursday night in Manhattan and has already been reunited with his family.


The details of both cases are not relevant and are not our business. A large amount of money has been gathered as a reward for information towards catching those responsible for Mr. Stark’s gruesome murder. The Jacoby’s family rabbi has asked that without exception, the Jacoby family be granted privacy. Just because we used the most public means to find Caleb does not mean that anyone owes the public anything. Social Media are a wonderful tool and I’m certain were helpful in finding Caleb. But that does not mean that every detail of our lives need be broadcast for the world audience. Social Media has accomplished its mission. But nothing can beat direct communication in relationships.


The Jews encounter salvation in parshas B’shalach, and they sing a song or a poem- the same word Shirah in Hebrew for both -of gratitude and thanksgiving. What is the correlation between shirah and hallel? Furthermore, as the Jews gained victory over their enemies, they also witnessed the total drowning of the Egyptian military force that had chased them. While some rejoiced, others wailed and cried. We often need to offer comfort and sympathy to one as we dance and rejoice with another.


It reminds me of a scene at the end of the movie “Operation Thunderbolt,” the Israeli (and best) version of the Entebbe rescue movies, starring Yehoram Gaon as the late Yoni Netanyahu, a’h. At the end of the movie as the large Hercules planes return to Israel with the rescued hostages and jubilation ensues as worried families reunite, you see pain in the eyes of those who came to the airport to learn that their loved ones did not survive. The movie captured that emotion very well.


The Gemara (Megillah 14a) asks why we don’t say Hallel on Purim.


"אמר רבי חייא בר אבין אמר רבי יהושע בן קרחה. ומה מעבדות לחרות אמרינן שירה, ממיתה לחיים לא כל שכן?" (מגילה י"ד.)


Rebbi Chiya bar Avin and Rebbe Yehoshua ben Karcha said: If we say ‘Shira’ when we transformed from slaves to free men, should we not certainly say Shira when we are spared from death?


The Gemara provides several specific reasons why we do not say Hallel on Purim, the most famous of which is that the Megillah itself serves as a form of hallel, but the question stands. Furthermore, Rashi identifies the Shira as hallel. He equates the two. Hallel needs to be recited over a salvation. The specific Hallel recited at the Sea was the Shira.


But, a few pages earlier in the Talmud, we encounter the famous passage where the angels in heaven wanted to praise Hashem for splitting the Sea and Hashem stopped them.


"מעשי ידי טובעין בים ואתם אומרים שירה?" (שם י:)


“My creatures are drowning in the sea and you want to sing a song?” (Ibid. 10b)


Despite a need to save the Children of Israel, Hashem grieved over the loss of the Egyptians. They too were His children. Often with victory for one, comes sadness for another.


The Meshech Chochmah (Shmos 12:16) addresses this quandary. He writes: 


Most nations celebrate their victories on the day of the downfall of their enemies. Not so the Jewish people. We do not rejoice over the death of others. Similarly, we read the Megillah, which is considered Hallel on Purim, not on the day we defeated our enemies, but on the day after, when we rested after the war. The 13thwas the day of the war. That has been established as a fast day, not a day of rejoicing.


Meshech Chochmah points out that it is for this reason that prior to Pesach, the Jews are told that Pesach would be a seven day holiday, not just a one day holiday. Why did the Jews need to know that as they were preparing to leave Egypt? That seems superfluous and extraneous at the time. Were it not for this fact, we may have thought that the seventh Day of Pesach is a festival celebrating the destruction of Egypt, but it is not. It’s part and parcel of the festival celebrating our freedom from slavery. [Much of this Torah is from an article by Rabbi Mordechai Willig on Torahweb.org].


The word Shira means a song of salvationa form of hallel if you will, but we also learn at the end of the Torah that the word shira also refers to the Torah itself.


"ועתה כתבו לכם את השירה הזאת ולמדה את בני ישראל שימה בפיהם למען תהיה לי השירה הזאת לעד בבני ישראל (דברים ל"א:י"ט)


“And now, write for yourselves this song and teach it to the Children of Israel. Place it in their mouths so that this song shall be testimony before the Children of Israel” (D’varim 31:19).


Rambam (Laws of Sefer Torah 7:1) derives from this verse the obligation to write a Sefer Torah. If that is the case, why does the verse not simply say ‘write a Sefer Torah’ not write this song?


This, of course, is not my question. This has been asked for centuries and many great minds have offered answers. I saw an answer from the legendary Rav Shach zt’l, the leader of the famous Ponivech yeshiva in B’nei Brak, and accepted posek of the Chareidi world until his death. He answered that the Torah itself is the song. All of the torah is part of the song, the praise of Hashem. Yes, the Torah contains difficult and challenging parts, such as the admonitions in B’chukosai and Ki Savo. The song we sang at the Sea was a unique event. Such a song and celebration will not be experienced until the arrival of Mashiach. But in the meantime, the song of our lives – the Torah – continues day in and day out. No matter what situation, our Torah provides the future and the music of our lives.


This Shabbos we have a Jewish family grieving in Brooklyn and a Jewish family talking, reuniting and singing Hashem’s praises in Brookline. In our own community we have one beloved family in the midst of shiva and another beloved family rejoicing over the birth of a daughter and granddaughter.


We don’t always know the outcomes of life’s events, but we must acknowledge Hashem’s hand in all of life. We thank God when a baby is born, and when we rend our garment at a time of unspeakable sadness and loss, we also bless Hashem as our judge. This is part of the song of our life, the song of the Torah, the song of recognizing Hashem’s hand in our lives.


Faith does not mean we believe everything will happen the way we want it to. Faith means that we accept the rhyme and reason, and know it is not capricious and Hashem chose a specific course of action to come to pass. Music can make us dance, music can make us cry, music can scare us, and music can trigger our pondering deep introspective thoughts. Music is the language of the soul. Torah also is the language of the soul. Shira speaks directly to our souls. So listen closely!

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Distinguishing Shira and Hallel and highlighting how Jews do not celebrate per se when enemies are killed.

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    Learning on the Marcos and Adina Katz YUTorah site is sponsored today by Judy & Mark Frankel & family l'ilui nishmos מרדכי בן הרב משה יהודה ע"ה and משה יהודה ז"ל בן מאיר אליהו ויהודית and by the Polinsky Family to commemorate the 5th Yahrzeit of Gil Polinsky, Gedalyahu Gootmun Chaim ben Yaakov Dov