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In this Parasha, Hashem tests the Jewish people to see if they will heed the voice of their leader
Moshe is the father of all prophets. Therefore, Hashem tested the Jewish people to see if they would follow his words
This power of obedience to the leader must be present in every individual
This influence benefits all generations
“And they will also believe in you forever”
The reason for instituting the “Az Yashir” in Pesukei Dezimra
We say “kol haneshamah” (“Let every soul praise G-d”) twice, and “Hashem yimloch” (“G-d will reign”) twice
A profound and novel reason for saying “Hashem malchusei,” the Aramaic translation of “Hashem yimloch”
“Hashem yimloch” does not refer only to the future but to all times
This is explained as being akin to the custom of reading the Torah twice in Hebrew and once in “targum” (“[Aramaic] translation”)
We demonstrate that we’re paying attention to what we mean when we declare “Hashem yimloch” as an eternal truth, past present and future
The Torah is compared to a tree that constantly renews itself.
The development of a person is similar to the development of a tree.
A person does not lose the foundations of his childhood but continually renews them and builds upon them.
Just as it is forbidden to cut down a fruit bearing tree, so does a person and his Torah endure forever.
A person and his Torah are like the Tree of Life, in that his fruit and the fruit of his fruit remain for him and his students after him forever.The Torah is always renewed like a tree
I
A test for Israel: will they accept Moshe as their leader without skepticism?
It is written in our holy Torah, in our parasha:
וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר ה’ אֶל־משֶׁ֥ה לֵּאמֹֽר. דַּבֵּר֘ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וְיָשֻׁ֗בוּ וְיַחֲנוּ֙ לִפְנֵי֙ פִּ֣י הַֽחִירֹ֔ת בֵּ֥ין מִגְדֹּ֖ל וּבֵ֣ין הַיָּ֑ם לִפְנֵי֙ בַּ֣עַל צְפֹ֔ן נִכְח֥וֹ תַֽחֲנ֖וּ עַל־הַיָּֽם:
שמות יד:א–ב
“And Hashem spoke to Moshe , saying: ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they turn back and encamp before Pi-Hachiros, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-Zephon; you shall encamp opposite it by the sea.”
(Shemos 14:1-2)
The Sefas Emes (5638/1878) writes: “There is room to delve into this.” The children of Israel followed the [pillar of] cloud, so why did Hashem command Moshe Rabbeinu to turn back? Why not allow the people to continue following the cloud in the direction Hashem was leading them, as they always did?
The Sefas Emes answers that at this point Hashem did not show them the way through the cloud. He was testing the Jewish people’s faith in Moshe Rabbeinu. Would they follow their leader?
I would add that this is somewhat akin to following a general. Moshe was their general, their leader, and they needed to be tested to determine whether they would accept his leadership or question it. Even a command to turn back and go towards the enemy.
Hashem’s command to the Jewish people to turn back establishes Moshe Rabbeinu as their leader
Through this command, Hashem ensures that the nation of Israel believes in the leadership of Moshe as the new prophet and Hashem’s messenger. This point is of unparalleled importance for the Jewish people as a new nation—not only for the generation of the desert but for all future generations, that they continue to believe that “Moshe is true, and his Torah is true “משה אמת ותורתו אמת . Here, they will reach the point of “And they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant” ויאמינו בה‘ ובמשה עבדו.
One of the thirteen principles of faith is the unique stature of Moshe’s prophecy. This is an inseparable part of our belief in the Torah and Hashem, because it fulfills such a critical role. Moshe is the archetype of the prophet, the perfect prophet through whom we come to know Hashem. He is Hashem’s emissary, speaking with Hashem face-to-face.
I would add that there has never been a prophet like Moshe Rabbeinu —not before him, not after him, and not at the same time as him. He is a leader of supreme importance. Therefore, the Jewish people must undergo this test of faith in Moshe. He is Hashem’s representative, and we must trust him and follow his guidance and instructions. We must obey his every word.
Moshe is the father of all prophets, forever across all generations
Many times during the generation of the desert we see instances where the children of Israel challenged Moshe’s actions. There were rebellions with severe consequences, even though the majority of the people did accept him as their leader. Who can imagine what might have happened if there had been a full-scale rebellion attempting to depose Moshe completely, G-d forbid? In all of these rebellions and conflicts, Moshe handled the situations very well. He exercised the patience of “the humblest of all men on the face of the earth,” as the holy man that he was.
Faith in Hashem through Moshe
In Meloh Ha’omer by the Maharal Tzintz, of sainted memory, s.v. וַיַּֽאֲמִ֨ינוּ֙ בַּֽה’ וּבְמשֶׁ֖ה עַבְדּֽוֹ, “And they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant,” he writes:
It is stated in the Midrash (Yalkut Kama), “If they believed in Moshe, how much more so in Hashem?! If so, why does it say, “and in Moshe”…?’ However, we find in the Talmud (Bava Metzia 94b) that when the letter ‘vav’ (‘and’) is written, it implies both together and each one separately. Therefore, one could have said that it means either/or – that they believed either in Moshe or in Hashem.
According to this, the Midrash is troubled: it’s impossible to say it means either/or, because if they believed in Moshe, how much more so in Hashem?! Thus, why does it specifically say, “and in Moshe”? It should have said “[They believed in Hashem] and Moshe”!? One cannot say they believed in either one, since if they believed in Moshe, how much more so in Hashem! Therefore, it means both [were believed in].
Or one may say: Certainly, it is difficult – if they believed in Moshe, how much more so in Hashem? Rather, in truth, their entire belief in Hashem was through Moshe, because the capacity of their intellect was too limited to grasp and understand [Divine] visions, as explicitly stated in the verses that everything was through Moshe. Therefore, since their belief was totally dependent on Moshe, even if it said only “they believed in Hashem,” we would know they believed in Moshe, without whom they could not attain belief. So, what is the purpose of the additional words “and in Moshe”? [This is the meaning behind the question of the Midrash “What is the purpose of the additional words of, ‘and in Moshe.’”]
In my humble opinion, one can bring proof for the second approach of the Gaon of Plotzk mentioned above, that Moshe is the means for belief in Hashem, for we find that after they did not see Moshe as expected for only one day, and were without him just for a few hours, they already committed the terrible sin of the golden calf. Without Moshe, they lacked the level of faith they had when in his presence. This demonstrates that their faith was entirely reliant on Moshe Rabbeinu.
This is why it says, “And they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant,” just before the “Az Yashir,” and before the giving of the Torah too it says, “They will also believe in you forever”! This is all to teach us that Moshe is the pillar of faith for the generation of the desert and for all subsequent generations until the coming of the Redeemer.
II
Incorporating “Az Yashir” in Pesukei Dezimra
In this week’s parasha, we read the Shirah “Az Yashir.” Interestingly, this song has been incorporated into the daily prayer service as part of Pesukei Dezimra.
Many of the Rishonim (Medieval commentators) and later commentators have asked why “Az Yashir” is included in Pesukei Dezimra. The primary components of Pesukei Dezimra are the “Ashrei” and “Hallelukah” psalms of Dovid Hamelech’s Tehillim (Psalms), until “Let every soul praise Hashem, Hallelukah.” We recite this verse twice, as it marks the original conclusion of Pesukei Dezimra. It is understandable why, in later generations, we added “Blessed is Hashem forever, Amen and Amen,” as these are verses of praise. However, we then include the passage “And He established the covenant,” which ends with “in the midst of the sea on dry land,“ and proceed to “Then Moshe and the Children of Israel sang” – “Az Yashir Moshe.”
How does “Then Moshe and the Children of Israel sang” relate to Pesukei Dezimra?
In Pesukei Dezimra, we recite the verse “Let every soul” twice, and in “Az Yashir,” the phrase “Hashem shall reign forever and ever” is also repeated twice.
“Az Yashir Moshe” became the new ending of Pesukei Dezimra. Therefore, as explained by the commentators on the siddur, we repeat the verse “Hashem shall reign forever and ever,” .ה‘ ימלוך לעולם ועדJust as we repeat “Let every soul praise Hashem, Hallelukah” כל הנשמה תהלל י–ה הללוי–ה to mark the end of the “Hallelukah” psalms in Pesukei Dezimra, so do we repeat “Hashem shall reign forever and ever”ה‘ ימלוך לעולם ועד to mark the new conclusion of Pesukei Dezimra.
“Ki va sus Paro”—A proof for the continuation of Pesukei Dezimra
However, I have a question with this approach: If “Hashem shall reign forever and ever” marks the conclusion of the Shirah and the Pesukei Dezimra, why do we go back and continue with the next verse “For the horse of Pharaoh came” …כי בה סוס פרעה which appears to be part of the Shirah? A novel idea occurred to me, and I believe it has merit. (The relevance of the verses “For the horse of Pharaoh came” to Pesukei Dezimra in general will be explained in Parashas Yisro.)
In the Pesukei Dezimra that we say every day, we proclaim, “Hashem is King, Hashem was King, Hashem shall reign forever and ever.” However, on the High Holy Days, in the “piyyut,” (“hymn”) “Yadiru Bekol,” we go beyond this, proclaiming, “Hashem is King” as praise from one group of angels and spiritual beings, “Hashem was King” as praise from another group of angles and spiritual beings, and then “Hashem shall reign” as praise from both groups together. We then combine all these praises into one, proclaiming, “Hashem is King, Hashem was King, Hashem shall reign forever and ever.”
Certainly, in the daily prayer, and even more so in this piyyut, “Hashem shall reign forever and ever” refers to the future. But is this the original intent of the verse in “Az Yashir”?
To remove all doubt, it should be known that the proclamation “Hashem is King, Hashem was King, Hashem shall reign forever and ever” of the prayers and piyyutim is not a biblical verse but rather a composition from several verses, including “Hashem shall reign forever and ever” from our parasha. This composition is ancient and holy, composed in the early generations through divine inspiration. Certainly, according to this formulation, “Hashem shall reign forever and ever” refers to the future.
However, the meaning of the verse “Hashem shall reign forever and ever” in our parasha, on its own, is not limited to the future but proclaims that Hashem is king at all times! That is why Targum Onkelos translates it as, “Hashem’s sovereignty endures forever and for all eternity,” ה‘ מלכותיה קאים לעלם ולעלמי עלמיאmeaning that Hashem’s kingship is eternal. Refer also to the Ramban’s commentary there.
In “Az Yashir” within Pesukei Dezimra, after “Hashem shall reign forever and ever,” all siddurim add the translation in Aramaic, “Hashem’s sovereignty endures forever and for all eternity.” How did the translation enter the liturgy?
The reason for saying “Hashem yimloch” in Aramaic
I thought of a novel idea to answer this question: In “Az Yashir” the verse “Hashem yimloch le’olam va’ed“ (“Hashem will reign forever and ever”), is repeated, “Hashem yimloch le’olam va’ed,” and then followed by the Aramaic translation, “Hashem malchusei ka’im le’alam ul’almei almaya” (Hashem’s kingdom stands forever and for all eternity”). Now, generally we do not incorporate Aramaic into the prayers, particularly when davening “beyechidus” (“privately,” without a quorum).
There is an entire discussion about whether it is permissible to include Aramaic in the liturgy, based on a Tosafos regarding whether angels understand Aramaic. When praying privately, we require assistance of angels to raise our prayers to Heaven, and this raises the question of whether Aramaic is suitable when davening privately. There is disagreement about it.
I want to propose distinctions between the “Hashem yimloch” of “Az Yashir” and the “Hashem yimloch” of the “Hashem melech, Hashem molach, Hashem yimloch” composition.
We need to distinguish between the “Hashem yimloch le’olam va’ed” of “Az Yashir” and the “Hashem yimloch” of the “Hashem Melech” composition, which has a future-oriented meaning. We therefore bring in Onkelos’s translation to explain that the meaning of “Hashem yimloch le’olam va’ed” is identical to the meaning of “Amein yehei shmei rabba mevorach le’alam ul’almei almaya” (“Amen, may His great name be blessed forever and for all eternity”). Onkelos thus translates: “Hashem malchusei ka’im,” “Hashem’s kingdom stands, “le’alam ul’almei almaya,” “always and forever.” The meaning is not only that Hashem will reign in the future, but that He reigns forever, always. Past, present, and future. All the time. To make this point, we must translate the declaration and emphasize that “Hashem malchusei ka’im le’alam ul’almei almaya.”
I want to suggest the novel idea that “Hashem will reign forever and ever” is not the conclusion of Pesukei Dezimra, as others have labored to explain in answer to the question of why we repeat “Hashem yimloch le’olam va’ed.” Rather, it is part of a deliberative effort we make to explain that “Hashem yimloch le’olam va’ed” does not mean only in the future but at all times; we explain this through שניים מקרא ואחד תרגום”two readings of the text and one reading of the Aramaic translation”.
Like “Shnayim Mikra Ve’echad Targum” (“Two readings of the text and one of the translation”)
When praying beyechidus (privately), one cannot, strictly speaking, recite the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy—“Hashem, Hashem, Kel rachum vechanun” and so on—which one recites when praying with a quorum. But there are several ways to enable the recitation of the Thirteen Attributes even when praying privately, such as reading them with cantillation, like in the Torah reading. Similarly, when we say “Hashem yimloch le’olam va’ed,” we are not concluding Pesukei Dezimra but rather reciting it in the manner of “shnayim mikra ve’echad targum, as if reading it from the Torah.
I shared this idea with a great Torah scholar, and he told me, “You need a source to say something like this.” When I shared it with another Torah scholar, he remarked, “You intuited the understanding of the Arizal.” Blessed is Hashem that I intuited this correctly.
Maharal Tznitz
Demonstrating the correct intent in our prayer
The reason we say “Hashem malchusei ka’im le’alam ul’almei almaya” is not as part of the prayer itself, but to show that we have the correct intent in what we are saying. When we say “Hashem yimloch le’olam va’ed” in the “Shiras HaYam” (“Song of the Sea,” “Az Yashir”), we are affirming that we understand its meaning correctly. Therefore, we recite the verse twice, like “shnayim mikra ve’echad targum.”
Thus, even in beyechidus, it is permissible to say it. First, we recite “Hashem Yimloch Le’olam Va’ed, Hashem Yimloch Le’olam Va’ed”—this is the “two mikra.” Then we follow with the Targum of Onkelos: “Hashem malchusei ka’im le’alam ul’almei almaya.”
The Power of the Mitzvah of “Levaya” (“Escorting”)
וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח פַּרְעֹה֘ אֶת־הָעָם֒ (“Vayehi beshalach
Pharaoh es ha’am”) “And it was, that when Pharaoh sent the people away….” The Midrash explains that the term “beshalach” (“he sent”) implies levaya, that when the Jewish people left Egypt, Pharaoh escorted them. And what was his reward for this escorting? That there is a mitzvah in the Torah: “Do not despise an Egyptian”, do not degrade him, as a reward for the mitzvah of escorting. However, we must understand the connection between Pharaoh’s escorting and this verse prohibiting the despising of an Egyptian. Let us see the profound explanation of the Maharal Tzintz.
The Talmud, Maseches Sotah, says about the period of Avraham Avinu that as a reward for the four steps Pharaoh took to accompany Avraham, Pharaoh merited that the Jewish people would later be enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. The Maharsha explains that this does not mean the exile in Egypt occurred because of those steps; rather, the decree of exile had already been established at the Bris Bein Habesarim (Covenant of the Parts), and because of the steps Pharaoh took, he merited that the exile would be in his land—that the Klal Yisrael would serve him and not another nation.
The parasha begins with the word “Vayehi,” which conveys a sense of pain: “וויי… היי” (“Oy
vey,” or “woe is to us”) “beshalach Pharaoh es ha’am”—”when Pharaoh sent the people away.” Woe is to us because, once again, Pharaoh escorted the Jewish people upon their departure, and this may give him the merit once again of having future exiles of the Jewish people occur under his rule. Therefore, there is a concern “lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt—perhaps Pharaoh will again merit that the Jewish people will be in exile specifically with him, and they will need to return to him in Egypt.
This concern was very great. What saved the Jewish people from this fate? Pharaoh’s regret. Hashem knew that Pharaoh would come to regret having sent out the Jewish people, and one who does a mitzvah and regrets it—i.e., he regrets the initial action—completely loses the merit of the mitzvah. Pharaoh, therefore, at the end of the day, did not merit having the Jewish people return to servitude under him.
However, Pharaoh did receive some reward for the mitzvah of escorting: that the Torah commanded, “You shall not despise an Egyptian.” For Pharaoh fulfilled the mitzvah of levaya when he escorted the Jewish people out of Egypt.
Let us reflect and learn: If such a wicked gentile receives a reward for the mitzvah of levaya, how great and immense is the reward we will receive for all the mitzvos that we fulfill! Amen.
Tu Bishvat
The Torah is constantly Renewed, like a Tree.
“For they are our life and the length of our days”: This month, we celebrate Tu Bishvat, the New Year for Trees. The Torah is referred to as an “‘Eitz Chaim’ (“Tree of Life”) to those who hold fast to it” (Mishlei 3:18). A tree renews itself every year, and similarly, the Torah is constantly being renewed. Even before its giving, the Torah commanded us to see it each day as if it were new (Rashi on Shemos 19:1).
The Development of a Person Resembles the Development of a Tree
The Torah compares a person to a tree: “For a person is a tree of the field” (Devarim 20:19). I wish to point out that when a tree is formed, it begins with one ring in its trunk, and every year, another ring is added. This phenomenon of growing a new ring every year indicates that the tree renews its growth every year. This is what we celebrate on the New Year for Trees, which occurs on Tu Bishvat.
From the number of rings in a tree’s trunk, we can learn its age, assess its quality, and more. In a similar sense, we humans, while we do not grow physical rings, nevertheless add layers of experience with age. But even so, at a person’s core lies the child within, much like the first ring in the tree’s trunk.
The Primary Foundations of a Person are Formed in his Childhood and Youth
At the center is always the child, the adolescent, who they were when they were young. This remains true even for adults. Our core is our childhood; we never lose it. We retain renewal, an ability to draw upon that energy of youthful vitality, to see the world anew each day as if we were seeing it for the first time. With the exodus from Egypt and the power of החודש הזה לכם “Hachodesh hazeh lachem ,” (“This month shall be for you”), we approach this ultimate renewal.
During the forty-nine days of the Omer, we repair our immersion in the forty-nine gates of impurity. On the fiftieth day, we receive the eternal renewal of the “Tree of Life,” and we become a “tree of the field.”
The Fruits of “Man is a Tree of the Field”
R’ Yochanan said:
What is the meaning of the verse, כִּ֤י הָֽאָדָם֙ עֵ֣ץ הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה “For man is a tree of the field” (Devarim 20:19): Is a person truly a tree of the field? Rather, because one verse says, “From it you may eat, but you must not cut it down” (ibid.), while another says, “You may destroy it and cut it down” (ibid., v. 20). How so? If he is a worthy Torah scholar, then “From it you may eat, you must not cut it down,” but if not, “You may destroy it and cut it down” (Taanis 7a).
A worthy Torah scholar is compared to a fruit-bearing tree, and the Torah insights he innovates are his “fruit.” Just as it is forbidden to cut down a fruit-bearing tree, so too, a Torah scholar is assured that his Torah will protect him.
But it is not merely a matter of “fruit,” but far beyond that —it extends to the fruit’s fruit, and the fruit of the fruit’s fruit, and so on until the end of time. How so? The students of a Torah scholar consume their teacher’s “fruit,” and by internalizing the Torah they learn from him, it is as though they are planting the seeds hidden in the teacher’s fruit. These students then become “fruit trees” themselves, producing their own “fruit”—namely, their own Torah insights and students. And so on, without end. Thus, a Torah scholar is truly in the category of the Tree of Life in that his fruit produces fruit that produces fruit—endless growth of fruits planted in heavenly “Gan Eden” (“the Garden of Eden”) for all eternity. This is the secret of “He planted eternal life within us” that we say in our blessing over the Torah.