Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
There’s a short song about a well in our parashah. This song has almost the same opening line as שִׁירַת הַיָּם (Shirat Ha-Yam, the Song of the Sea), which Benei Yisrael sang after crossing the יַם סוּף (Yam Suf, Reed Sea).
In Parashat Beshallah:
אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לַה׳ וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר אָשִׁירָה לַה׳ כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה…
Then Moshe and Benei Yisrael sang this song to God. They said:
I will sing to God, Who is highly exalted...
In our parashah:
אָז יָשִׁיר יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת עֲלִי בְאֵר עֱנוּ־לָהּ׃
Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, O well—sing to it.
What’s different about the two pesukim? Who is missing from the song in our parashah?
מִפְּנֵי מָה לֹא נִזְכַּר מֹשֶׁה שָׁם? מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנֶּעֱנַשׁ עַל הַמַּיִם, וְאֵין אָדָם מְקַלֵּס לִסְפֶּקְלָטוֹר שֶׁלּוֹ.
וְלָמָּה שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֹא נִזְכַּר בָּהּ?
מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְשִׁלְטוֹן שֶׁעָשָׂה סְעוּדָה לַמֶּלֶךְ. אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ, פְּלוֹנִי אוֹהֲבִי יֵשׁ שָׁם? אָמְרוּ לוֹ: לָאו. אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ, אַף אֲנִי אֵינִי הוֹלֵךְ לְשָׁם.
אַף כָּאן אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, הוֹאִיל וּמֹשֶׁה אֵינוֹ נִזְכַּר, אַף אֲנִי אֵינִי נִזְכַּר שָׁם.
Why is Moshe not mentioned there (in the song about the well)? Since he was punished because of water; and no one praises their executioner.
And why is the name of the Holy Blessed One not mentioned there? This can be understood through a mashal (parable). It’s like a governor who made a banquet for the king. The king said, “Will my friend be there?” They told the king, “No.” The king said, “Then I also am not going there.”
Here too, the Holy Blessed One said, “Since Moshe is not mentioned in the song, I also will not be mentioned there.
- When was Moshe punished because of water? (Hint: See earlier in our parashah, Bemidbar 20:1-13.) How does that story explain why Moshe is not mentioned in a song about water?
- According to this midrash, why doesn’t God want to be in the song? What does this tell us about God? What does this tell us about God’s relationship with Moshe?
- What can this teach us about friendship? What can you do to be sensitive to people around you who are being left out?
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