FEBRUARY 6 • 2020 | 27
T
he miracle at the
Re(e)d Sea was
expressed through
song: the song sung by Moses
and the children of
Israel and the song
sung by Miriam with
all of the women,
amid drumming and
dancing.
The miracle of the
revelation at Sinai was
expressed through
words: “
And Moses
descended to the nation
and he said unto them,
‘
And God spoke all
these words, saying …
’
”
(Exodus 19:25, 20:1).
Song and music enter
the heart and soul, whereas
speech and words speak to
the mind, the brain. Song and
music create emotions, feelings;
speech/words create under-
standing and cognition. Song
and music develop spirituality
and faith; speech and words
develop intellect and knowl-
edge. Song and music lead
to the wisdom of the heart;
speech and words lead to the
wisdom of the mind.
Song and music produce
religious prophets; speech and
words produce learned sages.
Song and music can touch
every individual deeply and
profoundly. Speech and words
can only move those with an
intellectual background and
innate ability.
Song and music reach out to
all as a group experience, inclu-
sive, with everyone joining in.
Speech and words, meant for
one who understands, are a
teaching experience, an exclu-
sive experience in which the
most learned dominate.
Moses sings at the Red
Sea, but it is a song-speech;
Moses is a master of words
and speech, not of music and
song. At the Red Sea, Moses
speak-sings; as the teacher, he
speaks alone after which
everyone repeats the les-
son in unison.
Miriam sings with the
beat of the drums. She
responds to the miracle
together with all the
other women as the unit-
ed group experiences
ecstatic joy. Song and
music lead to move-
ment, dance and human
embrace. Words and
speech lead to medita-
tion, books and author-
itative judgments. Song
and music lead to the drum
of the rhythmic heartbeat.
Words and speech lead to
the staff of the ruler and judge.
Moses left a legacy of a book of
books and a code of laws and
commandments; Miriam left
a legacy of a well from which
poured living spring waters of
regeneration and rebirth.
The entire nation saw the
sounds of Sinai; they saw the
words; they saw the cantilla-
tions and the musical notes;
they heard the music within
the commandments; and they
felt the love within the laws.
We must join the staff of
Moses to the drums of Miriam,
the song-speech of the sea to
the speech-song of the moun-
tain, the “lovingkindness” of
Miriam’
s well to the laws of
Moses. Moses’
command-
ments, the wisdom of the heart,
must be joined to the inter-
pretations of the mind. Then
everyone will understand
everything.
Rabbi Shlomo Riskin is chancellor of
Ohr Torah Stone and chief rabbi of
Efrat, Israel.
Parshat
Beshallach:
Exodus
13:17-17:16;
Judges
4:4-5:31.
Rabbi Shlomo
Riskin
Spirit
torah portion
The Sounds Of Faith
Learn
more
and
regi
ster
at
shalomhartman.org/CLP
Questi
ons?
Contact
Rebecca
Starr
rebecca.starr@shalomhartman.org
shalomhartman.org
#hartmansummer
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