 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

Joi
n 
Us 
i
n 
Jerusalem!

SUMMER 
COMMUNI
TY 
LEADERSHI
P 
PROGRAM 

June 
24 
– 
July 
1, 
2020

In 
an 
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a 
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vi
r
tual 
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eali
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soci
al 
medi
a 
echo

chamber
s,
 
how 
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n 
both 
i
ntegri
ty

and 
open-mi
ndedness 
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f
aceted 
truths?

Joi
n 
di
ver
se 
Jewi
sh 
communi
ty 
leader
s 
f
or
 
an 
i
nspi
r
i
ng 

and 
thought-pr
ovoki
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i
ntensi
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week-long 
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explori
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one 
of
 
the 
cor
e 
values 
that 
has 
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di
verse 
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es 
over 
mi
llenni
a:
 
that 
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Int
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