Highest of the High

This week Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea, is read in synagogues around the world. Even though the actual anniversary of the Crossing of the Sea and the singing of the Song is the seventh day of Pesach, this Shabbat is called Shabbat Shira. We, sort of, celebrate this amazing event by reading the poem aloud during our service and leaving bread crumbs for birds (?!). In any case, this is a great time to look more closely at this poem we recite everyday and our Sages (in the Zohar) claim that those who read this SHIRA everyday are guaranteed a place in the World to Come.

This is the first of all the songs or poetic praises of God in our Tanach. As the Midrash records: From the day that the Holy One blessed be He created the world until Israel stood at the sea, we do not find a person who sang a song to the Holy One blessed be He (Shmot Raba 23:4).

Clearly, we’re not going to parse the entire Song. Instead, we will discuss one five word phrase: ASHIRA L’HASHEM KI GA’O GA’AH (I sing to God, for He is gloriously sublime, Shmot 15:1).

What exactly is this ‘sublime’ nature of God? Rashi suggests, ‘for He is exalted above all exalted beings and real exaltation is His alone; the repetition of the word is intended to state that He has done something which it is impossible for a human being to do…Another explanation: I will sing unto the Lord although He is exalted high above all songs and however much I may praise Him there will still remain something additional in Him to be praised. I can never exhaust his praises.’

So, Rashi makes two suggestions. First, God is higher than any other being, ‘highest of the high’. Secondly, I’m praising God in spite of my understanding that I can never successfully describe or praise God’s greatness. 

The Sforno adds that God is the true source of all good and power in the world. This is in contrast to human kings, like Pharaoh, who falsely claim power and control over their territory. 

Rabbeinu Bechaye explains this idea that God supersedes all other powers that people may recognize and praise. He quotes a Midrash (Tanchuma): there are four creatures which are known for their arrogance; the lion amongst the wild beasts; the ox amongst the domestic beasts, the eagle amongst the birds; man surpasses them all in arrogance. The reason for this is that God gave man dominion over all the other creatures in the terrestrial universe. What did God do? He had likenesses of all these four ‘arrogant’ creatures made as part of His throne as we know from Ezekiel I,10. The reason for this was that God had said: seeing these creatures display arrogance and consider themselves as superior I have to demonstrate My superiority to them. 

Then there are the commentaries who claim that the double term GA’O GA’AH doesn’t refer to God at all. For example the Ohr Hachaim claims:

As a rule songs of praise should commence with mention of the collapse of God’s enemies similar to what Solomon said in Proverbs 11,10: when the wicked perish there is jubilation. Accordingly, we understand the words GA’O GA’AH as referring to Pharaoh who was so boastful that his very name was “the boastful one. This is why Moses wrote GA’O GA’AH, the braggart of all braggarts. 

But the Netivot Shalom claims that the GA’O GA’AH refers to the Jews themselves. To every simple former slave who was awed by the revelation of God’s power at the Sea. He compares it to the famous story of the simple shepherd boy who came to shul on Yom Kippur and was moved by the prayers of the congregation, but knew no prayers, couldn’t read. He blew on his shepherd’s pipe. The shul was in shock with outrage, but the Ba’al Shem tov was in that shul and said, ‘On high there is a Prosecutor and a legal decision against the Jews. However, as a result of this boy’s NESHAMA G’VOHA the entire judgment has been nullified!’ Then the Rebbe adds:

And this is why we call this SHABBAT SHIRA. The issue of SHIRA is eternal, and this issue of singing to God because every Jew’s heart burns like a flame until one is unable to hold back (IPUK) from expressing their profound feelings for Hashem. This is the idea that the soul is elevated (GA’O GA’A). Even though this phenomenon happens every Shabbat. This is also why we say ‘Shabbat fulfills the purpose of Creation’. But this specific Shabbat remains the catalyst for this enlightenment throughout the generations. 

So, this Shabbat we sing SHIRA, and what is SHIRA? Hirsch says that the word SHIR is related to the Hebrew word SHAGAR which means to send forth (in Modern Hebrew it means to broadcast or launch). It means to express outwardly what has been awakened within, in one’s heart. In a general way, this conveys emotional expression outwardly to that which has been revealed within the heart. That which is not revealed to the sight of any person. However it became clearly revealed to one’s mind’s eye. From this we deduce that the SHIR primarily points to acts of God within the history of humanity.  

We don’t know how to respond to our awe of God, therefore we sing. Why do we sing? Are we grateful for our salvation? Perhaps. But Rav Soloveitchik wrote:

Afterall, the purpose of the great miracles Hashem performed was to make Hashem’s Name great on the entire planet, not to address our petty needs. The GAO GA’A is the ultimate purpose of the wonder!  

We sing, because our souls leave us no choice. It’s to relieve us of the burden of not knowing how else to react. The song comes from our soul, and enlightens the world.