Rabbi's Sermons

Shabbat Shalom!

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shira – the Sabbath of singing. A well-known Midrash from the Talmud Babel in Sanhedrin 39b explains about it: “At that hour, the heavenly angels asked to sing a song before the Holy One, Blessed be He. The Holy One, Blessed be He, answered them: The works of my hands are drowning… and you intend to sing a song before me?”. This is the moment when the Israelites finished crossing the sea into a new world as a free nation. This is the most important story in this week’s Parsha Beshalach.

The Midrash questions in a very critical way the poem in the Torah known as Shirat Hayam – The Song of the Sea, which you surely know and sing as Mi Chamocha. If the angels themselves could not rejoice at the miraculous event of the people of Israel crossing the sea, and the death of Pharaoh and his warriors, how could we do so? Are we allowed to rejoice at the downfall of evildoers? Or worse, avenge evil with evil with our own means? Can we respond with the same coin of violence and destruction?

Back on October 2024, the leader of the Hamas terrorist group Yehia Sinwar was killed, the one that actually planned the attacks against Israel back on October 7^th 2023. Sinwar enemies in the West Bank celebrated with dancing and offering sweets on the streets. Most of israelies remained silent. To my amazement, I noticed many posts on the media gleefully making jokes about his death. I could not contain my surprise and got engaged in a long and annoying conversation by Facebook about Judaism's moral position on the death of our enemies. In Israel, I have read with sadness new cases of TAG MECHIR, a new type of “Italian vendetta” carried out by unscrupulous young Jewish extremists, who go so far as to destroy Palestinian cars, or graffiti their places of worship, destroy their crops and other activities, all in secret. Many of the owners of the crops are innocent people and in some cases not even involved in political activities, much less terrorists. All of this is not in accordance with the high moral values ​​that our faith represents, and not the opinion of this groups of Tag Mechir.

It is written in the book of Proverbs 24:17 - “When your enemy falls, do not rejoice, and when he stumbles, do not let your heart be glad”. This is the passive form. Other Midrash from this same Parasha teach us that it is not enough to be indifferent and not to rejoice. It also invites us to be active with initiative and action, to achieve change at the family, congregations and national levels. Two of the concepts embodied in the vision of the liberal movements are Tikun Olam and Social Justice, for a more ecological and just world. Both invite us to action, because prayers are not enough. The Midrash in Shemot Raba 21 tells us: “Rabbi Eliezer says that the Holy One Blessed Be He said to Moses: There is a time to shorten and there is a time to lengthen, my children are overwhelmed, the sea closes their path, the enemy approaches and you, are you standing there praying?! Speak to the people of Israel and MOVE FORWARD!” Moments of crisis are not moments of prayer, but of action, taking responsibility.

An additional Midrash in the Talmud Sotah 36b teaches us: “Rabbi Meir said: When the people of Israel were facing the sea, the tribes competed among themselves. One said: I enter the sea first, the other said, no! I go into the sea first. The tribe of Benjamin jumped first, as it is written in Psalm 68:28 - ‘There is this young Benjamin who RODEM - rules them’, do not read Rodem, but ‘Red Yam – who went down into the sea’. For this reason Benjamin was called righteous and a hero, ... Rabbi Yehuda answered him: That was not so. Some said, ‘I will not go down first into the sea!’, others said the same: ‘I will not go down first into the sea!’. Then ​​Nahshon ben Aminadav (from the tribe of Yehuda) jumped first… At that time Moses was lengthening his prayers and the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: ‘My children are drowning in the sea, and you! Are you standing there praying to me?’ Moses answered him: Ribono shel Olam! - Creator of the world, what should I do? Then at Exodus 14:15-16 we read: ’¹⁵ Then Adonai said to Moses, ‘Why do you cry out to me? Tell the children of Israel to go forth! ¹⁶ And you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea…’ That is why Yehuda merited to be the future king”.

According to this beautiful Midrash, Rabbi Yehuda teaches us that it was the determination of Nachshon ben Aminadav who, upon throwing himself into the sea and almost drowning, “the sea saw him and fled”. This was the heroic (or desperate) act that really made the sea part! In fact, It is not GOD who initiated the miracle, but the joint action of both Nachshon and Moshe who make the miracle happen with the help of an east wind all night. The verse that follows says: “²² Then the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry land, with the waters as a wall on their right and on their left”. The Midrash in Shemot Rabba asks: “If they went into the midst of the sea, why does it say on dry land? And if it says ‘on dry land’, why to mention ‘in the midst of the sea’? From here we learn that the sea did not open until the water was waist-deep, only after that did it become dry”.

In Lecha Dodi we sing “Sof maaseh bemachshava techilah” “the end of an act begins with a thought” with a determination.

What do we learn about the miracle of the opening of the Sea?

1. “When your enemy falls, do not rejoice, and when he stumbles, do not let your heart be glad”. Judaism demands a very high moral conduct from us. It doesn't matter if the worst of our enemies falls, Hamas or Iranian or whoever. Even if we see that you can take advantage and get past a long line of cars or people and leave everyone else behind... avoid mockery. Bless because you were able to do it.We also learn that moments of crisis are not moments of discussion or of prolonging prayers, we need to act and take responsibility and help those around us.
2. Finally, we learn that it is our actions that can start miracles, even if it means splitting an entire sea in two...
3. During moments of crisis in the congregation, it is necessary for many to raise their hands, to open a new sea of ​​opportunities, and to continue with the congregation activities. We can be inspired by Nachshon Ben Aminadav and jump into deep waters, with faith and without fear: Tell Bnei Israel to march! Do not stop! Continue to participate, pray together, study together, enjoy together, sing together on this Shabbat Shira!

In this spirit I remember the last verse of a very popular Israeli song, ‘Lo nafsik Lashir – We will not stop singing’: ‘There is no other option, this is our little land. Everything will be fine, if you want it, it is not a legend, and we’ll still be able to see a beautiful sunrise, and so, we will continue to sing: Lo♫ nafsik Lashir – ♪We will not stop singing!’

Shabat Shalom!

Rabbi David Laor

February 7^th, 2025