My Musing
In searching for a connection between Pesach and Shir Hashirim, I came across this part of a midrash about the song at the Yam Suf. The excerpt at the end which uses a verse from Shir Hashirim is telling for two reasons; one it follows the shift in the Holiday that the rabbis instituted to focus on the future redemption and two because it demonstrates that chazal used allegory to understand the verses of Shir Hashirim way before the modern day commentary which is reluctant t literally translate the work.
מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת בשלח סימן יIn searching for a connection between Pesach and Shir Hashirim, I came across this part of a midrash about the song at the Yam Suf. The excerpt at the end which uses a verse from Shir Hashirim is telling for two reasons; one it follows the shift in the Holiday that the rabbis instituted to focus on the future redemption and two because it demonstrates that chazal used allegory to understand the verses of Shir Hashirim way before the modern day commentary which is reluctant t literally translate the work.
(שמות טו:א) "אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לַידֹוָד וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר אָשִׁירָה לַידֹוָד כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם"
(שמות יד:לא) "וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַיָּד הַגְּדֹלָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה יְדֹוָד בְּמִצְרַיִם וַיִּירְאוּ הָעָם אֶת יְדֹוָד וַיַּאֲמִינוּ בַּידֹוָד וּבְמֹשֶׁה עַבְדּוֹ"
"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto the LORD, for He is highly exalted; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea."
"And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD, and in His servant Moses."
"And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD, and in His servant Moses."
לפיכך זכו לירש את הארץ. אתה מוצא בשכר אמנה שהאמין אברהם אבינו בה' ירש העולם הזה והעןלם הבא, שנאמר (בראשית טו:ו) "וְהֶאֱמִן בַּידֹוָד וַיַּחְשְׁבֶהָ לּוֹ צְדָקָה"
וכן (שמות ד:לא) "וַיַּאֲמֵן הָעָם וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ כִּי פָקַד יְדֹוָד אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְכִי רָאָה אֶת עָנְיָם וַיִּקְּדוּ וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ" וכתיב (תהלים לא:כד) "אֶהֱבוּ אֶת יְדֹוָד כָּל חֲסִידָיו אֱמוּנִים נֹצֵר יְדֹוָד וּמְשַׁלֵּם עַל יֶתֶר עֹשֵׂה גַאֲוָה"
וכן במשה (שמות יז:יב) "וִידֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּבֵדִים וַיִּקְחוּ אֶבֶן וַיָּשִׂימוּ תַחְתָּיו וַיֵּשֶׁב עָלֶיהָ וְאַהֲרֹן וְחוּר תָּמְכוּ בְיָדָיו מִזֶּה אֶחָד וּמִזֶּה אֶחָד וַיְהִי יָדָיו אֱמוּנָה עַד בֹּא הַשָּׁמֶשׁ" ואומר (תהלים קיח:כ) "זֶה הַשַּׁעַר לַידֹוָד צַדִּיקִים יָבֹאוּ בוֹ"
Therefore they merited to inherit the land. You find that it was reward for their faith that Abraham our father believed in God that we inherited this world and the world to come, as it says, "And he believed in the LORD; and He counted it to him for righteousness." And similarly, "And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had remembered the children of Israel, and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped"
And it is written, "O love the LORD, all ye His godly ones; the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully repayeth him that acteth haughtily." And so with Moshe, "But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun." and it says, "This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter into it."
אלו בעלי אמנה שנאמר (ישעיהו כו:ב) "פִּתְחוּ שְׁעָרִים וְיָבֹא גוֹי צַדִּיק שֹׁמֵר אֱמֻנִים" השער הזה בעלי אמנה נכנסין בו שנאמר (תהלים צב:ב- ג) "טוֹב לְהֹדוֹת לַידֹוָד וּלְזַמֵּר לְשִׁמְךָ עֶלְיוֹן. לְהַגִּיד בַּבֹּקֶר חַסְדֶּךָ וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ בַּלֵּילוֹת"
מה כתיב בתריה? (תהלים צב:ה) "כִּי שִׂמַּחְתַּנִי יְדֹוָד בְּפָעֳלֶךָ בְּמַעֲשֵׂי יָדֶיךָ אֲרַנֵּן"
מי גרם לנו לשמחה זו? אמנה שהאמינו אבותינו בעולם הזה שכולו לילות כדכתיב " וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ בַּלֵּילוֹת" וכתיב (חבקוק ב:ד) "הִנֵּה עֻפְּלָה לֹא יָשְׁרָה נַפְשׁוֹ בּוֹ וְצַדִּיק בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה" וכתיב (איכה ג:כג) "חֲדָשִׁים לַבְּקָרִים רַבָּה אֱמוּנָתֶךָ"
These are the masters of faith as it says, "Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation that keepeth faithfulness may enter in." this gate is where the masters of faith enter as it says, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High; To declare Thy lovingkindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness in the night seasons,"
What is written after? "For Thou, LORD, hast made me glad through Thy work; I will exult in the works of Thy hands."
Who caused this great joy? Faith that the patriarchs believed in this world that is totally night as it written, "in the night" and it is written, "Behold, his soul is puffed up, it is not upright in him; but the righteous shall live by his faith." And it is written, "They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness"
ואין הגליות עתידות להגאל אלא בשכר אמנה שנאמר (שיר השירים ד:ח) "אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן כַּלָּה אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן תָּבוֹאִי תָּשׁוּרִי מֵרֹאשׁ אֲמָנָה מֵרֹאשׁ שְׂנִיר וְחֶרְמוֹן מִמְּעֹנוֹת אֲרָיוֹת מֵהַרְרֵי נְמֵרִים"
ואומר ( הושע ב:כב) "וְאֵרַשְׂתִּיךְ לִי בֶּאֱמוּנָה וְיָדַעַתְּ אֶת יְדֹוָד"
הא למדת שגדולה אמנה, שבשכר אמנה שרתה עליהם שכינה ואמרו שירה שנאמר " וַיַּאֲמִינוּ בַּידֹוָד" "אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה", ואומר (תהלים קו:יב) "וַיַּאֲמִינוּ בִדְבָרָיו יָשִׁירוּ תְּהִלָּתוֹ"
And the exiles will be redeemed only with the reward of their faith as it is written, "Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon; look from the top of Amana, from the top of Senir and Hermon, from the lions' dens, from the mountains of the leopards." And it says, "And I will betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the LORD"
Behold you learn that faith is great that in the reward for their faith the Divine Presence came to them and they sang as it says, " and they believed in the LORD" and " Then sang" and it says, " Then believed they His words; they sang His praise"
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