Sing and Shine
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“My Handiwork is Drowning, How could you Sing?”
The last days of Passover celebrate the miracle of the Splitting and Crossing of the Red Sea which culminated the Exodus from Egypt, some 3,329 years ago.
When the Jewish people crossed the Red Sea and witnessed the incredible miracle of the splitting of the sea, they spontaneously broke out in song led by Moses. In this song there are two major themes; the greatness of G-d and the drowning of the Egyptians, for their evil desire to harm the Jewish people.
Some of the most exquisite praises of G-d emerged from this song. It was considered so significant a song that it was incorporated by PASSOVER our Sages into Shacharis, the daily Morning Prayer.
The Talmud (Megillah 10b; Sanhedrin 39b) and Midrash relate that the angels too wanted to sing praise to G-d at that time, but they were prevented by G-d Himself to do so. The Talmud records G-d’s rationale for His denial of their singing:
“My handiwork is drowning in the sea and you wish to sing praise?!”
Why Jews and not Angels?
Commentators raise the obvious question:
Why was the singing of the Jewish people acceptable to G-d but the angels’ singing praise not? Moreover, the Song of the Sea contains explicit references to the drowning of the Egyptians. Why, we may ask, was it acceptable for the Jews to praise G-d for this miracle (i.e., the drowning of the Egyptians) but it was not acceptable for the angels?
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Another related question has been asked. The Midrash explains the reason we do not recite the whole Hallel on the seventh day of Passover is because on that day the Splitting of the Red Sea occurred and G-d’s handiwork were drowning in the sea. How can we say the full Hallel when the miracle involved the destruction of G-d’s handiwork?
The question therefore is: if Hallel cannot be said in its entirety because of the drowning of the Egyptians, why were the Jews allowed to sing the jubilant Song of the Sea?
Hallel: Psalms of Praise and Light
One answer (See commentary of Meharsha on Sanhedrin 39b) distinguishes between the Song of the Sea and the Psalms of Hallel.
To explain:
The Song of the sea was acceptable, even when others were suffering, because the Jewish people were expressing their gratitude PASSOVER to G-d for having saved them from the hands of the pursuing Egyptian army.
Hallel, however, is a different and unique form of praise. Halle can only be said when our joy is unadulterated, complete.
For this reason, the Talmud states, we do not recite Hallel on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These are days of judgment and our joy in them cannot be a palpable joy; it is covered with feelings of trepidation.
We also do not recite Hallel on Purim, although it is an incredibly joyous Holiday, because our salvation then was not complete. Even after the miracle of Purim the Jews remained subjects of Achashveirosh, the Persian monarch, who did not allow the Jews to resume building the Bais Hamikdash. Instead of reciting the Hallel we read the Megillah was tells the story and arouses our gratitude to G-d.
We can now understand why we do not recite the full Hallel on the last days of Passover, the anniversary of the miracle of PASSOVER the splitting of the Red Sea. Because that miracle involved the drowning of G-d’s handiwork our joy is incomplete.
Why is Hallel so Special?
The question still remains. What distinguishes Hallel from the Song of the Sea? Both are songs of praise for the miracles G-d has wrought. Why then is one acceptable even at a time when G-d’s handiwork is drowning, while the other is not?
To answer this question we have to understand the deeper significance of Hallel. The word Hallel actually has two meanings. The first is “praise” and the second is “light.” [It is possible that the English word “halo” is connected to the word Hallel.] Whenever there are two translations for one word it is understood that they are connected. What idea is conveyed by these two linked translations?
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There are two ways of praising G-d. The lower and inferior level is to recognize G-d’s limited involvement in our lives. The superior level is to recognize G-d’s dominance over and recognition by the entire world.
When the Jews sang the Song of the Sea, they were giving expression for the miracles that affected them. As important as that recognition was; it was not the same as saying Hallel Hallel, as psalms of praise and light are intended to illuminate the entire world with G-d’s supernatural power; that every nation on earth bask in G-d’s light.
Many of the nations of the world, throughout history, recognized the existence of a G-d, but they had a hard time appreciating G-d’s relationship with the world and particularly with the Jewish people. Some had a philosophy that G-d was too high and exalted to deal with our lowly physical existence. They therefore came to the erroneous conclusion that G-d had forsaken the Earth and delegated responsibility for the workings PASSOVER of nature to the natural forces which they deified.
By placing G-d on a pedestal, saying He was too high for our world, they actually denigrated Him. Our belief is that G-d, while exalted above everything, is intimately involved with our world and has a special and unique relationship with the Jewish people, the chosen people.
Judaism’s rejection of this false belief is encapsulated in the first Psalm of the Hallel:
“G-d is exalted above all nations; His glory is above the heavens. Who is like G-d our G-d, enthroned on high; looking down low upon heaven and earth.”
While G-d is indeed exalted above all nations and natural forces, He nevertheless lowers Himself to care for the minutest detail of our physical world.
From this we can gain insight into the role of Hallel in shedding light. The purpose of Hallel is to express our belief and feeling that G-d’s PASSOVER greatness can be felt and appreciated by all the nations of the world, no matter how lowly they may be.
That Hallel was intended to illuminate all nations is further reflected in Psalm 117:
“Praise G-d, all you nations, laud Him, all you peoples. For mighty is His kindness over us, and the truth of G-d is everlasting. Praise G-d.”
When a nation witnesses G-d’s kindness to the Jewish people it is filled with praise to G- d. In effect, G-d’s greatness illuminates the entire world.
Hence, when the Egyptians—G-d’s handiwork- -were drowning in the sea, rather than recognizing G-d’s greatness and love for the Jewish people, it suggested that the illuminating light of Hallel was not shining brightly. That kind of a situation does not allow us to give full expression of G-d’s light through the illuminating psalms of Hallel. Therefore, we are compelled to recite only parts of Hallel to signify that our joy is not PASSOVER complete because some of the light is missing.
Guardian Angels
Likewise when the angels sought to sing praise they could not do so when G-d’s handiwork was being destroyed.
To better understand this we must preface the belief in Judaism that each nation has its own guardian angel. Angels are the spiritual forces that are responsible for the welfare of the nations of the world. When they sing praise to G-d that is their way of channeling their understanding of G-d’s greatness to the nations and acknowledging the nations’ recognition of G-d.
For them to sing praise of G-d’s greatness at the Splitting of the Sea it would have implied that G-d’s greatness was appreciated by the nations they represented. But, alas, that was not the case. The Egyptians failed miserably; they failed to recognize G-d’s miracles and love for the Jewish people, and G-d was PASSOVER therefore “forced” to destroy them. There was no point in singing praises when, as far as the Egyptians were concerned, there was no light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.
The Ultimate Miracle
The message conveyed by this approach is that while we must be grateful for every miracle even if it is not the final miracle, we must know that the ultimate goal is for G-d’s greatness to illuminate all the nations of the world.
While we may be compelled to defend ourselves against those nations and individuals that seek to harm us, our most fervent wish is for all the nations to recognize G-d‘s greatness and His abiding and unconditional love for the Jewish people.
This indeed is the ultimate objective of the Messianic Age for all nations to serve G-d and appreciate the unique role of the Jewish people in G-d’s plan for the world. Furthermore, to the extent that the nations PASSOVER support the Jewish people in carrying out their mission, they too will bask in the light that G-d will reveal in the Messianic Age.
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From the book Light from the Future: Last Days of Passover by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.
