Transcript
The *Seder* Snippets series is sponsored by Dr. Robert and Judy Brookshtein in memory of her mother, my wife's grandmother, Edith Goldsmith, *Esther bas Yaakov*. *Seder* Snippets for this week is sponsored by my friend *Ben* and *Dina* Isaacs in loving memory of *Rabbi* Dr. Brian Galbut. We are concluding our study of *Az Yashir*. We're up to the *pasuk*, השם ימלוך לעולם ועד. *Hashem* is going to reign. His *malchuso*, his *mamlacha*, his kingship, his royalty, his reign is *le'olam va'ed*. What is the word *va'ed*, *ed*? The *Targum* explains *va'ed* means *le'olam ule'almei almayah*. It means forever and ever and ever. It's beyond our comprehension. It's outside of time. It means *Hashem's* will, his dominion, his providence, his control is forever. It is from before the world was created and will last even until after it's over. The *Ramban* says why this *pasuk* ends the *shirah*, השם ימלוך לעולם ועד, is because just as *Hashem* demonstrated his strength when he took care of the Egyptians, the *Mitzrim*, so too may he reign forever, saving his followers, us, from those who will seek our harm. The end of *Az Yashir*, just as we reflect back on how *Hashem* spared and saved the Jewish people from those who sought our demise, השם ימלוך לעולם ועד. As he expressed and displayed his power in the ten plagues and the splitting of the sea, so too when we feel stuck, when we feel in trouble, השם ימלוך לעולם ועד, he will display his power forever and ever. The *Seforno* explains, what does it mean *Hashem yimloch*? What is it doing here? May it be his will that he alone will reign forever without anyone believing in any other power. *Hashem yimloch*, the way we conclude *Az Yashir*, we close *Pesukei D'Zimra* each and every morning is to realize that as we're about to go out to work, we're about to go on to life, lest we think something else has power, lest we think anything else is in control: money, or fame, or power, it's all up to *Hashem*. השם ימלוך לעולם ועד, just like he defeated the strongest empire at its time, Egypt, so too השם ימלוך לעולם ועד. That is the takeaway message of the *shirah* of *Az Yashir*. *Rav* Hirsch says *Hashem yimloch* means just as we saw him reign here, he will reign in the future. He'll be the king of all mankind. Just like the Egyptians undertook this curriculum and learned the hard way that *Hashem* is in control, so too the whole world will come to learn, the whole world will be schooled with this curriculum and in the eschatological era, in the time of *Mashiach*, the whole world will understand. *Rav Soloveitchik* explains that the *Targum* points out *Hashem yimloch* is in present tense, not future tense. *Hashem* is sovereign now, but in other ways will only be sovereign in the future when everyone sees and accepts. Even though he's really in control and he's in charge right now, only those who see and accept him acknowledge it. There are still people around us who are in denial. There are still people who don't see it. This is a very big debate whether the *shirah* ends here. According to the *Abudarham*, the *shirah* ends here and that's why we say השם ימלוך לעולם ועד twice, and we follow it *Hashem malchusei*, the *Targum*, to distinguish *Hashem yimloch* from the *pesukim* that follow to show that the *shirah* really ends here. According to this, the next *pasuk*, כי בא סוס פרעה ברכבו ובפרשיו בים, is not said. כי בא סוס פרעה ברכבו ובפרשיו בים is omitted and *Pesukei D'Zimra* is over, the *shirah* is over. The *Gra*, however, did not repeat *Hashem yimloch*. And the *Gra* continued immediately with the extra *pasuk* we add, *ki l'Hashem hamamlacha*, and sees it as the close of the theme of the *shirah*. There is this big debate. But we have this *pasuk*, כי בא סוס פרעה ברכבו ובפרשיו בים. The horses of *Paroh* and his chariots and horsemen went into the sea, וישב השם עליהם את מי הים, and *Hashem* turned the water on top of them, ובני ישראל הלכו ביבשה בתוך הים, the Jewish people marched right onto the dry land in the middle of the sea. The *Ibn Ezra* says the last part of the song that is an account of the miracles, the waters flooded the *Mitzrim* on one end of the sea, and the rest of the water still formed walls to protect the Jews on the other side. And this is reflecting back on that miracle. The sea did not operate all at once. It wasn't either all split or all together. Half was split and the Jewish people were still coming out the other end, and half began to unite and drown the Egyptians inside. According to most, this *pasuk*, as we said, is not part of the *shirah*. The *Ramban*, the *Seforno*, the Jews sang their praise while they were still in the sea bed and the Egyptians were already drowning. And the *Rashbam* says that this *pasuk*, כי בא סוס פרעה ברכבו ובפרשיו בים, is an introduction to Miriam's song. And in fact, it's not concluding the *shirah* that came before, it's introducing Miriam's song that will come after, explaining what her motivation was to sing. *Rav Avigdor* Miller points out how incredible it was that in the split part of the sea there was no trace of the water on both sides. The ground was as dry as the beach, as dry land. The *Ibn Ezra* provides insight into this confusing statement. What does it mean? How could it be? Was it dry, or was it the sea? How do you understand כי בא סוס פרעה ברכבו ובפרשיו בים וישב השם עליהם את מי הים ובני ישראל הלכו ביבשה בתוך הים? How do you have *yabasha betoch hayam*, dry land in the sea? Is it dry or is it wet? And he writes that to understand the *pasuk* you have to visualize the final moments. The Egyptians entered the bed of the dry sea land before the last Jews crossed. *Hashem* caused the waters to return only as they were. walked in. ישראל הלכו ביבשה בתוך הים. They walked on the dry land in the middle of the sea, both were happening simultaneously. For us it's almost impossible to imagine coordinating for Hashem, He was able to make it happen. And that concludes our text from Beshallach, but now we continue adding on extra pesukim. First is from Tehillim, perek chaf-bet, כי לה' המלוכה ומשל בגוים. For kingship is Hashem's, melucha, u'moshel bagoyim. What is the difference between melucha and memshalah? Ki l'Hashem hamelucha, Hashem has the melucha, He is the kingship, and He is moshel, He rules the nations. What is the difference between being a melech and a moshel and why are we incorporating it here at the end of the shira? Mirtzeh Hashem we'll pick up next time as we conclude Az Yashir and move on to Yishtabach.
