Feb 01 2007
Hazzan Notes - February 07
The Shabbat of Parshat Beshallach (which we read on Feb. 3) has a special name: it is also known as Shabbat Shira, or the Shabbat of song. It is called this because both the Torah and haftarah contain songs, sung by Moses, Miriam and Devorah. Moses and Miriam, upon the crossing of the Sea of Reeds, celebrate God’s triumph over the Egyptians, and, Devorah, the Judge and prophetess, sings upon the military triumph over Sisera and his army. The songs we hear on Shabbat Shira form an extraordinary literary link between not two, but three leaders of the People of Israel, and two of the three are female. Moses’ song in chapter 15 of Exodus is much longer than Miriam’s, and has traditionally reciveived more “air time” (we say it every morning in P’sukey d’Zimra), yet the songs of Miriam and Devorah are enjoying a resurgence, with many contemporary musical compositions by Debbie Friedman and others inspired by these ancient songs.
While Moses’ song is introduced with the simple words “The Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to God,” Miriam’s song is introduced with an overture, of sorts: “Then Miriam, the prophetess, sister of Aaron, took her timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed after her with timbrels and dances. Miriam sang, ‘I will sing unto God, for God is exalted, horse and rider God has thrown into the sea!’” Her singing is introduced with the description of the instrumentation and dance that accompanied it, providing a powerful picture of the exaltation by the sea. Devorah’s song, longer than that of Moses and just as eloquent, highlights yet another woman’s role, Yael, in that victory. “Blessed above women shall Yael be, the wife of Heber the Kenite, above women in the tent shall she be blessed.” Yael was, after all, responsible for killing the general Sisera after he escaped into her tent, thinking it was a place of refuge. Both Miriam and Devorah were leaders of our people, and their songs on Shabbat Shira give voice to their vision and leadership as we sing them each year.
There is no coincidence that Shabbat Shira often falls just before Tu B’shevat, or in this year’s case, on Tu b’Shevat, the Jewish new year of the trees. Tu b’Shevat marks the beginning of the descent of the sap on the trees, and the first buds of the almond tree in Israel: a harbinger of spring and rebirth. Yet another connection between our biblical foremothers and Tu b’Shevat is made by scholar Penina Adelman, who points out that the important women in the Tanakh have names signifying trees, or are closely connected to them. Tamar, Judah’s wife, means date palm. Devorah sat under a date palm tree, named as “Tamar Devorah” – the date palm of Devorah, to render her judgements. Esther’s name in Hebrew is Hadassah, meaning myrtle tree. The “alon bachut,” or weeping tree, stands where Rebekah’s nurse, also named Devorah, died. The Torah itself is compared to a tree,with wisdom as its fruit; women, who bear the fruit of our generations, are part of this life-giving cycle.
On Shabbat Shira this year, we will be celebrating with Hannah and the Boxerman family on the occasion of Hannah’s Bat Mitzvah. Hannah will be chanting the words of Moses, Miriam and Devorah, as she takes her place in the chain of tradition, another Jewish woman who uses her strong voice to sing of God’s triumphs. May we all go from strength to strength, and from song to song, and may we see the fruit of our labors, as we celebrate Tu B’shevat, Shabbat Shira, and the women of our tradition.
