The Emunah to Bring the Geulah
Beshalach - Shevii Shel Pesach
The Midrash on Parshas Beshalach, teaches עתידין ישראל לומר שירה לעתיד לבא - “in the future, the Jewish people will sing a song in the future to come”. This is a reference to the song that we will sing at the time of the future redemption with Moshiach.
This Midrash seems unnecessarily repetitive, repeating the term “in the future”. It could have taught “in the future, the Jewish people will sing a song” or “the Jewish people will sing a song in the future to come.”
Geulah is bound up with Emunah. The Midrash teaches that the Jewish people went out of Egypt in the merit of their Emunah.
The splitting of the sea took place in the merit of their Emunah and the final redemption too will come in the merit of our Emunah in the Geulah. Emunah is expressed in song - Shirah.
There are different degrees of Emunah. One level of Emunah is one that comes after one has already experienced Hashem’s salvation. After we see Hashem’ miracles materialise and unfold, our faith is strengthened and we can praise and thank Hashem for them.
But there is a deeper, more powerful level of Emunah. This is where our trust in Hashem is so strong that we believe with certainty that He will perform miracles for us without having to wait for them to be fulfilled. With this level of Emunah, already before the salvation has taken place, we sing in praise of Hashem.
The Emunah required to bring the final redemption is the higher level of Emunah.
With this distinction, the Shel”ah explains a fascinating Gemara. In the times of the righteous king Chizkiyahu, Sancheirev the king of Assyria led a massive army against Jerusalem. On the first night of Pesach, a great miracle took place. An angel of Hashem slew the generals of the army and the rest of the army fled in disarray.
At that time, Hashem wanted to make Chizkiyahu Moshiach and the war of Sancheirev would have been the battle of Gog and Magog that will precede the Geulah.
However, the Middas Hadin - the Attribute of Justice came before Hashem with an accusation; “You made miracles for Dovid Hamelech and he sand songs of praise before you, yet you did not make him Moshiach. Yet, Chizkiyahu who you performed multiple miracles for, did not sing a song before You - and You wish to make him Moshiach?”
As a result of this accusation, the Geulah did not take place and we are still languishing in Golus thousands of years later as a result; because Chizkiyahu did not sing Shirah.
The Shel”ah points out that in Tanach we see that Chizkiyahu did send a letter praising Hashem for his miracles. So what is the Gemara referring to?
The words of the Gemara are that “He did not sing Shirah before You”. The Gemara does not mean that Chizkiyahu did not sing any song of praise. The deficiency that disqualified Chizkiyahu from being Moshiach is that he did not sing the song of praise before the miraculous salvation took place.
This is the meaning of the Midrash. It is not being repetitious, but is teaching us the secret of Emunah that will bring the Geulah. The Midrash can be read as “In the future, the Jewish people will sing a song for the future to come”. The belief in Moshiach will be so strong that the song of the future Geulah will be sung before the future Geulah comes itself.
We find this quality in the song of the women at the Yam Suf. After experiencing the great miracle of the splitting of the sea and seeing their Egyptians persecutors drowned, the men, led by Moshe burst into song. But it was אז, only then, after the miracle had already occurred and they could see the corpses lying on the seashore.
Whilst the women, led by Miriam also sang their Shirah after Krias Yam Suf, their readiness to sing this song began a week before. Rashi quotes the Midrash that the righteous women of that generation were so certain that Hashem would perform miracles that they took tambourines with them to be ready to praise Hashem with music and joy.
The Rebbe has told us that Moshiach’s coming is imminent. With our Bitachon in Geulah, we should already be singing the Shir Chadash, celebrating the Geulah that is certain to come.
This Midrash seems unnecessarily repetitive, repeating the term “in the future”. It could have taught “in the future, the Jewish people will sing a song” or “the Jewish people will sing a song in the future to come.”
Geulah is bound up with Emunah. The Midrash teaches that the Jewish people went out of Egypt in the merit of their Emunah.
The splitting of the sea took place in the merit of their Emunah and the final redemption too will come in the merit of our Emunah in the Geulah. Emunah is expressed in song - Shirah.
There are different degrees of Emunah. One level of Emunah is one that comes after one has already experienced Hashem’s salvation. After we see Hashem’ miracles materialise and unfold, our faith is strengthened and we can praise and thank Hashem for them.
But there is a deeper, more powerful level of Emunah. This is where our trust in Hashem is so strong that we believe with certainty that He will perform miracles for us without having to wait for them to be fulfilled. With this level of Emunah, already before the salvation has taken place, we sing in praise of Hashem.
The Emunah required to bring the final redemption is the higher level of Emunah.
With this distinction, the Shel”ah explains a fascinating Gemara. In the times of the righteous king Chizkiyahu, Sancheirev the king of Assyria led a massive army against Jerusalem. On the first night of Pesach, a great miracle took place. An angel of Hashem slew the generals of the army and the rest of the army fled in disarray.
At that time, Hashem wanted to make Chizkiyahu Moshiach and the war of Sancheirev would have been the battle of Gog and Magog that will precede the Geulah.
However, the Middas Hadin - the Attribute of Justice came before Hashem with an accusation; “You made miracles for Dovid Hamelech and he sand songs of praise before you, yet you did not make him Moshiach. Yet, Chizkiyahu who you performed multiple miracles for, did not sing a song before You - and You wish to make him Moshiach?”
As a result of this accusation, the Geulah did not take place and we are still languishing in Golus thousands of years later as a result; because Chizkiyahu did not sing Shirah.
The Shel”ah points out that in Tanach we see that Chizkiyahu did send a letter praising Hashem for his miracles. So what is the Gemara referring to?
The words of the Gemara are that “He did not sing Shirah before You”. The Gemara does not mean that Chizkiyahu did not sing any song of praise. The deficiency that disqualified Chizkiyahu from being Moshiach is that he did not sing the song of praise before the miraculous salvation took place.
This is the meaning of the Midrash. It is not being repetitious, but is teaching us the secret of Emunah that will bring the Geulah. The Midrash can be read as “In the future, the Jewish people will sing a song for the future to come”. The belief in Moshiach will be so strong that the song of the future Geulah will be sung before the future Geulah comes itself.
We find this quality in the song of the women at the Yam Suf. After experiencing the great miracle of the splitting of the sea and seeing their Egyptians persecutors drowned, the men, led by Moshe burst into song. But it was אז, only then, after the miracle had already occurred and they could see the corpses lying on the seashore.
Whilst the women, led by Miriam also sang their Shirah after Krias Yam Suf, their readiness to sing this song began a week before. Rashi quotes the Midrash that the righteous women of that generation were so certain that Hashem would perform miracles that they took tambourines with them to be ready to praise Hashem with music and joy.
The Rebbe has told us that Moshiach’s coming is imminent. With our Bitachon in Geulah, we should already be singing the Shir Chadash, celebrating the Geulah that is certain to come.