Shoftim Perek 6

After Barak’s victory over Sisera’s army, and Yael’s personal triumph over Sisera himself, we are introduced to a phenomenon that is limited to only the greatest conquests in Jewish history: the concept of song. What is the concept of song and how is it often an antidote to idolatry; Hashem expressly says so in relation to the song in Ha’azinu?

The idea that is about to be brought out is rooted in the Rashbam (Devarim 31:19) who writes the words 'siddur d’varim karuy shira - putting things into an order is called shira.' Not only is a shira an ordering of different parts, it is also a forming of many disparate parts into one whole. This phenomena occurs in music; the variety of notes and instruments come together to form a tapestry of different sounds - a symphony; they come together to form one whole. In a wider sense this is the goal of the Bnei Yisrael as a whole - to be living testimony to Hashem's Oneness and connect the seemingly disparate parts of the world as coming from one single Creator and therefore can enable clearer recognition of Hashem’s existence. The Maharal in his sefer Gevuros Hashem puts it in one succinct phrase: ‘song is the yearning of a creation to connect to its source.’

In his commentary on Parshas Beshalach, the Nesivos Shalom explains the loftiness of the spiritual song, and its indication about the sanctified state of the composer. He explains that at the Yam Suf the Bnei Yisrael attained the highest level of emunah (trust in Hashem) of recognising Hashem ‘with all one’s limbs’. As the limbs are the most physical part of a human, if even they sing shira to Hashem, then that is the epitome of greatness. He writes that the euphoria of shira comes after grief, suffering and despair followed by salvation. A shira not only comes after one has appreciated Hashem’s wondrous miracles, but it simultaneously looks back and acknowledges His orchestration of the pain and suffering in order to achieve the final salvation. Song is a composition of different pitches ranging from high to low. Shira is the state where both the highs and lows combine to produce the final masterpiece and it becomes clear that both extremes are directed by the Composer, i.e. Hashem. This is illustrated at Krias Yam Suf where the Bnei Yisrael recognised that they required their intense slavery in order to reach the level of recognising Hashem. This level of belief in G-d allows Hashem’s Shechinah (Divine presence) to rest on a person, enabling him to gain the level of prophecy found in song: the Malbim (6:1) tells us that the song of Devorah gained forgiveness for all the people's sins. In fact, the Gemara in Sanhedrin (94a) goes so far as to say that Chizkiyahu would have been the Mashiach, if only he would have sung shira when the besieging army of Sancheirev was destroyed! Moreover, though a song can exist without music, it is important to note that music can enable the musician or composer to attain great spiritual heights; Dovid played music in front of Shaul in order to enable him to prophesy, and Elisha, later in the Nach, does the same.

Avodah Zarah (idolatry) is the worship of things other than Hashem. The Rambam notes that it started with people worshipping the sun, the moon, and the stars - the things Hashem created. They figured that 'since Hashem gives honour to these things', we too, should give them honour, and eventually the generations started worshipping them. (Hilchos Avodah Zarah 1:1). What was their initial mistake? It was that in worshipping the 'emissaries,' they were really worshipping that which the emissary provided (e.g. when they worshipped the sun, they were really worshipping the light), and ultimately they were serving themselves. Note that many idols are human sculptures or models - for idol worship is worship of the self. If one worships the good that things provide, then one worships themselves, but if one worships the Source of all the everything, then the worship is not focussed on wanting the things that are provided, but actually the Source Himself. Avodah Zarah is the ultimate breaking down of the world into disparate parts in focussing on the separate goods themselves; in the ancient world this was reflected in having many different gods. Thus, a shira, whose message is the connection of the disparate parts is the dichotomy of avodah zarah and hence its antidote.