What is the connection between the song of the sea, "Silent Birth," and a train ride?
1. I am writing this column about Parashat Beshalach, also known as "Shabbat Shira.".
We all know the story of the parting of the Red Sea and also recite the Song of the Sea every day in the morning prayer. The Torah tells us about the Song of the Sea, which was divided into two: the women's song and the men's song. Why did the Torah mention this? Of course, it was not for nothing. The Torah emphasizes the difference between the men's song and the women's song, which was more joyful, "with drums and dances.".
2. So why was the singing on the other side happier? We all know Pharaoh's decree: "Every newborn son you shall cast into the river." It is a huge pain and heartbreak for the baby's parents, but it is a pain ten times greater for the mother. It is difficult to explain why women are more attached to their children. It is assumed that the infinite love, as well as the heartbreak of loss, stems from the fact that the baby grows in the mother's womb and grows from the food she eats, and is truly attached to her.
An illustration of this pain came to me after a sad case of a 'silent birth' that happened to a relative of mine. A relative who is very dear to me lost her fetus. For those who are not familiar with the term silent birth, it is better and blessed that they do not. This term describes the birth of a stillborn fetus. The pain my relative experienced was indescribable, and the mental recovery from it takes several months, compared to a man who recovers in a shorter time.
This is why the women were happier in the song of the sea. They saw the light and were already thinking about what would follow, about providing their children with a Jewish education according to the values of the Torah. Hence the haftar of the parasha "Vesher Deborah". The power of a Jewish woman to educate out of song and joy and love is endless.
On a humorous note, one could also say that this affair is a real victory for feminists, who won an affair that was all about women...
3. And speaking of miracles, in our days, which are the days of "hiding the face," we do not receive such miracles and divine revelation. And yet, in my opinion at least, every Jew has the duty to see the personal providence and understand the small/large miracles that God performs for us every day.
I'll tell you a true story to illustrate my point:
Last week I went to a memorial in the north. I took the fast train from Modi'in to Acre, and sat in the "reserved places" car, which was emptier so I could cough to my heart's content without being disturbed (well, on the way back someone had already been startled and woken up).
When the train began to depart from the "Kiryat Haim" station towards its next station, "Kiryat Motzkin," Arab boys threw stones at it, and several large stones hit the windshield, which my head was pressing against.
What happened to me? Miraculously, the windshield didn't shatter on me and the stones didn't hit me. Wasn't this a private oversight? I emerged from this incident without physical damage on the one hand, but with mental damage accompanied by mental anguish on the other.
4. And as if that weren't enough, the day after this incident, I was driving a car and the driver was either not concentrating or was tired and almost fell asleep after a day of work. Either way, he completely swerved off the highway at 70 km/h and almost hit a pole in front of him.
Only by a miracle was I able to wake him from his sleep, and by the grace of God, no one was harmed again. If this is not personal providence, I don't know what is. The graces around us are happening all the time, even in difficult times, we just have to look.
5. "For your miracles that are with us every day" is said in the eighteenth prayer.
I'll end with an anecdote from the trip in the 'reserved seats' car. It turns out that in this car, where you pay an extra price, talking on the phone is prohibited. On the other hand, people talk loudly in it, so an absurd situation arises. Hearing me cough or talking loudly is fine, but talking on the phone will immediately earn you a reprimand from the 'librarian' sitting in the seat in front of you.
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