The first nine are:
1. The song attributed to Adam, as he sang upon the completion of the creation - "A Psalm, a Song. For the sabbath day" (Psalms 92).
2. The song sung on the night of the Exodus in "Song at the Sea" (Exodus 15:1-21), which occurs in our Torah portion.
3. The "Song at the Well" (Numbers 21:17-20)
4. Moses' song upon his completion of writing
the Torah (Deuteronomy 32)
5. The song with which Joshua stopped the sun
(Joshua 10:12-13)
6. Deborah's song (Judges 5)
7. King David's song (II Samuel 22)
8. The song at the dedication of the
Holy Temple (Psalms 30)
9. King Solomon's Song of Songs extolling the love
between the Divine Groom and His bride Israel.
The tenth song, says the Midrash, will be the
SHIR CHADASH -
שיר חדש
, the "New Song"
of the ultimate redemption; a redemption that will annihilate all suffering, ignorance, jealousy, and hate from the face of the earth.
This ultimate redemption requires a NEW SONG - a completely new musical approach - to capture the voice of Creation's ultimate striving.
For the first time since their departure from Egypt, the children of Israel sing! 'Then sang Moses and the children of Israel.'
The Talmud says that they sang together spontaneously, and miraculously, the same words came into their minds at the same time.
In recollection of that moment, this week's Shabbat is named Shabbat Shirah,
שבת שירה
the Sabbath of Song." (Ulpan-Or Newsletter, "The Tenth Song")
Did you know that this passage from this week's Torah portion has been considered the foundational proof text of the Resurrection of the Dead by Jews?
Then Moses and the sons of Israel
sang
this
song
to the L
ORD
,
and said,
'I will sing to the L
ORD
, for He
is highly exalted; t
he horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.' (Ex 15:1)
The Song of Moses and Miriam at the Sea is considered the major proof text of the Resurrection because although the English version translates the passage in to past tense, the Hebrew reads that the song will be sung in future tense!
The Jewish sage Rashi comments on Ex 15:1:
Not only did Moses and the Children of Israel sing at that time, but they '
will sing' again after the Resurrection
.' '...inappropriate instances of the future tense in the verses quoted above likewise indicate that the actions will be performed
after the Resurrection
.'
Something that has happened in the past (hurled-
ramah) prophesies of something future (will sing-
yashir, ashir). The horse and rider are singular, for of the Four Horses of Revelation, the Pale Horse, or Death, is the "source" of the other three. In the future, the king of Abaddon, Death, and his Pale Horse will be thrown back into the Abyss with his army. If you'll remember in past newsletters, the sea is a symbol of the Abyss, or Sheol. Pharaoh was the crocodile, the
tanin, or sea monster, prophesied to be reeled into his destruction by a hook in the jaw, and with him all his "fish" that clung to his scales:
I will put hooks in your jaws
And make the
fish
of your
rivers cling to your
scales
.
And I will bring you up out of the midst of your
rivers,
And all the
fish
of your
rivers will cling to your
scales
. (Ez 29:4)
There were two kinds of people at the Sea of Reeds: those who saw the Egyptians' dead bodies on the seashore, and those who were dead. Yeshua brings "live" fish to the Rivers of Eden for resurrection; dead fish cling to Pharaoh's scales [armor] for their second death. Moses confronted Pharaoh in the mornings in the Nile River during the plagues to expose him. Pharaoh wasn't the great god of the Nile as he and his people believed. Pharaoh "crouched" in the Nile so the Egyptians wouldn't know that he used the bathroom like every other human being on earth!
Moses' unwelcome appearance was more than just bad news of another plague: it was a reminder that Pharaoh was just a mortal human being (Rashi). Like Elijah taunting the priests of Baal that perhaps their god didn't respond to them because he was sitting on the toilet, so Moses taunts Pharaoh. He is a human who will die like everyone else, and those who "cling" to him will die with him. It is the Hebrews' God who is immortal.
Ironically, the Egyptians were dead men before they died their "second death." (Ex 12:23) The Hebrews who crossed over the Abyss safely were those who were sealed at Passover (see last week's newsletter).
And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and
twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.
And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the
book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood
men
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth." (Re 5:8-10)
The prayers of the saints in John's day were sung, and they still are by Jews today. The Song of the Sea will be sung in Hebrew this Shabbat in synagogues the world over. This faithful incense of the saints is the inspiration for a new song, the Tenth Song, the SHIR CHADASH of the ultimate redemption.
Once rid of the Egyptians, the Hebrews were given two tests: water and bread. Instead, they tested Adonai! They complained about the bitter water at Marah until Moses threw an etz (tree, branch) into it and sweetened it so that it could give life to the Israelites. It became a tree of life.
Next, the Israelites complained about the lack of bread. What happened next is one of the most incredible prophecies of Messiah, the appearance of the Hidden Manna. It's so well-hidden within the Hebrew text, that most readers of Scriptures in other languages miss the message. We'll unpack the Hidden Manna of both the weekdays and Shabbat in Part Two, which explains the mysterious message to Pergamum in Revelation, Yeshua's equally mysterious words in John Six, and the grumblers' responses.
In a word?
RESURRECTION
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