Near the end of pesukei d’zimrah we recite the Song of the Sea, the triumphant poem celebrating our rescue from Egypt and the destruction of Pharaoh’s forces. There are those that are repelled by what they see as an unrepentant salute to violence. The wisdom of the siddur, though, is such that there is a recognition that everything, including violence, has its place in G-d’s world. If that was not clear before, after the simchat torah pogrom of October 7 it is glaringly obvious.
Nevertheless, as full-throated as we can and should be when it comes to those battling to save Jewish lives, we must never be indifferent to the suffering of the innocent. The poet Shira Rubenstein gave gut-wrenching testimony to this in her poem The Other Shore. Here are a few excerpts:
The guilt begins on the other shore of the Reed Sea,
with us, drained from terror and excitement….
waves lapping against the bodies on the sand,
so gently now….
How heavy a load can be carried out of Egypt?
How many in that army were blameless?
How many innocents will die for this freedom? …
We think of the cracks of the whip,
the insults,
every murdered child
–all the times we wished
something like this would occur.
We tell ourselves we have a right to rejoice.
It would be easier to believe
if the horses
hadn’t had time
to
scream.
In the face of evil, the screaming of the horses must not be our primary concern.
But heaven help us if it is of no concern for us at all.