The Song of the Sea, Az yashir, begins with the words “Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song…” And the rabbis ask, “Which ‘then’?” In other words, what was it in particular that led him to burst out in song? The rabbis suggest that the “Then” Moses is referring to here is a response, and to some extent an apology, for a “then” that Moses, in anger, sadness, and frustration, had uttered previously.
If you recall, the first confrontation between Moses and Pharaoh did not go well, and Moses said to G-d, that he had gone to Pharaoh and “ever since then Pharaoh has abused the people even more, and You, G-d, have not rescued Your people.”
In other words, Moses, in the midst of the people’s suffering, could not grasp that the suffering was part of the Divine plan. It was only when the liberation finally came, that he was able to put it all together. Simply put, G-d’s ways are not our ways (and I might add that in particular, G-d’s timing is not our timing).
Rav Yitzchak Sender suggests that what we have here at the conclusion of the pesukei d’zimra, the passages of praise at the beginning of our shacharit (morning) service, is the introduction of a third kind of praise—arguably the deepest and most heartfelt.
The first kind of praise is a natural response to life’s blessings. Once we overcome our unfortunate lack of gratitude, we will find endless reasons to praise G-d.
The second kind of praise is what we say when we are rescued from immediate danger. “That kid on a motor scooter missed me by inches, thank G-d. It was a miracle.”
The third kind is being introduced here. Rav Sender describes it this way: “…there is a third type of praise, which is offered by one who has the sensitivity to see the true nature of Hashem’s lovingkindness. We come to realize that even the pain and suffering which Hashem visits upon us is for a deeper purpose, to bring us to a higher spiritual state.” If we were to receive the Torah, enter Israel, and become a light unto the nations, we had to be spiritually refined and worthy of our mission.
I would add that understanding in our very bones the plight of the stranger, the suffering of the slave, and the desperate need for human decency was the only way that could be accomplished.
I would also phrase this last type of praise slightly differently. I would suggest that it is the praise that is offered when the meaningless has suddenly become meaningful; or when purpose appears where that had been none. Such an awareness runs the gamut from the simple to the profound, from the personal to the national. Country singer Garth Brooks sings “Unanswered prayers.” It tells the story of a high school boy who was enamored with a girl that he prayed would be his. But his prayers were seemingly not answered. Now, many years later, he and his wife run into the same high school crush, and the man says, “And as she walked away, well, I looked at my wife/And then and there I thanked the good Lord/For the gifts in my life.” His theological conclusion is one that Moses also reached, leading to this third and highest form of praise. Brooks sings, that “when you’re talkin’ to the man upstairs/And just because He doesn’t answer, doesn’t mean He don’t care/’Cause some of G-d’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”
All of us go through painful moments in our lives. And Hashem can feel very distant, if not absent altogether. But Az yashir teaches us that, in spite of our pain, something much larger is going on—larger, and even divine.