Exploring the Shirah Through Kabbalah and Halacha

Hi, I don't understand why we recite the Shirah every day. Why is it important to sing a song that was sung so long ago? Could you please help me understand what I should know to appreciate this tefillah more?

Thank you for your question.

Since this is a tefillah which we say every day, it's important to appreciate this very special tefillah. We will learn about it halachically and what is written about its unique spiritual power.

The source of saying Shirah every day:

It is brought in the Midrash Tanchumah that when Am Yisrael sang the Shirah, it wasn't only to be sung then, when crossing the Red Sea, but it was a Shirah that they composed to be sung for all generations and to praise Hashem for the miracles that occur, and this is learned from the first verse of the Shirah that uses a double phrase...

(א) אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לַה' וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Hashem, and spoke, saying

This is to teach us that the Shirah was sung then, and is to be sung in the future.

Halachot regarding Shirah.

.1 צללו בעופרת במים – אדירים

The Mishnah Berurah (Siman 51 Seif Katan 17) writes, that when reciting "צָלֲלוּ כַּעוֹפֶרֶת בְּמַיִם - אַדִּירִים," the accurate translation is, "They sank in the water like lead...." One should pause and then say "Adirim," referring to the Egyptians as 'the mighty,' not that the water was mighty.

.2 מי כמוכה באלים ה'

מִי כָמֹכָה בָּאֵלִם ה' מִי כָּמֹכָה נֶאְדָּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ

It is important to note that the first should be pronounced " Cho mocho" with a 'chaf', and the second as " Ko mocho" with a 'kaf'. The reason for this is that there was an idol named Micha, and if one were to pronounce the second "Komocho" as "Chomocho," it might sound like "Hashem mi cha'," implying, G-d forbid, "Hashem is Micha." To avoid such a mistaken interpretation, it is important to say "Mi ko mocho."

3. Atonement for one's sins.

The Mishnah B’rurah writes :

And one should say the Sirah joyfully, and imagine in his mind as if on that very day he crossed the sea, and one who says it joyfully, will merit that his sins will be forgiven.

The Sefer Hachasidim Adds that one's sins will be forgiven without even isurrim or sigufim (suffering or infliction)

4. The 72 Letter name of Hashem

The Beis Yosef writes that from the verse which begins the story of the crossing of the Yam Suf,

וַיְהִי בְּאַשְׁמֹרֶת הַבֹּקֶר

until the end of the Shirah, the four-letter name of Hashem, Yud-Key-Vav-Key, is mentioned 18 times. Multiplying 18 by 4 equals 72, which is the name of Hashem associated with kindness. The numerical value of 'chesed' is also 72: Chet equals 8, Samech equals 60, and Dalet equals 4.

The Beis Yosef writes that since when we daven we don’t start from ויהי באשמורת הבוקר... rather we start from ויושע ה' so we are missing 4 times the name of Hashem

שמות פרק יד, כד-כט

(כד) וַיְהִי בְּאַשְׁמֹרֶת הַבֹּקֶר וַיַּשְׁקֵף ה' אֶל מַחֲנֵה מִצְרַיִם בְּעַמּוּד אֵשׁ וְעָנָן וַיָּהָם אֵת מַחֲנֵה מִצְרָיִם: (כה) וַיָּסַר אֵת אֹפַן מַרְכְּבֹתָיו וַיְנַהֲגֵהוּ בִּכְבֵדֻת וַיֹּאמֶר מִצְרַיִם אָנוּסָה מִפְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כִּי ה' נִלְחָם לָהֶם בְּמִצְרָיִם: פ (כו) וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה נְטֵה אֶת יָדְךָ עַל הַיָּם וְיָשֻׁבוּ הַמַּיִם עַל מִצְרַיִם עַל רִכְבּוֹ וְעַל פָּרָשָׁיו: (כז) וַיֵּט מֹשֶׁה אֶת יָדוֹ עַל הַיָּם וַיָּשָׁב הַיָּם לִפְנוֹת בֹּקֶר לְאֵיתָנוֹ וּמִצְרַיִם נָסִים לִקְרָאתוֹ וַיְנַעֵר ה' אֶת מִצְרַיִם בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם: (כח) וַיָּשֻׁבוּ הַמַּיִם וַיְכַסּוּ אֶת הָרֶכֶב וְאֶת הַפָּרָשִׁים לְכֹל חֵיל פַּרְעֹה הַבָּאִים אַחֲרֵיהֶם בַּיָּם לֹא נִשְׁאַר בָּהֶם עַד אֶחָד: (כט) וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָלְכוּ בַיַּבָּשָׁה בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם וְהַמַּיִם לָהֶם חֹמָה מִימִינָם וּמִשְּׂמֹאלָם:

Therefore, we add at the end of the Shirah pes’sukim to make up the four names of Hashem that is missing, in order to get to 18 times Shem Hashem…

כי לה' מהלוכה ומושל בגויים. ועלו מושיעים בהר ציון לשפוט את הר עשיו והיתה לה' מהלוכה. והיה ה' למלך על כל הארץ ביום ההוא יהיה ה' אחד ושמו אחד.

The Darkey Moshe writes (brought in the Rema) that the last passuk cannot be included since it’s a Teffilah and anticipation for the future therefore it’s not part of the Shirah, so the Rema writes that we should therefore repeat ה' ימלוך לעולם ועד and it will then be 18 times Shem Hashem.

May all your Teffillot be miskabel Be’rachamim.

Midrash Tanchumah Shemot Parsha 15

Mishnah Berurah, Siman 51 Seif Katan 17

Sefer Hachasidim

Beis Yosef on Shulchan Aruch ibid

Darkey Moshe ibid