This week is Shabbat Shira, the Shabbat in which we read Shirat HaYam, The Song of the Sea. Jewish communities around the world will celebrate this Shabbat with an extra musical service to honor and embody the joy and rapture of the Israelites on the other side of the Red Sea. This year, there are a few lyrics from a contemporary (read: ’90s) song that are defining the way I think about this parsha. I’m thinking, of course, about the song Closing Time, by Semisonic.
The first lyric I think of comes at the end of the first verse: “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” And yet, that’s exactly what our ancestors did. Our time in Egypt was at its end, and it became clear that we simply could not stay there. God, Moses, and eventually Pharaoh saw to that eventuality. But we did not leave aimlessly, wandering with no destination in mind. When it was closing time for the Israelites’ 400-odd years of bondage, we DID have to go home. And so we did.
The next line that I think of is a direct parallel: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Our people’s time in Egypt was the beginning of our formation as a nation. It was a period where we were singled out and grouped together, where we grew in population and connection to each other. It was the foundational experience that gave us the opportunity to witness God’s signs and wonders and to believe in God’s redeeming power! And yet, the Exodus is not the end of the Israelites’ relationship and journey with God. Rather, it is a brand-new beginning! It is the opening of our people to God’s Torah, to our growth as a nation, to our entrance into and establishment in the Land of Israel.
The last lyric I think of is the one you definitely know: “I know who I want to take me home!” This is our story. Our ancestors learned, through this experience, who we want to take us home. They were led by Moses, by God, and by each other. Today, through Torah and worship and coming together in loving community, we have those same guides. We know who we want to take us home, and this week, we’re going to sing about it!
And if you don’t know the song (or just feel like listening), here it is!