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8
Orchard of Delights # Beshalach
#
of the unusually large letter beit found in traditional Torah scrolls as entire people. Targum Yonatan, in commenting on the first verse of
the Torah’s opening letter, particularly, how all creation is contained King Solomon’s Song of Songs, enumerates them. Of the nine songs
within it. (See the letter beit in The Hebrew Letters by Rabbi Yitzchak only two of them were sung by the entire nation of Israel: the Song
Ginsburgh for an in-depth understanding.) of the Sea, sung at the beginning of the people’s sojourn in the desert,
and the Song of the Well, sung at the end of the sojourn. (See The
Having traced the contraction process in the first day, verse,
letters, and letter of the creation story, we now turn our attention to Mystical Power of Music, pp. 32-37, for more on the ten archetypal
parallel contractive dynamics in the Ten Commandments. Firstly, songs.)
as already mentioned in “The Ten Divine Utterances of Creation,” After the people of Israel sang their song, the Torah states: “And
there are 620 letters in the Ten Commandments and there are 620 Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her
commandments in total (613 actually mandated by the Torah and hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and
seven rabbinic mitzvot that the Rabbis endow with the status of dances” (Exodus 15:20). Noting the fact that Miriam is referred to as
Torah mitzvot). Thus, the entire Torah, as it were, is contracted into a prophetess in this text, the commentators explain that Miriam had
the Ten Commandments. For this reason we refer to the day the foreseen the miraculous salvation at the sea; this was why she had
Ten Commandments was given as the day on which the Torah was brought timbrels to accompany the singing and dancing.
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given. Another reason that prophecy is mentioned here is that throughout
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Secondly, since the Ten Commandments, like the rest of the Jewish history music has been deemed one of the ways to enter a
Torah, is comprised of both positive commandments and negative prophetic state. An important source for the intimate connection
prohibitions, tradition teaches that all the mitzvot in the Torah between music and prophecy is the Mishnah’s description of Simchat
are condensed into the first two of the Ten Commandments. All the Beit Hasho’evah, the water drawing ceremony, which took place in
positive commandments are encapsulated in the belief in one God, the the Temple every Succot. The Mishnah relates how joyous music and
first of the Ten Commandments, and all the prohibitions in the Torah song filled the air as water was festively drawn each day from a spring in
are rooted in the second of the commandments: “not [to] have any Jerusalem and brought in a great procession to the Temple altar over
other gods before Him” (Exodus 20:3). This tradition gains support which it was poured the following morning. This libation symbolized
from another tradition that stresses the uniqueness of the first two the people’s prayer for rain and sustenance. Throughout the evening,
commandments: the people heard only the first two commandments the generation’s most illustrious sages would lead the people in joyous
directly from God. The Midrash teaches that the people, petrified by singing and dancing — praising God to the accompaniment of the
God’s awesome revelation, asked that the other eight be transmitted Levites who played on instruments too numerous to count. Summing
to them by Moses (Mechilta). up the incredible joy at this celebration, the Talmud states, “Anyone
who has not seen Simchat Beit Hasho’evah has never really seen
Thirdly, the second commandment, prohibiting the worship of
any other gods, is obviously predicated on the first commandment true joy” (Sukkah 5:1). Although on a peshat level, clearly only water
commanding belief in one God. Based on the second act of was drawn, the words “Simchat Beit Hasho’evah” mean, literally,
condensation mentioned above, not only are all the positive “The Joy of the House of Drawing.” What was actually drawn goes
commandments encapsulated in the first one, in a certain sense so unmentioned. Responding to their own rhetorical question – what
are all the negative prohibitions. Since the prohibitions serve as then were they drawing if not water? – the Sages explain that the
stepping-stones to building a positive relationship with God, other spirit of prophecy was being drawn and recount that Jonah first
human beings, and the world, from a certain perspective, they can received prophecy at one of these evenings.

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