There are places in our Siddur where biblical verses found their way into the liturgy. The Shema is the classic example as it is comprised of three separate biblical passages. In addition, all of the following prayers are actually biblical passages. Mah Tovu, Mi Kamocha, pieces of the Kedusha, and all of the Psalms we say as part of our liturgy on a daily basis. There are plenty more. For me, our liturgy can at times be easy to understand and a vehicle with which to find meaning, and at times it creates for me more theological difficulties than I wish to address. There is no better example of this than the Az Yashir passage which we read this Shabbat from the Torah and every morning as part of the end of Psukei D’zimra.
This is a biblical passage that by itself alternatively makes me feel a part of this great ancient moment of spontaneous Jewish song and shocked that we would celebrate God as an instrument of war. One of the most beautiful parts of this song is when the people sing, Ozee v’zeemrat yah, va-yehee lee lee-shooah, in English it translates as God is my strength and my might, and will be a salvation for me. I have always loved this line primarily because I read it in the shadow of the Exodus not as prescription that God will simply deliver me out of harm’s way in every instance, but rather as a sign that we can find God and strength from within whenever we need it. Our God given and natural abilities is what will deliver us, and in that moment when we realize the vastness of what we can do I believe that we see God from within.
However, just a line later the song describes God as a man of war and later still that God will destroy our enemy. While I understand the historical context of the song and I am open to making metaphor from these lines, I cannot forget the imagery of a war-like vengeful God. It is not the analogy I believe in when describing God, and its inclusion in our Tefilah immediately following the beautiful Psalms of Psukei D’Zimrah is difficult for me. I often stop at this moment during my Tefilah to take a breath and recognize that this line is not congruent with my vision of God before I continue. I believe though that this is a natural part of the struggle to define ourselves as Jews. It is only a liturgy, Torah and history that challenge us, and will simultaneously help us to grow not only as Jews but as people as well.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Gruenberg
The Weekly Home Observance
One of the most famous biblical quotes from our Sidur is, “Sing to God, sing a new song.” We are constantly looking for new ways to express our Jewish identity through the power of song. Try signing a Jewish song in the house this week. And if you want to enter Shabbat with great song come this Friday to “Shabbat Under the Star.”
