Shabbat Shira is the special Shabbat on which we read Az Yashir in Parshat Beshalach, celebrating one of the greatest miracles – the splitting of the Sea. How fitting that this Shabbat follows the recovery of Ran Gvili, marking the complete return of all the hostages to our borders. The midrashim on Shirat HaYam call upon us to recognize the miracles woven through all we have experienced.

The verse, “This is my God (zeh Eli) and I will glorify Him,” is interpreted as the peak of revelation for the Jewish people. Rashi comments that the word “this” means the people pointed to God’s glory. He further cites a striking midrash: “A maidservant at the Sea saw what even the prophets never saw.” In that moment, every individual, regardless of status, recognized the manifest presence of God.

Yet while some only arrive at faith after such overwhelming revelation, others sustain faith and hope long before the miracle occurs. Another midrashic tradition highlights the unique spiritual courage of women in recognizing God amid hardship. The Talmud teaches that it was in the merit of the righteous women that the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt. Defying Pharaoh’s brutal decrees, these women continued to bring life into the world. They gave birth in the fields, trusting that God would protect their children. Miracles accompanied them: angels were sent to clean and nurse the infants. As a reward for their courage and faith, their children were the first to recognize God at the Sea and proclaim, “zeh Eli.”

This week, it feels as though we have all crossed our own Yam Suf. Whatever lies ahead, this moment calls for reflection – for gratitude for the incredible bravery and sacrifice, for the extraordinary miracles we have witnessed, and for a song of redemption sung by the entire Jewish people. Shabbat Shalom – Karen Miller Jackson