Oy! Miriam Singing In Front of Men?
- February 1, 2012
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- 8 Sh'vat 5772
Rabbi YY Jacobson
77 viewsOy! Miriam Singing In Front of Men?
Rabbi YY Jacobson
- February 1, 2012
Give Them the Ball, Sid
As we prepare for Super Bowl Sunday, with the New England Patriots pitted against the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana (and don’t forget to invite the rabbi to the party…), I am reminded of the story of Sidney Luckman.
Sid was one of the best Football Quarter Back players ever. Born in Brooklyn in 1916, he became a 6-time All-Pro Football QB. He led the Chicago Bears to 4 NFL titles and is shrined in the Football Hall of Fame.
Sidney was a Jewish child of immigrant parents who knew nothing about football. And so, when he was about to play in his first professional game, he thought that it would be only appropriate to invite his parents to watch him play football and get a little bit of “Yiddishe nachas.” After all they have been through, let his parents “kvel” watching how well their son integrated into the new country to become such a great star.
He didn’t want them to be placed up in the stands somewhere, where they would be completely lost. So he had them sit on the bench with the players. In the middle of the game, Sidney Luckman drops back, and a line backer comes through the line, and starts to chase him.
Sid is fast. He scrambles with that ball; he’s running down the sideline with all his energy and might, and a couple of huge 6-foot tall, muscular, powerful fellows are running after him...
He runs right in front of his parents. It looks like he is running for his life. At which point, his father yells out, in great emotion and fear:
“Sid, give them the ball already; I’ll buy you another one... And I will pay for it.”
This anecdote captures the truth that often people are clueless to a particular reality they observe, projecting upon it their own pre-conceived notions without the slightest understanding of the issue at hand.
Today I want to address two such stereotypes, which have sadly become another recent point of contention in the Holy Land.
The Soldiers Walk Out
The story, which somehow became a major story in Israel, occurred last September, when at a military event, Jewish female soldiers began singing solo as part of a military band. Nine religious Israeli soldiers chose to leave the auditorium. They were followed by Regiment Commander Uzi Kileger, who informed them: "If you don't come back inside immediately, you will be refusing orders. Anyone refusing an order will be dismissed from the course." (According to the General Staff orders, a religious soldier is entitled not to take part in recreational activity which contradicts his lifestyle and faith, but the orders do not apply to non-recreational military events.)
Indeed, four of the nine religious cadets who walked out were dismissed from their officers' course.
In the Israeli media, on many websites, blogs and on TV, these soldiers were blasted for their “primitive behavior” and their tenacious adherence to an ancient “orthodox custom” which seems, yet once again, to denigrate women, advocating their voices to remain cloistered behind closed doors so as not to, heaven forbid, express themselves freely and uninhibitedly.
How sad when the stereotypes persist. Why does Jewish law not want a man to listen to a woman singing?
The Talmud indeed declares: [1]
אמר שמואל, קול באשה ערוה, שנאמר כי קולך ערב ומראך נאוה.
The Talmudic sage Shmuel said, the voice of a women (singing) has intimate power; as the verse states: your voice is sweet and your countenance beautiful.[2]
The sage Samuel is referring here to the description in the Song of Songs where the groom talks about his bride. Listen to stunning words straight out of our Bible:[3]
עָנָה דוֹדִי, וְאָמַר לִי: קוּמִי לָךְ רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי, וּלְכִי-לָךְ. כִּי-הִנֵּה הַסְּתָו, עָבָר; הַגֶּשֶׁם, חָלַף הָלַךְ לוֹ. הַנִּצָּנִים נִרְאוּ בָאָרֶץ, עֵת הַזָּמִיר הִגִּיעַ; וְקוֹל הַתּוֹר, נִשְׁמַע בְּאַרְצֵנוּ. הַתְּאֵנָה חָנְטָה פַגֶּיהָ, וְהַגְּפָנִים סְמָדַר נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ; קוּמִי לָךְ רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי, וּלְכִי-לָךְ. יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע, בְּסֵתֶר הַמַּדְרֵגָה, הַרְאִינִי אֶת-מַרְאַיִךְ, הַשְׁמִיעִנִי אֶת-קוֹלֵךְ כִּי-קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב, וּמַרְאֵיךְ נָאוֶה.
“Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and go to yourself. For behold, the winter has passed; the rain is over and gone. The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of singing has arrived, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree has put forth its green figs, and the vines with their tiny grapes have given forth their fragrance; arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and go to yourself.
“My dove is in the clefts of the rock, in the coverture of the steps; show me your appearance, let me hear your voice, for your voice is pleasant and your appearance is beautiful!”
But wait! The Israeli media got it right, it seems, after all. Just open up this week’s portion: no smaller a personality than Miriam, the older sister of Moses, and a prophetess in her own right—sings publically in front of many men, in the presence of her own brother Moses who has no qualms against her public singing!
Here is how the Torah describes it:[4]
וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַתֹּף בְּיָדָהּ וַתֵּצֶאןָ כָל הַנָּשִׁים אַחֲרֶיהָ בְּתֻפִּים ּבִמְחֹלת. וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם שִׁירוּ לַה' כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם.
Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the tambourine in her hand; and all the women followed her with tambourines and dances. And Miriam called to them: 'Sing to G-d, for He is most exalted; horse and rider He cast in the sea...'
Here we have it black-and-white: Days after their departure from Egypt, as the Jews cross the Red Sea, just a few weeks away from the Revelation at Sinai, and in the presence of Moses and some one million men—Moses’ older sister, the prophetess Miriam leads all of the women in song. What happened to the admonition against women singing in public?
To be sure, since the Torah has not been given yet, the law of women not singing in public was not in effect. Yet, still, if the Torah would define this as immodest and inappropriate behavior in just a few weeks, how is it that at such an elevated moment they would engage in what would very soon become immodest and objectionable behavior?
Today I will study with you a few approaches on the matter: 1) The approach of the Italian Kabbalist Rabbi Menachem Azaryah of Fanu (1548—1620), the Vilna Gaon (1720—1797), and the Rogatchover Gaon (1858—1936). 2) The approach of Rabbi Yakov Chuli, author of Yalkut Maam Loez and Rabbi Yissachar Eilenberg, author of Tzeidah Laderech. 3) The approach of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Exactly forty years ago, on the 15th day of Shevat, 5732 (1972), the Rebbe –who 62nd anniversary of leadership we commemorate this Friday and Shabbos, the 10th and 11th day of Shevat—addressed this topic at length. His insight captures his general approach toward the human condition and the laws of the Torah.
During the talk The Rebbe quoted the other answers as well, but showed where they still left us wanting, inviting his own deeper interpretation to the entire subject.
The First Approach
The first answer is original and creative and it was postulated by the Italian Kabbalist Rabbi Menachem Azaryah of Fanu (1548—1620)[5], the Vilna Gaon (1720—1797), and the Rogatchover Gaon (1858—1936)[6]:
In Hebrew there is a grammatical distinction between addressing women vs. men second person in the plural as well. In English we would say, “she spoke to them,” and the “them” can refer to men or women. In Hebrew we must distinguish: “To them” referring to men is “lahem;” “to them” referring to women is “lahen.” What is fascinating is that the verse about Miriam states וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם שִׁירוּ לַה' , “And Miriam called to them: 'Sing to G-d,” “to them” as though she was addressing men. Why?
Indeed, say the above commentators, the women never sang, because men should not be listening to women singing. And there were plenty of men present. Miriam was telling the men to sing to G-d. The women merely played the instruments.
This is quite an innovative interpretation of the story, but it flies in the face of the literal reading of these verses, and raises a few big questions. 1) Since when was Miriam telling the Jewish men what to do, especially in the presence of her brothers Moses and Aaron? No where do we have an example of Miriam issuing commandments to the Jews. 2) The biggest question: Why would Miriam instruct the Jewish men to sing, when they have just completed singing a long song together with Moses? 3) The Mechilta quoted in Rashi indicate that Miriam had the woman repeat the song after her.
The Second Approach
Rabbi Yakov Chuli, author of Yalkut Maam Loez and Rabbi Yissachar Eilenberg, author of Tzeidah Laderech, introduce another idea:
Why does the Torah state that Miriam and the women took the tambourines when they want out to sing and dance? Why didn’t the men take tambourines? Because, the women did indeed sing the song, yet they wanted to snuff out their voices in the loud sound of the tambourines, so the men would not hear the song coming from their lips.
This answer too is wanting. The Mechilta—one of the most important authoritative midrashim on Shemos—quoted in Rashi refutes this notion absolutely. Let’s quote Rashi:
And Miriam called to them: Moses said the Song to the men, and they repeated it after him, and Miriam said the song to the women [and they too repeated it after her[7]].
Now, how could the women repeat the song after Miriam if they did not all hear her sing? Obviously then, the tambourines did not snuff out Miriam’s singing!
Besides, if the tambourines were designated to snuff out the sound of the women singing, then what was the point of them repeating stanza after stanza from Miriam in song, when their repetition could not be heard anyhow?
Obviously then, Miriam and the women held a grand female exclusive concerto, with the perfect balance between the tambourines and their beautiful voices resonating loud and clear in the terrain just after crossing the Red Sea.
[This explains why Rashi was compelled to give a special reason why the women used tambourines (since the righteous women of the generation were confident in the coming miracles and they left Egypt with musical instruments!) Rashi did not accept the notion that the women, not the men, used the tambourines due to modesty. Rather it was the special keen faith of the women even more than the men that inspired them to bring out the tambourines.]
Which brings us back to our original question what happened with the admonition that men not hear women singing (outside of family)?
The Rebbe’s Approach
We now come to the third answer presented by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, 40 years ago. According to the Rebbe, Rashi gives the answer loud and clear.[8]
Let us go back one step:
Why does Jewish law not want the man to hear the woman sing?
It is not because women’s singing is somehow not up to par… or not good enough… or not holy enough… or because they need to remain closed up… far from it.
You know the story:
The local Hebrew School decided to observe Chanukah with a special ecumenical celebration, and invited everyone in the neighborhood, of whatever background, to participate in any way they thought appropriate, or to just come and observe, and have some home-baked cookies washed down with grape juice or heavy super-sweet wine.
There were speeches, dramatizations, and miscellaneous musical performances. At one point Mrs. Goldberg, in the third row, wiped away a tear as her little Miriam scratched out a hesitant rendition of "Havanu Sholom Aleichem" on a shiny new violin. Mrs. Goldberg noticed that a man seated next to her also had tears running down his face.
"Isn't it wonderful", she said to him, "to know that our heritage will be carried on by the next generation!"
"I suppose so," he said, "but I'm not Jewish."
“So why the tears?"
"I'm a musician…"
Or this anecdote:
Cantor Cohen auditioned before the great synagogue. A mediocre tenor at best, the board of directors politely suggested that the singer was perhaps not quite ready for the great Synagogue
"Not ready!" the Chazan bellowed. "Why, when I was with the NY Opera they thought so much of my voice that they insured it for 200 thousand dollars!"
"Oh?" the president replied. And what did they do with the money?"
Or this anecdote:
A man came to his Rabbi. “Rabbi, I need a job. Do you think I should become a singer or a dancer?”
The Rabbi says: “A dancer.”
“Why, Rabbi? Have you seen me dance?” asks the man.
“No,” says the Rabbi. “But I’ve heard you sing…”
Electrifying Power
Well, in the case of women singing it is quite the opposite. The feminine song has an atomic, electrifying power to it; it captures her intimate beauty, majesty and soulfulness. True, in our society we don’t pay enough homage to a woman singing because our over exposure to everything and anything have dulled our senses to the sensations of intimate power and majesty. Whenever you are over exposed to something your senses become dulled to the grandeur involved.
Not in Judaism. Torah attempts to fine-tune us to subtlety; to cultivate within us an appreciation of subtle, deep energy, to soulful emotion, to vibrations of the inner heart. The Torah wants us not to lose our sensitivity to the grandeur and intimacy transported in the sweet, pleasant sound of a woman singing:
הַרְאִינִי אֶת-מַרְאַיִךְ, הַשְׁמִיעִנִי אֶת-קוֹלֵךְ כִּי-קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב, וּמַרְאֵיךְ נָאוֶה.
“Show me your appearance, let me hear your voice, for your voice is pleasant and your appearance is beautiful!”
And the Torah always believed that this aspect of the woman ought not be squandered in a way that anyone can just use it for what he wants, for that is a grave injustice to the woman.[9] With all due respect to men (and I am a man…), we often overestimate men and don’t realize how often many of us process the intimate power of the women singing in not in the most noble and refined manner. We often misconstrue the energy of a woman’s musical voice and use it in a way that does not befit the sacred subtlety of the woman singing, allowing it to generate and arouse superficial and immoral thoughts and feelings.
A woman must own her inner electrifying, intimate power; it is her secret from G-d that she ought to treat with the utmost dignity and compassion. Wow to a society that indirectly teaches young women that their inner value and self-esteem in life comes only when members of the opposite gender are infatuated by their physique. No! A woman’s beauty—every person’s beauty—must be owned by her. And it must be preserved and nurtured with much sensitivity and delicacy. It is too fine, too sacred, too subtle, to be pulled through the gutter. The structure of Jewish law is not intended to repress the woman; it is there create an environment where she can be most natural and real without someone manipulating misusing her intimacy for his own selfish needs.
Women and girls should sing. For their music has power one-of-a-kind. But The Torah wants it to be done in a way that there is no extra pressure on the woman and that her intimate energy is not being used by anyone in the audience in the wrong way, for that is not fair to her. In Jewish law, when women begin singing, the men ought to pick themselves and leave the room as a sign of respect toward the woman’s inner dignity; the man is making the statement that her intimate soulfulness does not belong to him. And he may be using it and accessing it in a way that is disrespectful to the true holiness of her intimacy. Music is spiritual; singing comes from the soul. And if he is going to use her singing as a tool for his own physical enjoyment, never mind for a promiscuous thought, he is violating the woman’s dignity and majesty.
The King, the Peasant and the Nightingale
A story:[10]
The story is told of a king who once decided to reward a peasant who had done him a great service. "Shall I give him a sack of gold? a bag of pearls?" thought the king. "But these mean virtually nothing to me. I want, for once, to truly give something—something that I will miss, a gift that constitutes a sacrifice for me."
Now this king had a nightingale who sang the sweetest songs a human ear had ever heard. He treasured the nightingale over all else, and literally found life unbearable without it. So he summoned the peasant to his palace and gave him the bird . "This," said the king, "is in appreciation for your loyalty and devotion." "Thank you, Your Majesty," said the peasant, and took the royal gift to his humble home.
A while later, the king was passing through the peasant's village and commanded his coachman to halt at the peasant's door. "How are you enjoying my gift?" he inquired of his beloved subject.
"The truth to tell, Your Majesty," said the peasant, "the bird's meat was quite tough—all but inedible, in fact. But I cooked it with lots of potatoes, and it gave the stew an interesting flavor."
This is what Halacha, Jewish law, is attempting to sensitize us to. The voice of the woman’s singing has infinite beauty to it… don’t turn it into triggers for the “meat and potato” dimensions of your being.
When the Veil Was Removed
Now we will understand why after the splitting of the sea Miriam and all the women could sing out loud without any inhibition.
In the song that Moses sang with the men they declared:
עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי וַאֲרֹמְמֶנְהוּ:
Says Rashi:
זה א-לי. בכבודו נגלה עליהם והיו מראין אותו באצבע, ראתה שפחה על הים מה שלא ראו נביאים.
This is my G-d: He revealed Himself in His glory to them [the Israelites], and they pointed at Him with their finger [as denoted by the word: “this is my G-d”]. By the sea, [even] a maidservant perceived what prophets did not perceive.
Now when G-d is revealed, men start to get it… there is no danger that the man will misconstrue the energy of her musical voice and use it in a way that does not befit the sacred subtlety of the woman singing. When the presence of G-d is revealed, and each of us in in touch not with our brute, beastly and selfish personality, but with our innate holiness and love, her voice will only inspire people to greater moral and spiritual heights. Gone is the concern that someone will use her voice for superficial and immoral pursuits. When G-d’s presence is manifested, there is no room for a person misconstruing the woman’s intimate depth and majesty and utilizing it in a superficial and promiscuous way, for he is in a state where he is in touch only with his own inner spirituality.[11]
Bride’s Singing
That is why in the seventh blessing we recite at a chupah and during the seven subsequent days we talk of the time when it will be heard in the streets of Jerusalem “the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.” Hey, what about modesty?
Answer: We can all use a dosage of the woman’s voice. We all need feminine music in our lives. The problem? The men are simply not ready. Men still need to evolve to be able to transcend the animal within them and be able to hear the spiritual holiness in the feminine song. When the sea parted, the sea representing the subconscious holiness of man, which is below the surface, the curtains within us parted and we could appreciate the spirituality of the women, the spiritual nobility stemming from her soul and body, from her music and her voice. When the sea—representing the depth of our souls—close up again, we must be forever cautious not to violate the sacred energy of a woman, till the time of Moshiach when we will be ready to listen to the “voice of the bride.”[12]
[1] Talmud Berachos 24a
[2] For a detailed halahcik discussion about this, and the leniency introduced by the German Rabbis of the 19th century to listen to many women singing together, as well as the leniency to hear women singing when they are singing together with men, as well as the leniency to listen to girls younger than 11 sing, see: http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%9C_%D7%91%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%94_%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%95%D7%94
Several halachic (Jewish law) authorities are of the opinion that a recording or a radio transmitted singing voice of a woman who one does not personally know would not be actually prohibited. It is the custom however in most orthodox circles for men to refrain from hearing a woman sing in any format through any medium. In today's time this might seem severe, but the Torah puts such enormous value on the bond between a husband and wife that it does not allow for any potential damage to a man's undivided and unequivocal devotion and attraction to his one and only partner in life. Click here for more on this subject.
The “Sridei Eish” (Rabbi Yechiel YaakovWeinberg (1885-1966)) opines that it is permitted for women to sing along with other men. There are also those who are of the view that the restriction against men hearing women singing doesn’t apply to women who are singing in a group, since no individual is calling attention to herself.
[3] Song of Songs 2:10-14
[4] Exodus 15:20-21
[5] Kanfei Yonah 4:36
[6] Tzafnas Panach to Exodus 15:20-21
[7] This is understood from the fact that we are comparing Miriam’s song to Moses’ song.
[8] Sichos Kodesh 5732, Sichas 15 Shevat
[9] The Rebbe once said these words to Rabbi Y.D. Grossman explaining the concept:
"קולה איז פארבונדן מיט איר שיינקייט, איז כדי פארהיטן איר שיינקייט ס'זאל נישט זיין הפקר דארף מען איינארדענען אין אזא אופן" (שהמקהלה שרצה לסדר מילדים שיצאו מברית המועצות יהי' רק מבנים ולא בנות).
[10] http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/42926/jewish/The-King-the-Peasant-and-the-Nightingale.htm
[11] This idea is already mentioned in Kanfei Yonah ibid. and Tzeidah Laderech. The Rebbe however showed that this is an explicit Rashi! If G-d is so revealed that you can point to Him, then we have no reason to worry about the consequences of women singing.
[12] This essay is based on Maamar Meharah Yishama in the Derushei Chasuna of the Rebe Maharash (Derushei Chasunah pp. 82-89 and all the references noted there. Sichas 15 Shevat 5732.
- Comment
Class Summary:
As we prepare for Super Bowl Sunday, with the New England Patriots pitted against the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana (and don’t forget to invite the rabbi to the party…), I am reminded of the story of Sidney Luckman, which teaches us so much about stereotypes.
Some time ago, a few Israeli soldiers walked out of an auditorium when female soldiers began to sing solo. They were expelled from their positions in the army and the Israeli media went up in arms against what seemed like primitive behaviour denigrating the honour of women.
But wait! Is the media wrong? Miriam, in this week’s portion, sings a song in the presence of many men, including Moses the lawgiver? What happened with the admonition against women singing in public?
The essay explores three approaches: The Vilna Gaon & the Ragatchover Gaon; the Yakut Maam Loez; and the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe’s answer captures his approach to the majesty and depth of Torah law and the sensitivity to the subtle aspects of life. It gives us appreciation of the “modesty” laws in Torah and explains why when Moshiach comes we all will be privy to enjoy the “sound of the bride.”
The story of the king’s gift to the peasant of his nightingale bird captures the dual perspective which we inhabit: the same reality can stir us to the deepest holiness or to the brute of sensation.
Give Them the Ball, Sid
As we prepare for Super Bowl Sunday, with the New England Patriots pitted against the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana (and don’t forget to invite the rabbi to the party…), I am reminded of the story of Sidney Luckman.
Sid was one of the best Football Quarter Back players ever. Born in Brooklyn in 1916, he became a 6-time All-Pro Football QB. He led the Chicago Bears to 4 NFL titles and is shrined in the Football Hall of Fame.
Sidney was a Jewish child of immigrant parents who knew nothing about football. And so, when he was about to play in his first professional game, he thought that it would be only appropriate to invite his parents to watch him play football and get a little bit of “Yiddishe nachas.” After all they have been through, let his parents “kvel” watching how well their son integrated into the new country to become such a great star.
He didn’t want them to be placed up in the stands somewhere, where they would be completely lost. So he had them sit on the bench with the players. In the middle of the game, Sidney Luckman drops back, and a line backer comes through the line, and starts to chase him.
Sid is fast. He scrambles with that ball; he’s running down the sideline with all his energy and might, and a couple of huge 6-foot tall, muscular, powerful fellows are running after him...
He runs right in front of his parents. It looks like he is running for his life. At which point, his father yells out, in great emotion and fear:
“Sid, give them the ball already; I’ll buy you another one... And I will pay for it.”
This anecdote captures the truth that often people are clueless to a particular reality they observe, projecting upon it their own pre-conceived notions without the slightest understanding of the issue at hand.
Today I want to address two such stereotypes, which have sadly become another recent point of contention in the Holy Land.
The Soldiers Walk Out
The story, which somehow became a major story in Israel, occurred last September, when at a military event, Jewish female soldiers began singing solo as part of a military band. Nine religious Israeli soldiers chose to leave the auditorium. They were followed by Regiment Commander Uzi Kileger, who informed them: "If you don't come back inside immediately, you will be refusing orders. Anyone refusing an order will be dismissed from the course." (According to the General Staff orders, a religious soldier is entitled not to take part in recreational activity which contradicts his lifestyle and faith, but the orders do not apply to non-recreational military events.)
Indeed, four of the nine religious cadets who walked out were dismissed from their officers' course.
In the Israeli media, on many websites, blogs and on TV, these soldiers were blasted for their “primitive behavior” and their tenacious adherence to an ancient “orthodox custom” which seems, yet once again, to denigrate women, advocating their voices to remain cloistered behind closed doors so as not to, heaven forbid, express themselves freely and uninhibitedly.
How sad when the stereotypes persist. Why does Jewish law not want a man to listen to a woman singing?
The Talmud indeed declares: [1]
אמר שמואל, קול באשה ערוה, שנאמר כי קולך ערב ומראך נאוה.
The Talmudic sage Shmuel said, the voice of a women (singing) has intimate power; as the verse states: your voice is sweet and your countenance beautiful.[2]
The sage Samuel is referring here to the description in the Song of Songs where the groom talks about his bride. Listen to stunning words straight out of our Bible:[3]
עָנָה דוֹדִי, וְאָמַר לִי: קוּמִי לָךְ רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי, וּלְכִי-לָךְ. כִּי-הִנֵּה הַסְּתָו, עָבָר; הַגֶּשֶׁם, חָלַף הָלַךְ לוֹ. הַנִּצָּנִים נִרְאוּ בָאָרֶץ, עֵת הַזָּמִיר הִגִּיעַ; וְקוֹל הַתּוֹר, נִשְׁמַע בְּאַרְצֵנוּ. הַתְּאֵנָה חָנְטָה פַגֶּיהָ, וְהַגְּפָנִים סְמָדַר נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ; קוּמִי לָךְ רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי, וּלְכִי-לָךְ. יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע, בְּסֵתֶר הַמַּדְרֵגָה, הַרְאִינִי אֶת-מַרְאַיִךְ, הַשְׁמִיעִנִי אֶת-קוֹלֵךְ כִּי-קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב, וּמַרְאֵיךְ נָאוֶה.
“Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and go to yourself. For behold, the winter has passed; the rain is over and gone. The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of singing has arrived, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree has put forth its green figs, and the vines with their tiny grapes have given forth their fragrance; arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and go to yourself.
“My dove is in the clefts of the rock, in the coverture of the steps; show me your appearance, let me hear your voice, for your voice is pleasant and your appearance is beautiful!”
But wait! The Israeli media got it right, it seems, after all. Just open up this week’s portion: no smaller a personality than Miriam, the older sister of Moses, and a prophetess in her own right—sings publically in front of many men, in the presence of her own brother Moses who has no qualms against her public singing!
Here is how the Torah describes it:[4]
וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַתֹּף בְּיָדָהּ וַתֵּצֶאןָ כָל הַנָּשִׁים אַחֲרֶיהָ בְּתֻפִּים ּבִמְחֹלת. וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם שִׁירוּ לַה' כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם.
Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the tambourine in her hand; and all the women followed her with tambourines and dances. And Miriam called to them: 'Sing to G-d, for He is most exalted; horse and rider He cast in the sea...'
Here we have it black-and-white: Days after their departure from Egypt, as the Jews cross the Red Sea, just a few weeks away from the Revelation at Sinai, and in the presence of Moses and some one million men—Moses’ older sister, the prophetess Miriam leads all of the women in song. What happened to the admonition against women singing in public?
To be sure, since the Torah has not been given yet, the law of women not singing in public was not in effect. Yet, still, if the Torah would define this as immodest and inappropriate behavior in just a few weeks, how is it that at such an elevated moment they would engage in what would very soon become immodest and objectionable behavior?
Today I will study with you a few approaches on the matter: 1) The approach of the Italian Kabbalist Rabbi Menachem Azaryah of Fanu (1548—1620), the Vilna Gaon (1720—1797), and the Rogatchover Gaon (1858—1936). 2) The approach of Rabbi Yakov Chuli, author of Yalkut Maam Loez and Rabbi Yissachar Eilenberg, author of Tzeidah Laderech. 3) The approach of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Exactly forty years ago, on the 15th day of Shevat, 5732 (1972), the Rebbe –who 62nd anniversary of leadership we commemorate this Friday and Shabbos, the 10th and 11th day of Shevat—addressed this topic at length. His insight captures his general approach toward the human condition and the laws of the Torah.
During the talk The Rebbe quoted the other answers as well, but showed where they still left us wanting, inviting his own deeper interpretation to the entire subject.
The First Approach
The first answer is original and creative and it was postulated by the Italian Kabbalist Rabbi Menachem Azaryah of Fanu (1548—1620)[5], the Vilna Gaon (1720—1797), and the Rogatchover Gaon (1858—1936)[6]:
In Hebrew there is a grammatical distinction between addressing women vs. men second person in the plural as well. In English we would say, “she spoke to them,” and the “them” can refer to men or women. In Hebrew we must distinguish: “To them” referring to men is “lahem;” “to them” referring to women is “lahen.” What is fascinating is that the verse about Miriam states וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם שִׁירוּ לַה' , “And Miriam called to them: 'Sing to G-d,” “to them” as though she was addressing men. Why?
Indeed, say the above commentators, the women never sang, because men should not be listening to women singing. And there were plenty of men present. Miriam was telling the men to sing to G-d. The women merely played the instruments.
This is quite an innovative interpretation of the story, but it flies in the face of the literal reading of these verses, and raises a few big questions. 1) Since when was Miriam telling the Jewish men what to do, especially in the presence of her brothers Moses and Aaron? No where do we have an example of Miriam issuing commandments to the Jews. 2) The biggest question: Why would Miriam instruct the Jewish men to sing, when they have just completed singing a long song together with Moses? 3) The Mechilta quoted in Rashi indicate that Miriam had the woman repeat the song after her.
The Second Approach
Rabbi Yakov Chuli, author of Yalkut Maam Loez and Rabbi Yissachar Eilenberg, author of Tzeidah Laderech, introduce another idea:
Why does the Torah state that Miriam and the women took the tambourines when they want out to sing and dance? Why didn’t the men take tambourines? Because, the women did indeed sing the song, yet they wanted to snuff out their voices in the loud sound of the tambourines, so the men would not hear the song coming from their lips.
This answer too is wanting. The Mechilta—one of the most important authoritative midrashim on Shemos—quoted in Rashi refutes this notion absolutely. Let’s quote Rashi:
And Miriam called to them: Moses said the Song to the men, and they repeated it after him, and Miriam said the song to the women [and they too repeated it after her[7]].
Now, how could the women repeat the song after Miriam if they did not all hear her sing? Obviously then, the tambourines did not snuff out Miriam’s singing!
Besides, if the tambourines were designated to snuff out the sound of the women singing, then what was the point of them repeating stanza after stanza from Miriam in song, when their repetition could not be heard anyhow?
Obviously then, Miriam and the women held a grand female exclusive concerto, with the perfect balance between the tambourines and their beautiful voices resonating loud and clear in the terrain just after crossing the Red Sea.
[This explains why Rashi was compelled to give a special reason why the women used tambourines (since the righteous women of the generation were confident in the coming miracles and they left Egypt with musical instruments!) Rashi did not accept the notion that the women, not the men, used the tambourines due to modesty. Rather it was the special keen faith of the women even more than the men that inspired them to bring out the tambourines.]
Which brings us back to our original question what happened with the admonition that men not hear women singing (outside of family)?
The Rebbe’s Approach
We now come to the third answer presented by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, 40 years ago. According to the Rebbe, Rashi gives the answer loud and clear.[8]
Let us go back one step:
Why does Jewish law not want the man to hear the woman sing?
It is not because women’s singing is somehow not up to par… or not good enough… or not holy enough… or because they need to remain closed up… far from it.
You know the story:
The local Hebrew School decided to observe Chanukah with a special ecumenical celebration, and invited everyone in the neighborhood, of whatever background, to participate in any way they thought appropriate, or to just come and observe, and have some home-baked cookies washed down with grape juice or heavy super-sweet wine.
There were speeches, dramatizations, and miscellaneous musical performances. At one point Mrs. Goldberg, in the third row, wiped away a tear as her little Miriam scratched out a hesitant rendition of "Havanu Sholom Aleichem" on a shiny new violin. Mrs. Goldberg noticed that a man seated next to her also had tears running down his face.
"Isn't it wonderful", she said to him, "to know that our heritage will be carried on by the next generation!"
"I suppose so," he said, "but I'm not Jewish."
“So why the tears?"
"I'm a musician…"
Or this anecdote:
Cantor Cohen auditioned before the great synagogue. A mediocre tenor at best, the board of directors politely suggested that the singer was perhaps not quite ready for the great Synagogue
"Not ready!" the Chazan bellowed. "Why, when I was with the NY Opera they thought so much of my voice that they insured it for 200 thousand dollars!"
"Oh?" the president replied. And what did they do with the money?"
Or this anecdote:
A man came to his Rabbi. “Rabbi, I need a job. Do you think I should become a singer or a dancer?”
The Rabbi says: “A dancer.”
“Why, Rabbi? Have you seen me dance?” asks the man.
“No,” says the Rabbi. “But I’ve heard you sing…”
Electrifying Power
Well, in the case of women singing it is quite the opposite. The feminine song has an atomic, electrifying power to it; it captures her intimate beauty, majesty and soulfulness. True, in our society we don’t pay enough homage to a woman singing because our over exposure to everything and anything have dulled our senses to the sensations of intimate power and majesty. Whenever you are over exposed to something your senses become dulled to the grandeur involved.
Not in Judaism. Torah attempts to fine-tune us to subtlety; to cultivate within us an appreciation of subtle, deep energy, to soulful emotion, to vibrations of the inner heart. The Torah wants us not to lose our sensitivity to the grandeur and intimacy transported in the sweet, pleasant sound of a woman singing:
הַרְאִינִי אֶת-מַרְאַיִךְ, הַשְׁמִיעִנִי אֶת-קוֹלֵךְ כִּי-קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב, וּמַרְאֵיךְ נָאוֶה.
“Show me your appearance, let me hear your voice, for your voice is pleasant and your appearance is beautiful!”
And the Torah always believed that this aspect of the woman ought not be squandered in a way that anyone can just use it for what he wants, for that is a grave injustice to the woman.[9] With all due respect to men (and I am a man…), we often overestimate men and don’t realize how often many of us process the intimate power of the women singing in not in the most noble and refined manner. We often misconstrue the energy of a woman’s musical voice and use it in a way that does not befit the sacred subtlety of the woman singing, allowing it to generate and arouse superficial and immoral thoughts and feelings.
A woman must own her inner electrifying, intimate power; it is her secret from G-d that she ought to treat with the utmost dignity and compassion. Wow to a society that indirectly teaches young women that their inner value and self-esteem in life comes only when members of the opposite gender are infatuated by their physique. No! A woman’s beauty—every person’s beauty—must be owned by her. And it must be preserved and nurtured with much sensitivity and delicacy. It is too fine, too sacred, too subtle, to be pulled through the gutter. The structure of Jewish law is not intended to repress the woman; it is there create an environment where she can be most natural and real without someone manipulating misusing her intimacy for his own selfish needs.
Women and girls should sing. For their music has power one-of-a-kind. But The Torah wants it to be done in a way that there is no extra pressure on the woman and that her intimate energy is not being used by anyone in the audience in the wrong way, for that is not fair to her. In Jewish law, when women begin singing, the men ought to pick themselves and leave the room as a sign of respect toward the woman’s inner dignity; the man is making the statement that her intimate soulfulness does not belong to him. And he may be using it and accessing it in a way that is disrespectful to the true holiness of her intimacy. Music is spiritual; singing comes from the soul. And if he is going to use her singing as a tool for his own physical enjoyment, never mind for a promiscuous thought, he is violating the woman’s dignity and majesty.
The King, the Peasant and the Nightingale
A story:[10]
The story is told of a king who once decided to reward a peasant who had done him a great service. "Shall I give him a sack of gold? a bag of pearls?" thought the king. "But these mean virtually nothing to me. I want, for once, to truly give something—something that I will miss, a gift that constitutes a sacrifice for me."
Now this king had a nightingale who sang the sweetest songs a human ear had ever heard. He treasured the nightingale over all else, and literally found life unbearable without it. So he summoned the peasant to his palace and gave him the bird . "This," said the king, "is in appreciation for your loyalty and devotion." "Thank you, Your Majesty," said the peasant, and took the royal gift to his humble home.
A while later, the king was passing through the peasant's village and commanded his coachman to halt at the peasant's door. "How are you enjoying my gift?" he inquired of his beloved subject.
"The truth to tell, Your Majesty," said the peasant, "the bird's meat was quite tough—all but inedible, in fact. But I cooked it with lots of potatoes, and it gave the stew an interesting flavor."
This is what Halacha, Jewish law, is attempting to sensitize us to. The voice of the woman’s singing has infinite beauty to it… don’t turn it into triggers for the “meat and potato” dimensions of your being.
When the Veil Was Removed
Now we will understand why after the splitting of the sea Miriam and all the women could sing out loud without any inhibition.
In the song that Moses sang with the men they declared:
עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי וַאֲרֹמְמֶנְהוּ:
Says Rashi:
זה א-לי. בכבודו נגלה עליהם והיו מראין אותו באצבע, ראתה שפחה על הים מה שלא ראו נביאים.
This is my G-d: He revealed Himself in His glory to them [the Israelites], and they pointed at Him with their finger [as denoted by the word: “this is my G-d”]. By the sea, [even] a maidservant perceived what prophets did not perceive.
Now when G-d is revealed, men start to get it… there is no danger that the man will misconstrue the energy of her musical voice and use it in a way that does not befit the sacred subtlety of the woman singing. When the presence of G-d is revealed, and each of us in in touch not with our brute, beastly and selfish personality, but with our innate holiness and love, her voice will only inspire people to greater moral and spiritual heights. Gone is the concern that someone will use her voice for superficial and immoral pursuits. When G-d’s presence is manifested, there is no room for a person misconstruing the woman’s intimate depth and majesty and utilizing it in a superficial and promiscuous way, for he is in a state where he is in touch only with his own inner spirituality.[11]
Bride’s Singing
That is why in the seventh blessing we recite at a chupah and during the seven subsequent days we talk of the time when it will be heard in the streets of Jerusalem “the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.” Hey, what about modesty?
Answer: We can all use a dosage of the woman’s voice. We all need feminine music in our lives. The problem? The men are simply not ready. Men still need to evolve to be able to transcend the animal within them and be able to hear the spiritual holiness in the feminine song. When the sea parted, the sea representing the subconscious holiness of man, which is below the surface, the curtains within us parted and we could appreciate the spirituality of the women, the spiritual nobility stemming from her soul and body, from her music and her voice. When the sea—representing the depth of our souls—close up again, we must be forever cautious not to violate the sacred energy of a woman, till the time of Moshiach when we will be ready to listen to the “voice of the bride.”[12]
[1] Talmud Berachos 24a
[2] For a detailed halahcik discussion about this, and the leniency introduced by the German Rabbis of the 19th century to listen to many women singing together, as well as the leniency to hear women singing when they are singing together with men, as well as the leniency to listen to girls younger than 11 sing, see: http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%9C_%D7%91%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%94_%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%95%D7%94
Several halachic (Jewish law) authorities are of the opinion that a recording or a radio transmitted singing voice of a woman who one does not personally know would not be actually prohibited. It is the custom however in most orthodox circles for men to refrain from hearing a woman sing in any format through any medium. In today's time this might seem severe, but the Torah puts such enormous value on the bond between a husband and wife that it does not allow for any potential damage to a man's undivided and unequivocal devotion and attraction to his one and only partner in life. Click here for more on this subject.
The “Sridei Eish” (Rabbi Yechiel YaakovWeinberg (1885-1966)) opines that it is permitted for women to sing along with other men. There are also those who are of the view that the restriction against men hearing women singing doesn’t apply to women who are singing in a group, since no individual is calling attention to herself.
[3] Song of Songs 2:10-14
[4] Exodus 15:20-21
[5] Kanfei Yonah 4:36
[6] Tzafnas Panach to Exodus 15:20-21
[7] This is understood from the fact that we are comparing Miriam’s song to Moses’ song.
[8] Sichos Kodesh 5732, Sichas 15 Shevat
[9] The Rebbe once said these words to Rabbi Y.D. Grossman explaining the concept:
"קולה איז פארבונדן מיט איר שיינקייט, איז כדי פארהיטן איר שיינקייט ס'זאל נישט זיין הפקר דארף מען איינארדענען אין אזא אופן" (שהמקהלה שרצה לסדר מילדים שיצאו מברית המועצות יהי' רק מבנים ולא בנות).
[10] http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/42926/jewish/The-King-the-Peasant-and-the-Nightingale.htm
[11] This idea is already mentioned in Kanfei Yonah ibid. and Tzeidah Laderech. The Rebbe however showed that this is an explicit Rashi! If G-d is so revealed that you can point to Him, then we have no reason to worry about the consequences of women singing.
[12] This essay is based on Maamar Meharah Yishama in the Derushei Chasuna of the Rebe Maharash (Derushei Chasunah pp. 82-89 and all the references noted there. Sichas 15 Shevat 5732.
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Parshas Beshalach 5772
Rabbi YY Jacobson
- February 1, 2012
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- 8 Sh'vat 5772
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Oy! Miriam Singing In Front of Men?
Rabbi YY Jacobson
- February 1, 2012
Give Them the Ball, Sid
As we prepare for Super Bowl Sunday, with the New England Patriots pitted against the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana (and don’t forget to invite the rabbi to the party…), I am reminded of the story of Sidney Luckman.
Sid was one of the best Football Quarter Back players ever. Born in Brooklyn in 1916, he became a 6-time All-Pro Football QB. He led the Chicago Bears to 4 NFL titles and is shrined in the Football Hall of Fame.
Sidney was a Jewish child of immigrant parents who knew nothing about football. And so, when he was about to play in his first professional game, he thought that it would be only appropriate to invite his parents to watch him play football and get a little bit of “Yiddishe nachas.” After all they have been through, let his parents “kvel” watching how well their son integrated into the new country to become such a great star.
He didn’t want them to be placed up in the stands somewhere, where they would be completely lost. So he had them sit on the bench with the players. In the middle of the game, Sidney Luckman drops back, and a line backer comes through the line, and starts to chase him.
Sid is fast. He scrambles with that ball; he’s running down the sideline with all his energy and might, and a couple of huge 6-foot tall, muscular, powerful fellows are running after him...
He runs right in front of his parents. It looks like he is running for his life. At which point, his father yells out, in great emotion and fear:
“Sid, give them the ball already; I’ll buy you another one... And I will pay for it.”
This anecdote captures the truth that often people are clueless to a particular reality they observe, projecting upon it their own pre-conceived notions without the slightest understanding of the issue at hand.
Today I want to address two such stereotypes, which have sadly become another recent point of contention in the Holy Land.
The Soldiers Walk Out
The story, which somehow became a major story in Israel, occurred last September, when at a military event, Jewish female soldiers began singing solo as part of a military band. Nine religious Israeli soldiers chose to leave the auditorium. They were followed by Regiment Commander Uzi Kileger, who informed them: "If you don't come back inside immediately, you will be refusing orders. Anyone refusing an order will be dismissed from the course." (According to the General Staff orders, a religious soldier is entitled not to take part in recreational activity which contradicts his lifestyle and faith, but the orders do not apply to non-recreational military events.)
Indeed, four of the nine religious cadets who walked out were dismissed from their officers' course.
In the Israeli media, on many websites, blogs and on TV, these soldiers were blasted for their “primitive behavior” and their tenacious adherence to an ancient “orthodox custom” which seems, yet once again, to denigrate women, advocating their voices to remain cloistered behind closed doors so as not to, heaven forbid, express themselves freely and uninhibitedly.
How sad when the stereotypes persist. Why does Jewish law not want a man to listen to a woman singing?
The Talmud indeed declares: [1]
אמר שמואל, קול באשה ערוה, שנאמר כי קולך ערב ומראך נאוה.
The Talmudic sage Shmuel said, the voice of a women (singing) has intimate power; as the verse states: your voice is sweet and your countenance beautiful.[2]
The sage Samuel is referring here to the description in the Song of Songs where the groom talks about his bride. Listen to stunning words straight out of our Bible:[3]
עָנָה דוֹדִי, וְאָמַר לִי: קוּמִי לָךְ רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי, וּלְכִי-לָךְ. כִּי-הִנֵּה הַסְּתָו, עָבָר; הַגֶּשֶׁם, חָלַף הָלַךְ לוֹ. הַנִּצָּנִים נִרְאוּ בָאָרֶץ, עֵת הַזָּמִיר הִגִּיעַ; וְקוֹל הַתּוֹר, נִשְׁמַע בְּאַרְצֵנוּ. הַתְּאֵנָה חָנְטָה פַגֶּיהָ, וְהַגְּפָנִים סְמָדַר נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ; קוּמִי לָךְ רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי, וּלְכִי-לָךְ. יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע, בְּסֵתֶר הַמַּדְרֵגָה, הַרְאִינִי אֶת-מַרְאַיִךְ, הַשְׁמִיעִנִי אֶת-קוֹלֵךְ כִּי-קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב, וּמַרְאֵיךְ נָאוֶה.
“Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and go to yourself. For behold, the winter has passed; the rain is over and gone. The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of singing has arrived, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. The fig tree has put forth its green figs, and the vines with their tiny grapes have given forth their fragrance; arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and go to yourself.
“My dove is in the clefts of the rock, in the coverture of the steps; show me your appearance, let me hear your voice, for your voice is pleasant and your appearance is beautiful!”
But wait! The Israeli media got it right, it seems, after all. Just open up this week’s portion: no smaller a personality than Miriam, the older sister of Moses, and a prophetess in her own right—sings publically in front of many men, in the presence of her own brother Moses who has no qualms against her public singing!
Here is how the Torah describes it:[4]
וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַתֹּף בְּיָדָהּ וַתֵּצֶאןָ כָל הַנָּשִׁים אַחֲרֶיהָ בְּתֻפִּים ּבִמְחֹלת. וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם שִׁירוּ לַה' כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם.
Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the tambourine in her hand; and all the women followed her with tambourines and dances. And Miriam called to them: 'Sing to G-d, for He is most exalted; horse and rider He cast in the sea...'
Here we have it black-and-white: Days after their departure from Egypt, as the Jews cross the Red Sea, just a few weeks away from the Revelation at Sinai, and in the presence of Moses and some one million men—Moses’ older sister, the prophetess Miriam leads all of the women in song. What happened to the admonition against women singing in public?
To be sure, since the Torah has not been given yet, the law of women not singing in public was not in effect. Yet, still, if the Torah would define this as immodest and inappropriate behavior in just a few weeks, how is it that at such an elevated moment they would engage in what would very soon become immodest and objectionable behavior?
Today I will study with you a few approaches on the matter: 1) The approach of the Italian Kabbalist Rabbi Menachem Azaryah of Fanu (1548—1620), the Vilna Gaon (1720—1797), and the Rogatchover Gaon (1858—1936). 2) The approach of Rabbi Yakov Chuli, author of Yalkut Maam Loez and Rabbi Yissachar Eilenberg, author of Tzeidah Laderech. 3) The approach of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Exactly forty years ago, on the 15th day of Shevat, 5732 (1972), the Rebbe –who 62nd anniversary of leadership we commemorate this Friday and Shabbos, the 10th and 11th day of Shevat—addressed this topic at length. His insight captures his general approach toward the human condition and the laws of the Torah.
During the talk The Rebbe quoted the other answers as well, but showed where they still left us wanting, inviting his own deeper interpretation to the entire subject.
The First Approach
The first answer is original and creative and it was postulated by the Italian Kabbalist Rabbi Menachem Azaryah of Fanu (1548—1620)[5], the Vilna Gaon (1720—1797), and the Rogatchover Gaon (1858—1936)[6]:
In Hebrew there is a grammatical distinction between addressing women vs. men second person in the plural as well. In English we would say, “she spoke to them,” and the “them” can refer to men or women. In Hebrew we must distinguish: “To them” referring to men is “lahem;” “to them” referring to women is “lahen.” What is fascinating is that the verse about Miriam states וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם שִׁירוּ לַה' , “And Miriam called to them: 'Sing to G-d,” “to them” as though she was addressing men. Why?
Indeed, say the above commentators, the women never sang, because men should not be listening to women singing. And there were plenty of men present. Miriam was telling the men to sing to G-d. The women merely played the instruments.
This is quite an innovative interpretation of the story, but it flies in the face of the literal reading of these verses, and raises a few big questions. 1) Since when was Miriam telling the Jewish men what to do, especially in the presence of her brothers Moses and Aaron? No where do we have an example of Miriam issuing commandments to the Jews. 2) The biggest question: Why would Miriam instruct the Jewish men to sing, when they have just completed singing a long song together with Moses? 3) The Mechilta quoted in Rashi indicate that Miriam had the woman repeat the song after her.
The Second Approach
Rabbi Yakov Chuli, author of Yalkut Maam Loez and Rabbi Yissachar Eilenberg, author of Tzeidah Laderech, introduce another idea:
Why does the Torah state that Miriam and the women took the tambourines when they want out to sing and dance? Why didn’t the men take tambourines? Because, the women did indeed sing the song, yet they wanted to snuff out their voices in the loud sound of the tambourines, so the men would not hear the song coming from their lips.
This answer too is wanting. The Mechilta—one of the most important authoritative midrashim on Shemos—quoted in Rashi refutes this notion absolutely. Let’s quote Rashi:
And Miriam called to them: Moses said the Song to the men, and they repeated it after him, and Miriam said the song to the women [and they too repeated it after her[7]].
Now, how could the women repeat the song after Miriam if they did not all hear her sing? Obviously then, the tambourines did not snuff out Miriam’s singing!
Besides, if the tambourines were designated to snuff out the sound of the women singing, then what was the point of them repeating stanza after stanza from Miriam in song, when their repetition could not be heard anyhow?
Obviously then, Miriam and the women held a grand female exclusive concerto, with the perfect balance between the tambourines and their beautiful voices resonating loud and clear in the terrain just after crossing the Red Sea.
[This explains why Rashi was compelled to give a special reason why the women used tambourines (since the righteous women of the generation were confident in the coming miracles and they left Egypt with musical instruments!) Rashi did not accept the notion that the women, not the men, used the tambourines due to modesty. Rather it was the special keen faith of the women even more than the men that inspired them to bring out the tambourines.]
Which brings us back to our original question what happened with the admonition that men not hear women singing (outside of family)?
The Rebbe’s Approach
We now come to the third answer presented by the Lubavitcher Rebbe, 40 years ago. According to the Rebbe, Rashi gives the answer loud and clear.[8]
Let us go back one step:
Why does Jewish law not want the man to hear the woman sing?
It is not because women’s singing is somehow not up to par… or not good enough… or not holy enough… or because they need to remain closed up… far from it.
You know the story:
The local Hebrew School decided to observe Chanukah with a special ecumenical celebration, and invited everyone in the neighborhood, of whatever background, to participate in any way they thought appropriate, or to just come and observe, and have some home-baked cookies washed down with grape juice or heavy super-sweet wine.
There were speeches, dramatizations, and miscellaneous musical performances. At one point Mrs. Goldberg, in the third row, wiped away a tear as her little Miriam scratched out a hesitant rendition of "Havanu Sholom Aleichem" on a shiny new violin. Mrs. Goldberg noticed that a man seated next to her also had tears running down his face.
"Isn't it wonderful", she said to him, "to know that our heritage will be carried on by the next generation!"
"I suppose so," he said, "but I'm not Jewish."
“So why the tears?"
"I'm a musician…"
Or this anecdote:
Cantor Cohen auditioned before the great synagogue. A mediocre tenor at best, the board of directors politely suggested that the singer was perhaps not quite ready for the great Synagogue
"Not ready!" the Chazan bellowed. "Why, when I was with the NY Opera they thought so much of my voice that they insured it for 200 thousand dollars!"
"Oh?" the president replied. And what did they do with the money?"
Or this anecdote:
A man came to his Rabbi. “Rabbi, I need a job. Do you think I should become a singer or a dancer?”
The Rabbi says: “A dancer.”
“Why, Rabbi? Have you seen me dance?” asks the man.
“No,” says the Rabbi. “But I’ve heard you sing…”
Electrifying Power
Well, in the case of women singing it is quite the opposite. The feminine song has an atomic, electrifying power to it; it captures her intimate beauty, majesty and soulfulness. True, in our society we don’t pay enough homage to a woman singing because our over exposure to everything and anything have dulled our senses to the sensations of intimate power and majesty. Whenever you are over exposed to something your senses become dulled to the grandeur involved.
Not in Judaism. Torah attempts to fine-tune us to subtlety; to cultivate within us an appreciation of subtle, deep energy, to soulful emotion, to vibrations of the inner heart. The Torah wants us not to lose our sensitivity to the grandeur and intimacy transported in the sweet, pleasant sound of a woman singing:
הַרְאִינִי אֶת-מַרְאַיִךְ, הַשְׁמִיעִנִי אֶת-קוֹלֵךְ כִּי-קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב, וּמַרְאֵיךְ נָאוֶה.
“Show me your appearance, let me hear your voice, for your voice is pleasant and your appearance is beautiful!”
And the Torah always believed that this aspect of the woman ought not be squandered in a way that anyone can just use it for what he wants, for that is a grave injustice to the woman.[9] With all due respect to men (and I am a man…), we often overestimate men and don’t realize how often many of us process the intimate power of the women singing in not in the most noble and refined manner. We often misconstrue the energy of a woman’s musical voice and use it in a way that does not befit the sacred subtlety of the woman singing, allowing it to generate and arouse superficial and immoral thoughts and feelings.
A woman must own her inner electrifying, intimate power; it is her secret from G-d that she ought to treat with the utmost dignity and compassion. Wow to a society that indirectly teaches young women that their inner value and self-esteem in life comes only when members of the opposite gender are infatuated by their physique. No! A woman’s beauty—every person’s beauty—must be owned by her. And it must be preserved and nurtured with much sensitivity and delicacy. It is too fine, too sacred, too subtle, to be pulled through the gutter. The structure of Jewish law is not intended to repress the woman; it is there create an environment where she can be most natural and real without someone manipulating misusing her intimacy for his own selfish needs.
Women and girls should sing. For their music has power one-of-a-kind. But The Torah wants it to be done in a way that there is no extra pressure on the woman and that her intimate energy is not being used by anyone in the audience in the wrong way, for that is not fair to her. In Jewish law, when women begin singing, the men ought to pick themselves and leave the room as a sign of respect toward the woman’s inner dignity; the man is making the statement that her intimate soulfulness does not belong to him. And he may be using it and accessing it in a way that is disrespectful to the true holiness of her intimacy. Music is spiritual; singing comes from the soul. And if he is going to use her singing as a tool for his own physical enjoyment, never mind for a promiscuous thought, he is violating the woman’s dignity and majesty.
The King, the Peasant and the Nightingale
A story:[10]
The story is told of a king who once decided to reward a peasant who had done him a great service. "Shall I give him a sack of gold? a bag of pearls?" thought the king. "But these mean virtually nothing to me. I want, for once, to truly give something—something that I will miss, a gift that constitutes a sacrifice for me."
Now this king had a nightingale who sang the sweetest songs a human ear had ever heard. He treasured the nightingale over all else, and literally found life unbearable without it. So he summoned the peasant to his palace and gave him the bird . "This," said the king, "is in appreciation for your loyalty and devotion." "Thank you, Your Majesty," said the peasant, and took the royal gift to his humble home.
A while later, the king was passing through the peasant's village and commanded his coachman to halt at the peasant's door. "How are you enjoying my gift?" he inquired of his beloved subject.
"The truth to tell, Your Majesty," said the peasant, "the bird's meat was quite tough—all but inedible, in fact. But I cooked it with lots of potatoes, and it gave the stew an interesting flavor."
This is what Halacha, Jewish law, is attempting to sensitize us to. The voice of the woman’s singing has infinite beauty to it… don’t turn it into triggers for the “meat and potato” dimensions of your being.
When the Veil Was Removed
Now we will understand why after the splitting of the sea Miriam and all the women could sing out loud without any inhibition.
In the song that Moses sang with the men they declared:
עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי וַאֲרֹמְמֶנְהוּ:
Says Rashi:
זה א-לי. בכבודו נגלה עליהם והיו מראין אותו באצבע, ראתה שפחה על הים מה שלא ראו נביאים.
This is my G-d: He revealed Himself in His glory to them [the Israelites], and they pointed at Him with their finger [as denoted by the word: “this is my G-d”]. By the sea, [even] a maidservant perceived what prophets did not perceive.
Now when G-d is revealed, men start to get it… there is no danger that the man will misconstrue the energy of her musical voice and use it in a way that does not befit the sacred subtlety of the woman singing. When the presence of G-d is revealed, and each of us in in touch not with our brute, beastly and selfish personality, but with our innate holiness and love, her voice will only inspire people to greater moral and spiritual heights. Gone is the concern that someone will use her voice for superficial and immoral pursuits. When G-d’s presence is manifested, there is no room for a person misconstruing the woman’s intimate depth and majesty and utilizing it in a superficial and promiscuous way, for he is in a state where he is in touch only with his own inner spirituality.[11]
Bride’s Singing
That is why in the seventh blessing we recite at a chupah and during the seven subsequent days we talk of the time when it will be heard in the streets of Jerusalem “the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride.” Hey, what about modesty?
Answer: We can all use a dosage of the woman’s voice. We all need feminine music in our lives. The problem? The men are simply not ready. Men still need to evolve to be able to transcend the animal within them and be able to hear the spiritual holiness in the feminine song. When the sea parted, the sea representing the subconscious holiness of man, which is below the surface, the curtains within us parted and we could appreciate the spirituality of the women, the spiritual nobility stemming from her soul and body, from her music and her voice. When the sea—representing the depth of our souls—close up again, we must be forever cautious not to violate the sacred energy of a woman, till the time of Moshiach when we will be ready to listen to the “voice of the bride.”[12]
[1] Talmud Berachos 24a
[2] For a detailed halahcik discussion about this, and the leniency introduced by the German Rabbis of the 19th century to listen to many women singing together, as well as the leniency to hear women singing when they are singing together with men, as well as the leniency to listen to girls younger than 11 sing, see: http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%9C_%D7%91%D7%90%D7%99%D7%A9%D7%94_%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%95%D7%94
Several halachic (Jewish law) authorities are of the opinion that a recording or a radio transmitted singing voice of a woman who one does not personally know would not be actually prohibited. It is the custom however in most orthodox circles for men to refrain from hearing a woman sing in any format through any medium. In today's time this might seem severe, but the Torah puts such enormous value on the bond between a husband and wife that it does not allow for any potential damage to a man's undivided and unequivocal devotion and attraction to his one and only partner in life. Click here for more on this subject.
The “Sridei Eish” (Rabbi Yechiel YaakovWeinberg (1885-1966)) opines that it is permitted for women to sing along with other men. There are also those who are of the view that the restriction against men hearing women singing doesn’t apply to women who are singing in a group, since no individual is calling attention to herself.
[3] Song of Songs 2:10-14
[4] Exodus 15:20-21
[5] Kanfei Yonah 4:36
[6] Tzafnas Panach to Exodus 15:20-21
[7] This is understood from the fact that we are comparing Miriam’s song to Moses’ song.
[8] Sichos Kodesh 5732, Sichas 15 Shevat
[9] The Rebbe once said these words to Rabbi Y.D. Grossman explaining the concept:
"קולה איז פארבונדן מיט איר שיינקייט, איז כדי פארהיטן איר שיינקייט ס'זאל נישט זיין הפקר דארף מען איינארדענען אין אזא אופן" (שהמקהלה שרצה לסדר מילדים שיצאו מברית המועצות יהי' רק מבנים ולא בנות).
[10] http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/42926/jewish/The-King-the-Peasant-and-the-Nightingale.htm
[11] This idea is already mentioned in Kanfei Yonah ibid. and Tzeidah Laderech. The Rebbe however showed that this is an explicit Rashi! If G-d is so revealed that you can point to Him, then we have no reason to worry about the consequences of women singing.
[12] This essay is based on Maamar Meharah Yishama in the Derushei Chasuna of the Rebe Maharash (Derushei Chasunah pp. 82-89 and all the references noted there. Sichas 15 Shevat 5732.
- Comment
Class Summary:
As we prepare for Super Bowl Sunday, with the New England Patriots pitted against the New York Giants at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana (and don’t forget to invite the rabbi to the party…), I am reminded of the story of Sidney Luckman, which teaches us so much about stereotypes.
Some time ago, a few Israeli soldiers walked out of an auditorium when female soldiers began to sing solo. They were expelled from their positions in the army and the Israeli media went up in arms against what seemed like primitive behaviour denigrating the honour of women.
But wait! Is the media wrong? Miriam, in this week’s portion, sings a song in the presence of many men, including Moses the lawgiver? What happened with the admonition against women singing in public?
The essay explores three approaches: The Vilna Gaon & the Ragatchover Gaon; the Yakut Maam Loez; and the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe’s answer captures his approach to the majesty and depth of Torah law and the sensitivity to the subtle aspects of life. It gives us appreciation of the “modesty” laws in Torah and explains why when Moshiach comes we all will be privy to enjoy the “sound of the bride.”
The story of the king’s gift to the peasant of his nightingale bird captures the dual perspective which we inhabit: the same reality can stir us to the deepest holiness or to the brute of sensation.
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