Exodus 15: Brick by Brick

Chapter 15 begins with Az Yashir, the famous song of the sea commemorating the miracle of the splitting of the sea:“Then Moshe and the Israelites sang this song to Hashem. They said: I will sing to Hashem, for He has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider He has hurled into the sea.”אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה וּבְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לַי־הֹוָ־ה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר אָשִׁירָה לַי־הֹוָ־ה כִּי־גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם (Shemot 15:1).There is so much that can be written about this chapter. A few highlights to look at while reading the song: This is the first time in the actual torah text that words are positioned in a different format than a simple paragraph. In the Torah, the text appears in boxes. The accepted position is that the boxes are meant to symbolize the bricks that the Israelites had to build in Egypt. That helps link this song from beyond simply a song about the splitting of the sea to a song about the entire exodus from Egypt. However, there may be another interpretation that is linked to another unique formatting in the text of the Torah. The only other part of the Torah that is not written in the standard paragraph format is Moshe’s song at the end of Devarim in the portion of Haazinu. These two songs, therefore, can also be looked at as the bookends to Moshe’s leadership of the nation.Until this point, Moshe had been working with Hashem to secure the freedom of the Israelites, but he had not been working with the people (in fact, they had opposed him originally). The splitting of the sea is the first time that we see the interaction between the people and Moshe. They complain to him about being trapped in the desert, and he has to figure out a solution. Even Hashem says to Moshe that he should not waste his time praying but should just lead:“Hashem said to Moshe: Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the Israelites and let them go forward.”וַיֹּאמֶר יְ־הֹוָ־ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה מַה־תִּצְעַק אֵלָי דַּבֵּר אֶל־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִסָּעוּ (Shemot 14:15).Az Yashir opens by noting it is a song sung by Moshe with Bnei Yisrael. This partnership forms the first strong wall of the relationship between the people and Moshe. “Vayaminu Bhashem u’Moshe avdo” As the last verse of chapter 14. This partnership is symbolized by the interlocking boxes. Moshe and the people form an interconnected bond for the first time creating a stable nation. In contrast, at the very end of Deuteronomy, the song is just by Moshe as he releases the people to be on their own. The interlocking bricks have now become two piles and columns. Moshe must stay on one side, and the people must be on their own, but the people stand strong in one column to show Moshe how much he has helped solidify them as a nation.