Dear Friends,
In this week’s Parashat, Matot-Masei, it is customary to chant the forty-nine verses detailing the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to their encampment on the plains of Moab, to a special melody instead of the regular cantillations.
This tune is very similar to the melody used to chant the Song of the SeaAs such, we might consider the Song of the Sea and Masei as poetic bookends to the forty years of wandering in the desert. In the Song of the Sea, the people praise Hashem for what He has pledged to do for them: “In Your love you lead the people You redeemed…Till your people cross over, O Lord” (Exodus 15:13, 16).
In the case of Masei, they attest that Hashem has made good on that promise, standing by them through thick and then, something that holds true to today.
As we enter into Shabbat, we pray that this divine protection endures.
Shabbat Shalom!
|