Song of the Well

We are all familiar with the daily prayer that begins with the words, אז ישיר. This is a direct quote of the song that Moshe and the Jewish people sang, after the Egyptians had perished in the Red Sea. It is meant to be a daily recognition of Hashem’s miracles and praise and thanksgiving to Him.

But there is a second אז ישיר that is mentioned in the Torah in Parshat Chukat. It is known as “Shirat Ha’be’er.” It was a song sung by all of Israel, after witnessing an incredible miracle. Hashem had joined two mountains together as their enemies were prepared to pounce on them from above. The Jewish people were traveling along a river as part of their journey. They were unaware of the impending danger. Only when numerous corpses fell into the river, did they realize the magnitude of the miracle.

The Alshich emphasized the word, “אז” which meant not “then,” but rather, “only then.” They were witnessing miracles all of the time during their forty years in the desert, but “only then,” they woke up and realized that they needed to sing praises to Hashem.

We have been witnessing incredible miracles since October the seventh. It seems that one miracle is more impressive than the next. The question is whether we have reached our “only then” point during this entire period.

Many prayers of King David speak about how we do not adequately give thanks to Hashem for all that He does for us. Ingratitude is a terrible trait. If we have been giving thanks, we must continue to give thanks with more intensity. We must be reminded that we have no one to rely on, except for G-d. He is more than deserving of our praise.