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The Ministering Angels wanted to say Shira at Yom Suf (the Red {or Reed} Sea)

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Tag-MehirTzedek:

--- Quote from: edu on April 16, 2013, 10:40:38 AM ---This is basically the Soncino translation to Talmud Sotah 37aWe see from this source that it was Israel who were considered by the Talmud as "drowning in the sea", during the night that the ministering angels did not sing Shira at Yom Suf.
This is a point to come back to when we discuss G-d willing and bli neder, the Talmudic selection from Megilla 10b that certain Jews like to distort in order to encourage us to feel bad about the downfall of national enemies.

--- End quote ---


 Unfortunately I just heard that that was (one of the) reasons why Rav Ovadia Yosef says not to say Hallel on Yom Haatzmaot- because people were killed- even the Arab enemies and we dont want to celebrate when we kill our enemies (absolutely WRONG of-course).

edu:
Before dealing with the source from Megilla page 10 that certain Jews like to distort in order to encourage us to feel bad about the downfall of national enemies. Given my conversations with people who are confused about this issue I thought I still have to add a few more sources as an introduction. Some of these sources I arrived at with the aid of articles in Hebrew by Yehoshua Rosenberg and Rabbi Yaron Ben Dovid that I saw on the internet.
One source is Pirkei De Rebbi Eliezer (Heiger  - Chorev,10, chapter 41)
מה עשה הב" ה שלח
למיכאל השר ונעשה חומת של אש בין המצריים לישראל והמצריים היו רו צין לבא אחר
ישראל ולא היו יכולי ן לבא מפני האש, וראו העליונים בצרתן של ישראל כל אותה הלילה ולא
נתנו שבח והודאה לא-להיהם, שנ' וְלֹא קָרַב זֶה אֶל זֶה כָּל הַלָּיְלָה (שמות י"ד כ).
What did the Holy One Blessed be He do? He sent the Guardian Angel Mikhael and a wall of fire was put between the Egypytians and Israel and the Egyptians wanted to go after Israel but they weren't able to because fo the fire. And those of the upper world saw the distress of Israel all that night and did not give praise and thanks to their L-rd all that night, for it was stated and this one did not near that one throughout the night, (Shmot/Exodus 14:20)
and similarly another source that points out that it was Israel's distress that delayed the Angels from saying Shira is in Midrash Tanchuma(Buber edition) on Beshalach 13

edu:
An even more interesting source as an introduction to Megilla page 10 is:
מכילתא דרבי ישמעאל בשלח פרשה ו
ובני ישראל הלכו ביבשה בתוך הים, והיו מלאכי השרת תמהים לומר בני אדם עובדי עבודה זרה מהלכין ביבשה בתוך הים ומנין שאף הים נתמלא עליהם חמה שנ' והמים להם חומה אל תקרי חומה אלא חמה ומי גרם להם לישראל להנצל מימינם ומשמאלם מימינם בזכות התורה שעתידין לקבל מימינם שנאמר מימינו אש דת למו ומשמאלם זו תפלה... אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא כשם שששתי על המצרים לאבדם כך כמעט ששתי על ישראל לאבדם ומי גרם להם שינצלו מימינם ומשמאלם.
 
--- Quote ---Mechilta deRebbe Yishmael Bshalach Parsha 6.
And the children of Israel walked in the dry land amidst the sea, and the ministering angels were astonished saying people who are idol worshipers are walking in the dry land within the sea. And where do we know that even the sea was filled up with wrath against them, for it was stated and the water was for them as a Choma (literally wall) Do not read it in the literal way as Choma but rather Chaima that is to say wrath! And what caused Israel to be saved? From their right and from their left. From their right in the merit of the Torah that in the future they would receive from their right as it is stated, from his right a fiery law (or religion) (Dvarim/Deut.33:2) and from his left this is prayer...Said the Holy One Blessed Be He in the same way that I rejoiced over Egypt to eliminate them, thus I was nearly happy over Israel to eliminate them, but what caused them to be saved, from their right and from their left.
--- End quote ---

edu:
With all the introductions that I have given so far now I will go into the source from Megilla page 10b, using mostly the Soncino Translation
One should be aware that the focus of the discussions in tractate Megilla tend to be centered on issues relating to Megillat Esther.
For example, the issue that is being discussed in the Talmud that I will soon quote revolves around the question, Was G-d initially happy with Haman's Genocide decree (that is to say before the Jews repented)?

--- Quote ---R. Yehoshua b. Levi introduced his discourse on this section with the following text: "And it shall
come to pass that as the L-rd rejoiced over you to do you good, so the L-rd will rejoice over you to
cause you to perish" (Devarim/Deut. XXVIII, 63). Now does the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoice in the downfall of the wicked?
Is it not written, as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto the L-rd, for his mercy endureth for ever’ (Divrei Hayamim/II Chron. XX, 21), and R. Yochanan said, Why are the words ‘for he is good’ omitted from this thanksgiving? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rejoice in the downfall of the wicked?
And R. Yochanan further said, What is the meaning of the verse, "And this one did not near that one throughout the night" (Shmot/Exodus 14:20)? The ministering angels wanted to chant their hymns, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said, The work of my hands is being drowned in the sea, and shall you chant hymns? — R. Eleazar replied: He himself does not rejoice, but he makes others rejoice. This is indicated also by the text,
which writes yasis and not yasus; which proves [what we said].
--- End quote ---
[A Soncino footnote explains Yasis is a hif'il form, and should properly mean ‘cause to rejoice’, though it is often used as equivalent to the kal, yasus rejoice’. ] Yasis is the Hebrew word used in Devarim/Deut. XXVIII, 63 quoted above.

edu:
Yehoshua Rosenberg explains that all the examples that the Talmud points to, as examples of G-d not personally rejoicing over the downfall of the wicked are dealing with the wicked of Israel.
The quote for example "And it shall come to pass that as the L-rd rejoiced over you to do you good, so the L-rd will rejoice over you to cause you to perish" (Devarim/Deut. XXVIII, 63)
refers to the nation of Israel, who are receiving curses for not observing the Torah properly.
The Talmud will come to the conclusion that the verse really should not be understood as G-d personally rejoicing over the downfall of the wicked of Israel but rather he will cause others, such as Haman, to rejoice.
Similarly, the 2nd example brought by the Talmud, namely, Divrei Hayamim/II Chron. XX, 21 also should be understood as G-d not being happy with the downfall of the wicked of Israel.
This needs further elaboration but I will come back to explain it after going on to the third example of G-d not being, happy with the downfall of the wicked of Israel.
The third example brought by the Talmud, is that G-d prevented the ministering angels from singing Shira, throughout the night that Israel was in distress and in danger of drowning in Yom Suf (Red or Reed Sea). We know the focus is on the distress of Israel and not of the Egyptians, because, Rabbi Yochanan, who is quoted in the Talmud as the source for the statement, "That the work of my hands is drowning in the sea", explains elsewhere, such as the source I brought above
from Midrash Shmot Rabba, Beshalach (Parsha 23): that the work of my hands is a reference to Israel being under the threat of drowning.
In contrast to the ideology of left-wing humanists, once Israel escapes from the danger and the Egyptians are drowned, G-d according to Rabbi Yochanan actually demands Shira from the ministering angels, but only after the nation of Israel has sung G-d's praise as I brought above  from Midrash Shmot Rabba, Beshalach (Parsha 23):
And so too in Mechilta de Rebbi Yishmael (B'shalach parsha 1) "Rabbi Meir said...And not only Israel said Shira before G-d but also even the ministering angels:
And so too does, Midrash Tanchuma, Beshalach, Siman 13 and Tosefta Sota 6, (see the words of Rabbi Yosi Haglili) assert that after Israel was saved and the Egyptians drowned, the Ministering angels participated in Shira.

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