(א) אָ֣ז יָשִֽׁיר־מֹשֶׁה֩ וּבְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ לַֽה׳ וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֵאמֹ֑ר {ס} אָשִׁ֤ירָה לַֽה׳ כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה {ס} ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם׃ {ס} (ב) עָזִּ֤י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֔הּ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִֽישׁוּעָ֑ה {ס} זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ {ס} אֱלֹקֵ֥י אָבִ֖י וַאֲרֹמְמֶֽנְהוּ׃ {ס} (ג) ה׳ אִ֣ישׁ מִלְחָמָ֑ה ה׳ שְׁמֽוֹ׃ {ס} (ד) מַרְכְּבֹ֥ת פַּרְעֹ֛ה וְחֵיל֖וֹ יָרָ֣ה בַיָּ֑ם {ס} וּמִבְחַ֥ר שָֽׁלִשָׁ֖יו טֻבְּע֥וּ בְיַם־סֽוּף׃ {ס} (ה) תְּהֹמֹ֖ת יְכַסְיֻ֑מוּ יָרְד֥וּ בִמְצוֹלֹ֖ת כְּמוֹ־אָֽבֶן׃ {ס} (ו) יְמִֽינְךָ֣ ה׳ נֶאְדָּרִ֖י בַּכֹּ֑חַ {ס} יְמִֽינְךָ֥ ה׳ תִּרְעַ֥ץ אוֹיֵֽב׃ {ס} (ז) וּבְרֹ֥ב גְּאוֹנְךָ֖ תַּהֲרֹ֣ס קָמֶ֑יךָ {ס} תְּשַׁלַּח֙ חֲרֹ֣נְךָ֔ יֹאכְלֵ֖מוֹ כַּקַּֽשׁ׃ {ס} (ח) וּבְר֤וּחַ אַפֶּ֙יךָ֙ נֶ֣עֶרְמוּ מַ֔יִם {ס} נִצְּב֥וּ כְמוֹ־נֵ֖ד נֹזְלִ֑ים {ס} קָֽפְא֥וּ תְהֹמֹ֖ת בְּלֶב־יָֽם׃ {ס} (ט) אָמַ֥ר אוֹיֵ֛ב אֶרְדֹּ֥ף אַשִּׂ֖יג {ס} אֲחַלֵּ֣ק שָׁלָ֑ל תִּמְלָאֵ֣מוֹ נַפְשִׁ֔י {ס} אָרִ֣יק חַרְבִּ֔י תּוֹרִישֵׁ֖מוֹ יָדִֽי׃ {ס} (י) נָשַׁ֥פְתָּ בְרוּחֲךָ֖ כִּסָּ֣מוֹ יָ֑ם {ס} צָֽלְלוּ֙ כַּֽעוֹפֶ֔רֶת בְּמַ֖יִם אַדִּירִֽים׃ {ס} (יא) מִֽי־כָמֹ֤כָה בָּֽאֵלִם֙ ה׳ {ס} מִ֥י כָּמֹ֖כָה נֶאְדָּ֣ר בַּקֹּ֑דֶשׁ {ס} נוֹרָ֥א תְהִלֹּ֖ת עֹ֥שֵׂה פֶֽלֶא׃ {ס} (יב) נָטִ֙יתָ֙ יְמִ֣ינְךָ֔ תִּבְלָעֵ֖מוֹ אָֽרֶץ׃ {ס} (יג) נָחִ֥יתָ בְחַסְדְּךָ֖ עַם־ז֣וּ גָּאָ֑לְתָּ {ס} נֵהַ֥לְתָּ בְעׇזְּךָ֖ אֶל־נְוֵ֥ה קׇדְשֶֽׁךָ׃ {ס} (יד) שָֽׁמְע֥וּ עַמִּ֖ים יִרְגָּז֑וּן {ס} חִ֣יל אָחַ֔ז יֹשְׁבֵ֖י פְּלָֽשֶׁת׃ {ס} (טו) אָ֤ז נִבְהֲלוּ֙ אַלּוּפֵ֣י אֱד֔וֹם {ס} אֵילֵ֣י מוֹאָ֔ב יֹֽאחֲזֵ֖מוֹ רָ֑עַד {ס} נָמֹ֕גוּ כֹּ֖ל יֹשְׁבֵ֥י כְנָֽעַן׃ {ס} (טז) תִּפֹּ֨ל עֲלֵיהֶ֤ם אֵימָ֙תָה֙ וָפַ֔חַד {ס} בִּגְדֹ֥ל זְרוֹעֲךָ֖ יִדְּמ֣וּ כָּאָ֑בֶן {ס} עַד־יַעֲבֹ֤ר עַמְּךָ֙ ה׳ {ס} עַֽד־יַעֲבֹ֖ר עַם־ז֥וּ קָנִֽיתָ׃ {ס} (יז) תְּבִאֵ֗מוֹ וְתִטָּעֵ֙מוֹ֙ בְּהַ֣ר נַחֲלָֽתְךָ֔ {ס} מָכ֧וֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ֛ פָּעַ֖לְתָּ ה׳ {ס} מִקְּדָ֕שׁ אדושם כּוֹנְנ֥וּ יָדֶֽיךָ׃ {ס} (יח) ה׳ ׀ יִמְלֹ֖ךְ לְעֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃ {ס} (יט) כִּ֣י בָא֩ ס֨וּס פַּרְעֹ֜ה בְּרִכְבּ֤וֹ וּבְפָרָשָׁיו֙ בַּיָּ֔ם {ס} וַיָּ֧שֶׁב ה׳ עֲלֵהֶ֖ם אֶת־מֵ֣י הַיָּ֑ם {ס} וּבְנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל הָלְכ֥וּ בַיַּבָּשָׁ֖ה בְּת֥וֹךְ הַיָּֽם׃ {פ}
(1) Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD. They said: I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea. (2) The LORD is my strength and might; He is become my deliverance. This is my God and I will enshrine Him; The God of my father, and I will exalt Him. (3) The LORD, the Warrior— LORD is His name! (4) Pharaoh’s chariots and his army He has cast into the sea; And the pick of his officers Are drowned in the Sea of Reeds. (5) The deeps covered them; They went down into the depths like a stone. (6) Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, Your right hand, O LORD, shatters the foe! (7) In Your great triumph You break Your opponents; You send forth Your fury, it consumes them like straw. (8) At the blast of Your nostrils the waters piled up, The floods stood straight like a wall; The deeps froze in the heart of the sea. (9) The foe said, “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; My desire shall have its fill of them. I will bare my sword— My hand shall subdue them.” (10) You made Your wind blow, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the majestic waters. (11) Who is like You, O LORD, among the celestials; Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in splendor, working wonders! (12) You put out Your right hand, The earth swallowed them. (13) In Your love You lead the people You redeemed; In Your strength You guide them to Your holy abode. (14) The peoples hear, they tremble; Agony grips the dwellers in Philistia. (15) Now are the clans of Edom dismayed; The tribes of Moab—trembling grips them; All the dwellers in Canaan are aghast. (16) Terror and dread descend upon them; Through the might of Your arm they are still as stone— Till Your people cross over, O LORD, Till Your people cross whom You have ransomed. (17) You will bring them and plant them in Your own mountain, The place You made to dwell in, O LORD, The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands established. (18) The LORD will reign for ever and ever! (19) For the horses of Pharaoh, with his chariots and horsemen, went into the sea; and the LORD turned back on them the waters of the sea; but the Israelites marched on dry ground in the midst of the sea.
(20) Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her in dance with timbrels. (21) And Miriam chanted for them: Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.
(22) Then Moses caused Israel to set out from the Sea of Reeds. They went on into the wilderness of Shur; they traveled three days in the wilderness and found no water.
ותען להם מרים. מֹשֶׁה אָמַר שִׁירָה לָאֲנָשִׁים – הוּא אוֹמֵר וְהֵם עוֹנִין אַחֲרָיו – וּמִרְיָם אָמְרָה שִׁירָה לַנָּשִׁים (סוטה ל'):
ותען להם מרים AND MIRIAM SANG UNTO THEM — Moses sang the Song to the men — he sang it and they repeated it after him; and Miriam sang the Song to the women and they repeated if after her (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:20:2).
(א) ותען להם מרים וכו'. ומ"ש הרב זית רענן דקול באשה ערוה לא שייך הכא דאיכא אימתא דשכינתא
A woman's voice being nakedness wasn't relevant here since the Shechina was present.
(כ) בתפים ובמחלת. מֻבְטָחוֹת הָיוּ צַדְקָנִיּוֹת שֶׁבַּדּוֹר שֶׁהַקָּבָּ"ה עוֹשֶׂה לָהֶם נִסִּים וְהוֹצִיאוּ תֻפִּים מִמִּצְרָיִם (מכילתא):
(20) בתפים ובמחלת WITH TIMBRELS AND WITH DANCES — The righteous women in that generation were confident that God would perform miracles for them and they accordingly had brought timbrels with them from Egypt (Mekhilta).
Future Tense – How The Jews Invented Hope
Rabbi Sacks
...Human beings are the only life form capable of using the future tense. Only beings who can imagine the world other than it is, are capable of freedom. And if we are free, the future is open, dependent on us. We can know the beginning of our story but not the end. That is why, as He is about to take the Israelites from slavery to freedom, God tells Moses that His name is ‘I will be what I will be.’ Judaism, the religion of freedom, is faith in the future tense.
Western civilization is the product of two cultures: ancient Greece and ancient Israel. The Greeks believed in fate: the future is determined by the past. Jews believed in freedom: there is no ‘evil decree’ that cannot be averted. The Greeks gave the world the concept of tragedy. Jews gave it the idea of hope. The whole of Judaism – though it would take a book to show it – is a set of laws and narratives designed to create in people, families, communities and a nation, habits that defeat despair. Judaism is the voice of hope in the conversation of mankind.
It is no accident that so many Jews are economists fighting poverty, or doctors fighting disease, or lawyers fighting injustice, in all cases refusing to see these things as inevitable...
Judaism is a religion of details, but we miss the point if we do not sometimes step back and see the larger picture. To be a Jew is to be an agent of hope in a world serially threatened by despair. Every ritual, every mitzvah, every syllable of the Jewish story, every element of Jewish law, is a protest against escapism, resignation or the blind acceptance of fate. Judaism is a sustained struggle, the greatest ever known, against the world that is, in the name of the world that could be, should be, but is not yet. There is no more challenging vocation.
(ה) וַיֵּצֵ֨א דָוִ֜ד בְּכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׁלָחֶ֤נּוּ שָׁאוּל֙ יַשְׂכִּ֔יל וַיְשִׂמֵ֣הוּ שָׁא֔וּל עַ֖ל אַנְשֵׁ֣י הַמִּלְחָמָ֑ה וַיִּיטַב֙ בְּעֵינֵ֣י כָל־הָעָ֔ם וְגַ֕ם בְּעֵינֵ֖י עַבְדֵ֥י שָׁאֽוּל׃ (פ) (ו) וַיְהִ֣י בְּבוֹאָ֗ם בְּשׁ֤וּב דָּוִד֙ מֵהַכּ֣וֹת אֶת־הַפְּלִשְׁתִּ֔י וַתֵּצֶ֨אנָה הַנָּשִׁ֜ים מִכָּל־עָרֵ֤י יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לשור [לָשִׁ֣יר] וְהַמְּחֹל֔וֹת לִקְרַ֖את שָׁא֣וּל הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ בְּתֻפִּ֥ים בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה וּבְשָׁלִשִֽׁים׃
(5) David went out [with the troops], and he was successful in every mission on which Saul sent him, and Saul put him in command of all the soldiers; this pleased all the troops and Saul’s courtiers as well. (6) When the [troops] came home [and] David returned from killing the Philistine, the women of all the towns of Israel came out singing and dancing to greet King Saul with timbrels, shouting, and sistrums.
(ד) ע֤וֹד אֶבְנֵךְ֙ וְֽנִבְנֵ֔ית בְּתוּלַ֖ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל ע֚וֹד תַּעְדִּ֣י תֻפַּ֔יִךְ וְיָצָ֖את בִּמְח֥וֹל מְשַׂחֲקִֽים׃
(4) I will build you firmly again, O Maiden Israel! Again you shall take up your timbrels And go forth to the rhythm of the dancers.
דרש רב עוירא בשכר נשים צדקניות שהיו באותו הדור נגאלו ישראל ממצרים בשעה שהולכות לשאוב מים הקב"ה מזמן להם דגים קטנים בכדיהן ושואבות מחצה מים ומחצה דגים ובאות ושופתות שתי קדירות אחת של חמין ואחת של דגים
§ Rav Avira taught: In the merit of the righteous women that were in that generation, the Jewish people were redeemed from Egypt. At the time when these women would go to draw water, the Holy One, Blessed be He, would materialize for them small fish that would enter into their pitchers, and they would draw pitchers that were half filled with water and half filled with fish. And they would come and place two pots on the fire, one of hot water for washing their husbands and one of fish with which to feed them.
ומוליכות אצל בעליהן לשדה ומרחיצות אותן וסכות אותן ומאכילות אותן ומשקות אותן ונזקקות להן בין שפתים שנאמר (תהלים סח, יד) אם תשכבון בין שפתים וגו' בשכר תשכבון בין שפתים זכו ישראל לביזת מצרים שנאמר (תהלים סח, יד) כנפי יונה נחפה בכסף ואברותיה בירקרק חרוץ
And they would then take what they prepared to their husbands, to the field, and would bathe their husbands and anoint them with oil and feed them the fish and give them to drink and bond with them in sexual intercourse between the sheepfolds, i.e., between the borders and fences of the fields, as it is stated: “When you lie among the sheepfolds, the wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her pinions with the shimmer of gold” (Psalms 68:14), which is interpreted to mean that as a reward for “when you lie among the sheepfolds,” the Jewish people merited to receive the plunder of Egypt, as it is stated in the continuation of the verse, as a reference to the Jewish people: “The wings of the dove are covered with silver, and her pinions with the shimmer of gold” (Psalms 68:14).
וכיון שמתעברות באות לבתיהם וכיון שמגיע זמן מולדיהן הולכות ויולדות בשדה תחת התפוח שנאמר (שיר השירים ח, ה) תחת התפוח עוררתיך וגו'
And when these women would become pregnant, they would come back to their homes, and when the time for them to give birth would arrive they would go and give birth in the field under the apple tree, as it is stated: “Under the apple tree I awakened you; there your mother was in travail with you; there was she in travail and brought you forth” (Song of Songs 8:5).
והקב"ה שולח משמי מרום מי שמנקיר ומשפיר אותן כחיה זו שמשפרת את הולד שנאמר (יחזקאל טז, ד) ומולדותיך ביום הולדת אותך לא כרת שרך ובמים לא רחצת למשעי וגו' ומלקט להן שני עגולין אחד של שמן ואחד של דבש שנאמר (דברים לב, יג) ויניקהו דבש מסלע ושמן וגו'
And the Holy One, Blessed be He, would send from the heavens above an angel who would clean and prepare the newborns, just as a midwife prepares the newborn, as it is stated: “And as for your birth, on the day you were born, your navel was not cut nor were you washed with water for cleansing; you were not salted at all, nor swaddled at all” (Ezekiel 16:4). This indicates that there were no midwives to take care of the Jews born in Egypt. And then, the angel would gather for them two round stones from the field and the babies would nurse from that which would flow out of them. One of the stones flowed with oil and one of the stones flowed with honey, as it is stated: “And He would suckle them with honey from a crag and oil from a flinty rock” (Deuteronomy 32:13).
וכיון שמכירין בהן מצרים באין להורגן ונעשה להם נס ונבלעין בקרקע ומביאין שוורים וחורשין על גבן שנאמר (תהלים קכט, ג) על גבי חרשו חורשים וגו לאחר שהולכין היו מבצבצין ויוצאין כעשב השדה שנאמר (יחזקאל טז, ז) רבבה כצמח השדה נתתיך
And once the Egyptians would notice them, realizing that they were Jewish babies, they would come to kill them. But a miracle would occur for them and they would be absorbed by the earth. And the Egyptians would then bring oxen and would plow upon them, as it is stated: “The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows” (Psalms 129:3). After the Egyptians would leave, the babies would emerge and exit the ground like grass of the field, as it is stated: “I caused you to increase even as the growth of the field” (Ezekiel 16:7).
ותקח. כבר אמרו חז"ל שבזכות נשים צדקניות יצאו ישראל ממצרים, שנשי הדור ההוא היה להם זכות יותר מן האנשים, כמ"ש על גן נעול אחותי כלה, ועל כרחך נמצא אז נבואה בה מן הנשים, וקראה אחות אהרן כמו שפי' חז"ל שנבאה בעוד שהיתה אחות אהרן לפני לידה משה, היולד בן שיהיה הגואל והמושיע, ועתה שנתקיים נבואתה לקחה התוף בידה:
And she took. Chazal already said that in the merit of righteous women, Israel left Egypt, because the women of the generation had greater merit than the men, as is written my sister is the bride of a locked garden, and therefore prophecy necessarily came from the women, and she is called the sister of Aaron as Chazal explained because she prophecized when she was still the sister of Aaron before the birth of Moshe, a boy will be born who will be the redeemer and the savior, and now that the prophecy had been fulfilled she took her tambourine in her hand.
וגם הנשים חייבות בארבע כוסות, ובכל המצות השייך לאותו לילה, כמו אכילת מצה ואמירת ההגדה. ואם אין יכולות להגיד בעצמן – ישמעו ההגדה. משום דכתיב: "לא תאכל עליו חמץ, שבעת ימים תאכל עליו מצות" – כל שישנו באכילת חמץ – ישנו באכילת מצה, והנשים ישנן באיסור חמץ, דלא תעשה – מצוות נשים כאנשים. ולכן חייבות גם באכילת מצה, אף על גב שזהו מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא.וממילא כיון שחייבות במצה – חייבות גם בפסח ומרור, שהרי איתקשו זה לזה, כדכתיב: "על מצות ומרורים יאכלוהו". ואף על גב דמרור בזמן הזה דרבנן, מכל מקום כל דתיקון רבנן – כעין דאורייתא תיקון, וממילא שגם חייבות בכל מצות הלילה, שכולן עניין אחד הן. ועוד: שהרי בזכות נשים צדקניות נגאלו אבותינו ממצרים, ולכן פשיטא שהחיוב עליהן בכל מצות הלילה, שהוא רק משום גאולת מצרים.ולכן צריך ליתן כוס לכל אחד מבני ביתו, הן זכרים הן נקיבות.
And woman are also obligated in the four cups, and in all mitzvot related to the night, like matzah and telling the story. And if they can't tell it themselves, they listen. Since it's written: Don't eat chametz on it, 7 days eat matzot. Everything related to eating chametz is related to eating matzah, and the women are included in chametz, since for commandments of prohibition, they're the same as men. And so they're obligated in matzah, even though it's a positive time-bound commandment.
And since they're obligated in matzah, they're obligated in Pesach and Maror, since they are all tied together...
And moreover: since in the merit of righteous women our fathers were redeemed from Egypt, therefore obviously they are obligated in every commandment of the night, since it's all a result of redemption from Egypt. And therefore one needs to give a cup to everyone in the household, men and women alike.