וּמִשָּׁ֖ם בְּאֵ֑רָה הִ֣וא הַבְּאֵ֗ר אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָמַ֤ר ה׳ לְמֹשֶׁ֔ה אֱסֹף֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם וְאֶתְּנָ֥ה לָהֶ֖ם מָֽיִם׃ {ס} אָ֚ז יָשִׁ֣יר יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את עֲלִ֥י בְאֵ֖ר עֱנוּ־לָֽהּ׃ בְּאֵ֞ר חֲפָר֣וּהָ שָׂרִ֗ים כָּר֙וּהָ֙ נְדִיבֵ֣י הָעָ֔ם בִּמְחֹקֵ֖ק בְּמִשְׁעֲנֹתָ֑ם
And from there to Be'er, which is the well where the LORD said to Moses, “Assemble the people that I may give them water.” Then Israel sang this song:
Spring up, O well—sing to it—
Spring up, O well—sing to it—
The well which the chieftains dug,
Which the nobles of the people started
With maces, with their own staffs.
Which the nobles of the people started
With maces, with their own staffs.
אָ֣ז יָשִֽׁיר־מֹשֶׁה֩ וּבְנֵ֨י יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶת־הַשִּׁירָ֤ה הַזֹּאת֙ לַֽה׳ וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ לֵאמֹ֑ר אָשִׁ֤ירָה לַֽה׳ כִּֽי־גָאֹ֣ה גָּאָ֔ה ס֥וּס וְרֹכְב֖וֹ רָמָ֥ה בַיָּֽם׃
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.
I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously;
Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.
אָז יָשִׁיר יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִפְּנֵי מָה לֹא נִזְכַּר משֶׁה שָׁם, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁנֶּעֱנַשׁ עַל יְדֵי הַמַּיִם וְאֵין אָדָם מְקַלֵּס לָאִסְפַּקְלָטוֹר שֶׁלּוֹ, וְלָמָּה שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לֹא נִזְכַּר בָּהּ, מָשָׁל לְשִׁלְטוֹן שֶׁעָשָׂה סְעוּדָה לַמֶּלֶךְ, אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ אוֹהֲבִי שָׁם, אָמְרוּ לוֹ, לָאו, אָמַר אַף אֲנִי אֵינִי הוֹלֵךְ לְשָׁם. אַף כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הוֹאִיל וּמשֶׁה אֵינוֹ נִזְכָּר שָׁם אַף אֲנִי אֵינִי נִזְכָּר שָׁם.
26 (Numb. 21:17) “Then Israel sang.” For what reason is Moses not mentioned there? For the reason that he was being punished because of the waters; and no person praises his executioner.
And why is the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, not mentioned there? The matter is comparable to a governor who made a banquet for the king. The king said, “Will my friend be there?” They told him, “No.” He said, “[Then] I also am not going there.” Also here the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Inasmuch as Moses is not mentioned, I also will not be mentioned there.” (Numb. 21:18)
א"ר אבין הלוי בשעה שעמדו ישראל לומר שירת הים לא הניחן משה שיאמרו לעצמן, אלא כשם שרבו של אדם אומר עמו פרשתו כשהוא נער כך אמר משה עמהם שנאמר אז ישיר משה ובני ישראל כנער העונה אחר רבו, לאחר ארבעים שנה עמדו על פרקן התחילו אומרים שירת הבאר לעצמן שנאמר אז ישיר ישראל, אמרו רבש"ע עליך להיות עושה לנו נסים ועלינו לומר שירה שנאמר ה׳ להושיעני ונגינותי ננגן:
Rabbi Avin the Levite said: When Israel stood up to chant the song at the sea, Moses did not let them chant it by themselves, but like a teacher who recites a portion in Scripture with a student when s/he is young, so did Moses recite it with Israel: "then sang Moses and the children of Israel," like a student who repeats after the teacher.
But after forty years [in the wilderness], Israel matured and on their own proceeded to chant the Song of the Well, as is said, "then sang Israel" (Num. 21:17). They said 'Master of the Universe! Your job is to make miracles for us, and our job is to chant songs, as it is written: 'Ad-nai is ready to save me; therefore we will sing songs to the stringed instruments [all the days of our life in the house of Ad-nai.] (Isaiah 38:20)
Geula Twersky, "The Song of the Well" (Tradition 51:4, 2019)
The Song of the Well, when viewed as a part of its larger poetic context...is a celebration of God's steadfast and unflinching devotion to Israel. This may explain why neither Moses nor any other leaders is named by the Song. By making only a generic reference to Israel's leadership...the Song of the Well conveys a timeless message: Israel's relationship with God is neither limited to nor defined by any single charismatic leader.
The Israelites have learned to bring forth water from the well themselves, digging into the ground with their own tools. Israel now is leading their own song, one that expresses pride in their own capabilities and power. We see how the new generation has moved from a place where they had no power and responsibility (Egypt) to a place of complete dependence on God in the wilderness in the form of manna from heaven, to a new place of communal responsibility and independence. They have learned to dig for their own wellsprings of hope and the resources necessary to sustain them as they build a new, transformed society.
Fresco depicting Miriam's Well from the Dura Europos Synagogue, Syria.