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Song at the splitting of the sea (Az Yashir)
This song which was originally said after coming out of the Red Sea in known to help people find their lifetime marriage partner.
The relationship between the splitting of the sea ‘tearing’ in Hebrew to finding your match lies in the ‘tearing’ of a reality that was complete. Tearing is the action that separates between two things that were previously one. The Baal Shem Tov explains that everything that happens in nature was established at the time the item was created. About the splitting of the sea it is written “And the sea returned to its strength, ‘etano’.
The Midrash states that ‘etano’ its strength has the same Hebrew letters as ‘tenao’ “its condition” meaning to say that in the beginning of creating the sea G-d made a condition with it to split for the children of Israel. “I command you to split but you must go back to your original state. That’s the condition.” Therefore from then until today, the splitting has the desire to go back to its original state as it was created, whole and complete.
Just as splitting the sea is against nature so is finding a match.
After the sea was split to two, it immediately desires to revert back into one, to reunite with the water that separated from it. So too with finding a match; G-d created man and his wife as one integral creation as it says, “male and female he created them”. So what happened? When the souls need to go down into the world they get torn away from one another and enter the world as a half soul: Half to this set of parents, and half to the other set of parents. Ever since the day of their heavenly separation, they long to become reunited and to become complete again.
But one moment! The Talmud says that 40 days before conception a voice in heaven calls out the daughter of ploni is for ploni” (ploni = Mr. X, John Doe), his future wife is already preordained before conception. So how is it that at the same time we say that “Finding a match for a man is difficult like splitting the sea”?
The Baal Shem Tov explains that indeed a person’s spouse is preordained just as his livelihood which is also “difficult like splitting the sea”. However the ‘conditions’ of the sea returning to its state of wholeness is dependent on the person’s merits. Sometimes a person’s actions can cause a disconnection from what originally was meant to be.
The song at the splitting of the sea was said in a mighty happening, exalted and emotional when all of Israel clearly saw the great wonder of the sea splitting. Specifically at a time when it seems there was no natural way out, that’s when this great miracle happened.
Some say it should be said 40 days straight with concentration, happiness and in tune. Saying it in such a manner, cuts down bad decrees (Zemer- song also means to cut down) and causes a great outpouring of goodness from G-d into his life even after he finds his soulmate.
AZ YASHIR
Here are the words in Hebrew:
אָז יָשִׁיר משֶׁה וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת לַיהֹוָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר אָשִׁירָה לַּיהֹוָה כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם
(ב) עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי וַאֲרֹמֲמֶנְה:
(ג) יְהֹוָה אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה יְהֹוָה שְׁמוֹ:
(ד) מַרְכְּבֹת פַּרְעֹה וְחֵילוֹ יָרָה בַיָּם וּמִבְחַר שָׁלִשָׁיו טֻבְּעוּ בְיַם סוּף:
(ה) תְּהֹמֹת יְכַסְיֻמוּ יָרְדוּ בִמְצוֹלֹת כְּמוֹ אָבֶן:
(ו) יְמִינְךָ יְהֹוָה נֶאְדָּרִי בַּכֹּחַ יְמִינְךָ יְהֹוָה תִּרְעַץ אוֹיֵב:
(ז) וּבְרֹב גְּאוֹנְךָ תַּהֲרֹס קָמֶיךָ תְּשַׁלַּח חֲרֹנְךָ יֹאכְלֵמוֹ כַּקַּשׁ:
(ח) וּבְרוּחַ אַפֶּיךָ נֶעֶרְמוּ מַיִם נִצְּבוּ כְמוֹ נֵד נֹזְלִים קָפְאוּ תְהֹמֹת בְּלֶב יָם:
(ט) אָמַר אוֹיֵב אֶרְדֹּף אַשִּׂיג אֲחַלֵּק שָׁלָל תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ נַפְשִׁי אָרִיק חַרְבִּי תּוֹרִישֵׁמוֹ יָדִי:
(י) נָשַׁפְתָּ בְרוּחֲךָ כִּסָּמוֹ יָם צָלֲלוּ כַּעוֹפֶרֶת בְּמַיִם אַדִּירִים:
(יא) מִי כָמֹכָה בָּאֵלִם יְהֹוָה מִי כָּמֹכָה נֶאְדָּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ נוֹרָא תְהִלֹּת עֹשֵׂה פֶלֶא:
(יב) נָטִיתָ יְמִינְךָ תִּבְלָעֵמוֹ אָרֶץ:
(יג) נָחִיתָ בְחַסְדְּךָ עַם זוּ גָּאָלְתָּ נֵהַלְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ אֶל נְוֵה קָדְשֶׁךָ:
(יד) שָׁמְעוּ עַמִּים יִרְגָּזוּן חִיל אָחַז ישְׁבֵי פְּלָשֶׁת:
(טו) אָז נִבְהֲלוּ אַלּוּפֵי אֱדוֹם אֵילֵי מוֹאָב יֹאחֲזֵמוֹ רָעַד נָמֹגוּ כֹּל ישְׁבֵי כְנָעַן:
(טז) תִּפֹּל עֲלֵיהֶם אֵימָתָה וָפַחַד בִּגְדֹל זְרוֹעֲךָ יִדְּמוּ כָּאָבֶן עַד יַעֲבֹר עַמְּךָ יְהֹוָה עַד יַעֲבֹר עַם זוּ קָנִיתָ:
(יז) תְּבִאֵמוֹ וְתִטָּעֵמוֹ בְּהַר נַחֲלָתְךָ מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ פָּעַלְתָּ יְהֹוָה מִקְּדָשׁ אֲדֹנָי כּוֹנֲנוּ יָדֶיךָ:
(יח) יְהֹוָה יִמְלֹךְ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד:
(יט) כִּי בָא סוּס פַּרְעֹה בְּרִכְבּוֹ וּבְפָרָשָׁיו בַּיָּם וַיָּשֶׁב יְהֹוָה עֲלֵהֶם אֶת מֵי הַיָּם וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָלְכוּ בַיַּבָּשָׁה בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם:
(כ) וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַתֹּף בְּיָדָהּ וַתֵּצֶאןָ כָל הַנָּשִׁים אַחֲרֶיהָ בְּתֻפִּים וּבִמְחֹלֹת:
וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם שִׁירוּ לַיהֹוָה כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה
בַיָּם:
1Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord, and they spoke, saying, I will sing to the Lord, for very exalted is He; a horse and its rider He cast into the sea. 2The Eternal's strength and His vengeance were my salvation; this is my God, and I will make Him a habitation, the God of my father, and I will ascribe to Him exaltation. 3The Lord is a Master of war; the Lord is His Name. 4Pharaoh's chariots and his army He cast into the sea, and the elite of his officers sank in the Red Sea. 5The depths covered them; they descended into the depths like a stone. 6Your right hand, O Lord, is most powerful; Your right hand, O Lord, crushes the foe. 7And with Your great pride You tear down those who rise up against You; You send forth Your burning wrath; it devours them like straw. 8And with the breath of Your nostrils the waters were heaped up; the running water stood erect like a wall; the depths congealed in the heart of the sea. 9[Because] the enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will share the booty; my desire will be filled from them; I will draw my sword, my hand will impoverish them. 10You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the powerful waters. 11Who is like You among the powerful, O Lord? Who is like You, powerful in the holy place? Too awesome for praises, performing wonders! 12You inclined Your right hand; the earth swallowed them up. 13With Your loving kindness You led the people You redeemed; You led [them] with Your might to Your holy abode. 14Peoples heard, they trembled; a shudder seized the inhabitants of Philistia. 15Then the chieftains of Edom were startled; [as for] the powerful men of Moab, trembling seized them; all the inhabitants of Canaan melted. 16May dread and fright fall upon them; with the arm of Your greatness may they become as still as a stone, until Your people cross over, O Lord, until this nation that You have acquired crosses over. 17You shall bring them and plant them on the mount of Your heritage, directed toward Your habitation, which You made, O Lord; the sanctuary, O Lord, [which] Your hands founded. 18The Lord will reign to all eternity 19When Pharaoh's horses came with his chariots and his horsemen into the sea, and the Lord brought the waters of the sea back upon them, and the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, 20Miriam, the prophetess, Aaron's sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women came out after her with timbrels and with dances. 21And Miriam called out to them, Sing to the Lord, for very exalted is He; a horse and its rider He cast into the sea