The Reward of Faith That Drew Down the Spirit and the Song

"And they believed in the LORD" - as the reward for the faith with which they believed, the Holy Spirit rested upon them and they sang the song: "Then Moses and the children of Israel sang" (Exodus 15:1). Rabbi Nehemiah says: From where do you say that whoever takes upon himself a single commandment in faith is worthy that the Holy Spirit rest upon him? For so we find with our fathers, that as a reward for the faith with which they believed, and so forth. You find that our father Abraham inherited this world and the world to come only by the merit of the faith with which he believed, as it is said, "And he believed in the LORD" (Genesis 15:6). And so you find that our fathers were redeemed from Egypt only by the merit of the faith with which they believed, as it is said, "and the people believed" (Exodus 4:31). And so it says, "The LORD preserves the faithful" (Psalms 31:24). "And Israel saw the Egyptians dead." What were they doing? Each and every one of Israel would take his dog and go and set his foot on the neck of an Egyptian, and he would say to his dog, "Eat from this hand that enslaved me, eat from these arms that had no pity on me." Know that it is so, for so it is written, "that your foot may be dipped in blood, that the tongue of your dogs may have its portion from the enemies" (Psalms 68:24). Israel said: You have done all these miracles for us; we too will not be ingrates. And what is there for us to say? Songs and praises, and so forth - "Then Moses sang." They recall the faith of the fathers: "and Aaron and Hur held up his hands" (Exodus 17:12); "This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter it" (Psalms 118:20). Of the masters of faith, what does it say? "Open the gates, that a righteous nation that keeps faith may enter" (Isaiah 26:2). Through this gate all the masters of faith enter. And so it says, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD" (Psalms 92:2). What caused them to come to this joy? Only the reward of the faith with which their fathers believed in this world, which is all nights; therefore it says, "to declare Your kindness in the morning." And so Jehoshaphat says to the people, "Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper" (2 Chronicles 20:20). And it is written, "Are not Your eyes upon faithfulness?" (Jeremiah 5:3); "and the righteous shall live by his faith" (Habakkuk 2:4); "they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:23). And so you find that the exiles will be gathered in only as the reward of faith, as it is said, "With Me from Lebanon, my bride" (Song of Songs 4:8); "And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness" (Hosea 2:21-22). Behold, how great is the faith before the One who spoke and the world came into being, that as the reward of the faith with which they believed, the Holy Spirit rested upon them and they sang the song, as it is said, "and they believed in the LORD and in Moses His servant; then Moses sang." And so it says, "Then they believed His words; they sang His praise" (Psalms 106:12).