The Ten Songs and the Redemption That Never Ends

Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 242:1

Curated by Arthur·Told by Maggid·

"This song" - is there only one song? Are there not ten songs? The first in Egypt, as it is said, "you shall have a song as in the night when a feast is hallowed" (Isaiah 30:29). The second, recited at the sea, as it is said, "then sang Moses." The third, recited at the well, as it is said, "then sang Israel." And the one Moses recited, as it is said, "and it came to pass when Moses had finished writing" (Deuteronomy 31:24). And the one Joshua recited, "then spoke Joshua" (Joshua 10:12). And the one Deborah and Barak recited, "and Deborah sang." And the one David recited, "and David spoke to the LORD," "a psalm, a song at the dedication of the house" (Psalms 30:1). And the one Solomon recited, "then Solomon said" (1 Kings 8:12). And the one Jehoshaphat recited, "as they went out before the army, saying, Give thanks to the LORD, for His mercy endures forever" - why is this thanksgiving different from all others, that in all of them it says "for He is good" and here it does not say "for He is good"? It teaches that, as it were, there was no rejoicing on high at the destruction of the wicked, and all the more so at the loss of a single righteous one, who is weighed against the whole world, as it is said, "the righteous is the foundation of the world" (Proverbs 10:25). The tenth is for the time to come, as it is said, "sing to the LORD a new song, His praise from the ends of the earth," and it says, "sing to the LORD a new song, His praise in the assembly of the faithful" (Psalms 149:1). All the songs that have passed are called by a feminine term, for just as the female gives birth, so the deliverances that passed had subjugation after them. But the deliverance that is to come is called by a masculine term, as it is said, "ask now and see whether a male can give birth" (Jeremiah 30:6); just as the male does not give birth, so the deliverance to come has no subjugation after it, as it is said, "Israel is saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation." "This song to the LORD" - to the LORD they recited it, and not to flesh and blood, as it is said, "the women came out of all the cities of Israel singing, Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands" (1 Samuel 18:6-7); but here they recited it to the LORD and not to flesh and blood.

Themes

RedemptionMusicMessiah

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