Behind them? Pharaoh's army, breathing down their necks. Ahead? What seems like an insurmountable wall of water. It’s a moment of absolute crisis.
Now, the angels, ever-dutiful, decide it's time for their daily hymn of praise. Can you believe it? But God, in his infinite wisdom and compassion, tells them to hold their celestial horses! "Forbear!" He commands, according to Legends of the Jews. "My children are in distress, and you would sing!"
This wasn’t the first time the angels had to take a back seat to the Israelites, as Ginzberg’s Legends of the Jews recounts. But what happens next is even more astonishing.
After the men sang their praises (likely the Shirat HaYam, the Song of the Sea), the women of Israel stepped forward. And they sang. Only then, after the men and the women, were the angels finally given their turn.
Can you just picture the heavenly host, tapping their feet, wings rustling impatiently? They started to murmur, according to the legend. "Is it not enough that the men have preceded us? Shall the women come before us also?"
Their complaint is understandable, right? They are, after all, angels! But God’s response is utterly definitive. “As surely as ye live, so it is," He declares. The order is set.
So what does this tell us? Why this seemingly minor detail in the grand narrative of the Exodus?
Perhaps it's a reminder that even in the most spiritual realms, humility and empathy are paramount. That even beings of pure light and divine purpose sometimes need to step aside and recognize the value and the voice of others, especially those who are suffering. It also highlights the importance and spiritual power of women in Judaism. Their song, their praise, was so vital it took precedence even over the angels.
Think about it: when have you had to take a backseat? When have you had to recognize the importance of someone else's voice, someone else's experience? And what did you learn from it? Maybe, just maybe, there's a little bit of angelic murmuring in all of us. And maybe, just maybe, we all need that divine reminder to listen, to empathize, and to let others sing.