Take Psalm 113, which begins with "Hallelujah, praise the servants of the Lord." Sounds straightforward, right? But the Midrash Tehillim, a collection of homiletic interpretations of the Psalms, dives deeper, asking: What does it truly mean to remember and sing?
The verse "I will remember my song in the night" (Psalm 137:7) becomes a springboard. Rabbi Yivo suggests it's the congregation of Israel speaking, saying to the Holy One, Blessed be He, "I remember Your covenant." That eternal agreement, sealed long ago and reaffirmed through generations. It's a reminder of God's promise, echoing in the words, "Blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand" (Genesis 14:20). And because of that covenant, "with all my heart I will sing praises to You." It's a song of gratitude, rising from the depths of our being.
But there's more. Rabbi Yehuda, son of Rabbi Simon, offers another layer. He says the congregation of Israel remembers the miracles God performed specifically at night in Egypt. Remember that? The Exodus story, the defining moment of our people's birth. "I remember the miracles that You did for me at night in Egypt, and I sang to You and recited songs and praises at night." Think about it: songs of liberation sung in the darkness.
Isaiah 30:29 paints the scene: "You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept." When did this happen? The night of the Exodus. As Exodus 12:29 recounts, "And it came to pass at midnight" – the moment God struck down the firstborn of Egypt. A terrifying night, yes, but also a night of profound redemption.
That night, that night, we remember our song. That night we were redeemed, transitioning from slavery to freedom. We were slaves to Pharaoh, but God redeemed us, transforming us into servants of the Divine. And that, my friends, is the heart of "Hallelujah, praise the servants of the Lord." It's not just about servitude; it's about acknowledging the transformative power of redemption, of being chosen, of singing a song born from darkness and delivered into the light.
So, the next time you find a song bubbling up from within, ask yourself: What story does it carry? What covenant does it remind me of? And how does it connect me to the enduring narrative of our people, a people who found their song in the darkest night?