The Bamidbar Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic teachings on the Book of Numbers, illuminates this very question. It tells us that the well, a miraculous source of water that accompanied the Israelites throughout their desert journey, was given to them at the beginning of their forty years of wandering. So why is this song mentioned at the end?
.and the tributaries of the Arnon." According to the Bamidbar Rabbah, here, at the tributaries of the Arnon River, God performed incredible miracles for the Israelites, comparable to the parting of the Red Sea (Yam Suf).
What were these miracles? Imagine a deep ravine, seven mil (a significant distance) across, separating two mountains. To travel from one side to the other, you'd have to descend into the ravine and then climb back up the opposite side. Now, picture the nations hostile to Israel gathering in this ravine, plotting an ambush. Some hid in caves along the ravine walls, while others positioned themselves on rocky outcroppings shaped like breasts – shadayim, as the verse describes it, "And the outpouring of [ve’eshed] the ravines" (Numbers 21:15). Their plan was simple: when the Israelites descended into the ravine, they would be attacked from above and below.
God had other plans. Instead of allowing the Israelites to descend into the treacherous ravine, He commanded the mountains to move. The breast-like projections from the mountain on the Land of Israel side miraculously entered the caves on the opposite side, crushing all the enemies hiding within! The mountains then shifted, forming a smooth path for the Israelites to cross.
The Bamidbar Rabbah emphasizes that the mountain from the Land of Israel moved, not the one from the land of Moab. Why? Because, it says, the Land of Israel is eager to greet its children. It uses a beautiful metaphor: it's like a maidservant who sees her master's son approaching and rushes out to meet him. This land is eager to welcome the Israelites home.
And the well? It descended into the ravine and swelled, sweeping away the remaining enemies, just as the sea had done in Egypt. As the Bamidbar Rabbah says, this is why the verses about "Vahev by storm [besufa]" and the tributaries of the Arnon are juxtaposed (Numbers 21:14).
The Israelites, however, were completely unaware of these miracles. They simply crossed the mountains on the newly formed path. So, God decided to reveal the extent of His intervention. The well descended into the caves, bringing forth countless skulls, arms, and legs. When the Israelites sought the well, they saw it emerging from the ravine, overflowing with the remains of their enemies.
This is where the song comes in. The Israelites, standing over the ravines, witnessing the miraculous aftermath, sang, "Rise, well, give voice for it!" (Numbers 21:17). They weren't just celebrating water; they were celebrating God's hidden acts of salvation.
The Bamidbar Rabbah asks: Was the well really from "there"? Hadn't it been with them for forty years (Numbers 21:15-16)? The answer, of course, is yes. The well descended to publicize the miracles, to make them known. It was a tangible sign of God's unseen hand.
So, the next time you read about the Israelites wandering in the desert, remember the tributaries of the Arnon. Remember the hidden miracles, the mountains that moved, and the well that revealed God's salvation. It's a reminder that even when we are unaware, God is working on our behalf, performing miracles we may never fully comprehend. And perhaps, like the Israelites, we too should pause and sing a song of gratitude for the unseen wonders in our own lives.
“Then Israel sang this song: Rise, well; give voice for it” (Numbers 21:17). “Then Israel sang this song” – this song was recited at the conclusion of forty years, and the well was given to them at the beginning of forty. What did the reason that led it to be written here? This matter is expounded previous to it: “Therefore it is said in the book of the Wars of the Lord: Vahev [by storm [besufa], and the tributaries of the Arnon]” (Numbers 21:14) – the Holy One blessed be He performed on their behalf signs and miracles at the tributaries of the Arnon like the miracles that He performed on their behalf at the Red Sea [Yam Suf]. What are the miracles of the tributaries of Arnon? A person stands on this mountain and speaks to another on that mountain, and it is at a distance of seven mil.70To walk from one to the other, one has to climb down from one mountain and then up the other. The way descends into the ravine and ascends, and Israel’s path was to cross in the ravine. All the nations gathered there, endless multitudes. Some were positioned in the ravine. Above them the ravine was caves, and opposite the caves were projections of boulders like breasts [shadayim], as it is stated: “And the outpouring of [ve’eshed] the ravines” (Numbers 21:15). The multitudes entered the caves and said: When Israel descends into the ravine, these will confront them in the ravine and those above from the caves; we will kill them all. When Israel reached that place, He did not require them to descend below through the ravine, but rather intimated to the mountains, and the breast-like projections of this mountain entered into the caves, and they all died. The mountains brought their peaks adjacent to one another and became a smooth road. It is unknown which mountain moved adjacent to the other. That ravine interposes between the domain of the Land of Israel and the domain of the land of Moav, as it is stated: “For Arnon is the border of Moav, between Moav and the Emorites” (Numbers 21:13). The mountain that was in the land of Moav, the one with the caves, did not move. The mountain from the Land of Israel, in which there were breast-like projections, moved adjacent to the mountain opposite it. Why did it move? It is because it is of the Land of Israel. This is analogous to a maidservant71This a metaphor for the mountain. who saw the son of her master72This is a metaphor for the children of Israel. coming to her. She leapt from her place and preceded him and received him. The boulders entered into the caves and crushed all those mighty ones; and the well descended into the ravine and swelled, and eliminated all of the multitudes just as the sea eliminated them. That is why it juxtaposed: “Vahev by storm [besufa]” (Numbers 21:14), to “the tributaries of the Arnon” (Numbers 21:14). Israel passed atop those mountains but were unaware of all these miracles. The Holy One blessed be He said: I will inform My children how many multitudes I eliminated from before them. The well descended into those caves and took out unfathomable numbers of skulls, arms, and legs. Israel returned to seek the well and saw it emerging full from the ravine and taking out limbs upon limbs. From where is it derived that the well informed them? It is as it is stated: “And the outpouring of the ravines.… and from there to the well” (Numbers 21:15–16). Was it from there? Was it not with them from the beginning of forty years? It is, rather, that it descended to publicize the miracles, and Israel was standing over the ravines and saying: “Rise, well, give voice for it” (Numbers 21:17), and they recited song over them.
