Beshalach

How ironic that the person who brought so many beautiful songs to the Jewish world died during the week leading to Shabbat Shirah - the Shabbat of Song.  We all mourn the loss of Debbie Friedman this past Sunday, and yet she continues to live in the music she shared with everyone.

This week's parasha is the source for one of her most well-known and widely-sung compositions - Miriam's Song.  You can read the lyrics and hear the song here:

Miriam's Song

Here is another song based on this section of this week's parasha:

Shirat HaYam

Click on this link to read the original text from which these two songs are taken:

Exodus 15

What do you picture when you read the lyrics to Debbie Friedman's Miriam's Song?

What do you picture when you read the lyrics to the next song, Shirat Hayam?

What do you picture when you read the entire chapter 15 of Exodus?

Why do you think each of the two composers chose the words they used in their songs?

What words would you choose to emphasize if you were writing music to remember the exodus from Egypt?


As always, please click on Beshalach in the "Labels" column for more ideas and suggestions for teaching.