Parshat B’shalach/Shabbat Shira & Tu BiShvat
Here are some facts that you can turn into riddles for your Shabbat table.
Shabbat Shira is named for the Torah reading of Shabbat Parshat B’shalach. One other Shabbat is named for its Torah reading: B’reishit.
Along the same lines, four Shabbatot are named for the maftirs read on those Shabbatot: Shabbat Sh’kalim, Shabbat Zachor, Shabbat Para, and Shabbat HaChodesh.
Four Shabbatot are named for the haftarot read on those Shabbatot: Shabbat Shuva, Shabbat HaGadol, Shabbat Chazon, and Shabbat Nachamu.
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Let’s take a look at B’shalach’s stats. It is the 16th of the Torah’s 54 sedras; fourth of the 11 in Sh’mot. B’shalach is written on 215.33 lines (ranking 17th . It has 14 parshiot – nine open, five closed.
There are 116 p’sukim in B’shalach (rank: 23rd; 6th in Sh’mot); 1,681 words (rank: 19th; 4th in Sh’mot); and 6,423 letters (rank: 18th; 4th in Sh’mot). The higher ranking for lines is definitely due to the format of the Shira column, which has a lot of blank space. The higher ranking for words and letters is due to the sedra’s larger-than-average p’sukim.
Mitzvot in B’shalach? It depends on whom you ask.
According to Rambam and the Sefer HaChinuch, there is one mitzvahh: the prohibition of leaving one’s Shabbat boundary – t’chum Shabbat.
Ramban does not count t’chum Shabbat as one of the Taryag, considering it purely Rabbinic.
To clarify further, Rambam states that the Torah’s prohibition sets the Shabbat boundary at 24,000 amot (approx. 12 km / 7.5 miles). He further holds that our Sages drastically limited the t’chum to only 2,000 amot (approx. 1 km / 0.6 miles). Ramban says that t’chum is 2,000 amot. So, they agree concerning the halachic limit that of t’chum Shabbat. They only argue about whether any limit is set by the Torah. Rambam says yes; Ramban says no.
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Now let’s look at Shirat HaYam – the Song of the Sea.
Most Torah scrolls today have 245 columns with 42 lines on each column. The first letter at the top of each column is a Vav (this is not a requirement, but is a common style of Sifrei Torah), with the exception of five columns. The first column of the Torah obviously begins with a Bet, which begins the word B’reishit. And another one of them is the column of the Shirat HaYam.
The Song itself is a 19-pasuk parsha. The whole column is unique in the way it is written in a Sefer Torah. The column that contains the Shira is wider than all the other columns in the Torah. It is a tradition to start the column with five lines belonging to the previous parsha, beginning with the word Haba’im (with the letter Hei). Then a line is left blank, and then the first line of Az Yashir is written all the way across the column. The next line has one word, a blank space, a group of words (from 3-5), another blank space, and then a single word to end the line. Let’s call this “line-pattern A.” The next line starts with a group of words (2-5), a space, and another group of words (3-5). We’ll call this “line-pattern B.” After the first line, the rest of the Shira parsha consists of another 29 lines, alternating patterns A and B, ending with an A. Then a line is skipped. Five more “regular” lines of Torah text finish off the column. The column with the Shira has many blank spaces and two blank lines.
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Tradition dates the Splitting of the Sea as occurring on the seventh day of Pesach. That explains why the Torah reading for the seventh day of Pesach is from the beginning of B’shalach until after Az Yashir (The Song of the Sea). But it is interesting that the Torah does not mention exactly when it occurred. We can suggest that the event is not really a stand-alone but rather the culmination of that which began with the Exodus from Egypt.
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Shabbat Shira can fall on the 10th, 11th, 13th (like this year), 15th (that’s Tu BiShvat), or the 17th of Sh’vat. That means that Erev Shabbat can be on the 9th, 10th, 12th (like this year), 14th, or 16th of Sh’vat.
There is an old minhag (how old? no idea) to feed birds in honor of Shabbat Shira. For halachic issues of feeding birds in the wild on Shabbat, the custom is to feed birds on Erev Shabbat Shira.
Why? Two reasons – both being a manifestation of Hakarat HaTov.
There is a midrash that tells of what happened on the first Shabbat after Bnei Yisrael were given the manna. They were told by Moshe Rabbeinu that the manna would fall every morning and that people should collect their daily portion of the heavenly food, and no extra, and not leave anything over for the following day. Except that on Friday, the manna would fall in a double portion – for that day and the next day, Shabbat – and the manna would not fall on Shabbat. Datan and Aviram went out early on Shabbat morning and spread manna around the camp, intending to make a liar out of Moshe Rabbeinu (and G-d). Birds came by and ate up all of the manna, so that Moshe’s integrity would be preserved.
We owe the birds a debt of gratitude for what they had done. And that is one reason for the custom of feeding them in honor of this Shabbat.
The other reason is based on our borrowing the talent of birds when we sang the Song of the Sea. Words are our human talent. Song is the talent of the birds. Our feeding birds on Erev Shabbat Shira is our way of thanking the birds for using song to thank G-d for His many miracles.
Although the minhag is for Erev Shabbat Shira, on the practical side, it is a good idea to feed birds from time to time during the winter, when they might have trouble finding food on their own.
To further guide us in this endeavor, here’s an email I received from a PhiloTorah (that’s my website) reader/listener:
“Hi Phil. Re: the custom of feeding birds on Friday before Shabbat Shira, I would offer the following. Many people, including me formerly, think that bread crumbs and bread pieces are the ideal food for birds. Actually, they don’t like it. It is not even among the top 10-20 foods most birds like. For the past few years, I have been spreading out sunflower seeds. They are a BIG HIT!
According to the Royal Society of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, these are the favorite foods of urban birds: Fruit – apples, pears and soft fruits, raisins. Suitable seeds and grains – like millet, oats, and sunflower seeds. Peanuts – must be unsalted, fresh (so that they do not contain aflatoxin, a poison caused by fungus mold). Small birds might choke on whole peanuts, so chopping the peanuts is a good idea. Food scraps – cooked pasta, rice, and boiled potatoes… Thanks, Mark.”
So, take a bird or two to lunch this Friday!
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Back to Shabbat Shira. Echoing the sedra with its Song, we read of another Song in the haftarah – Shirat D’vora. The actual Song is 31 p’sukim from the book of Sho–f’tim, chapter 5. And that is what is read by Eidot Mizrach (S’faradim). Ashkenazim introduce D’vora’s Song with the story of D’vora the Judge and her general of the army, Barak. That adds 21 more p’sukim, making for the longest haftara of the year – 52 p’sukim.
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Now on to Tu BiShvat. Two? No, that date was last week. This one is Tu. That’s Tet-Vav – corresponding to 9 and 6, which equal 15: the 15th of Sh’vat.
By the way, if 13 is Yud-Gimel and 14 is Yud-Dalet, how come 15 is Tet-Vav and not Yud-Hei? It seems that once upon a time, a long time ago, 15 was Yud-Hei. But already in the time of the Mishna, maybe earlier, because Yud-Hei is one of Hashem’s names, 15 was changed to Tet-Vav.
And what happened to 16? That was changed to Tet-Zayin, but that change came later than Tet-Vav. It is less clear what was problematic about Yud-Vav. They are two of the letters of G-d’s main Name, but still…
In our current calendar, Tu BiShvat cannot fall on a Sunday or a Friday. It falls on a Monday 28% of the time – as it does this year – two days after Shabbat Shira. It falls on Tuesday only 4% of the time – three days after Shira. It falls on Wednesday, 18% of the time – four days after Shira. It falls on Thursday 20% of the time – sometimes two days before Shira, and sometimes five days after Shira. And it is on Shabbat Shira 30% of the time.
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Tu BiShvat is one of the four Rosh Hashanahs in our calendar, as stated in the first Mishna of Masechet Rosh Hashanah. Beit Shammai’s opinion is that Rosh Hashanah La-ilanot (the New Year for the Trees) is on Rosh Chodesh Sh’vat. Beit Hillel says it is the 15th of Sh’vat. As we know, Beit Hillel won that dispute, as well as most – but not all – disputes between them.
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Some mitzvot that deal with trees in Eretz Yisrael have Tu BiShvat as a dividing point between the previous year and the current year. Other mitzvot have Rosh Hashanah as their turning point.
We seem to make a big fuss about Rosh Hashanah La’ilanot. How come?
I would say that it is definitely the direct connection to Eretz Yisrael via all the Mitzvot HaT’luyot BaAretz – the mitzvot that depend on the Land. Even in Chutz LaAretz – probably, especially in Chutz LaAretz – Tu BiShvat is a way to identify with the Land of Israel. And here in the Land, Tu BiShvat is a way to strengthen one’s feelings for the Land.
But there is another reason. The meat of animals gets a Shehakol blessing, like so many other foods and drinks. That is the only b’racha that does not connect directly to the Land. The five other b’rachot for food are directly connected to the ground – for vegetables, fruit, products made with flour (including, of course, bread), and wine. Related to the ground as they are, these b’rachot are said over foods that come from the ground – any ground, all over the world. But they connect more to the Land of Israel. The Torah’s mitzvahh of Birkat HaMazon is to eat, be satisfied, and bless G-d for the Land of Israel. Sure, people say b’rachot wherever they live. But Eretz Yisrael is the place we are meant to be and where mitzvot are observed in a more significant way.
But there is more. Tomatoes are fruits of the ground. Technically, so are oranges. They grow on trees which grow in the ground. Chazal could have kept vegetables and fruit in one category, as distinct from wine, bread, and grain products.
But our Sages taught us that fruit trees and their fruits are so much more than produce. There is a b’racha upon seeing fruit trees in blossom in Nissan. There is a b’racha for seeing a magnificent forest. Five of the Seven Species by which Eretz Yisrael is described are fruits of the tree. Trees give us oxygen to breathe. (Plants do too, but trees, much more so.) Trees are homes to birds and other animals. Trees provide shade. They prevent soil erosion. They give us wood and paper. Fruit trees are extra-protected from destruction (with the mitzvah of bal tashchit, the Torah’s prohibition against wasting resources). Part of all this is “Ki haadam eitz hasadeh,” for man is the tree of the field.
We slaughter animals and eat their meat. They are gone. We pluck a carrot from the ground and eat it. It is gone. But pick fruit off a tree, and next season, we get more. Trees keep on giving. Grapes are fruits; they give us wine. Olives are fruits; they give us olive oil. Both of these have a special place in the Avodah in the Beit HaMikdash. (Yes, so do animals.) Some of the above, or all of the above, contribute to an excitement we feel towards trees and the Land of Israel. That’s (part of) why we celebrate Tu BiShvat.
Joyce Kilmer said it well in his poem “Trees”:
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only G-d can make a tree.
Shabbat Shalom and Tu BiShvat Samei’ach.