Song of the Sea: The Lord is a Master
of war; the Lord is His Name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army He cast into the
sea,
Haftorah: I shall sing to the Lord,
the G-d of Israel.
Lord, when You went forth out of
Seir,
Talmud Sotah: Daf 3 – discussion
of “Yichud.”
GENERATIONS FROM ADAM TO THE LAST
KING OF JUDAH: Keinan
JOURNEYS IN THE DESERT: They
journeyed from Etham and camped in Pi hahiroth, which faces Baal zephon; and
they camped in front of Migdol.
The fourth week is that of the end of Sukkot, Hoshanah
Rabbah, and Shmini Atzeret. The verses of the Song of the Sea are about
how Hashem is a Master of war, and how He defeats Israel’s enemy.
This is reminiscent of Week 4 in both Books 1 (the eagle) and 2.
The Haftorah verses are
also related to the enemy, as they refer to Seir, the dwelling place of Eisav.
Daf Dalet (Folio 4) of Sotah,
discusses the concept of yichud, secluding oneself with someone else. Shmini
Atzeret is known for the time in which Hashem secludes Himself
with the Jewish people.
Keinan appears to be a variation in
the name Kayin (Cain).[1] Keinan has the extra
letter “Nun,” which in other places represents the 50th gate, the power of
prayer and teshuvah (repentance). The entire line of Keinan seems to
parallel the line of Cain. Keinan and his descendants appear to be a more
“kosher” version of Cain and his line. Humanity ultimately follows the
line of Keinan, casting Cain's line aside. Nevertheless, it is said that
Noach’s wife was Na’amah, the sister of Yuval, Tuval-Cain, and Yaval, from the
line of Cain.
In the fourth week, the Jews journey
from Etham to and camped in Pi hahiroth, which faces Baal zephon; and they
camped in front of Migdol. The personal journey for this week is to internalize
the concept of being “on the edge,” and now focus on being on the “mouth
of rocks,” facing places where there is idolatry. It is our role to elevate the
material world, and bring the whole world to worship the one God.
An important lesson we learn from
Keinan in our approach to prayer and Divine service is understanding that
serving G-d, like the study of Torah, is a kinyan (an acquisition -
the root of both the names Keinan and Cain). In order to acquire something, you
have to give of yourself, often of the fruit of your hard labor. Often, like
the last days of Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah, Divine
service is literally a marathon. There is tremendous intensity and perhaps even
exhaustion, but what you get is based on what you give. During the year, prayer
and Divine service also may not come easy. That why it is so important to
remember that it is called an Avodah, which literally means work.
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