Shemot: Zemer of The Week - The Ramaz School

Shemot: Zemer of The Week - The Ramaz School
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Shemot: Zemer of The Week
אֵשֶׁת חַיִל – “Woman of Valor”
Version by original composer Benzion Shenker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUxSRZAdcKQ
אֵשֶׁת חַיִל מִי יִמְצָא וְרָחֹק מִפְנִינִים מִכְרָה׃
בָּטַח בָּהּ לֵב בַּעְלָהּ וְשָׁלָל לֹא יֶחְסָר׃
… (continues through Proverbs 31:31)
(Proverbs 31:10–31)
A woman of valor who can find?
Her worth is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not evil all the days of her life.
… (continues)
Parshat Shemot
emphasizes the courage and initiative of women (Shifra and Puah saving Hebrew infants, Miriam watching over Moshe, etc.). “
Eshet Chayil
” celebrates the strength, wisdom, and spiritual leadership of women. It has been part of weekly Orthodox practice for centuries and honors women’s role in sustaining the Jewish people.
Bonus
shir
from the
haftarah
:
וּבָאוּ
הָאֹבְדִים
בְּאֶרֶץ
אַשּׁוּר
Original Diapora Yeshiva Band version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-AxaJ0A45M&list=RDp-AxaJ0A45M
וְהָיָה
בַּיּוֹם
הַהוּא
יִתָּקַע
בְּשׁוֹפָר
גָּדוֹל
וּבָאוּ
הָאֹבְדִים
בְּאֶרֶץ
אַשּׁוּר
וְהַנִּדָּחִים
בְּאֶרֶץ
מִצְרָיִם
וְהִשְׁתַּחֲווּ
לַה׳
בְּהַר
הַקֹּדֶשׁ
בִּירוּשָׁלָיִם
(Isaiah 27:13 – from the Haftorah)
On that day, a great shofar will be sounded,
and those who were lost in the land of Assyria
and those who were cast away in the land of Egypt will come,
and they will bow to Hashem on the holy mountain, in Jerusalem.
Parshat Shemot
begins with a people who are
lost and cast aside
, enslaved in Egypt and stripped of voice and power. Long before redemption appears through miracles, it begins quietly, through acts of courage, faith, and life-giving resistance that ensure the Jewish people do not disappear. This verse from Isaiah looks ahead to the fulfillment of that story: those once lost in Egypt will respond to the great shofar and return to Hashem in Jerusalem. Singing this
zemer
links the fragile beginnings of redemption in Shemot with its ultimate completion, reminding us that no one is ever truly lost and that every act of faith helps bring redemption closer.
If you want a traditional
zemer
:
The
zemer
for this week:
מנוחה ושמחה
Yaakov Shwekey version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpLf5a5MVhA
We know little about the author of this
zemer
. It was written during the early half of the 1500s by someone named Moshe. It describes the rewards that await those who observe and honor the Shabbat.
Central elements of this
parsha
include the birth of
Moshe Rabbeinu
, the deepening of the slavery in Mitzrayim, and the reunion of Moshe with Aharon to form the team that would lead
B’nei Yisrael
for the next 40 years.
Some of the connections to the
parsha
:
First letters of first three stanzas: They spell “משה” (who was born in this parsha and which was the name of the author of the zemer)
Last line of last stanza: “גואל בביאת” (“With the coming of the redeemer”) – Moshe would redeem B’nei Yisroel from their long period of exile and slavery in Mitzrayim.
Last line of third stanza: “מלאכתו מכל ק־ל שבת בו כי” (“Because on [the seventh day] Hashem abstained from all of His work”) – Moshe convinced Par’oh that B’nei Yisroel would be more productive if they were given a day of rest, and recommended that it be the seventh day, when Hashem had rested (Midrash on Shemot 2:11).
First word of
zemer
and its title: “מנוחה” (“Rest”) – On Shabbos they rested from their backbreaking work.
Second word of
zemer
and its title: “שמחה” (“Joy”) – When Ahron would be coming to greet Moshe, he would be “בלבו שמח” – “with joy in his heart” (Shemot 4:14).