Women's Commentary on 15:9
"'I will divide the spoil.' An incentive for term signifies divine power and asserts that human military victories must be attributed to God. It contributes to our contemporary notion that the biblical deity is male. However, although warriors were understood to be male, this imagery does not mean that the Torah's composer(s) believed God to be a male being. Note that female imagery for God also occasionally appears in the Bible, including in Exodus. In Isaiah 42:13-14, the image of God as a warrior is juxtaposed with the image of God as a woman in labor. The prophet uses both metaphors to convince the people of God's power."

D'var Torah by Rabbi Deborah Joselow
"The Song at the Sea begins with the Hebrew words “az ya-shir.” Written in the future tense, the phrase can be understood as saying, “thus one will sing.” It is a fitting epilogue to an awesome moment, and it is a charge to all of us who continue to pursue freedom in all of its forms. The song that the Israelites sang is as much our inheritance as the cause of freedom. This path we travel is not without blood and sweat, but we are also obligated to fill it with the sounds of joy."

D'var Torah by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks z''l
The miracle that followed has so engraved itself on Jewish minds that we recite the Song at the Sea in our daily Morning Service. The division of the Sea was, in its way, the greatest of all the miracles. But it did not contribute to Jewish self-confidence and self-reliance. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. The Egyptians were defeated not by the Israelites but by God, and not by conventional warfare but by a miracle. How then did the encounter teach the Israelites courage?

Commentary from Plaut
"Miriam the Prophet. Deborah (Judg. 4:4), Huldah (II Kings 22:14), and Noadiah (Neh. 6:14) are the only other women to be given this accolade. In numbers 12:2 Miriam explains her prophetic role by saying that God has spoken through her."
"Aaron's Sister. One would have expected 'Moses' sister,' for the song just ended was sung by him-and now his sister leads the women. The tradition that preserved Miriam's song may have had a separate source in which Aaron and Miriam were closely linked with each other, a bond at which Numbers 12 hints, where Aaron and Miriam conspire against Moses. Rashi suggests: Miriam is called Aaron's sister because she was a prophet even before Moses' birth."

Commentary from Women's Commentary on Exodus 15:20
"'Hand-drum.' This translation of tof is more appropriate than either anachronistic "tambourine" or the vague "timbrel" that appears in many English translations; tambourines are not attested until the Roman period, more than a thousand years later. The hand-drum, or frame-drum, is the only percussion instrument mentioned in the Bible, in contrast to the other classes of instruments (such as string and wind instruments) for which there are many examples."
"'All the Women.' It was apparently customary in ancient Israel for women to welcome victorious armies with victory songs (see Judges 11:34; I Samuel 18:6-7). Accomplished female musicians would have earned the esteem of their community. Also, groups of female performers likely would have met together to practice their instruments and compose songs for specific occasions, which would have provided occasions for female bonding and for women to exert organizational skills and mentor younger performers."
"'Dance.' Along with singing and drum playing, dance was an integral part of this performance genre. It is likely that most musical performances in the biblical world involved movement as well as vocal and instrumental expression."

Women's Commentary on Exodus 16:3
"'Our Fill of Bread.' Cereal products were so central to the diet of people in ancient Israel-providing approximately half of their daily caloric intake-that the Bible uses the term for break (lechem) sometimes to denote food more generally. Close examination of biblical texts mentioning bread production, and consideration of relevant archeological and ethnographic date, together indicate that women were the producers of bread in households in the Land of Israel.

D'var Torah by Rabbi Bradley Artson
"The story of the liberation from Egypt is the cornerstone of Jewish existence. Or is it? Read the Torah portion again, and you will find that what is most striking is not the miracles — wondrous as they may be. What is particularly noteworthy is how quickly the Israelite slaves forget about their extraordinary redemption.
Barely did they cross to freedom, when the people complained to Moses and to God. They complained about a lack of water, they complained about a lack of food, and they complained simply about no longer being surrounded by familiar–if hostile–Egypt.
In the words of Midrash Shemot Rabbah, “Have you forgotten all the miracles which God performed for you?” Miracles seem to be an ineffective way of inculcating a consciousness of God. In fact, the entire Bible can be read as a book about the consistent inability of God to teach the Jews to be grateful."

Questions to consider:
1.) What does music mean to you? When do you turn to song?
2.) How may you process the gory involved in Shirat Hayam/our redemption story?
3.) Do you recognize a part of our daily liturgy in this song?
4.) What does this parsha teach/remind us about food insecurity today?
5.) If God did not want the Israelites to face war, why did God provoke Pharaoh into pursuing them?
6.) What do you think God’s plan was for the next stage in Jewish history, following the Exodus?
7.) Why do you think the Israelites were prone to fear when they left Egypt?