Be-Shala MY GOD
A dissection of the song sung at the sea.

עׇזִּ֤י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֔הּ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִֽישׁוּעָ֑ה

זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ אֱלֹהֵ֥י אָבִ֖י וַאֲרֹמְמֶֽנְהוּ׃

The Eternal is my strength and might; God is become my deliverance.

This is my God and I will enshrine God;

The God of my ancestor, and I will exalt God.

זה אלי. בִּכְבוֹדוֹ נִגְלָה עֲלֵיהֶם וְהָיוּ מַרְאִין אוֹתוֹ בְּאֶצְבַּע, רָאֲתָה שִׁפְחָה עַל הַיָּם מַה שֶּׁלֹּא רָאוּ נְבִיאִים (מכילתא):

Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzchak, best known by the acronym "Rashi," was an influential medieval Torah and Talmud commentator. 1040 – 1105 CE

This is my God. In God's glory was God revealed to them, and they pointed to God with a finger saying “This is my God!” (Shir HaShirim Rabbah 3:15) A maid servant saw by the Sea what the prophets never saw (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 15:2:2).

עזי וזמרת וגו'. הנה סדר העומדים לפני יהוה לשורר ולשבח ולהתפלל הוא להתחיל בדברים המושכלים מיהוה אליו ואחר כך במושכל מיהוה לאבותיו, וכמו שמצינו שתקנו אנשי כנה"ג באבות אלהינו ואחר כך אלהי אבותינו,...

Chaim Ibn Attar, better known as the Ohr HaChaim after his most famous work, was a North African rabbi, Torah commentator, halakhic decisor, and kabbalist. In 1733, he left his native Morocco for the land of Israel. He was held in especially high esteem by the early Chasidim. 1696 – 1743 CE

They concluded [this] statement referring to their own relationship with God by saying, "this is my God and I will glorify God," and afterwards they described the same God in as the God of their ancestors. The Sages of the Great Assembly (the Rabbis who wrote the Talmud did this as well when they established our prayers to say, "our God, and afterwards the God of our ancestors."

יוֹנָתִ֞י בְּחַגְוֵ֣י הַסֶּ֗לַע בְּסֵ֙תֶר֙ הַמַּדְרֵגָ֔ה הַרְאִ֙ינִי֙ אֶת־מַרְאַ֔יִךְ הַשְׁמִיעִ֖נִי אֶת־קוֹלֵ֑ךְ כִּֽי־קוֹלֵ֥ךְ עָרֵ֖ב׃ {ס}

“My dove in the cleft of the rock,

in the secret of the cliff; show me your appearance, let me

hear your voice”

נַפְשֵׁ֗נוּ כְּצִפּ֥וֹר נִמְלְטָה֮ מִפַּ֢ח י֫וֹקְשִׁ֥ים הַפַּ֥ח נִשְׁבָּ֗ר וַאֲנַ֥חְנוּ נִמְלָֽטְנוּ׃

Our souls are like a bird escaped from the fowler’s trap; the trap broke and we escaped.

וַיִּתֵּ֬ן בְּפִ֨י ׀ שִׁ֥יר חָדָשׁ֮ תְּהִלָּ֢ה לֵאלֹ֫הֵ֥ינוּ יִרְא֣וּ רַבִּ֣ים וְיִירָ֑אוּ וְ֝יִבְטְח֗וּ בַּיהוה׃

A new song was placed into my mouth, a hymn to our ELOHEI. May many see it and stand in awe, and trust in YHVH.