כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, הַנּוֹתֵן בַּיָּם דָּרֶךְ, וּבְמַיִם עַזִּים, נְתִיבָה. הַמּוֹצִיא רֶכֶב-וָסוּס, חַיִל וְעִזּוּז; יַחְדָּו יִשְׁכְּבוּ בַּל-יָקוּמוּ, דָּעֲכוּ כַּפִּשְׁתָּה כָבוּ. אַל-תִּזְכְּרוּ, רִאשֹׁנוֹת; וְקַדְמֹנִיּוֹת, אַל-תִּתְבֹּנָנוּ. הִנְנִי עֹשֶׂה חֲדָשָׁה עַתָּה תִצְמָח, הֲלוֹא תֵּדָעוּהָ; אַף אָשִׂים בַּמִּדְבָּר דֶּרֶךְ, בִּישִׁמוֹן נְהָרוֹת. תְּכַבְּדֵנִי חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה, תַּנִּים וּבְנוֹת יַעֲנָה: כִּי-נָתַתִּי בַמִּדְבָּר מַיִם, נְהָרוֹת בִּישִׁימֹן, לְהַשְׁקוֹת, עַמִּי בְחִירִי. עַם-זוּ יָצַרְתִּי לִי, תְּהִלָּתִי יְסַפֵּרוּ
The first two verses appeared in this post. The English Standard Version is as follows:Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.
This has many references to the J document, see the bold phrases. Compare them to similar phrases in Shemot 14, 15. But, we are not to "consider the things of old," "they are extinguished, quenched like a wick." We are to perceive the miracles of Hashem now, "now it springs forth." A road is built in the wilderness. Is it route six, which goes from the North to Beer Sheva? Or is it route one, renewed as a majestic highway? Or should we think about route 90 along the Jordan river, or route five to the city of Ariel? Or should we think about the new train track to Yerushalayim? Or the recently finished train track to Beit She'an? Yeshaya 40: "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God." And concerning water in the wilderness, who cannot think of the miracle of desalination of sea water, "to give drink to my chosen people." Yeshaya 41: "I will open rivers on the bare heights." Or should we think about the wondrous Hashgacha that makes us live in what not long ago was a desert, but now is a land of miracles? Surely we should think about the divine six-day war, the war with so many open miracles! Yeshaya 41: "And you shall rejoice in the Lord; in the Holy One of Israel you shall glory." "That they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it." And from where they did suddenly come, these six or seven million people? Everyone has a different answer to the question where he or she came from. All the answers together constitute a mighty praise of Hashem. Yeshaya 41: "Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel." Yeshaya 40: "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken." Hashem has created עַם-זוּ, "this people," and they will "declare my praise." "Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip; then you shall see and be radiant" (Yeshaya 60). This, then, is our task in Leil Haseder. Do not forget to tell what happened in Mitzrayim, in the early phase of the six-day war, the second of three 999/2 wars, the main 999/2 war, the war of Chesed, the war of Hashem. And if you do not know what happened in the six-day war, now is the time to learn. As you read the Hagadah of Pesach, the important thing is to be grateful, extremely grateful, for what Hashem is doing now. "That they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it."Pesach Sameach!
