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I understand that Shirah is usually associated with the miraculous defeat of enemies, but I don't see any reason it should be limited to it.

  • Undoubtedly, the Matan Torah was a crucial event in the history of the whole world - God finally gave the Jews a precious present that would change the history of humankind.
  • Alternatively, one might see it as the miracle of the mass Divine revelation to the Israelite nation, and some say, all generations of Jewish souls.
  • Some may even see it as the day of divine marriage between God and the Jews — the more the merrier - more reasons to sing Shira.

It appears, however, that neither the scripture nor the majority of commentators see Matan Torah as Shira-worthy - in the end, the Israelites get genuinely scared, return to their tents, and keep complaining about wandering in the wilderness.

So, was Matan-Torah worthy of singing Shira, and if yes, why didn't Moses, Miriam, and the rest sing?

Special thanks to @shmosel.

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    I would hazard a guess that the sheer sense of yirah prevented them. Refer to the midrash that they died and had techias hameisim.
    – Dov
    Commented Aug 28 at 21:00
  • @Dov Don't you say Shirah upon Techias Hameisim if you do upon bodily salvation from Kal Vachomer?
    – Al Berko
    Commented Aug 29 at 8:42
  • Not if you're rendered speechless?!
    – Dov
    Commented Aug 29 at 8:49
  • For how long???
    – Al Berko
    Commented Aug 29 at 8:59
  • Ask anyone who's ch"v been through trauma...it can take years?
    – Dov
    Commented Aug 29 at 9:44

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There are 10 songs of Israel, each one comes after a certain completion or victory has been acomplished. The Experience of Matan Torah has not been complete.

As we know, after the first two commandments Jewish people delegated Moshe to receive the rest of the Torah, which delayed receiving of the Torah from the the 6th of Sivan to the 17th of Tammuz. When Moshe Rabbeinu brought the Tablets on the 17th of Tammuz, he had to smash them because of the Golden Calf, which delayed receiving of the Torah. After that Moshe prayed for 40 days and nights and then went up to Mt. Sinai to receive the second Tablets, which he brought after Yom Kippur on the 10th of Tishrei. The bringing of the second Tablets set in motion the process of learning the Torah and doing many mitzvos connected with the building of the Mishkan.

When there was Temple, there was much singing after Yom Kippur, as described in Mishnah Taanis 4.8. Now, we sing a lot on Yom Kippur. Although our singing is not connected so much with receiving of the Torah, it reflects our belief that if we do proper repentance - G-d will forgive us. G-d gave us the Torah on Yom Kippur because He forgave us.

There are many views on how creation of the Golden Calf affected the Jewish people. Some say that originally Jewish people could learn all of the Torah from the text of the written Torah without a need for the books of prophets and writings. One way or another, the story of receiving the Torah is not complete. It is also one of the reasons why the blessings on the Torah are formulated in the present, i.e. that G-d is teaching Jewish people the Torah and giving us the Torah now, every moment.

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    +1 Thank you. There's something contradicting, if not schizophrenic, in the Rabbinic ability to present events as exceptionally great and bad simultaneously. When I ask you wasn't Matan Torah great, you describe it as the wedding day, when I ask why not say shira or celebrate it yearly, you claim it was bad.
    – Al Berko
    Commented Aug 31 at 18:37
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    I know, it's very frustrating trying hard to do what's right and instead being disliked for some minor and obscure points which are known to a few insiders who don't reveal them. I do not understand our history, especially the part why Hashem prefers strengthening the hands of the wicked instead of those of the righteous. For example, in Tanakh every wicked king has entire megilla on his behalf, but a good king a few cheesy lines.
    – Y DJ
    Commented Sep 1 at 1:30

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