After maariv on Shabbos Shirah, Rebbe Bunim of Peshischa zt'l repeated a question he heard from Reb Yitzchak Vorka zt'l. Reb Yitzchak Vorka asked, "Why is this Shabbos called Shabbos Shirah? We generally don’t name the Shabbos after what we read in the Torah. Last week's Shabbos (parashas Bo) isn't called 'Shabbos Yetzias Mitzrayim,' and next week's Shabbos (parashas Yisro) isn't called 'Shabbos Matan Torah.' Why, then, is this Shabbos called Shabbos Shirah?"
Rebbe Bunim answered that it is because the Shirah is written in the sefer Torah לבינה אריח גבי על. (Az Yashir is written in the sefer Torah in a song format, with large spaces after each phrase.) Then Rebbe Bunim said with hislahavus, "Every Yid must be very happy on this Shabbos!"
The Ramasayim Tzofim zt'l (Tana d'bei Eliyahu Zuta 16) offers the following explanation to explain Rebbe's lesson. It is based on the Shlah Hakadosh, who says that the ink of a sefer Torah represents the neshamos, the good deeds, the emunah, and the daas of the Jewish nation. The white of a sefer Torah represents the physical bodies of Bnei Yisrael.
Ramasayim Tzofim explains that when we read about yetzias Mitzrayim in the Torah, the typical Yid doesn't experience the joy of yetzias Mitzrayim, and when we read about matan Torah, the average Yid doesn't experience the incredible joy of matan Torah. Tzaddikim do experience the joy; however, the average Yid doesn't. This is why we don't call last Shabbos "Shabbos Yetzias Mitzrayim" and next Shabbos "Shabbos Matan Torah."
However, when we read Az Yashir, every Yid can experience the joy of kriyas Yam Suf. There are many white spaces between the stanzas, which means that the bodies of Bnei Yisrael also experience it. The human mind and heart experience the joy of kriyas Yam Suf. It can therefore be called Shabbos Shirah. It is a joy that everyone can experience.
This is why Rebbe Bunim of Peshischa urged every Yid to be happy on this Shabbos. This is a joy that everyone can relate to.
Rashi (Shemos 12:6) writes that for the Jewish nation to leave Mitzrayim, they needed mitzvos, so Hashem gave them the mitzvos of korban Pesach and bris milah. The Avnei Nezer asks why a mitzvah wasn’t required to merit kriyas Yam Suf. He answers that the Jewish nation served Hashem with mesirus nefesh; they believed in Hashem and walked directly into the deep sea, and when there is mesirus nefesh, no other merit is needed.
The Tzemach Tzedek of Lubavitch zt'l referred to Shevi'i shel Pesach (the day we read the Shirah) as Rosh Hashanah for mesirus nefesh." The same applies to Shabbos Shirah. The Chozeh of Lublin zt'l taught that the word ז"א from ישיר אז hints at the two days a year we read the Shirah. The letter ן"זי is gematriya seven, alluding to Shevi'i shel Pesach, and ף"אל, can be translated as to teach or to study (בינה אלופך), alluding to Shabbos Shirah when we learn about kriyas Yam Suf. These are days we commemorate the mesirus nefesh of the Jewish nation.
Chazal tell us, “Even a maidservant at the Yam Suf saw greater revelations than the Navi Yechezkel ben Buzi.” This teaches us the power of serving Hashem with mesirus nefesh. In a moment, a mesirus nefesh Yid is elevated from the lowest to the highest levels.
Tzaddikim say that when one serves Hashem with mesirus nefesh, beyond his nature, he will merit miracles beyond nature.
We received a letter from a couple who was childless for many years. They decided to do something beyond their nature to merit Hashem's salvation. They threw away their iPhones, which was a very difficult step for them. It was mesirus nefesh, but they prayed that in that merit, Hashem would perform miracles for them beyond nature. Indeed, they were blessed with a child.
