“Then Klal Yisroel sang this song, ‘Arise, O well, call out to it’.” At the end of the forty years, Klal Yisroel sang Shira in the Midbar for the well. Klal Yisroel had the well for forty years. Why did they wait until the end of the forty years to sing Shira? Rashi – The Emorites tried to ambush Klal Yisroel and kill them. The Ribbono Shel Olam performed miracles, and caused them to be crushed between two mountains, unbeknownst to Klal Yisroel. The Ribbono Shel Olam wanted Klal Yisroel to know that a miracle was performed for them, so He routed the well into the gorge, which then carried the blood of the Emorites to where Klal Yisroel were encamped. Upon seeing the blood and realizing the miracles that were performed for them, they sang Shira.
Throughout all of the years in the Midbar, having a well was a miracle. Why did Klal Yisroel wait until this miracle to sing Shira? The Posuk says that Klal Yisroel sang Shira, and there is no mention of Moshe Rabbeinu. By the Yam Suf, the Posuk says “Then Moshe and B’nei Yisroel sang Shira.” Why doesn’t the Posuk say Moshe Rabbeinu and Klal Yisroel sang Shira as it did by Kriyas Yam Suf? Why doesn’t the Posuk say that Klal Yisroel sang Shira to Hashem, as it says by Kriyas Yam Suf?
Why did Klal Yisroel sing Shira for the well and not for the manna, which was a miracle as well? The well represents the Torah Hakdosha. Klal Yisroel were not singing Shira because of a miracle, but rather for the Torah Hakdosha which is compared to water. At Kriyas Yam Suf, Moshe sang Shira, and Klal Yisroel repeated word for word after him. After 40 years in the Midbar, Klal Yisroel were able to sing Shira to the Ribbono Shel Olam on their own.
Why is Moshe Rabbeinu’s name not mentioned here? At Kriyas Yam Suf, Moshe Rabbeinu sang Shira to the Ribbono Shel Olam for saving the Nefoshos of Klal Yisroel. It was not the physical beings of Klal Yisroel that he sang Shira for, rather it was the Ruchniyos. Moshe did not sing Shira at the Be’er to see if Klal Yisroel would sing Shira for their Ruchniyos on their own. At Kriyas Yam Suf, Klal Yisroel sang Shira for their physical redemption. Klal Yisroel did not sing Shira for the manna because that was for their physical needs. They sang Shira for the Be’er because it represented the Torah Hakdosha. After forty years in the Midbar, they finally reached the level that Moshe hoped they would. They learned from their Rebbe, Moshe Rabbeinu, how to act. They sang Shira to the Ribbono Shel Olam for the Be’er, for the Torah Hakdosha.
Moshe told Hashem to speak to the rock. What should Moshe have said to the rock? Moshe should have learned one Perek (Torah) and then the rock would have brought forth water. The Be’er represents the Torah Hakdosha. The Ribbono Shel Olam took Klal Yisroel for a nation and gave them a most precious gift, the Torah Hakdosha. This gift is our direct connection to the Ribbono Shel Olam. More than that, nature is subservient to the Torah Hakdosha. At Shiras Hayam, Moshe sang Shira for being saved spiritually, while Klal Yisroel sang Shira for being saved physically. Moshe Rabbeinu, the great leader of Klal Yisroel, tried to impart this great lesson to Klal Yisroel. The most important thing in this world is the Torah Hakdosha, Ruchniyos. At the rock, Moshe was supposed to teach this first hand to Klal Yisroel by learning Torah at the rock. Klal Yisroel would have seen that nature is subservient to the Torah Hakdosha, and the rock would have brought forth water. At this point in time, Klal Yisroel saw that they did not have to Daven to Hashem for being saved. They had the Torah Hakdosha, which is above nature. This Shira does not say Moshe’s name, which is a great tribute to Moshe and Klal Yisroel. Moshe taught Klal Yisroel well. They knew on their own to sing Shira. The Shira does not say Hashem’s name because they did not have to Daven for this miracle. Klal Yisroel realized that our direct connection to the Ribbono Shel Olam is the Torah Hakdosha.