וְׁאַתָּה לֵּאָרְּׁ שִי תֹו
How does one explain the concept of sitting upon the praises of the Jews? What are the praises that enable this? And why does the continuation of this verse (וקרא זה אל זה ואמר) refers to angels? The entire verse needs explanation.
First, the word יושב means to indicate the essence as opposed to the position when one stands. One settles on a chair (Shmuel I, chapter 4), and one settles one’s honor on a bed (see Yechezkeil 23), and one settles oneself ותשבו בקדש ימים רבים (דברים א, מו). This same concept is expressed in the well-known concept בסכות תשבו – תשבו כעין תדורו. The Rabbis understood that the word “sitting” from this verse, is not be understood as the opposite of standing, but to be understood in the concept of one’s existence.
Secondly the Gemara (Chullin 91b) states that the ministering angels above do not say Shirah until the Jews say Shirah below. Thus, the “holy ones” (the angels) sit (actual existence waits) for the praises of the Jews (to say Shirah below). As stated in Yirmiyahu (20, 13) that the תהילות (praises) of the Jews are called Shirah שירו לה' הללו את ה'. And, only after the praises of the Jews (their Shirah) do the angels turn to one another and say קדוש, קדוש, קדוש, which is the Shirah of the angels. Thus, the Jews saying Shirah below is necessary to enable the angels to say Shirah above.
