Tanach · Acharonim on Tanach · Or HaChaim · Torah

Or HaChaim on Exodus 15:2/אור החיים על שמות ט״ו:ב׳

אעָזִּי וְזִמְרָת וְגוֹ׳. הִנֵּה סֵדֶר הָעוֹמְדִים לִפְנֵי ה׳ לְשׁוֹרֵר וּלְשַׁבֵּחַ וּלְהִתְפַּלֵּל הוּא לְהַתְחִיל בַּדְּבָרִים הַמֻּשְׂכָּלִים מֵה׳ אֵלָיו וְאַחַר כָּךְ בַּמֻּשְׂכָּל מֵה׳ לַאֲבוֹתָיו, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁמָּצִינוּ שֶׁתִּקְּנוּ אַנְשֵׁי כְּנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה בְּאָבוֹת – ״אֱלֹהֵינוּ״ וְאַחַר כָּךְ ״אֱלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ״. וְלָזֶה סִדְּרוּ בְּהַתְחָלַת הַשִּׁיר מַה שֶׁהִגִּיעָם מִטּוּבוֹ, וְאָמְרוּ ״עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה״, וְהוּא מַה שֶׁנִּתְחַסֵּד ה׳ עִמָּהֶם לְהוֹשִׁיעָם מֵהַצָּרָה שֶׁהָיוּ בָּהּ קֹדֶם שֶׁיַּגִּיעַ הַקֵּץ, וְזֶה הָיָה לְצַד רַחֲמָיו אֲלֵיהֶם, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתַבְתִּי עִנְיָן זֶה בְּאֹרֶךְ בְּפָרָשַׁת שְׁמוֹת (ג:ז), וּבְפָרָשַׁת וָאֵרָא (ו:ג). וְלָזֶה גָּמְרוּ אוֹמֶר זֶה אֵלִי וְאַחַר כָּךְ אָמְרוּ אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי, וְהוּא כַּסֵּדֶר עַצְמוֹ שֶׁל כְּנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה שֶׁקָּבְעוּ לוֹמַר ״אֱלֹהֵינוּ וֵאלֹהֵי אֲבוֹתֵינוּ״, וְכָאן אָמְרוּ לְשׁוֹן יָחִיד כִּי נַעֲשׂוּ כֻּלָּם כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד, כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁתִּי בְּפָסוּק ״וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֵאמֹר״.
1 עזי וזמרת כה, "The Lord is my strength and song." The normal procedure when one composes a song for G'd, praises Him or prays to Him, is to mention first how G'd relates to oneself before mentioning how G'd related to one's ancestors. Thus we find that the men of the Great Assembly who edited our major prayers began the עמידה by first referring to G'd as "our G'd," i.e. the G'd of the petitioner and only afterwards did they define G'd as also the G'd of the patriarchs. The Israelites were similarly motivated when they first referred to what G'd meant to them (each individual Jew), how G'd had proven a Saviour for them in their present situation acting as the merciful G'd (tetragram). They concluded the statement referring to their personal relationship with G'd by saying זה אלי ואנוהו, "this is my G'd and I will glorify Him," and only afterwards did they describe the same G'd in His capacity as the G'd of their fathers. Our sages copied this pattern when they formulated our prayers where we say אלוקינו ואלוקי אבותינו, "our G'd who was already the G'd of our ancestors." I have already explained why the Israelites in this instance chose to describe G'd in the singular as "my G'd" instead of as "our G'd."