We continue with our pesukim in Az Yashir. Pasuk 16 says,
תִּפֹּ֨ל עֲלֵיהֶ֤ם אֵימָ֙תָה֙ וָפַ֔חַד
It should fall upon them, the nations, fear and dread
Rashi explains that Emata/Fear is on the ones that are far and Pachad/dread is on the ones that are close
בִּגְדֹ֥ל זְרוֹעֲךָ֖ יִדְּמ֣וּ כָּאָ֑בֶן עַד־יַעֲבֹ֤ר עַמְּךָ֙ יְהֹוָ֔ה עַֽד־יַעֲבֹ֖ר עַם־ז֥וּ קָנִֽיתָ׃
With Your great strength, they'll be silent
until this nation passes, until they pass.
But they already passed. And why does it say “until they pass, twice?
Targum Onkelus says there are an additional two passings of miraculous situations. One passing is of the Nachalei Arnon and another is the passing of the Jordan river.
Az Yashir was the first, and in Az Yashir we mention that there will be another two.
Nachal Arnon was when the Jewish people were in the desert and the enemies planned an ambush. There were two mountains that were very close to each other. They stood on both sides of the mountains, and planned that when the Jews would walk through the valley, they would throw large rocks down upon the Jews and kill them. But God made a miracle. He brought the two mountains together and killed all of them. We didn't know about this, until God brought a well with all the dead bodies, and the Jewish people saw the miracle and they sang another Az Yashir (in Parashat Hukat) on this wellspring for the miracle of Nachal Arnon. So it says Az Yashir twice in the Torah- once referring to the open miracle of Keriat Yam Suf, and the second time referring to the hidden miracle of Nachal Arnon.
The third passing refers to the Jordan River. On the 10th of Nissan, in their final year in the desert, they went through the Jordan River and God made a miracle. The Jordan River split and they crossed through the Jordan River. They stopped in middle of the river, they wrote down the Torah, they put rocks underground… the Navi describes the whole story.
Now, what's very interesting is that in Hallel, we say:
הַיָּ֣ם רָ֭אָה וַיָּנֹ֑ס הַ֝יַּרְדֵּ֗ן יִסֹּ֥ב לְאָחֽוֹר
The sea saw and split, the Jordan went backwards
because the Jordan River didn't split, it just started flowing backwards. It was going straight. And then it just, at a certain point it started flowing backwards.
הֶ֭הָרִים רָקְד֣וּ כְאֵילִ֑ים גְּ֝בָע֗וֹת כִּבְנֵי־צֹֽאן׃
The mountains danced like rams and the hills like sheep.
What exactly is that referring to?
Rashi says that at the time of Matan Torah, the mountains they danced. That's the simple explanation. But I once saw an explanation that it’s referring to these mountains of Nachalei Arnon. The mountains danced when the Jewish people crossed through the valley and God made a miracle that the two mountains came together. So according to that, the three different miracles that we mention in Az Yashir, we also mention in Hallel: the splitting of the sea, the splitting of the Jordan and the miracle of the mountains of Nachalei Arnon, where the two mountains came together.
And our rabbis tell us the story the of the mountains that came together is a lesson in hidden miracles. The Jewish people did not know about it and would not have known about it, if not for the fact that God brought the well to tell them about it.
The Gemara says that when someone does a favor, they’re supposed to let the person know about it, because the goal of the favor is to show the love and endearment. God loves us, but it’s not just that He loves us, He also wants us to know that He loves us. So while we don't know about all the hidden miracles, from time to time, God does let us know.
That's a lesson for the future, that hidden miracles are always happening, and God always loves us.
And those are the three miracles to think about by Az Yashir.
Have a wonderful day.