Shabbos Shira: Reasons and Customs

טעמים ומנהגים של שבת שירה

By HaRav Dovid Yeshoshua Sochet shlit”a

This Shabbos (פרשת בשלח) is referred to as שבת שירה (Shabbos of Song), because the Torah portion contains the shira of אז ישיר that was sung after the splitting of the sea. Some have the custom to feed the birds on this Shabbos and others have the minhag that  in honor of Shabbos Shira, they put out seeds or bread crumbs for the birds on Friday. 

The following are some of the reasons for this minhag.

There is a tradition that during Kriyas Yam Suf, when Bnei Yisroel crossed the sea, the birds also sang shira. In appreciation, we put out crumbs for the birds.

Others explain that birds are “masters of song,” as no one can sing quite like the birds. Therefore, when we are going to sing Hashem’s praise, we feed the “masters of song.”

Hashem commanded Moshe to set aside a jug of maan and put it in the Holy of Holies as a testament for future generations, demonstrating that if they would trust in Hashem and follow the Torah and mitzvahs, Hashem would sustain them, just as He sustained the Jews in the desert through the maan. Reb Moshe of Pshevorsk, explains that since the Jewish people are compared to a bird (see Rashi, Beraishis 15:10, Vi’es hatzipor), and since we no longer have this jug of maan, we feed the birds on the Shabbos that we read about the maan. This reminds us that if we trust in Hashem with a full heart and follow his Torah and mitzvahs, then we too will easily be sustained, just as birds find their food with relative ease.

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The great tzadik Reb Meir of Premishlan explained that in this week’s Torah portion, Moshe Rabbeinu told Bnei Yisroel that the Maan will not fall on Shabbos. The Medrash relates that the wicked Dasan and Aviram tried to discredit Moshe by dispersing maan in the desert on Friday night to give the impression that it had fallen on Shabbos. Their plan was thwarted by birds that came and ate the maan during the night. In appreciation, we put out crumbs for the birds.

Many point out that, especially nowadays, it is improper to feed the birds on Shabbos itself. On Shabbat, you are generally only allowed to feed animals that you are responsible for and that are relying on you for their food. (Magen Avraham, Orach Chaim 324:7; Shulchan Aruch Harav, Orach Chaim 324:8; others justify this custom for various reasons, e.g., since we are giving them the food as recognition of what they did, it is to some extent a mitzvah, which would make it permissible to feed them on Shabbos. (See Tosafos Shabbos 17; Aruch HaShulchan 324:3: Kaf Hachaim 324:47). The majority follow the opinion that it is improper to feed them even on Shabbos Shirah) Although in earlier generations it was quite common for people to have chickens or domesticated fowl that fit this category, nowadays it is much rarer for this to be the case. Some have the custom to instead put out the food for the birds right before Shabbos.

Photo by Marek Bukovan on Unsplash