Perek Shira - The Song of the Fish

[Music] [Applause] [Music] the fish say the voice of Hashem was upon the waters the god of glory rumbled Hashem upon many waters the seamless surface of the sea belies the enchanting world of beauty that fills its expense there are an estimated three and a half trillion fish in the world consisting of more than 30 thousand different species with the complexity no less than that of terrestrial sea creatures have varied natures shapes and sizes and form a kaleidoscope of colors the water itself is transparent so that they can be seen in all of their beauty at the dominant history Hashem made the fish to be fruitful and multiply and to fill the seeds since then the singer Michele's voice upon the Great Waters it is he who controls the mighty ocean and illuminates their depths with his glory in a deeper sense the sages teach that the Torah is referred to as water since it is life-giving and purifies the soul on the day of the giving of the Torah it descended from heaven accompanied by clouds rains and Thunder Torah scholars who immerse themselves in the waters of the Torah are comparable to fish which can only live in water Rabbi Akiva used this analogy to explain why he stubbornly continued to teach Torah in public despite the Roman ban against it fish swim in schools likewise Torah is ideally studied in a group fish constantly open and close their mouths similar to the way that torah sages constantly engage their mouths in torah study as long as it lives a fish will continue to grow so to Torah scholars continue to develop wisdom even in old age Torah scholars live in a world of Torah no less vast than the oceans yet her unperceivable and unappreciated by others like fish that thrive within the concealed ocean at the time of the giving of the torah hashem holy voice thundered mightily throughout the world on its way to mount sinai the first and foremost revelation of that voice was upon the world's oceans as it is written polish em all huh - symbolizing the ocean light greatness of the Torah itself to this day the world's ever-increasing multitudes of fish continued to sing this very description of the voice upon the waters which introduced the toilet through there in habitation of the Seas they constantly expressed the glory of his creator his Torah and the tranquility of those who live within its life-giving waters if you think you have already taken in Hashem greatness as revealed on earth turn towards the endless expanses of the ocean Hashem is glory and kindness for the whole world earth air and sea and painted all in brilliant color each species is uniquely fashioned according to its environment and each being is individually fed and cared for each sinks its own role in the song of existence of the universal Symphony Orchestra let this music inspire you to live with an awareness of the greatness majesty and perfect kindness of the creator and his world realize the insignificance of petty events and trivial losses in mundane life focus on what is important thank for what you understand and have faith for what you do not one day you will as for now don't stop singing live with faith and swim onwards with the tide focus your energies on your lifelong spiritual pursuits let the waters of the Torah purify you new you and make you great once you know how to swim within it you will not want to leave nourish everyday with Thole say th your soul with its wisdom and increase your spiritual wealth throughout your life the more you contemplate the deep meaning of the universe and the more Torah you absorb the more you can appreciate the beauty of the creator's voice singing upon the waters [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music]