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Va'eira: Zemer of The Week

עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ – “We Were Slaves”
 
עֲבָדִים הָיִינוּ לְפַרְעֹה בְּמִצְרָיִם,
We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, (From the Haggadah for Pesach)
 
Parshat Va’eira describes the beginning of the active redemption, which we relive at the Pesach Seder (and can preview this week!):
  • God reveals His covenantal promise to the Avot.
  • The first plagues strike Egypt.
  • Pharaoh’s power is challenged for the first time.
  • The Israelites begin to move from despair toward hope.
“Avadim Hayinu” captures this turning point:
  • It begins with the reality of slavery — “We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt.”
  • It emphasizes that redemption is God-driven and purposeful — “God took us out with a strong hand and an outstretched arm.”
  • It highlights that the Exodus is not just a historical event, but the foundation of Jewish identity across generations.
 
If you want a traditional zemer:
 
The zemer for this week: דרור יקרא
 
Chazan Brian Baruch Shamash version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXyAgpzNW4k
Fun Maccabeats version (to tune of “Cups”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckldVU9dGcc
 
This zemer was written more than 1,000 years ago by Donash ben Labrat, the father of Sephardic Hebrew poetry. A student of Rav Saadiah Gaon, he also wrote Dvai Hasair, the preface to Birkat Hamazon at weddings, and his work on word roots and definitions is often quoted by Rashi. (His first name is the acrostic formed by the first letters of the four lines of each of the first, second, third, and last stanzas of Dror Yikra.) The zemer begs Hashem to protect Bnei Yisrael, to destroy its enemies, and to bring peace and redemption to it.
 
Central elements of this parsha include Moshe and Ahron approaching Par’oh to perform Hashem’s signs and to demand the release of Bnei Yisrael, and Hashem’s performing the initial plagues.
 
Some of the connections to the parsha:
  • First two words (and zemer name): “דרור יקרא” (“freedom shall He proclaim”) – Hashem declared to Moshe – and asked him to declare to Par’oh – that He would take Bnei Yisrael out of Mitzrayim (Shemot 6:11).
    • Second line of second stanza: “ואות ישע עשה עמי ” (“and a sign of salvation perform for me”) – Hashem showed Moshe and Ahron signs, such as turning the staff to a snake, which would be the “אות” (sign) that salvation was on its way (Shemot 7:9).
  • Last line of second stanza: “שעה שועת בני עמי” (“turn to the outcry of the members of my people”) – In part, Hashem’s taking Bnei Yisrael from Mitzrayim was in response to their calling out to him amidst the hard work (initially in Shemot 2:23-24, in our parsha in Shemot 6:5).
  • Opening of fifth paragraph: “הדוך קמי ק־ל קנא, במוג לבב” (“Crush my foes, G-d Who is jealous, with melting of the heart”) – Each plague helped crush the Egyptians in a new way, and would have led to a premature softening of Par’oh’s heart if not for Hashem intervening to harden it.
    • Last line of fourth stanza: “כמי נהר” (“like the waters of the river”) – For instance, the first plague struck the waters of the Nile river (Shemot 7:17).