THE SONG OF THE CRANE
The crane sings of how a person should express Hashem’s full spectrum of praise – as much as we can comprehend.
[Song 37] Crane (Ch. 4)
עָגוּר אוֹמֵר. הוֹדוּ לַיי בְּכִנּוֹר בְּנֵבֶל עָשׂוֹר זַמְּרוּ לוֹ: (תהילים לג ב)
The Crane is saying, “Give thanks to Hashem with the lyre, make music for him with the ten-stringed harp.”
Commentary
The beautiful crane is the tallest and one of the highest flying of all birds, and its
calls can be heard kilometers away. It is highly vocal and capable of emitting a
wide variety of sounds, sometimes as part of an intricate group dance.
It sings to laud Hashem with every aspect of His praise, like a multiple stringed harp and lyre.
The harp is a relatively straightforward instrument to play and symbolizes the
masses who praise Him on a basic level, whereas the complex ten-stringed lyre is
the tool of individuals who rise above their brethren in their song to the Creator.3
Hashem created the universe for His glory.4 When we enjoy His kindnesses, we
thank; when we experience His wonders, we bless. Suffering leads to submission;
neediness calls for prayer. Victory over our base inclinations is a declaration of
Hashem’s kingship; recognition of failure of such arouses repentance. All are forms
of Hashem’s praise. Hashem’s Torah fills our lives with a rich variety of meaning.
We experience vibrancy and enjoyment in all we do, soaring and singing like the
crane.
LIVING WITH THE SONG
All that Hashem created was in order to praise Him. We have to realize that everything that is part of our lives is
an expression of praise. When we enjoy something we thank; when we experience an irregular event we bless.
When we are tested against our base inclination and hold out we declare Hashem the King. No element of our
lives is bereft of meaning.
We learn for the עגור to live with meaning and song. This inspiration grants vibrancy and enjoyment in all we do.
This applies particularly to prayer. Every passage in the Siddur is like another string of the harp. Only by playing
them all will the song by expressed in its full beauty.
Inspirational commentary By Shmuel Ben-Tzion Kraines author of
The Song of Existence.