"The More One Plays Music and Sings

Before you is a summary from the daily lesson as delivered by our teacher, the Rav, Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a (may he live long and good days) – yesterday after the Maariv (evening) prayer, Thursday night, the 9th of Shevat, Parshas Beshalach:

Today is Parshas Beshalach, the portion of melodies and songs. "Then Moses sang" (Exodus 15:1) – he knew all the songs that would exist until the end of all generations. Rebbe Nachman said, "I know all the songs and melodies that ever were and ever will be in this world." The more one plays music and sings, the more the prayer ascends; if a prayer is without melodies, Hashem (God) does not accept it and does not elevate it. Therefore, the women went out with dances and circles; the Midrash Gadol says that because of this, they did not sin, neither in the matter of Korach nor with the Spies. Every Tisha B'Av (the fast day mourning the Temple), the entire camp was filled with wailing; the children would scream, "Father, father, for whom are you leaving us?" 15,882 fathers died [each year in the desert]. Esau cried truthfully; he really cried because his blessings were stolen, his clothes were stolen. On Christmas, one steals gifts from another, they hide them in shoes, they hit each other, and then they say that "Santa Claus" said it. So Tisha B'Av was real. But no woman died in the desert; a woman does not sin. Hashem brought her down only so that she could help her husband learn Torah. A son throws stones from the day he is born, but a daughter does not, because she does not have the "zohamas hanachash" (the impurity of the primordial serpent). Rabbi David Oppenheimer says that women do not have the impurity of the serpent, and therefore, one who is born a son receives a hundred [blessings], but one who is born a daughter receives two hundred. The son does nothing but wander around aimlessly until three in the morning with bad friends; he understands nothing of benefit. Like one woman who knocked on the door and woke up all the neighbors; there was no electricity, and it took ten minutes until they found their slippers. The husband hears from behind the second door how he is giving a lesson on "tzniut" (modesty) to her daughter, so he told him that one child is real and the other is not. Just as it was with Rabbi Yamna: he told all the children to take an iron rod and break the tombstone [of their father], and then a "Bas Kol" (Heavenly Voice) would emerge to say to whom the inheritance belongs. One child did not come [to hit the grave out of respect], and he told them that the inheritance belongs to the one who did not come. They put him in prison; his wife came and screamed, "I had a servant, and they stripped him!" Then Rabbi Yamna released him because he resolved the matter. Regarding one who offers "Ketores" (incense) – "the stranger who approaches shall die" (Numbers 1:51). One who smokes, the police should take him away! Rebbe Nachman's entire focus is on melodies and songs. Everyone should learn the laws of "Shiluach HaKen" (sending away the mother bird) with his wife. Daughters should lengthen their skirts. Every day, holy and pure young men are being killed; there was one named Friedman who would learn all day, and he was killed at a checkpoint near Jenin. Every woman should say Tehillim (Psalms); everyone should register for "Emunat Tzion." All of you should be seminary principals; open [seminaries] in Nirim, in Nir Oz. There are still 82 hostages remaining, while in the meantime, they are releasing all the terrorists and asking that food be prepared for everyone...