Song from a Straightened Heart
אז ישיר כו' שנתעוררו בחי' שירה שיש בכל נברא כמ"ש בפרק שירה כו'.
“Then he sang…,” meaning that they awakened the aspect of song that exists in every created being, as stated in Perek Shirah.
The Sefat Emet explains that song is embedded in all creation, but it becomes revealed only when awakened by human spiritual activity.
וכ"ז תלוי בעבודת האדם.
And all of this depends upon the service performed by a person.
The revelation of creation’s innate song is contingent on one’s inner spiritual work.
[כמ"ש במ"א]: אשירה לה' כי גאה גאה.
As written elsewhere: “I will sing to the Lord, for He is exalted above the exalted.”
This verse frames the nature of true song: it arises from recognizing God’s supreme exaltedness.
פי' איך יוכל אדם לשיר לפניו ית'. רק כפי מה שיודע שכל הגבהות הוא להש"י.
The explanation: How can a person sing before the Blessed One? Only to the extent that he knows that all exaltedness belongs solely to God.
A person can sing only when he understands that any elevation or greatness he senses ultimately belongs to God alone.
גם מה שנמצא התנשאות באדם צדיק. היא גאות ה'.
Even the sense of uplift found in a righteous person is the exaltedness of God.
Whatever spiritual elevation a tzaddik feels is not personal pride but a manifestation of divine greatness.
כפי אמיתית ידיעה זו יוכל להשתמש בגבהות כמ"ש ויגבה לבו כו'.
In accordance with this true knowledge, one may make use of exaltedness, as it is said: “And his heart was uplifted…”
Only with the awareness that the elevation comes from God may a person properly channel an uplifted heart toward divine service.
כי שירה א"י לומר רק ע"י התרוממות הלב.
For song can be expressed only through uplift of the heart.
Song is not merely vocal; it requires an inner rising of the heart.
וזה ע"י שידעו באמת כי גאה גאה כנ"ל.
And this comes through truly knowing that He is exalted above the exalted, as mentioned above.
The inner elevation needed for song depends on deep recognition of God’s supreme exaltedness.
ושירה היא אחר התישרות לב האדם.
And song comes after a person’s heart has been straightened.
Song requires an inward alignment—straightness of heart—before its expression becomes possible.
וכן שמעתי מאדמו"ר א"ז ז"ל ולישרי לב שמחה שע"י ישרת הלב בא שמחה.
And so I heard from my holy grandfather, of blessed memory: “To the upright of heart, joy”—for through the straightness of the heart, joy comes.
The Sefat Emet cites his grandfather: true joy flows from integrity and alignment of the heart.
ואחר שנגאלו מכל אשר עבר עליהם.
And after they were redeemed from all that had befallen them…
Israel’s straightening of heart came only after complete redemption from their suffering.
ונתיישר להם דרך הש"י.
And the path of God became straightened for them.
They perceived clearly the divine path guiding their journey.
והבינו מה שנהג אותם הש"י מתחילה ועד סוף.
And they understood how God had led them from beginning to end.
Only after redemption did they recognize the full arc of divine guidance.
וזה לשון שירה כמו שור שהוא קו הישר [וכן בניגון] שמתאחד עלי' וירידה ונק' שירה.
And this is the expression “shirah,” like “shor,” meaning a straight line; and likewise in melody, where ascent and descent are unified, and this is called song.
The term “song” implies a straight, unified line—just as melody integrates rising and falling into one harmonious movement.
Summary: Song arises when the heart becomes aligned, elevated through recognition of God’s true exaltedness. Redemption enabled Israel to perceive divine guidance fully, awakening the innate song present in all creation.