“And now write for yourselves this song…”

[Devarim 31:19]

“The Torah refers to itself as a ‘Song’ (Shirah). Why is Torah called Shirah?

Rav Herzog once gave the following explanation: In virtually all fields of study, a person who is uninitiated in that discipline does not derive any pleasure from hearing a theory or an insight concerning that field of study.

However, this is not the case with music. When Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is played — regardless of whether one is a concertmaster or a plain simple person — there is something one can get out of it. Music is something that everyone on his or her own level can enjoy.

On one hand, someone can be a great Talmid Chochom [Torah Scholar] and learn ‘Bereishis Barah Elokim…’ [the first three words of the Torah] and see great wisdom therein. On the other hand, one can be a five-year-old child, just beginning to read, and learn ‘Bereishis Barah Elokim…’ and also gain something from it. Every person, on his own level, can have an appreciation for Torah. Therefore, the pasuk aptly refers to Torah when it says ‘And now, write for yourselves this ‘song’…”