Barbara Johnson 1

            When I ponder which are my favorites among these Malayalam-language Jewish women’s songs from Kerala, South India, I rank songs about the biblical Moses very high. Today I give you one about him as a child and another as a man of heroic leadership. Moshe is the Hebrew form of his name, and he is often referred to with respect as Moshe Rabban (Teacher Moshe) or  Moshe Rabbenu (Moses our Teacher) – making the first stanza of this song even more delightful.

These stories about him are based on the biblical Book of Exodus and related stories from Midrash (post-biblical Hebrew commentary on the Bible).  In both of the following songs, each line is sung twice.  

                       Baby Moses Taken from the Water

1. Creator God made a decree for little Moshe Rabban.
It came at just the right time to save baby Moshe Rabban. 


2. His mother carried the box safely down to the stream.
Floating down in the stream, there went that good square box.


3. The box was closed very well, so it would not open up.
Just as the royal maids went down to the river to bathe,


4. The box came straight to the maids on the palace riverbank.
When it arrived at their feet, together they opened the box.


5. The princess then lifted the son! To the palace together they went.
When she nurtured him there, rocking and feeding him


6. The power of discernment was given; the Strong God made him wise.
The God of Strength gave strength to the precious little child.


7. With the Strong God’s help, Moshe got wisdom and strength.
He had the greatest power of anyone born on the earth —


8. Even more strength than the men who dwelled in the wilderness.
So great was the strength of Moshe, equaled only by God!
            A typical Kerala setting is provided for this story of how the infant Moses was saved and brought up by the daughter of Pharoah, the ruler of Egypt  (Exodus 2:3–10).  The coast of Kerala is famous for its “backwaters”—a vast network of navigable lagoons, inlets, and slow-moving streams, created by the interaction of ocean waves and currents with the many rivers that flow down from inland mountains known as the Western Ghats. With numerous homes and villages located on the banks of these inter-connected backwaters, it is easy to imagine little Moshe’s mother carefully placing him in a closed box and setting him adrift on one of the slow-moving streams, to save him from Pharoah’s edict that all the Jewish male babies in his kingdom should be killed.
       A group of trees by a river AI-generated content may be incorrect.
It is also easy to imagine one of the large rivers as the site of a royal palace, where the princess and her royal maids were bathing on the riverbank when little Moshe came floating by.
    A group of palm trees by a river AI-generated content may be incorrect.
      According to Midrash, the princess herself nursed Baby Moses, caressing him constantly (stanza 5), and in his childhood, he became extraordinarily wise and large (stanzas 6, 7, 8).
            The lyrics for this very popular song were found in many of the old Malayalam notebooks; and it was recorded by women from three different Jewish communities, sung like a lullaby to a very soothing melody.
………………………….
In contrast, another song about Moses is sung forcefully, to a melody more like a march.  It recounts with high drama how the adult Moshe led the Jewish people to safety – through the miraculous parting of the Red Sea – to escape from Pharoah and leave behind their bondage in Egypt. This story from Exodus chapter 14 is featured in the yearly celebration of Passover.
                     Redeemed from Egypt
1. Just as from Egypt You saved us,
So now, we pray you, redeem us.


2. Just as sinless Moshe led us,
As in procession he led us,


3. As we were all led together
With pillars of fire before us,


4. Pharaoh took up his sword
And tied his sword to his waist.


5. Then he was drowned by the Wise God,
Drowned in the depths of the sea.


6. As they were going together,
They met up with fanatic Pharaoh.


7. Seeing, they stared so intently,
Seeing, they cried out in terror,


8. Seeing, they were so frightened,
They cried out loudly to Moshe:


9. “How can I deal with this sorrow?
What? Shall I never have joy?”


10. There in God’s Holy Presence,
Moshe beheld their sorrow.


11. He led this dejected People;
He led them over the sea.


12. The other People were drowned,
Drowned in the depth of the sea.


13. Great God, you are the One!
In our time redeem us, we pray.
 Translations by Barbara C. Johnson & Tzipporah (Venus) Lane
                                                                                            Photos by Barbara Johnson, 1977 & 2006