The relationship between the splitting of the sea ‘tearing’ in Hebrew to finding your match lies in the ‘tearing’ of a reality that was complete. Tearing is the action that separates between two things that were previously one. The Baal Shem Tov explains that everything that happens in nature was established at the time the item was created. About the splitting of the sea it is written “And the sea returned to its strength, ‘etano’.
The Midrash states that ‘etano’ its strength has the same Hebrew letters as ‘tenao’ “its condition” meaning to say that in the beginning of creating the sea G-d made a condition with it to split for the children of Israel. “I command you to split but you must go back to your original state. That’s the condition.” Therefore from then until today, the splitting has the desire to go back to its original state as it was created, whole and complete.
Just as splitting the sea is against nature so is finding a match.
After the sea was split to two, it immediately desires to revert back into one, to reunite with the water that separated from it. So too with finding a match; G-d created man and his wife as one integral creation as it says, “male and female he created them”. So what happened? When the souls need to go down into the world they get torn away from one another and enter the world as a half soul: Half to this set of parents, and half to the other set of parents. Ever since the day of their heavenly separation they long to become reunited and to become complete again.
But one moment! The Talmud says that 40 days before conception a voice in heaven calls out the daughter of ploni is for ploni” (ploni = Mr. X, John Doe), his future wife is already preordained before conception. So how is it that at the same time we say that “Finding a match for a man is difficult like splitting the sea”?
The Baal Shem Tov explains that indeed a person’s spouse is preordained just as his livelihood which is also “difficult like splitting the sea”. However the ‘conditions’ of the sea returning to its state of wholeness is dependent on the person’s merits. Sometimes a person’s actions can cause a disconnection from what originally was meant to be.
The song at the splitting of the sea was said in a mighty happening, exalted and emotional when all of Israel clearly saw the great wonder of the sea splitting. Specifically at a time when it seems there was no natural way out, that’s when this great miracle happened.
That is why there is a custom to say it in a special prayer twice a year, once before Tu BeShvat (which is Shabbat Shira this year) and on the 7th day of Pesach the day the splitting of the sea took place, as a segulah to find ones mate.
Some say it should be said 40 days straight with concentration, happiness and in tune. Saying it in such a manner, cuts down bad decrees (Zemer- song also means to cut down) and causes a great outpouring of goodness from G-d into his life even after he finds his soulmate.
Here are the words in Hebrew:
(ב) עָזִּי וְזִמְרָת יָהּ וַיְהִי לִי לִישׁוּעָה זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ אֱלֹהֵי אָבִי וַאֲרֹמֲמֶנְה:
(ג) יְהֹוָה אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה יְהֹוָה שְׁמוֹ:
(ד) מַרְכְּבֹת פַּרְעֹה וְחֵילוֹ יָרָה בַיָּם וּמִבְחַר שָׁלִשָׁיו טֻבְּעוּ בְיַם סוּף:
(ה) תְּהֹמֹת יְכַסְיֻמוּ יָרְדוּ בִמְצוֹלֹת כְּמוֹ אָבֶן:
(ו) יְמִינְךָ יְהֹוָה נֶאְדָּרִי בַּכֹּחַ יְמִינְךָ יְהֹוָה תִּרְעַץ אוֹיֵב:
(ז) וּבְרֹב גְּאוֹנְךָ תַּהֲרֹס קָמֶיךָ תְּשַׁלַּח חֲרֹנְךָ יֹאכְלֵמוֹ כַּקַּשׁ:
(ח) וּבְרוּחַ אַפֶּיךָ נֶעֶרְמוּ מַיִם נִצְּבוּ כְמוֹ נֵד נֹזְלִים קָפְאוּ תְהֹמֹת בְּלֶב יָם:
(ט) אָמַר אוֹיֵב אֶרְדֹּף אַשִּׂיג אֲחַלֵּק שָׁלָל תִּמְלָאֵמוֹ נַפְשִׁי אָרִיק חַרְבִּי תּוֹרִישֵׁמוֹ יָדִי:
(י) נָשַׁפְתָּ בְרוּחֲךָ כִּסָּמוֹ יָם צָלֲלוּ כַּעוֹפֶרֶת בְּמַיִם אַדִּירִים:
(יא) מִי כָמֹכָה בָּאֵלִם יְהֹוָה מִי כָּמֹכָה נֶאְדָּר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ נוֹרָא תְהִלֹּת עֹשֵׂה פֶלֶא:
(יב) נָטִיתָ יְמִינְךָ תִּבְלָעֵמוֹ אָרֶץ:
(יג) נָחִיתָ בְחַסְדְּךָ עַם זוּ גָּאָלְתָּ נֵהַלְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ אֶל נְוֵה קָדְשֶׁךָ:
(יד) שָׁמְעוּ עַמִּים יִרְגָּזוּן חִיל אָחַז ישְׁבֵי פְּלָשֶׁת:
(טו) אָז נִבְהֲלוּ אַלּוּפֵי אֱדוֹם אֵילֵי מוֹאָב יֹאחֲזֵמוֹ רָעַד נָמֹגוּ כֹּל ישְׁבֵי כְנָעַן:
(טז) תִּפֹּל עֲלֵיהֶם אֵימָתָה וָפַחַד בִּגְדֹל זְרוֹעֲךָ יִדְּמוּ כָּאָבֶן עַד יַעֲבֹר עַמְּךָ יְהֹוָה עַד יַעֲבֹר עַם זוּ קָנִיתָ:
(יז) תְּבִאֵמוֹ וְתִטָּעֵמוֹ בְּהַר נַחֲלָתְךָ מָכוֹן לְשִׁבְתְּךָ פָּעַלְתָּ יְהֹוָה מִקְּדָשׁ אֲדֹנָי כּוֹנֲנוּ יָדֶיךָ:
(יח) יְהֹוָה יִמְלֹךְ לְעֹלָם וָעֶד:
(יט) כִּי בָא סוּס פַּרְעֹה בְּרִכְבּוֹ וּבְפָרָשָׁיו בַּיָּם וַיָּשֶׁב יְהֹוָה עֲלֵהֶם אֶת מֵי הַיָּם וּבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הָלְכוּ בַיַּבָּשָׁה בְּתוֹךְ הַיָּם:
(כ) וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַתֹּף בְּיָדָהּ וַתֵּצֶאןָ כָל הַנָּשִׁים אַחֲרֶיהָ בְּתֻפִּים וּבִמְחֹלֹת:
וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם שִׁירוּ לַיהֹוָה כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם: