In the Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 39b the verse in Exodus 14:20, ולא קרב זה אל זה כל הלילה (“they did not approach one another the whole night”) as teaching that the administering angels wanted to sing before God but God did not let them come together for this purpose. He told them, ‘The work of my hands are drowning in the sea and you want sing praises?’

The Talmud is teaching that God cares for all his creatures. And even if the Egyptians tried to kill His beloved Israel and they therefore had to be destroyed, do not think that God is happy about this. He still loves all his creatures, even those who are wicked. And therefore our joy in victory must be mitigated by awareness of the life that was lost on both sides.

This Talmudic lesson can be contrasted with the how the Midrash understands the verse. In Shmot Rabba 23:7 we find almost the same explanation, except that God’s reason for not allowing the angels to sing is different. He tells them, ‘My legions are still in peril and you want to sing my praises?’ This is a very different reason. Here God is exclusively concerned with the welfare of his nation, Israel. It is ok to sing praises to God about the Israelite victory, but only after the danger is completely past.

We can learn that the Rabbis at different times were sensitive to each of these concerns.  On the one hand we cannot be without mercy for our enemies even if their goal is our destruction, but that mercy should not prevent us from finishing the job of our own salvation.  Sometimes Gods creatures have to be destroyed, but we need to mourn that loss or else we become that much less human.

-Nachum Danzig