Parsha Beshalach
Is it possible to understand the mysteries of the Torah and Tenakh today? With all the “enlightened” groups who claim certification for their knowledge of the truth, how can we really be sure? Jewish sages and Christian scholars have their approaches to truth. But are these trustworthy? How can anyone find anything?
If a purely scriptural approach is taken to understanding the Torah, using only the work of the prophets of Tenakh as commentaries, with a basic understanding of the original language, I believe that we will have a better understanding of the truths that were written long ago that still serve for our guidance today. History can at times be a reliable resource as long as it coincides with the sacred words of Tenakh. Much of what is claimed as history has been recreated by atheist scientists and evolutionists who have no use for the Creator of the Universe.
So let us plunge into some things written in the Parsha of the week, Exodus 13:17-17:16– Beshalach, named for the word in the first verse which means “sent out.”
We see the Children of Israel on their last day in the land of Egypt heading towards the Yam Suf–Sea of Reeds (today the Red Sea or Gulf of Aqaba). The reason the Torah gives for their journey to the Yam Suf is that God did not want them to see war which would have happened if they traveled through the land of the Philistines. This is interesting when we see the way they were placed into an apparent trap where Egypt could have easily done away with them or forced them to return to slavery. But יהוה did not want them to “see war” and that to me says He did not want them to fight a war, but that He wanted to fight for them in a clearly miraculous deliverance where He would completely destroy the armies of Egypt including Pharoah himself. And God wanted the credit for this. Israel could never say that they were delivered by their own hand. They were to be dependent on the Eternal and eventually learn to work with him, the human with the divine. Yet they were not ready…YET. And in this same parsha there is war, later with Amalek, and it is significant but that is for another time.
Many lessons can be learned from this telling of Israel’s escape from slavery. It was definitely a process of the mind. How does anyone go from being a slave to being a king? Examples of this in history, of tribes overcoming other tribes invariably show that a group of slaves will enslave everyone else when they come into power and this is precisely what God did NOT want to happen. His people were to be different, they were to be a just people, a light to the nations, a people able to rule the world under the supervision of the Almighty, to rule in equity and create Shalom. But Israel was not ready for that and unfortunately we are still not ready to take the lead in these matters. We are still allowing the nations to decide much of what we do as a nation. But let’s not lose the story of Beshalach.
Israel is camped at the shores of Yam Suf at “Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea”. Moshe has been told by יהוה that this situation is what will inspire Pharoah to go in after them (vs 3) for they will appear “trapped in the land.” When Israel sees that Pharoah is after them again with “all his horses and chariots”, the Torah says that they “were very frightened.” It also is the first time they claim it better to be slaves in Egypt than to die in the Wilderness.
But the view of Hashem here is a merciful God that understands the fears of His people. They were really just babes here, barely rescued from slavery by the last horrible plague which caused Pharoah to release them. God does not want them to do anything but to wait and see His salvation. Moshe says:
“Do not fear! Stand fast and see the salvation of יהוה that He will perform today, for as you have seen Egypt today, you shall not see them ever again! יהוה shall make war for you and you SHALL REMAIN SILENT.” Ex 14:13-14 (Note, there is no suggestion that Israel is going to do something on their own.)
There is a famous midrash used here about Nahshon a leader of the tribe of Judah. He supposedly rushes into the sea up to his nostrils before the waters part, but this is not what the Torah says, and in fact it is very misleading. It stands in the way of the truth about what the Almighty wants to teach us about the process of release from slavery. We must see that Israel was not ready to go ahead for many years, in fact 40 more years in the wilderness, when they finally step into the waters of the Jordan before they part.
So what happens now?
Moshe is commanded to stretch out his rod over the sea, but when does this happen, lets follow the story:
“Then יהוה said to Moshe, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea on dry ground. And I will stiffen the hearts of the Egyptians so that they go in after them; and I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his warriors, his chariots, and his riders.” Ex 14:15-17.
Notice here that it seems that יהוה is saying that they go forward immediately, but this is a preview of what is actually going to happen after the seabed becomes dry through the strong east wind that comes up.
So what comes first? It is as if יהוה tells Moshe what is going to happen, and then tells what happens. The events start in verse 19.
The pillar of cloud which has led the Israelites on their journey as a warm light at night and a shadow against the heat of the day, now moves itself to the back of the camp along with the Angel of Elohim, between Israel and the armies of Egypt.
“The messenger (Angel) of God, who had been going ahead of the Israelite army, now moved and followed behind them; and the pillar of cloud shifted from in front of them and took up a place behind them” vs 19
“and it came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. Thus there was the cloud with the darkness, and it cast a spell upon the night, so that the one could not come near the other all through the night.” vs 20
Egypt had experienced a spell of darkness earlier in the 9th plague. This happens again here so that they cannot come near to Israel. I wonder what they were thinking–-”hmmm…maybe we should get the hell outta here”…?)
“THEN Moshe held out his arm over the sea and יהוה drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night, and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split, and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.” vs 21-22.
Notice the order of events lined up in the literal Torah reading. Nobody rushed into the water before the seabed was dried up. So much for Nahshon and his adventures!
And then Egypt pursues the Israelites into the sea, their chariot wheels come off and when they are well into the midst of the sea they are all drowned by the water which comes crashing down over them from the great walls on either side! What audacity! To think you can trick the Most High into letting you capture that which He has set free! What stupidity and blind obedience to Egypt and it’s sorcery!
But what is the story saying about the plans and mercy of יהוה? How much mercy was shown to Isreal in their own blind disbelief which is shown to be the result of serving Mitzraim! God was saying, don’t do anything! You would just mess it up! Just sit there and wait for me to do something stupendous!
It was not at all about human effort. The only thing Israel was to do was to get up and walk when the seabed became dry enough to pass over. Yes! It took some emunah on their part, but basically there was no alternative other than face death at the hands of the Egyptians. There is a dry escape path ahead, already prepared for them. Yes there are towering walls of water on each side, but what the heck, let’s MOVE forward!
After the experiences of the 10 plagues, the protection of the Almighty clearly providing everything for them, it would be nigh impossible to refuse to move forward. It was just a tiny tiny babystep that was required of them and they obeyed. As Israel gathered together on the far banks of the Yam Suf and Moshe stretched out his rod one more time, they saw their enemies for the last time, “dead on the seashore.”
“Thus יהוה delivered Israel that day from the Egyptians. Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea. And when Israel saw the wondrous power which יהוה had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared יהוה; they had faith in יהוה and in God’s servant Moses.” Ex. 14:30-31
And then they sang!
Halleluyah!
Ariella Tiqvah
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