Seeing the Hand of G-d
Parshas
Beshalach
Posted on January 21, 2013 (5773) By
Rabbi Berel Wein | Series: Rabbi Wein
| Level: Beginner
The miracles performed
by G-d through Moshe and Aharon, the apex of which is reached in this week’s
parsha by the splitting of Yam Suf (Red Sea) and the final deliverance of the
Jewish people from the oppression of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. We are then
further witness to the miracle of the manna falling six times a week to sustain
the Jewish people in the Sinai desert and the ongoing miracle of water supplied
to millions in that arid climate.
With all this, the
Jewish people are trained and accustomed to a completely miraculous
supernatural existence and way of life. They are, to a certain extent, lulled
into believing that this is always the way things will be. Their passive role
in all of these events is somehow the norm that will always be expected of
them.
In the name of G-d, Moshe told them at the
Yam Suf that G-d would fight their battle with Pharaoh and that they might
remain quiet and passive in the ensuing struggle. It is this experience of
constant visible and recognizable Divine intervention on their behalf, during
the forty year span of residing in the desert of Sinai, that makes preparation
for entry into the Land of Israel so difficult , as we will read later in the
Torah.
A dependent society that is accustomed only to supernatural
intervention will find it difficult to suddenly change and become self-reliant
and independent. From this vantage point of practical living, the rabbis of the
Talmud constantly reminded us not to rely solely on miracles.
Through the long and bitter centuries of Jewish exile amongst
the Christian and Moslem nations of the world, the Jewish people somehow
survived – barely so, but survive we did – in nothing short of a miraculous
fashion. Powerless and defenseless, despised, hated and ridiculed, Jews
nevertheless persevered, convinced that Divine intervention would somehow
guarantee their continuance – individually and nationally.
Because of this enforced condition of passivity, Jews waited
for supernatural deliverance from their plight. The hand of G-d, so to speak,
acting almost invisibly and through seemingly natural forces and occurrences in
the last century, changed these dynamics of Jewish life. Passivity now gave way
to activity and great human effort and sacrifice.
G-d’s miracles were
always present with us but much of the Jewish nation girded its loins to
struggle on its own for independence, self-reliance and national realization.
The fact that these efforts proved successful is itself nothing short of
miraculous. Viewing the Jewish world at the beginning of the twentieth century,
who could have imagined what that Jewish world would look like a scant one
hundred years later.
There are those who
refuse to see the hand of G-d, so to speak, in these remarkable events. And
there are those who refuse to see that positive human effort and initiative
were necessary to bring this wonder about. But the truth is that both factors
were and are present in the events of Jewish life today and will continue to be
so in our immediate future as well.
Shabat shalom.
Rabbi Berel Wein
Like a GPS
Parshas
Beshalach
Posted on February 2, 2012 (5772) By
Rabbi Label Lam | Series: Dvar Torah
| Level: Beginner
It happened when
Pharaoh sent out the people that G-d did not lead them by the way of the land
of the Philistines, because it was near, for G-d said, “Perhaps the people will
reconsider when they see a war, and they will return to Egypt.” So G-d turned
the people toward the way of the Wilderness of the Sea of Reeds…HASHEM went
before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way, and by night
in a pillar of fire to give them light, so they could travel day and night.
HASHEM spoke to Moshe saying, “Speak to the Children of Israel and let them
turn back and encamp before Pi-ahirot, between Migdol and the sea, before
Baal-tzephon you shall encamp before opposite it by the sea. Pharaoh will say
of the Children of Israel, ‘They are imprisoned in the land; the Wilderness has
locked them in!’ I will harden the heart of Pharaoh and he will pursue them,
and I will be glorified through Pharaoh and his entire army, and Egypt will
know I am HASHEM!” And so they did! (Shemos 13:17-22 and 14:1-4)
Here we have the
unfolding of an ultra-dramatic “chase seen” which we know ends well. We are
granted a perfect insight into the strategic thinking that spared the Children
of Israel from frightening disappointment and how Pharaoh was misled and lured
into the trap of thinking the Children of Israel were blundering when they were
really under strict super supervision and surveillance at every step. We the
reading audience have the best human seat in the house to enjoy the ultimate of
theatrics.
It’s clear to us that
the Children of Israel were not really lost and floundering in the Wilderness,
but to the earthly human observer, like the participants such as the Children
of Israel and Pharaoh and his army it sure felt and looked just the opposite.
Maybe that’s why it takes not just a poetic soul but a prophetic soul like
Dovid to declare with confidence, “HASHEM is my shepherd, (therefore) I lack
nothing! (Tehillim 23:1)
I remember it like
yesterday although it was more than 31 years ago. It was at an Aufruf at
Yeshiva Ohr Somayach in Monsey before the development of their beautiful
sprawling campus. We were all crammed into the Beis Midrash for the Kiddush.
Michael, the
Chosson-groom was captivating the listeners in the room with his tale of how he
ended up at Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem where his eyes were opened to up the
excitement of Torah life. He and his companion Debra had completed their
doctorates in family counseling, although they were not married, and they
decided to travel throughout Europe before settling down to practice.
While in France,
Michael explained, they met a little old man on a bicycle who asked them why
they are here in France and asserted that they should go to Israel which was
not in their plans at all. When they reached Greece where the Mediterranean Sea
makes Israel accessible they altered their course and set sail for Israel.
While they were traveling in the north of Israel, in the mystical artsy area of
Sefad they were confronted by another little old man on a bicycle who suggested
strongly that they go to Jerusalem and look into a Yeshiva and discover their
heritage.
At that moment one of
the most charmingly humorous and utterly elegant lines I’ve ever heard were
uttered by Reb Nota Schiller the Dean of Ohr Somayach Jerusalem who was sitting
there listening with his arm draped around the back of the chair of Joe
Tannenbaum zl a true giant of generosity and Jewish philanthropy. Rabbi
Schiller said to Mr. Tannenbaum in a tone just audibly enough for the
assembled, “Joe, you don’t know how
expensive it is to put these little men on bicycles all over the world!”
Michael and Debra came
to Jerusalem, based again on the suggestion of a little old man on a bicycle.
He checked into Ohr Somayach, and she into Neve Yerushelaim from curiosity at
first. Their touring ended right then and there but their journey had just
begun. After a while they were reintroduced. Now they have a wonderful Jewish
family.
What looks like a
confusion to the casual observer and what feels like chaos to the protagonist
may very well be a well-orchestrated and finely directed play. On stage there
are all types of actors guiding and prodding each player to their destination
just like a GPS.
DvarTorah, Copyright
© 2007 by Rabbi Label Lam and Torah.org.
A Cry from the Heart
Parshas
Beshalach
Fear is not a rational
thing. Even when the mind knows perfectly well that there is absolutely no
danger, sinister shadows strike fear into the heart. As the Jewish people
emerging from Egypt saw Pharaoh and his army in pursuit, what should have been
their logical reaction?
They had seen the ten
plagues demonstrate the utter powerlessness of the Egyptians to withstand the
will of Hashem. They had been liberated from centuries of bondage without
lifting a finger in their own defense. What danger then did this pursuing army
pose? Clearly, there was none.
And yet, the Jewish
people were terrified. As the fearsome Egyptian chariots surged towards them,
they may have understood intellectually that Hashem would render their enemies
harmless before they could inflict any damage. But they could not stop
themselves from being overcome by a terrible fear. They cried out to Hashem in
desperation, and they maligned Moses for having taken them out of Egypt to
perish violently beside the sea.
Beleaguered, Moses
tried to reassure the panicked people. “Do not be afraid,” he called out to
them. “Stand by and watch Hashem save you. Never again shall you have to see
these Egyptians.”.
Just then, Hashem said
to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the people to get under way.”
The question
immediately arises: If Moses was trying to reassure the terrified Jewish people
that they were about to witness the climax of the Egyptian downfall, why did he
himself cry out to Hashem? Hadn’t his reassurances come from a profound inner
conviction?
Moreover, observe the
commentators, we only learn that Moses cried out because Hashem reproved him
for it. Why is there no explicit mention in the Torah of Moses crying out to
Hashem?
The commentators
explain that Moses’s prayer was not the result of a conscious decision to plead
with Hashem. He already knew that the salvation of the Jewish people was
assured. Rather, it was a reflex reaction, a spontaneous outburst of
supplication in response to the very real distress of the people. Because of
his intense love for the Jewish people, Moses could not separate himself from
their emotional condition. As the quintessential leader, he felt the anguish of
his people, and he responded in kind.
For this reason, the
Torah makes no mention of Moses standing in prayer, since it was not something
he had intended to do. But he did it nonetheless, and Hashem chided him for
praying when he should be taking bold action.
A man once came to a doctor with a
splinter deeply imbedded in his hand. The doctor saw that the hand had become
swollen and infected.
“Now listen, my good fellow,” said the
doctor. “This is going to be quite painful, and I need you to sit perfectly
still.”
The man nodded, squeezed his eyes shut,
gritted his teeth and began to tap compulsively on the floor with his feet.
The doctor laid out his instruments,
swabbed the puncture clean and began to dig for the splinter.
Suddenly, the doctor jumped back and
screamed, “Ouch!”
The man’s eyes flew open, and his foot
tapping came to an immediate halt. “I’m so sorry, doctor,” he said. “What did I
do? Did I step on your foot? I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it,” said the
doctor. “You didn’t do anything at all. When I pulled out the splinter, I knew
how much pain it was causing you, and I couldn’t stop myself from crying out.”
In our own lives, we very often see the anguish of others, be
they family, friends, acquaintances or even people in the news, and our first
tendency is to be judgmental. If these tortured souls were responsible for
their own anguish through negligence or foolishness, we may sometimes shut them
out of our minds and say, “They brought it on themselves. They should have
known better.” Indeed. But the Torah expects a higher degree of sensitivity.
The Torah expects us to empathize with people in distress under all
circumstances, to feel their pain, to be inspired to help them out of their
predicaments. For in Hashem’s eyes, all people deserve to be helped.
Text Copyright © 2010
by Rabbi Naftali Reich and Torah.org.
Rabbi Reich is on the faculty of the Ohr Somayach
Tanenbaum Education Center
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