The peculiarities characterizing the relationship of a graceful, sustaining and forgiving Elohim with a people, who are marked by vacillation and unbelief, are very evident in Parashat B’shalach. This makes the current Parasha a most suitable introduction to this relationship, foreshadowing that which will continue to transpire for many generations to come. The opening words, referring to Par’oh's release of the Israelites, without attributing it to YHVH, have been called into question. However, since in the process of negotiating with Par’oh the term "let go" ("sh.l.ch", literally to “send or send off") is used time and again (seven, to be exact) and to no avail, the opening words of this Parasha point out that (ultimately) the ruling king is compelled, "willy nilly", to do just that.1. This is especially so, since we noticed last week that it was incumbent (legally) for Par’oh to let the Hebrews go, in an act which signified a divorce-like separation. Right after the "sending" it says that, "Elohim did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines" (13:17 emphasis added). "Lead" here is "nacham", of the root n.ch.h (noon, chet, hey). The same verb is used again, in verse 21, where it says that, "YHVH was going before them, in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them ["lan'chotam"] on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night". In Moshe’s Song (15:13) he specifies further, saying (literally), "by Your grace you led the people…" (using the same verb). This root is also used in “satisfaction” or “peace” (e.g. Pro. 29:9), while the root n.o.ch, which is a related root, means “rest”. Thus YHVH’s guidance and leading of His people during the entire wilderness journey, including the events described here, promise to be marked by these qualities. Interestingly, a potential encounter with the Philistines caused YHVH to take Yisrael in a round about way, even though they “came up from the land of Egypt prepared for action [or] in martial array – chamushim” (14:18b italics added). The root ch.m.sh (chet, mem, shin) also serves the figure “five” – “chamesh” - which is thought to be the minimal number required for taking action. In a similar fashion, in about 40 years, when Yehoshua will prepare the Israelites to go into the Promised Land, he will adjure the two and a half tribes (Reuven, Gad and half of Menashe): "... you shall pass before your brethren armed..." (Joshua 1:14). The Hebrew for "armed" here is "chamushim", thus echoing the departure from Mitzrayim.
The next
phase wherein the Children of Yisrael find themselves 'between a rock and a
hard place' (14:2, 3), forms an inseparable part of YHVH's plan for them.
However, the names of the sites cannot be ignored. “Pi Hahirot (Ha’chirot) ….
opposite Baal Zephon (Tz’fon)”, reads very closely to “Pi Ha’cherut” – which is
the “mouth” or “opening” of liberty, while “tz’fon” can be easily read as tzafon
which is north. According to Isaiah 14:13b, the ends of the north is where
Lucifer aspires to sit. Thus the “opening of liberty”, on one hand, and “Baal”
and “north” on the other seem to indicate spiritual warfare (see Psalm 23:5,
“You prepare a table before in the presence of my enemies”). Is this why we
read above that the sons of Yisrael came out
of Egypt “in martial array”? Yet, had they been told at that time, “…be
strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole
armor of Elohim that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”
(Ephesians 6:10-11), it would have been to no avail…
YHVH
intends to be "honored – ve’eka’veda’ - through Pharaoh" (ref.
14:4). "Honor" (and "glory" too) here, and in most
other places is "kavod", meaning "weightiness"
or "heaviness". In verses 17 and 18 YHVH repeats the
principle, "…then the Egyptians will know that I am YHVH, when I am honored -
ve’eka’veda - through Pharaoh, through his chariots and his
horsemen" (emphasis added). A little later YHVH "caused their chariot
wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty…"
literally "with heaviness" - "bich'vedoot"
(v. 25, emphasis added). This is indeed an intriguing usage of the figurative
and literal manifestation of the "glory" and "honor" of the
Elohim of Yisrael, who is to be honored even through the heaviness of His
enemies’ chariots! But the divine irony did not end there (as we have noted in
the previous parashot where we encountered quite a few times the term “Pharaoh
hardened his heart”. Occasionally the verb used was “hach’bed” – made heavy (i.e.
harden), such as in Sh’mot (Exodus) 8:28). Thus, it was the very “heaviness” of
Par’oh’s heart (and also, proverbially, of his chariots) which brought about
“high esteem” – kavod – to the Elohim who used the enemy’s ploys for the sake
of His name. (Another reminder, looking back at the time when
Moshe was first commissioned by YHVH, his initial response was that he
“was slow of speech and slow of tongue”, which in
Hebrew is a “heavy mouth” and a “heavy tongue” - k’vad
peh, k’vad lashon. Thus by Moshe’s weakness YHVH was, once again, glorified.)
Much of
the description of the scene of the mighty deliverance (chapter 14) is echoed
in chapter 15, by what is typically known as the "Song of Moses", or
in Hebrew “Shirat Ha’Yam” – the Song of the Sea, rendering this Shabbat’s
title, the Shabbat of the Song - Shabbat Shira. But before we go there, let us
pause at the “dry land” which the children of Yisrael had crossed in 14:21. The
word used here is “charava”, instead of the more common ”yabasha”, such as in
verse 22. The root ch.r.v (chet, resh, vav), which means destruction, may have
been selected in order to point out the lot that was about to befall the
Egyptian army. The "six hundred select chariots" and
the "officers in command" of 14:7 become in 15:4
"the choicest of his officers" (when
describing their drowning). "Select" and "choicest" are
denoted by the same word, the root being b.ch.r (bet, chet, resh),
and the "officers" (in both references) are "shalishim",
which is of the root "three" – shalosh - making
them (possibly) "third in command". In 14:8 we are told that
"the sons of Yisrael came out with a lofty arm"
(literal translation), and in 15:1, "the horse and its rider was lifted into
the sea" (literal translation, emphasis added). In both instances, the
word is "rah'ma", which also means "high, exalted, lifted, lofty".
This type of repetition lends a dual dimension to the description; thus it is
YHVH's "high and lifted arm" (ref. 14:8,
emphasis added) which in this case raised high the waves
and lifted off the riders and horses, casting them
into the sea.
When the
Israelites saw the Egyptians drawing close, they became very fearful ("vayir'u",
root y.r.a – yod, resh, alef), and cried out to YHVH
(ref. 14:10). Moshe exhorts them: "Do not fear ("tir'oo",
again y.r.a), stand and watch (literally: "see",
"look at", “observe”) the salvation of YHVH" (v.
13). Moreover, while it is only the "midbar" (desert, v. 3) and the
Egyptians that their eyes were looking at and seeing (v.
10), Moshe assured them that they would “never see the
Egyptians again" (v. 13, emphasis added). "YHVH will fight for you
while you keep silent" (v. 14 italics added) is stated in
contradistinction to their "crying out" (v. 10,
italics added). And thus YHVH responds to Moshe: "Why are you crying out
to Me?" (v. 15, italics and emphasis added). Finally, after crossing the
sea and walking on dry land, the "seeing" and the "fear"
are transformed, and so we read: "Israel saw the great
power which YHVH had used against the Egyptians, and the people feared YHVH,
and they believed in YHVH and in His servant Moses" (14:31, emphases
added).
When
Moshe addressed the people in 14:13, he referred to "the salvation –
‘yeshu-ah’ - of YHVH", whereas in the song (in 15:2) YHVH
Himself is the (epitome of) salvation, as well as the very strength
and the song itself, while the “song” is called zimrah. The
latter reference to the song is reminiscent of the word used by Ya'acov in
B’resheet (Genesis) 43:11, where the "produce of the land" was described.
Although "zemer" is “song” and the verb "le'za'mer" is to
sing, another form of this verb is "lizmor", denoting
"cutting" or "pruning" (ref. Lev. 25:3). This led some of
the commentators to explain that "zimrah" is used here not as a song,
but rather as a "cutting off" (of the enemy).2
The Song
does not only employ words which echo and amplify the narrative that precedes
it, some terms are also repeated, or contrasted within the poem itself, thus
underscoring them as for example, in "this is my Elohim and I will glorify
Him…" (15:2), "I will glorify" is "an'vehu"
of the root n.v.h. (noon, vav, hey), which means "beautiful"
or "adorn", in reference to an abode. In verse 13 we read
"…You guided them [the People] to Your holy abode" -
"n'veh kodshecha". This is seen as either a reference to
Mount Sinai, the land of Yisrael, the future Temple in
Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) - or to possibly all three of them together – the
principal resting places of His Shekina Glory. 3 Thus, the combined usage of
the root n.v.h in the poem creates a collage of the Present Presence of the
Presence and indwelling of the One Who is guiding and leading His People as a
Shepherd to a resting place where He will continue to reside (among them). In
15:17 there is also a reference to the settling of the Nation in Elohim's
dwelling place and sanctuary, "mikdash", echoing “neveh kodshecha” of
verse 13 (“Your holy habitation”).
The
enemies of Yisrael, Egypt, as well as Philistia, the "chiefs of
Edom", "heads of Mo'ab" and the “inhabitants of Canaan” are
likened to "lead" and "stone" sinking into the depths, and
also to a "still stone" (15: 5, 10, 16). In verse 10, “they [sink]
like lead in the mighty waters”. “Mighty” is “adirim” (plural for
“adir”) of the root a.d.r (alef, dalet, resh) which also
stands for "majestic". It is repeated twice more here, both times
in connection with YHVH: "Your right hand YHVH is majestic in
power" (v. 6), and "who is like You, majestic in
holiness" (v.11). It is the majesty and might of YHVH which lends these
very properties to the “waters” (of the sea) when used by Him for His purposes,
(although another interpretation is that “adirim” – majestic – is in reference
to the princes who “drowned like lead”.
In 15:1
Moshe and Yisrael sing, "I will sing to YHVH because He is exalted… ga'o
- ga'a". Verse 7 also mentions "Your exaltedness” - ge'on'cha”,
again of the root g.a.h (gimel, alef, hey). Verse 7
continues: "You send forth Your wrath and it consumes them
[the enemy] like stubble" (emphasis added). YHVH's wrath is compared to a
consuming fire, while the next verse says: "With the blast of your
nostrils the waters were heaped up… the depths froze up"
(emphasis added). According to the Daat Mikrah commentary, this text may be
interpreted as two opposite actions performed by the wind at YHVH’s command:
burning on one hand, and freezing on the other.4
In the
course of the brief time covered by our Parasha, the Children of Yisrael find
four occasions to complain. We are told that at Mara (“mahr”
is “bitter”), after the act of causing the water to become sweet by
casting a tree or a stick, which YHVH pointed out to Moshe, "He made a
statute and an ordinance and there He tried them" (15: 25b). But
whereas the Yisraelites are tried at Mara, in Refidim they "try YHVH"
and are also quarreling with Him, when "there was no
water" (17:7). Hence the place is named Masa (of
"nisayon" - "to try"), and Meriva (from
"riv" which is "quarrel"). In between these two
episodes, they demand food and thus obtain the quail meat for the evening meal
and "manna" for the morning (ref. chapter 16). Since the shape and
texture of the manna was unfamiliar to them, "they asked each other: 'mah'n
hu?'" or "what is it?" (16:15). Mah'n is
the Aramaic form of the Hebrew "mah", meaning "what".
Although
at the beginning of the Parasha YHVH averts the children of Yisrael from the
path of war, by the end of the narrative they find themselves in a battle with
Amalek, a descendant of Esav (Gen. 36:12). Again, YHVH's miraculous
intervention on their behalf is evident, coupled with faith (ref. Hebrews 4:2),
symbolized by Moshe's "steadily" held arms. The Hebrew word
for steady here is "emuna", literally "faith"
(17:12), thus causing Yehoshua (Joshua) to "weaken Amalek" (v. 13).
Moshe’s arms are denoted by the word “yad” (also “hand”). In the final
verse of our Parasha, Moshe makes a proclamation about another “yad” - a “yad”
which is “on Yah’s throne”, pointing to YHVH’s oath regarding His “war with
Amalek from generation to generation” (17:16).5. We have just encountered the
“yad” of YHVH (“hand” as distinct from “arm” – z’roah – and from “right hand or
arm” – yamin) in the process of emerging from Egypt (e.g. 14:8, “yad ramah” – a
lifted up hand; 14:31 – “yad g’dola” – “great/mighty hand”; 15:17 “kone’nu
yade’cha” – “your hands have established us”). If YHVH places His hand on His
throne (as in a gesture of making an oath), He will surely carry out that which
He set out to perform.
Our
Parasha is characterized by the contrast between the manifest Presence and
Glory of YHVH and the peoples' total focus on their immediate needs and fears,
blinding them to the greatness and might displayed before them - so much so
that even at the end (just before the battle with Amalek) they dare ponder, “Is
YHVH among us, or not?" (17:7b).
1. New Studies in Shmot
Part 1, Nechama Leibowitz, trans.
Aryeh Newman. Eliner Library, Department for
Torah
Education and Culture in the Diaspora. Hemed
Books Inc.,
Brooklyn, N.Y.
2. The Chumash Shmot With The Commentary Daat
Mikrah,
Pub. Mossad Harav Kook, Jm. 1991.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibid.
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