* TORAH WEEKLY * Highlights of the Weekly Torah Portion and Haftorah. Plus Ani Ma'amin - The Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith. Parshas Beshalach For the week ending 13 Shevat 5755 13 & 14 January 1995 =========================================================================== Summary After Pharaoh sends the Bnei Yisrael out of Egypt, Hashem leads them with pillars of clouds and fire on a circuitous route towards Eretz Yisrael, avoiding the Philistines. Pharaoh regrets the loss of so many slaves and chases the Jews with his army. The Bnei Yisrael are very afraid as the Egyptians draw close, but Hashem protects them. Moshe raises his staff, and Hashem splits the sea, enabling the Bnei Yisrael to cross safely. Pharaoh, his heart hardened by Hashem, commands his army to pursue the Bnei Yisrael, whereupon the waters crash down upon the Egyptian army. Moshe and Miriam lead the men and women, respectively, in song thanking Hashem (see note on Shabbos Shira). The people complain about the lack of water after traveling for three days only to find bitter waters at Marah. Moshe miraculously produces potable water for them, and in Marah they receive certain mitzvos. The people complain to Moshe and Aaron that they had better food in Egypt. Hashem sends quail so they can have meat and provides the man (manna) for them. The manna was a miraculous bread that fell from the heavens every day except on Shabbos, but there was a double portion on Friday to supply the Sabbath needs. Nobody was ever able to obtain more than his daily portion. However, the manna collected on Friday lasted to the next day so the Jews could rest on Shabbos. Some manna was set aside as a memorial for future generations. After the Jews complained for water again, Moshe miraculously produces water from a rock for them. Amalek then attacks the Jews. Joshua leads the battle while Moshe prays for their welfare. =========================================================================== Commentaries "And the Children of Israel went in the midst of the sea on the dry land and the waters were a wall to them..." (14:22). In this verse the Torah says the Children of Israel walked through the sea on the dry land, but seven verses later the order is reversed and it says they walked on the dry land in the sea. The Vilna Gaon explains that when the Jews arrived at Yam Suf, the sea looked like it was going to do anything but split. The Egyptians were thundering down upon them and nothing was happening! It was not until Nachshon Ben Aminadav, Aaron's brother-in-law, literally took the plunge and waded into the water up to his neck, that finally the waters parted. The first verse is referring to Nachshon -- for him the sea became dry land. The rest of the people, however, only walked on the dry land created by Nachshon's trust in Hashem. Also, the word for "wall" in this second verse can also be read as "anger". In other words, the wall of water was so to speak "angry" at the Jews for having such little bitachon, so little faith in Hashem, and it wanted to drown them. We see from that this that each and every Jew is expected to be a Nachshon, each and every Jew is expected to be a pioneer of faith, to dive into the sea of doubt and indecision. For if this were not the case, what right would the sea have to be angry? Every Jew has a natural trust in G-d. However, if we choose not to live up to that inbuilt quality, nature itself rebels against us. "Then Moses and the Children of Yisrael chose to sing this song to Hashem" (15:1) In the normal course of events, we fail to perceive the hand of G-d at work. We wonder how most of the seemingly unrelated, daily phenomena that surrounds us could be part of a Divine, coherent plan. We see suffering and evil, and we wonder how they can be the handiwork of a Merciful G-d. Rarely -- very rarely -- there is a flash of insight which illuminates the whole picture and we see how all the pieces of the puzzle fit into place -- we realize how every note and each instrument and player harmonize in Hashem's symphony of Creation. This realization is what the Torah calls a song -- when all the apparently unrelated phenomena meld into a coherent, merciful and comprehensible whole, singing in unity. (Adapted from the ArtScroll Stone Chumash) =========================================================================== Shabbos Shira The Shabbos on which Parshas Beshalach is read is also called Shabbos Shira because of the song (shira) that the Jewish People sang as a praise to Hashem after crossing the sea. This song is "sung" each day as part of the morning prayers. Although many other important events are taught in this week's Parsha, the shira implanted faith and joy in the heart of every Jew in each and every generation. For this reason, the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh comments that the Torah says "Then Moses and the Children of Yisrael will sing this song to Hashem" -- in the future tense. For not only were those who witnessed the miracle able to perceive Hashem's majesty and sing His praises, but also planted in the heart of every Jew, and locked into his spiritual genes for all time is this ability to recognize his Creator and to praise Him. =========================================================================== Haftorah: Judges 4 As the subject of this week's Parsha is the Song at the Sea, so the subject of the Haftorah is the song of Devorah the Prophetess. Yisrael, having completely forgotten it's mission, has "taken the daughters of the Canaanite population among whom they lived, for wives, and given their own daughters to their (the Canaanite) sons, and served their gods." (Shoftim 3:5-7). Hashem decrees that they should undergo sufferings as a result of this. Part of this suffering comes in the form of an immensely cruel Canaani general whose name is Sisera, literally "The Pacifier" or "The Silencer." But in this extremity, Yisrael turns its heart to Hashem, and in the glorious Song of Devorah, the pearl of poems of all times, we see this change in heart of the people, brought about by the awakening and purifying power of suffering. All was due to the unforgettable merit of a glorious woman, borne up by the Spirit of Hashem, fired through and through with enthusiasm for His Word, who put the men to shame, who with her "flaming words" inflamed the courage and steeled their powers of action. Not the sword of Barak, but the spirit of Devorah, the words of Devorah, won the victory. (Adapted from Rav Mendel Hirsch) =========================================================================== Ani Ma'amin The Rambam's 13 principles of faith Principle #12: "I believe with complete faith in the coming of the Mashiach, and even though he may delay, nevertheless I anticipate every day that he will come." "For your seed shall be strangers in a land not theirs and they will enslave and oppress them for four hundred years." Bereishis 15:13 Our Sages teach us that although the exile was supposed to last for 400 years, it lasted only 210. The suffering of the Jews in Egypt during the years of oppression was so intense that it was calculated by Hashem as the equivalent of 400 years of actual oppression. This should give us cause, in our own days, to look forward to our redemption because when Hashem wishes to hurry the time of redemption, He finds a way of calculating the intensity of our suffering or some other consideration in order to achieve His purpose. Chafetz Chaim, Shem Olam, Part II, Perek 13 =========================================================================== This publication is available via FAX and REGULAR POST within Israel. For information, please send E-Mail to newman@jerusalem1.datasrv.co.il or send a fax to 972-2-812890 with your name & fax number, or write to the address below. =========================================================================== Dedication opportunities are available for Torah Weekly Please contact us for details. =========================================================================== Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by Ohr Somayach Institutions J L E 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103 J L Exchange Jerusalem 91180, Israel J J L E Tel: 02-810315 Fax: 02-812890 JJJJ Learning EEEEEEEE Internet: newman@jerusalem1.datasrv.co.il =========================================================================== Written and Compiled by Rabbi Yaakov Asher Sinclair Production Editor: Rabbi Moshe Newman Production Design: Lev Seltzer =========================================================================== (C) 1995 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission, and then send us a sample of an issue.