Parashah Beshalach

Beshalach is the parashah of freedom, and though we have about eight weeks to go before Pesach and the joyous celebration of that freedom, we see the beginning of the 40-year journey through the wilderness. Pharaoh has let the Israelites leave Egypt, but God’s “road trip” takes the Israelites on a more tortuous route through the land of the Philistines. God is concerned that “[the] people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.” War? What war? God knows that not even the death of the firstborn would be enough for the Egyptians; they would chase after the Israelites. God guides the Israelites through various areas near the sea, but once again, Pharaoh’s heart has been hardened, and Moshe learns that the Egyptians are going to pursue the Israelites. Pharaoh takes 600 of his best warriors, horses, and chariots and races after the Israelites. The Israelites, frightened, complain to Moshe: “Is this why we left Egypt, to die in the wilderness?” Moshe is firm: “The Lord will battle for you; you hold your peace!” The next few pesukim reveal what Moshe must do; he must “lift up [his] rod and hold out [his] arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea on dry ground.” 

In the course of giving Moshe various instructions, God has used the phrase, “I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his host . . . I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his warriors . . . I will gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” This repetition becomes extremely important. Why? Because it is one of the themes of this parashah. In saving the Israelites from the Egyptian warriors, God believes that the Israelites will have faith that “He” is with them, that the “glory gained” will be reflected back with their devotion to “Him.”*

God splits the Sea of Reeds, the Israelites walk through the dry land between the walls of sea water, and then of course, God causes the walls to collapse on the Egyptians, freeing the Israelites once again from the possibility of captivity. This dramatic scene seems to compel the Israelites to not only fear God, but to have faith in the Lord and in “His servant,” Moshe. Immediately after, Moshe and the men sing their great song of praise to God: “Az yashir . . .I will sing to the Lord for he has triumphed gloriously . . .” Then Miriam and the women sing their own joyous song; they dance with their timbrels in praise of God: “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously/Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea.” The Israelites have been freed from slavery in Egypt.

A few pesukim after their new-found happiness in freedom, the Israelites begin to complain about not having potable water. God once again helps Moshe by showing him how to obtain “sweet water.” That is not enough for the Israelites, for they don’t have enough food. Quail appear in the evening, dew in the morning, and then manna drops down from heaven and they collect it; however, they are also warned that that they must collect a double portion, for there will be no manna on Shabbat. Of course, a few deceitful persons go out on Shabbat, but there is no manna to be found. God wonders how long it will take these former slaves to have faith enough to follow “His” commandments. Complaining once more, for nothing ever seems to satisfy these Israelites, they grumble about not having enough water; God tells Moshe to strike a rock with his staff so that water could flow.

At the beginning of their new-found freedom, the Israelites display childlike behavior. God recognizes that they should have been more devoted; they should have had fewer objections, but God seems to understand that they need to grow and mature into their role as a free people. God has saved them from the Egyptian warriors, but it is they who will save themselves from Amalek, who appears at the end of the parashah. Moshe tells Joshua to do battle with Amalek. With faith in God, Moshe will hold his staff in an upraised position, so that the Israelites are able to beat back the Amalekites. When Moshe’s strength flags, Aaron and Hur, who stand at Moshe’s side, keep his arms up. By the end of the parashah, the Amalekites are overwhelmed. God gives Moshe a document that states, “I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek under heaven!” After Moshe builds an altar and calls it “Adonai-nissi,” “Hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.”

Beshalach begins with a people who have a slave mentality. It is God who has freed them from Egypt and the Egyptians twice. Yes, God has “gained glory” through the Egyptians, but it is not until Amalek that they fight for themselves. It will take 40 years for the Israelites to truly mature into a Jewish nation, but in this parashah we see the beginning of peoplehood. After 1945, it was many of those survivors of Auschwitz who took their liberation from that hell and others like it to create the State of Israel. They, too, defeated Amalek and sang a new song: “Hatikvah.”

Shabbat Shalom

*N.B. I have tried to use non-sexist language where possible. When the use of the word God became too unwieldy, I used “He,” “His,” or “Him.”