Parashat Beshallah is famous for the Victory song - “Az
yashir” that Moshe Rabbenu (Moses our teacher) sings after the deliverance of
the Bene-Israel at the parting of the Red Sea
and the drowning of the Egyptian army. This is certainly one of the major
topics for discussion but I would like to indulge you in a minor question.
Abarvanel asks this question: In Exodus Chap. 13
Verse 18 we are told: that the Bene-Israel went up from Egypt fully
armed. This rightly needs to be mentioned earlier in Chap. 12 Verse 37 where it
speaks about how they left Egypt
carrying Gold, Silver and livestock etc.
The reason for the displacement, it seems, is to bring
into immediate contrast the preceding information and the following event.
Our Parasha begins with informing us that God did not
instruct the Israelites to go via the shorter route but journeyed them through
a more circuitous route to avoid facing the Philistine armies to prevent them
from heading back to Egypt
out of fear of war. What immediately follows is the information that Pharaoh
has a change of heart and chases the escaping Bene Israelites with his
fortuitous army. The response of the Bene-Israel is mentioned as they see “Egypt’ in their
pursuit. Egypt
as conceived by them was the entire Empire of Egypt as a superpower, the
cultural capital of the world with its magic and wealth and Army. All that was
about to engulf them.
The fact that they were armed is really insignificant and
hence “hidden” as they did not have an ounce of courage either to face the
Philistines or the Egyptians. This is really significant as a few generations
earlier the Pharaoh seeing the numerous Children of Jacob was frightened of the
power they held sway if they joined an enemy and hence decided to enslave them
and murder their male children.
This goes on to teach us that freedom is a basic recipe
for Courage. Self-confidence and assertiveness are able to flower only in an
environment of trust and empowerment. Take these away and you can have descendants
of the loftiest individuals to degenerate to being cowards. That’s what the
essence of slavery is. No amount of weapons is going to change that.
Parasha Beshallah is the story of the Course given to
these individuals to regain their stature. All the events are challenges and a
fair balance of help as Divine miracles placed in front of them to instill in
them confidence and self worth. Negatives like speaking against GOD is in fact
used as tools to inspire in these band of slaves assertiveness and hence we do
not see GOD getting angry at them for their outburst and when Moshe Rabbenu
does chastise them he gets punished! The proof that these cowards transformed
into self respecting courageous individuals is the final episode where they did
pick up Arms against the mighty nation of Amalek.
GOD Bless
Rabbi Joshua
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