Weekly Reading Insights

Overview of the Weekly Reading

To be read on Shabbat Beshalach, 10 Shvat 5771/Jan. 15, 2011

Torah: Exodus 13:17-17:16; Haftorah: Judges 4:4-5:31 (Song of Devorah / Song by the Sea)

Beshalach is the 4th Reading out of 11 in Exodus and it contains 6423 letters, in 1681 words, in 116 verses

Beshalach opens with the Jews taking Yosef's remains with them upon leaving Egypt. G-d split the Red Sea for the Jews to pass through, but the waters fell on the Egyptians drowning them. Moshe and the Jews sang a song of praise to G-d for this miracle. Also, Miriam and the women sang and played music. In the desert, the Jews reached a place where the waters were too bitter to drink. G-d showed Moshe a tree which sweetened the water. The Jews complained that they didn't have meat to eat. G-d gave the Jews quail and manna to eat. The manna could not last overnight and on Shabbat it did not fall; instead Friday's portion for each Jew was double. An urn was filled with manna which would last for all generations. Again, the Jews complained about lack of water. G-d told Moshe to hit a certain rock with his staff, and it would bring forth water. The Amalekite nation attacked the Jews. Yehoshua fought them, and as long as Moshe's arms were raised, the Jews victory was assured. With G-d's help, the Jews are required to obliterate Amalek.

In general, many people misunderstand the nature of the laws of Shabbat. All of the prohibitions are perceived simply as things we are forbidden to do. You cannot write or light a fire or build things or wash clothes or cook food. A day of NOs. While it is true that these activities are forbidden on the Shabbat, the emphasis should not be on the prohibitions, but rather they should serve as a reflection of where we are on Shabbat. On Shabbat the Jewish people are so elevated they are standing in front of the King of Kings, the Holy One Blessed by He. Everyone would agree that when you stand in front of a king, it is inappropriate to smoke a cigarette, or sew a button, and all the more so to engage in other weekday activities like plowing or planting or painting. When you stand in front of a king you stand at attention, in your nicest clothes, fully focused on the King Himself. This is the essence of Shabbat.

There is one particular prohibition that makes this point a bit more clearly than all the rest. In this week's Torah portion, the verse says (17/29), a person should not go out from his place on the day of Shabbat. Rashi explains that this is the 2000 "amot," or approximately 3000 foot, circumference that is the limit that a person is allowed to walk from the edge of his town or city (specifically from the last house) on the Shabbat. The Rebbe describes how we can understand this law in the context of our service to G-d.

There is a Torah requirement (Shmos 20/9), "Six days you should work and do all of your labors." This means that weekdays specifically are a time when a person is expected to do weekday things, things to do with work and community and family that are not necessarily connected in any overt way to the study of Torah and the fulfillment of the commandments. Nevertheless, the Torah limits us from totally involving ourselves. The verse says (Psalms 128/4), "Through the efforts of your hands shall you eat." Our involvement in the world must be with our hands only, a fraction of the body that is connected to our ability to act alone. The head and the great majority of the physical and spiritual body must be immersed in our Jewish life, Torah and its commandments.

When does the Torah permit our hands and actions to be involved in mundane worldly things? Only during the weekdays, Sunday to Friday, the time that is not otherwise supposed to be devoted to "standing in front of the King," when we are supposed to be focused on spiritual actions, like studying Torah and fulfilling the commandments.

On this day, Shabbat, not only is the time supposed to be totally focused on the spiritual, but even our feet (!) are forbidden to go out of our spiritually defined territory. On the Shabbat not only are one's hands, together with his head, intellect and the rest of his body, totally involved, immersed and focused in divine actions, but even his feet and his entire ability to act are meant to be completely immersed in the Shabbat.

This is what the Talmud (Eruvin 54a) is speaking about on the verse (Shmuel B23/5), "set with all and protected." The Talmud says if you are "set with all" of the 248 organs of your body, totally immersed, then you are "protected" and what you do will be long-lasting. If, G-d forbid, you are not invested 100% with all of your bodily organs involved, you are not protected and the results of your efforts will not be long-lasting. This is what it means, (Psalms 35/10) "All of my bones will speak out!" - that all the organs of the body must be immersed in the holy Torah on the holy day of Shabbat.
(Likras Shabbos)

FROM THE CHASSIDIC REBBES

"And you shall hold your peace." (14:14)
This command was directed against those Jews who wished to engage in prayer instead of actually proceeding into the sea. We learn from this that there are times when a Jew must close his prayer book, remove his tefilin, fold his talit and leave the synagogue - in order to save the thousands of Jews who are in danger of drowning in the sea of assimilation, "splitting the sea" and uncovering the light of the Jewish soul that exists within.
(The Lubavitcher Rebbe) (from L'Chaim 956)

For more than a decade of "From the Chasidic Rebbes" on this Weekly Reading, see our archives

MASHIACH THIS WEEK

"Miriam... took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances..." (Song at the Sea, Exodus 15:20)
How did the Israelites have tambourines in the desert? But the righteous women of that generation were certain that G-d will perform miracles for them, and they prepared tambourines and dances while still in Egypt...

(Midrash Mechilta)

For the previous five years of "Mashiach This Week" on this Weekly Reading, see our archives

A MYSTICAL CHASSIDIC DISCOURSE

Specifically, for precious articles on the Weekly Parsha in the columns:
Holy Zohar, Holy Ari, Mystic Classics, Chasidic Masters, Contemporary Kabbalists, and more,click to

From the Writings of the Ari as recorded by Rabbi Chaim Vital
translated and edited by Moshe Yakov Wisnefsky

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, was the earthly manifestation of the "guardian angel" of Egypt, the spiritual distillation of the evil(s) embodied in Egypt. The imagery of his chariot evokes that of the celestial Chariot Ezekiel saw in his prophetic vision. There, the "chariot" depicts the array of spiritual forces of holiness that were departing from the world as the Divine Presence was being banished from Earth with the destruction of the Temple. Here, the earthly chariots of Egypt that Pharaoh summoned represent the array of evil forces the patron angel of Egypt summoned to do battle with the Jewish people.

For another sample of recommended Kabbalah articles on a variety of subjects,
click to the our weekly Kabbalah magazine

Sunday, 4th of Shevat is the day of Baba Sali (Rabbi Yisrael Abuchatzeira), the leader of Moroccan Jewry for most of the 20th century, whose burial place in Netivot is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in Israel.
Our lead article is from his extraordinary grandfather.

Shabbat is Yud Shvat, the yahrzeit of both the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe
(the Rayatz -- see 2nd & 3rd articles) and
Rabbi Shalom Sharabi ("Reshash"), the great Yemenite 18th century Kabbalist, whose "Siddur/prayerbook with Kavannot/mystical intentions" is still so influential today.

Education Prioritization
From the writings of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch
Man's essential character is rational. This is the key distinction between humans and animals, and it is what makes man superior. All of man's deeds, speech and thoughts are in accordance with his understanding.

Weekly Reading Insights: Beshalach

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