Overview of the Weekly Reading: Beshalach
Shabbat Shira
To be read on 12 Shvat 5765 (Jan.22)
Exodus 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
16th overall, and 17th out of 54 in overall length.
Beshalach
(Exodus 13:17-17:16)) 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.
FROM THE MASTERS OF
KABBALA (K:16-65/Beshalch)
From the holy Zohar, teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
(Z:16-65/Beshalch)
The
verse is talks of the plague that "will strike" [in the future] all those
who "fought" [in the past] against Jerusalem.
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on
our KabbalaOnline
site.
* * * * *
From the holy Ari,
Rabbi Yitzchak Luria of Safed (A:16-65/Beshalch)
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.
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on
our KabbalaOnline
site.
* * * * *
From the Shelah,
Shney Luchot HaBrit by Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz
(S:16-65/Beshalch)
Moses had
to induce the Jewish people to leave Egypt by promising to bring them
to a land flowing with milk and honey.
For the full article, click to the "Weekly Torah" section on
our KabbalaOnline
site.
FROM THE CHASSIDIC
REBBES (V:16-65/Beshalch)
"Go out and fight with Amalek." (Ex. 17:9)
Why were the Jews told to do nothing before the splitting of the Red
Sea, whereas they were encouraged to actively wage battle against Amalek?
In general, in most areas of life, a Jew must have simple faith that
G-d will provide him with all his needs, independent of human effort
and intervention. However, when it comes to the struggle for Judaism
(Amalek is symbolic of everything that is antithetical to holiness),
passive faith is not enough, and practical action is required
(Pardes Yosef)
Moses said to Joshua, choose for us men...and Moses and Aaron and
Chur went up to the top of the hill." (17:9)
Why was it necessary to assemble an entire team consisting of Moses,Joshua,
Aaron and Chur to fight Amalek? The Jewish people had not been behaving
properly, and this is why they were attacked by Amalek. Indeed, the
very name of the location where the attack occurred-- Refidim--is related
to the Hebrew word pirud, meaning disunity. At that time, the
Jews were fighting amongst themselves and also rebelling against G-d.
The first letters of the names Aaron, Chur, Joshua and Moses form the
word achim--brothers. Moses' call to the Jewish people was that
if they would act as brothers and live in harmony, united in the study
of Torah and observance of mitzvot, Amalek would never be able to penetrate
the Jewish camp.
Chassidic sources
A
MYSTICAL CHASSIDIC DISCOURSE
from the Chabad
Master series, produced by Rabbi Yosef Marcus for
www.ascentofsafed.com and www.kabbalaonline.org
MOSHIACH THIS WEEK
(M:16-65/Beshalch)
"This is my G-d and I shall glorify Him, my father's G-d and
I shall exalt Him." (Ex. 15:2)
The Midrash states that at the splitting of the Red Sea, every Jew pointed
with his finger and said, "This," for there was such a prophetic
manifestation of G-dliness at that time that they were able to actually
point to it. The Midrash also notes that the children born under Egyptian
servitude were the first to perceive and recognize the Divine manifestation.
"As in the days of your going out from Egypt, I will show wondrous
things," we read in Michah. The Divine revelation of the Messianic
Redemption will be even greater than the one in Egypt! Furthermore, just
as at the time of the Egyptian exodus it was the children born in exile
who recognized G-d first, so it will also be with Moshiach: the children
born in the harshness of this bitter exile will be the first to recognize
the Divine manifestation.
(Likutei Sichot II)
[Reprinted with permission from L'Chaim Magazine (www.lchaim.org).]
An
essay from Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter, director of Ascent
(for a free weekly email subscription, click
here) (W:16-65/Beshalch)
The
going out of Mitzrayim (Egypt), the splitting of the Red Sea and the receiving
of the Torah that are described in last week's, this week's and next week's
Torah portions are more than just historical events.
On another level, they are a detailed paradigm for the future redemption,
(may it come quickly), i.e., of how to leave the present exile and our
own personal Mitzrayims.
Also, the parsha alludes to the revealing of the hidden wisdom, by the
splitting of the water and the walking on dry land; and to the final revelation
of Mashiach, through the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai.
On yet another level, we relive these events each year though the holidays
of Pesach and Shavuos. Even more subtly, they are also a formula for how
we deal with our day to day lives.
Rabbi Hillel of Paritch is an almost mythical character in the Chabad
tradition. He was Chassid to the three Lubavitcher Rebbes. An anecdote
told about him tells that he would never sweep his simple home from the
far wall to the door but always would begin with the door and move inwards,
because it was inappropriate to push garbage towards the innate holiness
of an entrance.(This custom is based on the teachings of the Zohar.)
Nevertheless, he was not a "head in the clouds" person at all.
He was a genius and a gifted community leader. Many ideas in Chassidic
philosophy are explained by him in his books or by stories told about
or by him.
Rabbi Hillel tells us of an experience he had with the third Chabad
Rebbe, the Tzemach Tzedek, who explained the inner significance of the
splitting of the Red Sea. He said as follows: Everyone is responsible
for "splitting his own Red Sea". Each person is enveloped by
a "sea" of thoughts. We must recognize that some of our thoughts
are for G-d's sake, while some are not. We must split, i.e. push aside
the thoughts that are not directed towards G-dliness. By doing so, we
allow ourselves to walk on dry land. This means that we allow ourselves
to move more effectively towards our goal, rather that floating out of
our control.
This Thursday is the 10th of Shvat, the hillulah (yortzeit)
of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneerson, father in law and predecessor to the
Lubavitcher Rebbe.
He carried the above thought further in the following teaching: Just
as the Jewish people, for the sake of their future as a nation, had to
experience the leaving of Mitzrayim and the splitting of the Red Sea,
so also, each individual, in planning their future has to go through similar
experiences.
On a specific level, when a person starts defining his life and planning
his future, basing his decisions according to his own needs, strengths
and qualities, he is in a sense confining himself in his own personal
Egyptian exile.
Often we find that this focus on the future allows a person time for
important career moves, but not for studying Torah and tefila/prayer
with a quorum. He does not make room for these acts in his head, because
his future in the physical world takes prominence. This is an error.
Whatever we do, it is imperative that fixed times for Torah Study and
prayer be included in our schedule, with the true intention to connect
with G-d, not just "getting it over with".
After leaving Mitzrayim, we come to the splitting of the Red Sea. In
a similar way, in relation to our spiritual lives, as soon as a person
goes out of their personal Mitzrayim and succeeds to organize time to
study and pray, we find all kinds of difficult obstacles facing us, just
as the Jewish people had their enemies behind them and the sea in front
of them, and they themselves in the desert.
Just like the sea only split for them because of self sacrifice (Nachshon
Ben Aminadov jumped into the raging sea in order to continue forward,
and because of his self sacrifice the sea split before the Jewish people),
so also, if a person pushes his own limits, demands from himself an extra
amount of self discipline and self sacrifice, he will find that G-d Himself,
will reveal the dry land beneath the raging waters.
Shabbat Shalom, Shaul
P.S. Please also read
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