Parashat Beshalach once again demonstrates that the stories in the Torah form a prototype of human behaviour that would be repeated throughout the centuries. Let’s look at just a few verses to see if we can find the thread that weaves its pattern from which we can learn.
Exodus 13:17, “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said: The people might change their minds when they see war and want to return to Egypt.’” This verse portrays our GOD as a loving father who knows our nature and as our Protector, He guides us along the best path for our safety and well-being. He knows our limitations and guides us step by step.
Next Exodus 13:21 says, “The LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud by day to guide them along the way and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light so that they could travel both day and night.”
We will see that even when the Israelites saw the visible cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, they would still have trouble trusting Him. That is our nature. When we go through difficult or frightening times, we don’t always see that God has everything under control. We have a hard time trusting what we can’t see. But this is a two-sided coin: on one hand, we refuse to see either from pride or because painful experiences have caused us to be afraid to look and on the other hand, God hasn’t yet fully opened our eyes to His power and might. That’s what happened to Pharaoh. He could see what was going on in his kingdom, but his pride could not allow him to acknowledge it, so God hardened his heart – for a reason. Sometimes we do trust – even momentarily – and we can be so excited that our prayers have been answered but later our old fears, paradigms, our guilt, or whatever gods we are holding onto, cause us to forget Who is at the helm.
Exodus 14:2 – 4 “ YHVH said to Moses, Tell the children of Israel to turn back and camp between Migdal and the sea. Pharaoh will say that the children of Israel are lost in the land, that the wilderness has closed in on them. I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, so that I may get glory through Pharaoh and all his armies; then the Egyptians shall know that I am YHVH.”
God told Israel to turn back instead of going forward. Was He giving Pharaoh more time to change his heart? He knows what everyone is going to do before they do it. Pharaoh’s pride caused misery to the Hebrews as well as his own people. Look at the enemies of Israel today. Since we became a state in 1948, Israel has been at war with its neighbors and whenever our few allies have tried to reason and set up treaties with them, they have been broken or outright refused. Later in Exodus 23:32, Mishpatim, God warns us not to make any treaties with them or their gods because of their influence over us. Today the hearts of our enemies are becoming harder and harder, and like ancient Egypt, plagues will keep hitting them until they finally admit that that YHVH is the only GOD. God wants all the nations of the world to know who He is including the nation of Israel.
Exodus 14:13 “But Moses said to the people, “Have no fear! Stand by and witness the deliverance which יהוה will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today, you will never see again. יהוהwill battle for you; you hold your peace – תַּחֲרִשֽׁוּן tachrishun!” There is no translation for this word. It does not say תשמור על שקט tishmor al sheket –guard your quiet. Very few people admit that GOD is still doing battle for us today. They think we are winning because of the strength of our armies and our technology. How could a small nation the size of New Jersey win against the huge armies that are fighting against us? Here GOD is telling us, just be still and watch the miracles that He will perform in our lives. Moses was also learning this lesson even though GOD had spoken to him from the burning bush. He had first-hand experience of GOD’s power from the rod turning to a snake, his hand becoming leprous and well again, the ten plagues, witnessing the cloud by day and the fire by night. Even Moses hesitated, causing יהוה to say to him in Exodus 14: 15, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you – lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea on dry ground.
When we are overwhelmed with a seemingly impossible task, it is wonderful to read these stories that remind us to go forward, that the sea can part for us as well. I know people who continuously cry out to the heavens for help but refuse to take that first step that would take them out of their situations. There is no question that God is with us, but this too is a two-sided coin, yes, He’s with us BUT He gave us a brain and the ability to act. So, with the knowledge that He is with us, let’s move forward, let’s be available when called upon to serve others and above all, HOLD OUR PEACE… תַּחֲרִשֽׁוּן.
I have noticed how GOD always prepares the road ahead even when I can’t see it. I may not hear His voice giving me specific instructions on what to do and how to do it, but when I am frustrated and don’t know what to do next, someone or something appears that helps me take the next step. But if we allow ourselves to remain in a state of constant fear to the point that we can no longer move forward in our lives, we are not “תַּחֲרִשֽׁוּן – holding our peace”. Remember – we are humans – we can be afraid, we can falter, lose our faith, doubt ourselves, doubt GOD, and want to run away; all these stop us from living a full life and fulfilling the role that GOD has prepared for us. He gave us the ability to take control of these emotions and go forward in stages like He did with Israel.
People may not see it, but many of us fight our inner “demons” on a daily basis…these are the gods that hold us back from serving the one true GOD. Some even want to run back to their mother’s womb (Egypt) and start again because they can’t see a way out of their problems, but we have been set free from Egypt with all its gods.
Exodus 14:19 – 20, “The angel of God, who had been going ahead of the Israelite army, now moved and followed behind them; and the pillar of cloud shifted from in front of them and took up a place behind them, and it came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. Thus, there was the cloud with the darkness, and it cast a spell upon the night, so that the one could not come near the other all through the night. Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and יהוה drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry ground. The waters were split, and the Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.”
Wow, what a powerful picture. Taking that step of faith (emunah) to step into the split sea was not easy. Turning faith into trust – bitachon is not easy. Faith is the seed implanted within each soul at conception. We can see it in every child, however little by little that seed gets eroded by tough times. After years of horrendous treatment, Israel was finally able to escape but the wounds to their souls had to be healed. That process would take place over the next 38 years in the desert. That’s the process that takes place in us once we see the “waters of impossibility” part and our lives take on a new meaning. We can then enter the sea on dry ground and begin to walk on ground we have never walked before.
Then we see Exodus 14:24 come into effect. “ [God] locked the wheels of their chariots so that they moved forward with difficulty. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for יהוה is fighting for them against Egypt.” Suddenly we realize that we don’t have to fight our battles alone. And the words in Exodus 14:29 come alive: “And when Israel saw the wondrous power which יהוה had wielded against the Egyptians, the people feared יהוה; they had faith in יהוה and in God’s servant Moses.”
This can be applied to us both personally and nationally. Egypt represents all the nations of the world while Israel represents a chosen nation for a purpose…to show the rest of the world that יהוה is fighting for them against their enemies. Our Creator wants us all to know that when we stiffen our hearts against Him and His chosen nation Israel, there are consequences. When we open our hearts to His nation and their GOD, everything changes and there can be peace and brotherhood for all peoples.
Chapter 15 brings us to a song of sheer joy. Most of us don’t realize how often GOD parts the sea for us, from the smallest thing to the greatest. Whenever I recognize that, a sensation wells up in me that makes me bow my head in deep humility and I cry out a resounding “Thank you GOD.” In that moment, a flash of joy rushes through my entire being. We can’t possibly understand how healing these flashes of realization are. Far better than the hot flashes of menopause! They reverse the stress that leaves our bodies weak and open to sickness. The more we exercise our faith in God and turn it into trust, the more joy comes into our lives no matter what is happening around us.
Exodus 15:26 takes us to the next step in our development: [God] said, “If you will heed your GOD יהוהdiligently, doing what is upright in God’s sight, giving ear to God’s mitzvot, (commandments) and keeping all God’s chukkim (statutes), then I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians, for I יהוה am your healer.” The modern health industry is a trillion-dollar business, but people would do far better if we simply followed these words of Moses.
Exodus 16:2-3 says, “In the wilderness, the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of יהוה in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots, when we ate our fill of bread! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to starve this whole congregation to death.” That is the theme that ends this Parashah and begins the process of GOD’s extremely long arm of patience with His creation. We would be tested and tried over and over not only during the next 38 years in the wilderness but throughout the centuries to see who will stand with Him and who will not, who will obey Him and who will not, who will follow Him and who will not. Isn’t that the prototype for our people throughout the ages?
Shabbat Shalom
Peggy Pardo