1
January 26, 2013
PARASHAT B’SHALLAH
When (the Pharaoh) let (the people) go
1ST Aliyah (P. 265, verse 17)
The exact route that the Israelites took upon leaving Egypt is unclear.
Only one thing appears certain, they did not go by way of the land of
the Philistines, although it was a more direct path. This would have
been along the Mediterranean. God, according to the Torah, chose a
hotter, dustier and longer route. Archaeologists know from an
inscription written during the time of Pharaoh Seti I about (1300
B.C.E.) that the sea road was dotted with Egyptian military posts,
which would have involved the Israelites in immediate warfare—
something for which they were not physically or mentally prepared to
face. So they traveled in a different direction, crossing somewhere
along the Sea of Reeds , then entering the Sinai Peninsula to Mount
Sinai, and eventually reaching Kadesh in the northeastern part of the
peninsula. This area became their center for a generation. It took 38
years to reach the entryway into Canaan. Most likely, the Israelites
didn’t move constantly but stayed in oasis-type areas for extended
periods of time. The Israelites were guided by a pillar of light at night
and a pillar of cloud by the day. A colorful glass depiction of these
two pillars can be seen above the main entranceway of the
synagogue. Like the sale of this synagogue we at Temple Beth El will
leave the pillar of light and the pillar of cloud behind in the wilderness.
2
2nd Aliyah (Sha ne) (P. 267, verse 9)
The Israelites camped by the Sea of Reeds. The king of Egypt
mobilized the Egyptian chariot forces and went after the fleeing
Israelites. It didn’t take long for Pharaoh to catch up to the slowmoving women, children and herds of the Israelites. This liberation
account ends with two literary masterpieces—the semi-poetic prose
story of Israel’s seemingly miraculous passage through the Sea of
Reeds and the song of triumph (Shirat ha- yam) that followed.
Fleeing from the Egyptians the Israelites were forced to travel through
a marsh area that was partly water, partly soil and mud, and partly
reeds. Perhaps their heavy wagons didn’t make it across the spongy
marsh area, but the people, along with their herds, crossed the Sea of
Reeds but just barely. Then came the almost countless number of
war chariots, each pulled by horses. The Sea of Reeds seemed to
swallow them up as their wheels got stuck in the mud. One after
another, the chariots flipped over, lying helplessly on their side.
Soldiers were drowning. Horses panicked and sought to flee, pulling
soldiers and chariots with them. The whole scene was one of mass
chaos. The Israelites, almost out of strength, observed the scene
from across the marsh. They attributed their safety and the Egyptian
disaster directly to God. The Israelites, seeing the hand of God
everywhere, recalled their escape in miraculous terms, for it seemed
that their escape was a miracle. In their writing they sought to
demonstrate God’s final victory over the Egyptians. The Israelite
written accounts, both in prose and poetry, catches the imagination of
the reader and inspired generations of not only Jews but the rest of
the western world. Martin Luther King, whose birthday we celebrated
this week, was reliving this story of freedom but only in 20th century
America.
3
3rd Aliyah (Shileshe) (P. 268, verse 15)
The Israelites arrived at the Sea of Reeds wondering how to cross
the watery barrier. Moses, Exodus 14 cried out to the people “… Go
forward!” According to one Midrash or rabbinic story, the Sea would
not part until the Israelites showed enough faith to march into the
waters. Finally, Nashon, of the tribe of Judah, was bold enough to
march into the Sea. Only at that point did the Sea respond to his act
of faith and courage by separating, allowing the Israelites to cross on
dry land. What was that moment like for Nashon? The Woman’s
Commentary asks, “If we were on the shores of the sea, that fateful
day, how would we have acted?” Would we have acted timidly, one
toe at a time? Would we have run into the water like an L street
Brownie? Are we coerced by an army from behind or pulled ahead by
the unknown? Impossible or difficult tasks and the obstacles of life
need our faith and courage, if we are to overcome the challenge. In
another story, told by Rabbi Shira Joseph of Sha’Aray Shalom, a
small boy was hurrying along with his family. He was wearing a brand
new pair of sandals. Suddenly he came to a muddy area. He was so
concerned with his sandals that he tried to step on the stones that
were on the path. From stone to stone he jumped occasionally
missing. He would then wipe the mud off his sandals and feet and
continue walking. The boy was always looking down never up in
order to keep his sandals clean. Before he knew it, the boy and his
family left the muddy path and walked on dry sandy land. The boy
thought it was miraculous that he made it without muddying and
damaging his new sandals. By continuously looking down, the boy
missed the real miracle of the crossing of the Sea of Reeds. He did
not see the Egyptian chariots mired in the mud or the battle hardened
4
solders floundering in the water. He missed the power of God being
displayed that very day while he was looking down while crossing the
Sea of Reeds. We should make sure that we are not, like the little
boy, crossing the Sea of Reeds always looking down missing the
miracles that surround us. We must learn to look up!
4th Aliyah (Rivee) (P. 269, verse 26)
The prose part of God’s dramatic rescue ends with Israel being
delivered while the Egyptians lay dead on the shore of the Sea. The
Israelites or those who looked up saw the wondrous power of God.
After the exciting narrative account, follows Shirat ha-Yam, the Song
at the Sea, one of the two oldest extended poems in the Hebrew
Bible. The other poem/song is The Song of Deborah, in Judges IV.
You can read this ancient poem, in this morning’s Haftorah. The
Song at the Sea is a lyrical outpouring of emotion on the part of the
people. Carefully crafted, the Song celebrates the mighty acts of God
as He intervenes in human affairs. With the song, we suddenly enter
a cosmic battle. “Horse and driver He has hurled into the sea; Your
right hand, O Lord, glorious in power; At the blast of your nostrils the
waters piled up” As you can see, Shirat ha-Yam uses strong poetic
metaphor. The poem/song with its supernatural aura is absolutely
magnificent and it provides an emotional exultation. It is a song of
celebration. Shirat ha-Yam gives us an intense feeling that the prose
alone cannot supply. It uses vibrant terms as: plunged, shattered,
smashed and consumed to describe the military victory. The overall
effect of the poem/song is of fierce pride in God’s victory. “Who is like
You Adonai among the celestials; Who is like You majestic in holiness
Awesome in splendor, working wonders! Mi Chamocha ba-eilim,
5
Adonai! Mi Chamocha nedar bar kodesh, Nora t’hilot, oseih fela! We
stand when reciting Shirat ha-Yam during the service, in reverence of
God’s power. By breaking through the waters of the Sea of Reeds
and emerging through the narrow passage, Israel is born as a
liberated nation. In another song, the miraculous events inspired
Miriam to pick up a hand drum and join the other women in a dance.
Miriam sang to Adonai (nigh) “…for He has triumphed gloriously;
Horse and driver He has hurled into the Sea”. She supplies the
much-needed voice of a woman. Miriam’s voice rings out for all to
hear. Miriam becomes a leader—a prophetess who speaks to and
binds others to God. Today’s women need to hear Miriam’s Song at
the Sea and, like Miriam, take a leadership role in making the world a
better place.
5th Aliyah (Ha meshe) (P. 274, verse 27)
Israel now enters its wilderness experience. According to Rabbi
Bradley Shavit Artson, the most striking part of the story of liberation
is not the miracles--wondrous as they may be. What is particularly
noteworthy is how quickly the Israelite slaves forget about their
extraordinary redemption. Barely did they cross into freedom, when
the people complained to Moses and to God about the lack of water
and food. It is quite apparent that to reform human character takes
much more than special effects. It takes an inner transformation. By
gradually incorporating mitzvoth(commandments) into our lives---by
moving a step at a time making Shabbat and tzedakah, Kashrut, and
social justice, prayer and study a regular part of our being--- we can,
with time, remake ourselves in the divine image. Such a
transformation is much more difficult than merely splitting a sea.
6
Throughout Biblical history, transformation becomes an ongoing
process. In these tales, the reader can see both God and the people
testing each other. Moses and Aaron calm the Israelites, telling them
that God will meet their needs. Do we have that sense of calmness in
our own lives that God will meet our needs or are we constantly
testing the will of God?
6th Aliyah (She she) (P. 276, verse 11)
God came through and supplied the Israelites with two types of food:
quail and manna. The Sinai is part of the migratory route for many
species of birds. In this case, flocks of quail, exhausted from their
long flight, fall almost miraculously from the sky. Then God supplied
what the Israelites called manna. In June, the substance falls to the
ground in little drops and is gathered up before sunrise. The Bedouin
preserve the manna in leather gourds and save it, like honey, for
future use. It has a dirty, yellow color, a pleasant taste, a bit spicy,
but otherwise sweet like honey. The amount gathered, even in the
best of years, is not great and amounts to no more than five to six
hundred pounds. Manna is now known to originate in an excretion of
two scaled insects that live in symbiosis with the tamarisk or salt
cedar evergreen plant. The plant’s sap, on which these insects feed,
is rich in carbohydrates but extremely poor in nitrogen. In order to
acquire a minimum amount of nitrogen, the insects must consume
great quantities of sap. The excess passes from them in honey dew
excretions which, in the dry air of the desert, quickly change into
drops of sticky solids. In the Biblical view, manna is seen, not as a
natural phenomenon, but as a food from God. The Israelites collected
manna once a day but in double portions on Friday. They were told
7
not to collect it on Shabbat, the day of rest. Moses puts an omer of
manna in a jar to be kept throughout the ages as a visual lesson to
the people. By being here today, we are following the mitzvah of not
collecting manna on Shabbat. Instead, we are praising the God of the
Exodus.
7th Aliyah (Shive e) (P.278, verse 1)
The Israelites traveled to Rephidim, which is not too far from Mount
Sinai. They found no water at this location. A wilderness station
would be expected to have water. For the third time, the people
grumbled against Moses. In this Torah portion, Moses struck a rock
and water sprung forth from the ground. The Miracle is credited to
God and not to Moses, a point emphasized several times in the Bible.
The poem by Kadya Molodowsky entitled, Thirst IV, reflects the
desperate need for water faced by many nations around the world.
My pitcher lies dry and thirsty,
And I walk through all the streets
Seeking out a drop of water,
And I am spent
Near my pitcher.
I lay my lips
To the roots of the trees,
With eyes and mouth
8
To the sky’s rains.
And my tongue is bitter from roots of the trees,
My mouth is thirsty,
And my eyes are tired from looking at the sky,
I seek my pitcher,
And it is dry.
Water shortages and droughts exist in parts of Africa, Israel, and the
southwestern region of the United States. In Israel, there is a water
shortage due to the scarcity of water resources, several years of
drought, increased demand and past errors in the managing of water
resources. There has been an over exploitation of Israel’s and the
West Bank aquifers. The Kinneret, Israel’s only freshwater lake has
reached dangerously low levels. The survival of the Dead Sea is
threatened. The cumulative deficit of renewable water resources is
approximately 530 billion gallons. This has led to salt water infiltration
and to polluted water supplies. Israel is working on solutions to curtail
these severe problems. Through research, less water is being used
by the agricultural sector. Israel is a pioneer of drip irrigation. Israel
now recycles75%of its effluents (liquid wastes flowing out of factories,
farms or other commercial projects), which, by the way, is the highest
in the world. More productive agricultural methods are being
developed. Plants needing less water to grow are being cultivated.
Waste water recycling has been increasing. Desalination plants are
growing in number. Projects being funded by the JNF are a big factor
in developing Israel’s water resources. The Biblical Israelites who
wandering through the wilderness, on the way to the Promised Land,
without an assured supply of water perhaps foreshadowed the severe
9
water problems the modern state of Israel would face. Israel, through
research, innovation, and sound water management can solve its
problems, even without Moses striking a rock with his staff. By the
way, today is Tu B’ Shevat, the New Year for trees. Tu is the number
15. In ancient times, the purpose of Tu B’ Shevat was calculating the
age of trees for tithing. Leviticus 19:23-25 states that fruits from trees
may not be eaten during the first three years; the fourth year the fruit
is for God. After that the fruit can be eaten. During the years the
purpose of the celebration has change. Some congregations hold a
Tu B’ Shevat Seder. It has made Jews more environmentally aware of
our need for trees. It is interesting to note, that in Israel, over 240
million trees have been planted (since 1901 by JNF) and that Israel is
one of only two countries that entered the 21st century with a net gain
in its number of trees. Maybe the best way to celebrate Tu B’ Shevat
besides eating fruit is to plant a tree either in your back yard or in
Israel. The number to call is 1-888- JNF-0099.
Maftir (P.280, verse 14)
Haftorah (P.281 (Song of Deborah))
Ya-a-mode, Ya-a-mode, Ben ben Moshe, Maftir Chazak
or:
Ya-amode, Ya-a-mode, El-e-ezar ben Daveed v’Shrona, Maftir
Chazak