B'shalach
Ex.
13:17-17:16
Précis: And when Pharaoh “had let them go” (b’shalach), the story
of the Exodus from Egypt is almost concluded. Carrying with them the bones of
Joseph and the “spoils of Egypt,” Moses leads the Israelites by way
of the Red (or Reed) Sea. They cross ahead of Pharaoh’s pursuing army, which
subsequently drowns in the returning waters. Moses sings his triumphant Song of
the Sea, and Miriam’s song of joy follows. The Israelites begin to murmur
against Moses and Aaron because of a lack of food and water. God provides
heavenly “manna” to eat and also provides water. Shabbat is introduced as a day
of rest, even before it appears in the Ten Commandments. In their first battle,
led by Joshua, the Israelites are successful as long as Moses’ hands remain in
the air, and with the help of Aaron and Hur (who support Moses’ arms), they
prevail.
Ex. 16:3 “If
only we had died by the hand of the Eternal 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.”
This parasha includes some of the
most well-known stories of our tradition: our liberation from Egypt, the
pursuit by the Egyptian army, the splitting of the Red Sea, the Israelites
crossing and the Egyptians drowning. Many consider this to be the foundational
story of the Jewish Nation, because the liberation from Egypt is the
cornerstone of Jewish existence.
But Rabbi Bradley Artson has suggested (MyJewishLearning.com,
1/19/16) that what is most significant about this week’s reading are not the
miracles noted above, but rather how quickly the newly freed slaves seem to
forget about their redemption. As our verse for review this week shows, the
Jews had just achieved freedom when they began to moan over a lack of food and
water. Artson suggests that much of the Bible can be read about the consistent
inability of God to teach people to be grateful.
If we look at the Bible from its beginning, God gives humanity a beautiful
Garden, but they disobey and are banished. Man’s inhumanity to man leads God to
unleash the Flood; the people remain stubborn and must be dispersed. God sends
the Israelites a liberator from Egyptian slavery, and after the 10 plagues (and
the Red Sea), the Israelites still are complaining. Redemption from Egypt is
followed by Revelation at Sinai, but the Jews rebel against the Torah’s
instructions. Again and again, prophets are sent by God and ignored.
How can we achieve the kind of gratitude of which our ancestors seemed
incapable? Perhaps it is by recognizing that there remains much good in the
world – despite the current pessimism shared by so many – and that this
goodness has a Divine origin. When we attempt to act in a way in which we
imagine God wants us to act, we demonstrate through our actions the kind of
gratitude which our ancestors seemed incapable of offering. It is not God’s
miracles which will initiate our thanks; it is instead our human cultivation of
goodness, kindness, and justice which will create the ultimate message of our
thanks. May it be so rapidly, and in our days.
