B'shalach
Exodus 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 the sea ahead of Pharaoh’s pursuing army, which subsequently drowns. 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 provides water as well. The Shabbat is introduced as a day of rest, even before it appears in the Ten Commandments. In their first battle, with Amalek, the Israelites are successful as long as Moses’ hands remain in the air, and with the help of Aaron and Joshua (who support Moses’ arms), they prevail.
Ex.15:2 "This is my God, and I will glorify Him."
Erica Brown has written (Leading with Meaning 2/14/13) that this verse is a proof text for the Sages for the mitzvah of beautification of our Jewish lives (“hidur mitzvah”), noting that the Talmud tells us “Make before Him a beautiful sukkah, a beautiful lulav, a beautiful shofar, beautiful ritual fringes, beautiful parchment for a Torah scroll, and write in it His name in beautiful ink, with a beautiful quill by an expert scribe, and wrap the scroll in beautiful silk fabric (BT Shabbat 133b).’”
This beauty comes with a significant price tag, as we all know. The Talmudic statements are insisting that there is a command to invest in our ritual objects, to beautify them, adding to the feeling we experience when they are used. There is an additional consideration related to beautifully made ritual objects: they are handed down from generation to generation. From my father, z’l, I treasure his silver kiddush cup, reserving its use for only the most special occasions. My daughter adores her candlesticks, an inheritance from my mother, z’l. When an overactive candle damaged one of the candle sticks, I brought it to a local craftsman who suggested that I simply replace it with a duplicate, since the model was still easily obtained. In fact, he said, it would be less expensive to buy a new one than to repair the damaged one. I of course had it repaired.
Someday, we will leave behind our own treasures to future generations who will inherit a kiddush cup or candle sticks or the family seder plate or chanukiot we ourselves have used. They may think of us as these objects are used, creating a physical link between the generations.
