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 the sea 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 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 led by Joshua, against Amalek, 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. 14:21-28: “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea…The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.”
This is the story we read each year at the Passover seder and with which we are most familiar. Dayenu! But in a version of the story appearing in the Babylonian Talmud (Sotah 36b-37a), the rabbis tell a different story in a famous midrash. They tell that as the Israelites gathered at the shore of the Sea, Moses raises his hands…. and nothing happens! Moses, who has done miracle after miracle, suddenly fails to produce. The People are scared, and some consider turning back to Egyptian slavery. But one solitary figure tears through the crowd and enters the water. His name is Nachshon, son of Aminadab. He steps into the water and begins to walk. His friends and family implore him to stop, but he continues. The water is at his knees, his waist, his chest, his neck, and up to his nostrils. Suddenly, the Sea recedes as we are told in the text itself.
What are the Rabbis telling us? That liberation and freedom are not mere gifts from God. They require courage, faith, and the ability to take risks in the face of danger. As Rabbi Adam Greenwald tells us (MyJewishLearning.com 2/7/17) We are often called the Children of Abraham, and more commonly the Children of Israel. Perhaps, he suggests, we should be called the Children of Nachshon. After all, for most American Jews, it was our ancestors – our grandparents or great-grandparents – who took the risk to cross another sea to escape danger, pogrom, and tyranny. They had faith that God would provide liberation, but understood full well that they needed to take steps personally. As Rabbi Greenwald tells us, “they split the sea for us so that we could walk on dry land.”
They had dreams to fulfill, took action, and we owe them our gratitude.
