Parshas Beshalach







This is in the merit of my grandmother Esther bat Mazal. May she have a speedy and complete recovery.



A note: Comments within double brackets, [[abc]], are notes I write for myself so that when I look back later on the topics I discussed, I see all the sources I looked at and how I understood them. Readers are encouraged to skip them.





In last week's devar Torah about addiction, I was not referring to medical addictions such as alcoholism or smoking; such people can never return to any middle and must always stay away from their addiction. Rather, I was referring to unbalanced character traits such as being too generous or too stingy.





Question:



"The Israelites saw the great power that God had unleashed against Egypt, and the people were in awe of God. They trusted in God and in his servant Moses" (Exodus 14:31).



Why does awe precede trust?





Serving Faithfully



"They moved on from Elim, and the entire community of Israel came to the Sin Desert, between Elim and Sinai. It was the 15th of the second month after they had left Egypt.

There in the desert, the entire Israelite community began to complain against Moses and Aaron.

The Israelites said to them, 'If only we had died by God's hand in Egypt! There at least we could sit by pots of meat and eat our fill of bread! But you had to bring us out to this desert, to kill the entire community by starvation!'

God said to Moses, 'I will make bread rain down to you from the sky. The people will go out and gather enough for each day. I will test them to see whether or not they will keep My Torah" (Exodus 16:1-4).



In the middle of the desert, the Jews ran out of food and complained. It may seem hard to imagine how people who had witnessed such miracles could complain in such a manner but let us not forget that the adults were also concerned about their children's survival. This idea I heard from Emes L'Yaakov.



Regardless, I have two questions:

1. Had the Jews not complained, what would have happened? There seems to be no indication that had they kept silent, they would have been provided for.
2. In verse 4, what exact was the test?



It seems to me that G-d did not want the Jews to simply stay silent despite the fact they had no food. Rather, G-d expected them to pray. Unlike in Egypt, where despite their oppression, all physical needs were taken care of ("There at least we could sit by pots of meat and eat our fill of bread"), G-d expects us to work. The Jews were right to react to their lack of food but they should have reacted radically differently. Perhaps something like 'G-d, we trust you, please give us food' rather than "If only we had died by God's hand in Egypt!" Even if the Jews had received prophecy that G-d would be starving them to death, the Jews should have responded with teshuva (because decrees can always be changed) while accepting the fact that G-d is just.



Once the Jews need to work for themselves, they now need to learn not to trust in their own labors and efforts. Rashi says one component of the test was that each day, the Jews gather only what they needed for that day and no more. They needed to trust that if G-d deems it proper, there will be more food for them the next day, and the day after that, and so on. In effect, G-d was saying that the Jews should work but ultimately realize that sustenance comes from G-d, if He wants the Jews to be fed, they will be fed and if He doesn't, they won't be fed. It is not up to us. [[See 16:28]]



Finally, I think another component of the test was to 'gather only what they needed for one day and keep the Torah,' meaning that they would not even worry about the next day, they would not get stressed out, panic, and abandon spiritual pursuits. [[This might be what the Rashbam is saying. See also Rashi on 16:32]]



I think this idea is expressed in Psalm 78 where the Psalmist discusses G-d's miracles, especially those related to the Exodus from Egypt and in the desert:



"We shall not hide from their sons; to the last generation they will recite the praises of the Lord, and His might and His wonders, which He performed. And He established testimony in Jacob, and He set down a Torah in Israel, which He commanded our forefathers to make them known to their sons. In order that the last generation might know, sons who will be born should tell their sons. So they should put their unshakeable trust in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments. And they should not be as their forefathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, who did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God" (Psalm 78:4-8).





Food for thought and discussion:



We don't have prophecy these days. While we must always say that G-d will do what He knows is best, how much effort must we devote to tasks?



Have a good Shabbas,
Mordechai