Parashat Beshalach
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Synopsis
Parashat Beshalach starts with the Israelites leaving Egypt and pharaoh changing his mind about letting them go. He pursues the Israelites and when they see the Egyptian army coming after them they start blaming Moses for bringing them out to die in the desert. He assures them that God will save them and leads them through the red sea which has been miraculously split allowing safe passage. The sea then returns to its original state drowning the pursuing Egyptians. The Israelites rejoice and embark on their journey through the Sinai desert. Despite their liberation the Israelites continue to complain about a lack of food, water and God gives them manna but then they have more to complain about when the Amalekites start attacking them.
Themes;
This weeks Parasha is all about faith and the faithless. There are three main themes within this.
1) Believing in Miracles (The escape from Egypt)
2) The Israelites complaints
3) Amaleks attacks
Believing in Miracles (Escape from Egypt)
There were miracles abounding in the story of the Israelites liberation, from the famous aquatic division to the pillar of fire guiding them through their journey. The Israelites didn’t believe in the miracles before they happened hence the constant complaining but do you believe in them? I’m guessing most of you are saying no ,you’ve seen/heard that programme that talked about how the plagues could have been natural disasters. I’m inclined to agree with you that they will have been natural disasters but their impeccable timing is what makes them miraculous. At this point I offer you a quote by Roland B. Gittelsohn in his book Man’s Best Hope.
“In short, I do not believe in miracles. Not if the word be interpreted in its usual sense as exceptions to the laws of nature. I believe in miracles only as occurrences and events that are far too marvellous for me to comprehend but that are entirely consistent with natures accustomed patterns….Do you know any word more descriptive than miracle for the fact that within the tiny, sub-microscopic cell each of us was at the moment of conception were already contained the seeds of all the physical traits, all the mental characteristics, all the emotional proclivities, all the creative possibilities of the adults we are today? Compared to that, a sea splitting in two… is simple child’s play. There are more miracles without magic in this universe than the wisest of us could ever identify. The trouble is that most of the time we’re looking for them in the wrong places.”
The Israelities Complaints
The Israelites had just been liberated from bondage that had lasted for 400 years and yet they kept complaining, Moses and God were completely un-appreciated and as a movement worker I can empathise. Moses had risked his neck getting them out and God had performed miracle after miracle and yet they still complained, why? It may have had something to do with the fact that for the first time they were responsible for making decisions no longer trapped by the strict regime applied to a slave. I think that this is one of the most powerful messages to be learned from the Exodus. We are all limited by the rules of our social groupings, not slaves but participants in a walled freedom, a comfort zone. Stepping out of this comfort zone is the most daunting task a human being can undertake but ultimately the experiences we have when we do are those that define our lives however many complaints we have at the time. The Exodus from Egypt was a pinnacle in the formation of the Jewish identity and it would never have happened if the Israelites didn’t step out of their “comfort zone.”
Amaleks Attacks
The Amalekites were a nomadic tribe said to be descendants of Edom/Esau living in the Sinai desert. They attacked the Israelites from the rear going for the weak and elderly stragglers. No-one knows exactly why the Amalekites had such a burning desire to destroy the Israelites and several reasons have been put forward. What is clear is that they were morally bankrupt. What is interesting is that we are told to both remember Amalek as well as “blot out their memory from under heaven.” Either way we are taught to fight against those that hold human life and morality in such low regard.
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