Beshalach

(1) Another interpretation (of Exod. 13:17): [ALAS (WY), WOE (HY),¹¹See the previous note. WHEN <PHARAOH> HAD LET <THE PEOPLE> GO.]¹²PRK 11:7. Who cried ALAS (WY)? Pharaoh cried ALAS (WY). R. Jonathan ben Eleazar said: To what is the matter comparable? To one who had cedar timbers. They sold them for a little money. The buyer went and made boxes, turret-shaped chests, and a lot of <other> things from them. When the one who sold the < timbers > saw these things, they began to {be angry} [lament] and said: Woe to that person! What have they sold? So it was in the case of Pharaoh. When Israel was enslaved to him with clay and bricks, it was not known that they were a people. As soon as they had left Egypt, when they went and became troops by the sea, Pharaoh went out and saw that these very ones had become troops. At that time he began to cry out ALAS (WY). (Exod. 13:17): ALAS (WY), WOE (HY), WHEN PHARAOH HAD LET <THE PEOPLE> GO.

(1) [Another interpretation (of Exod. 13:17): ALAS (WY), WOE (HY),¹³See above, note 10. WHEN <PHARAOH > HAD LET <THE PEOPLE> GO.] Who cried ALAS (WY)? Resh Laqish said: The Egyptians cried ALAS (WY). To what is the matter comparable? To a physician who was in the district. Now when someone was injured, the physician healed them. When one {was} [became] sick, the physician healed them. As soon as the physician left the district, the people of the district cried: ALAS (WY). So {it was} [when] Israel [was] in Egypt. When the plague came over Egypt, they would come to Moses and seek <help> from him. Then he would pray and heal the plague. When Israel left Egypt, at that moment the Egyptians said: ALAS (WY), for Pharaoh has let the people go. (Exod. 13:17:) ALAS (WY), WOE (HY), WHEN PHARAOH HAD LET <THE PEOPLE> GO.

(1) Another interpretation (of Exod. 13:17): ALAS (WY), WOE (HY),¹⁴See above, note 10. WHEN PHARAOH HAD LET <THE PEOPLE> GO. Who cried ALAS (WY)? The Canaanites [cried: ALAS (WY)]. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a small son. He also had an ousia {i.e., an orchard}.¹⁵Among other things the Greek word means “real property” or “real estate.” Now he wanted to go away overseas, <so> he told a certain tenant to take care of it and eat of its fruit until his son became mature.¹⁶Cf. Sifre to Deut. 32:9 (312); Mark 12:1–9 and parallels. When the king's son grew up, he sought the ousia. The tenant immediately began to cry: ALAS (WY). Similarly, while Israel was in Egypt, the Canaanites dwelt in and took care of the land of Israel. They also ate of its fruits. As soon as they heard that Israel had left Egypt they began yelling: ALAS (WY). (Exod. 13:17:) ALAS (WY), WOE (HY), WHEN PHARAOH HAD LET <THE PEOPLE> GO.

Another thing, "And it was when the Pharaoh sent..." Who said, V'ay!? Moses said, "Va'y!" A parable: It is like one who was a bridesmaid/usher for the king's daughter and they saw in a dream that they would go out from the palace with the king's daughter, but they would not come with her to the groom's house or to the chuppah. This person began to cry. They said to them: Why are you crying? The usher/bridesmaid said to them: I am crying because I worked hard to bring her out and I will not get to come with her to the chuppah. So too said Moses: I am crying out because I have worked so hard to take Israel out from Egypt, and I will not enter with them into the land. Thus it says, V'ay

Another thing, "And God did not lead them..." even though Pharaoh had sent them out, The Holy Blessed One was not appeased. A parable: to what is this comparable to? To a king whose son was captured and the king went and saved him from the bandits and killed them. The son said to his father: Such and such they did to me, this way and that way they struck me and enslaved me. Even though the king killed the captors, he is not appeased, rather he says: Such and such they did to my son! So too it was when the Egyptians enslaved Israel, as it says, "They embittered their lives," (Ex 1:14) The Blessed Holy One brought upon them ten plagues and redeemed God's children. Nevertheless, God said: I will not be appeased until I kill them all, as it says, "God covered the Egyptians in the midst of the sea," (Ex 14:27) and it is written, "Horse and chariot God threw into the sea," (Ex. 15:1)...

Another thing, "God didn't lead the people..." A parable: There was a king who wished to give his son an inheritance. He said (to himself): If I give him the inheritance now, he is still a child and he doesn't know how to guard it. Rather, only when my son learns the scriptures and to uphold their depths, after that I will give him the inheritance. So too did the Blessed Holy One say: If I bring Israel into the land now, they still have not busied themselves with mitzvot, and they don't know the matters of voluntary and mandatory tithings, rather I will give them the Torah, then I will bring them into the land.

Another thing, "And God did not lead them..." why the land of the Philistines? Rabbi Shimon son of Abba said that Rabbi Yohanan said: When the Cannanites heard that Israel was coming to the land, they stood and uprooted all that was planted. Once they heard that the Jews had become ensnarled in the wilderness for 40 years, they thought that they would forever live in the wilderness. So, they stood and planted and grew the vegetation back, and afterwards Israel entered the land.

And our great rabbi said: It was because God wished to strike the terror of Israel into the worshipers of stars. They were delayed 40 years in the wilderness and were enlightened by a pillar of cloud by day and by a pillar of fire by night. All the star worshipers heard and began to tremble...

Variantly: "for it was near": The Holy One Blessed be God did not bring them directly to Eretz Yisrael but by way of the desert, saying: If I bring them there now, immediately each person will seize their field, and each person their vineyard and they will neglect Torah study. Rather, I will keep them in the desert forty years, eating manna and drinking from the well, and the Torah will be absorbed in their bodies. From here R. Shimon would say: The Torah was given to be expounded only by the eaters of manna, and, like them, the eaters of terumah (i.e., the Cohanim).

(1) (Exodus 13:18) "And G d led the people circuitously by way of the desert to the Red Sea": in order to perform miracles and mighty acts with the manna and the quail and the well. R. Eliezer says: "way" — in order to weary them, viz. (Psalms 102:24) "God drained my strength on the way; God shortened my days." "the desert" — in order to purify them, viz. (Devarim 8:15) "Who led you through the great and awesome desert." "the Red Sea" — in order to try them, viz. (Psalms 106:7) "Our ancestors in Egypt did not absorb Your wonders. They did not remember the abundance of Your loving kindness, and they rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea." R. Yehoshua says: "way" — in order to give them the Torah, of which it is written (Devarim 5:30) "In all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you shall you go," and (Mishlei 6:23) "For a mitzvah is a lamp, and Torah is light, and the way of life." "the desert" — in order to feed them the manna, viz. (Devarim 8:16) "who fed you manna in the desert, etc." "the Red Sea" — in order to perform for them miracles and wonders, as it is written (Psalms 106:21-22) "They forgot the God who saved them, who wrought great deeds in Egypt, wonders in the land of Cham, awesome acts at the Red Sea," and (Ibid. 9) "And God rebuked the Red Sea and it dried up, and God led them through the depths as through a desert."

(1) . וישובו ויחנו פי החירות, “they turned around and encamped at Pi Hachirot. G’d ordered the Israelites to turn around facing Egypt at Pithom renamed Pi Hachirot, seeing that this was the place where they had become free (from slave labour) according to Rashi. The Torah added the words “in front of Baal Tzefon,” as a further means of identification because that idol had survived destruction. All of these details were important to help Pharaoh persuade himself that the Israelites were worth pursuing. When the Torah reports that G’d said to Moses: “I will strengthen the heart of Pharaoh so that he will pursue them” (verse 4), God referred to three causes which would determine Pharaoh’s course of action. 1) Their non-stop day and night travel which would persuade Pharaoh that they were in fact escaping, not following his instructions. 2) Their turnabout convinced Pharaoh that the people were completely lost in the desert. 3) that they should make camp near Baal Tzefon which would give Pharaoh the impression that this deity had impeded the Israelites’ ability to journey forward. The term ”בעל something or other,“ is usually associated with a deity such as בעל זבוב, אלוהי עקרן, בעל פעור, and others. G’d allowed this deity to survive in order to mislead Pharaoh. This is an illustration of Job 12,23: “God causes nations to deceive themselves resulting in their destruction.” The additional words (verse 3) נכחו תחנו על הים, ”opposite it you are to make camp,” was to give Pharaoh the impression that this deity had used the desert to encircle the Israelites, to make them prisoner. This verse contains an allusion to what the Israelites would observe later at the sea.

(3) ויצעקו AND THEY CRIED — they took to hand the handicraft of their fathers (they had recourse to prayer as their ancestors had always done in times of trouble). In the case of Abraham it is said, (Genesis 19:27) “[And Abraham went] to the place where he had stood in prayer”. In the case of Isaac: (Genesis 24:63) “[He went out towards evening] to pray”. In the case of Jacob: (Genesis 28:11) “He prayed to the Omnipresent God” (cf. Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 14:10:4; Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 9, and Rashi on the texts quoted).

(14) ... R’ Eliezer haModa’i says: “Why do you cry out to Me?” (Exodus 14:15) Do I need to be told what to do regarding my children?! “…concerning My children and the work of My hands do you command Me?” (Isaiah 45:11) Were they not already prepared before Me from the six days of creation? As it says “If these laws depart from before Me, says the Lord, so will the seed of Israel cease being a nation before Me for all time.” (Jeremiah 31:35) Others say: Israel did a great thing. For the sake of the faith with which they believed in Me it is worth it to split the sea. For they did not say to Moshe ‘how can we go out into this barren wilderness without supplies for the journey?!’ Rather, they had faith and followed after Moshe, as it says in the prophets “Go and call out in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: so said the Lord: I remember to you the lovingkindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, your following Me in the desert, in a land not sown.” (Jeremiah 2:2) What reward did they receive for this? “Israel is holy to the Lord, the first of God's grain; all who eat this grain shall be guilty, evil shall befall them, says the Lord.” (Jeremiah 2:3) R’ Yosi haGalili says: when Israel entered the sea Mount Moriah was already uprooted from its place, together with the altar of Yitzchak which was built on it with the wood all laid out. It was as if Yitzchak was bound and placed on the altar and Avraham had stretched out his hand to take the knife and slaughter his son, as it says “And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife, to slaughter his son.” (Genesis 22:10) God (HaMakom) said to Moshe: Moshe, my children are in distress, the sea is closing, the enemy is pursuing and you stand there drawing out your prayer?! He said before God: and what should I do? God replied: “And you raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea…” (Exodus 14:16) You should elevate, exalt, give song, exultation, thanksgiving, greatness, splendor, glory and praise to God to whom all battles belong.

(1) (Exodus 14:15) "And the L rd said to Moses: Why do you cry out to Me?" R. Yehoshua says: The Holy One Blessed be God said to Moses: Moses, all that Israel has to do is to go forward. R. Eliezer says: The Holy One Blessed be God said to Moses: Moses, My children are in trouble. The sea is raging and the foe is pursuing and you stand and prolong your prayers? For R. Eliezer was wont to say: There is a time to prolong (prayer) and a time to shorten. (Numbers 12:13) "G d, I pray You, hear her" — to shorten. (Devarim 9:18) "And I fell down before the L rd (in prayer) as at first, forty days and forty nights" — to prolong. R. Meir says: If for Adam, who was alone, I made dry land (viz. Genesis 1:9), for this assembly of holy ones shall I not make dry land? R. Yishmael says: In the merit of Jerusalem I will split the sea for them, as it is written (Isaiah 52:1) "Awake, awake, clothe yourself in splendor, O Zion. Don your robes of glory, O Jerusalem, holy city. For there will not again enter you the uncircumcised and the unclean", and (Ibid. 51:9-10) "Awake, awake, clothe yourself in splendor, O arm of the L rd. Awake as in days of old, as in generations of yore … Is it not You that dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, a road for the redeemed to cross?" Variantly: Because of My promise to their father Abraham I will split the sea for them, viz. (Genesis 28:14) "And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, ufaratzta yamah vakedma", "ufaratzta yamah" intimating the splitting of the sea. R. Yehudah b. Betheirah says: The Holy One Blessed be God said to him: I have already fulfilled My promise to your father Abraham, viz. (Exodus, Ibid. 21) "and God made the sea into the dry land" (that God had promised to Abraham)