Beshalach – Page 6 – Peninim on the Torah

ויהי בשלח פרעה את העם

It happened when Pharaoh sent the nation. (13:17)

In the Talmud Megillah 10b, Chazal state that the word vayehi, “and it was”, implies sadness. The Midrash says that Vayehi is a combination of two words: Vay – woe; and v’hi, as in nehi, which means mourning. These two words describe anything but joy. This brings us to ask: What about the Exodus engendered sadness? This was Klal Yisrael’s finest moment; surely nothing about it would provoke sadness. Furthermore, the phrase beshalach Pharaoh, “when Pharaoh sent (the people),” raises a question: When did Pharaoh send out the people? He had nothing to do with it! It was Hashem throughout…

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וחמשים עלו בני ישראל מארץ מצרים...ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף עמו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5773

Bnei Yisrael were armed when they went up from Egypt… And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him. (13:18, 19)

Rashi explains chamushim to mean “armed.” In an alternative exposition, Rashi quotes the Midrash which posits that chamushim is derived from chomesh,“a fifth.” This implies that actually only one fifth of the Jewish People left Egypt. Apparently, the bulk of the nation was prepared to adopt the Egyptian lifestyle. They did not want to be slaves, but they were not yet prepared to leave the country. They died during the three-day plague of darkness. In his Shemen Hatov, Horav Zev Weinberger, Shlita, quotes Horav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, zl, of Yerushalayim, who offered an insightful explanation of chamushim, armed. Of what…

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ויאמר ד' אל משה מה תצעק אלי דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5773

And Hashem said to Moshe, “Why do you call out to Me? Speak to Bnei Yisrael, and they shall travel.” (14:15)

Two specific aspects of the human experience–matrimony and earning a livelihood — are compared to the splitting of the Red Sea. Kasheh zivugan shel adam k’krias Yam Suf, “It is as difficult to bring a man and his bride together as the splitting of the Red Sea.” Kasheh mezonosav shel adam k’krias Yam Suf, “A person’s livelihood is as difficult (to provide) as the splitting of the Red Sea.” The word kasheh, difficult, is a term which creates a dilemma. Is there anything “difficult” for Hashem? He can do as He pleases. Nothing holds Him back. How can any act…

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ויבאו בני ישראל בתוך הים ביבשה והמים להם חומה מימינם ומשמאלם...ובני ישראל הלכו ביבשה בתוך הים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5773

Bnei Yisrael came within the sea on dry land and the water was a wall for them, on their right side and on their left. (14:22) Bnei Yisrael went on dry land in the midst of the sea. (14:29)

The commentators question the altering of the text in the sequence of the pesukim. First, why does the Torah repeat itself? Prior to the drowning of the Egyptians, the Torah writes that Bnei Yisrael “came within the sea on dry land.” Afterwards, when the Egyptians were no longer a threat, the Torah reiterates that the people “went on dry land in the midst of the sea.” Is this second pasuk necessary, once the Torah had already stated the same thing earlier? Furthermore, previously the Torah wrote that they went b’soch ha’yam ba’yabashah; “within the sea on dry land.” Following the…

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איש לפי אכלו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5773

For every man according to what he eats. (16:16)

Horav Moshe Kramer, zl, became rav in Vilna. Prior to his ascent to the rabbinate he was a grocer. Hence, the name Kramer, which in Yiddish is a grocer. His illustrious grandson, Horav Eliyahu Kramer, was none other than the Gaon, m’Vilna. The great sage, who has continued to illuminate the minds of thousands of Torah students throughout the last two centuries, was the product of a home built upon middos tovos, good character traits, and incredible trust in the Almighty. When Rav Moshe was asked to accept the position of rav, he accepted the position on the condition that…

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ובני ישראל אכלו את המן ארבעים שנה...את המן אכלו עד באם אל קצה ארץ כנען

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5773

Bnei Yisrael ate the manna for forty years…They ate the manna until their arrival at the border of the land of Canaan. (16:35)

In the Mechilta, Chazal teach that, Lo nitnah Torah lidrosh ela l’ochlei man, “The Torah was given to be expounded only by mann-eaters.” This means that there were positive reasons for the Torah to have been given to Klal Yisrael while they were in the midst of their forty-year sojourn to the Promised Land. The wilderness was an integral part of this experience. The Torah had to be given in the desolate wilderness. It is not just because Egypt’s prevailing environment was filled with spiritual bankruptcy and defilement. It was because to live in the desert is to defy the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5772

Hashem said to Moshe, “Why do you cry out to Me?” (14:15)

More than once in his lifetime, a man will face a situation from which there is no escape. He is up against the wall. Anxiety, fear and trepidation set in. What does he do? To whom does he turn? Horav David Bliacher, z.l., one of the preeminent disciples of the Alter m’Novardok, cites this above pasuk in his response to the problems that so many of us face during the course of a lifetime. Klal Yisrael was up against the proverbial wall. In front of them, was the Red Sea; behind them were the cruel Egyptians, intent on “recovering” their…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5772

“The water came back and covered the chariots and the horsemen…there remained not a one of them.” (14:28)

The Daas Zekeinim derives from the words “ad echad”, “not a one”, that one person did survive, namely Pharaoh. Yalkut Shimoni says that Pharaoh repented at the last minute. His teshuvah was accepted, and he eventually became the king of Ninveh. The Alshich Ha’kadosh writes that Pharaoh was enveloped in a large wave, and as he was about to succumb, he uttered the words “Mi chamocha ba’eilim Hashem”, “Who is like You, among the Heavenly powers?” He was so weak that the sound was barely heard. Consequently, the “chaf” of “kamocha” is “weak”, written without the “dagesh,” dot in the…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5772

“This is my G-d, and I will beautify Him; the G-d of my father, and I will exalt Him.” (15:2)

Rashi explains that a person’s spiritual position is his legacy, transmitted to him from his ancestors: “I am not the genesis of my holiness. Rather, it is bequeathed to me from my forefathers in whom it was firmly entrenched.” Rashi’s explanation does not seem to coincide with the text. If our spiritual stature has its roots in our forebears, it should have first stated, “the G-d of my father,” and then, “my G-d”. Horav Mordechai Gifter, z.l., explains that avodas Hashem, serving the Almighty, demands both of these perspectives. To serve Hashem, one must serve as an individual, using his…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5772

“Hashem shall reign for all eternity.” (15:18)

In the Aleinu prayer, which we recite thrice daily, we implore Hashem “that You may reign over them soon and eternally.” The Meshech Chochmah explains the concept of “soon” in regard to Hashem’s reign over the world. A person carries out his mind’s commands which is in the form of an electrical impulse. The brain decides to act. It sends a message (impulse) via the heart to the specific organs or limbs involved, and the person acts. This is not the case in the event that the mind sends a command that is contrary to the well- being of the…

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ויהי בשלח פרעה את העם

It happened when Pharaoh sent the nation. (13:17)

וחמשים עלו בני ישראל מארץ מצרים...ויקח משה את עצמות יוסף עמו

Bnei Yisrael were armed when they went up from Egypt… And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him. (13:18, 19)

ויאמר ד' אל משה מה תצעק אלי דבר אל בני ישראל ויסעו

And Hashem said to Moshe, “Why do you call out to Me? Speak to Bnei Yisrael, and they shall travel.” (14:15)

ויבאו בני ישראל בתוך הים ביבשה והמים להם חומה מימינם ומשמאלם...ובני ישראל הלכו ביבשה בתוך הים

Bnei Yisrael came within the sea on dry land and the water was a wall for them, on their right side and on their left. (14:22) Bnei Yisrael went on dry land in the midst of the sea. (14:29)

איש לפי אכלו

For every man according to what he eats. (16:16)

ובני ישראל אכלו את המן ארבעים שנה...את המן אכלו עד באם אל קצה ארץ כנען

Bnei Yisrael ate the manna for forty years…They ate the manna until their arrival at the border of the land of Canaan. (16:35)

Hashem said to Moshe, “Why do you cry out to Me?” (14:15)

“The water came back and covered the chariots and the horsemen…there remained not a one of them.” (14:28)

“This is my G-d, and I will beautify Him; the G-d of my father, and I will exalt Him.” (15:2)

“Hashem shall reign for all eternity.” (15:18)

YEARS

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