Beshalach – Page 6 – Peninim on the Torah

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)

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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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5772

He said, “If you will listen diligently to the voice of Hashem, your G-d, and you will do what is just in His eyes, and you will give ear to His commandments and observe all His statutes, then any of the diseases that I have placed upon Egypt, I will not place upon you.” (15:26)

Life in This World, albeit temporal, grants one incredible opportunity to achieve immense spiritual reward. Chazal teach us that This World is only a vestibule, a passageway to the real world. If we only begin to realize the tremendous opportunity we have for spiritual accomplishment, we would never waste a moments time. Indeed, a simple act of kindness, a moment of spiritual endeavor performed here during one’s lifetime, can never be recaptured after one is gone. All Hashem asks of us is to do, to act, to perform. He will remunerate us beyond our wildest dreams when the appropriate time…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5771

“Hashem shall do battle for you, and you shall remain silent.” (14:14)

If one had to suggest the underlying motif of Parashas Beshalach, I think it would be emunah and bitachon, faithful trust in the Almighty. From its very outset, as the nascent Jewish nation left Egypt, until its closing pesukim – describing our triumphant battle over our archenemy, Amalek – the Parshah is replete with instances of emunah and bitachon. Let us focus on a few of these examples. As Klal Yisrael stood at the banks of the Red Sea, the people were overwhelmed by fear, and began to cry. They raised their voices in prayer, entreating Hashem to spare them. Moshe Rabbeinu…

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Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Beshalach, 5771

And he said, “If you will hearken to the voice of Hashem, your G-d… any of the diseases that I placed upon Egypt, I shall not place upon you, for I am Hashem, your Healer.” (15:26)

The Talmud Sanhedrin 101a questions the message of this pasuk. Inasmuch as Hashem has promised that He will not place any disease upon us (i.e. that we never become ill in the first place), then why do we have a need for His healing? The Talmud replies that the pasuk is self-explanatory. If one hearkens to Hashem’s voice and observes His mitzvos, he will not be stricken with disease. However, if he will not listen to Hashem and will not faithfully carry out His mitzvos, then the diseases of Egypt will be placed upon him. There is one “plus”: Hashem…

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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)

He said, “If you will listen diligently to the voice of Hashem, your G-d, and you will do what is just in His eyes, and you will give ear to His commandments and observe all His statutes, then any of the diseases that I have placed upon Egypt, I will not place upon you.” (15:26)

“Hashem shall do battle for you, and you shall remain silent.” (14:14)

And he said, “If you will hearken to the voice of Hashem, your G-d… any of the diseases that I placed upon Egypt, I shall not place upon you, for I am Hashem, your Healer.” (15:26)

YEARS

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