Beshalach: This is My God
The Midrash (Shemot Rabbah 23:15) makes a startling claim about the Israelites who witnessed the splitting of the Red Sea:
“Come and see how great were those who crossed the Sea. Moses pleaded and beseeched before God that he should merit seeing God’s Divine Image, ‘Please, show me Your glory!’ (Ex. 33:19). Yet God told him, ‘You may not see My face….’ But every Israelite who descended into the Sea pointed with his finger and said, “This is my God and I will glorify Him” (Ex. 15:2).
Could it be that those who crossed the Red Sea saw more than Moses, about whom the Torah testifies, “No other prophet like Moses has arisen in Israel” (Deut. 34:10)? Furthermore, Moses was also there when they crossed the sea — he certainly saw what everyone else experienced!
Total Suspension of Nature
Clearly, the Midrash cannot be referring to the level of prophecy, for it is a fundamental article of faith that Moses’ prophecy was unparalleled. Rather, the Midrash must be referring to some aspect of prophetic vision that was only experienced by those who participated in this miraculous crossing.
What was so special about the splitting of the Red Sea? God performed other miracles for Israel, but those miracles did not entail the complete abrogation of the laws of nature. Nature as a whole continued on its usual path; God only temporarily changed one aspect for the benefit of His people.
But with the miraculous splitting of the Sea, God suspended the entire system of natural law. The Sages wrote that this miracle did not occur solely in the Red Sea. On that night, bodies of water all over the world were split. According to the Maharal, Rabbi Yehudah Loew of Prague, water symbolizes the physical world, so that this miracle affected the entire physical realm of creation (Gevurot Hashem, chap. 42). The entire rule of nature was breached.
Immediate Awareness of God’s Rule
Our world is governed by the framework of cause and effect. When the underlying rule of nature was suspended during the splitting of the Red Sea, the entire system of causality was arrested. During that time, the universe lost its cloak of natural law, and revealed itself as a pure expression of divine will.
What is the essence of prophecy? This unique gift is the ability to look at God’s works and recognize in them His greatness.
As long as nature’s causal structure is functioning, a prophet may attain sublime and even esoteric knowledge, but he will never achieve immediate awareness of God’s directing hand. Through his physical senses and powers of reasoning, the prophet will initially recognize the natural system of cause and effect. Only afterwards does the prophet become aware that the entire universe is created and directed by an ultimate Cause.
At Mount Sinai, God told Moses, “You will only see My back.” What is God’s ‘back’? Maimonides explained that this is a metaphor for the system of natural law by which God governs the universe. God granted Moses an awareness of the inner connectivity within creation. This understanding of God’s true nature exceeded that of any other prophet.
When God split the Sea, all laws of nature were temporarily suspended. God took “direct control” of the universe. Those witnessing this miracle were instantly aware of God’s intervention and providence, each according to his spiritual level. Certainly none reached the prophetic level of Moses. But whatever enlightenment they attained, it was perceived immediately. They did not need to first examine the natural system of causality, and from this, recognize the prime Cause of creation.
Therefore, those experiencing the miracle of the Red Sea called out spontaneously, “THIS is my God.” Their comprehension was not obscured by the logical system of cause and effect; they witnessed God’s revealed rule directly, without the cloak of causality.
(Gold from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Midbar Shur, pp. 353-357)
BeShalach: Listening to the Old...
Truly Listening
At a place in the desert called Marah, Moses sweetened the bitter waters so the people would have water to drink. Then he admonished them that they should listen carefully — שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע — to God’s voice (Ex. 15:26).
Why is the verb “to listen” (שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע) repeated? In Biblical Hebrew, the grammatical structure of combining the infinitive with the conjugated verb is used to place emphasis. Thus שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע means “you will listen carefully.” The Talmud, however, often infers additional meanings from this repetition. In this case, the Sages derived an important lesson about Torah study:
“If שָׁמוֹעַ — if you listen to the old — then תִּשְׁמַע — you will merit listening to the new. But if you turn away [from the old], you will no longer hear.” (Berachot 40a)
This statement needs clarification. What is meant by “old” and “new”? What special promise is hinted in the double verb, שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע ?
Love of Torah
There are two reasons why people are drawn to study Torah. The first motivation is the natural desire to satisfy one’s intellectual curiosity, just as with any other area of study.
However, the proper motivation for Torah study should be a love for Torah that is based on an awareness of the Torah’s intrinsic value. This is called Torah lishmah - the study of Torah for its own sake.
Studying Torah lishmah means that one is aware of the holiness inherent in the very act of studying Torah. This level of Torah study requires one to see the universal light that permeates each and every detail of the Torah, and recognize the Torah’s ability to elevate the individual and the entire world with the light of Divine morality.
“We must sense the Godly soul to be found within the ensemble of the Torah’s details, perfecting the universe — in life, in the material and spiritual realms, for the collective and the individual.” (Orot HaTorah 2:2)
Reviewing the Old
When is the disparity between different motivations for Torah study most pronounced? The true test comes with regard to “the old” — when reviewing material previously learned.
If our principal motive is merely intellectual curiosity, then such study will be unappealing and even burdensome. Why should one find reviewing old material to be interesting? If, however, we are studying the Torah because of its true inner value, because it is a revelation of God’s blueprint for perfecting the world, then the newness of the material is not important. The value of Torah study comes from the very act of assimilating this Divine revelation, in uniting our thoughts with the holy concepts revealed in the Torah.
One who studies Torah lishmah internalizes its teachings. Thus, the Sages taught, one “possesses” the Torah he has studied, for it has become an integral part of him (see Kiddushin 32b). With this level of identification with the Torah and its teachings, “he will merit listening to the new” — he will be able to hear original Torah thoughts from within himself.
Rabbi Meir expressed this idea in Avot 6:1:
“All who engage in Torah study for its own sake merit many things…. The secrets of Torah are revealed to them. They become like a spring that flows with ever-increasing strength and a stream that never ceases.”
The scholar who studies Torah lishmah becomes a fountain of creativity, contributing his own innovative explanations and insights. When the Sages taught that this person “will merit hearing the new,” this “new” isn’t just new to him, but new to the entire world!
One who is disinterested in reviewing previously learned material, on the other hand, is demonstrating that Torah study is only an intellectual pursuit. This person, the Sages warned, “will no longer hear.” Even new ideas will fail to pique his interest, for he will come to lack even the normal measure of curiosity with regard to the Torah’s wisdom.
(Sapphire from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. II, p. 185)
Zachor/BeShalach: The Assault of Amalek
Amalek attacked the Israelites at Rephidim, intentionally targeting the weak and those lagging behind. Joshua engaged Amalek in battle, successfully defending Israel against this merciless enemy. Then God instructed Moses:
“Write this as a reminder in the book, and recite it in Joshua’s ears: I will completely obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the heavens.” (Exod. 17:14)
Why did God command Moses to write down His promise to obliterate Amalek in the Torah? And why did Joshua need to be told verbally? Couldn’t Joshua just read what was written in the Torah?
Two Missions
The people of Israel have two national missions. At Mount Sinai, God informed them that they would be a mamlechet kohanim (“kingdom of priests”) as well as a goy kadosh (“holy nation”) (Exod. 19:6). What is the difference between these two goals?
Mamlechet kohanim refers to the aspiration to uplift the entire world, so that all will recognize God. The people of Israel will fulfill this mission when they function as kohanim for the world, teaching them God’s ways.
But the Jewish people are not just a tool to elevate the rest of the world. They have their own intrinsic value, and they need to perfect themselves on their own special level. The central mission of Israel is to fulfill its spiritual potential and become a goy kadosh. If Israel’s sole function was to uplift the rest of the world, they would not have been commanded with mitzvot that isolate them from the other nations, such as the laws of kashrut and circumcision.
Two Torahs
God divided the Torah, our guide to fulfill our spiritual missions, into two components: the Written Law and the Oral Law. The written Torah was revealed to the entire world; all nations can access these teachings. God commanded that the Torah be written “in a clear script” (Deut. 27:8) — in seventy languages, so that it would be accessible to all peoples (Sotah 7:5). The Written Torah was meant to enlighten the entire world.
The Oral Law, on the other hand, belongs solely to the Jewish people. Since this part of Torah was not meant to be committed to writing, it is of a more concealed and less universal nature. In truth, the Oral Law is simply the received explanation of the Written Law, transmitted over the generations. Thus even the Written Torah is only fully accessible to Israel through the Oral Torah. But the other nations nevertheless merit a limited understanding of the Written Torah.
God’s Name and Throne
Amalek rejected both missions of Israel. Amalek cannot accept Israel as a mamlechet kohanim instructing the world, nor as a goy kadosh, separate from the other nations with its own unique spiritual aspirations. God promised to “completely obliterate” (macho emcheh) Amalek. In Hebrew, the verb is repeated, indicating that God will blot out both aspects of Amalek’s rejection of Israel.
Why did God command that His promise to destroy Amalek be written down and also transmitted orally? Since Amalek rejects Israel’s mission to elevate humanity, God commanded that His promise to obliterate Amalek be recorded in the Written Torah. The Written Law is, after all, the primary source of Israel’s moral influence on the world. And since Amalek also denies Israel’s unique spiritual heritage, God commanded that this promise be transmitted verbally, corresponding to the Oral Law, the exclusive Torah of Israel.
When Amalek has been utterly destroyed, the Jewish nation will be able to fulfill both of its missions. This is the significance of the statement of the Sages:
“God vowed that His Name and His Throne are not complete until Amalek’s name will be totally obliterated.” (Tanchuma Ki Teitzei 11; Rashi on Exod. 17:16)
What are “God’s Name” and “God’s Throne”? They are metaphors for Israel’s two missions: spreading knowledge of God — His Name — and creating a special dwelling place for God’s Presence in the world — His Throne. Amalek and its obstructionist worldview must be eradicated before these two goals can be accomplished.
(Silver from the Land of Israel, pp. 135-137. Adapted from Midbar Shur, pp. 312-316.)
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