Parshas Beshalach 5775
In this week’s parsha the Jews “leave Egypt with a mighty hand,” but as Pharaoh and his army draws closer to them, the people begin doubting their newfound freedom.
“Were there no graves in Egypt that you took us to die in the desert?” they demanded of Moshe Rabbeinu (14:11). “What have you done to us? Didn’t we tell you [before], leave us alone, better we should serve Egypt than die in the desert!”
This is astounding — how could Klal Yisrael have fallen so quickly? Didn’t they just witness the 10 plagues? Didn’t they see Hashem’s mighty hand in all that had transpired? How could they so suddenly give up hope and lose the trust in Hashem they had developed during the past year of open miracles?
The Midrash strengthens this question: When the verse states that Pharaoh “drew closer” (hikriv, which literally means to make someone else closer), the Midrash explains that Pharaoh and his rapidly approaching army brought Yisrael closer to Hashem, causing them to daven fervently and do teshuva. And yet in the following verse they accost Moshe Rabbeinu and express regret over leaving Egypt, adding sarcastically, “What, there were no graves in Egypt that you had to bring us here?”
If the Midrash says that the Bnei Yisrael were busy doing teshuva, what suddenly happened that stopped this process?
The Ramban, in his third teirutz, explains that although they were davening that Hashem should rescue them, they saw that things were getting worse. This wasn’t what they had been expecting. Here they were trying to better themselves, and also davening for Hashem’s help, and they couldn’t understand what was going wrong. They became confused by what they were seeing (Pharaoh’s troops getting closer and closer), and theyetzer hara made use of this. They did not turn against Hashem, chalila, but they began thinking: Maybe Moshe is at fault? Maybe he’s not leading us correctly? This sense of doubt led the nation to speak rebelliously against Moshe and, indirectly, against Hashem.
This is a lesson not just for how to understand them but how to understand ourselves. They were trying to do good, but when things seemed to be going wrong, they lost clarity and their emuna began to waver. We are often faced with similar situations: Try as we may, things don’t seem to go the way we feel they should. At times, we can fall prey to such thoughts as “why is Hashem doing this to me?” In such moments, we need to strengthen our emuna that Hashem is leading us, and for our benefit, even if we don’t understand. We must accept that what is happening to us is for our own good. Hashem certainly knows what He is doing.
Most of Avraham Avinu’s tests were of this sort. He was forced to confront issues he could not understand: Why did Hashem tell me to go to Eretz Yisrael only to bring famine there and force me to leave? Why must I throw my son Yishmael out of my home? Why did Hashem say that Yitzchak would continue my namesake and now He tells me to offer him as an olah?
The holy sefarim say that each of us at times faces tests such as those of Avraham, and Avraham gave us the strength to retain our spiritual equilibrium in those times.
Another test Klal Yisrael faces in this week’s parsha is that of the mann, as it states: “…in order that I should test you; will you go with My Torah or not” (16:4). Now, the Jews received mann every day, delivered straight to their doorstep, and they knew it would be enough to sustain them until the following day. Why does the verse call the mann a “test?”
The Ramban answers that even though the mann came daily, no one could know from one day to the next if it would come again. This is a challenge to the human mind, which yearns for security in the future. A person wants parnassah, to know what will be in a year from now, but the dor hamidbar had to endure 40 years of uncertainty about even the very next day. Hashem put them into this situation to deepen their emuna in Him.
This nisayon applies to our generation as well. I see a lot of people today, especiallybachurim, who ask themselves: what will be years down the line? How will I earn a living?
Young avreichim allow questions like “how will I be able to marry off my kids” to disturb their learning — even when these children are just beginning elementary school.
The Torah was only given to those who subsist on mann (Mechilta 20). Just like Hashem saw to the needs of the Bnei Yisrael during their wanderings in the desert, so too He promised to see to the needs of the amalei haTorah in future generations. The prophet Yirmiyahu taught this lesson to the Bnei Yisrael in his era as well. He would take out the container of mann set aside from the times of the dor hamidbar and declare: “Look, this is the mann that your forefathers subsisted on. Hashem has no shortage of emissaries who can do His will and bring sustenance to those who fear Him. You have nothing to worry about!” (16:32).
Rav Aharon Yehuda Leib Steinman reiterates this lesson for us in our generation as well: Anyone who is dedicating himself fully to Torah study and putting worries about the future aside is included in Hashem’s promise of the mann. Hashem will certainly help him.
As we go through life, we are faced with different types of nisyonos. We should not view them as nuisances or distractions but rather as an integral part of why we are alive. We are here, as the Mesilas Yesharim (Perek 1) explains, to “fulfill mitzvos, serve Hashem and to succeed in nisyonos.“
In our generation, R’ Nosson Tzvi Finkel was an outstanding example of a person who understood that the tests he faced were not intended to stop his avodas Hashem. Klal Yisrael looked on sadly as he fell ill to Parkinson’s Disease, only to realize, with ever-growing astonishment, that Rav Finkel’s spiritual aliya had only begun. In fact, his main growth in life came after this point. He continued with all of his might, giving intricate shiurim, adding thousands of talmidim (and buildings to house them) to his yeshiva, caring for each one like his own son and more.
May we realize the purpose of life and succeed in our nisyonos!