It is the highest grossing Parashat in Hollywood history.
And maybe the longest discussed Parashat among our sages.
Take the first five words.
"Va-yehi BeShalach Paroh eht-HaAm."
And then when Pharoah let the people go.
Yet Teheliem (psalm) 114 says:
When Israel went out of Egypt….
So why give the credit to Pharaoh?
Abravanel agrees and states that it should have been “When Israel went out of Egypt…”
After all the plagues - the word the Pharoah used came from the root Lish-Loach – to send…. Translated in English all to often wrongly as “let go.”
After the last plague it’s the Egyptians and not just the Pharoah using the word “LeSchalcham” – to send them – often translated as “to get them to go…”
Rashi and others do conclude that it is written as a subordinate clause. Only three words later does Elohim take over… It is as if the people were handed over from Pharoah to HaShem.
And I say The People, because there’s no mentioning of Israel here. Three times the Torah mentions “Ha-Am”, and the forth time it writes “Bnei Israel.”
“Am Israel” has of course been described as “Bnei Israel” before, but never did it have a more precise meaning than in this Parashat. For here they are, being born out of slavery and carefully lead into freedom.
Is that why HaShem leads them the long way - around the land of the Philistines, avoiding a struggle and battle?
Is it not a child who would run back to safety even if that safety it calls home - in really is the house of bondage?
Is it not a child that returns to what it knows?
You cannot discard two hundred and ten years of home even if it is slavery.
More often than not a prisoner after years of prison rather stays inside than being set free into a world he doesn’t know.
Rashbam - Rabbi Schmuel ben Meir, explains that HaShem diverted them from going the short route in order to avoid the Caanites and the possible hostilities because they would have preferred to return.
However Rambam simply believes that HaShem wanted to prepare them for hardship in order to make them tougher in the long fight ahead to conquer the Promised Land.
Can we say that this is similar to bringing up a child?
Should the parent be more lenient? Should it always be yes and never no?
Rambam continues to observe that man cannot be expected to fight after being in slavery by simply washing off the sweat and toil of his previous occupation.
The Torah continues:
“…and when Pharaoh drew nigh,
the children of Israel lifted up their eyes,
and, behold, Egypt was marching after them;
and they were sore afraid…”
“VaYiruh Meod”
Afraid? Why? 600,000 men against 600 elite forces. That’s 1 against 1000. Then again 1 highly trained soldier hand picked by the Pharaoh against 1000 former slaves.
Ibn Ezra observes that they were suffering from a slave mentality that would have to die with the generation that had endured slavery. And, that only a new generation would have the independence and the spirit to fight a war of conquest.
So unsure they were that they said to Moses: were there no graves in Egypt that you had to take us to die in the wilderness.
Not only does Ha-Am complain mentioning Egypt five times…they forget that Moses took the bones of Joseph as he so wished - with him. Wasn’t that symbolic enough to say Egypt isn’t good enough to be buried in?
Children complain when they do not understand what is happening around them. And when pushed between an approaching army and the sea, and nobody knows what is about to happen; not even Moses, your believe is being tested to the max.
But by then, you would think after ten plagues, and after all the miracles, wasn’t the believe in HaShem established? Didn’t Ha-Dat (the believe) set in already among Bnei Israel or should we say Am Israel?
The answer comes from Ramban who divides The Israelites into two groups. One group crying out to HaShem. And another group not accepting the salvation performed for them – still believing that it would have been better not to have been set free.
And here is why he’s thinking this way: Because in the text of the Torah there’s the distinction being made between Bnei Israel and HaAm, between the Children of Israel and The People.
But it was “to The People” to whom Moshe turned to allay their fears:
“VaYomer Mosche el-HaAm el-TirUh…”And Moses said unto the people: fear not…
With other words it was The People and not the Children of Israel who uttered: what have you done to us to bring us out of Egypt…
What a moment of truth. You either believe or not in HaShem… We often forget that in Hebrew there is no word for religion there’s only the word Dat – Believe. And here, at the edge of the water you had to believe or not.
A Jew is not religious or more religious or very religious. Nonsense, a jew is a believer. Period. A believer in HaShem.
And here at the edge of the water HaShem told Moshe to the Children of Israel to march forward. Not following Moshe but rather in front of him. With Dat. With Believe.
According to Shemot Rabbah the Tribe of Judah plunges in first. Stated in Tehilim 114 Judah was the one who sanctified him… Even this amazing miracle didn’t convince all. But then again HaShem doesn’t perform miracles for all, but for those who are special.
Only three days later the complaining was back over lack of food and shortage of water.
As if the historic and great miracle filmed by Cecil B DeMille – by the way, the only oscar they got for the movie was for special effects, – wasn’t enough to make permanent believers out of them.
And how did the Torah mention those whose complained? As Ha-Am. The People, eventually to be replaced by Bnei Israel. A people of newly born believers and ready to grow up worthy to be called The Chosen People.
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