[Par-lite] Kriyat Yam Suf - additional shiur for shvii shel Pesach
Menachem Leibtag
tsc at bezeqint.net
Tue Apr 18 09:29:36 EDT 2006
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THE TANACH STUDY CENTER [http://www.tanach.org]
In Memory of Rabbi Abraham Leibtag
Shiurim in Chumash & Navi by Menachem Leibtag
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PARSHAT BESHALACH -
for shvii shel Pesach
We are all so familiar with the story of the "kriyat
Yam Suf" [the splitting of the Red Sea], that we rarely pay
careful attention to how the Torah tells that story.
As the Torah reading for 'shvii shel Pesach' includes that
story, in the following shiur we re-examine its details in
attempt to better understand God's master strategy, and
possibly fulfill the commandment of "in order that you shall
tell your future generations how I made a mockery of the
Egyptians..." (see Shmot 10:2).
INTRODUCTION
According to the 'classic' story of the Exodus, after
the Tenth Plague, Pharaoh sets Bnei Yisrael free; but only
several days later, he 'changes his mind', gathers his army
and chases after them, only to drown in the sea during that
pursuit.
The story in the Bible, however, is much more
interesting, especially for those who enjoy studying 'military
strategy'.
Let's begin our study with what 'really happened' after
the Tenth Plague - to show how Pharaoh never granted Bnei
Yisrael freedom (nor did Bnei Yisrael ask for freedom).
THREE DAYS IN THE DESERT
Recall from our study of the story of the 'burning
bush' in Parshat Shmot - how God never instructed Moshe to
demand freedom for the Jewish People. Rather, Moshe was only
supposed to request that Pharaoh allow the Jewish people to
undertake a 'three day journey' into the desert, where they
would worship their God. [See Shmot 3:18-20 & 5:1-5.]
Moshe was also instructed to warn Pharaoh that, should
he refuse this request, Egypt would be smitten with terrible
plagues.
[See Shmot 5:3, as well as the warning to Pharaoh before
Plagues 1,2,4,5,7, & 8 in 7:14-16, 26-27; 8:16-17; 9:1-3,
13-18; and 10:1-4.]
Therefore, after the Tenth Plague - Pharaoh is finally
'convinced' that Bnei Yisrael must worship their God in order
to stop the Plagues:
"And it came to pass at midnight, and God smote the first born
of Egypt... then Pharaoh got up and called to Moshe and
Aharon that night saying:
Get up and get out... and GO WORSHIP your God - "ke-daberchem"
- as you (originally / in 5:3) requested!
Even your sheep and cattle take with you, as you requested (in
10:26), and BLESS ME AS WELL..." (see 12:29-33).
Clearly, Pharaoh only grants Bnei Yisrael a three-day
journey to offer 'korbanot' - after all, that is all that
Moshe ever asked for!
This background explains why the entire Egyptian
nation rushes Bnei Yisrael to leave Egypt as quickly as
possible (see 12:33-34) - so they can sacrifice to their God
as soon as possible to stop the Plagues.
This also explains why the Egyptians 'LEND'
['va-yish'alu'] Bnei Yisrael their finest wares, to encourage
them to leave as quickly as possible (see 12:35-36). As Bnei
Yisrael are only taking a 'holiday leave' to worship their
God, the Egyptians have every reason to assume they will
return - and bring back what they had 'borrowed'.
[This topic was discussed in greater detail in our TSC shiur
on Parshat Shmot - see www.tanach.org/shmot/shmot1.pdf]
PHARAOH'S GREATEST WORRY
If all that Bnei Yisrael wanted was 'freedom to
worship their God', why was Pharaoh so reluctant to 'let them
go'?
Pharaoh's greatest fear was that Jewish People would
take over his country (either on their own, or with the help
of Egypt's enemies). It was for this reason that the
enslavement began in the first place (see Shmot 1:8-10)!
Even had he heard 'rumors' that his Hebrew slaves were
plotting to emigrate to Canaan, he would not have believed
them.
[Such an endeavor would have been almost suicidal, considering
the desert they would need to cross, and the nations of Canaan
that they would need to defeat (see Shmot 14:12 & 10:10, and
Bamidbar 13:31-33).]
Instead, Pharaoh assumed that any request to go to the
desert to worship God (or to emigrate to Canaan) was simply a
'ploy' to hide the first step of a planned insurgency.
Therefore, he was quite adamant about not allowing this 'three
day journey'. And even when he finally granted partial
permission (after some of the plagues) - he made every effort
to keep some safeguard against an insurgency (like leaving the
women & children behind / see Shmot 10:7-11). [Clearly,
Pharaoh was also worried about losing his work force, even for
a short amount of time - but his greatest fear was an
insurgency.]
With this background in mind, let's follow the events that
transpire after the Exodus, as Bnei Yisrael begin their
supposed 'three days journey' into the desert'.
DAY ONE : From Raamses to Succot
The first day of this journey is clearly recorded in Sefer
Shmot: "And the children of Israel traveled from Raamses to
Succot, approx. 600,000 men..." (see 12:36). There, they
baked their dough as 'matza', and received numerous
commandments concerning how future generations must remember
these events. [See 12:36 thru 13:16.]
DAY TWO: From Succot to Eitam
Parshat Beshalach opens by describing the direction of
their travel (i.e. not towards Canaan [northeast], but rather
towards Yam Suf [apparently southeast] - towards the desert as
they requested). See 13:17-18.
Note however, how the Torah also informs us that Bnei
Yisrael were also armed during this journey:
"...v'chamushim yatzu Bnei Yisrael m'eretz mitzraim"
[see 13:18]
Then, we are informed concerning what happened on day two:
"And they traveled from Succot and encamped in Eitam - located
at the edge of the desert." (see 13:20)
So far, it seems as this journey is following Bnei
Yisrael's request to travel a three day distance into the
desert. Days one and two of this journey, they are still in
Egypt - but marching towards the desert. After two days, they
have reached the border between Egypt and the desert, and the
assumption is that on day three - they would continue this
journey into the desert, and find the proper place to worship
God.
DAY THREE - A SURPRISE MANEUVER!
The opening psukim of chapter 14 contain details that are
key to understanding how the story unfolds; let's read them
carefully - as God suddenly commands Moshe to 'turn around'
and travel back towards Egypt!:
"And God spoke to Moshe saying - Speak to Bnei Yisrael -
instructing them to TURN AROUND and set up camp in front of
Pi-ha'Chirot, between Migdol and the [Red] Sea...setting up
camp next to the sea..." (see 14:1)
This command apparently comes as a total surprise to
Bnei Yisrael (and even to Moshe) - for instead of continuing
into the desert, as everyone expected, God now instructs the
nation to return towards Egypt!
Fortunately, God does explain the purpose of this maneuver
(apparently only to Moshe) in the next pasuk. As you read
14:2, note how God is still speaking to Moshe (and not Pharaoh
to his servants!). In other words, 14:2-3 should be read as a
continuation of the command that began in 14:1:
"[so that] Pharaoh will say about Bnei Yisrael - "nevuchim
heym b'aretz" - they are 'unsettled' in the land, "sagar
aleihem ha'midbar" - the desert has them 'closed in'. And
[thus (or then!)] I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will
chase after them..." (see 14:2-3)
[We have translated "navoch" as unsettled, not as 'lost' - for
"navoch", as in "moreh nevuchim" does not imply someone who is
lost, but rather someone who is 'confused' / perplexed or
unsettled with his thoughts.]
It is important to pay attention to every detail in
this pasuk, for it explains the reason for this sudden 'change
of plan'.
God explains (to Moshe) why he wants Bnei Yisrael to
turn around and re-locate their camp by the sea - in order to
entice Pharaoh to 'change his heart' a chase after Bnei
Yisrael (or basically to declare war).
Let's explain now how this maneuver will cause Pharaoh
to launch an immediate (but careless) military attack.
THEY'RE NOT GOING TO THE DESERT!
The first (and primary) affect of this 'turn around'
maneuver, is to cause Pharaoh to conclude that Bnei Yisrael
are NOT continuing into the desert. In other words, had Bnei
Yisrael continued on day three from Eitam to the desert, there
would have no reason for him to launch an attack. Instead -
it is because they don't go to the desert, but rather stay in
Egypt - that he decides to attack them.
The reason why is simple. The only reason why Pharaoh
allowed them to embark on this 'three day journey', was so
that they could worship their God in the desert. By returning
on 'day three' towards Egypt - Pharaoh will conclude that Bnei
Yisrael have no true intention of going to the desert.
Instead, it will convince him that his original fear was true
- that his Hebrew slaves are planning to turn around and take
over Egypt - or at least to declare their own independence in
southern Egypt!
[What happens is rather interesting, for it turns out that
Pharaoh chases after Bnei Yisrael because they don't leave
Egypt!]
WHAT CAN PHARAOH DO?
Faced with this predicament, and convinced that he has
been duped - what can Pharaoh do? They longer he would wait,
the more time Bnei Yisrael would have to organize their army
and set up a perimeter defense around their new [temporary]
settlement area. The sooner Pharaoh could mount an attack,
the better his chances of quelling this 'rebellion'.
This explains what God tells Moshe in 14:2. Not only will
Pharaoh and his servants be convinced (by Bnei Yisrael turning
around) that they have no intention of going to the desert -
but God himself also gives Pharaoh two good reasons why to
launch an immediate attack:
1) "nevuchim heym b'aretz" -
They are [still] 'unsettled' in the land (of Egypt) - implying
that soon they will be more organized - but in the meantime,
they are not yet prepared for battle.
2) "sagar aleihem ha'midbar" -
The desert has them 'closed in' -
Hence, from a military point of view, the Hebrews are in weak
military position; they have nowhere to run away to, and their
backs are to the sea.
These two additional considerations cause Pharaoh not
only to attack, but more important to attack immediately (and
possibly carelessly) - falling right into God's trap, for God
wanted to entice Pharaoh (the 'super-power') to enter a war -
against a 'supposed enemy' - who had no real intention of ever
attacking.
[This is an example of how God 'hardens Pharaoh's heart, by
giving him a 'tiny window' - a reason for him to make his own
unwise decision.]
To support this interpretation, let's pay careful
attention to what Pharaoh does say when he first hears about
this maneuver:
"And it was told to Pharaoh that the people ran away, and the
heart of Pharaoh and his servants changed and they said - What
have we done, for we have sent Israel away from serving us"
(see 14:5).
According to the 'classic' story of the Exodus, it is
almost impossible to explain this verse, for how could it be
that Pharaoh was told that the people 'ran away' - he himself
sent they away!
However, according to our explanation, this verse makes
perfect sense, for Pharaoh was not told that the people 'ran
away' from Egypt. Rather, he was told that they were going to
the desert not to worship God, as they promised, but to set up
their own camp within Egypt - and hence they 'ran away from
slavery' - and that's exactly what they say about Bnei Yisrael
in the second half of the pasuk.
This also explains the next pasuk:
"And he ordered his chariot, and took his men with him, then
took six hundred of his best chariots, and ALL the chariots of
Egypt, and officers over all of them..."
Notice how this pasuk describes a quick mobilization
of the entire Egyptian army, to launch an immediate attack
against Bnei Yisrael. Pharaoh falls right into God's trap.
Within a short time, Pharaoh will fall for God's next
'trap', by carelessly following Bnei Yisrael into the Sea -
but making his own military blunder.
As we explained in our shiur on Parshat Shmot - Egypt
declares war against Israel. Egypt loses the battle. The
'possessions' of the Egyptian that Bnei Yisrael had borrowed
from Egypt have now become 'nationalized' - and God has
fulfilled yet another stage of His promise at "brit bein
ha'btarim":
Bnei Yisrael receive their "rechush gadol."
Egypt - the nation that enslaved another - is punished.
(see Breishit 15:13-14).
Bnei Yisrael, impressed by the greatness of their God
(and new master), will now continue on their journey into the
desert - to receive the Torah on Har Sinai. Those laws will
become their guide for establishing God's model nation in the
land of Canaan.
It is God's hope that by remembering this experience, Bnei
Yisrael will eternally act with a higher ethical standard than
their Egyptian oppressors.
chag samayach,
Menachem
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