[Par-lite] For Shvii shel Pesach - shiur #2

Wed Apr 23 04:06:42 EDT 2008

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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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