Understanding the Teachings From the Story of the Battle With Amalek

Transcription

1 Understanding te Parsa Exodus 13:17 17:16 Parasat HaSavua xlvb Semot (Exodus) 13:17-17:16 Besalac (Wen He Sent) We will Learn ow to 1) interret te main teme (subject) of a Parsa (weekly reading from te Tora), 2) make tematic connections to tat Parsa (study te Scritures related by a common teme [subject], line uon line and recet uon recet) 3) learn ow to gain greater understanding of te Parsa we are looking at troug its tematic connections to oter ortions of Scriture. Understanding te Teacings From te Story of te Battle Wit I. Read Exodus 17:8-17:13 In order for you to find out te overall teme of a assage, it's good to write an outline of it and ten study te toics of te outline first. After reading te assage, fill in te saces to comlete te outline below: Exodus 17:8-10 and rearations for Exodus 17:11-13 Te attacks Exodus 17:14-16 Te of te outcome battle I. If you remember from our lessons before, in Genesis, many stories in Scriture can be divided into tree or more equally divided sections, called ciastic structures. Remember, a ciastic structure is a attern Israel battle war 1

2 organized like tis. Usually, a story is divided into two alves. Te temes of te first alf of te story are reeated in te second alf of te story in reverse order. And, te first and second alves of te story usually oint us to te most imortant art of te story, te central axis. Here is an examle below: Teme A1 Teme B1 Teme C1 Teme D1 E Central Axis Teme D2 Teme C2 Teme B2 Teme A2 Let's divide te story we just read into tese alves ourselves: Write in te temes below and ten color your te structure using te colors indicated: A Initial and COLOR RED a B1 11 Te teeters and C) 12 Te of Moses' B2) 13 Josua over A2) Broadening of te forever b b f s c COLOR YELLOW COLOR YELLOW COLOR ORANGE COLOR ORANGE A1- attack, rearations, B1- battle, back, fort, C- strengtening, ands, B2- revails, A2- conflict Great coloring! now, let's take a tematic look at tis structure a few different ways. A. Looking at bot Halves of te Story 1. Wen we comare te A sections, we see tat in te first alf of te story, it is wo starts u te battle wit Israel. In te second alf of te story, it is Adonai wo starts u battles wit for all time. 2. Wen we comare te B sections, we see tat in te first alf of te story Israel is weakened in battle (see te last rase in verse 11). In te second alf of te story, is weakened in battle. 3. Te second alf of te story ooses agrees wit te first alf. (Circle te rigt word) ooses 2

3 4. Te central axis aears to be te most imortant unimortant event since it canges te direction of flow from one alf of te story to te next. (Circle te rigt word) imortant B. Comaring and Contrasting wat aened on te Mountain and on te Battlefield 1. Someting is going on in two laces on te mountain and on te battlefield. Wen we comare and contrast events aening at te same time on te mountain wit tose on te battlefield, we will see rigt away tat te word is used seven times in te battlefield assages. Te word and aears seven times in te mountain assages. Troug tis arallel, te Tora wants us to see tat wat aened on te battlefield was directly influenced by wat aened on te mountain. ON THE MOUNTAIN = Hand ON THE BATTLEFIELD = C. Tese contrasts are not by cance. Troug tematic analysis of te structure of tis story, we ave uncovered two tings: Because te two alves of te story "oose" one anoter, tey oint us to te imortance of te central axis (verse 12). Write in te central axis: A close look at wat is aening on te b and on te m teaces us tat Israel's mountain battlefield battle against (in te natural) is directly connected to wat is aening on te mountain to. II. Te Imortance of te Words Used in Tis Parsa It is not by cance tat te words and and bot aear seven times. Wenever te Tora uses certain words an equal number of times it is usually trying to reveal a message. Te message will be uncovered by understanding te usage of te words tat aear te same number of times. So, it's imortant to understand teir usage in tis story. A. How is it significant tat te word is used seven times in te story? Wat did do to deserve a judgment from Adonai tat would go on and on troug all teir generations? To answer tese questions, we need to understand te rincile of ere a little, tere a little. Read Isaia 28:9-13. Remember, te Tora records information ere a little, tere a little. If we searc 3

4 te Scritures for oter assages tat mention, we sould be able to uncover imortant tematic arallels. 1. Let s look at some Scritures tat sed more ligt on te battle wit? Read Deuteronomy 25:17-18 Remember wat did to you on your journey wen you left Egyt for e surrised you and cut down all te stragglers in your rear, wile you were famised and weary. Tora says tat used unfair and sneaky ractices in warfare because tey attacked te weak stragglers, robably older eole, women and cildren. Let s look at anoter Scriture tematically related to (in battle) Read I Samuel 30:1-3 And it came to ass, wen David and is men were come to Ziklag on te tird day, tat te ites ad invaded te sout, and Ziklag, and smitten Ziklag, and burned it wit fire; and ad taken te women catives, tat were terein: tey slew not any, eiter great or small, but carried tem away, and went on teir way. So David and is men came to te city, and, beold, it was burned wit fire; and teir wives, and teir sons, and teir daugters, were taken catives. Here, once again, we read of engaging in unfair and sneaky forms of warfare, taking women and cildren. Tis is a erfect examle of ow a teme will carry trougout te Scritures. a. It is not by cance tat tese two accounts, altoug searated in time by undreds of years, bot ave te same teme (unfair and sneaky ractices in warfare) concerning. 2. Did you notice, in te Exodus account, attacked Israel for no cause. 3. Consider te facts below. Draw a line to connect te facts 1) Israel ad just left Egyt and tey were on teir way to Canaan 2) Te ites dwelled on te soutern ortion of Canaan [Read Numbers 13:28-29], wy do you tink tat tere was an attack on Israel by? 2) Since lived on te soutern border of Canaan, Israel would ave to go into battle wit tem at some time. 1) Te urose for creating te nation of Israel in Canaan was to be a ligt to all te nations ointing tem to te One true God Te ites traveled a good distance to make a re-emtive strike to sto Adonai's lan tat Israel become a great nation in te land of Canaan. Tis was a direct attemt to sto te eternal lan Adonai as in store for Israel. B. Wat is te imortance of te word and used seven times in tis story? 1. How was Moses' and significant in tis story? It was te raising of is tat secured. v victory and 4

5 Are tere any oter tematic connections tat you can tink of in tis weeks Parasat tat would el us understand te imortance of Moses' outstretced and? Yes, it was wen Moses stretced out is tat te arted! 2. A better translation of verse 16 is For te and is on te trone of God: YHVH maintains a war against, from generation to generation. From te Stone Edition of Cumas, From Artscroll. Wic and is Moses talking about in verse 14? Since te and is said to be on te trone of God, it's robably a reference to te of Adonai. Even toug te word and referred to Moses' and, in te verses before, tis verse seems to tell us tat te and of real imortance is Adonai's. In Exodus 14:31, it says tat te defeat of te Egytian army was by te and of God. We know tat Moses lifted is ands to art te Red Sea. Wat ten is te message of Moses lifting is ands in te battle against? It seems as if te Tora is trying to teac us tat altoug te battle against was won by Moses lifting is ands, e is only a icture of te real and beind te scene, Adonai's and. C A look at te tree men wo ascended te ill. Draw a line to make matc 1. Wat leadersi role is Moses Priest working in at tis time? 2. Wat leadersi role will Juda Aaron eventually fulfill? 3. Wat tribe was Hur from? Proet Wat is te role of te tribe of Juda See Genesis 49:8-12? 4. Wat is te imortance of tese tree leadersi roles? L Tese are te tree roles Adonai will aoint for te nation. Leadersi Te Tora uses tese tree eole to teac us about te imortance of teir roles in securing victory for te nation. 5. Wat was Moses doing on te ill? Altoug e was lifting is ands, is activity was Wat were Aaron and Hur doing? Tey were eling to Moses' ands. and Now, wat was te real imortance of Aaron and Hur olding u Moses' ands? Tey were assisting Him in intercession (a rayer on bealf of anoter). K Hold u R u Read Sea S Kingsi and rayer To wra it u, te story of te battle wit teaces us tese lessons. Te nation of Israel as been delivered from Egyt; new battles loom on te orizon because soon tey will need to conquer te land of Canaan. Tese battles will be won or lost deending on weter or not te leadersi of Israel will seek Adonai's face. If tey succeed in seeking His face, His and will be at work beind te scenes to secure victory for tem over teir enemies. 5