1 Congregation Shaara Tfille Dr. Kenneth Stuart Blatt, Cantor Jan. 26, 2013 D var: Exodus B Shalah Freedom comes at a price. No sooner were the Hebrew slaves freed from the shackles of Pharaoh s servitude, than they realized that they traded one set of problems for another. This week s Parashat, B Shallach, means sent away, and refers to Pharaoh sending the Israelites out of, or away from Egypt after the unleashing of the tenth plague. Today s reading contains one of the most action packed and sensational stories of the entire Torah, the parting of the Reed Sea, which occurred to allow the Israelites an escape route out of Egypt. Once again, Pharaoh had broken his word, and decided that he couldn t afford to let the Hebrew slaves go free. Not after he took so many public stands and said, No way! Not with Egypt in ruins. Not with the desperate need that they had for cheap slave labor. How could he hold on to power, and continue to claim to be divine, after having made so many bad judgements. So he chased after the former slaves with his army of charioteers. When the Hebrews realized that they were caught between the sea on one side and the advancing Egyptians on the other, they were ready to throw in the towel and head back from whence they came. After all, they had lived in Egypt for generations, for over four-hundred years. It was no picnic, but at least they were alive!
2 Throughout our history, the Jewish people have not been willing martyrs. Our tradition has always valued life over death. There were very few circumstances where we willingly chose the path of our own destruction. So it should come as no surprise that the majority of the people, even when they were so close to gaining their freedom, preferred a return to Egypt rather than certain death drowning in the sea. The question arises, After the miracles of the ten plagues, how could the Hebrews still have so little faith in God? I think it would have been a little presumptuous for the people to assume that yet another miracle was about to save them, especially a miracle that demanded the suspension of all the laws of nature. It should not surprise anyone that the miracle of the ten plagues had such a short-lived impact, on both the Israelites and the Egyptians. The people still had a slave mentality and the Egyptians always followed Pharaoh s orders. Those dynamics could not change overnight. Although the Hebrews were vast in number, psychologically, they had a slave mentality. There was no time for them to adjust to the changing circumstances. There was no time for them to do anything but grab some of their belongings, bake some unleavened bread and leave. Standing up to their former taskmasters and fighting off the Egyptian army was not even in the realm of possibilities. It would take another generation of Hebrews, born and brought up in the Wilderness of Sinai to achieve the mentality of a free people. So, Moses said to the people: Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance which the Lord will work for you
3 today... What followed is one of the most famous scenarios in all of literature, the miracle of miracles: the splitting of the sea, which provided the Israelites with a path of escape between the two walls of water. When Pharaoh s chariots followed in pursuit, the walls of water collapsed on top of them, killing every single Egyptian. If the veracity of this particular episode is too much for you to swallow, you are not alone. Through the ages, the rabbis have had difficulty accepting this part of the Torah literally. All kinds of explanations for natural phenomena were put forth to try to explain this occurrence. They believed in the divine miracle but were reluctant to accept the suspension of natural laws. Regardless of what you believe, the Israelites somehow managed to get across the Sea of Reeds to the shores of the Sinai. When they realized that they were truly free, they erupted into song, and praised God for saving them from the Egyptians and granting them freedom. They also anticipated the impact that this event would have on their potential enemies in Canaan. Miriam, Moses sister, joined the euphoria and led all the women in song and dance : Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously...! As spectacular as that day must have been for the Israelites, the memory of it quickly receded in their minds as they began their sojourn in the Wilderness seeking water, but found none for three days. They began to complain and grumble. It was the
4 beginning of a pattern which would repeat itself many times over during the next forty years. How is it possible that even after the miracle of the parting of the Reed Sea they could lose their faith so quickly? From our twenty-first century perspective this may be an unfair question. We live in surroundings of such extravagant creature comforts that we spend little or no time worrying about the necessities of life. Water, food and shelter are taken for granted. It is only in times of calamity, such as war, or natural disaster, that we suddenly think about these things. Even after having witnessed the greatest of God s miracles, the Israelites were totally at the mercy of the elements. They had no idea what the future held for them and couldn t even imagine surviving beyond the next few days. Could they count on a new miracle every day? Did the anxiety over mere survival make their life in Egypt seem more appealing by comparison? Apparently, for the vast majority, the answer to that question was in the affirmative. Yes, they were free, but free to do what? Die of thirst and hunger in the Wilderness? There are times when miracles are not enough, that is, they seem to be an ineffective way of inducing a consciousness of God and of changing human behavior. In fact, as one modern commentator noted, the entire Bible can be read as a book about the consistent inability of God to teach the Jews to be grateful. To reform human character takes more than miracles. To reform human nature requires a consistent, but gradual transformation. What rabbinic Judaism teaches is that this transformation is accomplished through small changes in our
5 lives, incorporating the mitvot, the commandments, into our daily lives through acts of social justice, tzedukah or charity, prayer and study. Through the ages, rabbinic commentators have written extensively on this subject. Some see in the three day search for water by the Israelites, an analogy between the need for water and the need for Torah. The prophets thus concluded that the Torah should be read on the second and fifth days of the week, as well as on Shabbat so that they would not let three days pass without Torah. Water, as a metaphor for Torah, became a staple of rabbinic literature. Without Torah, Jewish life would face extinction. Reading it publicly every three days assured that its contents would become common knowledge. The Torah freed Judaism from a religion dependent on a particular place, such as Jerusalem or the Temple, to one dependent only on a sacred text, a text that was portable and impregnable. Why impregnable? Books can be destroyed but ideas cannot. The world has learned this from the Jews. In many ways, the generational separation of ideas that occurred during the forty year transition from Hebrew slaves to freedom-loving Israelites is mimicked in American contemporary society. If you think about the views held by the so-called greatest generation and compare them to the views held by the baby-boomer generation, generation-x and so on, we have clear examples of how radical or revolutionary ideas for one generation become the accepted norm for subsequent generations. Consider how societal opinion has changed over the past forty years on issues such as civil rights for Blacks, Hispanics, Jews, gays and other minorities; job opportunities
6 and equal pay for women; interfaith, interracial and gay marriage; legalized gambling, legalized marijuana, recreational use of marijuana. Some of the changes that have occurred during the past few years would have been inconceivable forty years ago; hard to swallow twenty years ago, but are now acceptable and legal. So I think we can begin to understand and appreciate that what was incomprehensible to the generation of Hebrews that left Egypt as slaves, became a cherished dream-come-true to their Israelite grand-children. No one knows what the future will bring, but our Torah teaches us that we must always be prepared for change, but at the same time, we must not forget the basic truths of our faith and our traditions as we go forward. Shabbat, Shalom!