Now Is The Time Past Believing; The Child Has Relinquished The Reign (Robert Hunter & Phil Lesh - "The Eleven")

          Well, Covid arrived at our home. Despite being doubly vaccinated, despite a booster, despite mask-wearing, our son managed to contract Covid. He has remained quarantined in his room all week. Thankfully, no one else has expressed any symptoms and we have tested negative. When our son first complained about feeling congested, a sore throat, and chills, and then tested positive, both his mother and I wondered how did this happen? After a few minutes of wondering “how”; we both quickly realized that “how” no longer mattered. All that mattered was the fact that he is completely vaccinated with a booster and statistics, science, and all the empirical evidence indicated that his symptoms should not worsen, he should not require hospitalization and he should be feeling better shortly. So we monitor his symptoms and we continue to place our faith in science, empirical data, and God. 

          This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shira (Shabbat of Songs) because of the "songs" or poetry in both the Parsha, Beshallach, and in the Haftarah. In Parsha Beshallach, B'nai Yisroel finally left Egypt. Pharaoh sent them out and they hurriedly departed. Three days later, B'nai Yisroel arrived at the Yam Suf, The Reed Sea,  along the Mediterranean coast. With Pharaoh's army behind them and the Sea in front, B'nai Yisroel was trapped. Eventually, the sea opened up, B'nai Yisroel crossed through and arrived safely on the other side. The Egyptian army was caught in the sea as its waters came crashing down. Out of joy and relief, B'nai Yisroel composed Shirat HaYam, The Song of the Sea. No sooner are they finished celebrating than they complained about the lack of water and food. God provided water and Manna. However, B'nai Yisroel still felt safe. Now they were attacked by the indigenous tribe, the Amalekites. Putting aside its hunger and thirst, B'nai Yisroel fought for its life and eventually won. The Parsha ends with God commanding Moshe to blot out the very existence of the Amalekites.

          From the time B’nai Yisroel complains to Moshe about the oncoming Egyptian army and Yam Suf that lies before them, to the lack of water, lack of food, and lack of meat, one could understand the entire Parsha as God testing B’nai Yisroel’s faith. With all the complaining, with the refrain of the people cynically asking Moshe if God brought them out of Egypt to have them die in the wilderness, or die on the banks of the Yam Suf; it is very easy to view these newly released slaves as not at all ready to engage in a covenantal relationship with God since they lack faith. However, the Midrash in Shmot Rabbah teaches us that Nachshon ben Aminadov, from the tribe of Judah, went first into the Reed Sea even before it split open. In fact, the waters didn’t open up until he was completely submerged. Only then did the waters open due to his faith. Only then did the rest of B’nai Yisroel follow.  The sea didn’t part because of Moshe’s praying on behalf of the people; it split because of one man’s Emunah, one man’s faith that taking the next step forward would ultimately prove to be the step that saved a nation.  As a result of Nachshon’s faith, the tribe of Judah would have dominion over Israel.

  Yes, we worried about our son dealing with Covid. As far as a test of faith goes, perhaps our test was the equivalent to Nachshon Ben Aminadov wading into the Reed Sea up to his ankles. I continue to be in awe of those who, like Nachshon Ben Aminadov is fully submerged before their faith is rewarded and their circumstances change. I am always intrigued by those who have the ability to keep faith under the most trying circumstances. Obviously, some circumstances are much more difficult than others. A family that must always contend with poverty, and homelessness, a family member with a terminal disease, anyone who must contend with the daily trauma of abuse, and war, or anyone who has managed to survive such trauma, all of these people have had far more difficult circumstances than I could ever hope to imagine.  I am struck by those who have faith in the decency and goodness of humanity when they themselves carry the scars of those impossibly difficult circumstances. When I speak to Holocaust survivors, I am in awe of those who struggled with and kept their faith in the idea of the fundamental decency of people, despite the pain they have experienced by the murder of a loved one at the hands of those who don’t want to co-exist. Just as we learn from Nachshon who kept his faith in God despite being fully submerged underwater, we can learn from those who kept their faith in spite of experiencing incredibly sad, painful, and gut-wrenching circumstances. Having that sense of perspective, helped us to manage the test in our faith. 

Peace,
Rav Yitz 

Bite The Hand, Bite The Hand That Bakes Your Bread (Robert Hunter & Jerry Garcia - "Foolish Heart")

One of my most favorite moments as a parent occurs when modern life offers the same self- evident truths that our ancestors understood centuries before. Among the more ignorant comments made recently came from President Trump’s son Don Jr. when compared his father’s border wall to zoo fence that prevents animals from leave their designated areas. Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist appeared and on CNN’s "Cuomo Prime Time" on January 10^th. She proceeded to offer her insight into Don Jr.’s recent troubling and perhaps controversial remark as another attempt to hold on to the fame of his father and have some level of relevancy. “This is an entitled, rich, spoiled little brat whose only call to fame is being his daddy’s son, who hasn’t built anything of his own, who hasn’t done anything of his own,” she said. Rabbi Levi, in the Midrash Tanchuma also talks about a spoiled brat: “A child is riding on his father’s shoulders. When the child sees something he wants, he asks for it. His father gets it for him. This happens again and again. They encounter a person approaching from the opposite direction, and the child asks the stranger, ‘Have you seen my father?’ The father responds incredulously, “You ride on my shoulders and everything you want I get you, yet you ask, ‘Have you seen my father?’ The father then takes the child down from his shoulders and a dog comes and bites the child.”

This week’s Parshah, Beshalach, is also known as Shabbat Shira (Shabbat of Song). Bnai Yisroel leaves Egypt. Pharaoh, realizing what he has done, gives chase with the Egyptian army in hot pursuit. Trapped by the Sea, Bnai Yisroel looks to Moshe for an answer. Moshe prays and God tells Moshe to take Israel and start walking through the Yam Suf.  So as they begin walking into the Yam Suf; it splits and Bnai Yisroel arrives safely on the other side. Meanwhile, the Egyptian army is trapped in the water as the sea closes upon them.  B’nai Yisroel sings throughout this Parshah. Upon successfully completing their crossing of the Yam Suf, the headline song begins (Ex. 15:1): Oz Yashir Moshe u’Vnai Yisroel et Ha Shira Ha’zot L’adonai va’Yomru Leimor Then Moses and the Children of Israel chose to sing this song to God and they said the following. In this song, B’nai Yisroel praises God as protector of his people. After the song, Miriam, Moshe’s sister, tells the women “Shiru L’adonai Ki Ga’oh Ga’Ah Sus v’Rochvo Ramah Va’Yam Sing to God for he is exalted above the arrogant, having hurled horse with its rider into the sea. Ex.15:21 When tradition referred to this Shabbat as Shabbat Shirah, clearly this is what was meant: singing the praises of God’s awesome power and majesty.

However immediately following these songs of praise, B’nai Yisroel begins another kind of singing. Instead of songs of joy and praise, known as singing, there are songs of discontent and complaint, known as whining. No sooner does B’nai Yisroel cross the Yam Suf and sing Oz Yashir Moshe, then they complain about the lack of good water. Moshe puts a tree into the water and it becomes sweet (15:25-26). They whine about the lack of food. God provides the manna from Heaven (16:6-8,16-36). They complain about the lack of meat. God provides them with quail (16:13). They complained about the lack of water upon their arrival in Rephidim. Moshe strikes a rock as God instructs, and provides water for the people. They wanted it now. So God gave it “now”.

B’nai Yisroel lacks faith. They are still slaves. They live passively. They ceased struggling for freedom. They performed their tasks and returned to their slaves’ quarters and ate their slave food that the master provided. There is no sense of responsibility for the future. There is no sense that improvement is possible. The slave looked to the master to take care of everything. Upon leaving Egypt and crossing the Yam Suf, B’nai Yisroel looks to God to take care of everything. They have no sense of taking take care of themselves. So they sang or whined, “But Daddy we want the water and meat and we want it now!” God gave them another miracle. Like the impudent boy who asked the stranger if he had seen his father, while all the while sitting upon his father’s shoulders; B’nai Yisroel demonstrates the same impudence. Hayeish Adonai B’kirbeinu Im Ayin? “Is God among us or not?” The father put the boy upon the ground. God put B’nai Yisroel upon the ground. Just like the dog bit the boy, Amalek attacks. B’nai Yisroel.  B’nai Yisroel stopped whining. They finally do for themselves.  “Moshe said to Joshua, ‘Choose people for us and go do battle with Amalek; tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand’. Joshua did as Moshe said to him, to do battle with Amalek” (Ex.17:9-10). B’nai Yisroel fought, God gave them strength. This is the first time in the Parshah where we read that B’nai Yisroel acted first. God helped them when they helped themselves.

So what do we learn from B’nai Yisroel’s behavior at the beginning of the Parshah and the end of the Parshah. We learn that in order to have faith in God, we must have faith in ourselves. Before we seek God’s help, we must help ourselves. The spoiled brat is the child who won’t do for his/herself. The spoiled brat expects others to do for him. Instead of trusting in and doing for itself first, B’nai Yisroel relied upon God to do for them. Thank God, we are no longer slaves in Egypt, yet we remain slaves. We are slaves to our fears, we are slaves to our anxieties, and we are slaves to our own passivity. It is always easier to be passive, do nothing, be uninvolved, and not improve the world around us. The first step in freedom is conquering our own passivity, and doing for ourselves. Only when we take that first step will we feel the support and strength that God offers us. Then we can conquer Amalek. Then we conquer our own fears. Then improvement is possible for both the individual and the community.  Most importantly, we eventually stop whining.

Peace,

Rav Yitz