Beshalach 2021
Isaac’s Parsha Corner · 2021
“And they believed in G-d and in Moshe His servant”
This Pasuk sums up the purpose and objective of all that has transpired up to this point. For a brief moment in time the Jewish nation stood completely behind G-d and behind Moshe. We will see that this is short lived. Almost immediately, “And they complained to Moshe saying “what shall we drink?” The complaint was directed at Moshe. The response was the miracle of the sweetening of the water along with a dose of Torah. The next stop along the way was “Eylimah” where they found 12 wellsprings of water and 70 date palm trees. This was the message. With learning and accepting torah G-d will take care of your needs. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter again they complained, “We would have rather died in Mitzrayim sitting alongside a pot of flesh, eating bread to our satisfaction. Instead, you have taken us out to this desert to kill us all with hunger.” This complaint was directed at Moshe. G-d responded immediately to Moshe with a promise to bring bread from heaven. (Along with this gift came the gift of Shabbat and with it a test to determine if the people would keep the shabbat. The “bread” also included the meat of the SLAV (a type of bird) which was also called bread. (Ibn Ezra). According to the midrash the Slav continued to visit and furnish meals for the entire 40 years of wandering. Others suggest it was a one-time only event.) On the one hand the Manah and Slav were designed to bolster Moshe’s stature among the Jews. It was important that Moshe would be seen as a leader for change as well as for ongoing life in the desert. This was because the Torah which he was about to bring down to earth from heaven would deal with all aspects of human existence. What is puzzling is Moshe’s response to the people. Twice he said “Your complaints are to be directed to G-d not to me and Aaron.” Moshe was concerned that the people, instead of praying to G-d, had come to him with their complaints. He was concerned that the “Belief in Moses” bordered on worship. The highly capable and charismatic human figure often becomes a god figure. The people forget sometimes that they have a direct and special relationship with G-d. Moshe and Aaron redirected the people heavenward in Pasuk 6 and 7. “Moshe and Aaron spoke to the children of Israel saying, “In the evening you will know that G-d took you out of Mitzrayim. In the morning you will see the glory of G-d as He will give you meat and bread to your satisfaction as He has heard your complaints. Who are we? Your complaints should not be towards us but towards Heaven.” Here Moshe and Aaron are not trying to escape their responsibilities as leaders. Their message is “Believe in G-d not in His messengers”. This was their attempt to avoid the problem of human deification. Belief in Moses means belief that he was G-ds true messenger and no more.
Dedicated to the memory of Joel Shulman A’H