Parshah Summary – P’shat
The parshah opens with Pharaoh changing his mind about allowing the Children of Israel to leave Egypt, and chasing after them to force their return. The Israelites become terrified, finding themselves trapped between Pharaoh’s armies and the sea. God tells Moses to raise his staff over the water; the sea splits to allow the Israelites to pass through, and then closes over the pursuing Egyptians. Moses and the Children of Israel sing a song of praise and gratitude, while Miriam and others play drums.
In the desert the people suffer thirst and hunger, and repeatedly complain to Moses and Aaron. The bitter waters of Marah miraculously become sweet when Moses throws wood into it, and later Moses brings forth water from a rock by striking it with his staff. A miraculous kind of bread, “manna” (man) rains down from the heavens before dawn each morning, and quails appear in the Israelite camp each evening. The Children of Israel are instructed to gather a double portion of manna on Friday, as there will be none on Shabbat, the day of rest. Some go out on Shabbat to gather manna anyway, but find nothing. Aaron preserves a small quantity of manna in a jar, as a testimony for future generations. In Rephidim, the people are attacked by the Amalekites, but when Moses stood on a hill with his hands raised to heaven, Israel would begin to win the battle, and when he became tired and lowered his hands, Israel would begin to lose. So, Moses’ brother Aaron and Israelite named Hur supported Moses’ hands on either side to help them up, and Israel was victorious.
Torah of Awakening | Jewish Meditation Teaching
וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח פַּרְעֹה֮ אֶת־הָעָם֒ וְלֹא־נָחָ֣ם אֱלֹהִ֗ים דֶּ֚רֶךְ אֶ֣רֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּ֔ים כִּ֥י קָר֖וֹב ה֑וּא כִּ֣י ׀ אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֗ים פֶּֽן־יִנָּחֵ֥ם הָעָ֛ם בִּרְאֹתָ֥ם מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְשָׁ֥בוּ מִצְרָֽיְמָה׃ And it was, when Pharaoh sent forth the people, that God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was nearer; for God said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.” - Shemot (Exodus) 13:17, Parshat B’shalakh וַיָּבֹ֖א עֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם עִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בִּרְפִידִֽם׃ Amalek came and attacked Israel at Rephidim… - 17:8
Once, when Rabbi Pinhas of Koretz felt confused about his faith in God, he could think of no way to help himself except to travel to the Baal Shem Tov. But just then, he heard that the master had just arrived in Koretz. Filled with happiness, he ran to the inn. There he found a number of hasidim gathered about the Baal Shem, who was expounding the Torah verse in which Moses’ hands, held up during the battle with Amelek, are spoken of us being emunah, Faith – that is, Trust and Simplicity.
“It sometimes happens,” said the Baal Shem, “that a person grows confused about their faith. The remedy is to implore God to strengthen it. For the real harm Amalek inflicted on Israel was to chill their trust in God and infect their simple faith with worry. That’s why Moses taught them to implore God to strengthen their faith, by stretching to heaven his hands which were, in themselves, like Trust and Simplicity. In the hour of struggle against the powers of evil, this is the only thing that matters.” When Rabbi Pinhas heard this, his hearing it was itself a prayer, and with this prayer he felt his faith grow strong. Trust and Simplicity, which together comprise אֱמוּנָה Emunah, Faith, are tools we need at different stages of the spiritual process, for different reasons. וַיְהִ֗י בְּשַׁלַּ֣ח פַּרְעֹה֮ אֶת־הָעָם֒ – And it was, when Pharaoh sent forth the people… As a symbol for ego, Pharaoh “sending forth the people” points to the dual role of ego: on one hand, the arising of ego enslaves our consciousness; ego wants to survive and enhance itself, and uses powerful emotions to compel us to serve its agenda. On the other hand, its insatiable appetite for control is what eventually gives away its game; when we recognize that we are being manipulated by our emotions to no good end, we may be motivated to “go out from Egypt” – that is, to escape the control of ego/Pharaoh. In this way, ego defeats itself – Pharaoh himself “sends forth the people.” But, it is rare that meditation results in immediate transformation; usually, we have to persist in meditation for years before getting dramatic results. It is then that we need אֱמוּנָה Emunah – trust in the process and simple dedication to persist in our meditation. Then, when we finally do break through, there can be a sense at all our work has paid off. Tasting the magnificent brightness of freedom from ego and the profound relief that comes from letting go of its burden, our motivation to practice can be greatly renewed and reinforced. פֶּֽן־יִנָּחֵ֥ם הָעָ֛ם בִּרְאֹתָ֥ם מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְשָׁ֥בוּ מִצְרָֽיְמָה... – “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.” At this stage, meditators often go through a kind of “honeymoon” period, in which life feels bright and easy. This is like God leading the Children of Israel on an easier, roundabout way, free from conflict, so that they stay motivated to keep going and not return to “Egypt” – that is, not return to the ordinary motivations of ego. וַיָּבֹ֖א עֲמָלֵ֑ק וַיִּלָּ֥חֶם – Amalek came and attacked… But then, there is another problem: when things are so bright and easy, there is an unconscious tendency to expect the ease to continue, to become infected with an unconscious sense of entitlement; this is the ego’s second strategy for reestablishing its control, represented by the attack of the Amalekites… כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא... – which was close... At this point, we need אֱמוּנָה Emunah again to keep us on track, hinted by this phrase, ki karov hu. In the plain sense, this is referring to the road which would have been the closer path for the Israelites to take. But the word הוּא Hu, “It,” is also a Divine Name. The word קָרוֹב karov means close, but it can also mean intimate, connected. So on this deeper level, it’s saying that the Divine is present on the road of battle, that is, the experience of conflict and dis-ease. Have faith in that, because at first you won’t experience it – instead you’ll experience the pain of more resistance, the ego rearing its ugly head once again. But know: כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא ki karov Hu – beneath all the suffering is the spacious Openness and Wholeness of this moment, the Divine Presence that is not separate from your own presence, your own consciousness. You can always access this Presence, again and again, by becoming present – that is, by being קָרוֹב karov, coming close to your actual experience in this moment, especially in suffering. Don’t resist the resistance; use it: do the inner alchemy of transforming it through prayer: calling out from the heart that leads to the simple acceptance of this moment; this is the interplay between prayer and Jewish meditation.
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