Friday, January 25, 2013

Beit Orot: Orot Haparasha - Beshalach

Can we do תפילות prayers for:

The Irving Moskowitz Yeshiva & Campus
Yeshivat Beit Orot - The Hesder Yeshiva on Har Hazeitim in Yerushalayim and Rav Dani Isaac, Rosh Hayeshiva?

So that through them The האור Light, The רפואה Healing and The אהבה Love of ישועת יהוה Yeshuath YHWH may come back to הארץ The Land of Israel?

The Irving Moskowitz Yeshiva & Campus
Yeshivat Beit Orot - The Hesder Yeshiva on Har Hazeitim in Yerushalayim
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OROT HAPARSHA
Parshat Beshalach
From the teachings of Rav Dani Isaac, Rosh Hayeshiva
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The wonderful miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea enables Am Yisrael to recognize "the great hand that Hashem placed upon Egypt," and as a result, "[and] the people feared Hashem, and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant" (xiv, 31). At the splitting of the Red Sea, Am Yisrael recognizes the complete nullification of everything in relation to the Divine greatness, as the sea, with all its strengths and powerful forces, which can destroy cities and kill tens of thousands of people in a few minutes (e.g. the tsunami disaster), this sea flees in panic and nullification from before Hashem, as King David says, "The sea saw and fled..." (Tehillim, 114). The earth also fears Hakadosh Boruch Hu, as it says, "From before the Master the earth shook..."

They did not, however, merely learn to fear, as they also arrived at a belief in Hashem and in Moshe, Hashem's servant. Fear can make a person passive and thus diminish his life-forces. Conversely, belief implies a cleaving to Hakadosh Boruch Hu that leads to a life that reveals all our strengths in full force as it says, "A righteous person shall live in his faith." In order that his belief should be expressed in the correct manner, rather than through human ideas and theories, man is in need of the Divine guidance that is revealed to us in the Torah. This is why it states that they believed in Moshe, who was Hashem's messenger and he "received the Torah from Sinai" (Avot, 1:1) and gave it to us. When a person lives in a state of cleaving to Hakadosh Boruch Hu he feels whole and senses that he lives in a harmony that unites all his strengths for one true purpose. Through this a great song to Hakadosh Boruch Hu breaks out: "Then Moshe and Benai Yisrael sang this song to Hashem." The Midrash Rabbah (22:3) says: "Since he split the sea for them they believed in him, as it says, "and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe His servant." Through the merit of this belief that they believed they merited to say a song, and the Shechina rested upon them. And just as they purified their hearts and said a song - for it states, "and the people feared Hashem, and they believed," and afterwards, "and they sang" - so a person must purify his heart before he prays." There is a Midrash that explains the importance of the Shira in that it establishes the kingdom of Hashem in the world: "'Then Moshe sang' - this is what it means by, 'Your throne is established of old' (Tehillim, 93:2); Said Rabbi Berechiah in the name of Rabbi Abbahu: Even though You are of old, Your throne was not yet established and Your name was not yet known in the world until Your sons pronounced the Shira. This is comparable to a king who waged a war and was victorious and they made him into an augustus (=important ruler). They said to him: Before you waged war you were a king and now we have made you an augustus - what is the greater honor that an augustus receives over a king? A king stands ready while an augustus sits (meaning that when a king stands he shows that he is ready and prepared to take his vengeance, while an augustus sits relaxed, as he has defeated everyone)" (Shemot Rabbah 23:1).

These matters are made clear through the difference between the splitting of the Red Sea and Israel's crossing of the Jordan when they entered the Land. In the latter case they prepared themselves for the crossing and everything went smoothly, without need of Moshe's staff as a threatening gesture towards the sea. Rather, "the feet of the priests that bore the ark were dipped in the brink of the water...and the waters stood" (Yehoshua iii, 15-16) - everything carried out in harmony and in a relaxed manner. King David refers to this aspect when he says "the Jordan turned backwards," meaning without the fear of "the sea saw and fled" (cf. Rav Remer's book, "Me'ver Ha'aretz").

This song contains within it the great future, as Rabbi Meir teaches us: "We have learnt, Rabbi Meir says: How do we know about the resurrection of the dead from the Torah? It says 'Then he sang (yashir).' It does not state 'sang' (shar) but rather 'shall sing' (yashir) - this is a source for the resurrection of the dead from the Torah" (Sanhedrin 91b). The Maharal explains (Chiddushei Aggadot) "that a song is appropriate when there is wholeness in the world, and every person who sings is in a state of wholeness when his heart rejoices. Through joy - which is an aspect of man's perfection - man reaches song. Since at present there is no perfection in the world it states 'then he will sing (yashir),' for the perfect song belongs to the world-to-come, when the world will be whole. This means that Am Yisrael attained such a lofty cleaving of belief that they were able through it to pronounce a song that connected them to the wonderful future.

This lofty spiritual level that Am Yisrael merits through the splitting of the sea and the wonderful Shira reveals our inner and personal essence. Yet to continue regular existence on such a level is very difficult. Now the day-to-day work begins, which often contains ups and downs, as the excitement that results from a fabulous revelation is absent. The Midrash Rabbah (23:10) expounds: "Another explanation, 'I am black yet comely' - the very thing in which I am black I am comely. They sinned at Chorev, as it states, 'and at Chorev you angered Hashem" (Devarim ix), yet at Chorev they said, 'Everything that Hashem speaks we shall do and we shall listen.' At the sea they rebelled, at it says, 'And they rebelled at the sea, at the Red Sea' (Tehillim, 107), yet at the sea they said the Shira, as it says, 'Then Moshe and Benai Yisrael sang.'" In the very two situations in which Am Yisrael reaches their heights they also fall, due to the difficulties of living at such a level through daily reality in which the material world has its effect and hides the Divine light. The Yalkut Shimoni (Beshalach 254) says: "What does it mean, 'And they traveled [also: 'and he made them travel]' - that he forced them to travel, for Paro had decorated his horses with precious stones and pearls, and when they drowned these floated to the sea shore. The Israelites descended every day and collected some of them and did not want to budge from there. When Moshe saw this he said: What do you think - that every day the sea brings you precious stones?! He proceeded to force them to travel against their will." The precious stones blind their eyes and hearts so that instead of continuing their travels towards Har Sinai and receiving the Torah (which was certainly their true and inner desire) they remain on the shore of the Red Sea.

In our days too, even though we have seen wonders throughout the process of Israel's revival, there are those whose spiritual strength is diminished and they have no desire to continue with the process that will eventually lead to the redemption of Israel and the revelation of the name of Hashem in the world. Thus Rav Kook says (Orot, p. 84): "The material comforts that will be attained by some of the people, who will imagine that they have already achieved their entire goal, shall diminish their soul, and days will come about which it is said that there is no desire in them. The yearning for lofty, holy ideals shall cease and the spirit shall necessarily fall and sink." However, we are sure that just as Moshe "awoke" Israel from its material slumber so in our days, "a storm shall come and bring about a revolution and at that time it will be clearly seen that Israel's safety lies in the Eternal Holy One, in the light of Hashem and in His Torah, in the desire of the spiritual light, which is the great might that defeats all worlds and all their forces" (Orot, ibid).

Immediately upon their first journey from the Red Sea they walk for three days and do not find water: "And they came to Marah, and they could not drink the waters at Marah for they were bitter...and the people complained to Moshe saying, what shall we drink?" (xv, 24). The method of correcting their sin at the Red Sea, which resulted from an over-attachment to the physical, is to make it clear to Am Yisrael that their physical lives are also dependant on Hakadosh Boruch Hu, and that there is no value, nor staying power, to a physical life disconnected from the service of Hashem. Therefore, the people have no water to drink, and only in a miraculous manner, through the actions of Moshe our spiritual leader, do we receive the sweet waters. "At Marah they received a few of the parshiyot of the Torah to occupy themselves with - Shabbat, Parah Adumah and civil laws" (Rashi based on Chazal). The Mechilta connects the thirst for physical water with the thirst for Torah which is compared to water: "The expounders of writings said, they did not find words of Torah, which is compared to water. Since they withdrew from Torah for three days they rebelled. Therefore, the prophets and elders instituted that the Torah should be read on Shabbat, Monday and Thursday" (1:22). It is not enough to read the Torah on the spiritual day of Shabbat, as during the routine days of life, on Mondays and Thursdays, when a person is occupied with his work, he must connect himself to the Torah. Through this he will recall the kingdom of Hashem in all situations, both holy and secular.

Based on this approach the Mechilta explains the beginning of our parsha, that "G-d did not lead them through the land of the Pelishtim, even though it was near." "'Even though it was near' - Hakadosh Boruch Hu did not bring them along the straight path to the Land of Israel but rather through the wilderness. Hakadosh Boruch Hu said: If I bring Israel to the land now, each person would immediately take hold of his field, and each person would take hold of his vineyard and they would neglect the Torah. Rather, I will take them through the longer route of the desert, so that they should eat manna and drink from the well, and the Torah shall be absorbed into their bodies" (Beshalach 1:17). We learn from this of the concern that the occupation with the material will cause a person to forget the service of the Torah, and it will remain external, left in a corner. Am Yisrael must therefore undergo the desert experience, totally dependant on Hakadosh Boruch Hu for their food and drink. Through this the recognition will be imprinted in us that the entire meaning of life lies in the cleaving to Hashem, and that the Torah and the mitzvot are not external to us but rather form our very lives, as the Midrash states, that "the Torah shall be absorbed into their bodies."

However, this process is a most lengthy one, containing ups and downs, as we find at the end of the parsha: "And Amalek came and fought with Israel in Refidim" - "for Israel weakened (rafu) their hands from the Torah and mitzvot" (Mechilta). The Michilta adds: "Israel cannot exist without the Torah, and since they withdrew from the Torah their nemesis arrived. For their nemesis arrives only because of sin and iniquity. It therefore states, 'And Amalek came.'" The gematria (numerical value) of "Amalek" equals that of "safek [doubt]." They are the ones who bring confusion into our lives; they are the ones who lead us to imagine that the Torah is external rather than essential to our lives, while matter that is perceived and felt is the true reality. Thus the way of dealing with this is through belief, meaning a life of harmony, of cleaving to Hashem (as we defined it above). Therefore, "And it was when Moshe lifted up his hands that Israel prevailed." "Do Moshe's hands make Israel prevail, or do his hands break Amalek?! Rather, whenever he lifted his hand upwards Israel would look at him and believe in the One who commanded Moshe to do so, and then Hakadosh Boruch Hu performed miracles and wonders for them" (Mechilta).

We trust that through the method of Am Yisrael's ups and downs throughout our long history, and especially through the revelation of the hand of Hashem in our generation, we will merit seeing the throne of Hashem ruling throughout all existence.

Shabbat Shalom from Beit Orot in Yerushalayim

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