Beshalach - 1st Portion

Join me as we learn kumish for parishes the shall chapter 13 verse 17. In the previous Torah reading we learned about the Jewish people's exodus from Egypt. the fact that they were told about the commandments concerning the pascal offering, the commandment concerning consecrating the firstborn and reminding them in every generation the mitzvah to remember the exodus of Egypt. Today we continue with the Jewish people's travels out of Egypt. Verse 17, chapter 13. And when Pharaoh had to send the people out, since Pharaoh had now sent the people out, God did not want to lead them on the road through of the Philistines because it was near because God said that people may have a change of heart when they see that they have to have wage a war and they'll return to Egypt. What does this mean? God did not lead them. Go and lead the people. So to the word comes to mean lead. It's easy to go back in that way to Egypt. There's many different explanations in the medish what this actually means. What kind of war? Like the war of the Amalites and the Canananites which then they said let's go back to Egypt. If they would go in an easy and straight way they would have a change of heart and they would want to go back if not if it was even in a way that they went in a very awkward way in a longer way. They still said they still complained and said let's go back to Egypt when it came to time of war how much more so he would have went in a simple way how much more so they would want to go back and they would be interested in going quickly back to Egypt what does the word mean over here they'll have thoughts from the they'll have I'm sorry they have a change of thought, a change of mind, they'll regret the fact that they leave and they want and they'll want to go back. Verse 18. Therefore, what God did was he took the people via the desert road towards the sea of reeds of through the desert through the sea of reeds. And the Israelites, the Jewish people were armed when they left Egypt. when they came up from Egypt. Verse 18, he took them an awkward way from the simple way to a crooked way towards the sea of reads. The word means like a swamp that reads grow there like we had it previously that Mosha's basket was put in the swamp. It's also find in Isaiah about the reads that grow in the swamp. The word means that they were armed being that he brought them to go through the desert. It calls that they should come armed if they would go through the Philistine way where people were living. They wouldn't have to be armed with everything that they had. A person doesn't need to carry so much stuff with him because he'll buy he's going through a city. He can buy things that are there. But when he goes to a place of a desert and he's not going to be in a city, he has to prepare in advance everything that he needs. This the way it was written was only to be able to make it easier for the person to explain to the listener. that's learning of what's going on. Meaning, you should not ask when it comes to the war of the war of the war of where did the Jewish people have any arms to be able to fight against the wars of oh all the different wars that they had that the Jewish people killed them out by sword. Therefore, she comes to tell us that is explaining to me the Jewish people went prepared. So we also find that they had arms. You should go armed with amongst them. That they had arms for war. Another explanation is the word here comes from the word 20%. One out of five about the Jewish people that left Egypt. This was only 20% of the Jewish population that left. One out of five came out. The other four parts died in the plague of darkness. Verse 19. saying that God will surely remember you and you will take your bones with you when you leave here. Why the double terminology made that generation swear that they would make the following generation swear and so to the next generation swear that they would take that oath that they would take his bones with them. Why didn't he say right when he died tell his children that they should go bury him in the land of Israel like did said I'm the ruler of Egypt so therefore I had the ability to do it my children the Egyptians are not going to allow them to do it therefore he made them take an oath that when they come out of Egypt leave there. They shall take his bones with them. He made his brother. We learn that this why does it say with yours? Meaning that all the tribes stone bones were taken out of Egypt. And Yseph says my bones should be taken with yours that all of them were taken at the time. verse 20. This is now in the 16th of Nissan the day after they left Egypt. They moved on from which they were encamped on they encamped in which was at the edge of the desert the second day because on the first day they came from Ramsees to so now they're in suk and now they're moving on from verse 21. And God went before them during the day with a pillar of a cloud lead by night with a pillar of a fire of light to light up the way for them by day and by night. 21 to be able to lead them like we see also in other places that God was leading the way. How was he leading the way? Who was the messenger? What was the one to lead the way? Was the on the pillar of the cloud. Therefore, when we talk about the cloud, And this that it's telling us it doesn't the cloud was going alone. This is because God was leading the cloud. Put the cloud that it should be able to lead them before him. The pillar of the cloud was leading the way. This was what it was able to lead the way. But of course it was God that was leading them. Rashi continues to say that this pillar of the cloud was not only to give light but also to show them which way to go. This is what God was saying that he led them in which way he led them. Verse 22 the God did not remove the pillar of cloud by day the pillar at fire by night from before the people means God did not remove that pillar by day. the pala not the pillar of by night. What does this come to teach us that even though they were both there and they were continuously there? How were they continuously there that there was no moment that there was one that was not there? That one would complete that while one was leaving the other one was coming that until one was completely down the other one did not completely leave. Chapter 14 verse one. And God spoke to Moses saying speak to the Jewish people and let them turn back towards let them encamp between the two peaks which were called between Migdal and the sea in front of before the monument of Bafon. You shall encamp opposite it facing the sea. So you have the bout of on one side and the sea on the other meaning they should go backwards backwards. Let's add going towards that means to make a U-turn and start heading towards Egypt. They were going towards Egypt that whole third day to confuse Pharaoh and say these guys are lost. Pharaoh said to the Jewish people that they're stuck and they will then rest before that is the same place called P. However, now was called the why was it called? Because the Jewish people became their free people. What was it actually referring to? What was that place look like? There were two big mountains, two big peaks, straight up and high and the valley in between them was called the opening of the peaks. So you had these two peak peaks on the side, the valley in between. So it looked like the mouth of the peaks in front of what was this was the only idol that was left from all the idols of Egypt. Why specifically there in order to confuse Pharaoh will say look our idol worked. It trapped the Jewish people and didn't allow them to leave. This is what says God makes so to speak their idols something great and causes the nations to think that this is great and that because of their idols he destroys them. Verse three will say about the Jewish people they are trapped in the land the desert closed in on them. Pharaoh will hear that they're going back coming back about the Jewish people about the Jewish people as we see in other places because of you different places where we see means about they're trapped. They're stuck. Like the people that are stuck in the sea, all these different places, the people that are stuck in the depths of something where they're not able to get out of it. So over here too, they are trapped. They're trapped in the desert how to get out of it and where they should go. Torah continues verse four and I will wake and I will make Pharaoh's heart heart and he will chase them and I will make um and then I will then be glorified be through Pharaoh and his entire army. And then everybody will know. They will finally know that I am God when they see that they will be wiped out eventually by and this is what they did. What does it mean? I will get glory. I will be glorified because of Pharaoh. When I take revenge on the evil people, when God takes revenge on bad people, then his name becomes great and honored. As it says, asco says I was judge him and only afterwards he says I'll become great I'll be sanctified I will be known as he says of there he destroyed them that god destroys and afterwards he says that god becomes known god that's known by the judgment that he does by why does he say pharaoh and his army who is he started with the transgression because Pharaoh is the one that tells them let's go and therefore he is the one that the punishment will begin with and they did so this comes to teach us the praise of the Jewish people that they listened and they followed Mosha's voice what he said and they didn't say why are we going backwards why are we going closer to the people that we're running away from we should be running away from them they said they they all said and they we only follow whatever Moshe tells us the words of the son of verse five and it was told to the king of Egypt that the nation is running away that the nation ran away that they fled and the king of Pharaoh his heart changed towards the people and his servants towards the people and they said what is this that we have done that we allow the Jewish people to go who told him what happened was that the pharaoh sent with them people messengers to see because the Jewish people technically only asked for three days so he sent spies or guards to know what's going on are they coming back after three days they saw that the three days passed asov set up that they were going to return. These messengers saw that they're not returning. So what did he do? So they came and told power on the fourth day and then on the fourth and fifth day they ran after them on the seventh day that means three days later is when they were drowned into the sea of in the morning of the seventh day. That's when the Jewish people gave song to God. That's the seventh day of Passover, which is the day that we give thanks to Hashem that the Egyptians were drowned in the sea. That's why we read this Torah reading on the seventh day of PES and he changed changed transformed to what he was before initially after the plague of the firstborn. He said, "Go and get out of here." Now he's changing had a change of heart. Also so too about his servants because in the past they said this is becoming a stumbling block for us. This is a problem. Let them go. They decided to chase them. They wanted the money back from serving from serving us. Verse six. And Pharaoh himself this is on the 19th of Nissan. Now he harnessed his chariot and convinced his people and he took his people with him. He did it himself. He was so angry. He was so wanted them to get it that he didn't allow his own people to do it. He himself did it. What does it mean? He convinced them. He convinced them by saying look at this. We got punished by them. They took our money and then we let them go. Come with me. I'm not going to be like other kings that send their army. But he sits home in the palace with his feet upon the couch. You know the cases the kings and these servants go first by war. However, in this case, I'm going to be the one in the front. As it says, the parro was coming close. He made himself come close. He came before his army. He told his people, all other kings, he gets to pick from the booty whatever he wants. However, I'm going to make sure to split it equally. as it says as we've read in the song verse seven and he took with him 600 choice chariots of and as well as all the chariots of Egypt and with officers in command on them all. What does the word mean? Verse seven, the best, the chosen. Why does he use a singular term of 600? Because each one of these 600 were the best and the chosen of all his chariots with them, all the other people, the simple guys. That means he took the 600 of the best and along with them all the other chariots as well. We are all these animals. Didn't they all get killed? If you're going to say there were Egyptians, whose animals? If you're going to say it's the Egyptians, they were all killed. If you're going to say it's the Jews, they took them with them. Who's were them? From those people that feared God and took their animals in during the hail. However, from here the used to say that the best of the Gentiles during a war, you got to kill them. Why? Because even now, they might be kind to you. But you never know how they'll turn back on you. As you see over here, these people even though they were fearful of God during the time of the plagues, but when now when it came a time to pursue the Jewish people, they put nothing down and they were ready to chase and pursue the Jewish people. Same thing also. It says, Even the best of snakes clobber his clobber his head because you don't know when that snake will turn on you people that were in charge generals like the like the translates that the generals were on top of them. Verse eight. And God hardened Pharaoh's heart. And he chased after the king of Egypt. Chased after the Jewish people. He pursued the Jewish people. And the Jewish people are going out triumphantly. He was first questioning should he or shouldn't he? But then he decided he is going to do it. God hardened his heart that he should decide that he should go. What does it mean triumphantly? They were proud, strong and happy, triumphant of the great miracles. They did it in great publicity that they were now leaving Egypt. This concludes the first Torah reading of the Torah reading of Bashal.