STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS BESHALACH
– TU B’SHVAT 5777
“SPLIT IN HALF[1]”
The world’s greatest superpower lay in ruins. The elite
country of Egypt was ravaged and devastated. Even more pronounced was the
decimation of Egyptian pride. The infallible became vulnerable; the
unconquerable was vanquished.
Still the redemption was not complete. The
burgeoning nation of Klal Yisroel proudly marched out of Egypt
In one of the greatest candid displays of Divine
Might this world has ever witnessed the sea split. But the sea bed isn’t flat
and the terrain beneath the surface is treacherous, deep, and vast. Not only
did the sea split but it leveled evenly so that the Jews hardly had to descend
at all. The entire nation walked across the dry river bank of the sea as if it
were a botanical garden, with beautiful sights and gifts along the way.
As soon as the Egyptians pursued, the waves
crashed down upon them. At the same time, the smooth pathway gave way from
underneath them and the ground boiled, scalding their chariots, and thrusting
them into the bowels of the sea. Final retribution had been served and mighty Egypt
was no longer.
In the vernacular of Chazal this epic event is
referred to as “K’rias Yam Suf”. It is an event that is very much at the fore
of our national consciousness and we refer to it constantly by that well-known
title.
However, it is difficult to understand why that is
the title of choice. No where in any of the twenty-four Sifrei Tanach (Holy
Scriptures) do we ever find that terminology used. When the Torah speaks of the
event it states, “Vayibuku hamayim –
And the waters split.[2]” In our daily morning prayers
we utilize this terminology too[3]. In Tehillim[4], King David wrote, “L’gozer Yam Suf ligzarim – To Him Who
divided the Sea
of Reeds
Why did ‘K’rias Yam Suf’, which literally means
‘the ripping of the sea’ become the de-facto title for that seminal event?
Rabbi Asher Weiss shlita relates the following
story[6]:
A father was once sitting with his son on the night
of the Seder discussing the fifty miracles that occurred during the splitting
of the sea[7].
At one point the son asked his father, “Why are we
so amazed by the splitting of the sea? Isn’t it obvious that the G-d Who
created the world could split the sea?”
The father replied with a parable:
An expert
sculpture once sculpted a horse that was so lifelike, no one could tell that it
was not real. The sculptor erected his work where everyone could admire it. But,
to his chagrin, no one even stopped to look at it. Days passed and the sculptor
became increasingly dejected. Finally he stopped a passerby and asked him, “Why
aren’t you interested in seeing this work of art?” The man shrugged, “I’ve seen
many horses. What’s so good about that one?” The sculptor was confused, “But
that is a sculpted horse.” The man stopped and stared at the horse for a few
moments, “Why that’s incredible! Do you know why no one has stopped to marvel
at it? Because you did such an impeccable job in creating it that people assume
it’s real, so they don’t even bother to look at it.”
The sculptor
began rebuking himself for creating such a perfect model. If only he wouldn’t
have made it so perfect, at least people would realize his work. A wise friend
heard of his situation and gave him an idea. “Cut your horse in half, and then
place it outside. A horse that looks lifelike and is split in half is sure to
attract everyone’s attention.”
The father explained to his son, “You see if we
were all on a proper spiritual level we would be inspired by the very existence
of the sea, and by the miracles of nature that are omnipresent every day of our
lives. We would be awestruck by the augustness of a sunrise and sunset, and by
the miracles of our daily bodily functioning. We would not require miracles or
unusual events to make us recognize G-d’s Hand. But because we are so
accustomed to the ‘hidden miracles’ within nature we are no longer inspired by
them and we take them for granted. So G-d performs miracles – and we recount
those miracles – to remind us that every aspect of our lives is a miracle.
When we recount the epic miracle of the splitting
of the sea it reminds us that the very existence of the sea, and all of its
underwater landscape, and the marine life contained in it, is all miraculous.
This is the meaning of the verse[8], “The earth will be filled
with knowledge of G-d as water covering the seabed.” When the final redemption occurs,
all will see G-d’s Hand clearly in every aspect of nature and world events. At
that point we will no longer require the splitting of the sea to realize the
wonders of the sea. We will be sufficiently inspired by the sea itself.
The truth is that in our daily lives we fail to
appreciate the bounty of blessing we are granted. Very often it takes some sort
of ‘K’rias Yam Suf’, i.e. some sort of ‘tearing’ us out of our ‘banal stupor’
to realize just how fortunate we are. Not every ‘K’rias Yam Suf’ in this sense
is pleasant. Sometimes it takes illness before we appreciate our health, and the
loss of someone/something before we appreciate just how much that person means
to us.
We would be wise to appreciate our families,
homes, community, being a Torah Jew, heat in our homes during a frigid evening,
food to eat, friends, knowledge to understand, etc.
Perhaps when we refer to the event that occurred
at the sea we title it – not based on the actual miracle that transpired – but
more importantly by the inner transformation that occurred within our hearts
and souls. As the prophet exhorts us, “Tear your hearts and not your clothes.”
At the sea, the nation witnessed an incredible
revelation that eradicated the last vestiges of faithlessness left within them.
“Israel saw the great Hand that G-d inflicted upon Egypt; and the people
revered G-d, and they had faith in G-d and in Moshe, His servant.[9]” At that point their hearts
were filled with utter and complete devotion and obedience to the Word of G-d.
It was when they reached that level of inner connection that they arose and
sang the Song of the Sea. It was a heartfelt song that emanated from heartfelt
devotion.
Whenever we refer to that event we refer to that
inner transformation, the ‘Tearing – of their hearts and souls – at the Sea of
the Reeds’. That spiritual mental revolution is something we must connect with
every day of our lives. It reminds us to never take life for granted. We must always
see the Hand of G-d and never allow the triteness of life to obscure the
vivacious beauty that the world exudes.
On the words in Psalms, “The sea saw and fled”,
the Medrash wonders, “What did the sea see that caused it to flee?” The Medrash
answers, “It saw the coffin of Yosef.”
Yosef was able to maintain his feeling of
connection with G-d even in the spiritual doldrums of Egypt
The
holiday of Tu B’Shvat marks the beginning of the sap’s ascension through the
tree in anticipation of the coming of spring. Spring may still be many weeks
away but we begin to celebrate it now.
If we truly want to appreciate the beauty of spring,
we have to ponder it now when the trees are still bare, and the buds have not
even begun to sprout. After a snowfall, before pulling out a shovel one should
take a moment to marvel at the breathtaking beauty of a world blanketed by snow
and G-d’s preparation for the resurgence that is to come. Tu B’shvat is a day
to ponder and appreciate the beauty of life and the world around us.
Part of the reason we recount the Song of the Sea
each morning is to remind us to appreciate every aspect of life, not just when
miracles occur[10].
Tu B’Shvat is inextricably bound to this same idea. The wonders that are
contained in every fruit and the very process of its growth are miracles unto
themselves.
The not-too-distant holiday of Purim and the month
of Adar are celebrations of life. The preceding holiday of Tu B’shvat is the
celebration of G-d’s World and our ability to enjoy its treasures.
“Filled with knowledge of G-d as water covering
the seabed.”
“Israel
Rabbi
Dani Staum, LMSW
Rabbi,
Kehillat New Hempstead
Rebbe/Guidance
Counselor – ASHAR
Principal
– Ohr Naftoli- New Windsor
[1] Based on lecture delivered at
KNH on Shabbos Kodesh Beshalach 5770
[2] 14:21
[3] In ‘Ezras’ just prior to Shemone
Esrei we state, “V’Yam Suf bakata”
[4] 136:13
[5] The word K’riah means to tear.
If, G-d forbid, one is in mourning for one of his seven closest relative he
must perform ‘k’riah’, i.e. tear his clothes not on the seam.
Note:
Although I propose a possible explanation, it is more of a homiletical
approach. From a grammatical perspective it is a very potent question which
begs explanation.
[6] Introduction of Minchas Asher on
Maseches Pesachim
[7] See Me’am Loez
[8] Yeshaya 11:9
[9] 14:31
[10] As the Ramban explains at the
end of parshas Bo, “From the open miracles one can recognize the hidden (daily)
miracles.”
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