Parashat Beshallach (Shabbat Shirah)
Shevat 13, 5783 / February 3-4, 2023
Torah: Exodus 13:17 – 17:16
Haftarah: Judges 4:4 – 5:31 (Ashkenazim); Judges 5:1 – 5:31 (Sephardim)
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This d'var torah is offered for a refuah shleimah for Chanah Bella bat Kreina and Devorah bat Feigel.
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Lunch and Learn meets Tuesdays at 12:30 PM on Zoom and Facebook Live. We're continuing to read and discuss the Midrashic collection Ein Ya'akov.
On February 7, we'll be at BT Shabbat 33b, page 138 of Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) Volume 1 - "שמע רבי פנחס בן יאיר ..." - "Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair heard ...”
Ein Ya'akov (Glick edition) is available for on-line reading or as a downloadable PDF at:
https://hebrewbooks.org/9630
A pointed Hebrew text version with different pagination is available at Sefaria:
https://www.sefaria.org/Ein_Yaakov?tab=contents
-----------------------------------------------Rabbi Van Leeuwen has a blog which you should read at:
https://rebjasonblog.wordpress.com/blog/
Dr. Steve Pearlman writes up the "Midrashim of the Week", which you should read at:
https://midrashsrp.wordpress.com
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THE PROOF IS IN THE BREAD
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Here I will rain on you bread from heaven; and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day that I may prove them, whether they will walk in My law or not." Exodus 16:4.
The classic commentators disagree over the nature of the proving that is done here. How exactly are the Israelites being tested? Rashi (R. Shlomo Yitzchaki, d. 1105) says God wishes to know whether they will keep the specific commandments to not keep the manna overnight and to not gather the manna on Shabbat. Ramban (R. Moshe ben Nachman, d. 1270) says that is not correct - God wishes to see whether they can observe all of the mitzvot while having only rations of manna to eat. That is, the manna itself is the test. Sforno (R. Ovadiah ben Yaakov Sforno, d. 1550) agrees that the manna is the test, but it is to prove whether people who do not struggle to feed themselves will observe the mitzvot. The commentator Or Ha-Chaim (R. Chaim ben Moshe Ibn Attar, d. 1743) says it is to see whether they will spend their time in Torah study, as well as observing the mitzvot, since they need spend no time in preparing the manna. Rashbam (R. Shmuel ben Meir, d. 1158) and Ibn-Ezra (R. Abraham Ibn Ezra, d. 1167), based on the Mekhilta d'Rebbi Ishmael (Midrashic Commentary on the Book of Exodus), say the test is whether the Israelites will have faith in God when they must rely on a fresh supply of food each and every day.
The classic commentators disagree over the nature of the proving that is done here. How exactly are the Israelites being tested? Rashi (R. Shlomo Yitzchaki, d. 1105) says God wishes to know whether they will keep the specific commandments to not keep the manna overnight and to not gather the manna on Shabbat. Ramban (R. Moshe ben Nachman, d. 1270) says that is not correct - God wishes to see whether they can observe all of the mitzvot while having only rations of manna to eat. That is, the manna itself is the test. Sforno (R. Ovadiah ben Yaakov Sforno, d. 1550) agrees that the manna is the test, but it is to prove whether people who do not struggle to feed themselves will observe the mitzvot. The commentator Or Ha-Chaim (R. Chaim ben Moshe Ibn Attar, d. 1743) says it is to see whether they will spend their time in Torah study, as well as observing the mitzvot, since they need spend no time in preparing the manna. Rashbam (R. Shmuel ben Meir, d. 1158) and Ibn-Ezra (R. Abraham Ibn Ezra, d. 1167), based on the Mekhilta d'Rebbi Ishmael (Midrashic Commentary on the Book of Exodus), say the test is whether the Israelites will have faith in God when they must rely on a fresh supply of food each and every day.
The Jews Gathering the Manna in the Desert - Nicolas Poussin, ca. 1637-1639
Monotony; effortlessness; leisure; dependence - All of these seem to make sense as tests. I believe that the real test is gratitude - i.e., whether we can thank God for the food we eat, no matter what it is or how we obtained it (as long as we didn’t steal it!). Our rabbis tell us we are obligated from Tanakh to recite blessings before and after eating any sort of food. (see Deuteronomy 8:10, and Joel 2:26) We all teach our children to say "please" and "thank you". But how can we ever ask anything of God if we do not follow that truly basic law, the law of saying "Thank you, God"? How many of us pass that test?
Shabbat Shalom - Tu Bish'vat Sameach - Happy Jewish Arbor Day!
Rabbi Richard A. Flom, Rabbi Emeritus
Temple B'nai Hayim/Congregation Beth Meier
"שתיקה כהודאה דמיא"
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 87b
"Silence in the face of wrongdoing is consent.”
BT Yevamot 87b
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