Beshalach-2016

· When the Jewish People left Mitzrayim they complained a lot.

· 13:17 The Bnei Yisroel saw the Egyptians coming after them.  They said to Moshe, “Were there not enough graves in Egypt that you took us out to die in the desert?  This is the exact thing that we told you in Egypt saying, leave us alone and let us serve the Egyptians.”

· The Medrash in Shmos Rabbah discusses a possuk in Tehillim (106:7) – “Our fathers in Egypt… rebelled by the sea at the Red Sea”

· Reuven said to Shimon, “In Egypt we had mud with the bricks, and here at the Yam Suf we have mud caused by the splitting of the waters.”  They complained about the muddy ground that they walked through when the Yam Suf split. When they were able to flee the pursing Egyptians by walking through the Red Sea that had split miraculously, they complained that their shoes were getting muddy.

· 15:23 – "They could not drink the waters of Marah because they were bitter (ki marim hem)."

· The simple meaning of 'ki marim hem' is 'because the waters were bitter'. The Kotzker Rebbe interprets the pronoun 'hem' (they) to refer to the people. The people were bitter, as shown by how they complained about the water.

· Complaining about the lack of water - 16:2: The people quarreled with Moshe, and said, “Give us water to drink. Why did you bring us up from Egypt – to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”

· Complaining about the lack of food - 16:2: The entire community of the Bnei Yisrael complained against Moshe and Aharon in the desert.  “If only we had died by the hand of Hashem in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and could eat our fill of meat, for you brought us out to this desert to cause all of us to die of starvation.”

· In review - they complained:

o When the Egyptians were pursuing them.

o When their shoes became muddy when crossing the Yom Suf.

o When the waters of Marah were bitter.

o When they were hungry and thirsty, dreaming of the good old days when they had all the water and meat they wanted as slaves in Mitzrayim.

· The Jews were a tough bunch.  They were freed from bondage in Egypt with the miraculous ten plagues, and then Hashem caused the Yam Suf to split for them. They are given the amazing miracles of Man(na) from Shamayim, water from the miracles of Miriam’s well and the slav (quail) that blew in from nowhere – and they continued to complain.

· What is Hashem’s response?

· 16:23 – At Marah, Hashem said: Tomorrow is a day of rest, Hashem’s holy Shabbos.

· The Gemorah in Beitza 16a - Hashem said to Moshe:  I have a precious gift in my Geniza (hidden treasury) and its name is Shabbos.  I want to give it to Bnei Yisrael.  Go and tell them.

· What is connection between the fact that the Jewish People were constantly complaining, and that Hashem wanted to give them the great gift of Shabbos?

· We can all attest to the fact that Shabbos is one of the greatest gifts of the Torah.  We all love Shabbos, a day of rest, peace, and spirituality when we connect to our families, our communities, ourselves, and Hashem,

· Is there a connection to the fact that Hashem wanted to give the Jewish People the great gift of Shabbos after they’ve been complaining non-stop?

· Perhaps Hashem didn’t want to wait to tell them about Shabbos for another 6 weeks until Matan Torah at Har Sinai - that He wanted them to experience the greatness of Shabbos right after they left Mitzrayim.

· Perhaps now that they were full-fledged Jews, Hashem didn’t want them to Mechalel Shabbos.

· In addition, perhaps there’s an important mussar lesson here: that when people who we love are complaining, we can respond by giving them special gifts.

· However, possibly there is another important lesson here.

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· Beitza 25b - R. Meir taught: Why was the Torah given to Israel? Because they are Azin (brazen).

· Rashi – I gave them the Torah to be involved with, and it will subdue their strength

· (Beitza 25b continues) The School of R. Ishmael taught: (about Devarim 33).  ‘At His right hand was a fiery law for them’; Hashem said: These are worthy to be given the fiery law. The laws of the Jews are like fire, for if the Torah hadn’t been given to Israel, no nation could withstand them.

· Rashi – Their ways are like fire, they are brazen like fire.

· (Beitza 25b continues)  Resh Lakish said: There are three distinguished by brazenness and fierce strength:

o Israel among the nations,

o the dog among animals,

o the rooster among birds.

o Some also say: the goat among small cattle.

· Rashi – It’s difficult to subdue them.

· Hashem saw that behind the complaining of the newly liberated Jews - their Chutzpah and lack of gratitude - the Azus and Brazenness -  was a tremendous Koach, strength, and indomitable spirit.

· Hashem knew that this power could be used for tremendous good if it was directed in the right way.

· Hashem introduced them to the idea of channeling that great energy by teaching them about Shabbos.

· From the outside, Shabbos looks restrictive – ‘don’t do this and don’t do that”.

· From the inside we know that Shabbos channels our energy in an amazingly productive way - producing a Kedushah that warms us for the whole week - connecting us, as we said, to our family, community, ourselves, and Hashem.

· A person can spend a lifetime learning the Pratim, details, of Shabbos – Borer, Makah be Patish, Carrying, Bishul (cooking) -  its depth is endless.

· Shabbos – and the whole Torah - channels our energy in intricate ways to produce Kedushah.

· As the Gemorah in Beitza says, the Jewish People have an enormous energy that can be exhibited as Azus (brazenness) if it’s not directed in the right way. “If the Torah had not been given to Israel, no nation could withstand them.”

· Hashem saw this from their incessant complaining – and right away gave them Shabbos to teach them the tremendous benefits of channeling this energy in the right way.

· The Jews need the Torah to channel their energy.

· The Jewish People have a tremendous power.

· Just two Jews, Shimon and Levy, killed the entire city of Shechem in retribution for what happened to Dinah.

· Pharaoh said in Shemos 1:9 – The Bnei Yisroel are becoming too strong for us.  Come let us deal wisely with them, lest they increase so much that if there is war, they will join our enemies and fight against us, and drive us from the land.

· Three of the largest tech companies in the world were started and are run by Jews – Google, Facebook, and Oracle.

· There’s an enormous difference between using energy well or badly.

· The energy between men and women can be channeled into a healthy marriage, resulting in a loving home full of children.

· But if it’s not channeled well, it can produce Mamzerim and catastrophic situations.

· When Uranium 235 splits, it spins off neutrons that can split other Uranium atoms.

· If this chain reaction is controlled with carbon rods to absorb some of the neutrons, a nuclear reactor can produce enough energy to heat and light entire cities.

· But if the energy is not controlled, the nuclear explosion can wreak devastating destruction.

· When we bind our Tefillin on our arms, and read how Yitzchak was willing to be bound to the altar, let’s remember that when we bind ourselves to Torah - and bind ourselves to learning Torah – this channels our tremendous energy for good and Kedushah.

· When the Yidden complained non-stop, Hashem saw their tremendous energy, and responded by giving them Shabbos – and six weeks later the whole Torah.

· He showed them how Shabbos and the Torah could channel all that energy into great things, so they could become a Mamlechet Kohanim ve Goy Kadosh, a Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation.