In this week’s parsha, parsha besholach, bnei yisroel are taken out from mitzrayim by the hand of Hashem. It says in Beshalach Perek yud daled pasuk lamed
On that day the Lord saved Israel from the hand[s] of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dying on the seashore.
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ל. וַיּוֹשַׁע יְהֹוָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּד מִצְרָיִם וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת מִצְרַיִם מֵת עַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם:
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Rashi explains the scene of “Bnei yisroel seeing the Egyptians dying on the seashore” to mean that the sea spewed the Egyptians out onto the shore, so that bnei yisroel would not say, "Just as we are coming up on this side of the sea, the Egyptians are coming up on another side and they will pursue us." -[from Mechilta and Pes. 118b]
My Questions:
1. Is this rashi consistent with rashi’s view of bnei yisroel in our perek? Explain why or why not
2. Whats the significance of bnei yisroel “looking back” at the Egyptians dying on the seashore? Why should we never look back in life?
This Rashi is consistent with the Rashis view on our perakim because he once again shows Bnei Yisroel's spiritual decline. Here, Rashi explains that Hashem even went a step further to avoid the usual complaints that Bnei Yisroel makes. They were just taken out of Egypt- something they should be more than happy to have- yet Rashi says that Hashem already knows they won't interpret that miracle in a good light. They will find fault in Hashem's ways, thinking that the Egyptians will still come and pursue them. Not only are they doubting Hashem, but they are also doubting Hashem's ability to keep them safe EVEN after taking them out of slavery.
ReplyDeleteDina Wagner:
ReplyDeleteThis isn't exactly what this person asked but I thought it was a nice idea on this pasuk so....Ibn Ezra's question on this pasuk is : why did Hashem choose to lead Bnei Yisroel out through the red sea? Hashem could have done many other things to save them, why did he specifically choose a path through water? Ibn Ezra explains that Hashem took them through water to execute the Egyptians proper death. Hashem knew the Egyptians would follow Bnei Yisroel. He therefore, made them go through water so that the Egyptians can die in water.
One of the Egyptians general goals were to deny the power of Hashem. This is one reason Paroah always called his magicians; to prove Hashem isn't special. Hashem then demonstrates how powerful He is by turning the Nile into blood. Not only here does He take away the Egypgian's water source, but also prooves that this divine , and godly water is nothing. Hashem chooses to punish them through water to show them that ultimately He is the most powerful and that their divine, godly water is controlled by Him. Hashem also wanted to show this to Bnei Yisroel. (Killed two birds with one stone!) (sent the message to both of them through this one action of taking Bnei yisroel out through water).
According to Midrash, it says that Bnei Yisrael saw the Mitzrim die on the seashore. Hashem made it so that the Mitzrim wouldn't think that the Jews were drowning, too. Alternatively, Hashem didn't want the Jews to think that the Mitzrim survived. So the sea expelled the drowning Egyptians when they were 99 percent dead. Each Egyptian landed in front of the Jew who he'd beaten up the most. He looked up to see the Jew, and then died. This gave Bnei Yisrael strength and reassurance.
ReplyDeleteThis Rashi is consistent with Rashi's view on Bnei Yisroel in our perek because בנ״י's response: "Just as we are coming up on this side of the sea, the Egyptians are coming up on another side and they will pursue us." shows that they are already declining spiritually. They just witnessed 10 huge miracles (11 if you count the fact that they were able to get out of mitzrayim to reach this point), yet they still don't trust Hashem enough to know that He will save them from these Egyptians.
ReplyDeleteLooking back often symbolizes longing. The significance of them looking back here in sefer Shemot is that it foreshadows what they will do it Sefer Bamidbar. In perek yud-aleph they look back at mitzrayim favorably/longingly and complain to Hashem that they want to go back because they want the fish and vegetables that were given to them while they were there. Then, in perek yud-aleph they look back at mitzrayim again and say that they want to go back there (=longing), rather than try to conquer Eretz Yisroel. Both of these instances are also situations in which we can apply Rashi's idea of spiritual decline.
According to the translation of Targum Yonatan, the Egyptians washed up by the sea and were not totally dead yet. They only died afterward. What would be the purpose of having them cling to life a little longer? Rabbi Diskin explains that when a witness offers a testimony to confirm the death of a person and that person drowned and washed up on shore, the identification could only be valid if the witness viewed the body as soon as it washed up because if too much time passed it could be another body that already had decomposed. Our Sages tell us that when the sea gave up the bodies of the Egyptian pursuers, every Jew was able to recognize his former task master. in this way G-D reassured them that they no longer had anything to fear, and the reason the bodies were alive was that so there was enough time for every Jew to identify his taskmaster. Another idea from the Rabbi of Kurchin is that the Jewish people could take gold and silver from the Egyptian bodies when they washed up on shore. The Rambam adds that one who touches a dead body is impure, therefore G-D caused some life to remain in them enabling the Jewish people to take their valuables without becoming impure.
ReplyDeleteShabbat Shalom!
Menachem Leibtag brings the idea that seeing the Egyptians dying on the shore was Hashem's way of allowing Bnei Yisroel to switch "masters". They had been dependent on the Mitzrim for so long that B"Y needed to see them die to be able to break their "slave mentality" and move on. According to Ramban, Chazal interprets Hashem's action as a commandment to B"Y--Hashem commands them to never again look to the Mitzrim for anything. This was vital for B"Y to experience because now they recognized "yad Hashem" and they sing Az Yashir to prove their "change in loyalty" from the Mitzrim to Hashem.
ReplyDelete