WHEN HE LET GO
Soon after allowing the Children of Israel to depart from Egypt, 
Pharaoh chases after them to force their return, and the Israelites find themselves trapped between Pharaoh’s armies and the sea. God tells Moses to raise his staff over the water; the sea splits to allow the Israelites to pass through, and then closes over the pursuing Egyptians. Moses and the Children of Israel sing a song of praise and gratitude to God.
In the desert, the people suffer thirst and hunger and repeatedly complain to Moses and Aaron. God miraculously sweetens the bitter waters of Marah, and later has Moses bring forth water from a rock by striking it with his staff; He causes manna to rain down from the heavens before dawn each morning, and quails to appear in the Israelite camp each evening.
The Children of Israel are instructed to gather a double portion of manna on Friday, as none will descend on Sabbath, the divinely decreed day of rest. Some disobey and go to gather manna on the seventh day, but find nothing. Aaron preserves a small quantity of manna in a jar, as a testimony for future generations.
In Rephidim, the people are attacked by the Amalekites, who are defeated by Moses’ prayers and an army is raised by Joshua.
Filed under: Weekly Readings
DRINK UP SOME WATER
After crossing the Sea of Reeds with God’s unforgettable help, the Israelites continued on into the wilderness of Shur. Three days into their journey without water, their mood turned ugly. The water at Marah was too bitter to drink. They groused and God instructed Moses to sweeten the water with a piece of wood, which he did successfully (15:22-25). The incident is note worthy only as a forerunner of uprisings to come. Miracles failed to change the Israelites into long-term believers.
Thirsty?
On the verse, “They traveled three days in the wilderness and found no water” (22), some believe: “Water actually stands for Torah, as it is said (by Isaiah, 55:1), ‘Listen, all who are thirsty, come for water.’
The analogy drives home the point that Scripture to believers is as vital as water to humans. They are both indispensable sources of life. In exploring other planets for life, space scientists look first for signs of water. Without Scripture, faithful life would face extinction.
The Centerpiece
A common practice has developed of reading at least every three days. Reading it every three days assured that its contents would become common knowledge. The ritual marked a total departure from ancient Near Eastern practice (or that of the medieval church) which consigned sacred texts to temple confines as literature for priests. Like the original revelation at Sinai witnessed by all the people, reading the Scripture was intended as public consumption.
As a book-based faith, there are three advantages. First, the move from sacred land to sacred text makes it portable. The portability of a sacred book raises a universal religion. God’s presence is no longer restricted to the sanctity of a single sanctuary. Through the portal of Scripture, anyone can access God everywhere.
Second, a book is far less vulnerable than a temple. By taking refuge in a book, faith greatly enhances its chances of survival. To be sure, books can be burned, as they often were by the church in the Middle Ages, but that destroys only the medium–not its message. Books could always be reproduced. The format was more impregnable then a fortress.
Third, faith in book form became democratic. While the religious ceremonies are off limits for many and sacrifices are the preserve of the priests, people of the Bible are expected to approach God individually and directly. The primacy of the Scripture requires literacy and learning of everyone.
But these advantages come at a price. The effects of Scripture work only as long as people read it. Education and lifelong study are what vivify inert letters into life giving water. The greatest danger has always been illiteracy.
Moses said to the people: “Fear not; stand by and see the salvation of God which He will show you today. For as you have seen Egypt this day, you shall not see them again, forever. God shall fight for you, and you shall be silent.”
God said to Moses: “Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel that they should go forward.”
Exodus 14:13-15
We all know the feeling: you wake up one morning to the realization that the world is not as you would like it to be.
A common experience, to be sure, but different people have different reactions. One person embarks upon a crusade to change the world. A second gives up the world for lost, and retreats into whatever protective walls he can erect around himself and his loved ones. A third takes a pragmatic approach, accepting the world for what it is and doing his best under the circumstances. A fourth recognizes his inability to deal with the situation, and looks to a higher power for guidance and aid.
The Israelites experienced just such a rude awakening on the seventh day after their liberation from Egypt.
Ten devastating plagues had broken the might of the Egyptians and compelled them to free the people. After centuries of exile and slavery, the children of Israel were headed toward Mount Sinai and their covenant with God. Indeed, this was the stated purpose of the Exodus; as God told Moses, “When you take this nation out of Egypt, you will serve God at this mountain.”
But suddenly the sea was before them and Pharaoh’s armies were closing in from behind. Egypt was alive and well; the sea, too, seemed oblivious to the destiny of the newly born nation.
How did they react? Some writers tell us that the people were divided into four camps. There were those who said, “Let us throw ourselves into the sea.” A second group said, “Let us return to Egypt.” A third faction argued, “Let us wage war upon the Egyptians.” Finally, a fourth camp advocated, “Let us pray to God.”
Moses, however, rejected all four options, saying to the people, “Fear not; stand by and see the salvation of G-d which He will show you today. For as you have seen Egypt this day, you shall not see them again, forever. G-d shall fight for you, and you shall be silent” (Exodus 14:13).
“Fear not, stand by and see the salvation of G-d,” is Moses’ response to those who had despaired of overcoming the Egyptian threat and wanted to plunge into the sea.
“As you have seen Egypt this day, you shall not see them again” is addressed to those who advocated surrender and return to Egypt.
“G-d shall fight for you” is the answer to those who wished to battle the Egyptians.
“and you shall be silent” is Moses rejection of those who said, “This is all beyond us. All we can do is pray.”
What, then, are you to do when caught between a hostile mob and an unyielding sea? “Speak to the children of Israel,” G-d says to Moses in the following verse, “that they should go forward.”
The road to Sinai was rife with obstacles and challenges. The same is true for us.
INTO THE SEA
Now, as then, there are several possible responses to an adverse world. There is the “Let us throw ourselves into the sea” approach of those who despair of their ability to grapple with, much less impact, the world out there. Let us plunge into the sea, they say — the sea of the holiness, the sea of piety, the sea of religious life. Let us sever all contact with an apostate and promiscuous world. Let us build walls of holiness to protect ourselves and our own from the alien winds which storm without, so that we may foster the legacy within.
An old saying refers to a such-minded individual as a holy man in a fur coat. There are two ways to warm yourself on a cold winter day: you can build a fire, or wrap yourself in furs. When the isolationist is asked, “Why do you think only of conserving your own warmth? Why don’t you build a fire that will warm others as well?” he replies, “What’s the use? Can I warm the entire world?” If you persist, pointing out that one small fire can thaw several frozen individuals, who may, in turn, create enough fires to warm a small corner of the universe, he doesn’t understand what you want of him. There is no place for partial solutions in his life. “It’s hopeless,” he sighs with genuine sadness, and retreats into his spiritual Atlantis.
SUBMIT TO EGYPT
A second camp says, “Let us return to Egypt.”
Plunging into the sea is not an option, argues others. This is the world in which God has placed us, and our mission is to deal with it, not escape it. We’ll just have to lower our expectations a little.
This Exodus thing was obviously a pipe dream. How could we presume to liberate ourselves from the rules and constraints that apply to everyone else? To be God’s people is nice, but let us not forget that we are a minority, dependent on the goodwill of the Pharaohs who hold sway in the real world out there.
Certainly, it is our duty to influence the world. But then again, we have many duties: it is our duty to pray, to give charity, and so on. So well do the best we can under the circumstances. Yes, it’s a tough life keeping all this up while making sure not to antagonize your neighbors, but who ever said that it was easy?
FIGHT
A third response to an uncooperative world is that of the Fighter. He understands that it is wrong to escape the world and equally wrong to submit to it. So he takes it on, both barrels blazing.
The Fighter strides through life with a holy chip on his shoulder, battling sinners, apostates, haters, and non-fighters. Not for him is the escapism of the first camp or the subservience of the second — he knows that his cause is just, that God is on his side, that ultimately he will triumph. So if the world won’t listen to reason, he’ll knock some sense into it.
SPIRITUALIST
Finally, there is the one who looks at the world, looks at the first three camps, shakes his head, and lifts his eyes to the heavens. He knows that turning his back on the world is not the answer, nor is surrendering to its dictates and conventions. But he also knows that “the entirety of Scripture was given to make peace in the world”; that “its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.”
“You hope to peacefully change the world?!” say the other three camps. “When was the last time you looked out the window? You might as well try to empty the oceans with a teaspoon!”
“You’re absolutely right,” says the Spiritualist. “Realistically, there’s no way it can be done. But we are not subject to this reality that you are so impressed with.
“Do you know the common denominator between all three of you? Your assessments and strategies are all based on the natural reality. But we inhabit a higher reality. Ours is the world of the spirit, the world of the word.”
“So basically your approach is to do nothing,” they counter.
“Again, you are employing the standards of the material world,” answers the Spiritualist, “a world that views spiritual activity as ‘doing nothing.’ But a single prayer, coming from a caring heart, can achieve more than the most secure fortress, the most flattering diplomat, or the most powerful army.”
FORWARD
And what does God say? “Speak to the children of Israel, that they shall go forward.”
True, it is important to safeguard and cultivate all that is pure and holy in the soul, to create an inviolable sanctum of Godliness in one’s own heart and one’s own community. True, there are times when we must deal with the world on its own terms. True, we must battle evil. And certainly we must acknowledge that we cannot do it on our own.
Indeed, each of the four approaches has its time and place. But none of them is the embracing vision to guide our lives and define our relationship with the world we inhabit. When one is headed toward God’s call and is confronted with a hostile or indifferent world, his most basic response must be to go forward.
Not to escape reality, not to submit to it, not to wage war on it, not to deal with it only on a spiritual level, but to go forward. Do another act of love, ignite another soul, take one more step toward your goal. Pharaoh’s charioteers are breathing down your neck? A cold and impregnable sea bars your path?
Obey and move forward.
And when you move forward, you will see that insurmountable barrier yield and that ominous threat fade away.