Parshas Beshelach

Parshas BeShelach (literally "in sending"), coming from the from the verse, "And it came to be, when Pharoe send the nation, G-d Almighty did not lead by the path of the Philistines, although it was near...", and then continues to desrcribe their roundabout path to the Sea of Reeds. Here, the Torah tells the famous story of the Splitting of the Sea, whereby the Jews were brought through on dry land and the Egyptians were drowned in the depths. The Jews then composed the "Song of the Sea", which to this day we recite every morning as part of the prayer service. What follows is back and forth between the Jewish nation, and Moshe and G-d, whereby the people complain, first about lack of water, and then about lack of food, prompting Moshe to perform miracles by turning bitter water sweet, causing the Manna to descend from Heaven (including a double portion on Fridays, the first reference to the Shabbos), and a stone to stream water (the complaints of the nation will be a constant theme throughout the 40 years in the desert). Finally, Israel is attacked by their eternal (at least until the days of Moshiach!) enemy, Amalek, and prevail only when Moshe's hands are supported by Aaron and Hur (that he could pray), allowing Joshua to overrun them.

I would like to now share a short teaching from the Rebbe on this week's Sidra:
It is brought down in the Oral-Tradition, that when Israel arrived at the Sea and they saw the Egyptians approaching, 4 cliques formed, as they decided what to do next: One group wanted to jump into the sea, the second wanted to return to Eygpt, the third wanted to fight the Egyptians, and the fourth wanted to raise their hands in prayer. The Rebbe explains that these are 4 ways of confronting the "Egyptians" of the world (in general, Egypt/Pharoe refers to that which is not-holy, but on a more general level, that which oppresses us). The first way, to jump into the sea, means to jump into the sea of Torah, of Holiness, and to seperate oneself from the world. Apart from being against Torah-law (suicide is forbidden in Judaism), it is generally a selfish course of action; this character could be called a work-a-holic. In the second way, to go back to Egypt, he does not break any law, but says he will accept another to rule over him, and keep Torah to the greatest extent possible (after all, there are exceptions made when one's life is at risk from a foreign power); this character is somebody who settles for the 9-5 life. The third way, to fight Egypt (in a Torah permissible way), while lacking the submission of the second option, is still "me" centered, he believes that HIS energy and determination alone can overturn an entire army; this character is somebody who gives their life over for very lofty causes, but ignores basic neccessities like family or helping those in his own neighborhood. The forth way, the raise your hands in prayer, on the outside seems very ideal from a Torah perspective (after all, it shows ultimate faith in G-d), however, it denies the basic premise of the Torah, which tells us that the teaching and the commandments were given to us "to DO them today", this way of life requires some action, in the way of a partnership with G-d Almighty; this character is somebody who decides to leave this world and move to a mountain in China.
The Rebbe teaches us, however, that there is a 5th way. The Torah says that when Israel presented these complaints and options to Moshe, he rebuked them, and then after consluting with G-d Almighty instructed them to "go forward". For us this means following our leaders, and conducting ourselves with consistancy and integrity. That which we do, in Torah and in other matters, we should do to the best of our ability and take pride it in, all the while increasing in learning and good deeds, focusing on the future. With this attitude of "go forward" G-d will open up paths for us and perform miracles. It is said that small miracles happen every day that even surpass that of the splitting of the Reed Sea. Why? By the Splitting of the Sea, it is written that G-d "blew an easterly wind the whole night", however, for somebody to be in the right place at the right time, in the way of a coincidence, takes preperation going back all the way to the beginning of creation! Surely with confidence and humilty we can "go forward" in the face of any challenge, and with the help of G-d Almighty, our personal Egypt will be tossed in the Sea and thrown to the ocean floor, at which point we will "walk through on dry land".