BESHALACH
Exodus XIII, 17 – XVII
n the previous chapters we read about the first collective Divine mandate that our ancestors received, and which is known by the first words of this HaChodesh haze, “this month”. It is remarkable that this first ordinance contains an indication of time, an element that will play a determining role in the Jewish tradition. In Judaism the calendar is an indispensable instrument.
As we have been noting, our tradition is emphatic in terms of the importance of time and change and therefore of development and growth. The ordinance that is promulgated in Nisan, the month in which they will leave Egypt and a date that will be commemorated in subsequent generations, requires the choice of a ram that must be cooked directly on the fire and consumed on the night of the fourteenth of that month.
That fourteenth day is called Pesach, like the ram that has to be slaughtered before being ingested. It was necessary to paint the door lintels with the blood of this ram, while the meat was consumed with Matsa, unleavened bread, and Maror, bitter herbs. During this meal, the belts had to be placed on the hips, the shoes shod and the sticks in the hands to be able to immediately undertake the Exodus from Egypt.
Even today, there are those who, during the celebration of the Seder, the ritual dinner at the Seder, put on their belts and, with a cane in their hands, relive the moment before the exodus. According to this, our ancestors already ate, during that night, Matsa with meat from the ram. Then they would eat Matsa again in the desert, because in their haste to get out of Egypt, they could not wait for the dough to ferment, in the preparation of bread.
The biblical text refers to the date of the exodus as Chag haMatsot, “the feast of the matsa“, while in later writings (those that collect the Oral Law) the additional term, Pesach, to which we have already done reference is also used. The varied use of this nomenclature perhaps indicates that the importance of freedom is especially emphasized in the scriptures. The use of the word matsa symbolizes our haste to achieve freedom and to take advantage of the historical moment to achieve it. Pesach, which mainly represents the sacrifice of the same name, indicates that Divine intervention is indispensable for the development of the events that culminated in the exodus.
The Torah points out that God did not lead our ancestors the shortest way to the Promised Land. It was possible that, in the face of real danger, the people would hesitate and might turn back, back to Egypt. The break with Egypt had to be total and, therefore, a detour path was sought in the desert, a path that would last 40 years. Likewise, it was necessary to prepare these tribes, who had been subjected to centuries of slavery, for the conquest of Canaan, for the exercise of sovereignty and self-determination.
While the people were busy preparing for the arduous journey in the desert, acquiring valuables and items that the Egyptians loaned them, Moshe took care of Yosef’s remains. Despite having assumed a key position in the court of Pharaoh, Yosef always maintained his Hebrew identity, and, in his testament, he gave instructions for his remains to be transferred to the ancestral land at the time the people left Egypt. Moshe took care of Yosef’s corpse and in this way teaches the importance of remembering and not forgetting Yosef’s contribution to the well-being of his family, and therefore, that of future generations. This development of historical consciousness will be one of the important characteristics of our uniqueness.
The inclusion of history as an essential factor of Hebrew identity is manifested, for example, in the case of conversion to Judaism. How can a convert participate during the recitation of the Haggadah, “The Account of the Exodus from Egypt,” on the night of the Seder? Can the convert exclaim, avadim hayinu lefar’o bemitsrayim, “We were the slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt”? After all, neither the convert nor his ancestors were in Egypt. However, the Halacha, which is the universe of Jewish laws, maintains that he must participate in the Seder with all the laws of rigor. Because conversion to Judaism does not consist solely in adopting a faith and submitting to a specific rhythm of conduct and life. Conversion to Judaism, in addition to the adoption of that new faith, includes at the same time incorporation into the Jewish people, the adoption of the historical past of the Jewish people and sharing a common future destiny.
According to the path traced, it was necessary to cross the waters to reach the desert and definitively abandon the Egyptian limits. What were those waters, which in Hebrew are called Yam Suf? We are not sure. According to some it is the Red Sea and according to others it is the Sea of Reeds. And there is where the first rebellion of our ancestors took place. They asked, “Was there not enough burial place in Egypt that we had to be brought into the desert to die?” The Egyptians pursued them in their chariots and horses and in front of them was the sea. There was no escape.
According to the Midrash, the young Nachshon ben Aminadav was the first to launch himself to cross the waters that had been miraculously separated by Moshe. Nachshon then becomes the prototype of the person who takes risks, pointing to paths and demonstrating corageous behavior at decisive moments. The rest of the people follow him and when they reach the opposite shore, they see how the waters come together again while the Egyptians perish.
Moshe and the people erupt in a jubilant song that contains superlative stanzas of poetry, something that is not abundant in the Pentateuch. In the Talmud, a supposed conversation between God and the Hebrew people is recorded, which refers to this victorious episode against the Egyptian persecutors. The Hebrews want to sing praises to God on the anniversary of this victory and God questions them: “Is it possible that while my creatures (a reference to the Egyptians) are drowning in the sea, you consider singing praises to me”? The moral is very important, because it teaches that even our enemies and oppressors also have the Divine image imprinted and are, therefore, deserving of mercy.
It is probable that from the perspective of time and history the cause of clashes between peoples can be more fully understood. This consideration allows for greater hope of finding solutions compatible with the historical destiny of the Arab and Jewish peoples in conflict during the development of the peace talks. In the desert, food is scarce, and the people complain because they remember, exaggerating the reality of the idealized past, that in Egypt they had pots full of meat and bread to satisfy themselves. God commands that the “bread” descend from heaven to earth. It was a special bread, manna, Man in Hebrew, which according to tradition had the flavor that the diner wanted, except for meat. Every morning manna came down from the sky and the people collected it. This manna had to be consumed on the same day. What was saved for the next day became rotten and inedible. On Fridays, a double portion descended from heaven, which had to be preserved to be consumed on Saturday. To remember this fact, two Challahs, “loaves,” are placed on the table on Friday night that marks the beginning of Shabbat. Saturday was to be a holy day that proclaimed that every living being, including servants, are entitled to a weekly day of rest.
MITSVA: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARASHÁ CONTAINS 1 PROHIBITION
24. Exodus 16:29 Do not go beyond the limit allowed on Shabbat
