BESHALACH_EXODUS XIII:17-XVII:16
The Hebrew people left, or perhaps were expelled from Egypt by Pharaoh, bound for the desert to a destination unknown to them. But the Divine plan was to lead them first to Mount Sinai, where they would receive the Law that would guide their daily behavior and serve as a fundamental moral tool for social coexistence and emotional and spiritual development.
The exodus was not the consequence of a slave rebellion; the exit occurred because God inflicted ten plagues on the Egyptians, which eventually broke the will of Pharaoh. Moshe was God’s emissary, who warned Pharaoh what the consequences of his intransigence would be. Although the initial petition was the desire to worship God in the wilderness, the basic reason for the exodus was clear: the breaking of the chains of slavery.
In this first stage of the history of the people, Divine intervention is present, clearly, always. It can even be argued that pests had a dual function. On the one hand, to manifest the superiority of the one God over the multiple Egyptian deities. But at the same time, it was necessary to encourage enslaved people, to convince them that freedom was a non-negotiable condition. Matsa, the bread of poverty, was preferable to any delicacy in slavery.
Only a few hours had passed when Pharaoh repented of having allowed the Hebrew slaves to leave and began their persecution to return them to servitude. The Hebrews were at an impasse. Ahead was the sea and, behind them, the chariots and horses, the Egyptian soldiers chasing them hot. What to do? God tells Moshe to raise his hand with the rod to split the waters of the sea, which, in turn, obeys the command. Thanks to this miraculous parting of the waters, the Hebrews manage to escape the Egyptian hordes, which perish when the waters meet again once the Hebrews reach the opposite shore.
The story didn’t end there. They had been saved from the Egyptians, but they would have to take up arms to face the Amalekites. Once again, Divine protection was present. Although he did not lead the Hebrew “army,” the Tora relates that Moshe ascended a mountain from which he could observe the unfolding battle. While he held his arms aloft, the Hebrews overcame, and when he let them fall, the Amalekites were the victors.
According to the Talmud, the act of raising one’s arms was symbolic of looking toward heaven and becoming aware of the fact that everything depends on God’s help. There is, however, a difference. While they were in Egypt, only God, through Moshe, was the actor, the factor who ensured the exodus through the plagues. On this occasion, God intervened through Moshe, but the Hebrews had to fight and risk their lives against Amalek. This marks the beginning of a covenant, a partnership between God and the people, God, and the individual, echoing the colloquial saying: “help yourself, and heaven will help you.”
In addition, the stay in Egypt, which included 210 years of slavery, was punctual, a part of their history. The battle against Amalek represents an unfinished war, the first chapter written after the exodus from Egypt. Throughout history, other Amalek appeared, with different names, such as Haman, Torquemada, Hitler, Khomenei of Iran, all with the same purpose of eliminating the Hebrew people, each in his own evil way.
Different theories have been offered to explain this constant viciousness against the Hebrews. Some argue that the Jewish people have become a kind of conscience of humanity because of the message it propagates, which is none other than the content of the Tora. The message of ethics and morality taught by the Tora does not permit emotional tranquility when the weak are run over and what belongs to another is stolen. Whoever argues that force equals law, that the world belongs to the strongest, stumbles upon a theology or philosophy that strongly suggests that solidarity and love should be the forces that motivate human action.
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- Exodus 16:29 Do not go beyond the limit allowed on Shabbat
