Today's Learning Menachot 10:2-3 O.C. 462:4-6 Sponsored by Bechorot 16 Irving & Arline Katz on the yahrzeits of grandmother Henia Rachel bat Pinchas Spalter a"h, mother Fradel bat Yaakov Shulim Reiss a"h, & Chaim Eliezer ben Avigdor Moshe Hakohen Katz a"h Micheline & David Peller in memory of David's parents a"h Hamaayan/The Torah Spring edited by Shlomo Katz Beshalach Vol. XI, No. 16 (499), 17 Shevat 5757, January 25, 1997 We read in this parashah that after Bnei Yisrael witnessed the splitting of the Red Sea, "Yisrael saw the great hand that Hashem inflicted upon Egypt . . . and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant." Rav Kalonymous Kalman Shapiro of Piaseczno z"l asks (in the name of his father): If they saw, what room was there to believe? Moreover, why did they believe now more than after the ten plagues? He explains as follows: True sight is not with the eyes alone, but is a combination of what the eyes take in and all of man's experiences (which give context and meaning to what the eye "sees"). For example, one person may look at a yom tov feast and see only a lavish banquet, while another person will look at it and see the service of G-d in progress. True vision occurs deep within the soul. Thus Chazal sometimes use the expression, "Even though he did not see, his mazal/inner awareness saw." In order to believe in Hashem, one must have a certain basic awareness; he must have "seen" certain things within his soul. This is what Bnei Yisrael "saw" at the Red Sea that enabled them to believe. Why didn't they believe after the plagues? When Moshe resisted being Hashem's emissary to the Jewish people, it was because any leader would have to transfer from his soul to the people's souls the basic foundation of belief. Moshe recognized that his own understanding, unparalleled by any later prophet, far exceeded what the people could attain, and he doubted that he could impart the necessary foundation to Bnei Yisrael. They, too, doubted, and when they felt themselves believing in G-d, when they saw the impossible transfer of belief from Moshe's lofty soul to their own, they were sure that it could not last. Because of that, it didn't, and only at the Red Sea, when they "saw" again, were they able to believe. (Derech Hamelech) ************************************ Parashat Beshalach In Halachah This parashah contains one mitzvah, the twenty-fourth of the 613 commandments. This is the mitzvah not to go beyond specified boundaries on Shabbat. Specifically, one may not go a distance of more than three parsah out of his city. [Assuming, conservatively, that one amah equals 18 inches, three parsah equals approximately 6.8 miles/10.9 km.] The purpose of this mitzvah is to protect the spirit of Shabbat by restricting travel to pleasure walks. (Sefer Hachinuch) The Sages reduced the distance one may travel out of the city to 2000 amot, one-twelfth of the distance mentioned above. (Minchat Chinuch) "There [at Marah] He established for the nation a decree and an ordinance . . ." (15:25) At Marah, G-d gave Bnei Yisrael a few chapters of the Torah to occupy themselves with. These were the laws of Shabbat and Parah Adumah. (Rashi) Rav Reuven Margaliot z"l cites several halachic authorities who write that the seven universal mitzvot which were commanded to Noach apply even to minors (whereas minors are exempt from the Torah's laws). Perhaps, says Rav Margaliot, this applies not only to the seven Noachide laws but also to any law that was commanded before the Torah was given at Har Sinai. This would explain Ibn Ezra's comment on the verse (Vayikra 19:3), "Man should revere his mother and father and keep My Shabbat," that even a child is obligated to observe Shabbat. (Margaliot Hayam: Sanhedrin 56b, No. 25) ************************************ From the humor of our sages . . . "In the morning you will be satiated with bread, and you will know that I am your G-d." (17:12) That's a true miracle, said Rav Naftali of Ropshitz z"l, to find a man who is satiated and still knows G-d. ************************************ "And Bnei Yisrael left Egypt chamushim." (13:18) Rashi cites a midrash which derives the word "chamushim" from the word "chamesh," meaning five. According to this, only one-fifth (some say, one-fiftieth) of the Jews left Egypt. Those who did not want or merit to leave had died during the plague of darkness. Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlap z"l explains that is why Pharaoh let the Jews go. He knew that the Jews' complete salvation is possible only when they are completely united. If four-fifths (or 49/50) of the Jews were missing, he reasoned, Bnei Yisrael would soon return to complete the 400 years of slavery which Hashem had foretold to Avraham. So why did Pharaoh chase Bnei Yisrael to the Red Sea? The Torah (14:5) says, "And Pharaoh was told that the nation had escaped." He somehow learned that the souls of those who had died also left Egypt in the bodies of those who remained. The same thing will happen at the time of the future redemption, says Rav Charlap. The prophet Hoshea said (2:1), "And the number of Bnei Yisrael will be as the sand of the sea which cannot be measured and cannot be counted." What does this mean? There is no number which cannot be counted! Rather Rav Charlap explains, the finite number of bodies which will be present at the final redemption will house within them all of the souls of Jewish history. Since the soul is invisible, it cannot be counted. (Mei Marom IV, p.94) ************************************ "And his hands were emunah/faith until sunset." (17:12) Speaking on the third night of Chanukah this year, Rav Avraham Milikowsky (the "Amshenover Rebbe") shlita explained that Amalek's influence causes many people to see sunset -- representing the changing of times, specifically, and change, generally -- as a cause for lack of faith. Some of the inexplicable things that happen in the world would be easier to understand if there were no change, if only G-d were obviously consistent. For example, if all tzaddikim were poor and hungry and all wicked men were wealthy, we would say, "All tzaddikim will receive the reward for their good deeds in the World-to-Come, while all reshaim are receiving their reward now so that they will not be present in the World-to-Come." Unfortunately, things are not so straightforward. The Torah's view is that change -- the manifestation of time -- is an opportunity, and an inspiration, for growth. This is the meaning of the verse (Divrei Hayamim I 12:33), "[T]he sons of Yissachar, those with a profound understanding of time, they knew what Israel should do." (heard from Rabbi Aharon Lopiansky shlita) ************************************ Rav Ovadiah Hadaiah z"l born 5650 (1890) - died 20 Shevat 5729 (1969) Rav Hadaiah was Av Bet Din (chief justice of the rabbinical court) of the Sephardic community in Yerushalayim from 1930 onwards. He was renowned as a scholar of both halachah and kabbalah, and he headed the yeshiva of kabbalists known as "Bet El." At age 18, Rav Hadaiah finished Eved Hamelech, his commentary on Rambam's Code. He also wrote 23 other volumes of Torah works. Rav Hadaiah was a descendant of several distinguished sages. His father, Rav Shalom Hadaiah, preceded him on Yerushalayim's bet din, as did Rav Shalom's father-in-law. (Both of those sages had emigrated to Yerushalayim from Syria, where they had been prominent rabbis.) Our subject was also a descendant of Rabbis Yitzchak and Yeshayah Attiah, prominent Syrian rabbis and prolific authors. ************************************ We read in this week's parashah (14:31) that at the time of the splitting of the Red Sea, "Yisrael saw the great hand that Hashem inflicted upon Egypt; and the people revered Hashem, and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant." Regarding the mitzvah to believe in G-d, Rav Ovadiah Hadaiah z"l writes as follows in his work Eved Hamelech: In Sefer Hamitzvot, Rambam's compilation of the 613 commandments, he writes that the first mitzvah is to believe that there is a G-d who is that force which causes everything. However, in his halachic code, Mishneh Torah, Rambam does not mention believing in G-d, but rather writes that one must know that there is a G-d. Why this difference, and what really is the mitzvah? Rav Hadaiah explains that Rambam's different statements reflect the different purposes of the two works (i.e., Sefer Hamitzvot vs. Mishneh Torah). The former work was intended for everyone, and thus had to appeal to the simplest reader, including one who cannot know G-d but can only believe in Him. The Mishneh Torah, on the other hand, was intended to be the only book that a Jew would ever need [a goal for which Rambam was condemned by many], and thus had to describe the mitzvot in full, including man's obligation to know G-d. (Quoted in Otzrot Chachmei Aram Tzovah) ************************************ Donations to Hamaayan are tax-deductible