Chazzan Michael Simons Sheet - Parasha Beshalach 5781

17 Shevat 5781

Issue No: 479

‫זכור ושמור בדבור אחד נאמרו‬

[15:11]

‫שירה‬-‫פרשת בשלח‬ ‫ה׳תשפ׳׳א‬

‫נֹורא ְת ִהילֹות‬ ָ ... ‫מכָה‬ ֹ ‫ִמי ָכ‬

Who is like You … awesome in praises Though some translate this part of the possuk as suggesting that Hashem is so awesome as to be beyond praise, other commentators derive a contrary meaning. The sefer Toras Shimon advises that this expression of ‘awesome in praises’, as would be a more faithful translation of the original loshon hakodesh, can be understood in the light of a story told of the Rebbe Reb Zushye of Hanipoli. The Rebbe once asked Hashem to grant him an opportunity to experience the awe of heaven on the very same scale as that enjoyed by the malochim (angels). When his request was granted, Reb Zushye began to daven the shemoneh esrei with such awe and trepidation that he collapsed in a heap on the floor, drained of all strength and he managed to recite no more than the opening word, boruch.

Reb Zushye concluded from this incident that a person is better off not having the same level of awe of Hashem as that of the angels, since such awe actively deprives a person of the ability adequately to praise Hashem. Thus, our phrase can legitimately be translated as, “Who is as awesome as You [Hashem], and yet still capable of being praised [by mere mortals]”. There is a wider message to be derived from this approach. A person should never become disheartened or depressed about how distant they feel from a state of serving Hashem properly. Hashem created us as human beings, by our very nature imperfect, so that we would live out our lives constantly striving to improve ourselves and to draw closer to Him. Had we been created in a state of perfection, like the celestial beings, our existence in this world would be utterly without purpose and for nought. We should always have in mind the potential for growth that exists as a result of our innate shortcomings and this should be a source of positivity, such that we will constantly seek out better ways to serve Hashem and to elevate our closeness to Him.

[15:1]

‫ֹשה‬ ֶׁ ‫אָ ז י ִָׁשיר מ‬

Then Moshe sang The Medrash informs us that when Moshe sang oz yoshir, it was a kaporo (atonement) for when he had previously complained to Hashem.

On this earlier occasion, he used the word oz in the context of the impact on Bnei Yisroel of his speaking to Paroh. The possuk [Shemos 5:23] states, umei’oz bosi el paroh le’daber bish’mecho heiro lo’om ha’zeh – when I first came to Paroh to speak in your name it became worse for this nation. Leaving aside the seemingly tenuous link through the use of the same word, what is the deeper connection between these two events that justifies the comment of the Medrash? The Beis HaLevi explains that when Hashem saves a person from an instance of tzoro (hardship, distress), there are two distinct ways in which such a person can respond to the life event. The first approach is simply to be happy and relieved that the affliction, in whatever form it manifested itself, has dissipated and that the chapter can be put behind the person. With such an approach, the person is no happier than he would have been if the period of anguish had not … page 2 We hope that these Divrei Torah, which are designed especially for use during the seudos, will ‫ בע״ה‬enhance your Shabbos and may they hasten refuos and yeshuos to all who need.

The Levush writes that on Shabbos we can attain higher levels of wisdom as it is a day especially designated for this purpose. Therefore, we should seek ways to increase the amount of Torah that we discuss on this holy day.

‫גוט שבת‬/ ‫שבת שלום‬ ms

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[13:19]

‫ֹשׁה אֶ ת־עַ צְ מֹות יֹוסֵ ף עִ מֹּו‬ ֶ ‫וַיִּ ַקּח מ‬

Moshe took with him the bones of Yosef It seems somewhat out of place to make mention of this in Parshas Beshalach after Bnei Yisroel left mitzrayim. It would arguably have been more appropriate for the Torah to record this in last week’s parshah, as they were preparing to leave. Rav Elyashiv answers that, in this week’s parshah, the possuk says that Hashem could have brought Bnei Yisroel to Canaan within just a few days, but He did not wish to do so. The Medrash explains that had the newly emancipated slaves come to Eretz Yisroel straight from mitzrayim they would have quickly involved themselves in planting and building, seeking to establish themselves there, and they would never have properly absorbed all of the lessons of the Torah. The Bnei Yisroel needed the time spent in the midbar, which served as the equivalent of Yeshivah, to grow spiritually. They ate the manna, drank from the be’er (the well which accompanied them in the merit of Miriam) and absorbed Torah into their very bones.

However, the drawback with the desert was that it was a dangerous place and it took strong-willed people to endure conditions that were as harsh on the spirit as they were on the body. In an environment like this, and with Eretz Yisroel so near yet so far, one could lose hope and everything gained could dissipate. The atzmos Yosef, says Rav Elyashiv, provided the wanderers with a guiding light. Yosef himself had suffered in his own ‘midbar’ for so long, having been sold into slavery and thrown into a dungeon on false charges. Yet Chazal tell us that Yosef’s spirit did not waver for a moment. Through all his trials, he remained steadfast in mitzvos and overcame every temptation.

The taking of Yosef’s bones was to provide the best guide available, from now on, in the physical midbar.

‫עלינו לשבח לאדון הכל‬ We identified last week that the title HaKodosh indicates Hashem’s existence utterly beyond the understanding of human beings. Yet, at the very same moment Hashem is ready and waiting at all times to bestow every possible goodness upon us. This is the basis for the title Boruch Hu – Hashem is the source of all blessing and constantly showers us with his beneficence.

Shehu noteh shomayim – Who spreads the heavens refers to matters of ruchni’us (spirituality), Torah and Tefiloh; ve’yoseid oretz – and establishes the earth alludes to matters of gashmi’us (material physicality) such as earning a livelihood. This phraseology is intended to underline that any success that we achieve in either realm is solely due to brochos from Hashem.

Mimini Michoel

Continued from page 1 … occurred to him in the first place. The relief is even mixed with some sadness over being stricken with whatever blighted his quiet enjoyment of life. The second approach is illustrated by Moshe's expression of gratitude for the salvation of Bnei Yisroel at the Yam Suf. He was not simply thanking Hashem for their deliverance from the hands of the Egyptians. He was in fact marking his gratitude to Hashem for appointing him as the conduit through which Hashem rescued his beloved nation and caused the tremendous Kiddush Hashem (sanctification of Hashem’s name in the world) by means of the miraculous events needed to reach this point. The import of this is that Moshe was not only thankful for the yeshuo (salvation), he was equally thankful for the suffering and the period of enslavement endured in Egypt, without which the magnitude of Kiddush Hashem would not have been achieved. Therefore, when Moshe sang oz yoshir on the miracle of the splitting of the Reed Sea, within it was an implicit shiro (song of praise) in respect of the slavery in mitzrayim. It was this shiro that atoned for his complaining about the increased subjugation of the people after his first unsuccessful encounter with Paroh.

The Beis HaLevi’s exposition should lead us to the realisation that having been blessed with successful navigation of a difficult period in our lives, expressing gratitude to Hashem for bringing relief is not enough.

Rather, we must take the experience with us as we move forward, learning the valuable lessons inherent in it and using it to improve ourselves.