VOLUME 119 NUMBER 4
Shevat 12, 5786
January 30, 2026
Parshas Beshalach
Candlelighting Time 4:59
Ibn Ezra questions why was there a fear that if the people leave Egypt and travel though the land of the Philistines then they may encounter a combat situation and return to Egypt. The amount of able-bodied men was 600,000 and many more and they were also armed. Therefore, they were ready for battle and if they would actually head back to Egypt they should have been well prepared to defeat the enemy. He answers that the Egyptians were their former taskmasters and therefore they didn’t have the gall to fight them. Even with their great numbers and weaponry, they would have fought half-heartedly and lost. They were used to be subservient to the Egyptians and therefore they lacked the spirit and courage to conduct a war against them.
Of course, the obvious question is why do we need to know that the nation was not capable of fighting against their former captors. Does this relate to the exodus from Egypt or the subsequent events that transpired in the desert? Rav Shmuel Birnbaum Rosh Yeshivas Mir in New York applies this lesson to us and truthfully it applied to the nation during their sojourn in the desert. We all confront many life challenges from many different angles. Sometimes they are on the personal level, often they are family connected and on occasion they are involving our community. Usually, they boil down to avoiding the pitfall of succumbing to our evil inclination, the yetzer hora. He is the ultimate strategist and we must be constantly aware of the need to be alert and focused are what we are doing in order to vanquish him. The Rosh Yeshiva explains that perhaps the most important tactic that we can employ is to be stout and daunting in our attitude and consequently our approach in dealing with the yetzer hora. We must feel reverent and dignified in our service to Hashem which will give us the inspiration and enthusiasm to struggle valiantly against this age old enemy that seeks to mitigate our performance of mitzvos.
He cites an incredible statement from Rav Yisroel Salanter one of the foremost Sages of the 19th century. The Torah states that Hashem gave mankind control of the world. And indeed, we have the power to dominate and harness all that Hashem placed in the world for our use. However, the true purpose of that governance was to direct our supremacy and command against the yetzer hora. That is the goal of each person and one’s capability to accomplish that objective hinges upon a person’s utilization of all of his talents and skills. And that all revolves around one’s determination to succeed in elevating himself to ascend closer to Hashem and scaling that ladder rooted in the mundane and physical existence in this world and soaring higher and higher, reaching forever to realize one’s destiny on earth and to fulfill the mandate prescribed for him by Hashem. This encompasses a lifetime of hard work aiming to achieve the most conceivable successes.
Indeed, this lesson would have provided the generation in the desert with the appropriate impetus and focus to perhaps have avoided the mistakes that they made.
A BYTE FOR SHABBOS
After the sea split the people were deeply involved in gathering all the booty available until Moshe forced them to leave. The Cloud of Glory did not move because Hashem allowed them to indulge although it may not have been to their benefit nonetheless we are given free will to choose what we want to do. However, Moshe knew it was not a good idea to remain longer and indulge too long so he coerced them to leave. CHASASM SOFER
GOOD SHABBOS
