Parshas B'shalach

"BOKER TOV"

The first thing we are told in this week parsha is when Pharaoh let us go.

Is that Hashem did not lead us in the 'normal' way. ie. 'the shortest, or the most logical from our stand point', and that we were armed, 'with what'? And that Moshe took the bones of Yosef HaTzaddik. And that Hashem was leading us night and day. literally, we saw visually, the pillar fire and cloud. His ovious and overt leading of us night and day.

Ok so?

Then we are made privy to an personal conversation.

"Hashem spoke to Moshe", "Speak to the children of Israel; and tell them exactly whats going to happen next, no surprises here right; 'Boker tov', Pharaoh is going to come after you and I'm going finish him off and the Egyptian's once and for all.

And so this is exactly what happens and Israel panics, Why? What are we missing here, Nu? Were we not told exactly what was going to happen next? And if that is not enough we were armed? The key is right here in the next pasuk.

"The children of Israel raised there eyes, and they were very frightened; then they cried out to Hashem, (Ah there is something here), then they said to Moshe "Were there no graves in Egypt so that you took us out to die in the wilderness? 'COMPLAINTS!!!'... "Is this not what we said to you while we were still in Egypt when you came to take us out... "Lets us be and we will serve Egypt"... 'better to be slaves than to disrupt your daily lives, I always say, we like the suffering'.

What happen from the time of the miracles of the Geula til now? What's problem? How is it that we fell from the level of our Emunah (sharei Nun minus one) that we experienced on the night of Pesach? Seeing the open manifestation of Hashem's ratzon, His Divine Provodence.

From this we raised our eyes, we wanted to believe again in determinism (derek hateva) the seemingly natrual events of this world. So we chose to close our eyes to ratzon Hashem and opened them to our own determinism in short we over estimated our abilities, then realized we could not handle it and started to doubt all over again. Then the mixed multitude which looked up to us saw we were waivering and they started to complain. We did not guard our eyes we began to look around at the world and as soon as we did we fell from our Emunah. We are told to guard our eyes!

This is what we are told we did not desvre to go out from Egypt on our own merit so in fulfillment of the promise to our fore fathers Hashem added to our Daat to increase our Emunah so we we could leave. A free undesevred gift. Hazal tells us 'that a prisinor can not free himself on his own, he must have assitance from without', but as soon as we went out we lost our lofty Daat. Now we were going to have earn it through guarding our faith in Hashem.

We can not and must not trust what we see. Especially in the media! And what we hear in the news! "What lies!" To have Emuanh is to not look at this world our its happenings.

In the She'ma we are told in the third perek "They shall be to you as Tzitzit, and you shall look at them (big hint) and remember all the commandments of Hashem and to fulfill them and not to follow after your heart and after your eyes by which you go astray..." We are told to specifically not use out sekel or to trust our eyes! WHY? Becuase we start to think, our own hagasot in our chochmah, fallen chochmah then we start to look into how we can go about doing it with out Hashem. This is what 'Adom HaRishon' did he thought he could fix the 'shevat hakelim' all by himself. You see every time we think we can do it on our own we have fallen into self generated heresy. We make ourselves into g-d's and try and remove Hashem from the throne. It is much easier to just listen and do than to try to be a king.

The Tzaddik tells us next what we need to do. "Moshe said to 'the people' "Do not fear! Stand fast and 'see' the the salvation of Hashem that He will preform for you today;"... Why is not 'children of Israel' but 'people'? Is it because something has happened? Or is it that here, He is speaking to someone else? The answer is both we got out of your troubles and said thanks for the help we can take from here we'll call you if we need you. Oh ok, let's see how you do? This seems to be a reoccurring theme in our national history.

A person who believes that Hashem sustains everything through His ratzon and that all life-force comes from Him, is he himself filled with vitally and life! He recognizes the Hand of Hashem even in the inevitable trials and tribulation that living life brings his way, and knows that what ever the compassionate one does is for one's benefit (Berakhot 60b). This was how it was for us on the night of Pesach, expanded Daat.

On the other hand, when a person attributes all the happenings to the laws of nature, and of natural occurrences, his life is no life. He lacks vitality and life-force, and if beset by any of life's difficulties has no where to turn for consolation. Just like we where at the sea, it seemed like there was no where to turn, cliffs on one side wilderness on the other the sea infront and the Eygptian's to the rear, constricted Daat.

The manifestation of Hashem's will reveals what the purpose to all of one's suffering and that in the end he will be rewarded for the affliction he has to endured.

Rashi tells us. Shemos 14:14-16. Hashem will do battle on your behalf. Hashem said speak the the children and let them journey, there is nothing left to do but to travel, for the sea is not a barrier before them... The merit of their forefathers, and of themselves, and the faith they 'had' in Me when they went out of Eygpt are sufficient to split the sea for them. "So we see it was only 'their lack of Emunah that caused their distress'! "Rebbe Nachman teaches us that the only reason one must travel is to to repair his Emunah" (likutey Eitzot).

In the parasha it says they will sing, in future tense So as we come to Shabbos Shirah may take it to heart that the only obestacle is our own lack of faith and may it be His will that we this shabbos in joy fulfill the pasuk and sing out loud of Hashem praises. two of the ten songs are in this week the haftorah contains 'Devorah's Naviah song' there are ten songs all together they are; they are a segula for the geula.

1) Song of Creation, (Bereishis 1:1-2:3), 2) Song at the Sea, (Shemos15:1-26), 3)Miram's Song... 4)Song of the well (Bamidbar 21:17-20), 5)Parshas Haazinu (Devarim 32:1-43), 6)Devorah's Song (Shoftim 5:1-31), 7)Hannah's Song (I samuel 2:1-11), 8)David's Song (II Samuel 22:1-51)
9)Hezekiah's Song (Ysaiahu 38:9-20), 10) Song of Songs (Shir hashirim 1:1-8:14)

Gut shabbos