TORAH, COFFEE AND COMMENTARY
Shabbat services begin at 9:45 AM every Saturday and Torah study begins between 11-11:15 AM. Come for all or part of the service, and share in the coffee and commentary. Your presence and point of view is always appreciated and honored. Services are led by Rabbi Malka Drucker and Hazzan Cindy Freedman, often with participation and Torah leyning by community members.
TORAH PORTION: February 4, B’SHALAH Exodus 13:17 – 17:16 (Etz Hayim, p. 399)
Haftarah: Judges 4:4 – 5:31 (Etz Hayim, p. 424)
For an animation about the parashah, see Beshalach online.
The former slaves leave Egypt, following a circuitous route to the Sea of Reeds. They carry the remains of Joseph, fulfilling his wishes and linking the generation of the Exodus to its forbears. God’s providential and protective care is manifested by the pillars of cloud and fire that accompany the Israelite refugees by day and by night. In a final act of defiance, Pharaoh and an armed force pursue the Israelites, trapping them at the sea. Moses reassures his panicked followers. Moses splits the sea and the Israelites cross to safety on a dry seabed. The Egyptian army pursues, but their chariots malfunction and the soldiers are drowned when the sea closes back on them. From the safety and freedom of the opposite shore, Moses and Miriam – she with timbrel in hand – lead the Israelites in the celebratory “Song at the Sea.” The special melody used in reading the Song recalls the Israelites’ musical celebration. The poetic section of the Biblical narrative gives the day its special designation: Shabbat Shirah.
Quickly the Israelites’ newfound freedom degenerates into a faithless longing for the simplicity and familiarity of Egyptian slavery. Only three days after their salvation at the sea, the Israelites complain of the lack of water. God guides Moses in miraculously rendering sweet the formerly bitter waters of Marah. A central biblical motif is introduced: the survival and well-being of the Israelites will depend upon their fealty to God’s commandments.
The Israelites find repast and repose at the oasis of Elim and subsequently are provided with quail for meat, and with manna, which provides both for their physical needs and for their spiritual education. The manna must not be collected on the Sabbath, and so the Israelites must trust that the life-sustaining substance will be provided in double portions on Friday. The people’s faith in confronting adversity and privation wavers again at Massah and Meribah, and is at least temporarily restored when Moses produces water from a rock.
The Israelites are attacked by Amalek, whom they defeat in battle. Moses makes a written record of the victory and erects an altar in celebration. This nine-verse passage provides the Torah reading for Purim.