Beshalach - 7th Portion

Join me as we learnish for Shabas Paresak 17 verse1. Yesterday we learned about how the Jewish people ate the mana, what they did with it, how much they were able to keep in the laws pertaining to Shabas and the mana. Today we continue with the journey of the Jewish people as they continue to travel from Alush to Rafid and the encounters that they have in the war of Amalik. Chapter 17 verse one. And the Jewish community and the Jewish people traveled from the desert according to their travels according to their journeys according to the word of God was when they traveled they encamped in and there was no water for the people to drink. Verse two. And the people complained, contended with Moshe and they said, "Give us water. We should have what to drink." Moshe says to them, "Why are you contending with me? Why are you testing Hashem?" Rashi, why are you testing God? Can God give us water in a perched land? Verse four, verse verse three, I'm sorry. And the people became thirsty for water there. And they complained to Moshe and they said, "Why? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to kill me and my children and our children and our cattle?" But some with thirst by to die of thirst. Verse four and Moshe cried out to God lay saying what should I do with these people for these people before long and they will stone me. If I wait a little bit longer and not give them any water they're going to stone me. God said to Moshe, "Go before the nation. Go in front of the people. Pass in front of the people and take with you the elders of the Jewish people and the same staff that you hit the Nile River with. And the same staff that you hit the Nile River with take with you and you will go. Pass in front of the people. See if they will stone you. Why did you slander my people saying that this is what they would do that they should be as a test as a to testify? So they should see that because of you the water is coming out of the rock in a miracle. There were wellsp springsings already in the mountain and he just found them. Why does the Torah tell us to use the staff that river? Because the Jewish people would complain and say, "Hey, that staff, that staff only brings problems and punishments. We don't want to see it. Pharaoh and Egypt were hit with it. Many plagues in Egypt were with it. And it and it made them drowned in the sea." Therefore, he says that you hit the river with it, the Nile River that it also is used for good things. The Torah continues I will stand before you there on the mountain on the rock on the rock which is which rock and you'll hit the rock and water will come from it and the people will drink this in the sight of the elders of the Jewish people. doesn't say on the rock at the at the rock. From here we see we from here we know that the staff was from a very um strong type of material and that is sapphires was so strong that it was able to smash that because he hit the rock hit the staff hit the rock it broke the rock and smashed it in half and then and there and the water came out from within Verse seven and that place was called the place where freedom was now because they complained it was given a different name was given the name which means testing and contention because of the complaint of the Jewish people because they tested God saying is God amongst us or not verse And now we learn the story of Malik coming at the Jewish people. And came and fought against the Jewish people in the place called this para this story of Malik is juxtaposed to the previous verse to tell us that God is telling the Jewish people I'm always there with you and prepare for all your needs. And you ask is God amongst us or not? I promise you that if the dog comes to bite you that means if the enemy comes at you and you're going to complain and you're going to scream you will know where I am. What does this mean? He explains as follows. Rashi says as a parable. Imagine a guy is carrying his son on his shoulders. They go out on the road and that son sees something that he desires. And he says, "Dad, can you get me that object and give it to me?" And he gives it to him. Then a second time and then a third time. And so too he gives him everything he asks her. they meet a person. So that son says to that individual says, "Have you seen my father by any chance?" So his father says, "What do you mean you don't know where I am?" You don't know where I am. The whole time you're asking me for things and I'm giving it to you and now you say you don't know where I am. He threw him off his shoulders and the dog came and bit him. So too in our case, the Jewish people came out of Egypt. Every time they needed something, they crossed the sea. They wanted mana. They wanted water. They wanted quail. God's giving to them. And all of a sudden, they're asking still, "Where is God?" That's why Amalik came and attacked them. Verse 9, Yeshua, Mosha said to go out and choose people, choose men for us. say and go out and wage war against Malik tomorrow. I will stand up. I will station myself on the top of the hill and I will have the staff of God in my hand. Meaning pick people for me and for you. Meaning he compared himself. He said me and Yoshua were unequal. And that was the humility that he had. A number from here we know in ethics of our father it says your the honor of your student should be as respected as yourself and the honor of your friend should be as the fear of your teacher. Where do we know this from? As it says to Moshe, "Please my master was older than his brother." But still, he made his friend, which was his brother Moshe, like his master, like his teacher. And said, "The fear of your master, fear of your teacher should be like the fear of heaven." Where do we know that from? Because it says, Yeshua tells Moshe, "Get rid of them. they should be destroyed from this world because since they rebelled against you and they're saying prophecies that are not uh appealing to you and because of that because they it's as if they rebelled against God rebelling against you because your teacher is like the fear of your teacher should be like the fear of heaven go out and wage war in order to wage war you would have to go out of the cloud of glory and wage war against Tomorrow at the war when you start the war with them I will be standing and praying like this. You see that Moshe started to pray even before the suffering came upon them that it should avoid any type of suffering pick chosen people strong people who are afraid of sin so that their merit should be able to save them. And another explanation is people that they know how to get rid of the um magic or the different types of different types of magic that the Amalikites may use because the Amalikites were people that used black magic in to be able to be victorious in their wars. There are some commentaries that explain what was their black magic that they would make sure to use people that their birthday was on that day. That because they knew how to tap into the maz and to their um to their luck and to be able to know which one would be able to overcome the enemy as the day of a person's birthday their masle shines and therefore they would pick specific people that would be able to tap into their extra masle to wage war and that's the way they would win the wars. What did was according to one opinion that he found people who had birthdays on days which are very unique for example on the 30th of Adarish which is not a common day to have a birthday so they would not be able to tap in or to negate such a mazle and he was able to combat them and overcome and that's what it means choose select people who have that ability to overcome their way of fighting a war verse 10 And Yeshua did as Moshe said to wage war against Mosha his which was his nephew went up to the top of the hill. 10. From here we learn when it comes to a fast day, a public fast day that three people should be the one to be the that two people stand on the side of the as it talks about it in the law in the tracted of Tus as well in the laws when it comes to making a communal fast day that was be because when the war of Amalik was going on they were fasting and Moshe was as if he was the representative of the community and this way um he was like acting as the khazan and were supporting him on the side. Who was bin? Miriam the son of Miriam was Miriam's husband and this was Moshe's nephew. Verse 11 and it was when Moshe raised his hand and the Jewish people prevailed but whenever he put down lowered his arms prevailed. And one may ask, what does it make a difference? Is it the hands of Moshe that made the Jewish people be victorious? What does it tell us? That what Mosha's hands were doing is that when the Moshe picked up his hands, it got the Jewish people to look up to God in heaven and pray. And that's why they were victorious because it says in Russash in the track date of Russash verse 12 and the hands of Moshe were getting heavy. So they took a stone and they placed it underneath him and he sat on it supported his hands one on each side and his hands remained steady and confident until the sun set. because since he was lazy or he didn't deal with the mitzvah right away because he sent somebody else meaning it was a war to wage against instead of Moshe himself going to wage war he chose Yeshua to go and do it for him because of that he became his hands became heavy took the stone and placed it underneath him he did not sit on a pillow or a blanket which would be more comfortable because he said the Jewish people the Jewish people aren't suffering because they're waging a war I will also be suffering together with them and his hand stayed confident Moshe would pick up his hands with absolute confidence and with a steady hand spread out to he god in heaven but filled with prayer and in faith properly meaning that he had his hand spread out praying to God in asking God to make sure that the Jewish people win this war until the sun sets. This was another tactic that the Amal taught with the astrology. They would calculate the time to know exactly when as we mentioned earlier when their masle is strong when their luck is uh is dominant and then that's the way they would be victorious. So therefore, Moshe kept the sun from setting the and totally confused them into which way that they shouldn't know and they shouldn't be able to um calculate what's going on. Verse 13. And Yeshua weakened Malik and his people by sword. He that basically he slaughtered the heads of the army. And the only ones that he let survive were the weak ones. He didn't kill all of them. From here we know that the very fact that he didn't kill all of them that was by command of God that he only made them weak but not destroy them completely. Verse 14 God said to Moshe, "Write this down as a remembrance in a bookhu and explain it clearly to Yeshua and explain it to him that he should be inspired. For I wish to utterly erase the memory of Amalik from under the heaven. Rashi write this down that the one to come to attack the Jewish people first was before any nation. You have to tell this to Joshua because he's going to be the one to take the Jewish people into the land of Israel. He should tell the Jewish people the shalom to make sure to get take revenge and and to finish off the job of what the did to us. This was already a hint to Moshu that Yeshua is going to be the one to take the Jewish people in the land of Israel. Therefore, I'm warning you and I'm telling you that I desire that they should be completely eradicated, annihilated. And this is going to happen once they go into the land of Israel. Verse 15, built an altar and he called the name of the altar. God is my miracle. The name of the God made for us a great miracle. Not that the altar was called God meaning. When a person mentions the name of this altar, he will remember that God made a great miracle for the Jewish people. To know that God is our miracle. Verse 16. And he said that the hand of God is on the throne. God should remain at war with Amalik from generation to generation. Meaning that Hashem continues to harbor this enmity to generation to generation. That's explains the hand of God is ris has uh shall remain at war. That means he rose his hand to be able to continue as he swore that he would continue to have that he will have this war and this hatred towards Amalik this animosity towards Amalik for eternity case. What is the word case without the he doesn't say the al meaning so to god's name is split in half that he only says and the he doesn't say the whole thing of god's name meaning as follows god swears my name is not complete my throne is not complete until it'll be eradicated the name of the son of asafish and when the name of amalik is eradicated Then God's name will be complete and God's throne will be complete as it says that when these cities of that enemy will be completely eradicated with for eternity that's when God's name will come to be complete. So by this is by as of where it says eternity that his wrath is kept there for eternity as it says inim that these cities you have destroyed and get rid of their remembrance for eternity. What does it say after you destroy their cities? God will then sit on his heavenly throne. the name will be complete that his throne will be ready and his throne will be ready. May it be that God's throne will be ready with the eradication of Hamalik and that what brings in the coming of Mashiach may be now. This concludes the seventh Torah reading of