Ancient Wisdom for Current Times

The Torah portion, Beshallach (Exodus 13:17-17:16), contains one of the most dramatic episodes in the Bible. The Israelites have escaped slavery in Egypt, but as they are fleeing they are caught before a raging sea. And in back of them, the armies of Pharoah are advancing with trained charioteers coming their way.

Our ancestors were in an impossible situation, so bad that some of them just wanted to go back to Egypt and surrender.

 

 

As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites caught sight of the Egyptians advancing upon them. Greatly frightened, the Israelites cried out to YHWH And then they said to Moses, “There weren’t enough graves in Egypt that you brought us out here to die in the wilderness?” 

But Moses said to the people, “Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance which YHWH will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. YHWH will battle for you; you hold your peace!” (Exodus 14:10-14).

Our rabbinic ancestors looked at the Torah as the word of God. For them, every word was there for a purpose. As they analyzed each part of Moses’ response to the panicked nation, they imagined that he was responding to four different groups of Israelites with four different reactions to their situation. In the Midrash they pictured the people of Israel in four factions at the sea:

1. Group one said: Let us throw ourselves into the sea (maybe in despair or overwhelm).
2. Group two said: Let us return to Egypt (i.e. wishing for the “good old days” that weren’t really so good!)
3. Group three said: Let us fight them (some are always ready to fight)
4. Group four said: Let us cry out against the Egyptians (the talkers—maybe today it would be “crying out” on social media rather than taking action)

OR just maybe those same approaches to the crisis could be viewed in a positive way:

1. Jumping in the sea = they had faith that God would help
2. Going back to Egypt = stopping to question how they got where they were
3. Fighting = fighting for what you believe in
4. Talkers = speaking up and truth-telling

And (to continue the Midrash) when we look at Moses’ words, all four factions received a direct response from their leader.

1. To group that said Let us throw ourselves into the sea, Moses told them, “Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance which YHWH will work for you today.”
2. To the group that said “Let us return to Egypt,” he assured them, “for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again.”
3. To the group that said, “Let us fight them,” Moses told them, “YHWH will battle for you.”
4. Finally, to the group that said “Let us cry out against them,” Moses told them to “hold your peace!”

So that was then. But right now, if you imagine our current national and world problems like the Raging Sea, – with which group of Israelites do you identify? Do you want to give up, to retreat, to fight, or to speak?

There are times of crises when despair is not an option, when there is no going back, when conflict is not the answer, and when words are inadequate. So what then is the alternative?

Then YHWH said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to Me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. And you lift up your rod and hold out your arm over the sea and split it, so that the Israelites may march into the sea on dry ground. (Exodus 14:15-16)

According to the Midrash, just as everyone was arguing, and even Moses hesitated, a man named Nachshon ben Aminadav of the tribe of Judah waded into the sea. He walked right in, up to his calves, his knees, his waist, his chest. Only when the water was up to his nostrils, when he was about to go under, did the Red Sea split. God helps those who help themselves and take the first steps. Ever since then, the name Nachshon (that’s a “ch” as in “Bach”) has become synonymous in Jewish tradition with a leader who goes in first, one who dares to take action while others are afraid.

This Midrash is really speaking to me right now.

Today we are facing raging social, political, and environmental problems that can feel like a stormy sea, issues so huge that can make us feel trapped and unable to progress.

In his book, Be Still and Get Going: A Jewish Meditation Practice for Real Life, the Rabbi Alan Lew of blessed memory took the words of Moses’ reply to the Israelites to develop step-by-step guidance to face situations of panic or despair:

• Feel the fear but don’t let your fear control you.
• Be present and focus your mind see things as they actually are and not as you imagine or project them to be.
• Take time to be still, engaging in meditation or other centering practices that calm your mind.
• Move forward and take action, action that will now be more effortless and congruous with the divine flow.

Whether a supernatural miracle, a natural phenomenon, or an ancestral story we tell, the Parting of the Red Sea remains an eternal archetype with the status of a sacred Myth. It is the paradigm of Redemption. In words attributed to the Greek statesman Solon, “A Myth is not something that never happened, a Myth is something that happens again and again.” Like our ancestors before, we are often caught between a rock and a hard place, or a Pharaoh and a raging sea, looking for a way forward. The words of the Torah and our interpretations throughout the centuries can offer guidance on how to “be still and get going,” how we can find our inner Nachshon for these tumultuous times.