Sedra of the Week: Beshalach
Rabbi Ariel Abel is based in Liverpool
By Rabbi Ariel Abel
In recent weeks, a reader asked me to retract any mention I have made in my sedra columns of any flaws in the person or personalities of Biblical figures. Unfortunately I am unable to do so, as I would be lying about the Scripture itself and its plain meaning.
A short view into this weekly section may not be enough to appreciate the verse for what it stands. I shall demonstrate the importance of moral failings through a character who is popularly subject to criticism – Pharaoh – and then explain why even the saintliest of men and women are not spared criticism, and why we should not whitewash over faults mentioned about them in Scripture.
The seventh of the ten plagues was loud peals of thunder, fiery lightning strikes and hailstones which crushed the ripe grain.
That was enough for Pharaoh to declare that God was righteous and that he and his people were “the evil ones”. However, the Almighty was not pacified by this declaration.
Words are too easy to utter: it is in action that He wishes to see a change of heart. In this week’s reading, Pharaoh is on record as sending the people out of Egypt, but he then gives chase to the Israelites and only meets his end drowning in the sea.
Is the Pharaoh of the exodus therefore an irredeemable baddie whom we can consign to the trash heap of history? Certainly not. My teacher Tuvia Kiel points out the prophet Isaiah in chapter 19 prophesies that Egypt will eventually repent of their idolatry, serve God, speak Hebrew and earn the title of a “blessed nation”.
This means that God cares about the repentance of even of a condemned nation: in repentance lies true greatness.
As the book of Jonah also teaches, there is no virtue in zealotry, only repentance. When the Torah points out the faults of our leaders and ancestors, whitewashing over them is precisely to deny them the greatness which they truly earned though improving their morality, which remains as an instructive example for eternity.
This week’s reading also contains the Song of Moses and Miriam’s refrain. There is no action which is complete in religion if it is not complemented by female energy. All the male children were birthed by the midwives.
Additionally, the Midrash states that the women encouraged their enslaved husbands tirelessly. The Midrash therefore announces that it was the merit of women that our ancestors survived Egyptian slavery, and our future redemption relies upon their merit too.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
