Beshalach 5633 תרל”ג

ויאמינו בה’ ובמשה כו’ אף דגם במצרים כ’ ויאמן העם כו’.

And they trusted in HaShem and Moshe” (Shmot 14:31), when Bnei Yisrael where in Mitzrayim it also says that “the nation trusted” (Shmot 4:31) (What was so special about this trusting)?

רק שיש ב’ אמונות. א’ אף שאין האדם יודע כלום. ועכ”ז מאמין בהקב”ה. וזה מביאו שיוכל להשיג ג”כ. 

The answer is that there are two types of emuna. The one is when the person is unaware and doesn’t understand, and trusts in HaShem.This level of emuna brings a person to a further stage where he can understand more.

ואח”כ צריך להאמין ע”י ההשגה עצמו שידע שא”א להשיגו כלל. 

Then after that stage, a person needs to take his understanding and then realise – with emuna – that he really can’t understand HaShem at all.  

וזהו ובמשה שכ’ ז”ל באספקלריא דנהרא. כי מה שאדם מאמין ע”י הריחוק כנ”ל נק’ אס’ דלא נהרא. ובחי’ מרע”ה אס’ דנהרא. שהי’ ביטול ע”י הדעת והשכל כו’. 

This is why it says “they trusted in HaShem and Moshe”. For the level of prophecy of Moshe was the level of an “illuminating light” whereas other prophets were a “non illuminating light”. The first level of emuna where one trusts in a state of distance from HaShem, that is compared to a “non illuminating light” (For the distance is confusing and hides HaShem), whereas the level of Moshe was an “illuminating light”, where there is clarity, nevertheless even at that stage they nullified their understanding and had complete emuna. (It was this level of emuna that was generated only at the splitting of the sea).

ונק’ ג”כ אספקלריא שהיא מחיצה ע”י האור עצמו כנ”ל. 

The reason why it is called a “non illuminating light” (Why is it called a light if it doesn’t illuminate?) is because the light itself is what causes confusion and separation.

וכמו כן יש ב’ מיני גלות והסתרות. והוא בחי’ עוה”ז ועוה”ב. ב’ העלמות. 

Similarly we have two types of exiles and hiddenness. There is the hiddenness of this world and the hiddenness of the world to come. (both are called עולם connected to the word העלם hidden).

שיש העלם והסתר בעוה”ז. החושך יכסה ארץ. וכפי תגבורת האדם על היצה”ר זוכה לצאת מהחשיכה. ואך בזה עצמו לא יבוא אל השלימות. כי מרע לא יבוא טוב. 

There is the hiddenness of this world where “the darkness covers the land” (Yeshaya 60:2). And in proportion to one’s fighting off the evil inclination one merits to come out of the darkness. However that alone does not bring one to perfection, for good does not come from evil. 

(This is because one needs to convert the bad into good, not just beat the bad, for it can come back and damage again. See Sfas emes תרל”ז).

ורק ע”י סיוע מהבורא ית”ש שעשה כן שע”י עבודת האדם וגובר נגד יצרו. עי”ז זוכה שמושיע לו הקב”ה אח”כ בבחי’ עשה טוב. 

This (conversion of the bad into good) can only happen with the help of HaShem. That HaShem made the world in such a way that through man beating off the evil inclination, he meris that HaShem then helps him, through the aspect of “do good” (after “remove yourself from evil”). (This is the level of good for everything is “good”)

והוא העלם הב’ שיש בבחי’ עשה טוב ע”י האמת. 

This is the second level of hiddenness, “do good” though the truth.

שמעשה הטוב גבוה עד מאוד ואין בשכל האדם להתקרב שם רק ע”י הקדמת עבודת האדם בהעלם ראשון. מזכה אותו הקב”ה בהעלם השני. 

For one’s good deeds effect so high that one cannot comprehend how to attain such levels. It is only through going through the first stage of emuna in the first hiddenness, one merits that HaShem uplifts him to the second level. 

וזה ענין עוה”ז מכין לעוה”ב. וכן ענין ימי המעשה הכנה לשבת קודש. 

This is the idea of this world preparing for the world to come, and so too the days of the week prepare for Shabbos.

וי”ל שזה ענין יצ”מ וקריעת ים סוף. כי למה צוה הש”י וישובו כו’. 

We can therefore explain the difference between leaving Mitzrayim, and the splitting of the sea. For haShem commanded Bnei Yisrael to turn back.

וכ’ ויהי בשלח. וי”ל שהי’ חסרון מה שנצמח יצ”מ ע”י פרעה הרשע שהוא העלם הראשון. עבודת חומר ולבנים כו’. 

(This was because when we left Mitzrayim, it says) “…Paroh sent Bnei Yisrael”. There was something amiss that our redemption was through the evil Paroh, compared to the first level of hiddenness, that hard work and physical labour. 

והי’ נצרך אח”כ להיות ישועה בהעלם הב’. וזה שהי’ ע”י בנ”י עצמם וישובו. ולא הי’ ע”י פרעה ומצרים כלל. 

Now we needed a second redemption on the second level, that was only due to Bnei Yisrael, they turned back (and nullified themselves to the will of HaShem), and it was not due at all to Paroh and his nation.

והי’ הצרה ג”כ ע”י הדעת שהרי חזרתם הי’ בדעת והשכל. והוא העלם הב’ כנ”ל. 

This second level of difficulty that they were in, was also with their own understanding, they turned back with full understanding (of the danger involved), this is compared to the second level of hiddenness.

ואח”כ ויאמינו בה’ ובמשה כנ”ל. 

And then from that stage they trusted in HaShem and Moshe. as above. (That through the level that they had attained the second time, they still nullified themselves to haShem and accepted everything with complete emuna, which led to their ultimate salvation).

וכן איתא שקי”ס הי’ ביום הז’ כדמיון שבת אחרי ימי המעשה:

This is also apparent in the fact that the splitting of the sea was on the seventh day of having left Mitzrayim, which is like the Shabbos that comes after the days of the week.

2

אל יצא איש ממקומו כו’. 

“No one should leave their place on the Shabbos day” (Shmot 16:29)

שיש התדבקות לכל איש ישראל בשורשו בש”ק. 

This is because every Jew has a connection to his source on the Shabbos. (the pasuk is teaching us to remain connected to our source – HaShem מקומו on the Shabbos)

בשם א”ז מו”ר ז”ל והי’ ביום הששי. לשון שמחה. 

The Chidushei Harim explained the pasuk “and it will be on the sixth day and they shall prepare…” (Shmos 16:5), that it is an expression of joy

שע”י החשק והשמחה בע”ש לקבל ש”ק. זה ההכנה לשבת. ודפח”ח:

For it is through the desire and joy before Shabbos to accept the Shabbos that is the proper preparation for Shabbos. ודברי פי חכם חן

3

אז ישיר כו’ שנתעוררו בחי’ שירה שיש בכל נברא כמ”ש בפרק שירה כו’. 

“Then Moshe sang” This teaches us that the song awakened the element of song that is in every creation. As we see in Perek Shira (every creature has a unique song they sing to HaShem)

וכ”ז תלוי בעבודת האדם. [כמ”ש במ”א]: 

However all of this is dependent on the actions of ma. [as we have written elsewhere. See above תרל”א 5)

אשירה לה’ כי גאה גאה. 

“I sing to HaShem for He has triumphed in glory גאה גאה”

פי’ איך יוכל אדם לשיר לפניו ית’. 

For how can a man actually sing in front of HaShem (the expression of song incorporates an element of haughtiness).

רק כפי מה שיודע שכל הגבהות הוא להש”י. גם מה שנמצא התנשאות באדם צדיק. היא גאות ה’. כפי אמיתית ידיעה זו יוכל להשתמש בגבהות כמ”ש ויגבה לבו כו’. 

It is only when a person realizes that every level of greatness is only due to HaShem. And even when a tzadik has an element of proudness, it is really the glory of HaShem. And inasmuch us one can truly internalize this idea, one is able to correctly use one’s pride. As we find (By Yehoshafat) “He lifted his heart” (Divrei Hayamim 2:17:2)

כי שירה א”י לומר רק ע”י התרוממות הלב. וזה ע”י שידעו באמת כי גאה גאה כנ”ל. 

For one can only sing to HaShem through uplifting one’s heart, and this can only (properly) come about when one is truly aware that HaShem “has triumphed in glory גאה גאה”.

ושירה היא אחר התישרות לב האדם. וכן שמעתי מאדמו”ר א”ז ז”ל ולישרי לב שמחה שע”י ישרת הלב בא שמחה. 

Song can only come from a ‘straightening’ out of one’s heart, and so too in the name of the Chidushei Harim, (Tehillim 97:11) “Those with a straight ישרי heart have joy”, through straightening of one’s heart comes joy.

ואחר שנגאלו מכל אשר עבר עליהם. ונתיישר להם דרך הש”י. והבינו מה שנהג אותם הש”י מתחילה ועד סוף. 

(Bnei Yisrael experienced this) once they were redeemed from all the difficulty they had experienced, and their path to HaShem was straightened, because they now understood that it was HaShem guiding them from the very beginning till the end, (only for their benefit).

וזה לשון שירה כמו שור שהוא קו הישר [וכן בניגון] שמתאחד עלי’ וירידה ונק’ שירה:

This is the meaning of the word שירה like a line שור, that connects the ups and downs, [so too in song (a song is only when there are ups and downs)] this is called shira.