Beshalach 5635 תרל”ה

תרל”ה

במדרש מה תצעק. ב’ ירושות הנחיל יצחק. עשו מתגאה בירושתו הידים ידי עשו. ויעקב מתגאה הקול קול יעקב כו’. 

The Midrash (Shemos Rabbah 21:1) on the pasuk “Why are you calling out to me…” (Shemos 14:15). Yitzchak inherited to his children two types of inheritances, to Eisav he gave the power of his hands. And to Yaakov he gave the power of the voice. Each one is proud of their inheritance.

בוודאי גיאות עשו הרשע על שניתן לו החרב לעשות בו כרצונו כמאמר על חרבך תחי’. 

Eisav’s proudness of his inheritance is definitely due to his ability to do as he pleases with his sword. As Yitzchak blessed him “You shall live by your sword”  

ובנ”י מתגאין בירושתן שיש להם זה הכח של תפילה שיכולין להתקרב להש”י בעת צרתם. 

And Bnei Yisrael are proud of their inheritance that they have this power of tefillah, that they can get close to HaShem when in difficulty. 

(The Sfas Emes is explaining a difficulty: What are they proud about if they are completely dependent on HaShem. The conventional understanding of pride is when a person has achieved something on his own?

However here we see a different type of pride. That they actually do not have anything at all of themselves that they are proud about, rather they give over all their pride to HaShem, Who is worthy of true pride).

ואיתא במד’ בעשרה לשונות של תפילה. ביצור הוא א’ מהן דכ’ בצר לי אקרא כו’. 

The Midrash (Devarim Rabbah 2:1) lists ten different types of tefila. One of them is bitzur as it says (Tehillim 18:7) “When I am in difficulty בצר I call out to you” 

והפי’ כי בנ”י בעת צרה פונים להש”י בטבעם. ולכן אף בצרה גדולה שא”י לצעוק ג”כ. הצרה בעצמה הוא לשון של תפילה. כי מוכנים הם לתפילה לעולם כנ”ל. 

This type of tefila is that when Bnei Yisrael are in a time of difficulty they naturally turn to HaShem. This means that even when they are in a situation of such difficulty when they aren’t able to call out to HaShem, the difficulty itself is an expression of tefila, that they are always prepared to turn to HaShem in tefila. as above.

ואיתא ויצעקו כו’ תפסו אומנות אבותם

The (Midrash Tanchuma Beshalach) says on the pasuk “They called out to HaShem”, Bnei Yisrael held onto the the trademark of their forefathers

פי’ מו”ז ז”ל כי לא הי’ להם הכנה לתפילה מרוב צרה רק שתפסו מנהג אבותיהם בידיהם כו’. 

The Chidushei Harim explained this to mean that they were in such a state of difficulty that they weren’t even able to prepare for tefila, all they were able to do was hold on to the trademark of their forefathers. 

ובזה עצמו מתגאין בנ”י מה שלא נמסר להם הכח. רק שיקבלו כל צרכיהם מהש”י ע”י תפילה וקול תורה 

This is actually what Bnei Yisrael are proud of, that they actually don’t have their own power, and all their needs are provided from HaShem through their prayer and Torah learning.

ועבודה זו תפילה והוא גיאות של אמת שנכלל בגיאות הקב”ה. 

The word avoda refers to prayer, which is actually the true type of pride, for a person in prayer shows that he wants to be included in the pride of HaShem (and not his own personal pride).

כמאמר אל יתהלל חכם כו’ הגבור כו’ כ”א בזאת כו’ השכל וידוע אותי. 

As it says (Yirmiya 9:22-23)  

כֹּ֣ה ׀ אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה אַל־יִתְהַלֵּ֤ל חָכָם֙ בְּחָכְמָת֔וֹ וְאַל־יִתְהַלֵּ֥ל הַגִּבּ֖וֹר בִּגְבֽוּרָת֑וֹ אַל־יִתְהַלֵּ֥ל עָשִׁ֖יר בְּעָשְׁרֽוֹ׃

Thus said HaShem: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom;  Let not the strong man glory in his strength;  Let not the rich man glory in his riches.

כִּ֣י אִם־בְּזֹ֞את יִתְהַלֵּ֣ל הַמִּתְהַלֵּ֗ל הַשְׂכֵּל֮ וְיָדֹ֣עַ אוֹתִי֒ כִּ֚י אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֔ה עֹ֥שֶׂה חֶ֛סֶד מִשְׁפָּ֥ט וּצְדָקָ֖ה בָּאָ֑רֶץ כִּֽי־בְאֵ֥לֶּה חָפַ֖צְתִּי נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃ 

But only in this should one glory:  In his earnest devotion to Me.  For I HaShem act with kindness,  Justice, and equity in the world;  For in these I delight  —declares HaShem.

(The words “In this should one glory” means that one should take glory from knowing that everything is from HaShem and nothing is in his own power) 

וזה פי’ כי גאה גאה. פי’ הגיאות שבא ע”י גיאות הקב”ה הוא קיים לעד וכל גיאות שאין בו דבר לשמים אין לו קיום:

This is the meaning of the double expression גאה גאה He is surely very great. Meaning that the pride comes from the pride of HaShem (the pasuk can be read: he is proud in HaShem’s pride), this is what makes it last, for any pride that does not contain pride of Heaven (i.e. it is not attributed to HaShem), does not last. 

2

ענין קי”ס אחר יצ”מ. כי יצ”מ הי’ לצורך גאולת ישראל בלבד. 

The idea of the splitting of the sea that followed the exodus from Mitzrayim, is because leaving Mitzrayim was just for the salvation of Bnei Yisrael

אבל לא נתברר עדיין כבוד מלכותו ית’ אשר היא בכל משלה. להודיע שגם כח פרעה וחילו וכל כח הסט”א הכל ע”פ השגחה עליונה. 

However HaShem’s dominion over the whole world (was not yet demonstrated). When HaShem showed that Paroh and his entire army, meaning all the negative forces in the world are also under His control (and not independent chas veshalom, that is a real demonstration of HaShem’s control over the world).

ובקי”ס נתברר זה 

This was all brought to light in the splitting of the sea (where all these negative forces were destroyed).

[והוא מ”ש יתרו עתה ידעתי כו’ כי בדבר אשר זדו עליהם]. 

[This is what Yisro said (Shemos 18:11) “Now I know that HaShem is the greatest of all powers, for they (the Egyptians were punished) with the very schemes that they planned”. (The very power that the Egyptians used against the Jews – what they showed to be in their own power, was actually used against them, for it was really the power of HaShem)

וזה ענין השירה מה שביררו בנ”י כי כל הבריאה היא המשכה אחת מרום מעלות עד תהום רבה. 

This is the concept of singing, that Bnei Yisrael revealed that the entire creation is all one connection from HaShem from the highest (revelation) to the lowest (hiddenness) it is all from HaShem. (They revealed that every situation is HaShem’s doing whether He is revealed or if one is chas veshalom ‘distanced’ from Him.)

(See above תרל”ג – אשירה)

וזהו כי גאה גאה. כי מלך ב”ו המתגאה על מלך אחר. גאותו מבטל גיאות השני. אבל גיאות הקב”ה הוא בעוד קיים גיאות המלכיות שבארץ. 

This is the idea of the double expression גאה גאה “He is surely glorified”. A human king’s glory is at the expense of another king, and each one cancels out the other one’s glory. However HaShem’s glory is ultimate, that even when there is another glory HaShem’s glory trumps it all (for it is all from HaShem. Even when His glory is hidden, this is just so that afterwards He will be revealed in an even greater proportion)

ועכ”ז הוא נורא עלילה עליהם. ועושה בהם כרצונו. וז”ש סוס ורוכבו רמה כו’:

Nevertheless He is held in awe (Tehillim 66:5) above them, and does as He desires with them. This is the meaning of (Shemos 15:1) “The horse and its rider He hurled into the sea”. (See Rashi this was a supernatural phenomenon, normally one would remove the rider from the horse , yet here they were hurled together in the sea).