Because It Was Close
INTRODUCTION
TO PARASHAT HASHAVUA
PARASHAT
BESHALACH
Because
it was Close
By
Rabbi Yaakov Beasley
Our
parasha begins with the continuation of the dramatic exit of the Jewish
people from Egypt, which began in last week's parasha after the plague of
the killing of the firstborn. After
presenting the commandments that will commemorate the Exodus throughout their
generations, we rejoin Bnei Yisrael as they journey from their first
station at Sukkot, to Etam, at the desert's edge:
17
And it was, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way
of the land of the Philistines, as it was near; for God said: "Lest the people
reconsider when they see war, and they return to Egypt."
18
But God led the people about, by the way of the wilderness by the Red Sea; and
the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt.
19
And Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him; for he had straightly sworn the
children of Israel, saying: "God will surely remember you; and you shall carry
up my bones away hence with you."
20
And they took their journey from Sukkot and encamped in Etam, in the edge of the
wilderness.
21
And Hashem went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the
way, and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light, that they might go by
day and by night.
22
The pillar of cloud
by day and the pillar of fire by night departed not from before the
people.
A
cursory overview of the journey as described in here leads to a simple
question. This section is triumphal
in its nature. The people are
armed, and are totally protected.
Hashem's presence surrounds them day and night, in cloud and in
fire. Yet, the first sentence
emphasizes which road the people are not to take. Instead of continuing on their appointed
path, traveling by the "Way of the land of the Philistines" would apparently
arouse such a fearful reaction on the people's part upon seeing war so quickly
after leaving bondage that they would immediately scurry back to Egypt. This verse is troublesome. Given the optimism surrounding their
leaving, why the need to prevent Bnei Yisrael from continuing
forward?
Last
year, we discussed how this section parallels the previous description of how
the Jewish people haphazardly left Egypt.
Unceremoniously expelled by Pharaoh after the plague of the first-born,
they did not even have time to remove the dough from their ovens before
embarking on their journey. Now,
their journey is retold, but through the exultant eyes of history.[1] This year, we shall return to attempting
to understand the meanings within this verse, but through understanding its
precise syntax.
Let
us revisit the verse that begins our section, adding the Hebrew words that are
the root of the difficulty:
17
And it was, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not by the way
of the
land of the Philistines, ki karov hu (as it was near); for God said:
"Lest the people reconsider when they see war, and they return to Egypt."
First,
as weve noted, the proximity of the land of Canaan should recommend, not
discourage where to go! The verse
should have stated that God led them not by the way of the land of the
Philistines, although it was near.
More importantly, what does the Hebrew word ki mean here? According to the Talmud, the word
ki carries several meanings if, perhaps, however, because depending
on the context (Gittin 90a).
Of these options, clearly the understanding because makes the most
sense. Yet why would Hashem avoid a
specific path because it was near?
Rashi, on the verse "As it was the shortest route," quotes the
Mekhilta: "... if the circuitous route resulted in their saying: 'Let us ... return to Egypt,' how much
worse would the direct route have been!"
Rashi notes that "there are many midrashic explanations." In simpler terms, Rashi translates the
word "ki" as "because," explaining why what we assumed to be beneficial
to the Jewish people was in fact a liability. By taking the coastal road to Israel,
the opportunity to return to Egypt as soon as they faced their first crisis
remained a possibility. His
grandson, the Rashbam also reads the word "ki" as "because." He differs from Rashi in interpreting
the word "close" as referring to Eretz Yisrael, not Egypt. According to Rashi, the phrase "which
was close" means "close to Egypt," making it easier to return there. Taking the
nation to Canaan along the more distant desert road would deter the people from
returning. According to the
Rashbam, taking the shorter route would have brought the war for the Land
earlier. By delaying the Canaanite
wars, the people were less psychologically connected to Egypt when the crisis
struck.
The
psychological rationale underlying this approach is developed by the Rambam in
his Guide to the Perplexed:
"...
it is contrary to human nature that a person be raised in slavery, doing the most
menial of tasks, and promptly wash the filth off his hands and go wage war
with the gigantic Sons of Anak ...
God's wisdom led them roundabout,
through the desert, until they learnt to be brave. It is well-known that traveling in the
desert without luxuries such as washing and the like gives rise to bravery,
while the opposite gives rise to cowardice. Furthermore, men not habituated to
subservience and slavery were born in the desert." (Guide III:32; see also
III:24)
The
understanding of the word "ki" as "because" is not universal,
however. The Ibn Ezra, though he
personally prefers understanding it as above, brings the opinion of R. Moshe
Ha-darshan, who interprets the word "ki" as "even though." The advantage of this reading is that it
maintains our instinctive understanding as the proximity between Egypt and
Canaan as positive, not negative.
However, while the Talmud raises four possible translations of the word
"ki", this is not one of them.
The
Ramban rejects any understanding of the phrase "ki karov hu" as referring
to the rationale for Hashem's decision.
Otherwise, he argues, the words would have appeared in a different order
"And it was, when Pharaoh had let the people go,
that God led them not by the way of the land of the Philistines, for God
said: "Lest the people reconsider when they see war, and they return to Egypt,
ki karov hu (as it was near)." Instead, he interprets ki karov hu
as "which was close," referring to the path traversing the land of the
Philistines. Even though this route
was shorter, God wished to avoid war with the Philistines. However, the Ramban is confronted with
the difficulty that on the longer route they meet Amalek instead of the
Philistines. However, modern
scholarship offers a different solution to our quandary, resembling the Ramban's
interpretation. Reliefs on the
walls of the temple at Karnak (dating to the rule of Pharaoh Seti I, near the
end of the thirteenth century BCE), show that the entire northern Sinai coastal
region as under direct Egyptian sovereignty, with Egyptian military outposts all
along the way. Apparently, the
Jewish people feared a trap, and avoided the coastal road from the outset. Plausible though this theory may sound,
the reason it proposes for the change of route is not what the Torah
mentions. Hashem didn't fear the
Egyptians, but the desire of the Jews to return to Egypt.
Rashi
alluded to several non-peshat interpretations in the Midrash, some of
which can be found in the Da'at Zekeinim Mi-ba'alei Ha-tosafot. One approach argues that the Philistines
were relatives (in Hebrew karovim) of the Egyptians, and
would therefore attack the Jewish people to defend their family honor. Another midrash describes, based on
allusions from Divrei Ha-yamim, how members of the tribe of Efrayim
attempted to leave Egypt early, but were unsuccessful. According to this tradition, the
Philistines left their remains on the road to Egypt to deter any further
attempts by Benei Yisrael to enter.
Another approach translates ki karov hu as Hashem (the hu)
being close to the Jewish people due to his love for them, he didn't want them
to face any difficulties upon leaving.
All
of these interpretations, whether literal or midrashic, fail to address the
cardinal problem: the upcoming war at the Yam Suf with Egypt. The people, as soon as they saw the
advancing Egyptian legions, began to panic, with reason. This conflict was potentially far more
deadly than any war with the Amalekites, Canaanites or Philistines that had been
avoided by the circuitous route could have been. It would have occurred within a week of
leaving Egypt, with the Jewish people weak and disorganized. How did not taking the coastal road
prevent this? Clearly, Hashem had a
different purpose in mind. In the Yam Suf, the Jewish people watched as
Hashem fought against their ancient oppressors for the final time. From here onward, however, the Jewish
people had to learn to fight their own battles. When Amalek attacks at the end of the
parasha, it is Yehoshua who leads the people in organized battle. Hashem's role is not minimized the
victory is attributed to Moshe's prayer.
However, clearly the Jewish people are not to be passive onlookers. They must now take up arms and be
partners in deciding their fate.
When they fight for Eretz Yisrael forty years later, after Yericho, they
must go to war with their arms and blood.
No longer are they passive while Hashem fights their battles. This may be the underlying message of
ki karov hu the TIME for entering the land is too close. The people are not ready, and Hashem
must choose an alternative route until they mature.