parshat Beshalach

...We all understand that the mitzvot are meant to bring us to spiritual heights. Some of our mitzvot are clearly "spiritual," and it is easy to see how they help a person rise up in Divine service and closeness. But there are also mitzvot that appear to be "materialistic," of which it is hard to see the spiritual benefits. On a superficial level, it is hard to see the mitzvot of working, building, and settling the Land as bringing about a higher level of spirituality. After all, people do these very same things on their parcels of land throughout the world! Perhaps we can see spirituality in synagogues and other holy sites, where people come to pray and the like – but what of regular pieces of earth? Where is the sanctity there?...

The attribute of kingdom is the last among seven important characteristics in Jewish thought.

Who among us is not thrilled with the magnificent events of Parshat B’Shalach?! But hidden in the text virtually all of Jewish history is encapsulated.

The current Covid pandemic has a silver lining: It has accelerated research into Gene Editing techniques that promise to put an end to many lethal hereditary diseases. But should Man interfere in the work of God?

When there is a multiplicity of miracles occurring all at the same time, like the candle lit in a room with floodlights, its brightness is hardly noticeable. The individual miracle has lost its power of influence and is already discounted by human beings.

The Amalekites attacked Israel during the lifetime of Moses just once. The Egyptians oppressed the Israelites over an extended period, starting a slow genocide by killing every male Israelite child. The whole thrust of the narrative would suggest that if any nation would become the symbol of evil, it would be Egypt. But the opposite turns out to be true.

The Torah portion of this week, Beshalach, can be called the Portion of Faith. It is filled with tests and trials that the Children of Israel must undergo on their way out of Egypt, and each one increases and strengthens its faith – emuna - in G-d in a different way. Let us list them and possibly see how they each teach a different lesson in faith:

In honor of both this week's Torah portion recounting the falling of the Manna from Heaven, and Tu B'Shvat

Looking at the holiest, most heavenly food that the Israelites ate while in the wilderness. Why did they not receive this special food after they entered the Land of Israel?

we read in the Torah the final chapter of the liberation of the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage and slavery. Yet, the Torah goes to great lengths to point out to us that freedom as a concept cannot exist in a vacuum.