Beshalach,
Beshallach, or
Beshalah (בשלח —
HebrewHebrew is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Culturally, it is considered a Jewish language. Hebrew in its modern form is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel while Classical Hebrew has been used for prayer or study in Jewish communities around the world for over...
for “when [he] let go,” the second word and first distinctive word in the parshah) is the sixteenth weekly Torah portion (
parshah) in the annual
JewishJudaism is a set of beliefs and practices originating in the Hebrew Bible , as later further explored and explained in the Talmud and other texts...
cycle of
Torah readingTorah reading is a Jewish religious ritual that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the Torah scroll from the ark, chanting the appropriate excerpt with special cantillation, and returning the scroll to...
and the fourth in the Book of Exodus. It constitutes
JewThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
s in the
DiasporaThe Jewish diaspora , the presence of Jews outside of the Land of Israel, is a result of the expulsion or emigration of Jews from Israel...
read it the sixteenth
SabbathShabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from sundown Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night...
after
Simchat TorahSimchat Torah is a celebration marking the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle...
, generally in January or February. Jews also read the verses at the beginning of the parshah, as one of the Torah readings on the seventh day of
PassoverPassover is a Jewish and Samaritan holy day and festival commemorating the Hebrews' escape from enslavement in Egypt....
. The parshah is particularly notable for the “
Song of the SeaThe Song of the Sea is a poem which appears in the Book of Exodus of the Hebrew Bible, at . The poem was reputedly sung by the Israelites after they crossed the Red Sea in safety, and celebrates the destruction of the Egyptian army during the crossing, and looks forward to their future conquest of...
,” which is traditionally chanted using a different melody and is written by the scribe using a distinctive "brick-like" pattern in the
Torah scrollA Sefer Torah is a handwritten copy of the Torah or Pentateuch, the holiest book within Judaism. It must meet extremely strict standards of production. The Torah scroll is mainly used in the ritual of Torah reading during Jewish services...
. The Sabbath when it is read is known as
Shabbos Shirah, and some communities have various customs for this day, including feeding birds and reciting the "Song of the Sea" out loud in the regular prayer service.
Summary
When
PharaohPharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. In antiquity this title began to be used for the ruler who was the religious and political leader of united ancient Egypt. This was true only during the New Kingdom, specifically during the middle of...
let the Israelites go,
GodIn Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title. It represents the Jewish conception of the divine nature, and of the relation of God to the Jewish people...
led the people roundabout by way of the Sea of Reeds. (
Ex. 13:17–18.)
MosesMoses was, according to biblical texts, a religious leader, lawgiver, and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed. Also called Moshe Rabbeinu in Hebrew Moses was, according to biblical texts, a...
took the bones of
JosephJoseph or Yosef , was the eleventh son of Jacob and first son of Rachel according to the Hebrew Bible...
with them. (
Ex. 13:19.) God went before them in a pillar of
cloudA cloud is a visible mass of droplets or frozen crystals suspended in the atmosphere above the surface of the Earth or another planetary body. A cloud is also a visible mass attracted by gravity, such as masses of material in space called interstellar clouds and nebulae...
by day and in a pillar of
fireFire is the rapid oxidation of a combustible material releasing heat, light, and various reaction products such as carbon dioxide and water. If hot enough, the gases may become ionized to produce plasma. Depending on the substances alight, and any impurities outside, the color of the flame and the...
by night. (
Ex. 13:21.)
Parting the Sea of Reeds
When Pharaoh learned that the people had fled, he had a change of heart, and he chased the Israelites with
chariotThe chariot is the earliest and simplest type of carriage, used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Chariots were built in Mesopotamia by the Mesopotamians as early as 3000 BC and in China during the 2nd millennium BC. The original chariot was a fast, light, open,...
s, overtaking them by the sea. (
Ex. 14:5–9.) Greatly frightened, the Israelites cried out to God and complained to Moses. (
Ex. 14:10–12.) God told Moses to lift up his rod, hold out his arm, and split the sea. (
Ex. 14:15–16.) Moses did so, and God drove back the sea with a strong east wind, and the Israelites marched through on dry ground, the waters forming walls on their right and left. (
Ex. 14:21–22.) The
EgyptiansEgyptians is the name of the nationality and Mediterranean North African ethnic group native to Egypt....
pursued, but God slowed them by locking their chariot wheels. (
Ex. 14:23–25.) On God’s instruction, Moses held out his arm, and the waters covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the Egyptians. (
Ex. 14:26–28.) Moses and the Israelites – and then
MiriamMiriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron, and the daughter of Amram and Jochebed...
– sang a song to God, celebrating how God hurled horse and driver into the sea. (
Ex. 15.)
Bitter water turned sweet
The Israelites went three days into the
wildernessWilderness or wildland is a natural environment on Earth that has not been significantly modified by human activity. It may also be defined as: "The most intact, undisturbed wild natural areas left on our planet—those last truly wild places that humans do not control and have not developed with...
and found no water. (
Ex. 15:22.) When they came to
MarahMarah is one of the locations which the Torah identifies as having been travelled through by the Israelites, during the Exodus.Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Marah...
, they could not drink the bitter water, so they grumbled against Moses. (
Ex. 15:23–24.) God showed Moses a piece of wood to throw into the water, and the water became sweet. (
Ex. 15:25.)
Manna in the wilderness
The Israelites came to the
wilderness of SinThe Wilderness of Sin/Desert of Sin is a geographic area mentioned by the Bible as lying between Elim and Mount Sinai. Sin does not refer to sinfulness, but is an untranslated word that would translate as the moon; biblical scholars suspect that the name Sin here refers to the semitic moon-deity...
and grumbled in hunger against Moses and
AaronIn the Bible, Aaron , sometimes called Aaron the Levite , was the brother of Moses, and represented the priestly functions of his tribe, becoming the first High Priest of the Hebrews...
. (
Ex. 16:1–3.) God heard their grumbling, and in the evening
quailQuail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds in the pheasant family Phasianidae. New World quails and buttonquails are not closely related but named for their similar appearance and behaviour....
covered the camp, and in the morning fine flaky
mannaManna or Moun Salwa , sometimes or archaically spelled mana, is the name of a food which, according to the Bible, was eaten by the Israelites during their travels in the desert....
covered the ground like
frostFrost is the solid deposition of water vapor from saturated air. It is formed when solid surfaces are cooled to below the dew point of the adjacent air. Frost crystals' size differ depending on time and water vapor available. Frost is also usually translucent in appearance. There are many types of...
. (
Ex. 16:4–14.) The Israelites gathered as much of it as they required; those who gathered much had no excess, and those who gathered little had no deficiency. (
Ex. 16:15–18.) Moses instructed none to leave any of it over until morning, but some did, and it became infested with
maggotsTrue flies are insects of the order Diptera , possessing a single pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax....
and stank. (
Ex. 16:19–20.) On the sixth day they gathered double the food, Moses instructed them to put aside the excess until morning, and it did not turn foul the next day, the Sabbath. (
Ex. 16:22–24.) Moses told them that on the Sabbath, they would not find any manna on the plain, yet some went out to gather and found nothing. (
Ex. 16:25–27.) Moses ordered that a jar of the manna be kept throughout the ages. (
Ex. 16:32–33.) The Israelites ate manna 40 years. (
Ex. 16:35.)
Water from a stone
When the Israelites encamped at
RephidimRephidim was one of the places visited by the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt.The Israelites had come from the wilderness of Sin. At Rephidim, the Israelites found no water to drink, and in their distress they blamed Moses for their troubles, to the point where Moses feared that they...
, there was no water and the people quarreled with Moses. (
Ex. 17:1–2.) God told Moses to strike the rock at
HorebMount Sinai , also known as Mount Horeb, Mount Musa, Gabal Musa , Jabal Musa by the Bedouin, is the name of a mountain in Saint Katherine city, in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt...
to produce water, and they called the place Massah (trial) and
MeribahMeribah is one of the locations which the Torah identifies as having been travelled through by the Israelites, during the Exodus, although the continuous list of visited stations in the Book of Numbers doesn't mention it...
(quarrel). (
Ex. 17:5–7.)
Amalek’s attack
AmalekThe Amalekites are a people mentioned a number of times in the Hebrew Bible. They are considered to be descended from an ancestory Amalek....
attacked Israel at Rephidim. (
Ex. 17:8.) Moses stationed himself on the top of the hill, with the rod of God in his hand, and whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; but whenever he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. (
Ex. 17:9–11.) When Moses grew weary, he sat on a stone, while Aaron and
HurHur may refer to:*Hur , a companion of Moses in the Bible*Hur *HUR, Ukraine's military intelligence branch*Hurs are a Muslim Sufi order in Sindh, Pakistan...
supported his hands, and
JoshuaJoshua , according to the Hebrew Bible, was an Israelite leader who succeeded Moses. His story is told chiefly in the books Exodus, Numbers and Joshua. He was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan...
overwhelmed Amalek in battle. (
Ex. 17:12–13.) God instructed Moses to inscribe a document as a reminder that God would utterly blot out the memory of Amalek. (
Ex. 17:14.)
Exodus chapter 13
The
MishnahThe Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
cited for the proposition that Providence treats a person measure for measure as that person treats others. And so because, as relates,
JosephJoseph or Yosef , was the eleventh son of Jacob and first son of Rachel according to the Hebrew Bible...
had the merit to bury his father
JacobJacob , also known as Israel , was the third Biblical patriarch and ancestor of the twelve tribes of Israel, named after ten of his twelve sons, as well as the two sons of his son Joseph.The Bible says...
and none of his brothers were greater than he was, so Joseph merited the greatest of Jews, Moses, to attend to his bones, as reported in And Moses, in turn, was so great that none but God attended him, as reports that God buried Moses. (
Mishnah Sotah 1:7–9.)
Exodus chapter 14
Rabbi MeirRabbi Meir or Reb Meir Baal Haneis was a Jewish sage who lived in the time of the Mishna. He was considered one of the greatest of the Tannaim of the second generation. According to a legend, his father was a descendant of the Roman Emperor Nero who had converted to Judaism...
taught that when the Israelites stood by the sea, the tribes competed with each other over who would go into the sea first. The
tribe of BenjaminAccording to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Benjamin was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BCE, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes...
went first, as says: “There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them (
rodem),” and Rabbi Meir read
rodem, “ruling them,” as
rad yam, “descended into the sea.” Then the princes of
JudahAccording to the Hebrew Bible, the Tribe of Judah was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel.Following the completion of the conquest of Canaan by the Israelite tribes after about 1200 BCE, Joshua allocated the land among the twelve tribes....
threw stones at them, as says: “the princes of Judah their council (
rigmatam),” and Rabbi Meir read
rigmatam as “stoned them.” For that reason, Benjamin merited hosting the site of God’s
TempleThe Temple in Jerusalem or Holy Temple , refers to a series of structures located on the Temple Mount in the old city of Jerusalem. Historically, two temples were built at this location, and a future Temple features in Jewish eschatology. According to classical Jewish belief, the Temple acts as...
, as says: “He dwells between his shoulders.”
Rabbi JudahRabbi Judah ben Ilai, also known as Rabbi Judah or Rabbi Judah bar Ilai, was a Tanna , who lived in the 2nd Century. Of the many Rabbi Yehuda's in the Talmud he is the one referred to simply as Rabbi Yehuda....
answered Rabbi Meir that in reality, no tribe was willing to be the first to go into the sea. Then
Nahshon ben AminadabNahshon or Nachshon ben Aminadav was, according to the Book of Exodus, the son of Amminadab; descendant in the fifth generation of Judah, brother-in-law of Aaron and an important figure in the Hebrew's Passage of the Red Sea which according to the Jewish Midrash he initiated by walking in head...
stepped forward and went into the sea first, praying in the words of “Save me O God, for the waters come into my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing . . . . Let not the water overwhelm me, neither let the deep swallow me up.” Moses was then praying, so God prompted Moses, in words parallel those of “My beloved ones are drowning in the sea, and you prolong prayer before Me!” Moses asked God, “Lord of the Universe, what is there in my power to do?” God replied in the words of “Speak to the children of Israel, that they go forward. And lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.” Because of Nahshon’s actions, Judah merited becoming the ruling power in Israel, as says, “Judah became His sanctuary, Israel His dominion,” and that happened because, as says, “The sea saw [him], and fled.” (Babylonian
TalmudThe Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
Sotah 36b–37a.)
Rabbi JohananRabbi Yochanan was a rabbi in the early era of the Talmud. He was born in Tzippori in the Land of Israel...
taught that God does not rejoice in the downfall of the wicked. Rabbi Johanan interpreted the words
zeh el zeh in the phrase “And one did not come near the other all the night” in to teach that when the Egyptians were drowning in the sea, the ministering angels wanted to sing a song of rejoicing, as associates the words
zeh el zeh with angelic singing. But God rebuked them: “The work of my hands is being drowned in the sea, and you want to sing songs?” Rabbi Eleazar replied that a close reading of shows that God does not rejoice personally, but does make others rejoice. (Babylonian Talmud Megillah 10b.)
Rabbi Hama ben Hanina deduced from that Pharaoh meant: “Come, let us outwit the Savior of Israel.” Pharaoh concluded that the Egyptians should afflict the Israelites with water, because as indicated by God had sworn not to bring another flood to punish the world. The Egyptians failed to note that while God had sworn not to bring another flood on the whole world, God could still bring a flood on only one people. Alternatively, the Egyptians failed to note that they could fall into the waters, as indicated by the words of “the Egyptians fled towards it.” This all bore out what Rabbi Eleazar said: In the pot in which they cooked, they were themselves cooked — that is, with the punishment that the Egyptians intended for the Israelites, the Egyptians were themselves punished. (Babylonian Talmud Sotah 11a.)
Rabbi
Jose the GalileanJose the Galilean was a Jew who lived in the first and second centuries of the common era. He was one of the Tannaim, the rabbis whose work was compiled in the Mishna. Jose was a contemporary and colleague of Rabbis Akiba, Tarfon, and Eleazar ben Azariah...
reasoned that as the phrase “the finger of God” in referred to 10 plagues, “the great hand” (translated “the great work”) in (in connection with the miracle of the Reed Sea) must refer to 50 plagues upon the Egyptians, and thus to a variety of cruel and strange deaths. (
Mekhilta of Rabbi IshmaelThis article refers to the Mekhita de-Rabbi Ishmael. There is a separate article on the Mekhilta de-Rabbi ShimonMekhilta or Mekilta is the halakic midrash to the Book of Exodus...
Beshallah 7;
Mekhilta of Rabbi SimeonThe Mekhilta de-Rabbi Shimon is a Halakic midrash on Exodus from the school of R. Akiba, the "Rabbi Shimon" in question being Shimon bar Yochai. No midrash of this name is mentioned in Talmudic literature, but medieval authors refer to one which they call either "Mekilta de-R. Simeon b. Yoḥai," or...
26:6; see also
Exodus RabbahExodus Rabbah is the midrash to Exodus, containing in the printed editions 52 parashiyyot. It is not uniform in its composition.- Structure :In parashiyyot i.-xiv...
5:14, 23:9.)
Exodus chapter 15
The
ToseftaThe Tosefta is a secondary compilation of the Jewish oral law from the period of the Mishnah.-Overview:In many ways, the Tosefta acts as a supplement to the Mishnah . The Mishnah is the basic compilation of the Oral law of Judaism; it was compiled around 200 CE...
deduced from that the Egyptians took pride before God only on account of the water of the Nile, and thus God exacted punishment from them only by water when in God cast Pharaoh’s chariots and army into the Reed Sea. (Tosefta Sotah 3:13.)
Rabbi AkivaAkiba ben Yossef or simply Rabbi Akiva was a Judean tanna of the latter part of the 1st century and the beginning of the 2nd century . He was a great authority in the matter of Jewish tradition, and one of the most central and essential contributors to the Mishnah and Midrash Halakha...
said that he who whispered as an incantation over a wound to heal it would have no place in the world to come. (
Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1.)
Exodus chapter 16
The Gemara asked how one could reconcile which reported that manna fell as “bread from heaven”; with which reported that people “made cakes of it,” implying that it required baking; and with which reported that people “ground it in mills,” implying that it required grinding. The Gemara concluded that the manna fell in different forms for different classes of people: For the righteous, it fell as bread; for average folk, it fell as cakes that required baking; and for the wicked, it fell as kernels that required grinding. (Babylonian Talmud Yoma 75a.) The Gemara asked how one could reconcile which reported that “the taste of it was like wafers made with honey,” with which reported that “the taste of it was as the taste of a cake baked with oil.” Rabbi Jose ben Hanina said that the manna tasted differently for different classes of people: It tasted like honey for infants, bread for youths, and oil for the aged. (Babylonian Talmud Yoma 75b.)
The Mishnah taught that the manna that reports came down to the Israelites was among 10 miraculous things that God created on Sabbath eve at twilight on the first Friday at the completion of the Creation of the world. (
Mishnah Avot 5:6.)
Tractate
EruvinMoed is the second Order of the Mishnah, the first written recording of the Oral Torah of the Jewish people . Of the six orders of the Mishna, Moed is the third shortest. The order of Moed consists of 12 tractates:# Shabbat: deals with the 39 prohibitions of "work" on the Shabbat...
in the Mishnah, Tosefta,
Jerusalem TalmudThe Jerusalem Talmud or Talmud Yerushalmi , often the Yerushalmi for short, is a collection of Rabbinic notes about the Jewish Oral tradition as detailed in the 2nd-century Mishnah...
, and Babylonian Talmud interpreted the laws of not walking beyond permitted limits in (
Mishnah Eruvin 1:1–10:15; Tosefta Eruvin 1:1–8:24; Jerusalem Talmud Eruvin 1a–; Babylonian Talmud Eruvin 2a–105a.)
Exodus chapter 17
The Mishnah reported that in synagogues at
PurimPurim is a festival that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people of the ancient Persian Empire from Haman's plot to annihilate them, as recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther...
, Jews read (
Mishnah Megillah 3:6.)
The Mishnah quoted which described how when Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and asked whether Moses’ hands really made war or stopped it. Rather, the Mishnah read the verse to teach that as long as the Israelites looked upward and submitted their hearts to God, they would grow stronger, but when they did not, they would fall. The Mishnah taught that the fiery serpent placed on a pole in worked much the same way, by directing the Israelites to look upward to God. (
Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 3:8.)
Commandments
According to
MaimonidesMoses Maimonides, also known as Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon or the acronym the Rambam , was born in Cordoba, Spain on March 30, 1135, and died in Egypt on December 13, 1204....
and
Sefer ha-ChinuchSefer ha-Chinuch is a work which systematically discusses the 613 commandments of the Torah. It was published anonymously in 13th Century Spain. The work's enumeration of the commandments Sefer ha-Chinuch (ספר החינוך Hebrew: "Book of Education", often simply "the Chinuch") is a work which...
, there is one negative
commandmentThis article is about commandments in Judaism. For the Jewish rite of passage, see Bar Mitzvah and Bat MitzvahMitzvah is a word used in Judaism to refer to the 613 commandments given in the Torah and the seven rabbinic commandments instituted later for a total of 620...
in the parshah:
- Not to walk outside permitted limits on the Sabbath
(Maimonides.
Mishneh TorahThe Mishneh Torah , subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Chazaka , is a code of Jewish religious law by one of the important Jewish authority Maimonides...
,
Negative Commandment 321. CairoCairo is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab World. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a center of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt, 1170–1180. Reprinted in Maimonides.
The Commandments: Sefer Ha-Mitzvoth of Maimonides. Translated by Charles B. Chavel, 2:296. London: Soncino Press, 1967. ISBN 0-900689-71-4.
Sefer HaHinnuch: The Book of [Mitzvah] Education. Translated by Charles Wengrov, 1:137–41. Jerusalem: Feldheim Pub., 1991. ISBN 0-87306-179-9.)
Haftarah
The
haftarahThe haftarah or haftorah is a series of selections from the books of Nevi'im of the Hebrew Bible that is publicly read in synagogue as part of Jewish religious practice...
for the parshah is:
- for Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities of the Rhineland valley and northern France...
: JudgesThe Book of Judges is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. It appears in the Tanakh and in the Christian Old Testament...
4:4–5:31; and
- for Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews are a subgroup of Jews originating in the Iberian Peninsula, usually defined in contrast to Ashkenazi and Mizrahi Jews.-Definition:A...
:
Both the parshah and the haftarah contain songs that celebrate the victory of God’s people, the parshah in the “
Song of the SeaThe Song of the Sea is a poem which appears in the Book of Exodus of the Hebrew Bible, at . The poem was reputedly sung by the Israelites after they crossed the Red Sea in safety, and celebrates the destruction of the Egyptian army during the crossing, and looks forward to their future conquest of...
” about God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Pharaoh , and the haftarah in the “Song of
DeborahDeborah or was a prophetess and the fourth, and the only female, Judge of pre-monarchic Israel in the Old Testament . Her story is told twice, in chapters 4 and 5 of Judges.Judges 5 gives this same story in poetic form...
” about the Israelites’ victory over the
CanaanCanaan is an ancient term for a region encompassing modern-day Israel and Lebanon, the Palestinian Territories, plus adjoining coastal lands and parts of Jordan, Syria and northeastern Egypt...
ite general
SiseraSisera is mentioned in the in the Hebrew Bible. In the times of the Israelite Judges, Sisera was the captain of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan. According to , Sisera had nine hundred iron chariots and oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. The leadership of the Israelite tribes at the time...
. Both the parshah and the haftarah report how the leaders of Israel’s enemies assembled hundreds of chariots. Both the parshah and the haftarah report how God “threw . . . into panic” (
va-yaham) Israel’s enemies. Both the parshah and the haftarah report waters sweeping away Israel’s enemies Both the parshah and the haftarah report singing by women to celebrate, the parshah by
MiriamMiriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron, and the daughter of Amram and Jochebed...
, and the haftarah by Deborah . Finally, both the parshah and the haftarah mention Amalek.
The Gemara tied together God’s actions in the parshah and the haftarah. To reassure Israelites concerned that their enemies still lived, God had the Reed Sea spit out the dead Egyptians. (See ) To repay the seas, God committed the
Kishon RiverThe Kishon River is a river in Israel that flows into the Mediterranean Sea at the city of Haifa.Considered the most polluted river in Israel, it has been the subject of controversy regarding the struggle to improve the water quality....
to deliver one-and-a-half times as many bodies. To pay the debt, when Sisera came to attack the Israelites, God had the Kishon wash the Canaanites away. (See ) The Gemara calculated one-and-a-half times as many bodies from the numbers of chariots reported in and (Babylonian Talmud Pesachim 118b.)
For Ashkenazi Jews, the haftarah is the longest of the year.
In the liturgy
The Song of the Sea, appears in its entirety in the
P’sukei D’zimra section of the
morning serviceJewish services are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism...
for Shabbat (
Reuven HammerReuven Hammer is a rabbi and author, affiliated with the Masorti movement in the United Kingdom and in the State of Israel. The Masorti movement is a part of Conservative Judaism....
,
Or Hadash: A Commentary on Siddur Sim ShalomSiddur Sim Shalom may refer to any siddur in a family of siddurim, Jewish prayerbooks, and related commentaries on these siddurim, published by the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism....
for Shabbat and Festivals, 102–03. New York: The Rabbinical Assembly, 2003. ISBN 0916219208.)
The references to God’s mighty hand and arm in
12, and
16 are reflected in which is also one of the six Psalms recited at the beginning of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service. (Hammer, at 18.)
The statement of God’s eternal sovereignty in “God will reign for ever and ever!” may have found paraphrase in “Adonai shall reign throughout all generations,” which in turn appears in the
KedushaThe Kedusha is traditionally the third section of all Amidah recitations. In the silent Amidah it is a short prayer, but in the repetition, which requires a minyan, it is considerably lengthier...
h section of the
AmidahThe Amidah , also called the Shmone Esre , is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy...
prayer in each of the three
prayer servicesJewish services are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism...
. And the statement of God’s eternal sovereignty in also appears verbatim in the
Kedushah D’Sidra section of the
MinchahJewish services are the prayer recitations that form part of the observance of Judaism...
service for Shabbat. (Hammer, at 4, 227.)
The people’s murmuring at Massah and Meribah, and perhaps the rock that yielded water, of are reflected in which is in turn the first of the six Psalms recited at the beginning of the Kabbalat Shabbat prayer service. (Hammer, at 15.)
The Weekly Maqam
In
the Weekly MaqamIn Sephardic Middle Eastern Jewish prayer services, each Shabbat the congregation conducts services using a different maqam. A maqam , which in Arabic literally means 'place', is a standard melody type and set of related tunes. The melodies used in a given maqam aims effectively to express the...
, Sephardi Jews each week base the songs of the services on the content of that week's parshah. For Parshah Beshalach, Sephardi Jews apply Maqam Ajam, the maqam that expresses happiness, to commemorating the joy and song of the Israelites as they crossed the sea.
Biblical
- Genesis 1:9–10 (God separated water to reveal dry land); 14:7 (Amalekites); 36:12 (Amalek); 36:16 (Amalek); 50:24–26 (Joseph’s bones). 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10 (hardening Pharaoh’s heart).
- Numbers
The Book of Numbers or Bəmidbar is the fourth book of the Hebrew Bible/Christian Old Testament, and the fourth of five books of the Jewish Torah or Pentateuch.This book may be divided into three parts:#The numbering of the people at Sinai, and preparations for resuming their march...
14:14 (pillar of fire).
- Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy or Devarim is the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and of the Old Testament, and the fifth of five books of the Jewish Torah or Pentateuch....
2:30 (hardening of heart); 15:7 (hardening of heart); 25:17–19 (Amalekites).
- Joshua
The Book of Joshua is the sixth book in both the Hebrew Tanakh and the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book stands as the first in the Former Prophets covering the history of Israel from the possession of the Promised Land to the Babylonian Captivity.The book of Joshua contains a...
3:16–17 (crossing waters); 4:22–24 (crossing waters); 11:20 (hardening of heart); 24:32 (Joseph’s bones).
- Psalms
Psalms is a book of the Hebrew Bible , included in the collected works known as the "Writings" or Ketuvim.-Etymology:...
9:6 (God blots out the names of enemies); 95 (God as “the Rock,” generation of the Wilderness); 114 (God’s power over the sea); 146:10 (God’s eternal sovereignty).
- Esther
The Book of Esther is one of the books of the Ketuvim of the Tanakh and of the Historical Books of the Old Testament. The Book of Esther or the Megillah is the basis for the Jewish celebration of Purim...
3:1 (Agagite, read as Amalekite via ).
- Nehemiah
The Book of Nehemiah is a book of the Hebrew Bible, historically regarded as a continuation of the Book of Ezra, and is sometimes called the second book of Ezra....
9:12, 19 (pillar of fire).
Early nonrabbinic
- Ezekiel the Tragedian
Ezekiel the Tragedian, also known as Ezekiel the Poet, was a Jewish dramatist who wrote in Alexandria during the second Century B.C.E. His work survives only in fragments found in the writings of Eusebius, Clement of Alexandria, and Pseudo-Eustathius...
. Exagōgē. 2nd Century B.C.E. Translated by R.G. Robertson. In The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha: Volume 2: Expansions of the “Old Testament” and Legends, Wisdom and Philosophical Literature, Prayers, Psalms, and Odes, Fragments of Lost Judeo-Hellenistic works. Edited by James H. CharlesworthJames H. Charlesworth is the George L. Collord Professor of New Testament Language and Literature and director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Project at Princeton Theological Seminary. He is noted for his research in Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, the Dead Sea Scrolls,...
, 816–19. New York: Anchor BibleThe Anchor Bible project, consisting of a Commentary Series, Bible Dictionary, and Reference Library, is a scholarly and commercial co-venture begun in 1956, when individual volumes in the commentary series began production...
, 1985. ISBN 0-385-18813-7.
- Romans
The Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans, also known as Romans, is the sixth book in the New Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was written by the Apostle Paul to explain that Salvation is offered through the Gospel of Jesus Christ...
9:14–18. 1st Century. (hardening Pharaoh’s heart).
- Hebrews
The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the books in the New Testament. Although sometimes credited to the Apostle Paul, the letter is anonymous. It has carried its traditional title since Tertullian described it as Barnabae titulus ad Hebraeos....
11:22 (Joseph’s bones); 11:28 (first Passover). Late 1st Century.
- Revelation
The Book of Revelation, also called the Revelation of St. John, the Apocalypse of John, and the Revelation of Jesus Christ, is the last book of the New Testament. It may be shortened to Revelation but never Revelations...
17:17. Late 1st Century. (changing hearts to God’s purpose).
- Josephus
Josephus , also known as Yosef Ben Matityahu and, after he became a Roman citizen, as Titus Flavius Josephus, was a first-century Jewish historian and apologist of priestly and royal ancestry who survived and recorded the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70...
. Antiquities of the JewsAntiquities of the Jews was a work published by the important Jewish historian Flavius Josephus about the year 93 or 94. Antiquities of the Jews is a history of the Jewish people, written in Greek for Josephus' gentile patrons...
2:14:5–3:2:5. Circa 93–94. Reprinted in, e.g., The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged, New Updated Edition. Translated by William WhistonWilliam Whiston , was an English theologian, historian, and mathematician. He is probably best known for his translation of the Antiquities of the Jews and other works by Josephus, his A New Theory of the Earth, and his Arianism.-Biography:Whiston was born to Josiah Whiston and Katherine Rosse at...
, 74–83. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Pub., 1987. ISBN 0-913573-86-8.
- Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles is the fifth book of the New Testament. It is commonly referred to as Acts and outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
2nd Century. 7:14–16 (Joseph’s bones).
Classical rabbinic
- Mishnah
The Mishnah or Mishna is the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions called the "Oral Torah" and the first major work of Rabbinic Judaism. It was redacted c...
: Eruvin 1:1–10:15; Rosh Hashanah 3:8; Megillah 3:6; Sotah 1:7–9; Sanhedrin 10:1; Avot 5:6. 3rd Century. Reprinted in, e.g., The Mishnah: A New Translation. Translated by Jacob NeusnerJacob Neusner is an American academic scholar of Judaism who lives in Rhinebeck, New York.-Biography:Born in Hartford, Connecticut, Neusner was educated at Harvard University, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America , the University of Oxford, and Columbia University.Neusner is often celebrated...
, 208–29; 304, 321, 449, 604, 686. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-300-05022-4.
- Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael
This article refers to the Mekhita de-Rabbi Ishmael. There is a separate article on the Mekhilta de-Rabbi ShimonMekhilta or Mekilta is the halakic midrash to the Book of Exodus...
: 19:1–46:2. Land of Israel, late 4th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Mekhilta According to Rabbi Ishmael. Translated by Jacob Neusner, 1:125–72; 2:1–36. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1988. ISBN 1-55540-237-2.
- Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud or Talmud Yerushalmi , often the Yerushalmi for short, is a collection of Rabbinic notes about the Jewish Oral tradition as detailed in the 2nd-century Mishnah...
: Berakhot 4b, 24a, 43b, 51a, 94b; Peah 5a, 9b; Eruvin 1a–; Sukkah 28b. Land of Israel, circa 400 C.E. Reprinted in, e.g., Talmud Yerushalmi. Edited by Chaim Malinowitz, Yisroel Simcha Schorr, and Mordechai Marcus, vols. 1–3, 22. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2005–2009.
- Mekhilta of Rabbi Simeon
The Mekhilta de-Rabbi Shimon is a Halakic midrash on Exodus from the school of R. Akiba, the "Rabbi Shimon" in question being Shimon bar Yochai. No midrash of this name is mentioned in Talmudic literature, but medieval authors refer to one which they call either "Mekilta de-R. Simeon b. Yoḥai," or...
2:2; 11:1; 15:4; 19:4–45:1; 48:2; 49:2; 50:2; 54:2; 61:2; 81:1. Land of Israel, 5th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Mekhilta de-Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai. Translated by W. David Nelson, 7, 33, 50, 79–195, 214, 217, 228, 249, 279, 370. Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2006. ISBN 0-8276-0799-7.
- Babylonian Talmud
The Talmud is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs, and history. It is a central text of mainstream Judaism....
: Berakhot 4a, 5a, 20b, 27a, 33a, 39b–40a, 54a–b, 58a; Shabbat 2a, 23b, 28a, 87b, 103b, 114b, 118b, 133b; Eruvin 2a–105a; Pesachim 47b, 67a, 85b, 87b, 117a, 118b; Yoma 4b, 52b, 70a, 75a–b; Sukkah 11b, 25a, 33a; Beitzah 2b, 15b; Rosh Hashanah 29a, 31a, 32b; Taanit 9a, 11a; Megillah 7a, 10b, 14a, 18a, 30b–31a; Moed Katan 25b; Chagigah 5b, 13b–14a; Yevamot 13b, 72a; Ketubot 5a, 7b, 62b; Nedarim 2b; Nazir 2b, 45a; Sotah 9b, 11a–b, 13b, 20b, 27b, 30b, 37a, 42b, 48a; Gittin 20a, 56b; Kiddushin 32a, 38a; Bava Kamma 82a, 92a–b; Bava Metzia 86b; Bava Batra 16b, 98a; Sanhedrin 11a–b, 17a, 20b, 39b, 42a, 56b, 90a, 91b–92a, 93a, 95b, 96b, 98b, 99b, 101a, 106a, 110a; Makkot 8b; Shevuot 15a; Avodah Zarah 2b, 4a, 11a, 24b; Horayot 8b, 12a; Menachot 27a, 31b, 32b, 53a–b, 95a; Chullin 14a, 89a, 135b; Arakhin 15a–b; Keritot 5b. Babylonia, 6th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Talmud Bavli. Edited by Yisroel Simcha Schorr, Chaim Malinowitz, and Mordechai Marcus, 72 vols. Brooklyn: Mesorah Pubs., 2006.
Medieval
- Exodus Rabbah
Exodus Rabbah is the midrash to Exodus, containing in the printed editions 52 parashiyyot. It is not uniform in its composition.- Structure :In parashiyyot i.-xiv...
20:1–26:3. 10th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Midrash Rabbah: Exodus. Translated by S. M. Lehrman, vol. 3. London: Soncino Press, 1939. ISBN 0-900689-38-2.
- Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki, better known by the acronym Rashi , , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of the first comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh .Acclaimed for his ability to present the basic meaning of the text in a...
. Commentary. Exodus 13–17. TroyesTroyes is a commune, the préfecture of the north-eastern Aube département in France and is located on the Seine river. It is around south-east of Paris...
, France, late 11th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., Rashi. The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated. Translated and annotated by Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, 2:143–204. Brooklyn: Mesorah Publications, 1994. ISBN 0-89906-027-7.
- Judah Halevi
Judah Halevi was a Spanish Jewish physician, poet and philosopher. He was born in Toledo, Spain in 1085 or 1086, and died enroute to Jerusalem around 1140. Halevi is considered one of the greatest Hebrew poets, celebrated both for his religious and secular poems, many of which appear in present...
. KuzariThe Kuzari is one of most famous works of the medieval Spanish Jewish philosopher and poet Rabbi Yehuda Halevi. Divided into five essays , it takes the form of a dialogue between the pagan king of the Khazars and a Jew who was invited to instruct him in the tenets of the Jewish religion...
. 1:85–86; 3:35; 4:3. ToledoToledo is a municipality located in central Spain, 70 km south of Madrid. It is the capital of the province of Toledo and of the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha...
, Spain, 1130–1140. Reprinted in, e.g., Jehuda Halevi. Kuzari: An Argument for the Faith of Israel. Intro. by Henry Slonimsky, 60, 167, 202–03. New York: Schocken, 1964. ISBN 0-8052-0075-4.
- Zohar
The Zohar is widely considered the most important work of Kabbalah, or . It is a mystical commentary on the Torah , written in medieval Aramaic...
2:44a–67a. Spain, late 13th Century. Reprinted in, e.g., The Zohar. Translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon. 5 vols. London: Soncino Press, 1934.
Modern
- Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes was an English philosopher, remembered today for his work on political philosophy. His 1651 book Leviathan established the foundation for most of Western political philosophy from the perspective of social contract theory.Hobbes also contributed to a diverse array of fields,...
. LeviathanLeviathan, The Matter, Forme and Power of a Common Wealth Ecclesiasticall and Civil, commonly called Leviathan, is a book written by Thomas Hobbes which was published in 1651. It is titled after the biblical Leviathan...
, 3:34, 36. England, 1651. Reprint edited by C. B. MacphersonCrawford Brough Macpherson O.C. M.Sc. D. Sc. was an influential Canadian political scientist who taught political theory at the University of Toronto.-Life:...
, 437, 457. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Classics, 1982. ISBN 0140431950.
- Moses Mendelssohn
Moses Mendelssohn was a German Jewish philosopher to whose ideas the renaissance of European Jews, Haskalah is indebted. For some he was the third Moses heralding a new era in the history of the Jewish people...
. JerusalemJerusalem is a text by the Jewish figure Moses Mendelssohn, which was first published in 1783.It is separated into two parts. The first part discusses "religious power" and freedom of conscience, and the second part discusses Mendelssohn's personal conception of Judaism....
, § 2. Berlin, 1783. Reprinted in Jerusalem: Or on Religious Power and Judaism. Translated by Allan Arkush; introduction and commentary by Alexander AltmannAlexander Altmann was an Orthodox Jewish scholar and rabbi born in Kassa, Austria-Hungary, today Košice, Slovakia. He emigrated to England in 1938 and later settled in the United States, working productively for a decade and a half as a professor within the Philosophy Department at Brandeis...
, 100. Hanover, N.H.: Brandeis Univ. Press, 1983. ISBN 0-87451-264-6.
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American educator and poet whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and "Evangeline"...
The Jewish Cemetery at Newport . Boston, 1854. Reprinted in Harold BloomHarold Bloom is an American writer and literary critic, currently Sterling Professor of the Humanities at Yale University...
. ‘‘American Religious Poems’’, 80–81. New York: Library of America, 2006. ISBN 978-1-931082-74-7.
- Shlomo Ganzfried
Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried was an Orthodox rabbi and posek best known as author of the work of Halakha , the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch , by which title he is also known.-Biography:Ganzfried was born in Uzhhorod in the Carpathian region of the Habsburg...
. Kitzur Shulchon Oruch, 90:3. Hungary, 1864. Translated by Eliyahu Touger, 1:387–88. New York: Moznaim Publishing Corp., 1991. ISBN 0-940118-63-7.
- Franklin E. Hoskins. “The Route Over Which Moses Led the Children of Israel Out of Egypt.” National Geographic
The National Geographic Magazine, later shortened to National Geographic, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
. (Dec. 1909): 1011–38.
- Maynard Owen Williams
Maynard Owen Williams was a National Geographic correspondent from 1919. He was an inveterate traveller who began travelling in his teens, explored Asia and witnessed the Russian Revolution, among other adventures....
. “East of Suez to the Mount of the Decalogue: Following the Trail Over Which Moses Led the Israelites from the Slave-Pens of Egypt to Sinai.” National Geographic. (Dec. 1927): 708–43.
- Abraham Isaac Kook
Abraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halachist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar...
. The Moral Principles. Early 20th Century. Reprinted in Abraham Isaac Kook: the Lights of Penitence, the Moral Principles, Lights of Holiness, Essays, Letters, and Poems. Translated by Ben Zion Bokser- Biography :Bokser was born in Poland, and emigrated to the United States at the age of 13 in 1920. He attended City College of New York and Rabbi Isaac Elhanan Theological Seminary, followed by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America and Columbia University...
, 137, 146. Mahwah, N.J.: Paulist Press 1978. ISBN 0-8091-2159-X.
- Thomas Mann
Thomas Mann was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and 1929 Nobel Prize laureate, known for his series of highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas, noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual...
. Joseph and His BrothersJoseph and His Brothers is a four-part novel by Thomas Mann, written over the course of 16 years. Mann retells the familiar stories of Genesis, from Jacob to Joseph , setting it in the historical context of the Amarna Period...
. Translated by John E. WoodsJohn E. Woods is a translator who specializes in translating German literature, since about 1978. His work includes much of the fictional prose of Arno Schmidt and the works of contemporary authors such as Ingo Schulze and Christoph Ransmayr...
, 577, 788. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. ISBN 1-4000-4001-9. Originally published as Joseph und seine Brüder. Stockholm: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1943.
- Harvey Arden. “In Search of Moses.” National Geographic. (Jan. 1976): 2–37.
- Harvey Arden. “Eternal Sinai.” National Geographic. 161 (4) (Apr. 1982): 420–61.
- Trude Dothan. “Gaza Sands Yield Lost Outpost of the Egyptian Empire.” National Geographic. 162 (6) (Dec. 1982): 739–69.
- Marc A. Gellman. “A Tent of Dolphin Skins.” In Gates to the New City: A Treasury of Modern Jewish Tales. Edited by Howard Schwartz. New York: Avon, 1983. ISBN 0-380-81091-3. Reissue ed. Jason Aronson, 1991. ISBN 0876688490.
- Hershel Shanks
Hershel Shanks is the founder of the Biblical Archaeology Society and the editor of the Biblical Archaeology Review and has written and edited numerous works on Biblical archaeology including the Dead Sea Scrolls....
. “The Exodus and the Crossing of the Red Sea, According to Hans Goedicke.” Biblical Archaeology ReviewBiblical Archaeology Review is a publication that seeks to connect the academic study of archaeology to a broad general audience seeking to understand the world of the Bible and the Near and Middle East . Covering both the Old and New Testaments, BAR presents the latest discoveries and...
7 (5) (Sept./Oct. 1981).
- Charles R. Krahmalkov. “A Critique of Professor Goedicke’s Exodus Theories.” Biblical Archaeology Review 7 (5) (Sept./Oct. 1981).
- Bernard F. Batto. “Red Sea or Reed Sea? How the Mistake Was Made and What Yam Sûp Really Means.” Biblical Archaeology Review 10 (4) (July/Aug. 1984).
- Aaron Wildavsky
Aaron Wildavsky was an American political scientist known for his pioneering work in public policy, government budgeting, and risk management....
. Assimilation versus Separation: Joseph the Administrator and the Politics of Religion in Biblical Israel, 8. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 1993. ISBN 1-56000-081-3.
- William H.C. Propp. Exodus 1–18, 2:461–622. New York: Anchor Bible
The Anchor Bible project, consisting of a Commentary Series, Bible Dictionary, and Reference Library, is a scholarly and commercial co-venture begun in 1956, when individual volumes in the commentary series began production...
, 1998. ISBN 0-385-14804-6.
- David Einhorn
David Einhorn was a German rabbi and leader of the Jewish reform movement in the United States of America. He was born in Dispeck, Bavaria...
. “War with Amalek.” In American Sermons: The Pilgrims to Martin Luther King Jr. Edited by Michael Warner, 665–73. New York: Library of America, 1999. ISBN 1-883011-65-5.
- Lawrence Kushner. Kabbalah: A Love Story, 112. New York: Morgan Road Books, 2006. ISBN 0-7679-2412-6.
- Nathaniel Philbrick
Nathaniel Philbrick is an American author and a winner of the National Book Award for his 2001 work of maritime history In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex...
. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War, 293. New York: Viking Penguin, 2006. ISBN 0-670-03760-5.
External links