Faith and Determination

Faith and Determination
Nissan 20, 5769/April 14, 2009
Erev Shvi'i shel Pesach/6th Day of the Counting of the Omer

The Seventh Day of Passover, (Shvi'i shel Pesach - the evening of April 14th), marks the anniversary of the crossing of the Sea of Reeds by the children of Israel as they fled Pharaoh and his army. We are taught not simply to remember the historical moments that our festivals and holidays commemorate, but to internalize them and relive them.

"The Lord said to Moses, Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel and let them travel." (Exodus 14:15)

The newly liberated nation of Israel had arrived, just one week after escaping Egypt, on the banks of the Sea of Reeds. Fast approaching from behind was the invincible Egyptian army, led by the "all-powerful" Pharaoh himself. Stuck, so to speak, between a rock and a hard place, it was decision making time for the former slaves. As such, it was their first taste of freedom, and the responsibilities that freedom requires.

Midrash tells us that the people split up into four factions, each with its own response to the crisis which they faced. One group called upon the people to simply raise their hands and surrender en masse, put the whole history of the ten plagues and the midnight break-out from Egypt behind them, and return to the status ante quo as slaves.

A second group suggested that the entire nation commit a mass suicide, throwing themselves into the sea.

The third group, perhaps attempting to redeem the honor of the nascent nation, if nothing else, rallied the people to band together militarily, and take a final stand against the world's mightiest army.

The fourth and final faction called for continued prayer.

Confronted with the need to make a choice, the people were, in fact, making up choices, as none of the above suggested responses were true responses:

Resubmitting themselves to slavery, an outright rejection of G-d's will, a crime perhaps as great as that of the generation of the flood, would have spelled the bitter end of the newborn nation.
The suggestion to drown themselves in the Sea of Reeds, should, perhaps, be seen as a metaphor for assimilation: "If we only blend ourselves into our surroundings, lose those things that set us apart from the others, then maybe they will leave us alone." Nearly four thousand years later, we can all agree that this idea is risible. No doubt Pharaoh's horseman would have received the order to follow them into the sea in order to drag them out. It is not so easy for Jews to simple fade into the background.

Uniting in order to counterattack, while evoking a certain noble intention, was akin to mass suicide. And contemplating the highly unlikely scenario that the ragtag militia of ex-slaves could have held off the army of Pharaoh, is this what G-d desired: an Israelite stronghold on the eastern bank of the Sea of Reeds?

The call for continued prayer, rather than expressing a deeper faith in G-d, actually expressed the opposite: Had G-d not just said that the time for prayer had ended? Had He not just said: "Speak to the children of Israel and let them travel [?]" (ibid) Part of the faith expressed in prayer is in accepting the finality of G-d's answer.

When put to their first test, the children of Israel, far from standing shoulder-to-shoulder and making a choice, divided into factions and made virtual choices - choices that were not based in reality, and therefore, could not be acted upon. Their decision making process was a method of avoiding making a decision at all.

Then came Nachshon, who, as Midrash relates, simply walked into the sea up to his nostrils, hesitating not for a moment. Facing east to the distant land promised by G-d to the children of Israel, Nachshon knew exactly what he was doing. To the others he may have appeared mad, but G-d immediately awarded his action, and the sea split before him. Such an outright manifestation of G-d's approval quickly brought the others in his wake. Nachshon did what no one else had dared to do: He took supreme faith in G-d, and married it to an unwavering, unbending determination to fulfill His word. Even his name, Nachshon, derives from the Hebrew na-CHOOSH - "determined." Nachshon didn't make the best choice, he made the only choice.
Moving forward with determination to fulfill the Divine will, to seek out the destiny that G-d has set for the nation of Israel, is what Passover is all about. The relentless march toward the achievement of a world in which G-d's presence will be welcome, a world in which the nations will stream toward Jerusalem to worship the Holy One, blessed be He, in His chosen house, is what the nation of Israel, and all who seek His truth, are all about.

Chag Kasher ve Sameach - a joyful Seventh Day of Passover!

Tune in to Temple Talk with Rabbi Richman and Yitzchak Reuven. Recorded just days before the first night of Passover, the Rabbi and Yitzchak discuss, among other things, the Israelite nation's close encounter with G-d and destiny at the Sea of Reeds, the barley harvest in the land of Israel, and the uplifting, purifying nature of the counting of the Omer.
An all new Temple Talk will be aired, as always, this coming Tuesday, April 21.

This week features the new Light to the Nations teaching by Rabbi Chaim Richman, entitled, "Hanging in the Balance: The great illumination of 'instant' freedom that we experience on the Seder night so often seems to pass us by. Slaves yesterday, free men today, we simply haven't the vessels to be able to absorb the great chesed — loving kindness — and enlightenment that G-d had blessed us with. For this we have Sefirat HaOmer - the counting of the days of the Omer, that prepares us gradually for the great re-illumination of G-d's light — receiving Torah on Mount Sinai." Click here to view.

Chag Pesach Sameach - Happy Passover - from the holy city of Jerusalem,

Yitzchak Reuven
THE TEMPLE INSTITUTE
PO Box 31876
Jerusalem, Israel 97500
www.templeinstitute.org