Parshas Beshalach - Relationship with Story of Devorah

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February 01 2009
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The haftarah for the seventh day of Pesach consists of Dovid Ha-Melech's song of thanksgiving to Hashem for salvation from his enemies. This haftarah parallels the day’s Torah reading, which is taken from Parshas Beshalach and features K'rias Yam Suf and Shiras Ha-Yam, the latter of which is B'nei Yisroel’s expression of gratitude for Hashem's miracles at the Sea of Reeds. Why, then, do we read a different haftarah on Parshas Beshalach - namely, that of Hashem's salvation of B'nei Yisroel at the time of Devorah?


The theme of Parshas Beshalach is that of Emunah, faith in Hashem. Nachshon entered the sea while it was yet wet, trusting that Hashem would split the waters. The Medrash explains that B'nei Yisroel attained purity of faith once they passed through the sea, as the Torah states upon their passage, "...and they believed in Hashem and in Moshe, His servant." (See Haggadas Siach Ha'Grid.) Our nation was taught the discipline of Emunah through the Mann, for it was necessary to trust that Hashem would provide new Mann each day; one could not store Mann from one day to the next, as such Mann would rot, with the exception of Erev Shabbos, when a double portion of Mann was to be gathered by each person, and that Mann would last for Erev Shabbos and Shabbos. (The Hebrew letters of the word "Mann" themselves hint at the concept of "Emunah".) B'nei Yisroel were punished at the end of the parshah with the arrival of Amalek, which symbolizes lack of belief in Hashem, when the people failed in their faith at Rephidim (17:1,8 with Rashi from Medrash); their emunah was subsequently restored during that war: "And Moshe's hands were raised 'in emunah' until the coming of the sun..." (ibid. v. 12) (In fact, the parshah's siman is "Yad emunah".) The underlying motif of the entirety of Parshas Beshalach is Emunah.


The theme of the story of Devorah is that of faith against all odds. In her shirah, Devorah related how B'nei Yisroel were oppressed at the hands of Sisera, such that Jews could not even walk the streets safely. Our nation was subject to total oppression; a "normal" person in such circumstances would be focused on mere survival. However, Devorah knew that Hashem commanded B'nei Yisroel to conquer the Land, and, despite the conditions, she charged Barak with attacking Sisera and his army and conquering the Land, as per Hashem's command, even though the logistics were clearly on the enemy's side and the notion of waging war against Sisera appeared suicidal. Devorah faithfully sought to execute Hashem's mitzvah of Kibush Ha-Aretz (Conquest of the Land), regardless of the seemingly impossible odds. Her actions were a throwback to the emunah of Nachshon at Yam Suf: follow Hashem's commands, no matter what the natural circumstances would appear to indicate.


Devorah's song of thanksgiving was a burst of exhilarant gratitude reflective of her unstoppable emunah in Hashem's promised salvation; her purity of faith is the precise correlation with Parshas Beshalach, which compellingly warrants the reading of Devorah’s story and song as the haftarah.

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    Learning on the Marcos and Adina Katz YUTorah site is sponsored today by Judy & Mark Frankel & family l'ilui nishmos מרדכי בן הרב משה יהודה ע"ה and משה יהודה ז"ל בן מאיר אליהו ויהודית and by the Polinsky Family to commemorate the 5th Yahrzeit of Gil Polinsky, Gedalyahu Gootmun Chaim ben Yaakov Dov