Difference between revisions of "Shabbat Table Topics – Parashat Beshalach/0/he"
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<p>In the opening of Parashat Beshalach, we are told how in taking the nation out of Egypt, Hashem rejected the Philistine Route in favor of the Wilderness Route.  What, though, would have happened had the Philistine Route been chosen?  ראו <a href="The Roundabout Route and The Road Not Traveled" data-aht="page">הסבת העם דרך המדבר</a>.</p> | <p>In the opening of Parashat Beshalach, we are told how in taking the nation out of Egypt, Hashem rejected the Philistine Route in favor of the Wilderness Route.  What, though, would have happened had the Philistine Route been chosen?  ראו <a href="The Roundabout Route and The Road Not Traveled" data-aht="page">הסבת העם דרך המדבר</a>.</p> | ||
<ul> | <ul> | ||
| − | <li>Would revelation not have taken place on Mt Sinai?  Did not Hashem already tell Moshe that upon leaving Egypt the nation was to worship Him in the wilderness, | + | <li>Would revelation not have taken place on Mt Sinai?  Did not Hashem already tell Moshe that upon leaving Egypt the nation was to worship Him in the wilderness, בהר חורב?<fn>יתר על כן, משה ביקש בעקביות מפרעה חופשה לשלושה ימים למטרה זו! לדיון בשאלה אם בקשה זו הייתה פשוט תחבולה לשכנע את פרעה לתת לאומה לעזוב, ראו <a href="A Three Day Journey" data-aht="page">"דרך שלשת ימים"?</a>.</fn>  Where, instead, would the Torah have been given?  How would the experience of revelation have differed had it taken place in Israel, for instance?</li> |
<li>Would the Egyptians never have drowned at Yam Suf?  How would history have differed if that was the case?  Would Hashem have destroyed their army in a different way or simply prevented their giving chase?  Was it necessary for the nation to witness their previous masters' deaths so as to be really free, or would the Exodus have been enough?  ראו <multilink><a href="IbnEzraShemotSecondCommentary14-13" data-aht="source">אבן עזרא</a><a href="IbnEzraShemotSecondCommentary14-13" data-aht="source">שמות פירוש שני י"ד:י"ג</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">אודות ר' אברהם אבן עזרא</a></multilink>.</li> | <li>Would the Egyptians never have drowned at Yam Suf?  How would history have differed if that was the case?  Would Hashem have destroyed their army in a different way or simply prevented their giving chase?  Was it necessary for the nation to witness their previous masters' deaths so as to be really free, or would the Exodus have been enough?  ראו <multilink><a href="IbnEzraShemotSecondCommentary14-13" data-aht="source">אבן עזרא</a><a href="IbnEzraShemotSecondCommentary14-13" data-aht="source">שמות פירוש שני י"ד:י"ג</a><a href="R. Avraham ibn Ezra" data-aht="parshan">אודות ר' אברהם אבן עזרא</a></multilink>.</li> | ||
</ul> | </ul> | ||
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<category>The Wilderness: A Purely Supernatural Existence? | <category>The Wilderness: A Purely Supernatural Existence? | ||
| − | <p>Parashat Beshalach describes several of the miracles of the Wilderness period including the provision of water, heavenly manna | + | <p>Parashat Beshalach describes several of the miracles of the Wilderness period including the provision of water, heavenly manna ושְׂלָו.  Were such miracles the norm or the exception?</p> |
<ul> | <ul> | ||
<li>What evidence might support the position that the Israelites led, not a supernatural existence, but a typical nomadic lifestyle in the Wilderness, merely supplemented by the occasional miracle?  ראו <a href="Realia:Life in the Wilderness" data-aht="page">החיים במדבר</a> להצעות שונות.</li> | <li>What evidence might support the position that the Israelites led, not a supernatural existence, but a typical nomadic lifestyle in the Wilderness, merely supplemented by the occasional miracle?  ראו <a href="Realia:Life in the Wilderness" data-aht="page">החיים במדבר</a> להצעות שונות.</li> | ||
Version as of 06:54, 16 August 2019
נושאים לשולחן שבת – פרשת בשלח
What If?
In the opening of Parashat Beshalach, we are told how in taking the nation out of Egypt, Hashem rejected the Philistine Route in favor of the Wilderness Route. What, though, would have happened had the Philistine Route been chosen? ראו הסבת העם דרך המדבר.
- Would revelation not have taken place on Mt Sinai? Did not Hashem already tell Moshe that upon leaving Egypt the nation was to worship Him in the wilderness, בהר חורב?1 Where, instead, would the Torah have been given? How would the experience of revelation have differed had it taken place in Israel, for instance?
- Would the Egyptians never have drowned at Yam Suf? How would history have differed if that was the case? Would Hashem have destroyed their army in a different way or simply prevented their giving chase? Was it necessary for the nation to witness their previous masters' deaths so as to be really free, or would the Exodus have been enough? ראו אבן עזרא.
Physical or Spiritual Sustenance?
When describing the events that take place at Marah, the nation’s first stop in the Wilderness, the text shares, "שָׁם שָׂם לוֹ חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט". This has been understood by various commentators to refer either to Hashem’s instructing the nation in some of the Torah’s laws,2 His relaying of the principle of Divine providence,3 or to His providing them with physical sustenance.4 ראו ניסים ומצוות במרה להרחבה.
- השתמשו בקונקורדנציה5 to check how the words "חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט" are used throughout Tanakh and what evidence there is for each of these possibilities.
- What does each position suggest regarding what were the nation's most pressing needs as they emerged from slavery and how Hashem dealt with these? Is it more important to provide a fledgling nation with a spiritual and moral compass, or to first provide for their physical needs?
- Those who take the approach that the terms refer to Divine commandments differ regarding which laws Hashem relayed. Their suggestions include: Shabbat, honoring parents, civil law, illicit sexual relations and the red heifer ceremony. What might be the textual and/or conceptual motivation behind each suggestion?
The Wilderness: A Purely Supernatural Existence?
Parashat Beshalach describes several of the miracles of the Wilderness period including the provision of water, heavenly manna ושְׂלָו. Were such miracles the norm or the exception?
- What evidence might support the position that the Israelites led, not a supernatural existence, but a typical nomadic lifestyle in the Wilderness, merely supplemented by the occasional miracle? ראו החיים במדבר להצעות שונות.
- Were the miracles achieved by completely supernatural methods or by harnessing the laws of nature? ראו שְׂלָו – דג או עוף? for a discussion of the identity of the שְׂלָו and how the possibilities impact the question of its natural/miraculous nature. ראו גם ניסים for general discussion of the relative roles of the natural and supernatural.
מחיית עמלק
What was so terrible about Amalek's attack that it led to a command to totally annihilate the nation? למספר גישות, ראו מחיית עמלק, and think about the following:
- How is one supposed to react to terrorism? If a nation with a terrorist mindset and lack of ethical norms attacks, how extreme a response is necessary or appropriate? What if innocents will be killed as collateral damage?
- If you deem another nation to be an existential threat to your survival, is it justified to launch a preemptive attack to prevent your own destruction? How can you determine when such a threat exists?
- How exceptional is the command to wipe out Amalek? In the rest of Tanakh, what is Hashem's usual course of action when dealing with enemies of Israel?6
עוד...
לעוד נושאים בפרשה, ראו: רשימת נושאים – פרשת בשלח.
