The Roundabout Route and The Road Not Traveled/1/en

The Roundabout Route and The Road Not Traveled

Introduction

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Hebrew Study Guide PDF

Was the Miracle of Yam Suf Only an Afterthought?

Parashat Beshalach opens by describing the path upon which Hashem led the Children of Israel when they left Egypt: 

EN/HEע/E

(יז) וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה אֶת הָעָם וְלֹא נָחָם אֱלֹהִים דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא כִּי אָמַר אֱלֹהִים פֶּן יִנָּחֵם הָעָם בִּרְאֹתָם מִלְחָמָה וְשָׁבוּ מִצְרָיְמָה. (יח) וַיַּסֵּב אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָעָם דֶּרֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּר יַם סוּף וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם.

 

The beginning of the first verse (v. 17) notes the rejected Philistine Route, while the first half of the second verse (v. 18) delineates the selected Wilderness Route heading toward Yam Suf.  Sandwiched in between these is an enigmatic explanation of God's decision, namely the concern that the Israelites, upon encountering an enemy, would do an about face and flee back to Egypt.

Yet, was avoiding battle the primary reason that the God led the Children of Israel via the Wilderness Route toward Yam Suf?  Was not the real reason that the Israelites needed to head for Yam Suf so that the Egyptians would chase after them and drown in the sea and so that the Israelites along with the world at large would behold the Almighty's awesome majesty?  Is it possible that one of the greatest miracles of all time was but an afterthought?

What About Mt. Sinai?

The Torah's emphasis on the mundane concern of the nation's potential cowardice overshadows not only the splitting of the sea, but also the need to take the Wilderness Route so as to experience the revelation and giving of the Decalogue at Sinai. Had not Hashem already told Moshe that upon leaving Egypt the nation was to worship Him in the wilderness, at Mt. Sinai,¹ and had not Moshe, throughout his negotiations with Paroh, repeatedly requested leave for a three day holiday to serve Hashem in the wilderness?  Was this all just a sham?  If not, how could taking the Philistine Route ever have been a consideration?

Additional Questions

but the choice is surprising. The Philistine Route is clearly the shorter, more direct path to Israel, so why is it eschewed in favor of the longer, roundabout road?
The Torah explains that Hashem was concerned that faced with war, the nation might decide to return to Egypt. With whom, though, does God fear that the nation will battle? Moreover, how does the path taken solve the problem? After all, just a few days into their journey the nation is attacked by the pursuing Egyptian army, and just a few weeks later they are again attacked by the Amalekites!  Should not Hashem have been concerned that this path, too, would lead the nation to return to Egypt? Was the Desert Route merely the lesser of two evils, or did it have some intrinsic benefits of its own?

The verses raise several other smaller textual questions as well:

• The double "כִּי" – The word "כִּי" can sustain a number of meanings in Tanakh, including not just "because" but also "when", "if", or "that". Which of these meanings do the two occurrences of the word take in our verse? Is the verse giving two reasons for the rejected route or just one?
• "כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא" – To what is the path close? To Egypt or Canaan? Why is the proximity so problematic?
• "וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" – What does the word "וַחֲמֻשִׁים" mean? Why does the text emphasize that the nation left armed or equipped?  Is this relevant to the choice of route?

¹ See Shemot 3:11-12.