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Isaac’s Parsha Corner – Beshalach 2023
No Way Back
“And it was, when Pharaoh sent out the Nation, that God did not lead them through the land of the Pelishtim. He said “lest they become regretful upon encountering war and return back to Mitzrayim.” And he took them in a circuitous route through the desert of the Sea of Reeds. And the Children of Israel were well armed upon leaving the land of Mitzrayim.” (Ex 13:17-18)
Did it work? Did the people not wish to return to Mitzrayim? We find almost immediately that was exactly what they did want! They wanted nothing to do with the plan! “And they said to Moshe, “Are there not enough graves in Mitzrayim that you have taken us out to die in the desert? What is this that you have done to us to take us out of Mitzrayim? Didn’t we tell you in Mitzrayim to let us be slaves to Mitzrayim? Is it not far better to live as slaves than to die in the desert?” (Ibid 14:11-12) And again later in the Parsha “And the Children of Israel said to them, “We would have preferred to die by the hand of God in the land of Egypt while enjoying a pot of meat, while eating bread to satisfaction. For you have taken us out into this desert and starve us to death.” (Ibid 16:3) And again, “And the Nation was thirsty. And the Nation complained to Moshe saying, “Why did you take us out of Egypt to cause us, our children, and our cattle to die of thirst?” (Ibid 17:3). And finally, in Parshat Schalch following the spies’ report “And the Children of Israel complained against Moshe and Aaron saying “We would have rather died in the land of Mitzrayim or in this desert. Why does God bring us to this land to die by the sword and for our wives and children to be abused. Is it not better for us to return to Mitzrayim? And a man said to his brother, “Let us appoint a leader and we will return to Mitzrayim!” (Num 14 3:4)
Upon first glance God’s plan to go the long route to Canaan did not work. The desire to return back to Mitzrayim remained strong all the way up to the border of Canaan. While the route through the land of the Pelishtim was closer, nonetheless the people, despite the longer route, remained committed to “return to Mitzrayim. The fear that God had predicted “lest they see war and return to Mitzrayim” is exactly what happened when the spies made the people “See war”.
On closer examination it can be argued that the plan worked exactly as predicted. God understood that the people would want to go back to Mitzrayim. In fact Moshe knew it also. “Didn’t we tell you in Mitzrayim to let us be slaves to Mitzrayim? Is it not far better to live as slaves than to die in the desert?” (Ex 14:12. God understood that the people wanted to go back so He prepared a response each time that desire surfaced and turned into a complaint. In response to the first expression of that desire God split the sea. To respond to the next complaint He brought the Manna and the Slav. To respond to the next complaint water was brought forth from rock. When Amalek attacked nobody expressed a desire to return to Mitzrayim, they were armed and ready for Amalek. They understood that God was taking care of them. They had just declared “He is the God of war. God is His name.”
Following this line of thinking you may wonder why later following the report of the spies God didn’t respond in a similar fashion. God wasn’t lacking ideas. When God needed to encourage the Nation to be brave He did just that. He brought victory over the kingdoms of Sichon and Og. As the Pasuk says “And God will do to them (the Canaanite kings) as he has done to the Sichon and Og the kings of the Amorites and their land how He destroyed them”.(Deut 31:4) Why did God not do something similar following the report of the spies?
Unlike the other complaints, the Nation actually planned on going back. “Let us appoint a leader and we will return to Mitzrayim”. At this point God realized that the desire was more than just a yearning for the good old days of flesh pots and of cucumbers but rather a plan to actually go back to Mitzrayim. The forty years of wandering then became a realization of the concern “lest they see war and return to Mitzrayim” and a continuation and extension of “a circuitous route through the desert”.
There is another much simpler explanation for the circuitous route. By avoiding the direct route it would be difficult to figure out how to get back even if they wanted to do so. The nation would be confused and have no clear way to return. “And He turned them around towards the desert of the Sea of Reeds' '. They were lost and confused Pharaoh himself declared:” They are lost in the land; the desert has closed in upon them. (Ex 14:3). God then took them through the Sea, knowing that there would be no way to return to Mitzrayim back through the sea now that it had returned to full strength. Then at Marah the waters were bitter, so without Moshe’s intervention even spring water was undrinkable. They were forced to follow Moshe away from Mitzrayim. The next stop was the well springs of Elim where they stopped and had food and drink. The dates of Elim only lasted a short while so that they soon were starving and begging for food. God responded with food that would last one day only. There would be no way to store the Manna in saddle bags and return to Mitzrayim because it would go bad. Then they soon needed water and God gave them a miraculous rolling well that went with them wherever they traveled. They became dependent upon the well and were powerless to leave it. All these miracles had built within them “Lest they return to Mitzrayim ''.
Despite all their complaining and pining for the days in Mitzrayim the Nation never actually went back there. It does not say “lest they shall see war and WANT to go to Mitzrayim”, it says rather, “Lest they see war and actually RETURN to Mitzrayim.” God predicted and planned correctly to avoid the Nation from returning to Mitzrayim. As God said in this week’s Parsha. “As you have seen Mitzrayim today you shall not see them again for all time” (Ibid 14:13)
Good Shabbos
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