Beshalach
‘Your CALL is important to us. Please stay on the line... you’re moving up the queue…’
Have you ever heard that infuriatingly upbeat and repetitive message and thought: ‘Life’s too short for this’? Then, in the meantime, you manage to find your own solution to the problem that you called the helpline for in the first place?
With the 10 miraculous plagues having affected the release of the Children of Israel from slavery in Egypt, they are now free and encamped on the banks of the Red Sea. However, when they see the might of the entire Egyptian army heading at full speed towards them, they start to panic and cry out to God in desperation. At the same time, they complain to Moshe that it would have been better to remain slaves in Egypt than to die like this in the desert. For his part, Moshe reassures the people that there is nothing to be afraid of because they will see God save them imminently and this will be the last time they will see Egypt ever again. In response, God says to Moshe: “Why do you cry out to Me?”
The classic commentaries are perplexed. Surely, in times of need, prayer is exactly what is required. So why not now?
Rashi understands that God is telling Moshe that now is not the time for lengthy prayers because they are inappropriate when the Jewish people are in distress. And, anyway, all they need to do is continue with their journey because nothing stands in their way – not even the sea.
Similarly, the Ohr HaChaim refers to the Zohar which indicates that action not supplication on the part of the Children of Israel was necessary in order to be deserving of divine assistance, as that would be an even greater display of faith than prayer.
Along these lines we can also suggest that the very next verse holds the key. God instructs Moshe: “Raise your staff and spread your hand over the sea and split it.”
In effect, Moshe is being told that he has all the resources he needs; the tools (your staff) and the natural capability (your hand) to deal with the current situation so that, on this occasion, you do not need divine assistance. You do not have to call a helpline and hold on for an answer. You can solve this problem yourself.
Sometimes we are very quick to cry out to God for help and this tradition of prayer was embedded in us by our ancestors.
However, there are some circumstances, where there is an even more potent solution and by digging deep and realising that we possess the ability to overcome adversity and can resolve a dilemma ourselves we reflect a deeper faith in God and ourselves which is truly deserving of success.
To paraphrase Kohelet: “There is a time to pray and a time to act.”
Rabbi Alex Chapper is minister of Ilford Federation Synagogue
