Beshalach Sermon
In this week’s portion the people finally leave Egypt. They do not travel very far before they are
nearly overtaken by Pharaoh and his army.
We read of this famous scene describing the Israelites standing at the
shore of the Sea
of Reeds, fearful again
for their lives. Everyone knows the
story. God of course splits the sea and
the people travel through. The Egyptian
army is drowned in the sea.
There are two midrashim about this event and the questions
about miracles that it raises. The first
is a modern midrash.
1. Even though the splitting of the sea was a great and
wondrous miracle some people still only saw the mud beneath their feet. They never looked up. They only saw the mud dirtying their
sandals. The lesson is clear. There are many miracles, all around us, but
sometimes we only see the mud.
2. According to an
ancient midrash, God did not bring this miracle immediately. God waited until the people demonstrated
their faith. And the people waited for
one person, a man named Nachshon. It was
he who was responsible for God’s miracle.
How? He jumped into the
waters. Only until the waters covered
his mouth did God finally split the sea.
Thus you have to have faith. You
have to jump in head first if you really want to see miracles.
Following this miracle at the sea, Miriam led the people in
celebration on the other side. There was
singing and dancing. The most important
lesson is that the Torah continues after this portion. It does not stop on the other side with this
great celebration. The journey continues.
The people did not stop with a great celebration. They traveled to Mount Sinai. They
wandered through the wilderness.
If we are going to apply this lesson to our own times it
occurs to me that we place too much emphasis on celebrations and
milestones. We should focus instead on
the journey. I am not suggesting that I
don’t like a good party. I certainly
do. But the central focus should not be
the ceremony. If we are talking about b’nai mitzvah it should not be about how
many verses a student chants, or how well the bar/bat mitzvah sermon is
crafted. Instead it should be about the
process of learning. What values did s/he
learn as s/he prepared for this day?
What would happen if birthday parties were not about “Wow I
am 50 years old” but instead about “This is what I have learned in my 50 years.” Then we would not wake up the next day
depressed that the party is over (or hung over). Instead we would say, “This what I hope to
learn in my next 50 years.” What would
happen if come Monday the Super Bowl was not about the winner but instead about
the season—of each and every team, and about the hopes for next year’s
season? Will the Giants’ sense of family
be as profound if they lose the big game?
I know. I am being
overly idealistic. But the lesson is
important to remember. The lesson is not
to focus on the milestones and instead about the journey. The Hasidic rebbe, Rabbi Ohrbach offers this
comment: “This is an indication of what
happens so often when one’s striving for a certain goal is finally
realized. As long as one is striving,
the goal is something greatly desired.
However, once one has realized the goal, it seems to shrink in
importance. The mundane reality of
everyday life dissolves all the beautiful dreams and one realizes all the
problems that still lie ahead.”
Life is not about the parties and celebrations. It is instead about the journey, the wandering,
the trip, the striving. The poet Robert
Browning said: "A man's reach must
exceed his grasp/Or what's a heaven for?”
Thus keep on striving, keep on journeying and even wandering. And always be like Nachshon. Have the courage to jump in the waters.
Rabbi Steven Moskowitz
February 3, 2012