{"id":28928,"date":"2025-02-06T17:55:21","date_gmt":"2025-02-06T20:55:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/?p=28928"},"modified":"2025-02-06T18:10:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-06T21:10:23","slug":"parashat-beshalach-purpose-in-difficulties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/en\/parashat-beshalach-purpose-in-difficulties\/","title":{"rendered":"Parashat Beshalach – Purpose in difficulties"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this week’s Torah reading we find the Jewish people in middle of two problems: the Reed sea on one side and the army of Pharaoh on the other. And Pharaoh decided to move forward… Our sages teach us, based on one word, an amazing lesson in the perspective towards problems in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parshat Beshalach \u2013 The Lesson from Pharaoh's Nearness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week’s Torah portion is Beshalach<\/em>, which means \u00abwhen he sent.\u00bb It refers to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who sent the Jewish people out of Egypt. They traveled through the desert on their way to the Land of Israel. However, G-d did not guide them through the land of the Philistines because they would encounter war and see giant, powerful, and difficult people. Instead, G-d led them through the Sea of Reeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Jewish people walked, the sea stood before them, and suddenly, Pharaoh changed his mind. He wanted his slaves back, so he gathered 600 of his best chariots and soldiers and pursued them. At this moment in the story, the Jewish people were trapped\u2014the sea in front of them and Pharaoh's army behind them. The Torah describes how Pharaoh \u201ccame closer,\u201d and the people grew anxious. They saw four options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Return to Egypt and remain slaves.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Fight Pharaoh’s army, despite lacking battle experience.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Jump into the sea and end it all.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Cry out to God for help.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    The Torah tells us that none of these options were correct. Instead, Gd commanded: \u00abBe silent, I will fight for you. Just move forward.\u00bb<\/em> And then, the sea miraculously split, allowing them to cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Deeper Meaning of \u00abHe Came Closer\u00bb<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Torah uses the Hebrew word hikriv<\/em> to describe Pharaoh's approach. This word can be translated in two ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    1. He came closer<\/em> \u2013 meaning Pharaoh himself physically approached the Jewish people.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. He brought others closer<\/em> \u2013 but to whom?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Our sages explain that by coming closer to the Jewish people, Pharaoh actually brought them<\/em> closer to Gd. In their fear and despair, they cried out to Him, strengthening their faith.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The Lesson for Us<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In life, we all face challenges\u2014symbolized by Pharaoh. Pharaoh was not just any enemy; he was cruel, having murdered Jewish children and bathed in their blood. The difficulties he represented were both intense and overwhelming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Why does Gd send us such hardships? The answer is that these struggles exist to bring us closer to Him. Even before we face a challenge, Gd has already given us the strength to overcome it. The key is to trust Him, move forward, and recognize that every difficulty is an opportunity for spiritual growth.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In this week’s Torah reading we find the Jewish people in middle of two problems: the Reed sea on one side and the army of Pharaoh on the other. And Pharaoh decided to move forward… Our sages teach us, based on one word, an amazing lesson in the perspective towards problems in life. Parshat Beshalach… Read More \u00bbParashat Beshalach – Purpose in difficulties<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3302],"tags":[3452,3450,3165],"series":[],"class_list":["post-28928","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beshalach-en","tag-diffculties","tag-suffering","tag-torah"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/00EnglishParasha.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/avatar1400.jpeg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"castbox":{"key":"castbox","url":"","label":"CastBox","class":"castbox","icon":"castbox.png"},"rss":{"key":"rss","url":"","label":"RSS","class":"rss","icon":"rss.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/tuviaserber.com\/en\/feed\/podcast\/rabino-tuvia-serber","embedCode":"

      Parashat Beshalach – Purpose in difficulties<\/a><\/blockquote>