Navigation by Deity?
And Miżrayim pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Par῾o, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, beside Pi-haĥirot, before Ba῾al-żefon.
These last two names refer to names of deities, avodah zarah. Why?
Is it possible that G-d wanted two non-Jewish peers of Pharoah to witness his destruction?
Jewish Humor
And they said to Moshe, Because there were no graves in Miżrayim, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?
Isn’t this kind of bitter sarcasm emblematic of Jewish humor today?
Is this the first Jewish joke in the Torah? Or perhaps there are others… as when G-d had to go down to see the Tower of Babel, the biggest structure man could make? Are there even earlier ones?
Why Does Moses Have to Act?
Moses did not actually split the sea: G-d did. Moses did not cause the plagues: G-d did.
So why does Moses have to lift his rod? Why does G-d not simply split the sea?
What is the bigger picture goal that is achieved by having Moses perform the theatrics?
Crossing the Sea: When Did it Happen?
Do we imagine that the Exodus happened in daylight? If so, read the verses again:
And the angel of God, who went before the camp of Yisra᾽el, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: and it came between the camp of Miżrayim and the camp of Yisra᾽el; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. And Moshe stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Yisra᾽el went into the midst of the sea … And Miżrayim pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Par῾o’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked to the camp of Miżrayim through the pillar of fire and of the cloud and brought confusion into the camp of Miżrayim. … And Moshe stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its strength when the morning appeared.
Does this not make it clear that the Exodus happened at night? That indeed, neither the Jewish people nor the Egyptians knew where they were going? They seemed to be merely following the fire and cloud? Perhaps night was essential for both the Jews and the Egyptians to be willing to descend into the seabed?
If so, did it happen then because that was the only way in which G-d could overcome the natural fears of both peoples?
Is this right? And if so, why do we usually think of the sea splitting during the day?
Moses’ Father?
Moses uniquely refers to his own father, consistently in the singular. In the Shira, Moses refers to my father’s G-d.
And he does it again, when Yisro brings Moses Tziporrah and their sons:
And the name of the other was Eliezer, meaning: “Almighty’s Help.” For Moses had said, “The Almighty of my father was my help, when He saved me from the sword of Pharaoh.”
Why? Nobody else in the Torah uses this phrase in isolation. For example, Yaakov refers to the God of my father, the God of Avraham, and the Fear of Yiżĥaq).
So why does Moses use this specific phrase, twice over?
The Torah never mentions a meeting between Moses and his father. Did we know that they ever met?
Might that explain Moses’ use of this phrase, instead of any of a number of other references to G-d found in the Torah? Might Moses have been trying to create a connection that he had not personally experienced?
The Power of Naming?
And when the children of Yisra᾽el saw it, they said one to another, Man-hu [what is it?]: for they knew not what it was.
…
And the house of Yisra᾽el called the name thereof Man (manna):
Isn’t it interesting that G-d does not name this food? And that the name that stuck, the name for the “bread” from G-d, became the first word out of peoples’ mouths when they saw manna?
Throughout the Torah, people, not G-d, seem to have the power to name: animals, things and places, almost all seemed to be named by people. I think the only names given by G-d are: Adam, Avraham, Sarah, and Israel. Is that right?
Why is naming something or someone or someplace almost exclusively for people? What does it say about man’s power to create?
And is there any connection to the men of name early in the Torah, men who sought fame and wielded power selfishly? Is the power of “naming” something that is not supposed to be about ourselves, but is instead supposed to be directed outward? If so, why?
Is Amalek a Pa radox?
We asked before whether blotting out the remembrance of Amalek might refer to Amalek’s amazing ability to keep a grudge (back in parshas Lech Lecha, when Avram did not step into the middle of a war to save Amalek, a victimized third party). Amalek apparently nursed that grudge for hundreds of years, attacking the Jews when they had the opportunity.
After the battle is won:
And Moshe built an altar, and called the name of it Adonay Nissi. For he said, Hand upon the throne of G-d that the Lord will have war with ῾Amaleq from generation to generation.
Perhaps it is a reminder that we are not supposed to keep grudges like Amalek did, that Jews should always find ways to live for the future, not mired in the past.
But this does not explain what seems to be a non-sequitur… how does the specific name of the altar connect to Amalek?
We know that Nissi is the same word used by Lot, and by the Egyptians: to seek refuge.
What is the connection between stating G-d is my refuge and an intergenerational war against Amalek? Why these specific words?
Is there a specific quality of G-d that makes it the perfect antidote to the dangers of Amalek? If so, what is it?