Summary:
The Torah Portion of Beshalach has to be one of the most dramatic of the year. Pharoah had almost driven the Children of Israel out of Egypt following the Death of the Firstborn, but quickly regretted what he had done. He hastily gathered his army together and charged after the Israelites, finding them at the shores of the Red Sea. The Israelites had been travelling for six days, with a Pillar of Cloud to lead them by day and a Pillar of Fire by night. With the Egyptians on top of them, G-d moved the Cloud and Fire behind them, to protect them from the Egyptians.

The Israelites were terrified nonetheless. They were caught between the devil and the deep blue sea (literally!). Some prayed to G-d for help and others – complained. G-d told Moses to hold his staff over the sea and the sea split. This enabled the Israelites to cross through the sea on dry land. When the Egyptians followed them, the sea closed in and they drowned. Moses and Miriam then led the Israelites in song, thanking G-d for their miraculous deliverance.

Their sense of gratitude lasted for – three days. Having run out of drinking water, and finding a pool of bitter-tasting waters, the Israelites complained. G-d told Moses to put a tree in the waters and they became sweet.

Next they came to Eilim, where they had twelve pools of water and 70 palms. It was great – except that they forgot to say ‘thank you’!

After that, the food that they had brought with them ran out. G-d gave them manna, with strict instructions not to hoard overnight, to take a double portion on Friday for Shabbat, and not to go out looking for manna on Shabbat. Alas, some people did hoard, and some also went out on Shabbat looking for manna. This was a major test for the Israelites, and still is – is our faith strong enough to resist the urge of trying to amass more on Shabbat?

More water problems followed and the people said that they wished they had never left Egypt. Moses was told to hit a certain rock and out came the water.

After all these open miracles, the portion ends on a surprising note, when the Israelites were attacked by the evil Amalekites, and had to fight a natural war.

Point to Ponder
There is a subtle theme which runs right through this portion; that the nation seemed to be divided between the complainers and those with faith. When the Egyptians threatened the Israelite camp, some of them prayed to G-d, while others complained to Moses for having brought them out of Egypt. “We told you to leave us there”, they said. The text also hints that when it came to walking through the sea, those with faith moved quickly, while the others stood back to make sure that the ground was indeed dry.

This split is also maintained through the first water story and the manna. Those without faith complained, wanted to go back to Egypt and were not affected by the miracles for any length of time. They were also the ones who hoarded the manna overnight, and went out looking for more on Shabbat. The influence of these people was pervasive.

When it came to the second water story, even the faithful rebelled. It was as if they were totally unaffected by the miracle of the manna, which continued to fall on a daily basis.

This is why the portion concludes with the ‘natural’ war with Amalek. To make them realise how protected they were, and what happens when G-d withdraws His protection.