Parashat Beshalach

Hashem leads the Jews towards Eretz Yisroel through the desert rather then through the short path of the land of Plishtim, to prevent a retreat to Egypt in case they regret their exodus. Moshe takes the bones of Yosef with him and the Jewish camp is lead by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.

Hashem chooses to lead the Jewish Nation to Eretz Yisroel through a long windy path in the desert as apposed to the short route through the Land of Phlishtim. This was to prevent the Jews from retreating back to Egypt when they encounter opposition such as the war of Amelek and Canaan. This concern proved itself valid as could be seen during the 'incident of the spies', where the Jews discussed appointing a new leader and heading back to Egypt. Had the path been short and simple, they would have immediately started retreating.

Deserts are a place of desolation, snakes and scorpions which is a manifestation of the realm of the Sitra Achra.  Thorough their journey in the wilderness and all the suffering they experienced, the Jews were able to elevate many sparks of holiness associated with this area. This process later helped them enter Eretz Yisroel. Reaching Eretz Yisroel is a major spiritual victory and all those who wish to enter must first undergo suffering. This creates the potential to gather more holy sparks. As a person is pushed through abnormal situations and locations, sparks are automatically attracted to him since every movement he makes is directed towards the underlying goal of reaching the Land of Holiness. He then amass these sparks and brings them to their final gathering place in Eretz Yisroel, making his actual entry possible and easier since he is now also being propelled by the constant magnetic force drawing the dispersed sparks to the Land of Israel.

Only a fifth of the original Jewish population left Egypt, the remainder having died during a three day period in midst of the 'plague of darkness', because they lacked faith in the True Tzadik Moshe or preferred slavery to the intense spiritual course they were being led into. The Jews took weapons along with them, these were later used to fight the battles of Amalek, Sichon, Og and Midyon.

Moshe takes the coffin of Yosef with him, fulfilling the oath Yosef bound his brothers with, forcing them to in turn to bind their descendants with an oath to carry his coffin to Eretz Yisroel when they are redeemed. Unlike Yaakov whose son held the powerful position of viceroy allowing him to be transferred to Eretz Yisroel immediately, Yosef realized that his brothers would be prevented by the Egyptian authorities from doing the same to him. The Jews also brought with them the bodies of all the Shivatim, Bilah and Yocheved.<ref name="Shover Zadim Parshas Bishalach"/> They later buried the Shivatim throughout Eretz Yisroel, while Bilah and Yocheved are buried in Teveria.

While all the Jews busied themselves extracting gold and valuables from the Egyptians, Moshe went to search for the tomb of Yosef. Unable to find it, he approached Serach bas Asher who related how Pharaoh at the advice of his sorcerers had the coffin submerged into the Nile river in attempt to keep the Jews in permanent bondage, as they could not leave without it. A lead sarcophagus<ref name="Shover Zadim Parshas Bishalach"/> weighing 500 kikarim was created, Yosef's body was sealed inside and it was then sunk in the water.  

Brought to the location by Serach, Moshe stood on the river bank addressing Yosef and requesting that he use the merit of his good deeds to rise, so as not to delay the redemption. Moshe then took a piece of pottery, inscribing on it a divine name followed by the words 'Aleh Shor' - 'rise up ox'. He tossed this into the river, immediately causing the coffin to float to the top of the water. Moshe lifted the inner crate<ref name="Shover Zadim Parshas Bishalach"/> and carried it on his shoulder.

The Egyptians sorcerers had not contented themselves with the physical restrictions and had continued to place magical spells to prevent the extraction of Yosef's coffin from the water.<ref name="Shover Zadim Parshas Bishalach"/> These too were nullified by Moshe and their residue manifested as two conjured barking dogs.<ref name="Shover Zadim Parshas Bishalach"/> Moshe remarked how the true dogs did not bark at Jews yet these false occult forged dogs did.

Moshe bound himself to soul of Yosef using it to attain higher spiritual levels. In essence, the coffin of Yosef served as a portable [[Kivrei Tzadikim|Kever of a Tzadik]] for the Jews as they traveled thorough the wilderness.

On the first day the Jews travel from Ramses to Sukkot. On the second day they travel from Sukkot and camp in Essum. Hashem travels in front of them, navigating the camp with a pillar of cloud during the daytime and a pillar of fire at night. There was never a time where one of the two was not present in front of the camp since they were replaced instantaneously.

On the third day Hashem commands the Jews to revert and return to Pi Hachirot, in the direction of Egypt and camp in front of the surviving deity Baal Tzaphone. This move led Pharaoh to believe the Jews had become confused, trapped and locked in the desert, not knowing how to get out and caused him to chase after them. The Jews were fully aware that they were heading back in direction of Egypt and such a move was likely to induce hostile activity from the their former masters, yet they followed the instructions of Moshe with full faith. Hashem says that once again He will harden Pharaoh's heart, allowing His name to become magnified and glorified as He wreaks vengeance upon the wicked. Retribution is to begin with Pharaoh, since he initiated the sin and then continue upon his entire army.  

Pi Hachirot was one of entrances of Egypt consisting of a valley running between two large upright boulders. It had formerly been named Pisom but its name had changed to 'the mouth of freedom' after the recent exodus of the Jewish nation from Egypt through this passageway.  

During the 'slaying of the firstborn' all the Egyptian idols had been destroyed. An exception to this was Baal Tzafone (master of the North)<ref name="Shover Zadim Parshas Bishalach"/>, one of their leading deities who was accredited with guarding the Northern border of Pisom,<ref name="Shover Zadim Parshas Bishalach"/> preventing the escape of any slaves. Survival of Baal Tzafon fed the Egyptian belief that the 'Side of Holiness' also contained restrictions, limitations and power changes that were based on the dimension of time, just like all the forces they clung to. This opened the possibility of overcoming the Jews if these weakness could be exploited. Although the Jews had freely passed by him on their way out, their current retreat and movement towards Baal Tzafon indicted that he still possessed power over them which had now increased due to astrological time and energy shifts and he was now reeling them back into servitude. This was the exact intention of Hashem whose policy is to allow the wicked to stumble over their own mistakes.

The Egyptians chase the Jews, cornering them at Pi Hachiros at the start of the 7th night. The Jews cry to Hashem out of fear but are reassured by Moshe of an emanate salvation. Hashem commands the Jews to move forward and the pillar of cloud goes behind them, separating them from the Egyptians. Moshe splits the sea and the waters surround them like a fortress. The Egyptians follow the Jews into the split sea but Hashem confounds them, burning off the wheels of their chariots. Moshe returns the sea to its former state drowning all the Egyptians and the Jews recognize their great salvation.

Pharaoh had sent spies among the Erev Rav that had converted and joined the Jews. When the three days the Jews had requested for worship in the desert had elapsed, they realized that they had no intention of returning to Egypt. They came and informed Pharaoh on the fourth day, that the Jews had no intention of returning to Egypt and planned on escaping for good.

Pharaoh and his ministers have a change of heart, regretting having released the Jews from servitude. Spurred by the thought of all the money they had lent them, the Egyptians decide to chase after the Jews, once again becoming their complete enemies. Pharaoh convinced his nation through his words, reminding them how they had simply let the Jews go, along with all their money after undergoing so much suffering. Pharaoh also declared that he would not act like other kings who travel securely behind their army but then take whatever they choose from the spoils. He would travel in front of his army and agrees to only take an equal share of the plunder.  They gather all their cavalry and warriors, led by six hundred elite chariots and a consignment of generals. With Pharaoh personally harnessing his chariot, they set out chasing the Jews on the fifth and the sixth days.

During the Plague of Pestilence most of the Egyptian livestock and animals had died. Only animals that were stored inside their home by the Egyptians that feared the warning of Moshe, had been spared. Now these same Egyptians that had feared the word of Hashem, volunteerly gave over their animals to chase the Jews. Such actions confirm that one should crush the head of even the best snake.

As the Jews stood by the sea, great judgments arose against them and the angel that stood before them sweetening all judgments, abandoned them. The arch ministering angel of Egypt demanded to know why the Jews deserved to be spared while the Egyptians were to drown, if they were both guilty of idol worship. These arguments were accepted and a debate started if the Jews should indeed be allowed to survive. Sensing these judgments the Egyptians began to press forward. Feeling the judgments as well, the Jews screeched from extreme misery in repentance to Hashem, causing mercy to be awakened on high and the judgments to be slightly subdued, resulting in the pillar of cloud moving behind to protect them.  

Despite this alleviation, the litigation continued throughout the night, leaving the Jews hanging between mercy and judgment, light and darkness.

Seeing how the judgments were rotating back and forth the entire night, Moshe raised his arm, making an awesome unification that completely sweetened the judgments from the Jews, turning them into complete mercy.

The Egyptians were well aware that they had been afflicted by the ten plagues while the Jews had been spared and logically had every right to assume that the same would happen were they to continue the case into the sea. Yet the entire night they had sensed the intense judgments and alternating litigation undergoing the Jews regarding their supremacy over them. This caused the Egyptians to assume that the hour was laughing in their favor, which in fact was the very reason Hashem had permitted the prosecution to rage against the Jews the entire night. Bolstered and prodded by a more confident ministering angle, the Egyptians consciously and willingly surged into the sea.

Since the sea split like a rainbow and the exterior of the 12 passages were considerably longer then the interior passages, Hashem made the earth molten heaviest towards the epicenter of the split and lighter heading outwards. This slowed the Egyptians in the inner passages at a greater rate, compensating for the unequivocal distance between the levels of the arches, enabling the last of the Jews traveling in the long exterior passage to exit the sea while the Egyptians chasing through the short interior passage still remained inside.

Hashem tells Moshe to raise his hand over the sea and let the water return to its former position. Just as the morning is about to arrive, Moshe raises his arm and the water crashes down, drowning every last one of the Egyptians with the exception of Pharaoh.

Belief in the true Tzadikim is essential for belief in Hashem, since it them who draw down the faith. It is impossible to reach complete faith in Hashem without faith in the Tzadikim and a person that does not have faith in the true Tzadikim is flawed also in his faith of Hashem.

When a person sins, he flaws the pipe ways of influx and can only attain substinance and energy through bitterness, until the flaws are rectified. The Jews had all committed many personal flaws in Egypt and now experienced intense bitterness as their new states of influx descended through spiritual worship. Aside from its spiritual implications, physically this manifested as three days of thirstiness and the ensuing discovery of bitter waters.

Moshe took a tree and threw it in the water, this also alluded to the advice he transmitted to the Jews involving an intense meditation to be used during times of prayers, where the initiate visualizes his soul in the Garden of Eden, completely diverse of any physicality. This allows a person to pray without any haughtiness or self interest. To reach this state, one first has to undergo great repentance from all his sins. Once this state is attained a person will surely not request anything physical and all his prayers will be for the glory of Hashem, causing them to be accepted and effective. In their efforts to attain these levels, the Jews underwent major repentance, thereby rectifying many of their flawed pipes, sweetening the bitterness and causing many of their prosecuting spiritual adversaries to rise, transforming them into defenders.

When a person begins to repent, technically he should have to undergo horrible suffering due to his past actions, far more then he could possibly withstand, since he can not be cured without it. Yet when a person serves Hashem, He cures a person with great mercy, only giving him the amount of suffering that one could truly handle.

Moshe warns the Jews not leave any mun over for the next day. Dassan and Aviram test this rule, resulting in their mun rotting and breading worms. Moshe was upset at them. Each morning the Jews would gather the mun after which the remainder would melt from the sun. The manna was given day by day and not once per week or month to help strengthen the faith of the Jews.

From the 'wilderness of Sin' the Jews journey and encamped in Rephidim, where there was no water to drink. The Jews quarrel with Moshe who questions them why they are testing Hashem. Once again they complain why to Moshe why he took them out from Egypt to have them, their children and livestock die from thirst. Moshe cries out to Hashem saying they are almost ready to stone him. Hashem instructs him to pass before the Jews and to take with him the elders of Yisroel and the rod with which he smote the river. Acting upon Hashem's instructions, Moshe hits a rock in front of the elders, producing a stream of water. Moshe names the location  Massah and Merivah after the quarrel of the Jews and their test to see if Hashem was among them or not.

Amelek's entire campaign was to conceal the power of Moshe, the true Tzadik. Therefore he was unable to lead the war himself, for how could Moshe defend his own name. Instead he sent Yehoshua to wage it, whose entire objective was to publicize the glory of his master and it is specifically through his students that the true greatness of the Tzadik becomes revealed. At the same time all of Yehoshua's power came from Moshe, as he himself did not have the power to wage such a ferocious battle and was only victorious when Moshe raised his hands.

Moshe's hands themselves held no power but served as a reminder for the Jews to depend on Hashem. Due to the thick impurity of Amelek at its peak, it was impossible to speak about the glory of Hashem at all or convey it through speech, since it could almost not be found in those circumstances. Moshe could only hint with this arms that in the total void and emptiness, each person must search, pursue and inquire himself 'where' is the glory of Hashem, which would then open the channel for higher perception.