Shabbat

Annual Selection:

Beshalach: Exo. 13.17-17.16.

Ashkenazi: Judges 4.4-5.31

Sephardi: Judges 5.1-31.

For three long days, Paro waited and waited for B'nai Yisrael to return to him. When he realized that the departure of B'nai Yisrael might be permanent and not just a temporary act, he climbed onto his chariot and led a pursuit for their recapture. Meanwhile, in order to circumvent the land of the hostile Philistines, B'nai Yisrael made their way to the Yam Soof - The Sea of Reeds. Upon seeing and hearing the thunderous approach of the mighty Egyptians, B'nai Yisrael complained bitterly to their erstwhile hero, Moshe.

The miracle of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds takes place and B'nai Yisrael pass through in safety. Not so for the Egyptians, however. They get tangled in the reeds and drown in the fierce onrush of the returning waters. B'nai Yisrael sang a song of thanksgiving on their deliverance - hence, the name of the Shabbat when we read this in our Torah is known as Shabbat Shira, the Sabbath of Song.

From here, the beginnings of a 40-year trek in the wilderness is described. Water and food are, of course, of prime concern. B'nai Yisrael begin to act like an ugly mob when they find their basic necessities lacking.G-d’s gift of manna followed by the water flowing from the rock at Horeb highlight G-d’s ability to provide for his unbelieving nation.

As the Sidra ends, the despicably evil tribe of Amalek begins to surprise B'nai Yisrael in a rear-guard attack. With G-d’s help, B'nai Yisrael beats back the interlopers. It is very understandable that throughout this Sidra, B’nai Yisrael is thinking that slavery had to be better than this! They complain and complain – something they will do for the entire rest of the Torah (and even until today).

TU B'SHEVAT (15 Shevat – February 13th) “Tu” is made up of the two Hebrew letters “Tet” (9) and “Vav” (6), which have the combined numerical value of 15. It is called the 'New Year of the Trees' in the Talmud - the date from which the tithing year of fruit trees is calculated. In contemporary Israel it is marked by the planting of trees, and, therefore, is often called “Jewish Arbor Day.” 

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