Parshas Beshalach 5774: Between a Rock and Hard Place

Parshas Beshalach 5774: Between a Rock and Hard Place

 

Towards the end of Parshas Beshalach, the Torah relates that Amalek came to battle B’nei Yisroel. Like the other events in the Parsha, this episode too was a direct test to challenge B’nei Yisroel’s emunah as they left Mitzrayim. The Torah (17:11) describes that while B’nei Yisroel were battling Amalek, Moshe stood on top of a hill and when his hands were raised, B’nei Yisroel would prevail, and when he lowered his hands, Amalek would start to prevail. As Rashi clarifies, based on the Mishnah (Gemara Rosh Hashanah 29a), it was not really Moshe’s hands impacting who would be victorious, rather it was B’nei Yisroel’s trust in Hashem (looking upwards).

Most of know what happened next. Moshe hands got heavy and Aharon and Chur came to support his hands. However, there is a peculiar thing that happened in between Moshe’s hands feeling tired and them coming to support him. The passuk says “...and Moshe’s hands grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it underneath him and he sat on it.” Only after that does the passuk continue to say, “...and Aharon and Chur supported his hands....”

Two questions come to mind. First, was a stone the most comfortable thing they were able to find for Moshe to sit on? Second, why was their immediate response to get a rock for him on instead of right away offering to support his hands?

To answer the first question, Rashi brings the Gemara Ta’anis (11a) which says that while there were cushions and pillows available, Moshe said, “B’nei Yisroel is currently in distress so I too will be with them in suffering”.

Perhaps with this understanding we could answer the second question as well. While Moshe was holding up his own hands for an extended period of time, there was an intrinsic discomfort. When it became too much to bear and Moshe needed relief, his priority became, “How will I continue to empathize with the current distress that B’nei Yisroel is experiencing in battle.” He therefore found a substitute for his feeling of distress before allowing for the relief for what had become too much to bear.

The question that comes to mind, however, is, was this really necessary? Moshe was the leader of K’lal Yisroel. They were his students and children. Additionally, he was there davening for them and literally watching the battle take place below. Is it possible that Moshe really needed to sit uncomfortably on a stone in order to participate in the distress of B’nei Yisroel? He was witnessing it in front of his own eyes!

We see from the Gemara that that is exactly the case. Despite Moshe devoting his physical strength, and davening at the battlefield itself, he still felt it was necessary to experience an actual discomfort to be part of the distress that B’nei Yisroel was going through.

This feels especially relevant in our time. B’nei Yisroel is in distress, in a fundamental battle with an enemy challenging the basic right of our existence. All of us are devoting time and resources, davening and reciting Tehillim, and even, for better or worse, seeing images and scenes as if we were at the battlefield itself. However, we should also consider how to somehow add a little pinch to our everyday lives to participate in the distress of B’nei Yisroel.

In this zechus, may we merit to what the Gemara says immediately after explaining why Moshe sat on the stone, “וְכׇל הַמְצַעֵר עַצְמוֹ עִם הַצִּבּוּר — זוֹכֶה וְרוֹאֶה בְּנֶחָמַת צִבּוּר” - “Anyone who is distressed together with the tzibbur will ultimately merit to see the consolation of the tzibbur.