From Sukot to Eitam
13:17 As was mentioned before,1 there were some Israelites who were reluctant to leave Egypt and brave the unknown desert, thinking that the Egyptians would treat them better now that they had suffered so much from the plagues. Pharaoh had to drive these people out of Egypt forcibly. Since they did not leave wholeheartedly, but rather Pharaoh sent these people out, God did not lead them from Sukot via the road to the land of the Philistines, because it was near, and it would have been easy for the people to return to Egypt. For God said, "The people may have a change of heart when they see the inhabitants of the Land of Israel go to war against them, and return to Egypt."2
18 So instead, God led the people via the desert road toward the other side of the Sea of Reeds, i.e., northward from Sukot,3 along the west bank of the sea, and then southward, along the east bank of the sea, to Eitam, which is at the edge of the desert4 (see Figure 5). The Israelites were armed when they went up from Egypt.
19 Moses took the bones of Joseph and his brothers with him, for Joseph had bound the sons of Israel by an oath that they should in turn bind their descendants by an oath, saying, "God will surely remember you and your descendants, and when He does, you shall have your descendants take up my bones from here together with yours."5
20 Thus, on the 16th of Nisan, they moved on from Sukot and encamped at Eitam, at the edge of the desert.
21 Beginning at Sukot, God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud so that it guide them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire so that it give them light, so that they could travel day and night. In addition to guiding them, the pillar of cloud leveled the ground and killed any snakes or scorpions in their way.6 Besides the pillar of cloud in front of them, God surrounded the people—from all four sides, above, and below7—with clouds that protected them from the elements8 and from attack,9 and cleaned and pressed their clothes.10 These clouds also served as an "honor guard," in the merit of Aaron.11 They also expelled anyone who committed a sin from within them,12 and thus gave the people constant feedback on their spiritual status. They did not surround the mixed multitude that accompanied the people.13 In honor of these clouds, the people named this location Sukot ("protective shelters").14
22 God did not remove the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire at night from before the people. Neither pillar disappeared until the other had first appeared to take its place. Even though they were heading into the desert, the majority of the people did not ask Moses how they were going to survive there; they trusted implicitly that God would provide for them.15
From Eitam to Pi Hachirot: Misleading the Egyptians
14:1 The next day, the 17th of Nisan, God spoke to Moses, saying,
2 "Although the Egyptians have suffered greatly because of the plagues, only the firstborn actually died. The rest of them have still not received the punishment of death that they deserve for enslaving the Israelites for so long and so ruthlessly.16 Furthermore, as long as the Egyptian army still survives, the Israelites will never feel entirely freed from their threat. Therefore, speak to the Israelites and let them turn back to Sukot—traveling first northward along the eastern shore of the Sea of Reeds and then southward along its western shore—and encamp in the valley before the two peaks of the original Pitom,17 which will now be known as Pi Hachirot ['the Mouth of Freedom'] since it is here that I will bring the rest of the Egyptians to their death and thus free the Israelites completely. Have the people camp between Migdol and the sea, stopping before the monument to Baal Tzefon, the one Egyptian idol I left intact in order to mislead the Egyptians into thinking that they still have some hope of overcoming you. This will enable Me to make their end truly final. You shall encamp opposite it, facing the sea.
3 Pharaoh will then say about the Israelites, 'They are trapped in the land; the desert has closed in on them.'
4 I will harden Pharaoh's heart and he will pursue them. I will then be glorified in the world's eyes through the end Pharaoh and his entire army will suffer, and the Egyptians—those who will die here and those who remained in Egypt—will finally know that I am God. Pharaoh began your slavery, so he will be the first to meet his final end." Even though backtracking seemed to be walking straight into the face of danger, the Israelites did this, saying, "We trust Moses implicitly." They arrived at Sukot on the same day and waited.18
5 The next day, the 18th of Nisan, the officers Pharaoh sent with the people saw that although the people were returning toward Egypt, they had not returned to Goshen. They therefore went and informed Pharaoh of this. When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his courtiers had a change of heart towards the people. When they thought about all their possessions they had "lent" them, they said, "What is this that we have we done, sending Israel away from our service?"
6 On the 19th of Nisan, he harnessed his chariot himself and convinced his people to go with him. He reminded them of how they had suffered because of the Israelites and how they had made off with their possessions. Furthermore, he promised to lead them himself into battle and to divide the spoils with them equally.
7 He took 600 choice chariots, as well as the rest of the chariots of Egypt, harnessing all the horses that had survived the plagues, with officers in command of them all. Confident of victory, the Egyptians adorned their horses lavishly with gold and silver ornaments and precious stones.19 It was the God-fearing Egyptians who had taken the trouble to save their animals from the plagues. But even these Egyptians deserved to die, because they hated the Israelites rabidly—as evinced by their readiness to offer Pharaoh the use of their animals—and had persecuted them sadistically. God therefore coerced Pharaoh to take these people into battle in order to do away with them.20
8 Before setting out, Pharaoh wavered momentarily, but God hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites. It took him two days—the 19th and 20th of Nisan—to reach them. In contrast to Pharaoh's hesitation, the Israelites had left with arms held high, confident in God's well-established ability to overcome the Egyptians. Second Reading 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh's chariot horses, his horsemen and his army—pursued them, and overtook them toward dusk on the 20th of Nisan, while they were camping by the Sea of Reeds, at Pi Hachirot, before Baal Tzefon.
10 Pharaoh drew himself nearer, to the frontlines, as he had promised.21 The Israelites raised their eyes and caught sight of the Egyptians advancing at their rear in exemplary military discipline, showing they all shared the same vehement hatred for the Israelites.22 They also raised their eyes and caught sight of the angelic Prince of Egypt coming to the Egyptians' aid. When they saw both of these, they became very frightened. They knew God had promised to bring them safely into the Land of Israel, so there was nothing to fear, but the Israelites did what their forefathers had always done, even when there was no objective danger: they cried out to God.23
11 But the heat of the danger soon made them speak insolently despite their trust in God. They said to Moses, "Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the desert? What is this that you have done to us, taking us out of Egypt?
12 Is this not the very thing we spoke to you about in Egypt, when Dathan and Aviram said, 'Leave us alone and let us serve the Egyptians'?24 For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" Alternatively, the people voiced these complaints when they saw that the Egyptians continued to approach even after they had prayed; or only some of them still believed in God's promise while others began to have doubts.25 In any case, this was the first time the people challenged God's ability to come to their aid.26
[13] But Moses said to the people, "Have no fear. Stand firm and witness the deliverance that God will perform for you today, for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see again.
14 God will do battle for you; you shall remain silent."
Splitting the Sea
Third Reading 15 Moses then began to pray to God, too. But God said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to Me? The Egyptians are almost upon you. Now is the time for action, not prayer. And in any case, the outcome of this situation is not dependent upon you, but on Me. As to what to do: speak to the Israelites and let them journey forth! In the combined merit of their forebearers and the faith they themselves showed in Me when they left Egypt,27 the Sea of Reeds will split before them!
16 As for you, take up your staff and raise your arm over the Sea of Reeds and split it, and the Israelites will go into the midst of the sea on dry land.
17 And as for Me, I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. I shall thus be glorified in the eyes of the world through what will then happen to Pharaoh and his entire army, his chariots and his horsemen, when I drown them in the sea.
18 The Egyptians here and back in Egypt will then finally know that I am God, when I am thus glorified through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen."
19 As the Egyptians approached, the angel of God that had been advancing in front of the camp of Israel now moved and followed behind them in order to keep the Egyptians from penetrating into the Israelite camp and to absorb whatever arrows and rocks the Egyptians would hurl at the Israelites.28 From the point that the danger to the Israelites became palpable and throughout the ensuing night, the heavenly court deliberated over whether the Israelites should be allowed to escape or drown in the sea with the Egyptians. At nightfall, the pillar of cloud, instead of disappearing as it usually did, also moved from in front of them and stood at their rear.
20 It came and positioned itself between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus, there was cloud and darkness for the Egyptians, for the pillar of cloud hid the light shed by the pillar of fire. It was so dark for the Egyptians that they could not see the Israelite camp at all. They could no longer attack the Israelites, so the angel of God was no longer needed and departed.29 But the Egyptians continued to shoot arrows and hurl projectiles nonetheless, so the pillar of cloud now absorbed these.30 But, although it was dark for the Egyptians, the pillar of fire lit up the night for the Israelites. Because the pillar of cloud blocked the Egyptians' vision, neither camp came near the other all through the first two thirds31 of the night.
21 Moses raised his arm over the sea. And God drove back the sea throughout the night with a powerful east wind—which He uses to punish the wicked32—and turned the sea into dry land, and, in addition the waters all over the world split, so the whole world would know of this miracle. The sea split into twelve pathways, one for each tribe.33
22 The Israelites went into the midst of the sea on dry land, and the water formed a wall for them on their right and on their left. The tribe of Benjamin was the first to enter.34
23 As the pillar of cloud followed the Israelites into the sea, the Egyptians ability to see was restored. The Egyptians—all of Pharaoh's horses, chariots and horsemen—came in pursuit after the Israelites into the midst of the sea.
24 Despite their numbers, however, God thwarted them easily. The night is divided into three parts, during each of which a different "watch" of angels takes its turn singing God's praises. During the third watch of the night, which is already the beginning of the morning, God looked down upon the camp of the Egyptians and confounded them with the pillar of fire and the pillar of cloud: the pillar of cloud turned the seabed under the Egyptians into mud and the pillar of fire made the mud boiling hot, so the horses' hooves fell off. God then made all the ensigns on the chariots fall off and made it thunder. All this threw the camp of the Egyptians into confusion.
25 The hot mud burnt the wheels of the chariots and they fell off. God thus removed the wheels of their chariots, so the horses dragged them on the ground. He thus treated the Egyptians heavily, shaking up the riders and dislocating their joints. The Egyptians said, "Let us flee from Israel, for God is fighting for them against Egypt!" As God struck the Egyptians at the Sea of Reeds, He simultaneously struck many more back in Egypt. When the sea split, the heavens also split open, and as the people emerged from the sea even the least of them beheld a prophetic vision superior to any the Biblical prophets would ever experience.35
Fourth Reading 26 God said to Moses, "Raise your arm over the sea so that the waters that have been standing erect, allowing the Israelites and the Egyptians to traverse the Sea of Reeds, will come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen before they leave it."
27 Moses raised his arm over the sea, and towards morning of the 21st of Nisan, the sea surged back to its accustomed state while the Egyptians were fleeing towards it. For the Egyptians were so confused at this point that they fled into the sea, toward the returning waters. And then God churned the Egyptians in the midst of the sea: they rose and fell,36 together with their chariots,37 until they were dismembered, but God kept them alive until the end so they could experience the pain. They sunk into the mud, in retribution for having made the Israelites make bricks,38 and were dashed against the waters that had congealed in the depth of the sea.39
28 The waters came back and covered over the chariots and horsemen of Pharaoh's entire army that had gone into the sea after the Israelites; not one of them remained.
29 But the Israelites had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, while the water formed a wall for them, on their right and on their left.
30 Thus, on that day, God rescued Israel from Egypt. The pathways through the sea were semicircular, and the people emerged from the water on the same side of the sea as they had entered, further north along the shore (see Figure 7).40 The people did not see the Egyptians drown, so they feared that they, too, had left the sea somewhere else along the shore. They thus doubted God's ability to rescue them for a second time.41 In order allay this fear, God made the sea wash up all the dead Egyptians, and thus Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. After the Israelites saw them, the earth swallowed the dead Egyptians. In the merit of Pharaoh having previously submitted to God,42 God granted them proper burial.43
31 When Israel saw the mighty arm that God had exercised against the Egyptians, the people stood in awe of God; they believed in God and in His servant Moses.
The Song at the Sea
15:1 Then, when they saw how God had miraculously saved them from the Egyptians once and for all, Moses and the Israelites sang this song to God. Being in the midst of a sublime prophetic experience, Moses was able to quote Pharaoh's words (which he had not heard) and predict future events.44 They said as follows: "I will sing to God for He is exalted beyond any other exalted being and only He is absolutely supreme. He is superhuman, for a human can only throw a rider off a horse, but He cast both horse and rider into the sea. Furthermore, I will sing to God even though He is exalted beyond my capacity to articulate—unlike human rulers, whom people praise beyond their true merit. He cast horse and rider together into the sea, miraculously keeping the riders astride despite the torrent of the waves.
[2] God's might and retribution were a salvation for me. When the sea split, the heavens opened and I saw a vision of God.45 I pointed to it, and said: This is my God! I will build Him an Abode, the Temple. I will proclaim His glory to all the nations of the earth. I am not the first to do this: He is My father's God, the same one he worshipped, and I will exalt Him.
3 God is the Master of war; God fights His wars not with weapons but with His Name. And even when God is engaged in war, God simultaneously manifests His mercy-Name [Havayah] by sustaining all His creatures.
4 He hurled Pharaoh's chariots and army into the sea; the elite of his officers were sunk into the mud the bed of the Sea of Reeds had become.
5 Once they sunk, the deep waters could cover them; they sank into the depths like stone.
6 Your right Hand, O God, that is adorned with power; Your same right Hand, O God, demonstrates its power when it shatters the enemy. In addition, Your right Hand, O God, is adorned with the power to do good and Your left hand to mete out punishment. Yet, when Your people follow Your will, they avert punishment and make Your left hand act like Your right Hand, O God, so that it shatters the enemy instead of punishing Your people. Furthermore, You crush the enemy's spirit with only Your right Hand, O God, that is adorned with power;
7 when You raise this hand in Your great majesty, You overthrow those who rise up against You; and when You send forth Your wrath, it consumes them like straw. In Your great majesty, You always destroy those who rise up against You, which include46 all those who rise up against the Jewish people. You always send forth Your fury against them; it consumes them as it consumed the most wicked of the Egyptians by hurling them in the water—not like quick-sinking stones, but like straw, which tosses easily to and fro in the depths.47
8 At the blast of Your flaming nostrils, so to speak, the waters dried out, became solid, and piled up; the flowing streams stood erect like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea so the Egyptians would crash against them violently.
9 Pharaoh, the enemy, had said to his people, to convince them to join him: 'I will give chase; I will overtake; I will divide the spoils with you equally;48 my desire will be sated upon them; I will unsheathe my sword; my hand will despoil them.'
10 But You blew with Your wind; the sea enveloped them; although the best of them sank in the mighty waters like lead—i.e., quicker than stone49 so they suffered for less time—they still drowned.
11 Who is like You among the supernal beings, O God! Who is like You, resplendent in holiness, feared by those who offer You praises since they know they cannot possibly praise You sufficiently, performer of wonders!
12 Everything is suspended by Your hand, so when You tilted Your right Hand, your enemies descended: the earth swallowed them.50
13 When we arrive in the Land of Israel, we will see how in Your loving-kindness You led the people whom You redeemed; in Your strength You guided them out of Egypt to Your holy abode, the Land of Israel.
14 Soon, nations will have heard that the sea split and be angered over this, since they cannot bear to see our glory.51 Terror will have gripped those who dwell in Philistia, because they will fear our retribution for having slain those of the tribe of Ephraim who left Egypt before the appointed time.52
15 All the nations will be angered over our glory, but in particular, the chieftains of Edom will have become disoriented; trembling will have seized the mighty men of Moab. They will not fear war with us since they do not live in the Promised Land, but they will still be distressed over all our glory and jealous of it. Since they are both descended from Abraham's family, these two nations will be jealous of us for inheriting the land promised him, whereas other nations not related to Abraham will not be jealous of us for this. Although the Ishmaelites and Ammonites are also related to us, Ishmael repented before he died53 and the Ammonites are embarrassed about their ancestral relation to us54—so they will not be openly jealous of us. As for Abraham's children by his concubines, he sent them far away long ago55 and they have no contact with us.56 In contrast to Edom and Moab, all the inhabitants of Canaan—whose land has been promised us—will have melted away, i.e., will have been totally demoralized from fear.
16 When they hear about the splitting of the sea, dread and terror will fall upon them—creeping, gnawing dread will fall upon the inhabitants of the Land of Israel, who are far away from us now, and immediate terror will fall upon those who are near us now, the Philistines57 and the Amalekites.58 Later, when we approach the Land of Israel, a creeping dread will fall upon the nations surrounding the land (such as Edom and Moab), whose territory we will not conquer but who will fear that we will plunder them—while immediate terror will grip the nations occupying the Land of Israel, whom we will be going to dispossess. This fear and terror will be so strong59 that they will remain still as stone in fear of the greatness of Your arm until the Israelites, Your nation, passes over first the Arnon River, O God, and further, until the Israelites, this nation You acquired through great deeds and therefore hold dear, passes over the Jordan River.60
17 You will bring them"—by saying "them" and not "us," Moses here unwittingly61 prophesied that he would not enter the Land of Israel with them—"and plant them in their land, centered around the mountain of Your inheritance, Mount Moriah, the site of the permanent Temple that will supersede the Tabernacle. This mountain is Your inheritance because, figuratively, it is situated precisely 'beneath' the place which You, O God, have prepared for Your abode, the heavenly Sanctuary,"62 Meaning that the Land of Israel in general and the site of the Temple in particular are the locales most receptive to the spiritual consciousness of the higher worlds. At this point in history, Moses and the people foresaw their entrance into the Promised Land as heralding the messianic era and the Temple they would build as the one and only Temple that would ever be built.63 Thus, they prophesied: "Your hands, O God, will establish this Sanctuary on earth when
18 all humanity will recognize You as their king, and You, God, will reign forever and ever." In fact, however, the advent of the messianic era was delayed, and only in the messianic future will the Temple achieve this universal focus. The messianic Temple is spoken of as being built with God's hands, in the plural, to indicate that God loves it more than He loves the world itself, which is spoken of as having been created only with one of God's hands.64
19 Moses led the men in singing this song responsively: He sang each verse and they repeated it after him. In addition, after the horses of Pharaoh, with his chariots and horsemen, went into the sea, and God turned the waters of the sea back on them while the Israelites had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, the women were also inspired to sing.
20 Miriam had shown herself to be a prophetess before Moses was born, when she was only Aaron's sister.65 She is referred to here as 'Aaron's sister' also because later on, Aaron would risk his life for her.66 On her own prophetic authority—i.e., without having to secure Moses' permission67—she took her timbrel in hand, and all the women followed her with timbrels and dancing.68
21 Miriam led them in responsive song, beginning "Sing to God for He is most exalted; horse and rider He cast into the sea," and continuing for the rest of the song as the men had sung it.
In the future, when they will be resurrected, Moses and the generation of the Exodus will again sing this song to God.69
From the Sea of Reeds to Marah
22 The Israelites then collected the gold and silver ornaments and precious jewels with which the Egyptians had adorned their horses.70 There was so much that the wealth they acquired here exceeded that with which they left Egypt. On the following day, the 22nd of Nisan, they were still busy collecting this wealth, so Moses had to forcibly make the Israelites set out from the Sea of Reeds. They returned to Eitam and went out into the Shur Desert. They walked for three days in the desert without finding any water.
23 On the 25th of Nisan, they came to the Marah stream (see Figure 8), but they could not drink water from the Marah stream, for the water was bitter; that was why it was named Marah ["bitter"].
24 But instead of respectfully asking Moses to pray on their behalf, the people complained impertinently against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?"
25 Moses cried out in prayer to God, and God showed him a tree; he threw a branch of it into the water and the water became sweet. It was there, by the Marah stream, that God gave the people some parts of the Torah to study: a rule—a commandment whose rationale is beyond human understanding—and an ordinance—a commandment that does appear to be rational. These commandments did not become officially binding until God gave them again, with the rest of the Torah, on Mount Sinai; they were given here for study only.71 The "rule" God gave them here was the law of the purification rites of the red cow;72 as "ordinances," He reiterated the seven basic commandments given to all humanity, and gave them the laws of the Sabbath, of honoring parents, and the group of laws73 that He later gave during the first forty days Moses was on top of Mount Sinai after the Giving of the Torah.74 There, by the Marah stream, He also tested them by bringing them to a place where the water was bitter and seeing how they reacted. As stated, they failed this test. This was the third time the people challenged God's ability to come to their aid.75
26 He said, "If you diligently heed the voice of God, your God, by agreeing to do what He says, and you not only commit yourselves but in fact do what is upright in His eyes—carefully listening to the details of all His commandments and fulfilling them precisely and observing even all His rules, i.e., the commandments whose rationale is beyond human understanding—then I will bring none of the sicknesses that I brought on Egypt upon you. And even if for some other reason I do bring any of these sicknesses upon you, it will not matter, for I am God who heals you; I can be relied upon to heal you of them. But in general, if you accept My authority and follow My commands, that itself will heal you a priori of all diseases."
The people camped at the Marah stream for six days.
From Marah to Eilim
Fifth Reading 27 Then, on the 1st of Iyar, they journeyed and came to Eilim, where there were twelve springs of water, corresponding to the twelve tribes, and seventy date palms, corresponding to the seventy elders (see Figure 9). They encamped by the water for ten days.
From Eilim to Alush
16:1 On the 11th of Iyar, they moved on from Eilim and camped on the east shore of the Sea of Reeds.76 On the 12th of Iyar, they journeyed from this stop and camped somewhere in the Sin Desert.77 On the 13th of Iyar, they journeyed from this stop and camped at Dafkah, another location in the Sin Desert.78 They stayed there for two days. The entire community of Israel came to Alush,79 another location in the Sin Desert, which is between Eilim and Sinai, on Shabbat,80 the fifteenth of Iyar, the second month after they had left Egypt (see Figure 10).
2 That morning, they finished the bread they had taken with them from Egypt. Having eaten two meals a day, this was the sixty-first meal they ate from these provisions. Although they were not yet hungry and there was still ample time for God to provide them with food, the entire community of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron because they were in the desert with no provisions left.
3 The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the hand of God in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread! But you have taken us out to this desert, to starve this entire congregation to death!" This was the fourth time the people challenged God's ability to come to their aid.81
The Manna and the Quails
4 God said to Moses, "The people asked for meat and bread. Today, in the late afternoon, I will send them quails to eat, and tomorrow, I am going to rain down bread for you from the sky. The people will go out and gather each day's portion on that day. They must not save any from one day for the next. This way, I will test them as to whether or not they will follow My teaching regarding it, i.e., that they not leave any of it over and not collect it on the Sabbath, as I will soon instruct them.
5 On the sixth day of the week they shall prepare what they bring in, and, even though they will have collected the same amount as on previous days, it will miraculously be twice as much as they gather each day. Thus, they will not have to collect it on the Sabbath."
6 As for what to say to the people, God first addressed the impertinent tone of their complaint. He had both Moses and Aaron deal with this, since they were both responsible for teaching the people how to believe and trust in God. Thus, both Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites in God's name, "You said that we took you out of Egypt,82 and since we cannot provide for you in the desert, you assume that you will perish. Your faith in God needs to be strengthened. Furthermore, asking for meat was unnecessary and impudent—you can survive quite well without it, and anyway you have plenty of cattle.83 Therefore, in the evening, you will know that it is God, not us, who took you out of the land of Egypt, for you will see Him provide you miraculously with the meat you crave. But He will express His displeasure with your impertinence by giving you meat at dusk, when it is difficult to gather and prepare.
7 On the other hand, implicit in your complaint against our inability to provide for you is your awareness that God can provide for you, and this is praiseworthy. Furthermore, this belief in God prompted you to ask for bread—which is justified, since you cannot subsist without bread. So tomorrow, in the morning, you will see the glory of God, i.e., His goodwill and love, as He provides you with bread. He will express His approval of your faith in Him by giving you bread in the morning, when there is ample time to gather and prepare it, and by presenting it to you protected with layers of dew above and below. (This is why He will provide you with bread only tomorrow morning, and not immediately.) He will thus provide for you, having heard your complaints, which, although you voiced them against us, are not against us, but are against God. For what are we that by your example you should incite your families and the mixed multitude to complain against us? We have no power of our own."
8 God then addressed the substance of the people's complaint. Since only Moses, not Aaron, was responsible for providing for the people, God spoke through Moses alone: Moses said, "You will realize that you asked for meat impudently and bread properly when you see how God gives you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satiety in the morning. (Although He will provide you with an abundance of both bread and meat,84 you should only eat bread to satiety, because it is gluttonous to eat meat to satiety.) He will give you bread compassionately because God hears your complaints. He will give you meat reproachfully because, although you direct your complaints at us, by example, you are inciting others to complain against Him, not us. For what are we? Your complaints are not against us, but against God!"85
9 Pointing to a location outside the camp, Moses said to Aaron, "Tell the entire community of the Israelites, 'Draw near that place and stand there before God, for He has heard your complaints.' "
10 And when Aaron spoke to the entire community of the Israelites and they turned toward that place in the desert, they beheld the glory of God in a cloud.
Sixth Reading 11 God then spoke to Moses from the cloud, saying,
12 "I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Speak to them and say, 'At dusk you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread to satiety, and you will know that I am God, your God.' " Everyone then dispersed.
13 That evening, i.e., the late afternoon of Shabbat, the 15th of Iyar,86 quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning of the following day, Sunday, the 16th of Iyar, there was a layer of dew around the camp.
14 When the sun rose and the layer of dew rose, behold, over the surface of the desert a thin substance that had been packed within the two layers of dew was exposed, as if the dew had been peeled back. It had a thin crust on top and was as fine as the frost on the ground. Underneath this was another layer of dew.87 This substance was thus protected by dew both above and below. Although dew usually descends from the atmosphere onto the earth, here, the dew miraculously rose from the ground.
15 The Israelites saw the exposed substance and said to each other, "It is a portion of food [man]," for they did not know what it was exactly, to call it by name. Moses said to them, "That is the bread that God has given you to eat.
16 This is what God has commanded: 'Gather as much of it as each man eats; you shall take an omer (about two and a half liters or quarts) per head, according to the number of people each man has in his tent.' " However, he did not tell them that Friday's portion would be double so they would not have to gather it on the Sabbath.
17 The Israelites did what Moses told them. They gathered it, some more than what they should have and some less than this.
18 But when they measured it by the omer, they found miraculously that he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little was lacking nothing; each man had gathered as much as he needed to eat.
19 Moses said to them, "Let no man leave any of it over until morning."
20 But they did not listen to Moses, and some people—Dathan and Aviram—left some of it over until morning, and it became maggoty, after having first become putrid. Moses was angry with them, for by saving some for the next day, the people challenged God's ability to come to their aid for the fifth time.88
21 The people gathered it each morning, each man according to what he would eat, and when the sun grew hot after everyone had gathered his portion, whatever remained in the field would melt and run into streams. Deer would drink this liquid; when other nations hunted and ate them they tasted the taste of the manna and realized still further how God favored the Jews.
22 On the sixth day of the week they gathered the usual amount, but when they took it home and measured it, they found that it was a double portion of bread that tasted even better than the manna usually did, two omers for each person, and all the leaders of the community came and told Moses. They had studied the laws of the Sabbath in the abstract, but since they knew these laws would not become binding until the Torah was given, they did not understand why this was happening.89
23 He said to them, "That was what God spoke about but I haven't told you yet: tomorrow some of the laws of the Sabbath—specifically, the prohibition of cooking—will take effect. It will be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath dedicated to focusing on God and not on earning your livelihood. Whatever you wish to bake, bake today for today and tomorrow, and whatever you wish to cook, cook today for today and tomorrow. Set aside for yourselves whatever is left over from what you eat today in safekeeping until morning."
24 They set it aside until morning, as Moses had commanded, and it did not become putrid, nor were there any maggots in it.
25 Still, they asked Moses if they should go gathering today as they had on the previous days. After all, the prohibition of carrying in the public domain on the Sabbath had not yet taken effect.90 Moses said, "No, eat the remainder of what you prepared yesterday today." In the afternoon they asked again about gathering it. Moses said, "No, for today is a Sabbath unto God." He saw they were worried that the manna had stopped, so he said, "Although today you will not find it in the field, tomorrow it will resume falling and you will find it awaiting you once again.
26 Six days you shall gather it, but the seventh day is the Sabbath. And not only on the Sabbath, but on other days of rest on which God will command you not to work, there will be none as well. A double portion will descend on the day before."
27 Nonetheless, on the seventh day some of the people did go out to gather manna, but they found nothing. This was the sixth time the people challenged God's ability to come to their aid.91
28 God told Moses, "Some of the people did not believe that the manna would not fall on the Sabbath, and even you neglected to tell them about the Sabbath until they came to ask you about the double portion of manna. True, you were not technically required to convey My message before it became relevant, but you should have acted with more alacrity.92 How long will all of you refuse to observe My commandments and My teachings, that is, to believe in Me? True, only some of you did not believe, but the community does bear some degree of collective responsibility for not using its social tools to bolster all its members' faith.
29 Look: a miraculous double-portion of manna falls on Friday! Clearly, it is God who has given you the Sabbath, and that is why on the sixth day He gives you food for two days. Therefore, every man shall remain where he is: let no man leave his place on the seventh day to gather manna." Here, God made an additional Sabbath law take effect: the prohibition of leaving a settled area and carrying objects out of it.93 He told them: "The maximum distance a person is allowed to walk outside any settled area on the Sabbath is 2000 cubits.94 If, for any reason, he finds himself in such an unsettled area on the Sabbath, he may move about only within a radius of 4 cubits."
30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 Once the manna had fallen for seven days, and they had seen how, through it, God was taking the trouble to make their life easier and more delightful, including making it possible for them to rest from the pursuit of their livelihood altogether on the Sabbath, they were ready to name it. The House of Israel called the food manna. They did not give it a descriptive name; they kept the name they first used to describe it: "a portion of food."95 It was not appropriate to give it a descriptive name because it was round like coriander seed, but was white,96 and it tasted naturally like pastry fried in honey kneaded with oil, but if they wanted it to taste like anything else (other than vegetables harmful to nursing infants) it did.97 Therefore, simply calling it "manna" indicated the rest, repose, and delight it brought them.98
32 Moses said, "This is what God has commanded: 'An omer-ful of it is to be for safekeeping throughout your generations, so that when it is necessary, they will see the bread which I fed you in the desert when I brought you out of the land of Egypt. I may deem it necessary at some future point for the people to devote themselves completely to studying the Torah and temporarily neglect earning a livelihood altogether. They will then ask Me how they will survive, and I will be able to have My prophet show them the manna and remind them that when necessary, I can indeed provide for them miraculously, just as I did for this generation.' "99
33 Ten and a half months later, when the Tabernacle was erected, Moses said to Aaron, "Take an earthenware urn and put in it an omer-ful of manna, and place it before God for safekeeping throughout your generations."
34 As God had commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the Ark of Testimony for safekeeping.
35 The Israelites ate the manna for 40 years: The bread the people took with them when they left Egypt (on Nisan 15, 2448) already tasted like manna,100 so it was as if they started eating manna then. The manna ceased to fall when Moses died, on Adar 7, 2489, but the supply they gathered that day lasted until Nisan 15, 2489, when they crossed the Jordan River, came to an inhabited land, and began to eat the produce of the land.101 They ate the manna on the same day it fell only until they came to the plains of Moab, at the edge of the land of Canaan, where Moses died. Similarly, the quails also descended every evening until they entered the Land of Israel.102
36 The omer is a tenth of an ephah.
From Alush to Refidim
Seventh Reading 17:1 On the 23rd of Iyar, the entire community of the Israelites moved on from Alush, in the Sin Desert, on their journeys, according to the word of God. They encamped that day at Refidim (see Figure 11), and there was no water for the people to drink.
2 The people again contended with Moses—except for the tribe of Levi103—and said, "Give us water so that we may drink!" Moses answered them, "Why are you contending with me? Why are you impertinently testing God, to see if He can supply you with water in the desert?" This was the seventh time the people challenged God's ability to come to their aid.104
3 The people thirsted there for water and the people complained against Moses, saying, "Why did you bring us up from Egypt, to make us and our children and our livestock die of thirst?"
4 Moses cried out to God, saying, "What shall I do for this people? Before long they will stone me!"
5 God then said to Moses, "You exaggerate. Pass in front of the people and see if they stone you. Don't slander My children. As for water, take with you some of the elders of Israel for witnesses, and take in your hand your staff with which you struck the Nile River and which the people therefore think is only meant for punishment, and go to Mount Horeb.
6 I will be standing before you there at the rock at Mount Horeb. You shall strike the rock, penetrating it with your sapphire staff, and water will come out of it and the people will drink. I could just as easily give you water from a rock at Refidim, where the people are now, but I wish to demonstrate My affection for them by giving them water from a special, holy place, where they will soon receive the Torah."105 Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel that had accompanied him. This miraculous rock served as a well that accompanied the people on their subsequent journeys, so from this point on they did not lack water until the rock disappeared.106 Even though Moses produced this well, it existed in the merit of his sister Miriam.107
7 And he named the place near Mount Horeb where he hit the rock Masah uMerivah ["testing and contention"] because of the people's contentiousness and because they had tested God by saying, "Is God present among us or not?"
The Battle with Amalek
8 The people had doubted if God was "among them," mindful of them and caring for them. This was after God had already provided them with food, water, and shelter miraculously and lovingly: instead of regular bread, He gave them the heavenly manna; instead of water from the water table, He gave them water from a rock from Mount Sinai; and He sheltered them with the clouds of glory. Doubting if God was mindful and caring was extremely insolent, and called for a drastic response.108 In order to demonstrate to the people that He is indeed always at hand to come to their aid, God inspired the nation of Amalek to attack them, so the people would have to solicit His aid and He would answer immediately. Amalek was as frightened of the Israelites as all the other nations,109 but God emboldened them for this mission.110 Amalek came and fought against Israel in Refidim (see Figure 12). They attacked the spiritually weak individuals whom the clouds had expelled and were thus unprotected.111 The Amalekites seduced these spiritually weaker Israelites, engaged in homosexual relations with them, and then killed them. After this, they cut off these Israelites' genitals and threw them heavenward, mocking the commandment of circumcision by crying to God, "Here is what you wanted!"112
9 Moses' chief student and attendant was Hosea, the son of Nun, whom Moses would later rename Joshua.113 Moses said to Joshua, "Although most of us are protected from attack by the clouds surrounding us,114 we should still defend those of us who are not and repel this attack. I have not received specific instructions from God to do this, but the fact that we have been attacked now is clearly because God is temporarily abandoning us in order to show us how He will come to our aid when we need Him. Since this battle will be fought naturally—at least until God assists us—I will not lead the people, since I am 81 years old and only men between 20 and 60 years old115 are supposed to fight.116 Choose brave and pious men, whose merit will protect them. Choose also men who know how to counteract witchcraft, for the Amalekites are practiced in this art. Choose these men for us—for you and me, who are responsible for the people—and go out tomorrow, outside the clouds, and fight against Amalek. Tomorrow the people will fast and I will station myself at the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand." Moses addressed Joshua as an equal, for one should honor one's student as one honors oneself, one should honor one's friend as one honors one's teacher, and one should honor one's teacher as one honors God.117
10 Joshua did as Moses had told him, to fight against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and their nephew Hur118 went up to the top of the hill and stood in prayer, for at least three people must lead the prayers at a public fast.
11 Then, whenever Moses raised his hand and the people were inspired to submit themselves to God, God came to their aid and Israel prevailed. But whenever he lowered his hand, and they were not inspired this way, Amalek prevailed.
12 But since he had remissly appointed Joshua to fulfill his responsibility to protect the people, Moses' hands became heavy. In this way, God showed him that his choice to only pray for the people was ill made. Even though he was over the age of conscription, he should have overlooked this and done his utmost to defend the people. A short prayer in the battlefield would have sufficed.119 So Aaron and Hur took a stone and placed it under him and he sat on it. Moses refused to sit on anything more comfortable than a stone because it would be inappropriate for him to do so while the people were suffering. Aaron and Hur then supported his hands, one on each side, and Moses remained with his hands in steady and confident prayer. Using astrology, the Amalekites had calculated when they would win, but Moses delayed the sunset, confusing them until the Israelites won and he let the sun set.
13 God instructed Moses to only kill the stronger Amalekites,120 and thus Joshua only weakened Amalek and his people with the sword, rendering them incapable of attack, but did not wipe them out completely.
Maftir 14 God said to Moses, "Write down the fact that Amalek attacked you before any other nation and thereby led the way for others to attack you as a remembrance in the Book of the Torah. Explain clearly to Joshua and inspire him to instruct the people, when they enter the Land of Israel, to wipe out Amalek. He should not do this merely out of obedience, but with vigor and motivation."121 (Here God hinted to Moses that he would not lead the people into the Land of Israel.) "For I wish to utterly erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Even though you have won this battle, and it would therefore seem that the damage done by Amalek's attack has been repaired and the nations of the world again fear you, as long as Amalek still lingers, your invincibility can still be doubted."
15 Moses recorded the incident with Amalek, as God directed. He then built an altar and gave it a name that made people proclaim, "God performed a miracle for us here," and then, in recognition of this, say: "God is my Miracle."122
16 In order to fulfill God's instruction to inspire Joshua to perpetuate the struggle against Amalek, he further said, "The hand of God is raised in oath on God's throne to swear by it: God shall be at war with Amalek and harbor continuous enmity toward him, from generation to generation. Neither His Name nor His throne will be complete until Amalek is annihilated."123
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