EXODUS XIII:17-XVII:16
THE SONG OF VICTORY
The order was given and the Hebrew people were expelled from Egypt. According to this version of events, the Hebrew people did not leave or escape Egypt, but were forcibly expelled by Pharaoh after the death of his firstborn during the last plague. The indecision of the people was justified when they realized that the Egyptian hordes were chasing them after the exodus. There was no escape, because they had the waters of the sea in front of them and the chariots of their adversaries behind them. What to do? Weren’t there enough graves in Egypt for Moshe(Moses) to take them to die in the wilderness? A reference full of sarcasm, because in Egypt spirituality revolved around the cult of death. The dilemma was to choose to die at sea or to be the victims of the arrows and spears of the Egyptians.
Upon consulting God, Moshe received the answer: “Speak to the people so that they may undertake the journey.” They had to venture through the waters that looked hostile. In the past, the waters of the Nile River had served to “save” baby Moshe, who had been placed in a basket to sail in its waters. Now, the salvation of the people would perhaps also come about through the conduit of the waters.
However, the people remained motionless, they did not know what to do. Until Nachshon ben Aminadav, a determined young man, jumped into the waters to be followed by the rest of the people. The miracle happened: Moshe raised his arm with his rod and parted the waters of the Red Sea, which parted to leave a path of solid ground by which the people could cross. When the Egyptian hordes imitated the Hebrews and rushed along the same path, the waters gathered again and sank the chariots, the horses and their riders into their depths.
Safe on the opposite bank, Moshe and the people burst into a song of praise to God, for He had saved them again from certain death. Zeh Eli vea’nvehu, “This is my God and I will exalt Him,” they chanted. According to the Ḥakhamim, the use of the word “Zeh” was because they could identify God with great precision, because they had personally experienced his salvation. At that time, God’s existence was not seen as the result of a philosophical or theological reflection, it was an existential reality that they had experienced with the five senses.
The word “Ve’anvehu” comes from a root meaning “beauty,” so the Hebrews exalted and recognized the “beauty” of God’s actions that enabled them to be saved from their persecutors. In fact, the reaction of the Jews of old is instructive for the present, in terms of recognizing the “beauty” and goodness of God that are not only manifested in extraordinary acts, but in daily life, in the “small miracles”, the acts of grace that we receive individually.
A couple of centuries ago, when the scientific method burst into society by presenting ostensible solutions to the great evils that afflict humanity and offering a “rational” explanation for phenomena that were previously not understandable, men of faith had to “hide” their religiosity, because the environment began to reject any vision of the universe that could not be incorporated into science. Years later we have learned that science is very important; however, it does not offer certain solutions, its answers are only approximations.
Because the universe can be conceived from different perspectives, and even faith and religion can offer very satisfactory answers to different questions and unknowns that overwhelm humanity.
A second meaning of the word “Ve’anvehu” refers to the beauty that a person should find in the Mitzvah, the imperative that should govern a person’s behavior. Beauty must be sought in the Sukkah and its symbology, in the writing of a Torah, the Tefillinand the Mezuzah. It refers to the extra effort, which includes beauty, in fulfilling a Torah ordinance.
Mitzvah should not be conceived as an imposition, but as an opportunity to fulfill God’s will, which, in turn, produces greater well-being for human beings and for their coexistence with others.
A third version suggests that the word “Ve’anvehu” could be understood as a compound: Ani veHu, “I and Him”, where “I” is the individual and “He” is a reference to God. Beginning with the exodus from Egypt, the history of humanity must be understood as the “encounter” between God and humanity, with the task of the person being able to imitate God. Just as He is merciful and responds to the needs of man, so each one must be merciful and take the side of the needy.
Although Yetziat Mitzrayim, “the exodus from Egypt” recalls a specific episode in the history of the Hebrew people, its meaning is current. Freedom is a condition that must be constantly renewed and revitalized, since physical and spiritual slavery continues to threaten Humanity in a fundamentalist version, supported by those who believe themselves to be the possessors of the absolute and only truth.
MITZVAH: ORDINANCE OF THE TORAH IN THIS PARSHA
CONTAINS 1 PROHIBITION
24. Exodus 16:29 Do not go beyond the limit allowed on Shabbat
