Edited and adapted from Ari’s Grill & Torah series.
Parshat Beshalach teaches that freedom requires both action and Emunah (faith): we must fight but never believe that victory comes from our hands alone. Prayer cannot replace responsibility, and action without trust in God ultimately leads to failure.
Parshat Beshalach opens with the moment of liberation:
“Vayehi beshalach Paro et ha’am” — it was when Pharaoh sent out the nation.
Immediately, the Torah tells us that Hashem does not lead Bnei Yisrael along the most direct route:
“V’lo nacham Elokim derech eretz Pelishtim, ki karov hu.”
Hashem did not lead them by way of the land of the Pelishtim, because it was close.
And then the Torah gives the reason:
“Pen yinachem ha’am birotam milchamah v’shavu Mitzraymah.”
Lest the nation be consoled when they see war and return to Egypt.
This pasuk is deeply puzzling. The word yinachem comes from nechamah — comfort, consolation. War does not comfort people. War frightens people. Yet the Torah says the nation may be consoled by war — and then return to Egypt.
If they lose a war, they die — there is no return.
And if they win a war, why would they go back to Egypt?
The Torah is warning us about a danger that comes after victory, not before it.
Instead of taking Bnei Yisrael through Eretz Pelishtim, Hashem leads them into the Midbar (the desert). At first glance this seems even more frightening — an empty desert, no food, no water, no plan. But the Midbar is not a detour. It is a training ground.
Slaves Who Don’t Know How to Act
When Bnei Yisrael see the Egyptians chasing them, the Torah says:
“Vayitz’aku Bnei Yisrael el Hashem.”
They cry out to Hashem.
But immediately afterward, they turn on Moshe:
“Ha’mi-bli ein kevarim b’Mitzrayim lakachtanu lamut bamidbar?”
Were there no graves in Egypt that you took us out to die in the desert?
“Mah zot asita lanu… l’hotzi’anu miMitzrayim?”
What did you do to us by taking us out of Egypt?
And then they say something shocking:
“Chadal mimenu v’na’avda et Mitzrayim.”
Leave us alone. Let us serve Egypt.
“Ki tov lanu avod et Mitzrayim mimutenu bamidbar.”
It is better for us to be slaves in Egypt than to die in the desert.
This is after 210 years of slavery. Their instinct is still to go back. Why? Because slavery has shaped their thinking. They don’t believe their actions matter. They don’t know how to move forward. They don’t yet understand how human effort and Divine help work together.
Moshe answers them:
“Al tirau. Hityatzvu u’ru et yeshuat Hashem.”
Do not be afraid. Stand firm and see Hashem’s salvation.
“Hashem yilachem lachem.”
Hashem will fight for you.
Moshe is telling them: fear is human, but paralysis is not acceptable. Freedom requires responsibility.
When Prayer Is the Wrong Response
After Moshe reassures them, Bnei Yisrael begin to pray. And then Hashem says something startling:
“Mah titz’ak elai? Daber el Bnei Yisrael v’yisa’u.”
Why are you crying out to Me? Speak to Bnei Yisrael and tell them to move.
This is one of the most important lessons in the Torah.
You cannot just trust in God. Prayer at a time when action is required is not a good thing.
In front of them is Yam Suf (Red Sea). Behind them are the Egyptians. They think prayer alone will solve it. Hashem says: now is not the time to pray — now is the time to move. Like the famous joke about the guy waiting for a miracle to save him from drowning as he turns down all human intervention to save him.
They are still thinking like slaves: either we do nothing, or God does everything. They don’t understand balance.
Moshe lifts his staff — but the sea does not split until they walk in. And they are afraid to walk in.
Then Nachshon ben Aminadav jumps in. Action comes first. Only then does the miracle happen.
The Desert: Learning Balance
The Midbar continues to teach this lesson.
At Marah, the water is bitter. Hashem tells Moshe to throw wood into the water to make it sweet. Why wood? Why not a miracle alone?
Because you must do something. Hashem completes effort — He does not replace it.
Immediately afterward, Moshe teaches:
If you listen to Hashem and live by His moral code, the plagues of Egypt will not touch you
“Ki ani Hashem rof’echa.”
Hashem is your healer.
Then comes the manna. Miraculous bread — but it does not fall into their homes. They must go out and collect it.
And there are rules:
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take only what you need for today,
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don’t hoard,
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take double on Friday,
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do not collect on Shabbat.
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When some go out on Shabbat, they find nothing.
Hashem says:
“Ad ana me’antem lishmor mitzvotai v’torotai?”
How long will it take you to keep My Torah?
They swing between extremes: first no faith in effort, then too much faith in effort. The Midbar teaches balance.
And now, the final test arrives.
Amalek: Soldiers, Weapons — and God
At the end of the parashah, Bnei Yisrael face Amalek.
Moshe tells Yehoshua:
“Bechar lanu anashim v’tzeh hilachem ba’Amalek.”
Pick men. Form an army. Go fight Amalek.
This matters. Moshe does not say: sit back and pray. He does not say: wait for miracles. He says: choose soldiers.
Weapons matter. Soldiers matter. Strategy matters.
Then Moshe says:
“Machar anochi nitzav al rosh ha-giv’ah, u’mateh haElokim b’yadi.”
Tomorrow I will stand on the hill with the staff of God in my hand.
So which is it? An army — or miracles?
The Torah answers: both.
When Moshe’s hands are raised, Bnei Yisrael win. When his hands fall, Amalek wins. Moshe’s hands become heavy. A rock is placed under him. Aharon and Chur hold his hands up.
This is not about physical strength. If Moshe’s hands were magical, they wouldn’t get tired. The hands are a signal.
The mefarshim explain: when Bnei Yisrael saw Moshe’s hands raised, they looked upward. They fought with swords — but they trusted Hashem.
When Moshe’s hands fell, they lost hope, they lost emunah, and began to lose. It doesn’t matter how hard they fought, while they’re missing the element of God, they lose.
To win, they needed to fight with weapons, but their eyes had to be upward.
That’s the balance.
Now the opening verse becomes clear.
“Consoled by War”
“Pen yinachem ha’am birotam milchamah.”
Lest the nation be consoled when they see war.
War consoles only one way: when you win — but then Bnei Yisrael might have believed the victory was by their hands alone.
If Bnei Yisrael had gone derech Pelishtim immediately and won a war right after the plagues, they could say: we’re strong, we’re powerful, our hands did it. That false comfort would send them back to Egypt spiritually — even while physically free.
Victory without Emunah is more dangerous than defeat.
The Message for Our Time
This is not ancient history.
We thank our soldiers. We thank them for their courage, their sacrifice, and their willingness to defend Am Yisrael. And we thank God that, when our enemies have risen to destroy us, we have won wars in miraculous ways.
But we are warned: we cannot trust only in weapons, and we cannot trust only in prayer.
God is taking care of us in Israel — and at the same time, we still have a responsibility to act.
Prayer at a time when action is required is wrong. And action without Emunah leads to failure.
When the Egyptians were running after them and the Red Sea was right in front of them, Bnei Yisrael had nowhere to go. And Hashem says, what are you praying for now? Go get moving.
You’ve got to take action on the one hand, and you’ve got to believe in God on the other.
We left Egypt in a moment. But Egypt had to be removed from within us — and that took time.
That is the meaning of Beshalach:
There is a time for action, and there is a time for Emunah – and they are at the same time.
Shabbat Shalom from the beautiful rolling hills of Judea, Israel.