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Thought Questions on Parashat Beshalach
The Salant Foundation is presenting questions prepared by the Rosh Yeshiva of Be'ar HaTorah, HaRav Gavriel Yoseph Levi. These questions come to stimulate us to ask straightforward questions that we should naturally ask as we learn the Parasha. We are not giving the answers in order to stimulate your thoughts to come up with your own answer. Please send your answers to salantorg@gmail.comB'ezrat Hashem, we will give our answers next week. Question One:
In Parashat Beshalach (Shemot 17:6) Hashem commanded Moshe Rabenu to "bring water from the rock by hitting the rock."
In Parashat Chukat (Bamidbar 20:8) Hashem commanded Moshe Rabenu to "bring water from the rock by speaking to the rock," and not by hitting the rock. The Midrash asks why in Beshalach the Mitzvah was to hit the rock, whereas in Chukat the Mitzvah was to speak to the rock and hitting the rock would be a sin? The answer to this question brings out a fundamental principle of Jewish education.
Question Two:
In Parashat Beshalach, Moshe Rabenu instructed Klal Yisrael to take a double portion of manna on Friday, because "no manna would fall on Shabbos." Dasson and Aviram, who were corrupt, wanted to trick the people into thinking that manna did fall on Shabbos, thus falsely disproving Moshe's instruction that no manna fell on Shabbos. Chazal tell us that Dasson and Aviram took manna from Friday and hid it in the desert. They planned to go into the desert on Shabbos and come back with the manna that they had hidden there before Shabbos. HaShem dashed their plans by sending birds to eat the hidden manna.
A question arises here: why did Hashem send birds to eat the hidden manna? Wouldn't it have been better if they came back with their hidden manna, and make the claim that manna fell on Shabbos. Then people would go into the desert and see that no manna had fallen on Shabbos. Thus exposing the evil intentions of Dassan and Aviram. Also, since we are suggesting that it would have been a "better" foiling of Dassan and Aviram's plans if the birds had not eaten the manna, then why is there a custom to leave food for the birds on Shabbos Beshalach, to show appreciation for the birds who ate the manna? Why do we show "appreciation for the birds" if they weren't really needed to discredit Dasson and Aviram?
The answer to this question brings out a fundamental principle of Torah.
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