Torah Table Talk

Torah Table Talk
The Splitting of the Red Sea: What is a Miracle?
Parshat Bishalach 5765
Exodus 13:17 – 17:16

Having fled from Egypt after the final plague, the Israelites found themselves trapped between the approaching Egyptian Army and the Red Sea. On what was the first of many such occasions, the Israelites panicked and expressed their desire to return to Egypt. “What have you done to us?” they asked Moses, “It is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” Moses calms the people and tells them, “Have no fear… witness the deliverance which the Lord will work for you today…” Raising his staff over the sea, a strong east wind drives back the sea and the people lurch forward “into the sea on dry ground.” When they reach the other side of the sea and witness the drowning of the Pharaoh and his army, they join Moses in song. We continue to sing this song “Az Yashir Moshe” as well as “Mi Kamochah” as part of the daily liturgy. But the story does not end here. No sooner do they leave the sea, the people continue to complain about the lack of water and food. The miraculous events do not change the very nature of the people. It would take a full generation for them to become independent and free.

Exodus 14:31
When Israel saw the great hand which the Lord wrought against Egypt, they feared the Lord; they had faith in the Lord and in Moses His servant.

Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk
During all the ten plagues the Israelites had doubts whether these incidents were pure chance or acts of God. However, when they came “to fear the Lord” and they trembled in the presence of God’s exalted power, only then could they understand that these were all acts of God. One spark of awe or reverence in the presence of God was worth as much as all the wonders and miracles.

A Different Night: A Family Participation Haggadah by Noam Zion
We are missing the point of these extraordinary events if we understand them as ancient superstitions. Instead the miracle is a symbol of spontaneity in history, a faith in the changeability of oppressive regimes. What appears as historical necessity, a small people subject to a great empire, is revealed as an illusion. God’s miraculous intervention in Egypt presents history as an open text drama. There is an unpredictable Power present in the universe, a God of surprises. Belief in miracle is the basis of the hope model of Judaism. Exodus becomes a call to revolutionary hope regardless of the conditions of history.

Moses: by Martin Buber
The concept of Miracle which is permissible from the historical approach can be defined as its starting point as an abiding astonishment… The real miracle means that in the astonishing experience of the event the current system of cause and effect becomes, as it were, transparent and permits a glimpse of the sphere of sole power, not restricted by any other, is at work.

David Hume (Scottish Philosopher (1711 – 1776)
A miracle is a violation of the laws of nature; and as a firm and unalterable experience has established these laws, the proof against a miracle, from the very nature of the fact, is as entire as any argument from experience can possibly be imagined.

Hasidic Tales of the Holocaust: by Yaffa Eliach
The British war time prime minister, Winston Churchill invited the Hasidic Rabbi of Gur to come and see him and advise him on how to bring about Germany’s downfall. The Rabbi gave the following reply: “There are two possible ways, one involving natural means and one involving supernatural. The natural means would be if a million angels with flaming swords were to descend on Germany and destroy it. The supernatural would be if a million Englishman parachuted down on Germany and destroyed it.”

Questions for Discussion:

1.	How do the events at the Red Sea affect the people of Israel? What does the Torah tell us about their response to the splitting of the Red Sea?

2.	According to David Hume, a miracle is a violation of the laws of nature. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Does a miracle have to diverge from the laws of nature? Can you think of a modern day occurrence that you would consider a miracle?

3.	What does Noam Zion mean by “Hope Model” of Judaism? How can we apply the lesson of the splitting of the Red Sea to the contemporary events? What events in contemporary history portray God as the “God of surprises?”

4.	If you had been at the Red Sea, how do you think you would have responded first on the Egyptian side of the sea and then on the far side of the sea? Would you have considered this to be a miracle?

5.	According to Noam Zion and Martin Buber do miracles exist in the objective sense of the word? Have we lost the innocence to experience a miracle today? According to the Rabbi of Gur what makes a miracle a natural event or a supernatural event. According to the Rabbi what aspect of the splitting of the Red sea would have been most miraculous?

Glossary

Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk – Lived from 1787 -1859; he was a well known Chasidic Rabbi in Poland. He was respected for his sometimes harsh and unrelenting teachings. His focus, his zeal, his goal was for truth. To achieve truth he was ready to sacrifice everything else.

Martin Buber (1878 -1965) – A twentieth century theologian and scholar, he is best known for his famous work, “I and Thou.” Buber was a pioneer in his study of Hasidic thought and was a Zionist known for his unorthodox ideas.

How to use Torah Table Talk

1.	Read the sheet out loud to one another. Discuss what it has to say.
2.	Focus on the text in the box. It is taken from Biblical, post-biblical and modern Jewish sources. What does it mean? How does it make you feel?
3.	Try to answer the questions following the text.
4.	This is not a test and there are many correct answers and interpretations to each question. Share your ideas with one another. Be open and honest in sharing your ideas.

	All it takes to study Torah is an open heart, a curious mind and a desire to grow a Jewish soul.

	Copyright 2005: Rabbi Mark B Greenspan