Pre-Shabos Inspiration

So often, we find ourselves caught between a rock and a hard place.  Life is always good, and sometimes seemingly, not so good.  If I go forward, well, it’s “into the sea” and if I go backward, well, it’s right into the arms of my former Egyptian taskmasters.  Which is the better option?  Neither.

We all face our difficulties; personal and national.  There is no need to enumerate here the straits we sometimes find ourselves in… we can all fill in our own blanks.
What to do, when there is nowhere to go?

In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Beshalach, as the Children of Israel face the Reed Sea before them and the Egyptian army behind them, they look upward towards Heaven and they pray (Ex.14:10).  And then they turn to their great leader, Moshe, and wonder – were there not sufficient graves in Egypt, that you took us out to die here, in the desert (v.11)?!
A normal thought, given their situation… We are, all too often, those Jews on the shore of the Reed Sea.  Afraid, unsure, doubting ourselves and our future… We lift our eyes upward and wonder, “From where will my help come” (Ps.121:1)?

The timeless, powerful reply of Moshe Rabbainu, words uttered as he reassured his terrified flock, reverberate and echo loudly through the generations: הִתְיַצְּבוּ וּרְאוּ אֶת-יְשׁוּעַת יְ – Stand by, my friends, for you will now see the salvation of G-d (v.13)!

Stand by, my dear friends, for all the times we find ourselves in doubt, in fear, in pain, stuck between the “sea” and the “Egyptians”, between our rock and our hard place – stand by and watch, for the salvation of G-d comes in the blink of an eye.
May we merit it speedily and in our days, for us and all of Klal Yisrael.
Wishing you a Shabos kodesh of shalom and menuchah,

Michal

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3 Comments
  • Marla
    Posted at 16:01h, 30 January

    Thank you for your words of inspiration. I miss hearing them in person. Shabbat Shalom

  • Mindy
    Posted at 16:31h, 30 January

    Thank you very much for your wonderful Dvar Torahs. They are always insightful and enhance my family’s Shabbos table on a weekly basis. I look forward and await for your “pre-Shabbos Inspiration”.

    Shabbat Shalom.

    Mindy

  • Marla
    Posted at 16:44h, 30 January

    Miss your in person inspiration but am happy to be able to read your beautiful words. Shabbat Shalom