BeshalachArtscroll p.366 | Hertz p.265 | Soncino p.407HaftarahArtscroll p.1152 | Hertz p.281 | Soncino p.434

Shabbat Shira. Tu Bishvat is on Wednesday

Volume 30No. 19

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In loving memory of Devorah Bat Avraham

"The water came back and covered the chariots and the horsemen of the entire army of Pharaoh, who werecoming behind them in the sea...." (Shemot 14:28).

27 January 2018 11 Shevat 5778

Shabbat ends London 5.31pmJerusalem 5.47pm

Pharaoh’s army engulfed by the Red Sea, 1900by Frederick Arthur Bridgman Levene

Sidrah Summary: Beshalach

United Synagogue Daf Hashavua

Produced by US Living & Learning together with the Rabbinical Council of the United SynagogueEditor: Rabbi Chaim Gross Editor-in-Chief: Rabbi Baruch Davis Editorial Team: Ilana Epstein, Michael Laitner, Sharon RadleyAvailable also via email US website www.theus.org.uk ©United SynagogueTo sponsor Daf Hashavua please contact Loraine Young on 020 8343 5653, or lyoung@theus.org.uk

If you have any comments or questions regarding Daf Hashavua please email rabbigross@theus.org.uk

1st Aliya (Kohen) – Shemot 13:17-14:8 After Pharaoh sends the Israelites out of Egypt,God does not lead them on a straight paththrough the land of the Pelishtim (Philistines)towards Cana’an (later Israel), but rather towardsthe Sea of Reeds. Moshe is carrying Yosef’sbones, as Yosef had requested before his death(see Bereishit 50:25). A pillar of cloud guides theIsraelites by day, and a pillar of fire lights up theirjourney at night. God tells Moshe to turn back inthe direction of Egypt. God hardens Pharaoh’sheart, who pursues the Israelites with his armedchariots.

Point to Consider: Who ‘told’ Pharaoh that theIsraelites were not intending to return to Egypt?(see Rashi to 14:5)

2nd Aliya (Levi) – 14:9-14The Egyptians catch up with the Israelites, whoare encamped by the Sea. Seeing theapproaching army, the people cry out in prayer,and ask Moshe why they left Egypt only to die inthe desert? Moshe tells them not to fear; they willexperience God’s salvation.

3rd Aliya (Shlishi) – 14:15-25Moshe raises his staff; an easterly wind blowsand the Sea splits. The Israelites walk through thedry channel, the water providing a wall on eitherside of them. The Egyptians enter the Sea butstruggle to move.

4th Aliya (Revi’i) – 14:26-15:26Moshe raises his staff; the Sea ‘closes’ on theEgyptians, drowning them. The Israelites see thedrowned Egyptians on the shore. Together withMoshe, they sing the Song at the Sea (ShiratHaYam) which celebrates God’s miraculoussalvation. The nation travels on, experiencingthree days in the desert without water. They cometo a place called Marah, where the waters are toobitter to drink. They complain to Moshe, who isshown a tree by God. Moshe throws the tree intothe water, thus sweetening it.

Question: Which three different materials are thedrowning Egyptians compared to? (15:5,7,10).

5th Aliya (Chamishi) – 15:27-16:10The Israelites arrive in the Sin Desert andcomplain to Moshe that they are hungry. God tellsMoshe that he will send down a daily portion of‘bread’ from the heavens. Moshe tells the peoplethey will also get meat in the evening.

6th Aliya (Shishi) – 16:11-36The heavenly bread – called ‘man’ (manna) – fallsbetween two layers of dew (Rashi). Eachhousehold gets a daily portion sufficient for itsmembers. Moshe tells them not to leave any overuntil the next day. Some people ignore thiswarning; their manna becomes infested. A doubleportion falls on Friday. Moshe tells them to usethe excess for Shabbat but not to go out tocollect any manna on Shabbat. Again, someignore this instruction. Moshe tells Aharon tokeep some manna in a container, as a reminder tofuture generations.

7th Aliya (Shevi’i) – 17:1-16The Israelites travel to Refidim, but again do notfind water. God tells Moshe to strike a rock withhis staff; water emerges from the rock. Amalekattacks the Israelites at Refidim. Yehoshua(Joshua) leads the battle against them, whilstMoshe, Aharon and Chur (Moshe’s nephew)ascend a nearby hill. Whenever Moshe raises hisarms, Israel overcomes Amalek. Aharon and Chursupport Moshe’s tired arms. Yehoshua isvictorious.

HaftarahDevorah was a prophetess and a judge. Thehaftarah, from the Book of Judges, includes the song that Devorah sang to celebrate thedefeat of the evil Ca'ananite general, Sisera. Thisdefeat was facilitated by the bravery of Yael, whoattacked and killed Sisera with a tent-peg.

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3In memory of Harav Avraham Yitzchak Yaakov ben Harav Nata Gershon

Unexpected Sources of Livelihoodby Rabbi Marc Levene, Belmont United Synagogue

The Talmud (Pesachim 118a)states that: “Earning one’slivelihood is as difficult as thesplitting of the Sea of Reeds”.The miracle at the Sea,detailed in this week’s sidrah,is one of the best known andmost dramatic of the miracles

in the Torah. The awesome, powerful, visions ofthe Sea splitting and the Israelites crossingthrough must have been unbelievable to witness;these vivid images are reawakened every year atthe Pesach Seder.

What were the Sages conveying when comparingearning a living to this miraculous experience?Many people may find it really challenging to get a job, but is it comparable to arguably thegreatest miracle ever recorded? Furthermore, amore basic question could be asked: how doessplitting the Sea have anything to do with gettinga job in the first place?

I once heard a beautiful answer to thesequestions. When the Children of Israel foundthemselves by the Sea, trapped on all sides,surrounded and afraid, facing a seeminglyimpossible situation, they did the only thing thatwas left to do – pray! They threw themselvesbefore God, begging for salvation, beseechingthe heavens to help them to freedom (Shemot14:10). At that moment, they had no idea fromwhere and how that help would come. MaybePharaoh’s army would simply fall apart, orperhaps there would be further plagues; but

nowhere in their minds would they have expectedthe salvation to come from the Sea splitting. Yet, within a very short space of time, they foundthemselves singing on the other side of the Sea,rejoicing with relief that they were now free in a miraculous way that they did not envisage.

We may face situations where we cannot see any hope. We are unable to find a way out or see the end goal. Then sometimes the solution comes from the place we least expect it. So toowhen earning a livelihood. God wants us to earna living, but our sustenance does not alwayscome from where we would expect it. Choosing a certain path or placing our efforts in a particulardirection do not always ensure that this is how we will earn our income.

Perhaps this point is also alluded to at thebeginning of the sidrah, when the nation came outof Egypt (ibid. 13:17). They faced two options toget to the Land of Cana’an, either through thewilderness or through the land of the Pelishtim(Philistines). The land of the Pelishtim was themore direct route, yet they would run the risk ofexposure to a people who had a moral compasssimilar to that of the Egyptians. Therefore, theywere directed through the desert in order to freethem of this danger, though the journey was more indirect, arduous and daunting. Eventhough sustenance would have been moreobviously available on the direct path, the lessexpected path would actually provide the roadthey would need to reach their destiny.

4In memory of Shmuel Nissim ben Yaacov

Rabbinic Innovators of the Medieval Period Part 5: The Tosafists (1100-1300) by Rabbi Meir Shindler, Richmond United Synagogue

After Rashi (d. 1105) had completed hiscomprehensive textualcommentary on the Talmud,it was not necessary toreplicate his style of scholarlywork. Instead, in thegenerations that followed,

the focus was on delving deeper into the ‘sea ofthe Talmud’ and recording incisive insights.These commentaries were known as Tosafot –‘additions’, as they originally served as additionsto Rashi’s commentary.

These commentaries work on the premise thateach principle, halacha or precept in the Talmudshould be understood not only within the specifictopic (sugya) being discussed, but also in light ofany other relevant pieces within the whole ofTalmudic literature – the Babylonian and theJerusalem Talmuds.

Through scrutinising every phrase or ruling andby asking searching questions based on anencyclopaedic knowledge of the whole Talmud,‘the Tosafists’ as they became known, were ableto uncover new insights and draw ingeniousdistinctions in the finer elements of halachicprinciples and law. Their commentaries can often transform Talmud study into an even more intellectually challenging, so becomesintellectually-challenging experience!

Rabbi Shlomo Luria (known as ‘the Maharshal’1510-1573) described the writings of theTosafists as “making the Talmud into one integralunit”. Through analysing and resolving apparentdiscrepancies between one source and another,“the result is that the entire Talmud is interwoven.All obscure texts are thus clarified and itshalachic decisions are reconciled”.

The era of the Tosafists spanned approximately200 years, from around 1100 to 1300, but it isdifficult to pinpoint when this school of studyexactly began. However, it is clear that it wasRashi’s own family and descendants who led theway in this area. Perhaps most notably, Rashi’s

grandson, Rabbeinu Shmuel ben Meir (theRashbam, ca. 1080-1158, who took over asHead of the Yeshiva after Rashi’s death) could be seen as the bridge between Rashi’s style and the Tosafist style. After Rashi’s passing, the Rashbam completed his grandfather’scommentary to the Talmudic tractates of BavaBatra and Pesachim and combined the textualapproach used by Rashi together with extendedcross-topic analysis of the Tosafists, tacklingsome difficult questions.

The Tosafot that we have on a standard page of Talmud is based on the collective efforts of hundreds of scholars spanning severalgenerations, many of them giants of Torahscholarship. Possibly the most influential of theTosafists was the Rashbam’s younger brother,Rabbeinu Yaakov ben Meir (1100-1171), morecommonly known as Rabbeinu Tam. He was thefoundation and bedrock of the Tosafist school;many of the leaders of the following generationswere his students, or students of his students.Rabbeinu Tam and his foremost student (andnephew) Rabbi Yitzchak ben Shmuel ofDampierre (known as Tosafot Ri HaZaken,d.1185) are the most oft-quoted Tosafists in the printed Tosafot on the Talmud.

There were many other leaders of this school ofstudy over the following centuries, who alsodeserve a mention, but to list them all is beyondthe scope of this article. They lived through theterrible Crusades and European persecutionsand yet they breathed life and depth intoTalmudic analysis and added complexity andnovelty into Torah study,the result of which haslasted throughout thegenerations.

First page of the Vilna Editionof the Babylonian Talmud,Tractate Berachot, folio 2a.The main text in the middle isthe text of the Talmud itself.To the right on the innermargin of the page is Rashi’scommentary; to the left on theouter margin is the Tosafot

5In memory of David Yochanan ben Moshe

Shabbat Shira: Musical Traditionsby Rabbi Dr. Lior Kaminetsky, Birmingham Central Synagogue, Concert Violinist

Shabbat Shira is one of the occasions in the Jewish calendar on which we acknowledge theimportance of the musicalaspect of our tradition. Mosheand the children of Israelexpressed their gratitude to

God after the great miracle of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds by singing a song, followed by drum playing and dancing by Miriam and the women (Shemot 15:20).

In various places in Tanach (the Hebrew Bible)we see music playing a significant role. TheTorah mentions it as one of the two oldestprofessions in the world, formed by Yuval, sevengenerations after Adam: "he was the father ofall who grasp a lyre and a flute" (Bereshit4:21). In the book of Shmuel, music was usedby prophets as a means to enter into a mode ofprophesy (Samuel I 10:5); King David's harp-playing helped to push away the negative plansof King Shaul towards him (ibid. 16:23).

Researchers of Jewish music debate whatdefines ‘Jewish music’ today and whether thereis any existing music that may have deeper andolder roots, which may justifiably be categorisedas intrinsically 'Jewish'.

For 2000 years, Jews have been moving fromone place to another, keeping and developingmusical traditions. There is no doubt that thesetraditions have also been influenced by themusic styles of the outside world as well.For instance the music in Fiddler on the Roof orcantorial pieces may sound 'Jewish' toAshkenazi Jews and those who are exposed to the culture of western society, but wouldmost likely mean nothing to Ethiopian orYemenite Jews, as their musical context iscompletely different.

Abraham Zvi Idelsohn (d. 1938), who becameknown as the father of Jewish music research,wanted to investigate whether one ‘Jewishmusic style’ was traceable. In 1906 he movedfrom South Africa to Israel, equipped with one ofthe very first recording machines. He startedrecording musical traditions used in synagoguesof diverse Jewish communities. He came to theconclusion that Torah reading (leyning) ofdifferent communities may indeed have somesimilar musical elements which direct us to oneoriginal musical source.

While this claim may not be accepted todayamong researchers, I believe it is important toat least be aware that for nearly 1000 years(taking away 70 years of Babylonian exile), Jewshad one main musical centre, which housed anorchestra and a choir. This centre, of course,was the Temple (Beit Hamikdash). It had a greatimpact on Jewish life and the Jewish people,spiritually, culturally and musically.

Perhaps when the ultimate redemption willcome, the Mashiach will be able to checkwhether this music still exists somewhere today. Hopefully the Jews will be able to usethat musical style in the Third Temple.

Abraham Zvi Idelsohn (d. 1938)

6In memory of Harav Yisrael ben Eliyahu

Insights into Jewish History Part 93: The Fall of YochananKohen Gadolby Rebbetzen Ilana Epstein, Cockfosters & N Southgate United Synagogue; Headof Project Development, US Living & Learning

John Hyrcanus – known in Rabbinic literature asYochanan Kohen Gadol –reached the end of his 31-year reign in c. 104 BCE.During those decades heextended and secured theboundaries of Judea and

introduced Rabbinic rulings that we follow to thisday. Yet in Pirkei Avot (Ethics of our Fathers – seegreen siddur, p. 530), the great sage Hillel states:“do not trust yourself until the day of your death”.The Talmud says that the end of Yochanan’s lifeillustrates the danger of ignoring Hillel’s teaching(Berachot 29a). What did Yochanan do wrong?

During the rule of his father Shimon theMaccabee, the presence of the Hellenised Jewsin the Accra citadel in Jerusalem had beenneutralised. After Yochanan took over, theSamaritan temple in Shechem was destroyed,and enemies were kept at bay. Yet this relativepeace allowed for the emergence of rival religiousfactions – namely the Sadducees, the Phariseesand the Essenes. These three factions wouldbecome main players in the inter-religious frictionwhich characterised the remaining years of theTemple.

In religious literature the Sadducees are referredto as the heirs of the Hellenists. Though therewere a number of differences, the similarities wereenough to justify being termed ‘heirs’. Both sectsoccupied the upper echelons of Judean society;both sects had many members who wereKohanim; and both denied that the Oral Torahwas of divine origin.

Yet the Sadducees posed a greater threat to thetraditional Jews than the Hellenists had. TheHellenists had wanted nothing to do with aJewish state, seeing no point in its existence; theyhad fought to gain complete integration intoHellenistic society. In contrast, the Sadduceeswere proud to be Jewish, yet they were opposedto the Rabbinic Sages and the Oral Torah.

One of the most famous examples of a disputebetween the Sadducess and the Rabbinic Sageswas over the reading of the verse from parashatMishpatim, that someone who injures anothershould be punished “an eye for an eye” (Shemot21:24). While the traditional interpretation is notliterally taking someone’s eye in retribution forinjuring someone else in the eye (rather paying the monetary value), the Sadducees understood this directive literally. As the Sadducees wererepresented in the Sanhedrin (Rabbinic highcourt), this allowed the strife to go all the way to the top.

Though Yochanan was of the traditional Phariseesect, he had friends amongst the Sadducees.Josephus (the Roman Jewish first-centuryhistorian) describes a banquet in which Yochanan invited both Sadducees and Pharisees.Yochanan asked the Pharisees if they had anycomplaints to level against him. Amongst otherthings, an old man named Yehuda ben Gedidimaccused Yochanan of not being the legitimate son of Shimon the Hasmonean and therefore not worthy of being the Kohen Gadol. In anger,Yochanan ordered that the accusation beinvestigated. When the claim proved false,Yochanan demanded that the Sanhedrin punishthe slanderer. When they refused to do so,Yochanan switched camps, disbanded theSanhedrin, and decreed that for the rest of his life, the Temple be run according to theSadducees’ reading of the laws.

Answer: stone, straw and lead

Image of a Sadduceefrom the Nuremberg

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