English translation — בשלח א

1.

On the verse¹

"And Moses led Israel away from the Sea of Reeds",

it stands in the midrash²

-and Rashi brings it down in his commentary on the Torah - "He led them against their will"

(Moses forced the Jews to go away from the Sea of Reeds),

as our Sages of blessed memory³

explain,

that Jews were occupied with "the spoils of the sea"

(which "was greater ..

than the spoils of Egypt"⁴),

and therefore did not want to go away from the Sea of Reeds.

It is difficult to understand: at the time of the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the Almighty revealed Himself to the Jews - "in His glory He was revealed to them"⁵

(as the Jews said "<b>This</b> is my God"⁶

- "they point to Him with a finger"⁵),

until "a maidservant saw at the sea what prophets did not see"⁷

; and this affected the Jews so that they said song to the Holy One, blessed be He,

words of praise and thanksgiving -

How,

after all this,

are Jews so troubled and involved in the "spoils of the sea"?

! What relevance did silver and gold have for them regarding the revelation of the Shechinah at the Splitting of the Sea⁸?

The question is even stronger: Jews knew indeed that "when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will serve God on this mountain"⁹

- that from the Sea of Reeds they go to the Giving of the Torah; and moreover - they counted the days until the Giving of the Torah

(due to their longing for the receiving of the Torah)¹⁰

- now how is it possible,

that after all this,

the spoils of the sea occupied a place for them - more than

(going and <b>healing</b> themselves to)

the Giving of the Torah! <b>The opposite</b> - of that counting,

which was also on the day of taking the spoils of the sea!

One must say,

that that which the Jews did not want to abandon the spoils of the sea,

was not because silver and gold <b>Mitzrayim</b> had for them such importance,

but because they considered that this — their having the spoils of the sea — is the <b>will of God</b>¹¹.

(that this was due to the preoccupation in "spoils of the sea")

with the explanation¹²

that Jews did not

wanted to go away from the revelation of the Shechinah of Kria”s - because

the revelation of the Shechinah of Kria”s had them &lt;b&gt;urging &lt;/b&gt;them to fulfill the will of G-d to occupy themselves with the taking of the spoils of the sea].

2.

One of the explanations of this — also in plain sense

(and according to halacha)

At the Exodus from Egypt there was a <b>command</b>¹³

"And they shall ask, each man from his fellow etc., vessels of silver and vessels of gold,"

and the intention in this was

(not only that the Jews should receive a "great wealth"¹⁴,

but also)

- "<b>And you shall empty </b>Egypt"¹⁵,

completely empty¹⁶

Egypt of silver and gold etc.

(in the language of Chazal¹⁷

: like a trap that has no grain,

like a deep sea that has no fish).

According to this,

When the Jews saw

(at the Sea of Reeds)

that by the Egyptians there still remained silver and gold,

which the Jews had not yet taken¹⁸,

they were <b>obligated</b> to occupy themselves with the spoils of the sea by virtue of the command "And you shall despoil Egypt"¹⁹.

Oh,

they <b>delayed</b> themselves because of this from their going to the Giving of the Torah — this is, however, about this — that they should <b>immediately</b> go

Receiving the Torah - was not a command.

- That which the Most High said&lt;sup&gt;20&lt;/sup&gt;

"When you bring out the people from Egypt you will serve God on this mountain" - this was said&lt;sup&gt;21&lt;/sup&gt;

(not as a &lt;b&gt;command&lt;/b&gt;,

but)

as a narrative of a matter that will be in the future

(after Yetzi'at Mitzrayim)

and

(&lt;b&gt;and the main point&lt;/b&gt;)

did not mention at all the time of "you will serve."

Can this not push off the command²²

of "and you shall empty out Egypt",

which - if not now, when?

Gimmel.

This, however, is not sufficient.

Because since Moshe commanded the Jews that they should go away from the Sea of Reeds,

it is, after all, simple,

that they understood that this was by the command of Hashem²³

- and if so, the difficulty returns to its place?

Is the explanation in this: accepting even,

that the journey of Jews to Mount Sinai,

to the giving of the Torah,

was a matter of a divine command,

nevertheless Jews held,

that one must <b>delay</b> it until after completing the fulfillment of the command "and you shall plunder Egypt" - and especially that "the spoils of

the sea" was,

as above,

a transitory commandment,

which is not deferred because of Torah study²⁴

(- the giving of the Torah)²⁵.

And although from this that Moshe had <b>now</b> commanded them to depart from the Sea of Reeds

(and <b>not</b> to occupy themselves with "the spoils of the sea")

is a proof that the will of G-d in <b>this</b> case was that the command "and you shall despoil Egypt"

(although it is transitory)

should indeed be set aside because of the precedence of study

(= giving)

of Torah - is the tone thus in practice - the journey - a matter of "<b>against their will</b>"*²⁵,

because according to their understanding

(in accordance with their understanding and knowledge <b>in Torah</b>)

must be the law - to finish first the spoils of the sea,

<b>not</b> to nullify the command of "<b>and you shall despoil</b> Egypt"²⁶.

D.

According to the above - that what the Jews occupied themselves with "the spoils of the sea" was in order to fulfill the command of "and you shall despoil Egypt" - is answered another question in this matter:

Why did Jews generally get so "excited" about the "spoils of the sea"

(and to such an extent that they had to be forced to

leave the Sea of Reeds)

- what benefit will they have from this abundance of silver and gold going into a &lt;b&gt;desert&lt;/b&gt;,

"a land which no man passed through and no person dwelt there"²⁷?

And in particular that

(in order to be able to purchase the needs from the merchants of the nations²⁸

- is indeed for this more than enough that)

they had silver and gold from the spoils of Egypt; and as our sages of blessed memory said²⁹

that

(going out of Egypt)

"There was not a single <b>one</b> from Israel who did not have with him <b>ninety</b> Libyan donkeys laden with the silver and gold of Egypt."

And on the other hand,

if Jews then

(before the decree of the spies)

reckoned that immediately after the Giving of the Torah they would enter the Land of Israel³⁰

(and the redemption from Egypt would have been the eternal redemption after which there is no exile³¹)

- then certainly there is no place to say,

that when preparing for a state of eternal redemption Jews sought to amass a great multitude of silver and gold³²

And according to the above it is explained simply: Jews were ready to fulfill the command of G‑d

(that there should be “&lt;b&gt;and you will be saved &lt;/b&gt;from Egypt”),

and consequently they did not make during this any calculations what kind of benefit they would have from it.

They fulfilled the command of G‑d

with all your heart and with all your soul,

and consequently the departure from there before the completion of the fulfillment was “against their will”.

5.

And it will be sweetened more as above according to the explanation

(inner)

in the matter of "and you shall empty out Egypt"³³,

For at first glance it is not understood why the matter of "they went out with great wealth" was so important,

so much so that the Almighty did not allow Jews to forgo this³⁴

But this is in connection

(in accordance)

to the statement and the negative commandment of bal tashchit³⁵

and the Torah spares the money of Israel³⁶.

The “great wealth” means

(also)

the holy sparks that were in the silver and gold of Egypt; and through the fact that the silver and gold entered into the domain of Israel,

the sparks were elevated — from the nakedness of the land,

Egypt, into the domain of Bnei Yisrael,

to holiness³⁷,

And since the service of beirur hanitzotzot is a fundamental matter in avodat Hashem,

so that through this service the purpose of all creation is fulfilled — that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have a dwelling place &lt;b&gt;in the lower realms&lt;/b&gt;&lt;sup&gt;38&lt;/sup&gt;

(specifically)

— therefore they could not forgo this "great wealth".

And likewise regarding the "spoils of the sea" at Kri'as Yam Suf: knowing the great matter that is accomplished through the clarification of the sparks from the spoils of the sea,

the Jews performed the service with great vitality; moreover: the very thing that at Kri'as Yam Suf was the revelation of the Shechinah in a manner of "This is my G-d—they pointed at Him with a finger,"

further strengthened in them the immersion in taking the spoils of the sea, even to a degree of "with all your might."

that when a Jew knows and feels that the Supreme One "looks"³⁹

how he fulfills a commandment,

he does it with all his heart, soul, and might,

until there remains in him no power or matter that is not invested in the fulfillment of the commandment].

6.

And this is also the inner explanation in "they were driven against their will":

Not, heaven forbid, that Jews after Kri'as Yam Suf did not <b>want</b> to obey Moshe Rabbeinu - certainly they fulfilled the command of Moshe

(which is the command of Hashem)

to depart from the Yam Suf - with joy and a good heart;

But the explanation

(inner)

in “against their will” is&lt;sup&gt;40&lt;/sup&gt;,

that this is “against their will” of their intellect and understanding in Torah

(regarding the matter of “and you shall despoil Egypt”)

being &lt;b&gt;entirely immersed &lt;/b&gt;in the work of clarification&lt;sup&gt;41&lt;/sup&gt;

from “the spoils of the sea” with all their heart, soul, and might,

their tearing themselves away from it was in a manner of “against their will”,

and they do this from the side of acceptance of the yoke,

obeying &lt;b&gt;the will &lt;/b&gt;of God&lt;sup&gt;42&lt;/sup&gt;,

but of course — with joy and a good heart.

And more than this, it can be said — after the Almighty commanded &lt;b&gt;now &lt;/b&gt;to go to the Giving of the Torah,

they knew

(although it is not understood intellectually)

that the fulfillment of

(consequently —)

the time of the &lt;b&gt;commandment &lt;/b&gt;of “you have plundered Egypt,”

(spiritual)

through their continuing in the spoiling of the sea&lt;sup&gt;43&lt;/sup&gt;

— similar to the eating of matzah&lt;sup&gt;44&lt;/sup&gt;,

which is called “food of faith”&lt;sup&gt;45&lt;/sup&gt;,

because matzah

(physical, in its simple sense —)

strengthens faith&lt;sup&gt;46&lt;/sup&gt;

— this applies,

when the eating of matzah is during the days of Passover,

but when one eats the matzah after Passover,

the matter is &lt;b&gt;not &lt;/b&gt;brought about through the eating.

For the power that

(eating)

matzah has within it to strengthen faith, the Almighty gave for a specific time⁴⁷,

but after that time,

when its eating is not a commandment,

that power within it becomes nullified].

7.

From this one can also derive a fundamental lesson in divine service:

When a Jew is occupied with a matter of avodas Hashem,

he must in this be immersed⁴⁸

with his entire vitality and with all his powers,

until "with all your might" - beyond measure and limit,

which gives no place for a second avodah

(so that the transition from the avodah to a second is a matter of "against his will").

When however one receives a command from Shulchan Aruch,

from the spreading of Moshe in every generation⁴⁹

- that now one must interrupt from the avodah and do a second avodah,

then it is demanded of a Jew a thing and its opposite:

On one side, initially he has the feeling that the second service is a matter of "against his will",

as mentioned above,

being with all his soul and his very being devoted to the earlier service;

On the other hand, however,

this very movement itself

(of "against his will")

should bring him to "

(against your will)

<b>you live</b>"⁵⁰

- he should begin to <b>live</b> in the new service,

until a true vitality that is above measure and limitation.

Since he was devoted and given over to the will of G-d &lt;b&gt;to the utmost &lt;/b&gt;in the previous service,

as this is expressed in the feeling of "against your will",

as above - he receives a true vitality in the new service.

Ch.

And this is also the practical directive both for dwellers of the tent and for businessmen:

Dwellers of the tent - although they must be completely absorbed in the study of Torah,

but,

when the Shulchan Aruch says that the times of a transitory commandment come,

of saving a life and the like - that they must tear themselves away from the study of Torah and occupy themselves with saving lives,

the dissemination of Torah and Judaism,

etc. they must do this <b>with joy and vitality</b>.

One can indeed make a calculation: there is indeed much more pleasant to remain in "penim"

(inside)

and devote oneself entirely to the study of Torah - why should one go out into "<b>chutzah</b>"?

It is true,

that "whoever says I have nothing but Torah, even Torah he does not have"⁵¹,

but it must be Torah and acts of kindness⁵²

- he occupies himself also with acts of kindness - but this is only that which one <b>compels</b> him to do so

(because otherwise,

is "even Torah he does not have").

one must know,

that from this "against one's will"

(at the tearing oneself away from the study of Torah)

must become "you shall live" - doing in saving souls, spreading Torah and Judaism etc. with joy and with vitality,

until - in a manner that in these times is <b>this </b>his entire existence.

Regarding this is the instruction to businessmen - whose main service is in worldly matters: they must know,

that that which they are obligated to fix times for Torah must be not only a fixedness in time

(according to the measure as is ruled in the laws of Talmud Torah⁵³),

but also in a manner of fixedness <b>in the soul,</b>

that in these times they are entirely immersed in the study of Torah,

exactly as it is by one whose "Torah is his craft"⁵⁴.

9.

Following a directive of the matter of "they aided them against their will":

If this is so regarding the clarifications of physical silver and gold - that the Jews were so occupied with "the spoils of the sea" to clarify all the holy sparks within them so that not a single spark that is not clarified should remain - all the more so that this must be in the service of clarifications of drawing close Jews

(who have become distanced from Judaism)

to the fulfillment of Torah and mitzvos.

A Jew can argue: he has already brought close so many Jews to Judaism - he may now rest from the work and

(not be a idle person G-d forbid,

but)

occupy himself with another

(a more tasty - according to his nature and his intellect)

service in the service of the Creator -

one must know,

that he need not calculate how many Jews he has already brought close to Torah and mitzvos,

since there still remains one Jew whom he can [bring close]

To bring close and he had not yet brought him close -

Until he receives a command from Shulchan Aruch,

from the diffusion of Moshe in every generation and generation until the Rebbe, the Nasi of our generation - that today or from today he must do a different avodah,

he may not depart from the avodah of bringing close another Jew to Judaism.

And especially regarding Jews,

is indeed every Jew a "full world"⁵⁵.

So even if he has already brought close many Jews; but there has remained

(one more Jew who has not yet been brought close - there has indeed remained)

a <b>whole world</b> a <b>full world</b> that is not clarified.

This is even when it would be speaking about <b>one</b> Jew.

All the more so that there are still many many who need to be drawn to Judaism - he must certainly lie in this entirely,

with his entire vitality,

in a manner that when one wants to remove him from the service,

it is <b>against his will</b>.

And especially when one takes into consideration,

that through the fact that one is "mevarer" a Jew and one brings him close to Torah and mitzvos,

the Jew will also eventually become a "mevarer" who will draw other Jews to Judaism,

for one mitzvah leads to another mitzvah until

(and especially)

the mitzvah of "And you shall love your fellow &lt;b&gt;as yourself&lt;/b&gt;,"

so that from his action come forth fruits and fruits of fruits until the end of all the world.

(From the sicha of Shabbos Parshas Shemini 5734)