When It's Too Easy to Return to Egypt

12 Shevat 5786
Erev Shabbat Kodesh
Parashat Beshallach - Shabbat Shirah

Excerpts from the Stone Edition Chumash Commentary on the parashah...

The Route to Eretz Yisrael

The quickest, easiest, and most direct route from Egypt to Eretz Yisrael is northeast along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, a route that goes through Philistia, which is on the west coast of the Holy Land (part of which is the Gaza area of today).  However, just as this was the easiest way to leave Egypt, it would also have been the easiest way to return there.  Since the war-like Philistines were sure to fight the Jewish "invaders," God knew that the people would lose heart and return to Egypt.  To avoid this, He led them on a roundabout path through the Sinai Desert, going east and then north, so that they would enter the Land from the eastern bank of the Jordan River.  This would take them so far from Egypt that it would be difficult - though not impossible - for them to consider returning.  Even so, there were times in the wilderness when the Jews complained against Moses and wanted to return to Egypt; had such a return been quick and easy, they would surely have attempted it.

Although they were confronted by an attack from Amalek, this did not cause them to return to Egypt, because the Amalekites did not fight to protect their homeland from invasion, as the Philistines would have done.  Were that the case, then the fearful Jews would have said correctly that the way to safety lay in a return to Egypt.  But Amalek was the offspring of Esau, and they attacked Israel because of their ancestor's ancient, implacable hatred of Jacob; they would have continued the attack even if the Jews had retreated toward Egypt.  Furthermore, at the time of Amalek's attack, Israel was already too deep into the Wilderness for an easy return (see Rashi, Ramban).

Our parashah ends with "Write This As A Remembrance" 

Hashem said to Moses, "Write this as a remembrance in the Book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I shall surely erase the memory of Amalek from under the heavens."  Moses built an altar and called its name "Hashem is My Miracle" [Hashem Nisi]; and he said, "For the hand is on the throne of God:  Hashem maintains a wr with Amalek, from generation to generation."  (Shemot 17.14-16)

Moses declared that God had sworn by placing His hand on His throne, as it were, that He would continue the war against Amalek forever, until the memory of that evil nation is obliterated.

 ~ SHABBAT SHALOM ~