D'var Torah- Parashat Beshalach: "Surviving and Thriving in the Desert"

72 Hours. A mere three days after the shock and awe of Kriat Yam Suf, Bnei Yisrael hit their first low in the desert. Only days earlier, they were immersed in endless waters, and now there is not a drop in sight. Finally, in the distance, an oasis! But as they approach, their joy turns to bitter disappointment. The water is a mirage, a pit of bitter H2O. "And Bnei Yisrael could not drink the waters in Mara (Bitter) because they were bitter." Seems like a normal response to near-death.



Why does the Torah critique Bnei Yisrael harshly for their complaints? A careful reading hints to us that the water was actually potable. R. Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, in his commentary Ha'amek Davar notes the contrast between the complaints here and in the next chapter, where Bnei Yisrael complain for bread. In the latter, the pasuk notes that the complaint is filed by "All of Israel" while here it is only "Israel." Clearly the entire nation would have complained if the water had been undrinkable after 3 days of travel.

If the water was indeed drinkable, how are we to understand the original pasuk? The Midrash Tanchuma and Lekach Tov answers this question with a twist in emphasis. It explains that Bnei Yisrael could not drink water in Marah"because they were bitter" because they, Bnei Yisrael, were bitter. Bnei Yisrael were expecting Poland Spring or Mei Eden, and they got mere H20. In their disappointment, they rejected the water, because they perceived the water as undrinkable.



Indeed, the filters through which we see the world, the lenses through which we peer determine nearly everything in our lives. In life, we encounter Holocaust survivors who found reasons to live, build families, and create communities; and we encounter people who have their day ruined by being given the wrong glass of water. But in reality, there is some of each in every one of us. How we view it all and how we respond is a decision we make each and every day. The choice is ours.

Our young men have spent three days trekking through desert terrain not far from where Bnei Yisrael wandered 3500 years ago. Rising to the challenge of conquering steep, rocky peeks and lending a hand one to another, they have tasted the sweetness of yet another region in Eretz Yisrael. May they continue to grow and learn and experience. That is among the missions of our special Yeshiva and we see that, thank G-d, the Yeshiva is accomplishing this mission on a daily basis with our wonderful talmidim.

Shabbat shalom