PARSHAT BESHALACH – TALK TO YOU · Sukkat Shalom B'nei Noach

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Parashat Beshalach – Talk to You

This week’s Torah reading has many subjects. There is a scene where the Jewish people were in front of the Reed See and the Egyptians were behind them. They cried out to G-d for help. Rashi, the father of all commentators, explains an interesting comment on that. Based on Likutei Sichot, vol. 11, p.52

When They Faced the Sea: A Lesson on Prayer from Parshat Beshalach

A Dramatic Moment After the Exodus

This week’s Torah reading is Beshalach — the portion that describes what happened when Pharaoh finally sent the Jewish people out of Egypt. So many dramatic events take place in this reading that it is difficult to choose just one scene to focus on. But let us look closely at one particularly powerful moment.

After leaving Egypt, the Jewish people suddenly found themselves trapped. In front of them lay the Red Sea. Behind them, Pharaoh and the Egyptian army were chasing them, determined to bring them back. They were caught between the sea and their former oppressors. What were they supposed to do? Return to Egypt? Jump into the sea and face certain death?

The People Cry Out

The Torah tells us that at this moment the people cried out to G-d. The text does not specify what they said, only that they cried out. Here Rashi, the classic commentator from 11th-century France, offers an interesting explanation. He says that the people “adopted the occupation of their forefathers.” In other words, they prayed, just as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had prayed.

But this raises several questions. What is difficult about the verse? Of course they cried out, they were in danger! Why does Rashi feel the need to comment here at all? Earlier in the book of Exodus, when the people suffered under slavery, they also cried out to G-d, and Rashi makes no comment there. So why here?

Why Does Rashi Explain This Verse?

Furthermore, Rashi’s wording is unusual. He does not simply say, “They prayed.” Instead, he says they took up the occupation of their forefathers. And the examples he brings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob praying are not the most obvious ones.

Abraham famously prayed when G-d planned to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, yet Rashi chooses a different verse where Abraham is described simply as standing before G-d, which the sages interpret as prayer.

Similarly, Isaac prayed for children when he and Rebecca were childless, but Rashi instead points to the verse describing Isaac going out into the field “to converse,” which the sages explain as prayer.

And Jacob prayed directly for protection from his brother Esau, yet Rashi chooses another verse in which Jacob “encountered a place,” a word our sages connect to prayer.

Why choose these less explicit examples?

The Deeper Question

To understand this, we must first see what problem Rashi is addressing. G-d had already promised that He would take the Jewish people out of Egypt, bring them to Mount Sinai, and eventually into the Land of Israel. If they truly believed in this promise, why would they need to pray at the first crisis they encountered? And if they didn’t believe, then what would prayer accomplish?

Two Types of Prayer

The answer is that there are actually two kinds of prayer.

One type of prayer is when we ask for something, thank G-d, or plead for help. This is prayer with a request or purpose.

But there is another kind of prayer — prayer without asking for anything. The Hebrew word for prayer, tefillah, is related to the idea of joining or connecting parts together. Prayer can simply mean connecting with G-d. Not asking, not demanding, not even thanking — just being present with the Creator. Just speaking, being close, reconnecting.

What Happened at the Sea

This, Rashi suggests, is what happened at the Red Sea. The people were not praying because they doubted G-d’s promise or because they needed to request salvation. They prayed because this is what their ancestors did, they connected to G-d in moments of uncertainty.

That is why Rashi brings those particular verses about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, moments where they are simply found in prayer, without any explicit request. They are just standing, conversing, or encountering G-d. No demands, just connection.

A Powerful Lesson for Us

There is a powerful lesson here. Of course it is right to pray for our needs. We ask, thank, and praise G-d, because ultimately everything comes from Him. But perhaps the deepest prayer is simply saying: “I want to be with You. I want to speak with You.” No agenda — just connection.

Prayer Versus Complaint

Interestingly, if we continue reading the story, we see that soon after their prayer the people begin to complain to Moses: “Why did you bring us out of Egypt?” In moments of extreme pressure, people sometimes say things they do not truly mean. Fear and stress can distort our words.

But the initial cry, the prayer itself, was pure connection. Not complaint, not demand, but a return to their spiritual roots: turning to G-d simply to be close.

The Strongest Prayer

And perhaps that is the most powerful prayer of all: not only asking for help, but simply reconnecting with the One who guides us, even when the path ahead seems impossible.

Spreekbeurt van rabbijn Tuvia Serber

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