בס׳׳ד Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn February 2020

Parsha Plug:

שמות יג:יז־כב 13:17-22

(יז) וַיְִה֗י ְבּ ַשַׁלּ֣ח ַפּרעֹה֘ את־העם֒ When let the people go, God did not lead them 17 ְ ֶ ָָ וְלֹא־נָָח֣ם ֱאלֹקים ֶדֶּ֚רְך ֶאֶ֣רץ ְפִּל ְשִׁתּ֔ים ִכּ֥י ,by] way of the land of the for it was near] ֹ ָקר֖וֹב ה֑וּא ִכּ֣י׀ ַאָמ֣ר ֱאלקים ֶֽפּן־יִנֵָּח֥ם because God said, ‘Lest the people reconsider when they הע֛ם ִבּראֹת֥ם ִמלחָמ֖ה ו ָשׁ֥בוּ ִמְצריְָמה: see war and return to Egypt’ 18 So God led the people ָָ ְ ָ ְָ ְ ָֽ (יח) וַיֵַּסּ֨ב ֱאלֹקים׀ ֶא ָת־הָע֛ם ֶדֶּ֥רְך ַהִמְּדָבּ֖ר around [by] way of the desert [to] the Red Sea, and the יַם־ ס֑וּף וֲַחֻמ ִשׁ֛ים ָעל֥וּ ְבנֵי־יְִשָׂרֵא֖ל ֵמֶאֶ֥רץ children of were armed when they went up out of ִמְצריִם: (יט) וַיִּקּ֥ח מֶֹשׁ֛ה א ַת־עְצמ֥וֹת Egypt. 19 took 's bones with him, for he ָֽ ַ ֶ ֵיוֹס֖ף ִעמּ֑וֹ ִכּי֩ ַה ְשֵׁבַּ֨ע ִה ְשִׁבּ֜ ַיע ֶא ְת־בּנֵ֤י Joseph] had adjured the sons of Israel, saying, ‘God will] יְִשָׂרֵאל֙ ֵלאמֹ֔ר ָפּקֹ֨ד יְִפקֹ֤ד ֱאלֹקים֙ ֶאְתֶכ֔ם surely remember you, and you shall bring up my bones וַהעִלית֧ם א ַת־עְצמַֹת֛י ִמזּ֖ה ִאתֶּכם: (כ) from here with you’ 20 They traveled from Succot, and ְ ֲ ֶ ֶ ֶ ְ ֽ וַיִּסע֖וּ ִמסּכֹּ֑ת וַיַּחנ֣וּ ְבֵאת֔ם ִבּקֵצ֖ה ַהִמּדָבּר: they encamped in Eitam, at the edge of the desert. 21 And ְ ֻ ֲ ָ ְ ְֽ (כא) וַֽיקֹוָ֡ק הֵֹלְך֩ ִלְפנֵ ֶיה֨ם ָיוֹמ֜ם ְבַּעמּ֤וּד the Lord goes before them by day in a pillar of cloud to ָענָן֙ ַלנְחָֹת֣ם ַהֶדֶּ֔רְך וְַל֛יְָלה ְבַּעמּ֥וּד ֵא֖שׁ cause it to lead them on the way and at night in a pillar of ְלָהִא֣יר ָלֶה֑ם ָלֶלֶ֖כת ָיוֹמ֥ם וָָֽליְָלה: (כב) fire to give them light, [they thus could] travel day and לֹא־יִָמ֞ישׁ ַעמּ֤וּד הענָן֙ ָיוֹמ֔ם וַעמּ֥וּד הֵא֖שׁ night. 22 He did not move away the pillar of cloud by day ֽ ֶָֽ ְ ָ ָל֑יְָלה ִלְפנֵ֖י ָהָֽעם: .or the pillar of fire at night from before the people

רשב''ם שמות יג:כא on Shemot 13:21

וה' הולך - מלאך שהיה The accompanying the on their journey positioned מוליך לפני ישראל, עמוד himself at the head of the marching columns in the guise of a pillar of האש ועמוד הענן. .cloud by day and a fiery column of flame at night

רש''י שמות יג:כא on Shemot 13:21

לנחתם הדרך. נָקוּד ַפָּתּח ֶשׁהוּא is punctuated with (לנחתם of ל To guide them on the way: It (the ְכּמוֹ ְלַהנְ ָחוֹתם, ַ"לְר ְאוֹתֶכם being a contracted) ְלַהנְ ָחוֹתם Patach, because it (the word) is like ַבֶּדֶּרְך ֲא ֶשׁר ֵתְּלכוּ ָבהּ" (דברים the way in which ַלְראְֹתֶכם“ (form of this); similar is, ( 1:33 א') ֶשׁהוּא ְכמוֹ ְלַהְר ְאוֹתֶכם, אַף ,to show you. Thus ְלַהְראְֹתֶכם ye shall go”, which is the same as ָכּאן ְלַהנְחָֹתם ַע"יְ ָשִׁל ַיח, ִוּמי to make them be להנחותם means as much as לנחתם :too, here הוּא ַה ָשִּׁל ַיח? ַעמּוּד ֶהָענָן; guided i. e. by means of an agent. And who was this agent? The וְַהָקּדוֹשׁ ָבּ ְרוּך הוּא ִבְּכבוֹדוֹ pillar of cloud. And the Holy One, blessed be He, in His glory led ִמוֹליכוֹ ִלְפנֵ ֶיהם, ִוּמָכּל ָמקוֹם it before them. Nevertheless He Himself did not act as their ֶאת ַעמּוּד ֶהָענָן ֵהִכין ְלַהנְ ָחוֹתם immediate guide, but He provided the pillar of cloud that they ַעל יָדוֹ, ֶשֲׁהֵרי ַע"יְ ַעמּוּד ֶהָענָן might be guided by means of it, for, since it was by means of the ֵהם ְהוֹלִכים; ַעמּוּד ֶהָענָן ֵאינוֹ pillar of cloud that they set forth on their journeys. The pillar of ְל ָאוֹרה ֶאָלּא ְל ָהוֹרוֹתם ַהֶדֶּרְך: .cloud was not for giving light to them but to show them the way

בס׳׳ד Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn February 2020

רבינו בחיי שמות יג:כא Rabbeinu Bachya on Shemot 13:21

ע"ד הפשט מפני שאין לשון הליכה ,Seeing that the term ‘going’ cannot truly be applied to God והעתקה נופל בהקב"ה ביאר הכתוב the plain meaning of this verse is that the pillar of cloud by כאן מה שעמוד ענן הולך לפניהם יומם day and the pillar of fire by night which had taken up לנחותם הדרך ולילה בעמוד אש ,position in front of the Jewish people to show them the way להאיר להם היה אות וסימן שהשם served as a sign for them that God was accompanying them המיוחד עמהם ביום ובלילה וב' every step of the way. These two pillars acted as their eyes in עמודים אלה שהיו הולכים עמהם ביום the desert and as protection against the dangers lurking in the ובלילה היו להם לעינים בדרך המדבר desert. When the quotes God (Shemot 19:4) saying: ‘I ולמגן ולהצלה מן המצריים, ועליהם carried you on the wings of eagles,’ it refers to these pillars אמר הכתוב (שמות י״ט:ד׳) ואשא of cloud and fire. Seeing that these pillars were designed to אתכם על כנפי נשרים, ולפי שהיו save the Israelites, they became the instruments by means of להצלת ישראל והמצריים נדונו בהם. .which the were judged

רמב''ן שמות יג:כא Ramban on Shemot 13:21

וה' הולך לפניהם יומם כבר אמרו (ב''ר And Hashem walked before them during the day: The נא ב) שכל מקום שנאמר וה' הוא ובית already said that ‘Every place that it says דינו, הקב''ה עמהם ביום ובית דינו Va'Hahsem' means Him and His court. God was with them' ​ ​ בלילה אם כן פירוש הכתוב שהשם שוכן during the day and His court at night.’ If so, the verse is בתוך הענן והולך הוא לפניהם ביום explaining that Hashem dwelled in the cloud and He went בעמוד ענן, ובלילה בית דינו שוכן before them by day in the pillar of cloud, and at night, His בעמוד האש להאיר להם...לשעבר אני court dwelled in the pillar of fire to light the way for ובית דיני הייתי מהלך לפניכם, שנאמר them...In the past My court and I would go before you, as it וה' הלך לפניהם יומם, אבל לעתיד לבא says, Va'Hashem went before them by day, but in the ​ אני לבדי...וסוד המדרש הזה כאשר future, I will go alone [before you]...And the secret in this הזכרתי, כי בגאולה הראשונה היה is as I have mentioned, because in the first הקב''ה עמהם ביום ובית דינו עמהם redemption God was with them by day and His court was בלילה, אבל לעתיד לבא תתעלה מדת with them by night. But in the future redemption, you will בית דינו ברחמים, וה' הולך לפניהם, lift the attribute of His court with mercy, ‘and Hashem will השם המיוחד. .walk before them’, Hashem only

עין יעקב שבת ב:ה Midrash Ein Yaakov (Glick) 2:5

אונקלוס בר קלוניקוס איגייר שדר Onkelos bar Klonikos converted, and the Caesar sent militia קיסר גונדא דרומאי אבתריה משכינהו to take him. He, however, persuaded them, and they also בקראי ואיגיירו הדר שדר גונדא became proselytes. He then sent other militia, warning them אחרינא אבתריה אמר להו לא תימרו that they should not converse with him. When they took him ליה מידי כד נקטיה ליה ואזל אמר להו ;and were going, he said to them: I will tell you something אימא לכו מלתא בעלמא ניפורא נקיט ,usually the torch-bearer carries the light in front of the litter נורא קמי פיפיורא פיפיורא נקיט נורא the chief lecticarius (behind the litter, carries the light) for the לדוכסא דוכסא להגמונא הגטונא ;dux, the dux for the hegeman, the hegeman for the comes

בס׳׳ד Rabbanit Alissa Thomas-Newborn February 2020

לקומא קומא מי נקיט נורא קמי אינשי but do the comes carry the light before the people? And they אמרו ליה לא אמר להו הקב״ה נקט answered:No. Said he: The Holy One carries the light before נורא קמי ישראל דכתיב (שמות יג Israel, as it is written (Shemot 13:21) ‘And the Lord went כא) וה׳ הולך לפניהם יומם וגו׳ איגיור before them in a pillar of cloud’. And they also became כולהו הדר שדר גונדא אחרינא בתריה proselytes. The Caesar then sent other ones after him, telling אמר להו לא תשתעו כלל בהדיה כי them not to talk to him at all. But when they took him, he נקטי לי׳ ואזלי חזא מזוזתא דמנחה saw a mezuzah on the doorpost and said to them: Do you אפתחא אותיב ידיה עלה אחיך אמרו .know what this is? They answered: No, but you may tell us ליה אמאי קא מחייכת אמר להו מנהגו He then said: It is customary with a human king that while he של עולם מלך יושב מבפנים ועבדיו .is within the palace his servants guard him from without משמרין אותו מבחוץ אבל הקב״ה ,With the Holy One, it is the contrary. His servants are inside עבדיו מלפנים והוא משמרן מבחוץ and He guards them from without, as it is said (Tehillim שנאמר (תהלים קכא ח) ה׳ ישמר The Lord will guard your going out and your coming‘ (121:8 צאתך ובואך וגו׳ איגיור ותו לא שדר in’. Then these also became proselytes, and the Caesar did אבתריה. .not send any more after him

Aish Kodesh, Beshalach January 20, 1940 ​ [On Shemot 13:21] Until this verse, all the preceding text [in our parsha] is stated in the past tense...But this verse, “And God goes before them . . .”, is the first place in which the text speaks in the present tense...We must always use the judgments and suffering we endure properly, utilizing them to worship God, to keep going day and night. We learn this from that part of the text that speaks in the present tense and refers to the necessity for the Jewish people to keep going, day and night. Furthermore, from what we have already said the deeper implication becomes plain and clear: Not only when the going is soft and easy must we go in God’s ways, climbing higher and higher spiritual heights, but also when, God forbid, we are in pain and darkness. For when a person enjoys generous good fortune, it is easy for him to worship God joyously, passionately, and with love. Nevertheless, when he is suffering, God forbid, he must take advantage of that situation also, to worship God with his broken heart and with an outpouring of the soul. We learn in the (Berachot 3a): “When R. Yosi entered one of the ruined houses of in order to pray, he heard a heavenly echo (bat kol).” R. Yosi was told by Eliyahu HaNavi that the heavenly voice speaks not only in the ruins, but whenever Jewish people go into anywhere, in order to pray. Why then did R. Yosi not hear this echo when praying in his own ?...It was precisely because R. Yosi was praying amidst the ruins of Jerusalem, because his heart was broken in response to the destruction around him, that he was able to hear the heavenly echo. And so it must be with us, when commerce is brought to a standstill and businesses are closed, God forbid. It may indeed be a very sad and bitter reality—for, after all, the Jewish people need and deserve a livelihood. Nevertheless, regardless of the reason for our having so much free time, let us not waste the time or the opportunity. If there is nothing for us to do, then let us recite the , and so forth. Let us keep going, day and night. And God Who is merciful will have mercy, and will turn the judgments around so that they become entirely beneficial, “going before them,” to meet each individual need.