Parashat Ha'Shavuah: Be'Shalach

The Pen vs. The Sword

“The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is His name.”

Exodus 15:3

This verse, from the Song at the Sea, is one of the many verses in the Torah that describe God. However, the ending of the verse, “[T]he Lord is His name” seems peculiar. Why would it be placed next to a phrase, which depicts God's military strength? 

Looking at the first part of the verse, “The Lord is a man of war,” we can see that this depicts God's military abilities, such as his ability to help B'nei Yisrael defeat Amalek (which occurs later in this week's parashah). Perhaps, then, the second part of the verse, “[T]he Lord is His name,” refers to a different way to fight an enemy: through God's “name”, or through words.

In his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy, English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton said that “The pen is mightier than the sword”. This refers to the fact that words can sometimes, be more powerful than war. Perhaps “The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is His name” speaks to God’s ability to differentiate between the “pen” and the “sword” and when it is best to use each case.

 

As humans, we granted free will. Every day, we are presented with situations in which we need to decide if the “[P]en mightier than the sword”.  Although the correct response may be very clear to us, in other situations, it is not always that unambiguous.

Parashat Ha'Shavuah: Bo

Carpe Diem

“And the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying:

'This shall be unto you the beginning of months, it shall be the first of the year to you.”

Exodus 12:2

One of the basic things that define a person as “free” is their ability to make their own schedules, and to be able to decide when to do something. In comparison, slaves are constantly expected to serve their masters, and therefore do not have the ability to have time to themselves. It seems ironic, then, that at B'nei Yisrael's liberating moment, their time is now being dictated by God. Why, then, would God give this commandment now?

Looking at B'nei Yisrael's journey through the desert, we can see that during their so-called “Freedom,” B'nei Yisrael actually spend a large amount of time complaining about their lives and rebelling against God. Since there is only a seven week gap between Passover, when B'nei Yisrael left Egypt, and Shavuot, (hence the Omer) when B'nei Yisrael first complained, they would probably have been only several weeks into their forty-year journey.

Looking at the concept of Rosh Chodesh, we see that it is the only holiday commanded to us in the Torah that is we celebrate today as an almost regular day. Although we have a special Torah portion that is read, the celebration of the new month is relatively easy. Despite this, however, we have only one day a month to celebrate it.

Although B'nei Yisrael are now “free,” even for a short seven-week period before Matan Torah, God is impressing upon them the importance of time and the ability to use time wisely. Many things in life, once lost, can be regained — broken items can be mended, lost money can be earned. In comparison, time is a commodity that can never be replaced. By giving B'nei Yisrael the holiday of Rosh Chodesh now, God is showing B'nei Yisrael is showing them that, as a free nation, they are now responsible for their time and they must use it wisely.