Beshalach: attribution and the Magic ...

Beshalach: attribution and the Magic wand

 

 

 The staff of Moshe (the magic wand) plays a very significant role in Beshalach. It is the described as the staff with which [Moses} hits the water.  It splits the sea and it causes the waters to return to heir previous strength, drowning the Egyptian pursuers.  It brings water from the rock.  It brings victory to the Israelites in their battle with Amalek.

 

Beshalach is packed with miracles and problems of attribution.  It starts with crediting Pharaoh with  a role in the Exodus and relegates Gd to planning a route to the promised land that is not too threatening for the Israelites.

 

Then there is the splitting of the sea ( with the aid of the staff) and the staff is used to drown the Egyptians. That story is confusing. Moses splits the sea and Gd  hardens the hearts of the Egyptians.  Another strange division of labor ( or attribution).  I am disturbed that Gd had Moshe drown the Egyptians.  Perhaps when Moshe  told the Israelites that they would never see the Egyptians again he forced Gd to make it happen ... so Gd had Moshe fulfill his promise.

 

The song of the Sea attributes the power that rescued Israel to Gd.  This explains the gemarrah (The Sages of the Talmud declare that the Holy One Blessed be He wished to make King Hezekiah the messiah, and Sennacherib Gog and Magog (the last battle before the final redemption, according to the Prophet Ezekiel). But the Measure of Justice declared before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, how is it possible that after you did not make David King of Israel - who sang so many songs and praises before you - the messiah, you could even think of making Hezekiah the messiah - he who did not sing a praise to You even after You did these many miracles for him? (B.T. Sanhedrin 94a). ).  Note that Hezekiah destroyed the Copper Snake ( Caduceus) and the book of cures.  He rejected the intermediaries, the magic.

 

The waters of Mara are sweetened with some other wood, not the staff. 

The staff extracts the water from the rock.

It brings victory to the Israelites in their battle with Amalek.

 

Why set up this intermediary? Did the staff really wield the power?
Perhaps the story of the drowning of the Egyptians is the most telling.  The miracles have consequences and the wielding of the staff demonstrates the human involvement, hence the human responsibility, for the consequences.  In our day we have miracles of communication and transportation, but the junk that they create are reminders of our participation  in those miracles.  Think of nuclear fall out!