Moving Forward
诪讻讬诇转讗 讚专讘讬 讬砖诪注讗诇 讘砖诇讞 – 诪住’ 讚讜讬讛讬 驻专砖讛 讘
讗专讘注 讻转讜转 谞注砖讜 讬砖专讗诇 注诇 讛讬诐, 讗讞转 讗讜诪专转 诇讬驻讜诇 讗诇 讛讬诐 讜讗讞转 讗讜诪专转 诇砖讜讘 诇诪爪专讬诐 讜讗讞转 讗讜诪专转 诇注砖讜转 诪诇讞诪讛 讻谞讙讚谉 讜讗讞转 讗讜诪专转 谞爪讜讜讞 讻谞讙讚谉. 讝讗转 砖讗诪专讛 诇讬驻讜诇 讗诇 讛讬诐 谞讗诪专 诇讛诐 讛转讬爪讘讜 讜专讗讜 讗转 讬砖讜注转 讛’, 讝讜 砖讗诪专讛 谞砖讜讘 诇诪爪专讬诐 谞讗诪专 诇讛诐 讻讬 讗砖专 专讗讬转诐 讗转 诪爪专讬诐, 讝讜 砖讗诪专讛 谞注砖讛 诪诇讞诪讛 讻谞讙讚谉 谞讗诪专 诇讛诐 讛’ 讬诇讞诐 诇讻诐, 讝讜 砖讗诪专讛 谞爪讜讜讞 讻谞讙讚谉 谞讗诪专 诇讛诐 讜讗转诐 转讞专讬砖讜谉.
Mekhilta, Beshallah, chapter 3
The Israelites at the Sea of Reeds were divided into four groups. One group said: Let us throw ourselves into the sea. One said: Let us return to Egypt. One said: Let us fight them; and one said: Let us cry out against them. The one that said “Let us throw ourselves into the sea,” was told: “Stand by, and witness the deliverance which the Lord will work for you today.” The one that said “Let us return to Egypt” was told “for the Egyptians you see today you will never see again.” The one that said “Let us fight them” was told: “The Lord will battle for you.” The one that said “Let us cry out against them” was told: “hold your peace!”
What a wonderful feature of being human, that we are so different that even our shared experiences produce in us such a wide range of possible emotions. Despair, regret, aggression, complaint鈥攖he midrash imagines that different people, standing at the shore of the Sea of Reeds with Pharoah’s army closing in from behind, felt each in different measure.
Moses’s response, the midrash imagines, addresses each of the emotions felt in that moment: “Have no fear! Stand by, and witness the deliverance which the Lord will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you will never see again. The Lord will battle for you; you hold your peace!” (Exod. 14:13鈥�14). Each person there felt addressed by some piece of this mini-pep talk; each group felt as if Moses understood and was speaking directly to them. Moses was able, in two short sentences, to speak to the diverse needs of those in his newly forming community.
Too often we walk through life judgmental of the way others respond to their circumstances. “If I were in his shoes . . . ,” we think, and go on to imagine how we might do things differently, better. The midrash invites us to consider that the variety of our responses is okay; in fact, it is part of our foundational story. From here, the Lord says to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to go forward!” If we grant ourselves and one another what Moses granted the Israelites鈥攃ompassionate acceptance of whatever our emotions may be鈥攖hen perhaps we will inspire one another to move forward with our own paths to freedom, as our ancestors did so long ago.
