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B'Shalach
Exodus 13:17--17:16
1st Aliya
13:17--14:8
2nd Aliya
14:9--14:14
3rd Aliya
14:15--14:25
4th Aliya
14:26--15:26
5th Aliya
15:27--16:10
6th Aliya
16:11--16:36
7th Aliya
17:1--17:16
Haftarah
Judges
4:4--5:31
Glossary of Names
Aharon----Aaron
Ba'al Tz'fon--Baal
Zephon
B'shalach--with (His)
sending
Chorev--Horeb
Miryam--Miriam
Mitzrayim----Egypt
Moshe---Moses
M'rivah--Meribah
Par'oh-----Pharaoh
Pi'haChirot--Pi-hahiroth
R'fidim--Rephidim
Y'isra'el---Israel
Y'hoshua--Joshua
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B'Shalach (Exodus)
13:17...
1st Aliya
It
happened when Par'oh sent out the people that Elokim did not lead them by the
way of the land of the Philistines, because it was near, for Elokim said,
"Perhaps the people will reconsider when they see a war, and they will
return to Mitzrayim."
Hashem
did not allow the Israelites take this road precisely because it was short.
If anything had frightened them, it would have been too easy for them to
return to Mitzrayim. Hashem knew that
he slightest hostility might cause them to regret leaving Mitzrayim, and
drive them to return. 
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B'Shalach
(Exodus) 14:9...
2nd Aliya
Mitzrayim
pursued them and overtook them, encamped by the sea--all the horses and
chariots of Par'oh, and his horseman and army--by Pi'haChirot before Ba'al-Tz'fon.
At this time, the Israelites were
involved in an important undertaking. As we have seen,
the Pishon River runs through
fields of gold and precious stones in the Garden Eden (Genesis 2:11). In
those days, the Pishon fed into the Gichon River, which followed a
subterranean course into the Sea of Reeds. The waves washed these jewels on
the shore, and the Israelites were busy gathering them up.
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B'Shalach (Exodus)
14:15...
3rd Aliya
HaShem
said to Moshe, "Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the Children of Israel
and let them journey forth!"
"Why
are you crying out to Me?" asked HaShem. "This
is no time for prayer. My people are
suffering! "Besides, what need have
you to pray? My people have already
prayed to Me, and I have heard their prayers. "Speak
to the Israelites and let them move forward."
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B'Shalach (Exodus)
14:26...
4th Aliya
Hashem
said to Moshe, "Stretch out your hand over the sea, and the water will go
back upon Mitzrayim, upon its chariots and upon its horsemen."
Hashem
saw this as a fitting punishment. The
Egyptians had decided initially to drown the Israelites infants, because
HaShem had sworn that He would never again bring a flood to destroy all
the world (Genesis 9:11). Thus, they
felt, Elokim would not be able to punish them in a similar manner. "Come,
let us outsmart Him" (1:10). But
HaShem did not have to bring a flood. He
merely led the Egyptians into the sea and drowned them on the spot.
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B'Shalach (Exodus)
15:27...
5th Aliya
They
arrived at Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy
date-palms; they encamped by the water.
According
to Mechilta, these springs and trees were prepared from
Creation in anticipation of the coming of the twelve tribes and their
seventy leaders, and in order to show individual honor to each of
them. We see how shortsighted
man is! Had the Children of
Israel seen what a splendid oasis was close by, they surely would not
have grumbled about the bitter water at Marah.
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B'Shalach (Exodus)
16:11...
6th Aliya
HaShem
spoke to Moshe, saying, "I have heard the complaints of the Children of
Israel. ..."
A
species of bird, known as s'lav,
שלו
, landed on the
camp, where the birds could easily be captured by the Israelites.
The s'lav is an
extremely plump and tender pigeon-like bird.
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B'Shalach (Exodus)
17:1...
7th Aliya
The
entire assembly of the Children of Israel journeyed from the Wilderness
of Sin to their journeys, according to the Word of HaShem. They
encamped in R'fidim and there was no water for the people to drink.
The
place was named R'fidim because the people became lax (r'fiah
רפה
) in their observance.
The
wells therefore dried up, as the Torah states, "There was no water
for the people to drink." There
was water, but it was fit only for beasts, not for human
consumption.
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