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Why did Hashem (ה׳) orchestrate Pharaoh's pursuit when Klal Yisrael was already free? The shiur develops that Kriyas Yam Suf wasn't merely rescue—it was Hashem making a personal appearance to restore our dignity and establish a rayosi relationship. Shirah is the only adequate response to such love, justifying the painful cost of destroying His maaseh yadayim; only after we sang could the malachim join in.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a fundamental question from the Gemara (גמרא) in Megillah: when the malachei hashareis wanted to sing shirah at Kriyas Yam Suf, Hashem (ה׳) stopped them, saying "maaseh yadai tovim bayam—my handiwork is drowning in the sea, and you want to sing?" Yet Klal Yisrael did sing shirah. How is this justified? Moreover, the Taz rules we don't say full Hallel on the seventh day of Pesach (פסח) because of this principle, but a Mechilta and Midrash Rabba both state explicitly that the malachim did sing shirah. The shiur also asks: if we do sing, why does our shirah focus so heavily on Egyptian suffering ("sus v'rochvo ramah vayam") rather than our salvation? The shiur presents another difficulty: Pharaoh had already expelled Klal Yisrael ("vayehi b'shalach Pharaoh es ha'am"). We were free. Yet Hashem commanded us to turn back, deliberately misleading Pharaoh into thinking we were trapped ("nevuchim heim ba'aretz"), and then hardened Pharaoh's heart to pursue us. Why orchestrate this entire miracle when simply leaving Egypt would have sufficed? According to the Rambam (רמב"ם), miracles must have purpose—not mere displays of power. What purpose required Kriyas Yam Suf?
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Why does the Midrash connect Pharaoh's expulsion of the Jews to the mitzvah of shiluach hakan? The shiur develops a chiddush that Pharaoh's sin wasn't only drowning the children, but the insensitivity of expelling the parents afterward. The deeper analysis reveals that Pharaoh may have valued the Jews greatly and wanted to control them—making his expulsion an act of tremendous cruelty, not liberation.
Why does Moshe respond to the splitting of the sea with shirah rather than praise or thanksgiving? Rashi's use of "al libo" reveals that shirah is an emotional expression—a response of love to love. When Hashem shows personal care, the only adequate response is "I love You too," not mere gratitude or praise, and this principle applies to all relationships.
Parshas Beshalach (Shemos 15:1 - Az Yashir)
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