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Why does Rashi (רש"י) emphasize the forefathers' davening of Shacharis, Mincha, and Maariv when the Jews cried out at the Red Sea? The shiur distinguishes two types of prayer: requesting help versus Shemoneh Esrei's higher level—reaffirming "I belong to You." The Jews' choice to pray as God's subjects, not petitioners, transformed the situation into God's interest alone, making even Moshe's intercession unnecessary.
Rabbi Zweig analyzes the narrative of the Jewish people crying out to God at the splitting of the sea, focusing on a puzzling Rashi (רש"י). When the Torah (תורה) states "they cried out to Hashem (ה׳)," Rashi comments that they "adopted the craft of their forefathers—prayer," citing the three instances where Avrohom, Yitzchok, and Yaakov instituted Shacharis, Mincha, and Maariv. The Maharal is troubled: why cite these specific examples when there are more analogous prayers by the forefathers in times of distress (Yitzchok praying for children, Yaakov fearing Esav)? The shiur proposes a fundamental distinction between two types of prayer. The first is universal prayer for help—crying out to God in distress, which even non-Jews like Yishmael practiced. This prayer can be done in any position, requires no specific text, and functions as a direct request where the petitioner exerts legitimate pressure on God to answer. The second type is Shemoneh Esrei, the formalized Jewish prayer instituted by the Avos. This prayer is fundamentally different: it is not primarily a request but rather a reaffirmation of one's status as God's servant. The structure—three blessings of praise, twelve of requests, three of thanksgiving—reflects this. The Hebrew verb hispalel (reflexive form) indicates that the person is making himself into a davener, a committed subject of God.
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Shemos 14:10-15 (Parshas Beshalach)
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