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Why did Hashem (ה׳) split the Red Sea when the Jews had already escaped Egypt? The shiur develops a fundamental yesod: Kriyas Yam Suf wasn't about leaving Egypt — it was Hashem appearing personally to show His love for Klal Yisrael. The Shirah is the emotional response of love returned, not praise for miracles.
Rabbi Zweig opens with a fundamental question: why was the splitting of the Red Sea necessary? The Jews had already left Egypt, and the Egyptians were eager to see them go. Yet Hashem (ה׳) orchestrated circumstances that caused Pharaoh to chase after them, placing the nation in mortal danger between the Egyptian army and the sea. This seems purposeless since the primary goal of the Exodus had already been achieved. The shiur addresses three interconnected questions: First, the apparent needlessness of Kriyas Yam Suf. Second, the Gemara (גמרא)'s statement that "marriage is as difficult as splitting the Red Sea" — how can anything be "difficult" for an omnipotent God? Third, Rashi (רש"י)'s comment on the first of the Ten Commandments explaining that Hashem says "I am the Lord your God who took you out of Egypt" to teach that despite appearing as a warrior at the sea and as a compassionate elder at Sinai, He is the same God. This seems obvious — monotheism has been Judaism's foundation since Avrohom.
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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 14-15, Shirah)
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