My Weekly Drash (a mini D'var Torah) - B'shalach (2)
Posted by Daniel M. Kimmel on February 4, 2009 | Tags: Beshalach
There's a bit of unexpected sarcasm in Parshah B'Shallach, which doesn't put the Israelites in the best of lights. Moses has led them out of Egypt but Pharaoh's army is in pursuit. When they're close enough to be seen, we're told the Israelites complained to Moses, "Was it for want of graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness?" (Exo. 14:11) It made me think of David Byrne in "True Stories" sitting in an empty field where a concert will be held asking, "Think there'll be enough parking?" However the sarcasm is even darker. As our Etz Hayyim chumash points out, "Egypt was the classic lands of tombs." We're a people known for our humor and who "laugh in order not to cry," but sometimes the bitterness overwhelms the joke. Even if we didn't already know where the story is going, it's clear Moses is going to have his hands full.
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Daniel M. KimmelJoined: October 2, 2007 Daniel M. Kimmel is a Boston area film critic, lecturer and author. He does these weekly mini-lessons for the Mishkan Tefila Brotherhood's newsletter. You are free to use them for similar purposes. Divrei Torah (117) |
