Lessons from the roundabout way to the wilderness.
We often look at math, and for good reason, as an accurate description of our universe. There’s something powerful in understanding that two times two is four every single time. It is repeatable, consistent, and predictive.
It makes me think about one of my favorite books in the world, Isaac Asimov’s Foundation. In this book, Hari Seldon is a mathematics professor who calculates the future of humanity in broad strokes. In turn, he sets things into motion to alleviate the catastrophic future he predicts.
He recognizes that the path of the universe is not so direct. The shortest distance between two points in geometry might be a straight line, but for our lives, rarely so.
It is this dynamic that shows up in this week’s Torah portion, Beshalach. The portion begins:
וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה אֶת־הָעָם וְלֹא־נָחָם אֱלֹהִים דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ פְּלִשְׁתִּים כִּי קָרוֹב הוּא כִּי אָמַר אֱלֹהִים פֶּן־יִנָּחֵם הָעָם בִּרְאֹתָם מִלְחָמָה וְשָׁבוּ מִצְרָיְמָה׃ וַיַּסֵּב אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָעָם דֶּרֶךְ הַמִּדְבָּר יַם־סוּף וַחֲמֻשִׁים עָלוּ בְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃ וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת־עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף עִמּוֹ כִּי הַשְׁבֵּעַ הִשְׁבִּיעַ אֶת־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר פָּקֹד יִפְקֹד אֱלֹהִים אֶתְכֶם וְהַעֲלִיתֶם אֶת־עַצְמֹתַי מִזֶּה אִתְּכֶם׃
Now when Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Phillistines, although it was nearer; for God said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.” So God led the people roundabout, by way of the wilderness at the Sea of Reeds. Now the Israelites went up armed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had exacted an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will be sure to take notice of you: then you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”
God is leading the people out from Egypt and takes them on a roundabout path, one that will lead them to the Red Sea/Sea of Reeds. As they begin their journey, the Torah tells us that Moses gathers Joseph’s bones and carries them out of Egypt, as promised.
I always imagined Moses carrying it like a bindle, but that’s neither here nor there.
There’s a lot packed in there, so let me break down a few thoughts.
Real life is taking the long way.
There are no real shortcuts in life. We can try our best to learn from others and make good choices, but at the end of the day, we’re going through it the long way. We have to keep at it, marching along, facing the consequences that show up.
Self-awareness can help point the direction.
The text in the first verse says:
God did not lead them by way of the land of the Phillistines, although it was nearer; for God said, “The people may have a change of heart when they see war, and return to Egypt.”
God understood that when faced with challenges and consequences, we can as human beings, turn around and retreat to what we know. It is said that “we fail to the level of our systems.” If the people had gone the shorter route, they would have had to experience violence, according to the text, and this would cause the people to run back to what is known.
By being self-aware of our habits and our inclinations, we can set up circumstances for us to be more successful. Egypt wasn’t a good option, freedom was better, and the long way was better to reach that goal. Knowing ourselves and how we might react to stimuli can help us chart a better path forward for each of us.
Each of us is made of multitudes.
Chizkuni, a French commentator from the 13th century, noticed something important in the verse. He says:
[The Torah writes] “It was when Pharaoh had let the people go;” the reason why the Torah did not write that “Pharaoh let the Israelites go,” is because the word העם (ha’am) included fellow travelers who had joined the Jewish nation, as well as spies who would report back to Pharaoh on the route they had taken.
What he noticed is the subject of the verse. It is not the Israelites, but the people. In the context of the verse, this reminds us that it was not just Israelites who were fleeing.
For us, we can understand that within each of us, we are made up of many quirks, personalities, and perspectives. Each of those qualities within, want and need different things. My body might need healthy food while my mind needs peanut butter and chocolate ice cream. The nerd in me wants to keep reading science fiction books, while the worker in me wants to crack my knuckles and get started on work. All are true reflections of who I am.
All of who we are, as people, are on the journey, not just one aspect of us.
We are not always ready to use the tools we have.
In the first verse, as we talked about above, God is taking the people on the roundabout path because of the potential encounter with violence. And yet, in the second verse, it says, “So God led the people roundabout, by way of the wilderness at the Sea of Reeds. Now the Israelites went up armed out of the land of Egypt.”
God was worried about a war when these folks were armed? What’s the problem?
Sforno, an Italian commentator from the 15th century, suggested the following:
Although they had left Egypt fully armed. They did not have the courage to face the Egyptians in combat in spite of their being armed. They felt too inexperienced to face trained warriors.
Now, on the surface reading, we can understand these currently freedom-seeking slaves might not be prepared for a real war. They may not be trained, experienced, or strong enough.
Instead, on a deeper level, we can understand that though they had the tools they needed, it was not time yet to use them. After they enter the wilderness, they do end up fighting wars with all sorts of folks.
Each of us is gifted, trained, and experienced with a great many tools. We’re always learning and testing out those abilities. Sometimes we’re not ready to use them yet, from fear, inexperience, or opportunity.
As our paths weave towards the future, we can know that the skills we have learned along the way will benefit us, even in unknown ways.
We must still face the wilderness eventually.
In that same verse, we’re reminded that the Israelites weren’t just getting freed, they were entering the wilderness. God led them there.
We each have a wilderness before us. An unknown, fearsome future clouded in mystery. We have no choice but to face it, to approach it with the tools, wisdom, and relationships we’ve gained along the way.
We are responsible for each other.
At the end of this vignette at the beginning of the portion, we’re told:
And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, who had exacted an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will be sure to take notice of you: then you shall carry up my bones from here with you.”
Moses and Joseph did not live at the same time. So how come Moses took this on?
Sforno explains it this way:
Any obligation undertaken communally must be honored by the leader of that community when the time and opportunity presents itself to discharge that obligation.
What a powerful message for us in the modern era. We are obligated to one another. We are responsible for one another. Promises mean something.
And like Moses, we carry the promises of those made generations before. As an American, to push this country to the best it can be. As a Jew, to live a life of meaning with the Tradition. As a Rabbi, to guide and teach those around me.