THE SEVENTH DAY OF PASSOVER

 THE SEVENTH DAY OF PASSOVER, EXODUS 13:17-15:26

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The seventh day of Passover is a festival day and this year it falls on Shabbat. While we would normally read the Shemini Torah portion from the Book of Leviticus, this year we go back to the Book of Exodus starting at 13:17 and ending at 15:26.

Among other things we learn in the Torah portion:

       1. Pharaoh chases after us, and we are trapped at the Sea of Reeds.

       2. The sea is split for us, and we pass through on to dry land.

       3. The pursuing Egyptians are drowned.

       4. The "Song at the Sea" and "Miriam’s Song" are sung by the people upon their deliverance

       5. We are thirsty and the only water that Moshe is able to find is bitter, but Hashem helps him to sweeten the bitter waters

        6. We are given some Torah laws and are tested on them.

Hashem says (14:4): "And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them".

וְחִזַּקְתִּ֣י אֶת־לֵֽב־פַּרְעֹה֘ וְרָדַ֣ף אַֽחֲרֵיהֶם֒

Instead of "harden" substitute the word "strengthen" because the root of ְחִזַּקְתִּ֣י is חַזֵק which means strengthen.

And if "heart" means the intellect, then Hashem is causing Pharaoh to mentally focus on losing million of his slaves, who for 100's of years have supported the Egyptian economy and are now leaving with the wealth of Egypt.

Slaves are property; they are things, not human beings.  And Pharaoh wants to take back his “property” which he believes belongs to him.  It could be that this system of national servitude started 100’s of years before, during the famine years.  This was the time when starving Egyptians sold everything they had in order to buy grain from Pharaoh.  Perhaps, some sold themselves into slavery. 

Did Joseph have a role in this?

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We are entering into a new phase for the Jewish people.  We are on our way to becoming a tribal nation. We are becoming conscious of our autonomy, unity, and our exclusive attachment to Hashem, the one God.  I think Rav Kook would say that as individuals and as a nation we are acquiring a spiritual national soul.  We are already in possession of a rich legacy of memories and hopefully the desire to live together.

But in order to be truly free, there becomes a time to stand up and take a first step:

Trapped at the Sea of Reeds, with the Egyptian Calvary breathing down our necks, Hashem orders us to stand up for ourselves, and go forward.  This is a lesson for Jews for all time and all places.

At 14:15:

 וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל-מֹשֶׁה, מַה-תִּצְעַק אֵלָי; דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי-יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְיִסָּעוּ.

 “Hashem says to Moshe:  Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel and let them journey”.

And so we took the plunge!

Anyone living outside the Land of Israel, you too should consider  taking the plunge.  Come on home.

It is all part of your journey.

וְיִסָּעוּ is translated as “journey”, meaning traveling from one place to another.  But since the journey turned out to be a long arduous one, and largely on foot, “trek” would have been a better choice.

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At 15:20-21 we find Miriam, leading all the Jewish women:

וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן, אֶת-הַתֹּף--בְּיָדָהּ; וַתֵּצֶאןָ כָל-הַנָּשִׁים אַחֲרֶיהָ, בְּתֻפִּים וּבִמְחֹלֹת.

"And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbral in her hand; and all the women went out following her with timbrals and with dances."

Is there some significance to the verse “and all the women went out following her…” in the sense of emphasizing that all the Jewish women went out from Egypt...that is leaving idolatry behind.

 But maybe not all the men doing so?

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At 15:22 the Israelites have traveled on in the wilderness for three days without encountering water. We are thirsty.  We complain.  Then we arrive at Marah, where there is water—but bitter water.  With Hashem's help Moses miraculously sweetens the bitter water.

Then directly after, the Torah as part of verse 25 says:

שָׂ֥ם ל֛וֹ חֹ֥ק וּמִשְׁפָּ֖ט וְשָׁ֥ם נִסָּֽהוּ

“There He gave them a statute and an ordinance, and there He tested them.”

It would appear that prior to the revelation at Mt. Sinai we were give some Torah laws and that we were tested on them.

What laws do you think were given?

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The Haftorah portion for the 7^th day of Passover is from 2 Samuel 22:1-51.  The wording is almost identical to Psalm 18.

It is called the “Song of David”. It is a song of gratitude and praise.  Its major theme is David's unwavering belief that Hashem is his protector, savior, and source of comfort. Whatever successes David may have achieved is all due to Hashem's help.

THE LEVIATHAN & THE BEHEMOTH:PART I: TANACH

THE LEVIATHAN & THE BEHEMOTH

PART I: TANACH

The Leviathan and the Behemoth are primeval monstrous animals that Hashem created when He created the universe and everything in it.

The Leviathan and the Behemoth are spoken about in Book of Job, Prophet Isaiah and Psalms.

The Leviathan is an enormously large and powerful sea creature.  Likewise the Behemoth is an enormously large and powerful land creature, and is the land-based counterpart of the Leviathan.

Regarding the Leviathan:

The Leviathan לִוְיָתָן is mentioned five times in the Tanakh, in Job 3:8, Job 40:25–41:26, Psalm 74:14, Psalm 104:26 and Isaiah 27:1.  It comes across as an enormously powerful creature that no one, certainly not a human being, can control except for God who created it.

Job 3:8 –

 יִקְּבֻהוּ אֹרְרֵי-יוֹם;    הָעֲתִידִים, עֹרֵר לִוְיָתָן

Let those curse it who curse the day, Who are prepared to rouse Leviathan.

Job 40:25  –

תִּמְשֹׁךְ לִוְיָתָן בְּחַכָּה;    וּבְחֶבֶל, תַּשְׁקִיעַ לְשֹׁנוֹ

Can you pull the leviathan with a harpoon, or press down his tongue with a rope?

40:26 –

הֲתָשִׂים אַגְמֹן בְּאַפּוֹ;  וּבְחוֹחַ, תִּקֹּב לֶחֱיוֹ

Can you insert a fishhook into his nose, or pierce his jaw with a barb?

40:27 –

הֲיַרְבֶּה אֵלֶיךָ, תַּחֲנוּנִים;    אִם-יְדַבֵּר אֵלֶיךָ רַכּוֹת

 Will he offer much supplication to you, or will he speak soft words to you?

28 –

 הֲיִכְרֹת בְּרִית עִמָּךְ;    תִּקָּחֶנּוּ, לְעֶבֶד עוֹלָם.

Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a lifelong slave?

This description continues through 41:26, but by now you get the picture, and which is epitomized in 41:2 where Hashem says:

לֹא-אַכְזָר, כִּי יְעוּרֶנּוּ;    וּמִי הוּא, לְפָנַי יִתְיַצָּב

There is no one so fierce that he can stir him up, and who is he who can stand before Me?

Psalm 74:14 –

 אַתָּה רִצַּצְתָּ, רָאשֵׁי לִוְיָתָן;    תִּתְּנֶנּוּ מַאֲכָל, לְעָם לְצִיִּים

It was You who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the people of the wilderness.

Psalm 104:26 -

 שָׁם, אֳנִיּוֹת יְהַלֵּכוּן;    לִוְיָתָן, זֶה-יָצַרְתָּ לְשַׂחֶק-בּוֹ

There the ships go; You formed this Leviathan with which to play with.

Isaiah has a different take on the Leviathan.  He considers it to be two enormous serpent-like sea monsters, the Taninnim from the Book of Genesis that were created by God on the 5^th day of Creation.  In the eyes of the Prophet they are metaphors for Assyria and Babylonia.

Isaiah 27:1-

בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִפְקֹד יְהוָה בְּחַרְבּוֹ הַקָּשָׁה וְהַגְּדוֹלָה וְהַחֲזָקָה, עַל לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַ, וְעַל לִוְיָתָן, נָחָשׁ עֲקַלָּתוֹן; וְהָרַג אֶת-הַתַּנִּין, אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם

On that day, the Lord shall visit with His hard and great and strong sword on Leviathan the barlike serpent, and upon Leviathan the crooked serpent, and He shall slay the Tannin that is in the se

If you are looking for an animal that embodies the Leviathan, consider the whale, specifically the blue whale:

The blue whale is the largest species of whale, and the largest species of animal known to have existed.  The blue whale reaches a maximum length of 98 feet and weight of 190 tons. It is the largest animal known to have ever existed. The blue whale’s diet consists almost exclusively of krill, a small crustacean.

However, if you are looking for a whale with more of a bite then there is an extinct whale genus called the Livyatan.  It to around 5 million years ago, and was present throughout the Southern Hemisphere.  Livyatan's total length has been estimated to be about 44–57 feet making it one of the largest predators to have ever existed. The teeth of Livyatan measured 1.2 feet and are the largest biting teeth of any known animal. It follows that the Livyatan is called an Alpha Predator.

Regarding the Behemoth:

The Behemoth is found only once in TANACH, but appears in Apocrypha literature.  In TANACH it is described in a speech from the mouth of Hashem to Job in chapter 40 of the Book of Job, verses 15-24.  The Behemoth is a primeval creature created by Hashem and so powerful that only God can overcome him:

40:15 – הִנֵּה-נָא בְהֵמוֹת, אֲשֶׁר-עָשִׂיתִי עִמָּךְ;    חָצִיר, כַּבָּקָר יֹאכֵל

Behold now the Behemoth that I have made with you; he eats grass like an ox.

40:16 – הִנֵּה-נָא כֹחוֹ בְמָתְנָיו;    וְאוֹנוֹ, בִּשְׁרִירֵי בִטְנוֹ

Behold now his strength is in his loins and his power is in the muscles of his stomach.

40:17 – יַחְפֹּץ זְנָבוֹ כְמוֹ-אָרֶז;    גִּידֵי פַחֲדָו יְשֹׂרָגוּ

His tail hardens like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together.

40:18 – עֲצָמָיו, אֲפִיקֵי נְחֻשָׁה;    גְּרָמָיו, כִּמְטִיל בַּרְזֶל

His limbs are as strong as copper, his bones as a load of iron.

40:19 – הוּא, רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכֵי-אֵל;    הָעֹשׂוֹ, יַגֵּשׁ חַרְבּוֹ

His is the first of God's ways; only his Maker’s sword can approach him.

40:20 – כִּי-בוּל, הָרִים יִשְׂאוּ-לוֹ;    וְכָל-חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה, יְשַׂחֲקוּ-שָׁם

For the mountains bring forth food for him, and all the beasts of the field play there.

40:21 – תַּחַת-צֶאֱלִים יִשְׁכָּב--    בְּסֵתֶר קָנֶה וּבִצָּה

He lies under the shadows, hidden in the reeds and the swamp. 

40:22 – יְסֻכֻּהוּ צֶאֱלִים צִלְלוֹ;    יְסֻבּוּהוּ, עַרְבֵי-נָחַל

The shadows cover him as his shade. The willows of the brook surround him.

40:23 – הֵן יַעֲשֹׁק נָהָר, לֹא יַחְפּוֹז;    יִבְטַח, כִּי-יָגִיחַ יַרְדֵּן אֶל-פִּיהוּ

Behold, if a river overflows, he does not tremble; he is confident, though the Jordan rush forth to his mouth.

40:24 – בְּעֵינָיו יִקָּחֶנּוּ;    בְּמוֹקְשִׁים, יִנְקָב-אָף

Shall any take him by his eyes, or pierce through his nose with a snare?

 

This description describes a powerful animal similar to a Hippopotamus.

 

 

The hippopotamus is large, very large; males weigh more than 4000 lb. up to 7000 lb. The hippopotamus spends much of its time in lakes, swamps and rivers.  The eyes, ears, and nostrils of hippos are placed high on the roof of their skulls. This allows these organs to remain above the surface while the rest of the body is submerged.

Hippos measure 10 to 17 feet in length, including a tail of about 1 to 2 feet in length. Their diet consists almost entirely of grass. The hippo is among the most dangerous animals in the world due to its highly aggressive and unpredictable nature.

A hippo can open its mouth at almost 180° making it a terrifying creature.  If that is not enough, Hippo teeth sharpen themselves as they grind together. The lower canines and lower incisors are enlarged, especially in males, and grow continuously. The incisors can reach 1 ft 4 in, while the canines reach up to 1 ft 8 in.  Canines and incisors are used for combat.  Hippos appear to communicate vocally, through grunts and bellows.  Imagine facing an open-mothed bellowing monster with 20 inched teeth…oh Mama!

Job was probably familiar with hippos.  Before becoming locally extinct they inhabited Egypt and the region known as the Levant, which includes Israel.  Think of the Hula Valley and the area south of Tiveria.  Archaeological evidence exists of its presence in the Levant, dating to less than 3,000 years ago.

The Talmud (Bava Batra 74b) understands the Behemoth to be a creature unknown to man today, but one which will play a role in the Messianic Era. It identifies the Behemoth as a huge animal far too powerful for human interaction,  At the End of Days,  there will be a feast for the Righteous.  As part of the feast, Hashem will serve up the Behemoth and the Leviathan. Kashrut is not a problem.

In commemoration of this Messianic feast there is a modern tradition where during  the Passover Seder fish is added to the Seder plate in memory of the Leviathan, and the shank bone already in place symbolizes the Behemoth.

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