WHY LEARN ABOUT PESACH EVERY YEAR?
Beit Midrash Program
5778
“Bechol dor va’dor chayav adam lirot et atzmo k’eelu huyatzah me-mitzraim”
“In every generation each person should feel as though he or she personally had gone forth from Egypt”.
Activity 1: Take the Torah Challenge. “TANACH SOURCES”
1. With a partner learn the following Pesukim and answer the following question.
• Deuteronomy 6:20-21 We were what? Where?
• Exodus 1:11 What did the Israelite slaves build?
• Exodus 6:20 The names of Moses’ parents.
• Exodus 1:15 The names of the righteous midwives.
• Exodus 3:13 Moses’ response to God’s call.
• Exodus 4:17 Moses’ ‘tool’
• Exodus 13:8 Who is going out of Egypt?
• Deuteronomy 5:15 We observe Shabbat because ...
• Genesis 15:13 The number of years the Israelites were enslaved.
• Exodus 11:9 Why did Pharaoh not listen to Moses’ request?
• Numbers 11:5 The Israelites complain of no longer having these foods that
they ate in Egypt:
• Deuteronomy 16:3 Matzah is called ‘the bread of ...’
• Exodus 13:8 We tell this story because of what God did for _______ when ________
went from _________.
Activity 2: The Talmud. “POST TANACH SOURCES”
….each tribe was unwilling to be the first to enter the sea. Then Nachshon, the son of Amminadav, sprang forward and was first one into the sea;
….At that time Moses was engaged for a long while in prayer; so the Holy One,
blessed be He, said to him, ‘My beloved ones are drowning in the sea and you are
prolonging your prayer before Me!’ Moses responded, ‘Lord of the Universe, what
is there in my power to do?’ He replied to him, Tell the children of Israel to go
forward.
(Source: After Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 37a)
THE FOUR CAMPS AT SEA
But suddenly the sea was before them, and Pharaoh’s armies were closing in from behind. Egypt was alive and well; the sea, too, seemed oblivious to the destiny of the newly born nation.
How did they react? The Midrash tells us that the Jewish people were divided into four camps. There were those who said, “Let us throw ourselves into the sea.” A second group said, “Let us return to Egypt.” A third faction argued, “Let us wage war upon the Egyptians.” Finally, a fourth camp advocated, “Let us pray to G‑d.”
Moses, however, rejected all four options, saying to the people, “Fear not; stand by and see the salvation of G‑d which He will show you today. For as you have seen Egypt this day, you shall not see them again, forever. G‑d shall fight for you, and you shall be silent” (Exodus 14:13). “Fear not, stand by and see the salvation of G‑d,” explains the Midrash, is Moses’ response to those who had despaired of overcoming the Egyptian threat and wanted to plunge into the sea. “As you have seen Egypt this day, you shall not see them again” is addressed to those who advocated surrender and return to Egypt. “G‑d shall fight for you” is the answer to those who wished to battle the Egyptians, “and you shall be silent” is Moses’ rejection of those who said, “This is all beyond us. All we can do is pray.”
Activity 3: What did You Hear when You Were There?
Was it quiet or total disharmony? Were people crying or silent? Etc...
Activity 4: A Postcard from Across the Sea
1. Just as each of you learned that Bnei Yisroel heard and said different things before they entered the Sea, each certainly had different impressions, hopes and fears of what would happen once they were free.
2. What were they?
3. Use Torah sources (from Activity #1 & 2) to support your writing.
4. Write a postcard from the entrance to the Sea, describe what was going on at the time, the sounds, sights, and smells. And how do you feel inside?
5. Include the group you would have likely joined to be a part of at the sea.