Exo 13:17-17:4

EXO 13

Pillars of Cloud and Fire

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”

Rashi’s Commentary

When Pharaoh let . . . God did not lead them—And did not lead them, just as (Exo 32:34), “Go, lead (נְחֵה) the people,” and (Pro 6:22) “When you walk, they will lead (תִּנְחֶה) you.”

Although that was near, and it would therefore be easy to return by the same route to Egypt. Of aggadic midrashim there are many (cf. Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 13:17).

Lest . . . change their minds—They cherish a different thought about the fact that they left Egypt and set their hearts on returning (cf. Rashi on Gen 6:6).

When they see war—For instance the war mentioned in (Num 14:45) “And the Amalekites and the Canaanites descended, etc.” If they had proceeded by the direct route they would have then turned back. If, when he led them about by a circuitous way, they said (Num 14:4), “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt,” had he led them by a direct route how much the more certainly would they have spoken so.

Megillah 31a:6

The baraita continues: On the last Festival day of Passover, they read the portion of “When Pharaoh let the people go” (Exo 13:17-15:26), because it includes the account of the splitting of the Red Sea, and they read as the haftara the portion “And David spoke” (2Sa 22), which is the song of David. And in the Diaspora, on the next day, the eighth day of Passover, they read the portion “All the firstborns” (Deu 15:19-16:17), and they read as the haftara the portion of “This very day” (Isa 10:32-12:6), because it discusses the downfall of Sennacherib, which occurred on the night of Passover.

Megillah 31a:7

Abaye said: And nowadays, on the eight days of Passover in the Diaspora, everyone is accustomed to read portions that are indicated by the mnemonic phrase: Select the bull, consecrate with money, cut in the wilderness, send the firstborn. This alludes to the following portions: “Go and select your lambs” (Exo 12:21-51) and “A bull or sheep” (Lev 22:26-23:44); “Consecrate to me all the firstborn” (Exo 13:1-16) and “If you lend money to any of my people” (Exo 22:24-23:19); “Cut for yourself” (Exo 34:1-26) and “And the Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai” (Num 9:1-14); “When Pharaoh let the people go” (Exo 13:17-15:26) and “All the firstborns” (Deu 15:19-16:17).

EXO 14

11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?

Rashi’s Commentary

Is it because there are no graves—Is it on account of the want—because there are no graves in Egypt in which to be buried—that you have taken us out of there? Old French si por falyanze de non fosses.

12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”

Rashi’s Commentary

Is not this what we said to you in Egypt—And where had they said this? (Exo 5:21) “And they said to them, ‘The Lord look on you and judge’ ” (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 14:11).

מִמֻּתֵנוּ means than to die. If the word had been punctuated with a “melupum” (our “cholam,” i.e., מִמּוֹתֵנוּ) it would have to be explained “than our death” but now that it is punctuated with a “shuruk” it must be explained by “than we should die.” And similar is (Exo 16:3), “Would that we had died i.e., “that we would die.” Similar is (2Sa 19:1), “If only I had died (מּוּתֵי) instead of you” in the history of Absalom, which means “I should have died.” It is an infinitive like (Zep 3:8) “for the day when I rise up (קוּמִי),” and as (2Ch 18:26) “until I return (ֹשוּבִי) in peace”—which signify that I rise up, that I return.

What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God. MAR 1:24

7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.”

17 And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region.

18 As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. MAR 5:7, 17-18

EXO 15

23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.

Rashi’s Commentary

They came to Marah—The word מָרָתָה is the same as לְמָרָָה: a “hey” at the end of a word replaces a “lammed” at its beginning (as a prefix). The “thav” takes the place of the “hey” which is rooted in (an integral part of) the word מָרָָה; when it is joined with another letter, viz., when it is attached to the “hey” which is added to the word in place of the “lammed,” the “hey” of the primary form is changed into a “thav.” Thus, also, every “hey” which is a root-letter is changed into a “thav” when it is joined to another letter. E. g., we have (Isa 27:4) “I have no wrath (חֵמָה)” but (Est 1:12) “and his wrath (וַחִמָתוֹ) burned within him.” You see that the “hey” of the ground-form is changed into a “thav” because it is to be joined to the “vav” which has been added. Similar are: (Lev 25:44) “bond servants and handmaids (וְאָמָה),” but (Gen 30:3) “Here is my handmaid (אִמָתִי) Bilhah”; (Gen 2:7) “a living (חַיָה) creature,” but (Job 33:20) “so that his life (חַיָתוֹ) loathes bread”; (Jdg 4:5) “between Ramah (הָרָמָה),” becomes (1Sa 7:17) “Then he would return to Ramah (הָרָמָתָה).”

24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

Rashi’s Commentary

Complained—This is a Niphal form, and similarly the Targum is a Niphal form: וְאִתְרַעִמוּ. And such is the way in which the expression denoting complaint is employed: to refer back the matter (the action of complaining) to the person; thus one says מִתְלוֹנֵן and מִתְרוֹעֵם and one does not say לוֹנֵן and רוֹעֵם. So, too, the Frenchman says “Decomplenst sey.” He turns back the matter to himself by saying, “Sey.”

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? MAT 6:25

nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. 1CO 10:10

Do all things without grumbling or disputing PHP 2:14

These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. JUD 1:16

EXO 16

2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,

Rashi’s Commentary

Grumbled, because the bread had come to an end.

3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Rashi’s Commentary

Would that we had died—The word מוּתֵנוּ means “that we would have died,” but it is not a noun with the same meaning as מוֹתֵנוּ “our death,” but it is an infinitive like עִשׂוֹתֵנוּ and חִנוֹתֵנוּ and שׁוּבֵנוּ which signify “that we should make,” “that we should encamp,” “that we should return.” In the Targum it is rendered by the Targum rendering of (Num 14:2) “Would that we had died” (cf. Rashi on Exo 14:12).

And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” ACT 26:29

Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you! 1CO 4:8

I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2CO 11:1

8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your complaints that you complain against him—what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”

Rashi’s Commentary

Meat to eat—But not to be satiated. The law thus teaches us a rule of conduct—that one should not eat meat to satiety. And what did he see (what reason had he) that he made bread fall for them in the morning and meat in the evening? Because the bread they asked for was a proper thing to demand since it is impossible for a person to exist without bread; but meat they asked for improperly, for they had abundant cattle, and besides it was possible for them to exist without meat. On this account he gave it to them at evening, at a time of (when it would cause them) trouble, a manner which was not favourable to them (Mekhilta d’Rabbi Yishmael 16:8; Yoma 75).

That you complain against him—You are making others who hear you complaining complain.

But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” MAT 9:4

Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me. MAT 10:40

The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me. LUK 10:16

41 So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.”

42 They said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

43 Jesus answered them, “Do not grumble among yourselves.” JOH 6:41-43

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. JOH 13:20

Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. ROM 13:2

Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. 1TH 4:8

9 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ”

Rashi’s Commentary

Come near—To the place where the cloud will descend.

EXO 17

2 Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?”

Rashi’s Commentary

Why do you test the Lord by saying, “Will he be able to give water in an arid land?”

Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” MAT 4:7

1 And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven.

2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’

3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.” MAT 16:1-3

4 So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”

Rashi’s Commentary

If I wait, they will stone me.