B"H
Thursday, Shevat 11, 5776 / January 21, 2016 – HAKHEL YEAR
This Shabbat is a special Shabbat – called Shabbat Shira – Shabbat of song. We read from the Torah Parshat B’Shalach, which tells about the miracle of the crossing of the sea, and the Shira– the songwhich the Jewish people sang praising G-d after their crossing, when they looked back and saw that the Egyptians, who were chasing after them, all drowned.
Although the Exodus from Egypt took place a week earlier, they were not completely free. In fact, when they saw the Egyptians chasing after them, they said, “Let’s go back to Egypt instead of dying in the desert.” Only after crossing the sea, did they realize that they were trulyfree.
Because of the reading of the Shira, this Shabbat is called, “Shabbat Shira” – “Shabbat of Song.” The congregation stands for the reading of the Shira.
As mentioned yesterday, in this Parsha, the Torah also relates how G-d provided the Jewish people each day with manna - bread from heaven. Jews went out and collected their portion of manna each day. On Friday G-d sent a double portion because on Shabbat the manna didn’t come down.
In commemoration of the double portion of manna which came in honor of Shabbat, we place two chalot (breads) for each of the Shabbat meals.
Q. Why didn’t G-d send enough manna for an entire week or month all at once? Why did G-d want them to to go out and collect the manna each day?
A. The Talmudic sage, Rabbi Shimon explained it to his students with the following parable: A king had a son whom he loved dearly and provided him with all his needs. At the start of the year, the king would give his son all that he would need for the entire year. The first few years, the son would visit his father very often, but as time went on, the son began visiting his father less and less, until he ended up visiting only once a year when he came to collect his yearly allowance.
The king wasn't happy with his son's lack of visitations and he decided to provide food for his son, one day at a time. From that day on, the son appeared before his father each day!
"The same happened with the people of Israel," explained Rabbi Shimon. "By having to depend upon G-d for their sustenance each day, the Jewish people were compelled to look skywards, to connect and direct their hearts to their Father in Heaven on a daily basis!"
Rabbi Shimon teaches us a wonderful lesson. The fact that G-d doesn't give us our needs all at once, may be a sign of His great love toward us. He wants to see us each day. He wants us to pray each day for His help, thus presenting ourselves before Him and reinforcing our relationship with Him every day.
HAVE A VERY GOOD, HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SUCCESSFUL DAY