Parshat Beshalach Schedule

Friday, January 14

Page Numbers

Stone Hertz Russian
Torah 366 265 II-156
Maftir 392 280 II-194
Haftarah 1152 281 II-198
  • 06:50 am – Shacharit
  • 04:15 pm – Mincha
  • 04:17 pm – Candle Lighting
  • 08:00 pm – Men’s Class in Derech Hashem

Saturday, January 15

Kiddush Sponsorship

Kiddush this week is sponsored by Elka Tovah and Solomon Davidoff in honor of Harry’s first birthday.

Click here to sponsor a kiddush or se’udah shlishit!

  • 07:45 am – Shacharit at Salem Towers
  • 08:45 am – Shacharit
  • 09:32 am – Latest Time for Kriat Shema
  • 11:30 am – Kiddush
  • 03:50 pm – Mincha
  • 04:20 pm – Se’udah Shlishit
  • 05:10 pm – Ma’ariv
  • 05:26 pm – Shabbat Ends

Week of January 16 – 21

Shacharit

  • 08:00 am – Sunday
  • 06:40 am – Monday and Thursday
  • 06:50 am – Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday

Mincha

  • 04:25 pm – Sunday – Thursday
  • 04:25 pm – Friday

Ma’ariv

  • 04:55 pm – Sunday – Thursday

Weekly Words of Torah

Love of Hashem

Insights into Parshat Beshalach by Mr. Dov Rossman of Yeshiva Sha’alvim, by Rav Re’uven Ungar of Sha’alvim.

In this week’s parsha the Jewish people, while being persued by the Egyptians, found themselves at a dead end by the Yam Suf (Red Sea). After the Jewish people pleaded for help, Hashem tells Moshe to command the b’nei Yisrael to march into the sea. The Gemara (Sota 37a) tells over what happened at that time:
“When Israel stood at the sea the tribes where vying with each other etc., one would say ‘I’m not going in first’ and another would say ‘I’m not going in first’, Nachshon ben Aminadav then jumped and went down first.”

The Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba ch. 13,7) tells us that since Nachshon ben Aminadav went down first he merited to bring the first korban (sacrifice) at the dedication of the Mishkan, “Hashem said to Moshe: ‘he who sanctified my name at the sea, he will bring the first sacrifice’.”

Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz ZT”L asks on this Midrash, how could it be that the Jewish people were arguing over who would have to go down into the sea first, the Jewish people are loyal when it comes to mesirat nefesh (giving up one’s life in G-d’s Name)? Throughout all of the generations we have seen Jewish people sacrifice their lives for Kiddush Hashem, so how could it be that the generation that left Mitzrayim while standing on the Yam Suf were seemingly not willing to be moser nefesh when they were commanded to do so by Hashem?

Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz answers that if indeed the Jewish people had been commanded to die for Kiddush Hashem by going into the sea then they would have done it in a second without any hesitation. What they were commanded to do, however, was to march into the sea not to die but to live. They were commanded to march to life through a stormy sea as if it were dry land. The Sh’vatim (Tribes) were not at this point on such a level, except for Nachshon ben Aminadav.
Rav Shmuelevitz uses this idea to explain the pasuk of “…I recall for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, your following Me into the wilderness, into an unsown land.” (Zechariah 2:2) The praise of the Jewish people was not that they were willing to walk through the barren desert, it is that they walked through it acharay Hashem, after Hashem. Because they walked with full faith after Hashem, like a child who is in his mother’s arms, and no matter how dangerous the circumstances, all that the child cares about is that he is in his mothers hands so he knows that he is in safety, so too the Jewish people ignored all of the dangers of the dessert as if they didn’t exist because of their trust and love for Hashem.

The Biur Halacha (Shulchan Aruch Siman 1), quoting the Sefer Hachinuch, brings down that there is a constant positive mitzvah d’orayta (Biblical commandment) to believe that there is one G-d who brought all into existence and all that there is now is from His desire, He is forever, and He took us out of Mitzrayim… Another constant positive mitzvah d’orayta quoted by the Biur Halacha on the same spot is that of Ahavat Hashem, that we should love Hashem with every grain of our existence.

May we all be zoche, b’ezrat Hashem, to reach the highest levels of Ahavat Hashem and emunah that no matter what the test, whether it’s stormy waters or barren desert, we constantly live our lives walking after Hashem.