Parshat Beshalach

‘And G-d said to Moses, why are you crying out to me!? Speak to the Children of Israel that they should move.’ (Shemot 14,15)

This pasuk/verse comes while the Bnei Yisrael are at the Reed Sea, with the Egyptians in pursuit, after Moses reassures anxious people that G-d will fight for them.  We will summarise three approaches taken by the mefarashim/commentators to explaining its meaning and context.

According to Rashi, Moses then starts praying.   G-d’s response is our verse, saying to Moses that now is not a time for lengthy prayer as the Bnei Yisrael are in straits.  It is time to get moving instead, with faith that G-d will save them.  How they should get moving is discussed below in the summary of  Seforno’s position.

Ramban takes a different approach.  Moses was praying because he was not sure what to do.  Even though he knew that G-d had previously said ‘and I will glorify Myself through Pharaoh’ (14,4), Moses did not know how this was to happen or what he should do, so he cried out to G-d.   The people were standing by the sea, pursued by the Egyptians.  Moses cried out to G-d for clarity on what he should do next.  Moses should have asked what to do, rather than crying out.

Seforno suggests an alternative track.  He writes that Moses was crying out due to the rebellious nature of the people’s complaint, ‘…were there not enough graves in Egypt, to take us to die there…’ (Shemot 14,11). Moses knew that he had to lead the people into the sea but was worried whether they would listen to him, given their complaints.  G-d rebukes Moses for crying out for this, as by doing so, he was not being fair to the people and had misjudged them.