שמות

המבלי אין קברים במצרים. כתב הרמב"ן ז"ל איך יתכן שהצועקים אל ה' והנושאים כפיהם ועיניהם אליו יחזרו ויאמרו לו כי טוב היה שלא הצילם ויאמרו כי טוב לנו עבוד את מצרים ממותנו במדבר. ועל כן נאמנו דברי רז"ל שהם כתות והכת האחת צועקת אל ה' אלו הם בני ישראל כלומר החשובים שבהם וזהו שכתוב וישאו בני ישראל את עיניהם וגו' ויצעקו בני ישראל אל ה', ואחרת מכחשת בנביאו ואינה בוחרת בישועה, ועליהם כתיב (תהילים ק״ו:ז׳) וימרו על ים בים סוף.

המבלי אין קברים במצרים , “are there perhaps not sufficient graves in Egypt?” Nachmanides wonders aloud how it is possible that people who raise their hands and voices in prayer to G’d for help could at one and the same time become guilty of such sarcastic comments as the ones attributed to them here by the Torah? Moreover, how could they say at the same time: “it is better for us to have to serve the Egyptians in Egypt than to die in the desert?” In view of his formidable question our sages’ statement (Mechilta section 2) that at that time there were four groups of Israelites each of whom responded differently to their dilemma is proven correct. Group number one engaged in prayer. This group is referred to in our text as בני ישראל, “the Children of Israel cried out in prayer to Hashem.” These were the elite of the people. They had been described as “raising their eyes...and crying out to G’d.” The second group denied that Moses was indeed G’d’s prophet and did not choose to pray for salvation. Concerning this group the psalmist wrote (Psalms 106,7) “they rebelled at the sea, at the Sea of Reeds.”

ואמרו במדרש ד' כתות היו על הים כת ראשונה לא היתה חפצה בישועה ועליהם אמר משה התיצבו וראו את ישועת ה' ועליהם אמר הכתוב וימרו על ים בים סוף. כת שניה אומרת לחזור למצרים עליהם אמר הכתוב כי אשר ראיתם את מצרים היום וגו'. כת ג' אומרת להלחם עמהם, עליהם אמר ה' ילחם לכם. כת ד' היו צועקים להקב"ה שנאמר ויצעקו בני ישראל אל ה', עליהם אמר ואתם תחרישון, ע"כ. ואונקלוס תרגם ויצעקו וזעיקו עשאו מלשון תרעומות וכן (שמואל ב י״ג:י״ט) ותלך הלוך וזעקה, (שופטים ד׳:י׳) ויזעק ברק את זבולן ואת נפתלי, ומצינו בפירוש ואת צעקתם שמעת על ים סוף וכן רז"ל הבינו אותו מלשון תפלה ממה שכתבתי למעלה ויצעקו תפסו אומנות אבותיהם.

A different wording of this event is presented by the same section of the Mechilta on the words (verse 13 התיצבו, “stand firm”). There were four groups. The first group preferred death to captivity or death at the hands of the Egyptians. They wanted to drown themselves in the sea. This was the group to whom Moses said: “stand firm! Behold the salvation which will emanate from Hashem!” This was the group about which the psalmist had said that they rebelled. The second group wanted to return to Egypt. Concerning this group the Torah (Moses) gave the assurance that the Israelites would never again see the Egyptians pose a threat to them as they did at that moment (verse 13). The third group wanted to join battle with the Egyptians. Moses told them not to bother, that “Hashem will fight on your behalf.” The fourth group were those who relied on praying to G’d as we read: “The Children of Israel cried out (prayed) to Hashem.” Moses told them to be silent (verse 14). Onkelos translates the word ויצעקו as וזעיקו, that their outcry was one of accusation. [We find in Mechilta that these people complained that not only did they already mourn the 80% of their brethren who had died during the plague of darkness, but now even they were threatened; this is why they said it would have been better for them to have remained in Egypt in the first place. Ed]. We have the expression זעקה in that sense in Samuel II 13,19 when Tamar yelled after having been raped by her half-brother Amnon. The expression ויזעק also occurs in Judges 4,10 when it describes Barak as issuing a call for mobilisation of several tribes. We also find the expression in Nechemyah 9,9 “You heard their outcry at the Sea of Reeds.” Our sages understood it as an expression of prayer as I explained already.