Beshalach: Crisis of Faith

Rav Johnny's original thoughts on the weekly parsha

One of the most famous books of Jewish Philosophy is Rambam’s ‘Moreh Nevuchim’ which is generally translated as ‘The Guide for the Perplexed’. However, what many people don’t realize is that the single location in all of the Tanach where the Hebrew term ‘Nevuchim’ is used is actually a verse in Parshat Beshalach - and that by looking closely at the meaning of that word, we can gain a better understanding of what Rambam intended with his great book.

We are taught: ‘The Lord said to Moshe, “Speak to the Bnei Yisrael and tell them to turn back and camp in front of Pi HaChirot, between Migdol and the sea, before Baal Tzefon. Encamp facing it, by the sea. Pharoh will think that Bnei Yisrael are lost (Nevuchim) in the land, and that they are trapped in the desert’” (Shemot 14:1-3).

According to this translation, penned by Rabbi Sacks (as found in The Magerman edition of The Koren Tanakh) and undoubtedly directly informed by the Rambam’s own explanation of the term ‘Nevuchim’ (see Moreh Nevuchim 3:50), to be ‘Nevoch’ is to be an individual or a nation who has, or who is perceived to have, [physically] lost their way to such an extent that they do not know which way to go.

Given this definition, why does the Rambam then use this term? As he himself explains in his Introduction to the Moreh Nevuchim, it is because people can sometimes be confused by literal or poetic interpretations of the Tanach, or by other seemingly incomprehensible biblical teachings, thereby leaving them ‘lost in perplexity and anxiety’. Accordingly, the Moreh was written as a guide to help those who were lost in their understanding of God and the Torah find their way back to clarity and understanding - just as a guide helps someone who is physically lost understand where they are, and how to return back to familiar territory.

So far I have explained the word ‘Nevuchim’, but what I have yet to address is the drama surrounding the moment where this term is found. This is because it is important to understand that while God choreographed all these events so that the people appeared to Pharoh as if they were lost and trapped, this divine plan – though shared with Moshe - was not known to Bnei Yisrael themselves. And so when the Egyptians neared, Bnei Yisrael were genuinely frightened, and they responded by crying out to God and by challenging God with a series of urgent questions about why they had been brought to this place when their future looked so bleak (see Shemot 14:10-12).

When we look at this story from the perspective of Bnei Yisrael, this response of prayer and questioning is to be expected. But beyond this, by choosing to give his book the title ‘Moreh Nevuchim’, I think that the Rambam is teaching us a profound lesson, which is that our crises of faith, when we feel spiritually lost, are akin to what happened to Bnei Yisrael where God choregraphed a series of events for the sake of strengthening their faith.  

With this in mind, imagine if - in the moments when we feel confused or spiritually lost - that we viewed ourselves like Bnei Yisrael when they stood at the precipice of the Yam Suf. Yes, until the water split this moment was terrifying. Still, in hindsight, it is clear that this dramatic event was necessary to help solidify their faith in God.

Similarly, there are moments in our life when we feel lost and when we feel that we are having a crisis of faith, and just like Bnei Yisrael, our task is to cry out to God and to challenge God with our questions. At the same time, we should bear in mind that perhaps this moment has been planned by God to teach us a lesson, and that while we currently feel ‘lost in perplexity and anxiety’, we have the ability to emerge from this situation with greater and stronger faith.

Shabbat Shalom!

* To book a free discovery call to explore the possibilities of a spiritual coaching or Torah study package, click here

* To discuss the possibility of me visiting your community as a scholar-in-resident, or to invite me to give an in-person or online shiur, please email me at ravjsolomon@gmail.com

* To join my daily Daf Yomi whatsapp group, click here

* To receive my inspirational posts via whatsapp, click here