Comentários de Citação sobre Êxodo 14:10

לפני בעל צפון, “before Baal Tzefon.” According to Rashi, this was the only idol that had remained intact of all the Egyptian deities. G–d had arranged this in order to mislead the Egyptians into believing that this deity was more powerful that He. Pharaoh thought that the deity had deliberately tricked the Israelites in order to enable him to destroy them by means of water. [as a previous Pharaoh had attempted when he drowned the male Jewish infants. Ed.] This is why the Torah wrote in verse 10 that ופרעה הקריב, instead of ופרעה קרב, “Pharaoh had presented an offering,” instead of “Pharaoh approached,” as this phrase is usually translated (Compare Mechilta B’shalach 2,2). An alternate interpretation: the use of the transitive form of the word קרב is meant to tell the reader that the Israelites were inspired to engage in penitence when they saw that they were being pursued.

Some say “upon Midian” [means] upon the ministering angel of Midian above, in the same way that it is said and behold, Egypt was journeying (Exodus 14:10) which they interpreted (Deuteronomy Rabbah 1:22) as referring to the ministering angel of Egypt. This is why it says to execute the Lord’s vengeance, because the war above belongs to the Lord and not to man.

Another meaning of the word אז in our verse may be connected to the Torah’s failure to describe the Canaanite as יושב בארץ, “dwelling permanently in the land.” The Torah only referred to the Canaanites as being present in the land. This is in contrast to Genesis 13,7 where the Torah did use the term יושב, “was dwelling,” when describing the tenure of the Canaanite and the Perizite in that land. The reason is that in that verse the Torah did not refer to a people which had its inheritance in that land but only to two tribes which had control of it at that time. The reason the Torah referred to the Canaanite with the ה הידיעה, the letter ה which indicates that the noun referred to is one that we are familiar with [the definitive article], is that it represents a celestial force known as “Canaanite.” This is a force from which the 70 nations derive their power on earth as we know from Joshua who said to the Israelites (Joshua 24,15) [at the time when the Israelites on the East Bank of the Jordan had built a public altar, something that aroused suspicions of their national and religious secession — Ed.] בחרו לכם היום את מי תעבדון אם את אלוהים אשר עבדו אבותיכם אשר בעבר הנהר ואם את אלוהי האמור אשר אתם יושבים בארצם ואנכי וביתי נעבוד את ה'. “Choose this day which ones you are going to serve, the gods that your forefathers served beyond the Euphrates or those of the Emorites in whole lands you are settled; but I and my household will serve the Lord.” We find that the celestial representative of the Egyptian nation is called מצרים by the Torah when we read in Exodus 14,10 והנה מצרים נוסע אחריהם, “and here Egypt (instead of the Egyptians) was traveling behind them.” Had the Torah referred to Egyptian nationals, human beings, the word for “traveling” should have been נוסעים instead of the singular נוסע.

have emitted fragrance. These are the ones who remained of them;³⁰Shemos 14:10. they repented and were accepted. So it is interpreted in Pesikta.

Let me hear your voice. “And the Bnei Yisroel cried out to Adonoy.”³¹Tehillim 107:27.