Living Parashat Beshalach: Walking Through the Sea While It Is Still Water
- Rebbetzin Hannah Miryam Bejarano-Gutierrez
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Emunah, Song, and the Quiet Courage of Jewish Women
Rebbetzin Hannah Miryam Bejarano Gutierrez
When Redemption Feels Unfinished
Parashat Beshalach (Shemot / Exodus 13:17–17:16) is often remembered for its most dramatic moments—the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, the Song of the Sea, and the defeat of Amalek. Yet beneath the spectacle lies a more intimate story: what happens after liberation, when the chains are gone but the heart still trembles.
For Jewish women, especially within the Sephardic mesorah, Beshalach is not merely about miracles that happened then. It is about the emotional and spiritual work required now—how to move forward when faith is fragile, when routine feels heavy, and when freedom demands responsibility.
This parashah teaches that redemption is not a single event. It is a process—one that unfolds through trust, patience, memory, and song.
1. A Longer Road Chosen with Compassion
The Torah opens the parashah with a surprising detail:
“Gd did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, though it was near, for Gd said: Lest the people reconsider when they see war and return to Egypt.”
(Shemot 13:17)
From a Sephardic perspective, deeply influenced by the teachings of the Ramban and later hakhamim, this verse reflects Divine sensitivity to human psychology. Freedom that comes too quickly, without inner preparation, can feel frightening rather than empowering.
Ramban explains that Am Yisrael was not yet emotionally ready for conflict (Ramban on Shemot 13:17). Hashem chooses a longer route—not as punishment, but as protection.
For women who carry the emotional continuity and the spiritual health of their family, this message resonates profoundly. Growth does not always follow the shortest path. Sometimes the longer road is the kindest one.
2. Carrying Yosef’s Bones: Memory as a Spiritual Anchor
The Torah pauses to tell us:
“Moshe took the bones of Yosef with him…”
(Shemot 13:19)
Why mention this detail here?
Yosef represents faith in exile—the ability to remain loyal to Gd while embedded in foreign culture. Sephardic commentators note that Yosef’s bones were not simply a physical obligation but a moral compass (Shemot Rabbah 20:19).
Jewish women are often the carriers of family stories, customs, recipes, melodies, and values. Like Moshe carrying Yosef’s bones, women transport identity through uncertain terrain.
Redemption is not only about where we are going. It is also about what we refuse to leave behind.
3. The Pillars of Cloud and Fire: A Feminine Rhythm of Presence
Hashem accompanies the people with two pillars:
A pillar of cloud by day
A pillar of fire by night
(Shemot 13:21)
Sephardic sages emphasize that these pillars reflect a balance of concealment and revelation. The cloud softens harsh light; the fire warms darkness.
Many women live within this rhythm—providing strength in the stillness of moments of silence and warmth that is within our nurturing nature. That is the feminine rhythm that Jewish women have carried throughout generations within the Divine Presence that does not abandon us when clarity fades; it simply changes into a whisper that lets us know that HaShem will never leave us.
Faith does not always feel like fire. Sometimes it feels like a cloud—and that, too, is guidance.
4. Standing at the Sea: When Silence Is Also Faith
As Pharaoh approaches and panic erupts, the people cry out. Moshe responds, but Hashem interrupts:
“Why do you cry out to Me? Speak to the children of Israel and let them journey forth.”
(Shemot 14:15)
The Mechilta explains that the sea did not split immediately. The people had to step forward first.
According to Sephardic tradition, Nachshon ben Aminadav entered the water before it parted (Sotah 37a). This moment is not about heroics; it is about action without guarantees.
For women balancing fear and responsibility, this is a powerful lesson: there are moments when prayer must be followed by action. Faith is not only felt—it is enacted.
5. The Song of the Sea: A Collective Female Voice
After the miracle, the Torah records a song—not a speech, not a law, but poetry.
“Then Moshe and the children of Israel sang this song…”
(Shemot 15:1)
Immediately after, we read:
“Miriam the prophetess… took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dances.”
(Shemot 15:20–21)
The Midrash teaches that women brought instruments because they trusted in redemption even before it occurred(Mechilta d’Rabbi Yishmael).
Sephardic culture treasures song as avodah—pizmonim, bakashot, Shabbat melodies passed from mother to daughter. Song becomes a connection to HaShem carried in the mind and soul.
Women do not merely echo redemption; they anticipate it.
6. From Song to Thirst: The Test of Marah
No sooner does the song end than the people complain about bitter water:
“They could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter.”
(Shemot 15:23)
Redemption does not eliminate discomfort. Sephardic commentators emphasize that bitterness is not a failure of faith—it is a stage of refinement.
Hashem shows Moshe a tree to sweeten the water. The Zohar explains that the tree represents Torah—capable of transforming hardship when applied correctly.
Women often encounter this dynamic daily: joy followed by strain, clarity followed by fatigue. Beshalach teaches that bitterness is not the opposite of holiness—it is raw material for it.
7. The Manna: Daily Trust, Not Stored Certainty
The manna falls each day, but cannot be hoarded:
“Let no man leave any of it until morning.”
(Shemot 16:19)
This lesson is deeply aligned with Sephardic emunah, which emphasizes bitachon lived through routine rather than abstract theology.
The manna teaches restraint, patience, and humility—qualities traditionally nurtured in the domestic sphere. Preparing meals, managing households, and sustaining families mirror the rhythm of manna: receiving daily, trusting tomorrow.
Spiritual nourishment, like physical nourishment, must be renewed.
8. Shabbat in the Desert: Sacred Pause as Resistance
For the first time, Shabbat is commanded in relation to the manna (Shemot 16:23). In a world defined by survival, Hashem introduces rest.
Sephardic tradition views Shabbat not as escape, but as identity preservation. Even in instability, holiness is non-negotiable.
For women who anchor Shabbat through preparation, candles, and atmosphere, this moment affirms that rest itself is an act of faith.
9. Amalek: Weariness as Spiritual Vulnerability
The parashah ends with Amalek’s attack:
“They attacked the weak and weary at the rear.”
(Devarim 25:18, reflected in Shemot 17)
Sephardic commentators explain that Amalek targets exhaustion—physical and spiritual. When faith is tired, doubt finds entry.
Women often stand at the “rear,” tending to the vulnerable. Beshalach reminds us that spiritual defense includes rest, support, and community.
Victory over Amalek comes not only through battle, but through complete trust in HaShem, shared strength, and mutual responsibility (Shemot 17:11–12).
Learning to Walk Before the Waters Part
Parashat Beshalach does not present a polished redemption. It presents a real one—with fear, song, complaint, trust, and fatigue intertwined.
For Jewish women, this parashah validates the sacred work of emotional endurance, quiet leadership, and daily faith. Redemption is not only sung; it is cooked, cleaned, waited for, and believed in—day after day.
We are still walking through the sea. Sometimes the water feels high. But Beshalach assures us: the path appears under our feet when we move forward with trust.
Sources
Shemot (Exodus) 13:17–17:16
Ramban on Shemot 13:17
Shemot Rabbah 20:19, 23:4
Mechilta d’Rabbi Yishmael, Beshalach
Sotah 37a
Zohar II, 48b–50a
Rashi on Shemot 15:20; 16:4
Devarim 25:17–18
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