Parashat Beshalach is a historic Torah portion, recounting for the first time the story of an entire people who, after long years of harsh and grueling bondage, emerge into freedom.
One can try to imagine the immense excitement of those people. They are on their way to encounter God, to receive the Torah, and to become a nation destined to exert moral and ethical influence on all of humanity.
As part of the expressions of freedom and the euphoria of liberation, it would only be natural that someone who had been a slave – whose every action required approval, who owned nothing of his own – would now take pleasure in and enjoy the abundance that had come into his life.
The great wealth of silver and gold that the Israelites took from the Egyptians, as described in the previous Torah portion, aroused great excitement and a natural preoccupation with material possessions. This is understandable, even legitimate. A person who has just emerged from slavery is permitted to feel a sense of worth, status, and meaning.
Yet, amid all this commotion, the Torah describes one scene that carries with it a fundamental message about one’s outlook on life and the proper way to live.
Leadership amid liberation
“And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the Children of Israel solemnly swear, saying: ‘God will surely remember you, and you shall bring up my bones from here with you’” (Exodus 13:19).
While the Israelites are busy with the wealth they took from Egypt and with thoughts about their future, Moses is occupied with a completely different task – fulfilling an ancient promise to Joseph, who had made the Children of Israel swear that on the day they would leave Egypt, they would take his bones with them and bury him in the Land of Israel, in the city of Shechem, the very place from which he had descended to Egypt at the beginning of his journey.
This was no simple task. It required effort, searching, and determination. Our sages relate in The Babylonian Talmud:
“Come and see how beloved the mitzvot [commandments] were to Moses, our teacher. All of Israel was busy with the spoils, while he was busy with mitzvot, as it is stated: ‘The wise of heart takes mitzvot’” (Proverbs 10:8).
And how did Moses know where Joseph was buried?
“They said: ‘Serah, the daughter of Asher, remained from that generation.’ Moses went to her and said, ‘Do you know where Joseph is buried?’ She said to him, ‘The Egyptians made him a metal coffin and sank it in the Nile River so that its waters would be blessed.’ Moses went and stood at the bank of the Nile and said, ‘Joseph, Joseph, the time has come for the Holy One, blessed be He, to fulfill the oath that He swore to redeem you, and the oath that you imposed upon Israel has also arrived. If you reveal yourself, well and good; if not, we are released from your oath.’ Immediately, Joseph’s coffin floated up” (Sotah 13a).
The Talmud praises Moses for his exceptional conduct. While the entire nation is engaged in enjoying its freedom and securing its personal economic future, Moses devotes himself to the morally appropriate action of the moment.
The reward of responsibility
This is a foundational trait of a true leader – to act out of a sense of collective responsibility and to fill one’s time with deeds of eternal value.
At times, we ordinary people may feel that, ultimately, every person has to look out for himself. It is easy to convince ourselves that if we attend to the needs of others, we will lose out. However, Jewish tradition teaches otherwise: One never loses out by doing something good for another.
Joseph made sure to bury his father, Jacob, in the Land of Israel, and by doing so he merited that Moses himself would attend to his burial. Moses, in turn, merited that the Holy One, blessed be He, Himself attended to his burial. Each link in the chain of giving produces a reward greater than itself.
More than once, we encounter situations that require initiative, responsibility, or assistance. Sometimes our natural inclination is to say, “This has nothing to do with me.” But there are people who, wherever they are, look for ways to be helpful, for ways to do good.
At times, it may seem that they are missing out on time or enjoyment, but the gain is assured and given back to them many times over. As King Solomon, the wisest of all men, said: “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it” (Ecclesiastes 11:1).
Nowadays, these values sometimes appear to have been marginalized. In modern society, those who devote their time to doing good for others are not always appreciated.
Nevertheless, a person should strive to build a good name for himself by being known as someone who, wherever he goes, looks for ways to contribute; one who knows how to recognize the moment, to look around and ask who needs help, and to turn even an ordinary encounter or a routine event into an opportunity for giving and spreading goodness.
One of the righteous men of past generations was asked what the secret of the power of his words was that made everything he uttered come true. He replied that he was always careful to run joyfully and enthusiastically to fulfill the requests of others; therefore, the creator was also pleased to fulfill his requests.
We are accustomed to saying “It is a great mitzvah to be joyful.” Perhaps it is fitting to adopt a complementary phrase as well: “It is a great joy to be engaged in a mitzvah.” If we rejoice in doing good, that joy will radiate to those around us.■
The writer is rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites.