Truthfully, this is not the first time we are stuck between a rock and a hard place. It happened once before, but then it was being stuck between a mighty army and a roaring sea. As we read in the Torah portion of these weeks, our forefathers experienced a rude awakening on the seventh day after their Exodus from Egypt. The sea was before them, with Pharaoh’s armies closing in from behind. Feeling stuck from all sides, how did they react?
The Midrash tells us that the Jewish people were divided into four camps. There were those who said, “Let us throw ourselves into the sea.” They advocated suicide. Rather die in liberty than yield to slavery, was their argument. A second group said, “Let us return to Egypt.” They were pragmatic. Better to live as slaves than to die free men. A third faction argued, “Let us wage war upon the Egyptians.” We might lose, but at least we will go down fighting. The fourth camp said, “Let us pray to G-d.” G-d is all powerful.
Moses, however, rejected all four options as inappropriate, saying to the people instead this: “G-d said to Moses, they shall go forward.” They were instructed to advance to Mt. Sinai, so let them continue their journey. How will things work out? Well, if G-d wants, He can split a sea.
Like every story in Torah, this dramatic moment in Jewish history holds a powerful lesson for us in our own time. These four camps of thought can be understood also on a psychological and emotional level, for when dealing with adversity in life there are four different approaches:
There are escapists, conformists, fighters, and passive believers who want G-d to do the work and get them out of the mess.
All these views have a logic and merit to them, and ought to be employed at certain times. But ultimately as a guiding vision for life, they are all wrong. What was the correct approach? “Move forward.” And when they did, the sea parted before them.
G-d was telling them: I who have given you life, and promised you that you can and will achieve your objectives and reach Sinai and the Promised Land, have also given you all the faculties and resources necessary to fulfill your life’s mission.
When faced with challenge, with adversity, instead of being paralyzed by doubt – forge ahead. Movement is the key to success. Moving forward will bring a breakthrough. How, we may not always know. But move – and things will open up.
Taking a lesson from this Torah reading, let us proclaim to ourselves and to the world around us: Move onward! We must not become paralyzed from fear, rather we need to keep climbing, keep moving, find the courage and the strength to make today a better day than yesterday. We mustn’t get stuck in the challenges of 2020, rather our action today is what truly counts.
The next time you find yourself stuck, remember this one simple lesson: March forward, focus on today’s G-dly task to make this world a better place, and G-d will take care of the rest.
Rabbi Tiechtel is the director of the Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Life in Lawrence, Kansas
