INHERENT SWEETNESS
This week’s Parsha, B’shalach, recounts the first steps that our people took on their journey from Egypt. First, we experienced the great miracle of the splitting of the Red Sea, traveling through the sea followed by the drowning of the Egyptians. We then began the journey to Sinai to receive the Torah. There was much preparation that needed to be done before that moment.
On their very first stop after leaving the Red Sea they arrived at Mara. The water at Mara was extremely bitter and they were unable to drink from it. The people complained to Moshe and HaShem showed him a stick and instructed him to throw it into the water. Moshe did so and the waters became sweet. The Torah tells us that there in Mara HaShem established for the people selected parts of the Torah. The implication of the verse seems to indicate that the stick HaShem showed Moshe was a reference to the laws which were taught. Somehow, from those selected laws the water became sweet.
What were the laws that were taught, and how does the teaching of those laws change a taste from bitter to sweet?
Among the laws that were taught in Mara were the laws of Shabbos and civil laws governing private ownership.
If we think about our own experiences we will discover times when something bitter became sweet. It could happen with foods that children associate with bitter and as adults they find them to be sweet. But it also happens with perspectives. There are many circumstances that we associate as bitter when we first encounter them but as we mature and learn more about those circumstances we realize how truly sweet they are.
I know many folks who viewed Shabbos and her laws as restrictive and bitter. However, after practicing the laws of Shabbos and indulging in the spiritual enjoyment she provides, they tasted her sweetness. The same is true with children who become frustrated when they learn that they must ask permission before using a toy that is not theirs. The restrictive nature of private ownership can be bitter to the child who wants all the toys for himself. However, as he matures and appreciates the concept of private ownership and the obligations to honor the property of others he begins to taste the sweetness of those laws.
So many times I have met families who associated Tora h observance in general with bitterness and even disgust. However, after learning more about the Torah and her mitzvos and introducing these families to other families who practice Torah observance, they have come to respect those observances and even admire those who follow the path of Torah. For many families that sweetness compelled them to fully embrace the Torah and her mitzvos.
Perhaps, we needed to stop at Mara to develop our taste to appreciate the inherent sweetness of Torah. Before arriving at Sinai we needed to experience how the application of Torah can reorient our perspective and allow us to taste the sweetness of life.
Every day before a Jew begins studying HaShem’s Torah, he prays to HaShem to please make the words Torah sweet in his mouth and in the mouths of all His people. The sweetness of Torah is inherent but it is a gift from HaShem to be able to taste it.
Have a wonderful Shabbos.
Paysach Diskind