Into the Unknown — Kendell Pinkney
In parashat beshallach we encounter one of the more famous scenes in our scriptural tradition. After escaping the oppressive regime of Pharaoh, Moses and the Israelites hurriedly make their way into the wilderness with the armies of Pharaoh hot on their trail. Just as all seems lost and the Isrealites lament that they will die in the desert, G-d intervenes. First, an angel of G-d transforms into a cloud and blocks the Egyptians from capturing the Israelites. Second, G-d splits the sea, allowing the Israelites to cross over into freedom (need I say what happens to the Egyptians…?). This story packs so much action-adventure into a short amount of space that it is easy to lose sight of some of the deeper themes amidst the waves of drama. Nevertheless, one question related to the details of this scene that has been resonating with me this week, is “how do the Israelites move forward into liberation, when the way forward is narrow and they are surrounded by darkness?”
For me, this question comes right out of the text. The Israelites are standing in a transition moment between the bondage of their past in Egypt, and the freedom that exists on the other side of the split sea. What is more, as we see in Exodus 14:21-22, the Israelites had to walk through the sea in the middle of the night; all the while, they could likely hear the armies of the Egyptians lingering in the distance. This journey feels all the more perilous, because the freedom that the Israelites are walking into is completely unknown. Sure, the prophet (i.e. Moses) who has led them thus far performed great miracles in Egypt, and he has assured them that the G-d of their ancestors is with them, but it can be hard to believe in miracles when confronting so many threatening factors all at once. Even though I read this story more as an allegory than as an historical fact, I can’t help but wonder: Would I have had the faith to take such a journey? Would I have trusted Moses enough to follow him? Would I have walked into the sea, even if the surrounding walls of water seemed to hold stable? Would I have walked into the unknown, even if “freedom” was on the other side? Truthfully, I cannot be sure that my fear and cynicism would not have won out.
Fear and cynicism seem to be among a choice suite of emotions that carry currency in our society. From the anxiety inducing 24-hour news cycles to the smartphone doom-scrolling that sucks up our idle hours, there are ample opportunities to lean into fear, resignation and rage as we wander into whatever unknown future lies ahead of us. But lingering in such emotions is draining. Not to mention, it is unsustainable. As I look at our ancient forebears as they walked step by step into that dark sea, I note the fact that they didn’t do it alone. In fact, according to scripture, upwards of a 600,000 Israelite men (and presumably, millions more non-men) left Egypt in this daring escape. While this number is probably a typologically large number rather than an actual historical figure, it communicates a deeper message that I find resonant: while the promises of prophets and G-d might be enough to get us to begin a journey, it takes community support - and often an unexpectedly huge amount of community support - to face the immense fear of a situation and still walk forward. My hope and prayer for us as we walk into this new year that will inevitably contain much uncertainty, is that we will find ourselves flanked by community support and care. And through trusting in the support of those standing beside us, may we feel emboldened to walk step by step into the liberation that G-d has set before us. Shabbat shalom.
Kendell Pinkney is the Rabbinic Fellow at Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy
