Beshallah (Exodus 13:17-17:16)
LA JOLLA, California — This Parasha deals with the early route of the Exodus; the crossing of the Sea of Reeds with the drowning of the pursuing Egyptian army; the famous reiteration in the poem “The Song at the Sea;” then a series of complaints such as inadequate drinking water and inadequate food (resolved sequentially); and ends with a successful defensive battle against an attack by Amalek’s forces.
I have chosen three passages, with regard to seeking similarities with other ancient literatures.
I. Exodus 14:21-28 “Then Moses held out his arm over the sea and the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind all that night…The waters were split…Israelites went… on dry ground…Egyptians came in pursuit…into panic…waters came back upon the Egyptians…hurled into the sea…not one of them remained.”
The Internet yields no similar passage to the splitting of a sea, in any ancient pagan literature.
However, here there is a major similarity to pagan literature, in that the prose passage above is followed by a poetic reiteration version of the event, i.e. The “Song at the Sea.” This is typical of an Egyptian literary genre, dating from the days of The New Kingdom (1550-1175 BC). It also features two accounts of the same event, one in prose, the other poetry. Examples are the narratives that recount the battle of Pharaoh Ramses II (1290-1224 BC) against the Hittites, and the battle of Pharaoh Merneptah (1224-1211 BC) against the Libyans.
What should be recognized is a difference in usage of this technique in that the Hebrew poetic versions are God-centered, whereas the Egyptian models are hyperbolic self-aggrandizing heroic exploits by the Pharaohs. [1] [2]
II. Exodus 16:3, 8,13-15, 31 “For you have brought us out into this wilderness to starve…(Moses responds) …”‘the Lord…will give you flesh to eat in the evening and bread in the morning’…In the evening quail appeared and covered the camp; in the morning there was a fall of dew about the camp. When the fall of dew lifted, there, over the surface of the wilderness, lay a fine and flaky substance…Moses said…’That is the bread which the Lord has given to you to eat…’ The house of Israel named it manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and it tasted like wafers in honey.”
Though the Internet yields to me no pagan writings that describe quail appearing miraculously, it is a well-recognized phenomenon that quails, a small migratory bird, move in large flocks seasonally North and South across the Mediterranean. Flying low and landing exhausted on reaching the coast, they are easily captured with nets or by hand to this day. Its meat is tender and is speedily prepared over a flame. Religious commentators attribute this ‘miracle’ as simply God utilizing his own knowledge of the habits of the quail he had created. [3] [4]
As to the manna, there is a white honey like substance excreted from the tamarisk bush in the Sinai and many other sites of the Middle East. This sap, rich in carbohydrates, is sucked by insects, which excrete the surplus onto the twigs. These form tiny globules that crystallize and fall to the ground. The Bedouin, who collect and eat it, call it mann-Rimth. It is also harvested and used in parts of Iran and Iraq. Modern chefs in the United States also experiment with it. [5] [6]
III. Exodus 17:2,5-6 “The people quarreled with Moses, ‘Give us water to drink,”…(Lord to Moses) “…take along the rod with which you struck the Nile…Strike the rock and water will issue from it.”
Although I did not find on the Internet any ancient pagan references to obtaining water from a rock, it is explained by Nahum Sarna thus: “The phenomenon is most likely to be explained by the presence of water-bearing formations of soft porous limestone, which has high water-retaining capacity. A sharp blow to such rock may crack its crust and release a flow of groundwater.” [7]
**********************************************************************************************
[1] James W. Watts, “Song and the Ancient Reader,” Perspectives in Religious Studies 22 (1995): 138 and
Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1976), 2:59. Lichtheim views the Kadesh Inscription as an example of epic poetry.
[2] The JPS Torah Commentary, Exodus, N. Sarna, 1991, Jewish Publication Society, p. 75-6
[3] History of the Propagation of Christianity, and the Overthrow of Paganism, 1731, Vol.1, Robert Millar
[4] The JPS Torah Commentary, Exodus, N. Sarna, 1991, p.88
[5] ibid., p.89
[6] Guttman, Vered, Moment Magazine, Jan. 28, 2019 and Jewish World, Talk of the Table, Winter Issue, 2019
[7] The JPS Torah Commentary, Exodus, N. Sarna, 1991, Jewish Publication Society, p 94