Parshas Beshalach Sweets and Treats

In this week’s Torah portion, Parshas Beshalach, Hashem leads the Jewish People through the desert with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. After telling the Jewish People to leave Egypt in a hurry, Pharaoh has a change of heart and chases after them with his armies. The Jewish People find themselves trapped between the approaching Egyptian armies and the Reed Sea. Hashem tells Moshe to raise his staff over the water and the sea splits allowing Bnai Yisrael to walk through, with protective walls of water on both sides. When the Egyptians followed the Jewish People into the water, the walls then turned back into water, causing the Egyptian armies to drown. Moshe and the Jewish People then sing “shira“, a song of praise and gratitude to Hashem. Miriam also led the women in songs of praise to Hashem.

As they journey through the desert, the people are thirsty and hungry and complain over and over to Moshe and Aharon. Hashem sweetens the bitter waters of Marah and later tells Moshe to hit a rock causing water to come from it. Hashem gives the people Manna from the sky to eat. They collect it each morning, although on Fridays they collect a double portion for Friday and for Shabbos (we remember this by making the bracha of HaMotzi on two loaves of challah every Shabbos). When the people complain again that they want meat, Hashem gives them quail. At the end of this week’s parsha, the Jewish People are attacked by the nation of Amalek, who are defeated by Moshe’s prayers and an army raised by Yehoshua. This is the first brazen act of anti-Semitism following the miracles of the Exodus from Egypt and the Splitting of the Sea. We are commanded to remember this attack by Amalek for all generations.

This week’s parsha has many symbols in it! Marshmallows can symbolize the pillar of cloud that led the Jewish People through the desert and the Manna that fell from the sky to feed them. Feet lolly pops can symbolize the Egyptain armies that chase after the Jewish People, the Jewish People walking on dry land in the Reed Sea and their many travels through the desert in this week’s parsha. Blue jelly beans can symbolize the water of the Reed Sea as well as the water that is made sweet in Marah and that comes from the rock in Refidim. Blue sour belts symbolize the walls of water that protected the Jewish People on either side as they walked through the Reed Sea, as well as the staff that Moshe holds over the water to split it. Candy lips symbolize the singing of “shira” by the Jewish People and the song of the women after the miraculous splitting of the Reed Sea. The lips could also symbolize the many complaints of the Jewish People in this week’s parsha. Cry Babies could represent the complaints of the Jewish People throughout the parsha and the bitterness of the water in Marah. Jelly soda bottles represent the complaints for water (which happens twice in this parsha). Boulder Bites (or chocolate rocks) symbolize the rock that Moshe is told to hit to bring forth water. Double Bubble gum represents the double portion of Manna that fell for the Jewish People to collect on Fridays for Shabbos. Other “double” candies include Double Stuffed Oreos, Double Dip and Jolly Rancher Awesome Twosome.

What other ideas do you have? Please share them in the comments section below.

Shabbat Shalom,
Shayna Levine-Hefetz

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